Aminah Syed | Photographer

The weather was so beautiful yesterday that Marty and I decided to go crazy in the backyard. While we make a very strong effort to give him two solid walks per day; I think even he was feeling the cabin fever. As soon as we got outside he started running his laps at super sonic speed. I fired off 111 frames and this was the only one that was actually in focus. He’s just too fast! My camera can’t focus on him. Plus, he’s also insane! Of course that’s part of the reason why we got a Siberian Husky in the first place. :)

Early this morning I got to meet fellow Edmonton-photog Harvey Miedreich from LoveBucket Photography. He’s currently working on a project titled “100 People”. Read about it here. I participated. :) It felt kind of strange to be on the other side of the camera and to be interviewed… but it was fun! You should participate in the project!

Here’s a random shot. You didn’t think I’d leave my camera at home now would you?

Here is a collection of puppy pictures. I have a tonne more but will spare you for now. Meet the Langridges and their dogs Roxy, Teddy and Charlie. Marty Reasoner my husky puppy with the bi-eyes, Titan and Cookie who are the most calm and submissive German Shepard and Pit Bull I’ve ever met… and finally Abby. I think Abby deserves a special note. She’s my parent’s dog who is 16-years-old and still going strong. She’s going blind and deaf but will still pick fights with my mom’s cat. What a dog!

I recently attended a studio lighting workshop at Lightrein with Monty and Kevin. It was great to get out and meet other photographers (some of them from Twitter) and to practice studio lighting. Here are some shots of our model, Tannis. (Who is goregous and handled 20 cameras in her face with such ease!)

It was an interesting technique of a slow shutter speed, single soft box and asking the model to move ever so slightly to get a blurred look. Thanks for the workshop! I look forward to more throughout the year.

Here’s a teaser shot from the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation Youth Gala I shot last week. It was in the evening at city hall with very little available light. Tough times! I didn’t get as many photos as I had hoped but there are a few that turned out. I didn’t want to flash them constantly with my strobe nor could I set up lights at the venue.

The gala was part of of International Development Week 2010. There were two events (this one in Edmonton and one in Calgary) set to profile and honour nine dedicated and inspiring Albertan youth who are working in their communities to raise awareness about global poverty, social justice, inequality and human rights issues. This is Quetzala Maria Carson who sang several of her own songs. She has an amazing voice. Check out her here, http://myspace.com/quetzalamusic

Ps. I’m trying out the patterned graphic again. Thoughts?

Here is a pic I snapped of Grebeshkov while at the 2010 Oilers Superskills competition last month. I have never missed a Superskills since I moved to the city. Sad to say with the way the Oilers are playing this season I actually debated on going. I also debated on bringing my camera. Usually they don’t allow cameras and take them away from spectators but the photographer in me told me I’d regret trying. For some reason I had all the luck in the world and was sitting at ice level with my camera the entire compeition without trouble. Um… to whoever decided to let me keep my camera, THANK YOU!

Oh and here is something interesting I spied while sitting so close. The Edmonton Oilers photographer Andy Devlin, who has always been a photographer I admire, had strobes placed throughout Rexall with a wireless trigger. It’s a perfect way to freeze the action and always ensure that the ice is white as snow rather than coming off yellowish.

Please note: This images is not for sale.

I brought home the studio lighting kit from work this weekend. The kit includes two Elinchrom strobes and two soft boxes. I’m still experimenting with studio lighting—and look forward to a couple of workshops I’ve squeezed into next month—but I think I’m finally starting to get what I want out of them.

We also took a trip to IKEA for the backdrop. Holy man! They have some awesome fabric and at a fraction of the cost of buying studio backdrops from the photography stores. The only concern is that they’re not very wide so you can really only use them for one person and crop the shot in tight. Though, I’m sure if I was more inclined to learn how to sew, I could engineer a wider background. That’s a big “if” LOL.

Thanks Maciek for being my model. It was written in the wedding vows in fine print you know, to be my test model whenever I need it. This is what happens when you marry a photographer. :)

Ok NOW I’ve exhausted my entire photo collection on my computer. Time to start shooting some more stuff! That’s not to say I haven’t been shooting. I’ve been doing quite a bit at work but since that’s my day job and this is my personal blog, I’m not allowed to post those photos here. It’s a shame really. I do so much portrait work there but I digress… Caitlin and Roxy!

I think I’ve just exhausted my past photo library. Good thing I’ve got a new photo gigs coming up. Here are some last bits of Kristin and Dean’s wedding I could squeeze out.

Here’s a shot from a wedding I did this summer. Kristin says, “I know! I know, get some new material already!” ha ha Don’t worry! I’m on it. I’m also experimenting with different layout options for my photos. Thoughts? Maybe the pattern is a bit much and should just go for a solid colour?