Fox Creek, Alberta
April has been involved in Highland Dance since she was a child. She showed up with four costumes and a couple hours of free time. The time spent allowed us to experiment with light and mood. It was worth it.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Cap and Gown 2010
Fox Creek, Alberta
I was honoured to have been contracted to shoot these memories - for the students, for their parents, for their families.
After shooting the traditional formal grad pictures, I couldn't help but feel that we'd forgotten how old they were. Seventeen-year-old high school students should be allowed to act their age. The dancing, spinning, hair tossing, and generally hamming it up was refreshing to shoot.
I was honoured to have been contracted to shoot these memories - for the students, for their parents, for their families.
After shooting the traditional formal grad pictures, I couldn't help but feel that we'd forgotten how old they were. Seventeen-year-old high school students should be allowed to act their age. The dancing, spinning, hair tossing, and generally hamming it up was refreshing to shoot.
Brittney's Senior Portraits
Fox Creek, Alberta
I shot Brittney last fall because she wanted outdoor pictures with fall colours. It was a good thing the shoot was scheduled when it was, because it if had been a week later it would have been in a foot of snow!
Picturesque lake, great light, beautiful girl - a great combination for a session.
I shot Brittney last fall because she wanted outdoor pictures with fall colours. It was a good thing the shoot was scheduled when it was, because it if had been a week later it would have been in a foot of snow!
Picturesque lake, great light, beautiful girl - a great combination for a session.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sheri and Stu
October 10, 2009
Victoria, British Columbia
Wedding photos by the sea are a highly desired ideal for brides. We would recommend, however, warmer weather than mid-fall can generally provide in Canada!
We dubbed this the "Tim Hortons Wedding": not only were Timmies runs taking place all around us, but Jennifer even went out to bring coffee back to the guys.
It was nice to be included in the rehearsal so that we could plan out our vantage points.
At one point in the evening, Jennifer had an allergic reaction to a bee sting which left me without my right hand woman for a couple of hours.
But all's well that ends well...
The "S" family is expecting their second child for Christmas this year.
Victoria, British Columbia
Wedding photos by the sea are a highly desired ideal for brides. We would recommend, however, warmer weather than mid-fall can generally provide in Canada!
We dubbed this the "Tim Hortons Wedding": not only were Timmies runs taking place all around us, but Jennifer even went out to bring coffee back to the guys.
It was nice to be included in the rehearsal so that we could plan out our vantage points.
At one point in the evening, Jennifer had an allergic reaction to a bee sting which left me without my right hand woman for a couple of hours.
But all's well that ends well...
The "S" family is expecting their second child for Christmas this year.
Amanda and Brian
August 22, 2009
Kinuso, Alberta
You know a couple is adored when the entire town turns up for their wedding.
We all survived the grasshoppers, even the ones that managed to make it INTO the top layer of the flower girls' dresses.
It was a touching moment when Brian brought the ashes of his recently passed father to the reception and placed them on the head table.
An untraditional father-daughter dance: the beautiful bride with her father, and the groom with their daughters.
Kinuso, Alberta
You know a couple is adored when the entire town turns up for their wedding.
We all survived the grasshoppers, even the ones that managed to make it INTO the top layer of the flower girls' dresses.
It was a touching moment when Brian brought the ashes of his recently passed father to the reception and placed them on the head table.
An untraditional father-daughter dance: the beautiful bride with her father, and the groom with their daughters.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Beth and Nat
August 1, 2009
Near Lac La Biche, Alberta
The intimacy that was felt in their engagement session continued to their wedding ceremony. A small gathering of less than 30 people, including the two of us, made for an enjoyable event where we got to meet every person we photographed.
Beth and Nat broke off hours from their guests so that we could explore the area around his dad's cabin and shoot whatever came to mind - for us, and them.
There is also something to be said about barbequed corn and steak for a reception dinner...
Near Lac La Biche, Alberta
The intimacy that was felt in their engagement session continued to their wedding ceremony. A small gathering of less than 30 people, including the two of us, made for an enjoyable event where we got to meet every person we photographed.
Beth and Nat broke off hours from their guests so that we could explore the area around his dad's cabin and shoot whatever came to mind - for us, and them.
There is also something to be said about barbequed corn and steak for a reception dinner...
Amanda and Brian - Engagement
Kinuso, Alberta
I wish we lived closer. Brian and Amanda are the kind of couple people like to visit on a Saturday night.
After time was spent shooting and exploring, the best location, in our opinion, was their home.
When we finished shooting, Brian was kind enough to offer a horseback ride to our two-year-old daughter.
I wish we lived closer...
I wish we lived closer. Brian and Amanda are the kind of couple people like to visit on a Saturday night.
After time was spent shooting and exploring, the best location, in our opinion, was their home.
When we finished shooting, Brian was kind enough to offer a horseback ride to our two-year-old daughter.
I wish we lived closer...
Beth and Nat - Engagement
Tofield, Alberta
When we arrived at their home, a thunderstorm was blowing through. An unfortunate bit of luck that turned out great, as we sat in their house for an hour getting to know each other. The familiarity that we gained made shooting this session, and their wedding even more comfortable.
A couple so in love, Beth and Nat just wouldn't stop kissing. What a perfect way to start a marriage!
When we arrived at their home, a thunderstorm was blowing through. An unfortunate bit of luck that turned out great, as we sat in their house for an hour getting to know each other. The familiarity that we gained made shooting this session, and their wedding even more comfortable.
A couple so in love, Beth and Nat just wouldn't stop kissing. What a perfect way to start a marriage!
Robin and Kent - Engagement
Fox Creek, Alberta
Although we were not traveling to Ontario to shoot their wedding, we were pleased to be asked to shoot a few images to be used on their invitations.
Although we were not traveling to Ontario to shoot their wedding, we were pleased to be asked to shoot a few images to be used on their invitations.
Alida and Ken
April 11, 2009
Okotoks, Alberta
This was Jennifer's first wedding as second shooter. I was apprehensive of her abilities at first...then I saw the shots she was taking. From there, I went and bought her a new camera: something that would keep up with her.
Alida and Ken were a fun couple whose family grew not only by marriage that year, but also by the birth of their son.
Okotoks, Alberta
This was Jennifer's first wedding as second shooter. I was apprehensive of her abilities at first...then I saw the shots she was taking. From there, I went and bought her a new camera: something that would keep up with her.
Alida and Ken were a fun couple whose family grew not only by marriage that year, but also by the birth of their son.
Jacqueline and James
August 9, 2008
Fox Creek, Alberta
It may well have been the hottest day of the summer. It got warmer when the power went out and took the air conditioning with it. Candlelit ceremony: a romantic accident.
I was amused seeing my wife, eight months pregnant, balancing the six foot reflector on her belly.
James and Jacqueline are a beautiful couple, as evidenced by their twin daughters. Despite the heat, the day was perfect.
Fox Creek, Alberta
It may well have been the hottest day of the summer. It got warmer when the power went out and took the air conditioning with it. Candlelit ceremony: a romantic accident.
I was amused seeing my wife, eight months pregnant, balancing the six foot reflector on her belly.
James and Jacqueline are a beautiful couple, as evidenced by their twin daughters. Despite the heat, the day was perfect.
Trent Ferguson Photography 2.0
I have a confession.
Mom and Dad, I broke your camera.
I think I was seven when I pulled apart the Kodak Instamatic camera (and accidentally exposed a cartridge of 126 film) trying to figure out how the shutter worked. It happened at Grandma's house and it was our secret. My demonstration of such enthusiasm and curiosity resulted in Grandma giving me her camera: a Brownie Starflash from the 1950s. I still have her camera today.
A couple years later, for Christmas in grade four, my parents got me a Polaraid Land camera (SX-70) as we got ready to head to Disneyland for Easter. To take off on a little bit of a tangent, Polaroid was the digital of its day: instant gratification photography. You pushed a button and, like a tongue from a snake, the picture slowly rolled out from the front of the camera and you tucked it in your pocket for sixty seconds (because body heat helped it develop). Polaroid's downfall, however, when compared to digital, was cost. In 1977 (if I remember correctly), a cartridge containing ten unexposed positives was more than ten dollars. Imagine spending more than a dollar for every image you shot.
Junior high school introduced me to the pleasures of a darkroom (no, not that kind!). I spent hours shooting black and white film and developing it in our school's darkroom. I learned how to push and pull process, how to dodge and burn, and that printing colour negatives on black and white paper does not work well.
When the economy collapsed in the early eighties, my ability procure the funds to support my photographic habit dried up.
About eight years later, I dipped my toe back into the world that I love. For our first anniversary, I bought my first wife a 35 mm camera with a macro setting and the ability to double expose an image. Six weeks later we split up. She kept the camera. I don't blame her: it was a really nice camera.
Not to be disappointed again, I went through a pile of disposable cameras: with flash, without flash, regular, panoramic, underwater...you name it, I tried it. I may well have attended weddings just to steal the disposable cameras off the tables.
Jennifer knew, or suspected, all of this and married me anyways. She came into our relationship carrying a 35 mm camera and together we entered the digital world with the purchase of a 3.2 megapixel Sony Cybershot.
I hated digital.
I was accustomed to pushing a button and actually taking a picture; not pushing a button and waiting...and waiting...and waiting...turning the camera around to check if it was actually working only to have the flash go off in your eyes. Eventually, I got used to it. And then we had kids.
The birth of our daughter coincided with the rebirth of my digital despise. She could barely crawl, and yet she was out of the frame before the camera would take the picture. So many beautiful memories that are in our heads and not on paper (yes, on paper - we still print our pictures. We both believe that a photograph should be properly printed and hung. Looking at an image on a monitor is like reading a newspaper off the internet: there is something tactile that is missing.).
Enter the DSLR. The ability to squeeze the shutter and take the picture was a revelation. It combined the instant gratification of Polaroid, the flexibilty of digital, and the speed of film with a cost effectiveness that is unparalleled.
The race was on. He who dies with the most toys wins.
Finally having the means to acquire the equipment to shoot in the way and the style that I see, I went on a shopping spree of epic proportions: backdrops and strobes that provide the freedom to light a person with drama; lenses and camera bodies that provide razor sharp images and capture every hair; and the computing power and software to remove blemishes and imperfections where necessary.
For my 40th birthday, my wife gave me the best gift: a business of my own. In the beginning, it was my vision as a photographer that we based ourselves on. Being a representative of my name, however, requires PR skills that I don't necessarily have. Jennifer has always been our public contact and has begun asserting herself as the face of our company. Her friendly voice and smiling face seem to be more conducive to a successful business than my, at times, direct way of phrasing things.
In the meantime, I seem to have been contagious.
My wife, who held a passing interest in photography when we met, is becoming an accomplished shooter. For events that we cover, Jennifer delivers fully one-third of the images that are presented. I'm not certain that her goal is not to run me out of my own company, but it is certainly comforting to have her by my side. Not only is she my wife, the mother of my children, my lover and my best friend, but I have discovered that she someone that I work well with. As photographers, our individual styles are somewhat similar, and any differences are complementary. Jennifer sees the smallest details and makes them larger than life. I see huge vistas and pare them down to what I envision as the essence of the image.
A photographer that I admire, Sam Hassas, has a motto: "I make you look good". I'm not at Sam's level yet, but it's a goal that I strive for.
Mom and Dad, I broke your camera.
I think I was seven when I pulled apart the Kodak Instamatic camera (and accidentally exposed a cartridge of 126 film) trying to figure out how the shutter worked. It happened at Grandma's house and it was our secret. My demonstration of such enthusiasm and curiosity resulted in Grandma giving me her camera: a Brownie Starflash from the 1950s. I still have her camera today.
A couple years later, for Christmas in grade four, my parents got me a Polaraid Land camera (SX-70) as we got ready to head to Disneyland for Easter. To take off on a little bit of a tangent, Polaroid was the digital of its day: instant gratification photography. You pushed a button and, like a tongue from a snake, the picture slowly rolled out from the front of the camera and you tucked it in your pocket for sixty seconds (because body heat helped it develop). Polaroid's downfall, however, when compared to digital, was cost. In 1977 (if I remember correctly), a cartridge containing ten unexposed positives was more than ten dollars. Imagine spending more than a dollar for every image you shot.
Junior high school introduced me to the pleasures of a darkroom (no, not that kind!). I spent hours shooting black and white film and developing it in our school's darkroom. I learned how to push and pull process, how to dodge and burn, and that printing colour negatives on black and white paper does not work well.
When the economy collapsed in the early eighties, my ability procure the funds to support my photographic habit dried up.
About eight years later, I dipped my toe back into the world that I love. For our first anniversary, I bought my first wife a 35 mm camera with a macro setting and the ability to double expose an image. Six weeks later we split up. She kept the camera. I don't blame her: it was a really nice camera.
Not to be disappointed again, I went through a pile of disposable cameras: with flash, without flash, regular, panoramic, underwater...you name it, I tried it. I may well have attended weddings just to steal the disposable cameras off the tables.
Jennifer knew, or suspected, all of this and married me anyways. She came into our relationship carrying a 35 mm camera and together we entered the digital world with the purchase of a 3.2 megapixel Sony Cybershot.
I hated digital.
I was accustomed to pushing a button and actually taking a picture; not pushing a button and waiting...and waiting...and waiting...turning the camera around to check if it was actually working only to have the flash go off in your eyes. Eventually, I got used to it. And then we had kids.
The birth of our daughter coincided with the rebirth of my digital despise. She could barely crawl, and yet she was out of the frame before the camera would take the picture. So many beautiful memories that are in our heads and not on paper (yes, on paper - we still print our pictures. We both believe that a photograph should be properly printed and hung. Looking at an image on a monitor is like reading a newspaper off the internet: there is something tactile that is missing.).
Enter the DSLR. The ability to squeeze the shutter and take the picture was a revelation. It combined the instant gratification of Polaroid, the flexibilty of digital, and the speed of film with a cost effectiveness that is unparalleled.
The race was on. He who dies with the most toys wins.
Finally having the means to acquire the equipment to shoot in the way and the style that I see, I went on a shopping spree of epic proportions: backdrops and strobes that provide the freedom to light a person with drama; lenses and camera bodies that provide razor sharp images and capture every hair; and the computing power and software to remove blemishes and imperfections where necessary.
For my 40th birthday, my wife gave me the best gift: a business of my own. In the beginning, it was my vision as a photographer that we based ourselves on. Being a representative of my name, however, requires PR skills that I don't necessarily have. Jennifer has always been our public contact and has begun asserting herself as the face of our company. Her friendly voice and smiling face seem to be more conducive to a successful business than my, at times, direct way of phrasing things.
In the meantime, I seem to have been contagious.
My wife, who held a passing interest in photography when we met, is becoming an accomplished shooter. For events that we cover, Jennifer delivers fully one-third of the images that are presented. I'm not certain that her goal is not to run me out of my own company, but it is certainly comforting to have her by my side. Not only is she my wife, the mother of my children, my lover and my best friend, but I have discovered that she someone that I work well with. As photographers, our individual styles are somewhat similar, and any differences are complementary. Jennifer sees the smallest details and makes them larger than life. I see huge vistas and pare them down to what I envision as the essence of the image.
A photographer that I admire, Sam Hassas, has a motto: "I make you look good". I'm not at Sam's level yet, but it's a goal that I strive for.
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