2010 April | Avant Documentary Photography

Archive for April, 2010

DIY Beauty Dish | April 15, 2010

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

I’ve been playing a lot with my 46″ Umbrella (both reflective and shoot thru), 24″ x 24″ softboxes a lot, and after a lot of reading, I was really inspired by the the one and only Todd Owyoung’s approach in building his own beauty dish. Anyway, two weeks ago, I started going to dollar stores and hardware stores and look for the right parts and had my good friend Kevin from Violets and Viruses to help me build this beast.

Like Todd, I own the EzySoft softbox so I just used the Lastolite’s hotshoe mount to make my life easier. I bought 3 more screw nuts so I can easily remove and reinsert the mount.

Here are some photos of the beauty dish during construction

During construction of the DIY Beauty Dish

Front view of the DIY Beauty Dish, testing the assembly

Back view of the DIY Beauty Dish, testing the assembly

And a few more photos of the finished product.

Front view of the beauty dish after it was done

Back view of the beauty dish after it was done

Rear side view of the beauty dish after it was done

Front side view of the beauty dish after it was done

After the dish was completed, of course I have to take a few sample shots to test it out.

Beauty Dish Testing: Mok

Beauty Dish Testing: Myself

Notice the catch lights! Even tho the photos are small.

Read more about Todd Owyoung’s DIY Beauty Dish

Also check out Kevin’s blog Mok The Rocker here

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Toronto Indies Music – Maybe Refuge | Band | April 17, 2010

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

On a Toronto saturday with breaks of sunshine and rain, my friend’s Maybe Refuge played another show at Aspetta Caffe at the Kensington Market. This time, they played in the middle of the afternoon for a very good cause, to be a part of the fundraiser for World Wildlife Foundation.

Yesterday, Kevin Mok from Violets and Viruses filled in for as a guest drummer/percussionist for this occasion. If any drummers are interested, Maybe Refuge are currently looking for a dedicated drummer.

Enough words, on to a few photos.

Joey, Lead Vocalist and Guitars, Maybe Refuge, Toronto Indies Band

John, Guitarist, Maybe Refuge, Toronto Indies Band

Hiu, Bassist and Guitarist, Maybe Refuge, Toronto Indies Band playing a show at Aspetta Caffe

Mok, Session drummer, Maybe Refuge, Toronto Indies Band playing a show at Aspetta Caffe

They will be playing on May 1, 2010 at Chimaira Lounge! Check them out and for more information, take a look at their Facebook fan page.

Bag review | Shootsac

Monday, April 12th, 2010

I rarely do any review of any sort of equipment and I’m not sponsored by any. However, people who have known me knows I’ve been searching for the “perfect” camera bag or equipment bag for the past few years. I’ve used traditional camera bags and belt systems from different manufacturers. At a certain time, I’ve also considered designing my own bag and get it tailor made. That is, until I found the shootsac. Shootsac is designed by the famous Jessica Claire.

Last weekend’s engagement was the first time I’ve actually used my shootsac while on a job and honestly, I love it. Usually after any length of shoots, my shoulder feels sore and tired from carrying my extra lenses, flash and accessories. However, the material from this bag is very soft and light, and the best part is, it’s not bulky at all. During the 3 hours of shooting, I honestly forgot I was carrying equipment with me on my shoulder. Of course, this is not a traditional camera bag and it is not going to change the way you transport or store your equipment for any certain job. With that said, there were times when I placed my camera (without the vertical grip) and two lenses and walked along.

I highly recommend this bag if you have the same criteria as I do,
1. Easy on shoulder
2. Not bulky
3. Look good!
4. Easy access to your equipment (Shootsac has a total of 6 pouches, the 3 at the front are meant for lenses/flash, and the back 3 are meant for accessories – perfect for batteries, and my Pocket Wizards)

Shootsac

Shootsac - Front

Shootsac - Inside the bag

Shootsac - Back

Check out Shootsac’s official website.

Posted in For Photographers | 1 Comment »

Toronto Engagement Slideshow | April 3, 2010 | Alice & Carl

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Here’s a first attempt of a fusion slideshow for Alice & Carl from our engagement session a few days ago.

Click on the Vimeo sign at the lower right hand corner for the HD version.

Click for more engagement photos from the session!

Tags: Engagement
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Toronto Engagement Photos | April 3, 2010 | Alice & Carl

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Ever since the last wedding I shot back in November, I’ve been busy with my other photography experiments, babies and portraits photography, food photography, and of course music photography to say the least. I’m just blessed and happy to get back into the engagement/wedding photography.

I met Alice and Carl a couple of months ago and thought they were a really cool couple. After months of organizing and communicating, we decided to shoot their engagement photos on the first weekend of April, just one month before their wedding. The most pleasant surprise was the weather, a very non typical Toronto April weather which we saw as high as 28 degree. We took the afternoon and just had a coffee and walked around in the northern end of North York and took some very nice photos also with their dog, Porsche. Needless to say, with their charm, their engagement photos turned out great. I’m very excited about shooting their wedding in less than a month away.

Here are a few photos from the session.