Michele Dyson Photography » Blog

So, a few weeks ago Brooke and I headed over to Calgary for a weekend of not only shopping, but networking and kicking A$$ with the one and only [B]ecker! We were definitely not disappointed; the workshop was informative, interesting and totally fun. It didn’t surprise me that [B]ecker was exactly as I’d thought he’d be from reading his blog and watching his [B] school video clips. I picked up a lot of good info, but most importantly confidence and inspiration. He made us realize that you don’t necessarily need to be the most incredible photographer around, as long as you’re darn good AND have a great personality. Well, I happily agree with that statement. I am proud of my work, I don’t by any means think I’m the most fantastic photog around, but I do think that I’m darned fun to work with! After a full day of learning, meeting new people in the industry, watching [B]ecker shoot and even getting few headshots taken by the man himself, we headed out for some greasy bites and had a great time. Thank you also to Rebecca of R Photographer for your very,very appreciated insights. Your honesty was maybe the best thing I took home with me.

Thanks again to all involved in pulling this together, and for the photographers reading this….if you haven’t done so yet; get your butts over to the [b] school blog and SIGN UP!!! It really is fab.

Thanks [B]ecker….you rocked!!!

 
These headshots were shot wide open on the very buttery 50mm 1.2…..I’d better start saving my pennies:)These next 2 are obviously poor quality, but seriously crack me up- the shirt says it all!!!

This session was a big deal for me as it was the first “class” I’ve ever taken. While searching through random photog blogs a few months ago, I came across Amber Hughe’s site. I was blown away and instantly knew I had to convince her to take Brooke and I under her wing for a few learning sessions. Luckily for us, she agreed! What draws me to her work is not only the clarity and fabulous compositions but the lighting. Ahhhh, her lighting really is to-die-for. And believe it or not, she just began getting creative with her off camera lighting a year ago. Inspirational to say the least. We spent a few hours together, hitting a few spots down at Granville Island in Vancouver and B and I were both amazed at how much we learned. Off camera lighting isn’t nearly as intimidating as I’d thought !

Unfortunately the day wasn’t as long as we’d hoped….I was on the Island  dropping off my girls and would you believe that the ferry was late?! Of course, the one day I’m paying to be somewhere they decide to get backed up! Everything worked out in the end….my girlfriend Janine and her wonderful husband Emon kindly came over with me to be our guinea pigs, and although we didn’t shoot a tonne, I did get a handful of images I hope they’ll love. There was a lot of standing around to be done by the two of them as Brooke and I tried to take in all the info Amber had for us, so thank you guys for being troopers….especially since Miss Janine is expecting and was not feeling her usual self!

Brooke and I are definitely going to book again….hopefully a session in the spring and another in the fall if Amber is still willing to take us on!  Make SURE to go check out her blog….I promise it will not only inspire you to think outside of the box, but it will put a smile on your face:)  Amber, thank you so much for being so warm and putting us at ease; we had a great day!

These images are a mixture of off camera lighting and natural light….off camera equipment mainly provided by Amber, which means we need to go shopping!