The chosen rink for the shoot was the Agridome next to the PNE  Vancouver. Having shot lots of hockey over the years in many different rinks i had to say this one was a great choice. Like every rink it had it’s challenges with glass 90% of the way around the ice limiting angles and good light to the human eye but terrible light for a camera even with the top of the line lenses.

After a quick introduction to Lorna Bauer, Liams coach the camera started clicking. Panning across the ice keeping Liam in the cross hairs gave me a real close up view of the concentration a fluidity that he has on the ice. After what seemed to be only a five minute warm up he launched off the ice to a height i can only relate to basketball players and spun quicker than i thought fathomably possible. Taking me a little by surprise i then had to leave a little bit more play in the in the framing of the shots. One thing this rink had to offer was an upstairs gallery which gave me the opportunity to shoot down onto the ice giving myself a nice white canvas to work with. Being a big fan of the slow shutter shots this gave me a great opportunity for some great arty movement shots.

After only a 45 minute ice time it was all over seemed like the time just disappeared. Although short, it was a great experience and an eye opener to see this talent in front of my eyes. A massive thanks to Liam, Lorna and Mark for this opportunity and wish Liam all the best in 2012 and the future.

Geek Section: Well not much too it. In terms of freezing the action the shutter speed was a minimum of 400 and in doing this the apature was maxed at 2.8 on a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L. The ISO was also stretched at 4000 occasionally 6400 so evidently a bit of noise reduction was needed in the post production.

I scouted locations for a couple of weeks, trying to stay away from the beach as it has been done so much. When i came across this white series of buildings i checked the sun position and where it fell at different times of the day, how much the road was used and when vehicles are less lightly to be in front of it. This building was chosen because it doesn’t look like a typical Vancouver building being only one floor and small narrow slit windows. It gave me the feeling of being in Spain or Portugal with its white on white look and layered glass slats.

Once i had the location i found Winny Clarke, the perfect model for the shoot. Fun, bubbly and full of enthusiasm she made this shoot easy.  With the concept sorted it was just a case of putting them altogether. My original idea of lots of soft edges and sun flares taking over most photos was halted by a sudden end to the Vancouver summer and cloud cover. For a few days we thought of re-scheduling but with rain forecasted for the foreseeable future we decide to go ahead. I personally feel when you’re put in the situation where all your ideas in your head and the concept you wanted to achieve were thrown out the window,  you have to use your skill and vision to complete the new puzzle of the shoot in front of you. It pushes your skill and vision making you a better photographer and separates the pros from the amateurs.

Even with the cold Winny made no fuss and was a trooper. The final images turned out great  and achieved the look and feeling i wanted to get. Massive thanks to Winny and my assistant Kyle.

Check out all the shots on the milesclarkphoto facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miles-Clark-Photography/146933548724263

or  see the selected few that made it to the websites Portfolio here: http://www.milesclarkphoto.com/people/

Also keep checking back as in a few days the edit of the behind the scenes video will be up.

Stephanie Manou and her partner Brendon Rolfe were the willing athletes for this shoot. Stephanie is a registered Kinesiologist and Fascial Stretch Therapist and Brendon is an Elite Personal Trainer and together they run Rawe Health Solutions. Rawe Health Solutions is a health and wellness company based out of Vancouver, BC.They offer an array of personal training and stretch therapy services to clients of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels. At RAWE Health, they strive to always bring you the latest trends and techniques to always give you the leading edge in health and fitness.Their staff aren’t just “trainers” but are athletes, alumni, neighbors, and volunteers. They are a piece of the Vancouver community and are open to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for fitness to help Redirect Athletic & Wellness Evolution.

www.rawehealth.com

All set up on the beach with the sun rising, we started off with so portrait and lifestyle shots. With the day along with ourseves warming up we moved onto the action shots. Diving around on the sand and jumping and spiking at the net made for some great shots.

Christine is an astonishingly dedicated and focused athlete who works incredibly hard to achieve the body she has. Months before her next competition her diet alters to get the most out her body and fitness schedule jumped up. Obviously what she does is working and i’m really happy to have had the opportunity to shoot with her.

The idea of the shoot was to show her physique in a more moody and grungy look than the standard oiled up smiling bikini look. The location was a dark underground car park chosen for it’s great textured walls. The image of Christine working out on her own using her own techniques of a set of tires and basketball gave the shoot the small story i was looking for.

“It is mastering the balance of sacrifice and pleasure the we can obtain our goals.”

Shawn is a close friend and this new company has a big future, so folks keep an eye on this one.

Follow on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_101527939934123

Also check out his video’s:

The Farm Workout

Here are a few shots from the opening game of the season. A little overcast but a 2-0 victory kept spirits high.

Keep your eye out for more shots in the action section of the portfolio. Also i will be tweeting from the game occasionally from @milesclarkphoto

Geek Section: All shot using ambient light the setting predominately used are minimum 500/sec f2.8-f3.2 to occasionally give me a little more depth of field to play with and my ISO jumps around with the sun out and behind clouds at around 400.  Lenes i use, 70-200 2.8 with 1.4extender  and occasionally a 300mm 2.8 if i can get my hands on it.

Come watch a game, tickets are cheap and it a lot of fun.

The location chosen was downtown Vancouver and with a few ideas for shots it was going to be a busy day. The series of shots ranged from aerial photographs onto the street below, dancing with buskers, jumping down stairs and littering alleyways. Not everything went to plan. We were asked by security to leave one set stairs as they apparently were not meant to be photographed and a not so kind elderly lady was convinced we climbed on her car to get onto a spiral staircase even though the behind the scenes video shows the team effort gymnastic leg up option we decided on.

The day was a great success and even though we were on a tight schedule the energy of the group and constant laughter was easily enough to keep spirits high and inspiration flowing.

Check out the behind the scenes footage in the “inMotion” section of the Portfolio.  http://www.milesclarkphoto.com/inmotion/

Also check out Industry Dance Magazine at http://industrydancemagazine.com/

Jaime mentioned that she used to kick box which then got my creative juices flowing and after a few coffee meeting found ourselves in Ironworks studio in downtown Vancouver. Not your average white walled studio this is bare brick and fenced window but was exactly the look i was after.

The team consisted or Jaime Halliday, Cloe Johnston (makeup artist extraordinaire), my trusty assistant Brodie and myself.

With a clear image in my head of exactly what i wanted to get out of this shoot we hit the ground running. A few moody shots, action photos and managing to get covered in climbing chalk was all part of the days work.

Geek Section: This is a bit of a hard one as the lighting changed a lot during the shoot. The camera setting stayed pretty much the same though. I was shooting at around f11 trying to give me a large depth of field, ISO 100, shutter speed 200. Flashes were 2 Alien Bee B800 and an Alien Bee B1600. Light modifiers were a beauty dish and two soft boxes. Although a lot of bare flash was used for harsh lighting and dark shadows.

One of the things i am looking to getting into is covering the days antics with video media giving the client an option of seeing the days shoot in action and show potential clients how myself and my team work.  Here is what we came up with:

Ringette…what? Yeah it was the first time i’ve been introduced to this sport but what an interesting sport it is. The speed and skill of these girls was incredible and their ability to change direction was intense. With it’s similarities to ice hockey it is very fast paced and skillful. For a non contact sport it was clear they get away with a lot of hits. From an outsider to describe it, it is like hockey but instead of a stick and puck you have a broom handle and a donut. A great spectator sport but be sure to wrap up warm and a coffee isn’t a bad idea.

Geek Section: Well due to the space needed to cover the Canon 70-200 managed to cover the whole ice with a little cropping on the long distance shots. It was used all the way open at f2.8 and shutter speed at nothin

g lower than 400 to freeze the action. Saying this when i switch to capture the bench shots i dropped to 250. Again this championship was shot using the Canon 1D mk3 because of its 10fps.

You can check out more about this sport at http://www.ringette.ca/content/splash.asp

Those people who are putting their face and their passion behind this amazing cause. First up is Agam Darshi, Having briefly met Agam at the WE CANADA  campaign launch back in November, i had the pleasure of meeting her again for some portrait photos for the WE CANADA website. The shoot took place at her beautiful apartment in Vancouver with it’s breath taking views over the city and the surrounding sea and mountains.

Agam is a rising star in the Vancouver Film Industry. Agam booked her very first audition for the recurring role of Hemma on “Renegade Press.Com”. Since then she has landed substantial roles in “L-Word” (Showtime), CBC’s “49th and Main”, “Zixx Level II” (USA Cartoon Network, YTV), “Haunting on Sorority Row” (Lifetime) alongside Gossip Girl Leighton Meester and “Playing for Keeps” with Emmy award winner Jennifer Finnigan.

Agam Darshi has also earned roles on Final Destination 3, Supernatural, Stargate Atlantis, Tru-Calling, Snakes on a Plane, Criminal Minds and Dead Zone.

Recently Agam can be seen playing the kick-ass tough girl Kate Freelander in the hit Scyfy show “Sanctuary”. Later this year you can also see her in Roland Emmerich’s upcoming blockbuster feature film “2012″.

Agam is also a talented writer/filmmaker and recently finished production on her short film “Bollywood Beckons”. Born in England and raised all over Canada, Agam grew up with a deep love for the arts.

This amazing personality and confidence in front of the camera made for a great photo shoot.

Geek Section: These shots were done using a super simple set up of one flash unit with a 24″ beauty dish just to the right of me. The shot settings were f 2.8, 1/100s at ISO 100. I used the Canon 24-70 f2.8 lens, although i do prefer the 70-200 f2.8 the chosen spot for the photo would allow it. Minor retouches included softening the flash highlights and a slight vignetting.

Check out Agam at http://www.agamdarshi.com/