A lot of people are considering shifting away from Instagram in light of their new terms of service and I have to admit, I just started using the new Flickr app, which I think is quite robust.
Still, while in London, I Instagrammed a lot and enjoyed how easy it was to share my adventures, but then I realized, there are also these...the real photographs.
This is London. Day 1.
I had the honor of photographing baby Molly, recently. There's nothing like capturing the innocence, beauty and fragility of a new baby. Molly had just turned four months old at the time of this shoot and was a professional superstar! Her lovely Mom was a delight to work with, singing tunes that, I admit, I've been singing all week!
So, say "Hello!" to Molly! (And to Buddha, who came to play!)
Thank you to Cara and Molly for a wonderful photo session!
I am showing a couple of Instagram photos at the Open HeARTS Inc. "Going Mobile" exhibit tonight from 6-8:30pm if anyone is able to drop by!
Pretty excited about this cover I designed for Med Chem Comm. The publication just came out.
The Hamilton's are always a treat for me to capture, and they are no strangers to this blog! Last summer we went nautical in downtown Oakville and the time before that, we took to the barns!
I feel so blessed to have been able to shoot their fourth annual family portraits this year, where our session took place in their gorgeous home and outdoors on a rainy (pre-Hurricane Sandy) fall day...
To K+S, I just want to say, it's always a pleasure; thank you so much for your support! xo
An ode to NYC and NJ after Hurricane Sandy.
Shot from the rooftop at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City, in September 2012.
While in NYC I took in Picasso's Black and White exhibit at The Guggenheim, a museum I hadn't been to in years, remember THIS throwback Monday?
The exhibit is expressive, robust and void of color, as Picasso claimed,
Color weakens.
Thus, I present my vision of the Guggenheim in black, white and shades of gray....(with a bit of Central Park thrown in for good measure).
Black and White runs until January 23, 2013
24 hours in New Haven, started with breakfast, then the Yale Center for British Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Old Campus, Sterling Library and ended with tea at Claire's....
Hope your weekend is filled with some beautiful meals and time well spent.
Kitchen of the Whaley House, San Diego
Ah yes, I'm taking you back to San Diego today, for a visit amongst some wild specimens. At the Desert Garden at Balboa Park.
Come and smell the roses with me...
Long weekends are for ferry rides, champagne celebrations, mass production of breakfasts, petting zoos, wishing rocks, pink lemonade, outdoor showers, badminton and croquet tournaments and lots of photo ops.
I don't know anyone who's not addicted to Instagram, do you?
With more Instagrams taking up our Twitter feeds, I thought I'd share a few tips on how to make your Instagrams better with some examples from my own feed (@hoggerandco) to illustrate some things I've noticed since I started using the app. And if you're on Instagram, give me your handle so I can follow you!
1. Minimalism. Less is more. This is a common theme of many Instagrammers I follow. The negative space around a subject often times proves more interesting. This is common in landscape shots. More sky, less building.
2. Self-portraits. Adding one or two self-portraits in your feed gives your followers a glimpse of YOU. I enjoy getting a glimpse of what the people I follow look like. Of course, that's to say, not dedicating your entire feed to a self-portrait party. And if you prefer to remain annonymous, more power to you.
3. Good lighting. Good light is important in getting the attention on what it is you're taking a photo of. If you're in a dark restaurant, you're not likely to get a good shot of what you're eating. But with more light, the easier it is to showcase your subject.
4. Good shadow. Shadow is equally as important as good light. The two work well together in creating interesting compositions.
5. Speaking of which. Composition. Composing a shot into an interesting array of subject matter can elevate the mundane. Remember the rule of thirds, that not everything has to be in the center of the frame. Having a focal point and having everything else in the shot direct your eye to the focal point is a good place to start.
6. Shoot from above. Many of the people I follow have some of the best Instagram photos because they shoot from above the object. Give it a try...you'll look silly doing it at the time, but you'll love the result.
7. Crop. Don't be afraid to crop your shot down. Getting rid of distracting objects on the outskirts of the shot make it more interesting (here I cropped out the cabanas).
8. Don't zoom in. Don't zoom into the subject before taking the photo. You'll end up with a pixelated shot. Instead take the photo and then crop it. If you're too far away from your subject, you're better of forgetting about the subject altogether rather than using an overly pixelated shot just for the sake of it. (Here I got up close instead of zooming into the fish, I decided to keep the cooler in the shot).
9. Blur is your friend. If used properly, the blur tool can really highlight your subject. The "spot" blur is great for really focusing on something, whereas I like using the "bar" blur for creating semi tilt-shift scenarios.
10. Silhouettes. Sometimes a silhouette is all you need to tell a story.
Was this helpful? Would you like to see more photo tips on the blog?
This month's A2I post features artist Lara Harwood's "...now imagine all the thick birdsong thick as a forest"
Harwood's watercolour paintings are sublime, the type of work that could enhance any space with their bright, vivid colours, illustrative nature and minimal subject matter.
This jungley image from Harwood's sketchbook of watercolours from India, 2009, is a piece that really took me back to my own journey through Kerala's backwaters in Feb 2010.
The composition of heavy greenery vs the simple silhouette encapsulates the very nature of Kerala's scenery.
Today, Harwood's watercolour has inspired me to reminisce...
Last month's Art to Inspiration featured my own work (thanks Sups!): July
Want to join Art to Inspiration? Just click here!
It was so fabulous to check out the Wynwood Art District for Art Walk 2012 while in Miami last month, and to meet up with Elizabeth who I'd met while she was visiting Boston!
Being surrounded by gorgeous murals was like walking in a garden of art...
I'm beside myself that Sups from Chevrons & Éclairs has chosen one of my photographs for this month's A2I!
I thought I'd give a bit of background to this image, which is one from a series I shot for Aarti when she was starting up her yoga company, 'Healing Yoga with Aarti'.
I love this quote from her practice:
"Health is wealth, peace of mind is happiness, yoga shows the way" - Swami Vishnudevananda
Aarti was looking for yoga photos that weren't conventional (ie. sun-set-silhouette-type shots) but more of something organic with interesting body shapes and unique backdrops. She was really open-minded so we tried some really cool things, like this shot of her in her beautiful lehenga out on the skating rink at the Harbourfront Centre across from our condo and the CN Tower in Toronto. Here, some other shots from her shoot.
Thank you Sups for choosing one of my pieces for this month's Art To Inspiration!
You'll be able to see the full A2I gallery over here.
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