Day in the Life

The Everyday Photograph - Ottawa Documentary Lifestyle Photographer

The Everyday Photograph - Ottawa Documentary Lifestyle Photographer

I could share just the pretty of the photos I take but lately I am being pulled to share the stories behind the images I capture of my family and those of my clients. 

To share a new and fresh perspective around the deeper feelings that exist when looking at photographs. 

I've pondered a while on how to communicate this new way I'll be sharing content here. The closest I've come to defining it is what you see VS what your child sees. Over the last few years, I've been observing and asking my own children just how they see things. My visual skills are fine tuned so I thought but it seems that the things I see are a bit different than what my children have brought light to. And since my goal as a photographer has always been to capture moments that reflect the people in the photos, I was keen on learning more of the difference that they shared with me. As a result, my visuals have evolved and the connections in my photographs have as well.

You see photographs are memory keepers of a time that once was. Of a time we didn't always appreciate the little things or the mundane everyday details but when we reflect back, these details are consistently always the BIG things that have shaped us and defined us. 

A black and white Christmas - Ottawa Lifestyle Photography

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I've been slightly obsessed with trying different types of film stocks outside my usual Kodak Professional series. I took a bold move and experimented with Ilford Delta 3200 Black and White film on Christmas Eve. Every time I receive scans back from the lab, I begin to digest the performance and journal my expectations. Some areas I examine are tonal ranges of the stock, grain specifics to the brand vs actual visual output, as well as, my recorded results with the lighting condition during my time of capture.

Choosing this high ISO brand to experiment was mostly to see low light results. I did not use a flash to compensate the lighting in any of the captures. All images are a results of available light. Here are my thoughts; I find the tonality handles well, there are white points in the images higher than I expected but they add their own flair to the output. The grain of 3200 is very visible yet I am enjoying its superb nostalgic feel.

In conclusion, I would probably use a lower ISO film stock for commissioned sessions but will continue to capture my own family with the Ilford brand. 

Details of Film Stock: Ilford Delta 3200 - Black and White - 35 mm
Chemical Processing: Toronto Image Works - Toronto, ON
Scans to Digital: Downtown Camera - Toronto, ON