The Heir Apparent

Your Friendly Nighbourhood Photographer and My Lovely Assistant decided to hire on some extra staff at the studio.  Please welcome The Heir Apparent.  I've always been fascinated by the fingers of musicians and artists, so I figured the first appearance of The Heir Apparent here on The Old Blog should focus on the fingers and the unlimited potential that they hold.  Being a photographer, I'd of course love for that to be a shutter pushing finger we see there in the photograph, taken at f/2.8, 1/125sec, ISO 10000 at 70mm, but that is something that our Heir Apparent will find out for herself in due time.  In the meantime, you may find more baby related photographs here in the coming months as I try out this new form of photography with a readily available model.

Baby Boomer's Band At Casino De Montréal

It's always fun to be recognized for your good work.  Even more when it comes in the form of an offer for your services.  Thus, there was a large smile on my face in mid-December when I was contacted by the Baby Boomer's Band.  I have previously photographed them twice while they performed at the annual Saint-Lambert Classic Car show and they really liked my photographs.    So much so, that they wanted to hire me to photograph a show they were going to be putting on at the Montreal Casino in January for their '50s Pop' series.  Feel free to check out the other photographs by following Link #1 and then Link #2.  There were a couple of scheduling quirks including a rather unfortunate freezing rain episode, but the big day finally arrived this past Sunday.  The band were performing in the Valet de Carreau bar which is situated inside of the casino.  They kept their fans who made the trip to the show entertained with their versions of old time rock & roll classics, and even lured several of the gamblers away from their cushioned seats and shiny machines to join in on the fun.  From Elvis to Little Richard with some Chuck Berry and The Beach Boys on the side, the place was rocking until it was time to bid us adieu with an a capella version of Mr. Sandman.  The first photograph was taken a f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 63mm and the second photograph was taken at f2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 31mm.  Here are several more photographs that I took of their performance.

f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 53mm

f/2.8, 1/80sec, ISO 3200 at 47mm

f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 3200 at 42mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 10000 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/125sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/60sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/80sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 45mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 8000 at 41mm

f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 42mm

f/2.8, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 45mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/80sec, ISO 3200 at 31mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 6400 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/125sec, ISO 6400 at 39mm

f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 3200 at 41mm

It was a terrific evening of good memories and good tunes.  It's impossible not to tap your toes and bob your head to the beat of those classic tunes.  If you'd like to find out more about the Baby Boomer's Band and their music, feel free to follow the link to their website.

Chilling Breeze

Though my neck of the world is coming out of a couple of rather chilly days, this has been a rather mild season by local standards.  I was hoping to find a little ice fog this morning, but the wasn't any to be found.  Luckily, I knew where there was some hidden in my archives.  This shot was taken during a rather cold morning last year.  I headed out to one of my favourite summer spots hoping to get some of the fog passing in front of the rides at La Ronde.  The river was a little more frozen than I had thought it would be, but the little part that was open was giving off just enough fog for me to see.  The photograph was taken at f/16, 1/80sec, ISO 100 at 57mm.  There might still be some cold days to come, so I might find some fresh fog before the seasons change.

Colourful Treats

The weather over the course of the last few days has caused a case of the 'blahs' to set in.  There's no better cure for a case of the 'blahs' than a little dose of chocolate.  Or, a large dose based on your appetite.  I know it's not polite to play with your food, but I do always like to take shots of colourful candy.  There were some tasty rock chocolates.  I liked the little patterns so I decided to fill a plate and take some photographs of the ones I didn't eat between shots.  The photograph was taken at f/9, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 70mm.  It's not always easy to get out in the Winter months, but there are always some things around the house that you can photograph, though some are a little more tasty than others.

Van Houtte Fire On Ice At The Old Port Of Montreal

This past Saturday night was the final Van Houtte Fire On Ice fireworks series at the Old Port of Montreal.  I had originally wanted to try out a new spot to take my photographs, but it was cloudy and snowy so I knew I couldn't get to far away from the explosions or I'd risk not seeing much.  Luckily, my old reliable spot on the river didn't let me down.  Note to my future self, and any other winter photographers out there, an umbrella can be handy, even in January.  As I previously mentioned, it was lightly snowing and in order to keep the snow off of my camera, I had to take the hood off of my coat to cover my camera.  Another photographer who was out there took care of that problem by using an umbrella to keep the snow off.  Seems like a good idea worth sharing and from now on there will always be a little umbrella with my gear, just in case  The winter fireworks aren't as spectacular as the annual competition in July, but I enjoy seeing the explosions next to skyscrapers of Montreal.  The first photograph was taken at f/16, 30sec, ISO 100 at 70mm and the second photograph was taken at f/16, 13sec, ISO 100 at 70mm.  Here are a few more photographs that I took of the display.

f/16, 30sec, ISO 100 at 70mm

f/16, 15sec, ISO 100 at 70mm

f/16, 10sec, ISO 100 at 70mm

f/16, 15sec, ISO 100 at 70mm

That wraps up this edition of the Fire On Ice fireworks series.  I wasn't planning on going to three of these, but I just can't seem to stay away from all of the bright lights and loud explosions.  Hope you've enjoyed them.

Epica At Théâtre Corona

After all of the success I'd had last year with my concert photography, I was hoping to keep my streak of good fortune alive as early as possible in 2020.  It doesn't get much earlier than the 3rd day of the year.  One of the biggest symphonic metal bands around, Epica, was in town for the evening.  It was the first night of their most recent tour, which celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the album that put them on the musical map, Design Your Universe.  I knew I was going to be in for a great time when I arrived at the Thèâtre Corona only to find that the line to get inside stretched down the street and around the corner.  I always show up early for shows so I can get a good spot on the chance that there isn't a pit for the photographers, but I had not been to one with such a long line in a very long time.  By the time Epica took the stage, the crowd was ready to explode at the arrival of their heroes and the band didn't disappoint.  Singer Simone Simon was held the fans in the palms of her outstretched hands, while they weren't banging their heads to the blistering guitars and pounding drums.  We were even treated at an extended keyboard solo which certainly knocked my socks off.  The first photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/1600sec, ISO 3200 at 31mm and the second photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/3200sec, ISO 3200 at 31mm.  Here are several more photographs that I took during their time up on the stage.

f/2.8, 1/2500sec, ISO 3200 at 33mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 53mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 35mm

f/2.8, 1/1600sec, ISO 3200 at 31mm

f/2.8, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 33mm

f/2.8, 1/125sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/2500sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/2500sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/2500sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 30mm

f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 53mm

f/2.8, 1/2000sec, ISO 3200 at 59mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 30mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 38mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 47mm

f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/2500sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 45mm

For a first show of the year, you can't ask for much better than that.  A big thank you to Daniel Regan and the fine folks at Feat First Management for getting me a pass to the show.  If you'd like to find out more about Epica, don't forget to follow the link to their website and don't forget to check out the photographs that I took earlier in the night of Blackguard and The Agonist.  See you all next time at the show.