Tangents

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Using lens flare for effect

November 14, 2010 Neil vN 7 Comments

Using lens flare for effect

While we often try and avoid lens flare, controlled use of lens flare can enhance the mood of a photograph. The question came up during a workshop last week - how exactly do you get lens flare. It is quite easy to get flare - shoot towards the sun, or any bright light source. Removing any filter will help in not washing out the image. Controlling the flare is more difficult though. Different lenses flare in different ways. The choice of aperture also affects how flare appears. As an example, one of my favorite lenses, the Canon 24-105mm f4L  Read more inside...

photographic composition – the neon sky

October 14, 2010 Neil vN 14 Comments

composition: finding the perfect background for photographs

Photographers and clients alike regularly comment on this photograph in my portfolio, and the question invariably asked is whether this is a Photoshop effect.  Far from it - this image is straight out of the camera ...  Read more inside...

personal photography & personal projects

September 30, 2010 Neil vN 9 Comments

David A Williams is one of those photographers who influences everyone who meets him. And I mean everyone. On the Digital Wedding Forum, he is one of the few photographer who gets unanimous praise for his workshops. Stating it blandly like that now, doesn't quite describe the impact David has on the individual photographers who attend his workshop. The impact often extends past the work and art of the photographer, to the point where it can even affect your views on life. I know, it sounds dramatic, but that is as under-stated as I can manage to be about David. So there it is - I would urge  Read more inside...

portraits of the bride – looking for the less obvious image

August 30, 2010 Neil vN 26 Comments

wedding photography - looking for the less obvious image

While waiting with the bride and her bridesmaids before the ceremony, their excitement made for good candid photos.  But, as ever, I was on the look-out for the less obvious photo. Trying to find something unexpected ...  Read more inside...

favorite recent images – portraits of a bride

July 25, 2010 Neil vN 36 Comments

I frequently post a favorite image from the past weekend.  This time, I'd like to post a few images.  All are portraits of the bride, Denise, on her wedding day.  This might show some of my approach and style in wedding portraits ...  Read more inside...

wedding photography – anticipation and timing

April 17, 2010 Neil vN 16 Comments

style in wedding photography - anticipation and timing

I'm sure every photographer has this experience, where your shutter trips, and you just know you have the shot.  Something that you see - whether anticipated or just lucky timing - and you capture it.  This is how I felt when I captured this moment between Marie and Andrew at their wedding this weekend.  I got it! A bit of background to this image: During a Catholic wedding service, there is a short time after the exchange of vows and rings, where the couple are seated again for the Mass.  With everyone's attention now on the  Read more inside...

Boudoir photography – an intimate photo session

March 27, 2010 Neil vN 24 Comments

Style in boudoir photography - intimate photo sessions

I did a recent photo shoot with a model, Carly Erin, to expand my boudoir portfolio. Sometimes you get to work in large spacious rooms or studios.  Sometimes you work in smaller more intimate locations. When you work in a tighter, more intimate setting, the choice to include the surroundings or not will greatly affect how you shoot. I made the decision that I didn't want the location to be identifiable and this affected how I shot, so I used a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for most of the photo session to compress the perspective, and  Read more inside...

wedding photography ideas – going above and beyond …

February 15, 2010 Neil vN 8 Comments

This week's guest blog post is by a Calgary wedding photographer, Mark Pawlyszyn.  Mark's style in his wedding photography has steadily become more impressive over the course of just a few years.   As such I am very honored that he agreed to a guest spot on the Tangents blog.

wedding photography - going above and beyond

a guest post by Mark Pawlyszyn Before I start into the main area of my blog article, I wanted to say that I really admire what Neil has done here. Tangents has always been one of the best resources around for learning flash and  Read more inside...

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