Eterno Dia PhotographyCustom services – photo cards
Posted on May 28, 2012
Hello all,
Once again, I’ve been missing in action. My basement has gotten a serious makeover, so in addition to photography, I can now add mudding, taping and sanding drywall to my list of skills. I’ve been working on photo cards. I now offer these as part of my services, so if you are inquiring about a photo session, feel free to ask me about my cards. They make great engagement or birth announcements or thank you cards.Take a look at some samples.
Bark, bark, Ole!
Posted on May 27, 2012
Anyone who knows me well knows I love dogs. They are kind, non-judgmental souls. My own Lexi has given me so much joy and laughter in the last two years. Both times I’ve been to Mexico I noticed the stray dogs walking around the towns and villages. I have a real dichotomy of emotions with these dogs. Part of me wants to bring them all home and adopt them. The other part of me envies their freedom and absolute seemingly carefree demeanor. Here are some of the dogs I found.
Slowing down in Mexico
Posted on March 17, 2012
Hello again! You probably noticed I had a slight absence from my website. I went on a Mexican vacation in early February, and have spent much of my time since I’ve been back editing photos and playing with Photoshop.
This was my second time in Mexico. I truly love the country. The pace is slower, nothing is a rush. The people are amazing – very friendly and welcoming. The food is outstanding, and you can’t beat the beaches. I crave the beach being stuck in Alberta for most of the year. I heard an expression recently – “born with sand between her toes.” That is me in a nutshell.
My first time in Mexico was two years ago in Manzanillo, on the west coast. It was more of a desert with mountainous terrain. This trip was to the east coast, to Playa del Carmen on the Mayan Peninsula. I hadn’t done much research before the trip and was fairly shocked to step off the plane into jungle. In some ways it was a totally different Mexico, yet also the same. Playa is more tourist-oriented than Manzanillo, and much more expensive. In a few instances, we paid more for a bottle of beer than we do at home. All the same, Playa and the Mayan Peninsula is a beautiful and historic place that I would encourage everyone to visit.
I have difficulty finding balance on vacations. I love to be pampered and waited on at resorts, but I have a need to see the locals, learn the history and see how people in a different place live. So I hauled along all my heavy photo gear and climbed pyramids, swam with dolphins, sea turtles and stingrays, visited Mayan villages and shopped the local markets. Check out the slide show below for a sample of the photos I took during my adventures.
Stay tuned for my “Mexican Dog” series among other updates I’ll have posted soon.
Please contact me if you are interested in any of my prints for purchase, if you’d like to book a session, or if you have any questions or comments.
Thanks for stopping by!
Leslie Pallier Winter
Waiting for Baby Gray
Posted on November 30, 2011
For those of you paying attention, I had the honour of shooting Lisa and Scott’s Vegas wedding last September. Well, these kids didn’t wait long to get me another job as they are expecting Baby Gray near Christmas.
I spent an afternoon with the proud parents to be and I certainly put them through their paces. Being that it was my first shot at maternity, I was pretty nervous, but it was certainly nice to work with people I’ve known for so long. I think it helped make me more comfortable, but more importantly, helped Lisa feel comfortable too. Scott and Lisa were perfect – very patient as I asked them to do practically everything but stand on their heads.
Stay tuned for an update, as in about a month, I should have some newborn photos to post of the new Baby Gray! See you all soon!
My first photography trade show and seminar – Part 3
Posted on November 25, 2011
If you’ve been keeping up with my blogging, I’ve been updating you on workshops that I took at the Edmonton Photographic Trade Show back in October. Here is my summary on the final workshop I took that day.
“Color VS Black and White” by Robert Goerzen was a short but very helpful seminar. The lessons I came out with is that there simply is no right or wrong. It will always be a personal choice to put a photo in black and white or color. Robert still had some good guidelines:
- B & W generally portrays mood and timelessness, color portrays boldness and usually draws attention to some detail
- Nature tends to show better in color and usually becomes muddled in B & W
- When shown the same nature photo in color and B & W, 80% of people choose color
- Fall scenes are more appealing in color
- Never set your camera to the monochrome setting
- To make an image B & W, use a photo editing program
- Avoid overexposure (if you are planning a photo to be B & W), better to have it underexposed for B & W processing
- Sometimes colors can steal a scene
- If a color is drawing focus from your intent, try it in B & W
- Stark color of high contrast can really pop in B & W
- Texture
- If your subject has a lot of texture, B & W will enhance texture
- Landscapes
- This depends on the time of year
- Summer/spring try color, winter – try B & W for mood
- People
- Look great in color and B & W
- This is a personal choice, but think about the mood you want to convey
- Elderly people often look good in B & W, as this is a mental construct from “olden days” before the days of color
- Buildings and Architecture
- Older usually look better in B & W
- Newer architecture generally people like color better
One thing that almost all of the facilitators mentioned was to learn the “rules” but also to break the rules. Some of the best and most famous photos are ones that break the rules. Also, there was a general consensus to shoot in RAW format. I have not done a lot in RAW yet, but something for me to think about. All in all, an exhausting day with the amount of seminars I took in, but well worth it for the $15 ticket to get in the door. I went home full of information. Some was information I already knew, but ended up being a good reminder, and some was news to me. I didn’t break the bank. I did purchase a soft box for my external flash, as well as a new camera bag, which should allow for more easy access of my camera and lenses. McBain Camera did a great job hosting the event, with lots of staff around to answer questions. This event was truly a great experience.
As always, if you have any questions, comments or requests, please feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading!!
Eterno Dia Photography 