Here’s links to each:

Alberta Fashion Week, Day 5:

Lethbridge Fashion Weekend, Shelly Court Spring/Summer Collection:

Some readers out there maybe thinking, ‘wow, these gear that these guys use must take great pictures’. To a degree, equipment plays a part in the eventual success of an image, editorial or ad, but mostly, through concerted effort use whatever it takes to make it work.

This is where I am going to go a little wax critic, cameras don’t take pictures, photographers take pictures. This post concerns a lot of comments made by people who just don’t understand the sweat and tears it takes to make the signature look that we try to aim for. “That camera takes great pictures” is just about the least favorable comment that a photographer can receive. However, the commenter isn’t aware that their words are being taken as such.

Case in point, we recently purchased a ‘vintage’ (certainly in the digital age) camera, the solid, commercially available Nikon D50. Weighing in at 6 mp, and at least 5 years old, this tiny camera can take professional images despite its minute and lowly stats. Given the right light, subject matter, lens choice and knowledge, the Nikon D50 can be a heavy hitter.

Of course, we do as much work IN the camera as we possibly can. It saves time later, and we can shoot more images because of it. BUT, there is a certainly amount of work that has to be done outside of the camera. There is where the regular public doesn’t see, the behind the scenes.

An image gone through post processing endures a lot of changes, it’s tone, flavour, temperament and even its emotion can change. It doesn’t stop at the camera.

Here is a typical image transformed from ‘blah’ to ‘hellloooo’..

This image was shot with the aforementioned D50, a Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ f1.6, an on camera Nikon SB800 Speedlight with a ring flash adapter set on TTL and another Nikon SB800 Speedlight propped up behind at a scant 1/128 manual power, manually zoomed out to 85mm.

Beyond the nerdy power settings, this image is finalized in Adobe Lightroom with settings we’ve developed over years of creating a signature look and feel.

Here is the final image, post processed and ready to be consumed by the masses:

ANNNDDD another one just because Christa is so cute:

Gear used on this shoot:

Nikon D50 DSLR (6mp, release July 2005)
Nikon SB800 Speedlight
Custom modified O-Flash ringflash adapter
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.5 (to process RAW D50 files)
HP Mini 210 netbook to run Lightroom
A willing subject
Some knowhow

So, next time you talk to a photographer, don’t comment how well their camera makes photos, it just makes them want to blog about how their photos look after they are done with them.

Eric OUT!

Enjoy!!

LED Light Dancing.

Thank you Azure Magazine!

A new address, some new resolutions (in the form of a 12 mp fx camera!) and some newly formed partnerships, this year is looking great.

We are still booking weddings and sessions for this season so please don’t hesitate to contact us for estimates and packages.

Here’s what we’ve been up to for the last little while:

Till now.

Kill-R

The silent R creeps.
Kerning it’s way to the edge.
My heart goes baseline.

However, that doesn’t stop me from taking a billion still images and compiling them into a video. Taken with a remote camera via some Pocketwizards setting it off while I was shooting the model, the d300 recorded the shoot with crystal clarity.

Enjoy!

Eric Au Studios – This is how we roll. from Eric Au on Vimeo.

Avenue Magazine, April 2009.

I have the fortune of announcing that I am featured in Avenue magazine this month in two capacities. Firstly, my photographs appear in the magazine, which, to this website and blog is more relevant. Secondly, the photographs are of Jonathan Kane of The Naked Leaf. The Naked Leaf is home to my handcrafted teapots. They are for sale and make their way into the photos as scenery on the bottom left of the image. If you are in the Calgary area, go to the store located in Kensington on 10th street and tell ‘em Eric sent ya.