My first serious foray into the photographic industry in Toronto was landing a job at one of the best (at the time anyways) pro photography labs in the city - the now defunct Digital Pro Lab (DPL), also known as Seiflow.
When I had first started, I didn't know many - if any - photographers in the city. I had decided that I wanted experience through hands on learning, instead of going to college or university, and with the help of Bob Carnie at Elevator (one of the finest printing labs in the world), I landed the job at DPL. I started making contacts right away - dealing with pro photographers on a day-to-day was the major part of my job. It allowed me to see their work - leaving me to guess techniques and technical aspects of every shot I encountered.
There were many photographers I met - and even currently do work for. These include Denise Grant - an amazing actor, music, and commercial photographer; Tim Leyes - who I consider to be a master at naturally lit portraiture for both editorial and actors; and Andreas of Andreasphoto Inc. - who I consider to be one of, if not THE best wedding photographers in the city and beyond, and of whom has greatly influenced my style of photojournalistic photography.
One of my closest friends and colleagues however is definitely Helen Tansey.
Helen has been a portrait photographer pushing 15+ years, and in fact started out in the business nearly the exact same way that I have - even starting at the same lab. She is an amazingly beautiful person both inside and out. She has helped teach me the business side of photography, as well as helped distill the fact that even though photography is a hobby and an art form, it needs to be considered as a business in order for you to be financially feasible and successful.
Helen also happens to have the most amazing ability to make ANY person comfortable and open, especially in front of the lens. This truly blows me away every time I work with her - any person who may be nervous or awkward instantly becomes cool, calm, and relaxed.
You might be wondering where I'm going with this!
Helen had asked that I photograph her for use on her new website, along with wanting the photos for personal use. She also invited a couple close friends to join in. I was more than happy to oblige, even though nerves definitely set in! Helen is stunning in front of the camera as well as behind the camera - she knows what looks good, and knows how to just kill each shot - nearly every shot from our session was fantastic! We also mixed in a bit of fun as well - Helen and Tania love to fool around and laugh, as you can tell from the "Oooo!" shot below!
Here are a few examples of a simply lit (1 umbrella and 1 octobox if anyone is interested) studio portraiture session of someone I greatly admire and respect.
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