kerry ould

Rolleiflex roll #1 - not bad for an antique

It's been a while since I've found the time to blog.  It's been a busy couple of months, but hopefully things are getting back on track.

After a successful bidding war on eBay, I finally received my Rolleiflex. Since it came from Germany, it took FOREVER to arrive, and without an English manual.  Google is a wonderful thing, and within a couple of minutes of searching I was able to download a PDF of the original manual in English.

I recently shot my first roll and I have to say that I miss film!  Part of the fun of photography is the anticipation of seeing what you got after it's developed.  Digital is great, but because it's so immediate, and the number of shots you can take are virtually unlimited, I have found myself falling out of love with it as it's becoming almost too much about the technology and less about the art.

Shooting just 12 frames of 120 film with my Rolleiflex easily took me over an hour as I was much more deliberate knowing I only had a few shots to work with.  I feel like there's a stronger connection to the artistic process for me with my new friend and that is making me very happy.

I have to admit that I was very afraid that the film would come back all black, but it didn't.  And in fact, the meter is bang on - I would even argue that it exposes better than my very fancy Canon. And there is a buttery richness to the images that just doesn't happen with film.

Here are a few of the test images I took using Kodak Ektar 100.  Other than converting the high resolution scan to B&W in Photoshop, I did not adjust them.  I am pretty impressed with the Rollei...can't wait to get out there and do some more shooting.  I bought a bunch of different types of film to try.  This could get expensive (which is about the only downside to film I can think of!).

 

Jake - a very uncooperative Golden Retriever

Cricket - getting into the catnip

Daisy - doing what she does best...plotting world domination.

Country Life | Country photography

One of my clients recently remarked that I must see some beautiful countryside in my travels.  I sure do.  The minute I start to see the green of the countryside it's like a weight gets lifted off and you can finally take a deep breath.  I just feel like the country has so much more to offer, and it seems like everywhere you look, there is something beautiful to see.

Here's a photo that I grabbed during recent session.  One of those moments that catches your eye, and if you are lucky enough to have a camera in hand, you can catch it.  Seconds after I grabbed this shot, the cat had moved on to another hunting ground.

I think this image captures the essence of the country in one frame.

Featured artist | Paws for Charity

As many of you now know, I have been involved in an art book project called Paws for Charity.  The book combines the work of many very talented artists so if you haven't already done so, please check it out and be sure to leave a comment after you've had a look at the preview.  I am on page 23! The book is also a great gift for the pet lovers in your life - so make sure to order a few copies!

I am extra honoured by being today's featured artist.  You can read more on the Paws for Charity blog.

You can also order greeting cards of many of the images from the book.  These are a fantastic way to support the charity and also share some great art with the people you love.

For those of you who are facebook users, be sure to join the project's facebook page here to keep up-to-date about this year's project and future projects.

A special thanks goes out to Sara Harley for coordinating the project!

Paws for Charity | Greeting cards

I recently posted about the group charity project I was involved in called Paws for Charity.  I was fortunate enough to have one of my images selected as part of the project.  Not only is this gratifying as an artist, but it's also a great way to support a good cause. I am happy to report that sales have been brisk and the project continues to generate funds for the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade.

There are a few ways you can enjoy the images from an amazing group of artists:

• Order the book, or simply preview it here
• Visit the blog to learn about the other artists participating
• Get a set of greeting cards from the Etsy store

Or, for something a little different, you can also order from a selection of merchandise at Cafe Press.

And in case you missed my earlier post, here's the image I contributed.  It still is one of my most commented on dog photos.  Seems it makes people smile.  Below it, I've also included a few other shots from that session.  The puppies are Goldendoodles.

Daisy with a macro lens | Cat photography

Daisy is typically a very hard cat to photograph.  She is very suspicious and flighty - except near dinner time.  And then, she will put up with just about anything as long as she is near her bowl.  I used today as an opportunity to play around a bit more with my Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro.  It's a noisy lens so I don't use it often since it scares many animals.  It does however take great photos once you get the hang of it, and once the animal is desensitized to the sound.  It's not my favourite lens, but it has its uses.

I started with some macro images of Daisy's cute little pink nose and her bright green eyes.  From there, I moved on to a few more portrait type shots.  Here are some of my favourites. 

All were shot at f2.8 at ISO1600 with the Canon 5D.

NEW! Photobooks

I recently created a photobook to chronicle our pets over the past year as a Christmas gift for my grandparents and family.  It was also timely as Murphy, the golden retriever on the cover, passed away earlier this fall.  We were all very thankful that Murphy's life had been so well documented, and as a result, there were lots of photographs to remember him by.

The book went over so well with everyone, that I have now added photobooks as one of the options available to photo session clients.  Each album is custom designed and printed as a hard cover book with an image wrap cover.  The pages are printed on premium paper to give them a substantial feel.

The photobooks are available in 2 sizes - 7x7 inches or 12x12 inches.  Since they are so perfect for gift-giving, additional copies of the book are available at a significant discount to make it easier to share.

If you have already had a photo session, you can still order a photobook from your session(s).  Or, for an even more comprehensive album, consider booking another session this year and combine those images with ones from previous sessions. 

Here are a few images of the furkids album.

 

 

 

And here's the complete photobook...

Let me know what you think!

Daisy | Cat photography

It's a cat's life.

Cricket | Cat photography

Cricket - lounging as usual.

Cricket...as a test subject

Well, I finally got frustrated enough with my old zoom lens that I made the investment in a new one.  I've been drooling over this one for a while.  It's a Canon 70-200 2.8L with image stabilization.  You can read more about it here.  I've used it for the last couple of dog sessions (Vince, Dakota, Archie & Radar) but it was actually Cricket that was my test subject to get the hang of it.

This lens is perfect for working with animals since you can sneak up on them a bit better.  The lens is also basically silent.  My old zoom that had image stabilization was not so it would actually scare more nervous animals.  I am so in love with this lens. 

Cricket is a great subject.  She's pretty unfazed by just about everything.

Don't be fooled by her cranky look...she's actually a big suck who loves attention.

Tractor Cat

I don't do many photo shoots with cats, but I did come across this pretty girl while photographing Vince and Dakota.  She's a stray that's been hanging around their home.  I found her sleeping in the bucket of a tractor.  I just love the light in the photo and the the fact she was looking straight at me.