K-J van der Klooster

I had the pleasure of meeting K-J van der Klooster a few weeks ago and never got around to bragging about it in my blog. K-J is an extreme sitski athlete and I met up with him at The Bulldog Hotel Silverstar for a sponsored portrait shoot. If everything goes according to plan I will be doing action shots of K-J in March. I look forward to seeing K-J again as he was a natural in front of the camera.

Check out the video below for more on K-J van der Klooster

Volleyball - Kelowna Meet

The girls played another three games on Sunday at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna.

Link to my SmugMug site to see all the photos.

(Tech Talk Warning)

My post today will be very tech talk oriented as I am contemplating the addition of new camera.

I am looking to pair my 5D with a second camera so I put myself through a bit of a shootout at todays volleyball game. Using the Canon 5D, 5D Mark II and 1D Mark III. Unfortunately I had to shoot JPEG with the 5D II as I do not have software to convert the RAW files. Just working through my raw footage the 1D generally produces more keepers due to better AF and FPS.. no surprise here. The files were a tad bid better than the 5D files.. again no real surprise. This was the second time I got to try out the 5D II and I liked it more this time. However it seemed I had to shoot at a higher ISO to obtain the same exposure... ie. on the 5D and 1D III, I was at 2.8 1/500 ISO 1250. For the 5D II I had to bump the ISO to 2000 to get what looked like similar results. And in post processing it still seemed that these files were a bit under exposed. I am in no way out to bash the 5D II here and it would have been nice to shoot RAW here. You can certainly see the extra MP in the files but I had to get used to the LCD and reading the histogram in order to trust my exposure. I suspect it would take some getting used to no matter which camera I decide to pair with my 5D. Volleyball is far from all I shoot so the decision will be based on much more than this. In the end I think you could get good results with either camera. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see how well my 5D did in this test but also realize this is the camera that I am used to operating. Thanks to Carl and Christina for lending me gear. It is much appreciated.

A Perfect Winter Day

The Duleys are here. You would know this if you read my post from yesterday. Sharon Leighton and Hannah are downhill skiers so we thought we would make sure they were in shape to hit the slopes tomorrow so we invited them to join us for a cross country ski at Sovereign Lake today. It is always entertaining to take someone cross country skiing if they are used to downhill skis. The lack of boot support and edge grip quickly becomes apparent when you see them crash to the ground :-) The Duleys as always took things in stride as we ventured out on the trails for a good workout. I think there was only one spot near the bottom of "Mystery" where they were all piled up on the side of the trail. We all made it back alive.

The Duleys from New Zealand

Our friends, The Duleys from New Zealand, have arrived. They are here to ski for a week. They are trilled about our fresh winter air as they have been enduring a very warm summer in NZ. It was a stellar afternoon to arrive in the Okanagan and Kal Lake/Rattle Snake Point looked fantastic in the late afternoon sun. Leighton here is working on his pose.

A Hint of Spring?

The sun came out this afternoon and that was a good excuse to get away from the computer for a quick walk. The snow was trying to melt under the heavy snow banks along the road and a the neighbors cat was certainly enjoying a late afternoon nap on the veranda. These are most certainly signs of spring!

O'Keefe Ranch

I'm am excited to be shooting Amy and Chace's wedding on March 21st. The wedding will be at The Vernon Alliance Church with the reception at The Vernon Lodge. Weather permitting we will take the short drive out to O'Keefe Ranch for the photos. This is a great location with all the historic buildings as backdrop. I am sure it will be a great time. I stopped by the ranch a couple of days ago and took this photo of the church. I am sure we won't have snow on the ground come March 21st.... right?

Kal Lake in February

I was lured out on a drive and for a hike in Kal Park today by the sight of some bright light reflecting on the lake. By the time I made it out to the lake, the sun was just about to disappear again behind dark clouds. I only had time for a few snaps before everything turned grey. Here is one of the shots with the 5D and the 16-35. 

Speeding on Swan Lake

I was on my way back from a shoot on Westside Road today and I just had about ten minutes to spare before I had the head back to town for another appointment. Coming in to Vernon I spotted the many cars and dirt bikes on Swan Lake Road. I just had to make a quick stop for a few shots. This stuff looks like serious fun and of course I couldn't  miss it. 

All shots are with the 5D, 300 2.8L IS and 1.4x extender. 

 

Traffic on Swan Lake

Winter is still with us. If in doubt just take a look out on Swan Lake where drivers are having a blast or take peak at Wood Lake on route to Kelowna and you will see that ice fishing is a favorite pass time for many in the Okanagan. 

My blog photo of the day was taken this morning at Okanagan Lake. Vernon seems almost sleepy this time a year. Of the photos I took today I thought this one symbolized it best.  A few people were out for a walk and guy was jogging with his dog but fast forward six months and the scene will be quite different at Kin Beach.

Volleyball - Kelowna Meet

I almost felt like I was in Vernon for todays volleyball meet. The Vernon Volleyball club had eight girls teams represented at the Kelowna UBCO Campus Meet and several games were in fact Vernon vs. Vernon in different age categories. Not that this in any way took away from a day of well played games. To my eye the girls have improved quite a bit since last year. This is a great venue as spectators view the games from above and you can almost follow four games at a time. Click the feature shot above to view more photos from the event. 

Hawk

Just a quick sequence for you today of a hawk I captured near Okanagan Lake. Henrik... you know this one is for you. All taken with a 5D and the EF 300 2.8L IS. 

Hot Air Balloon Glow - Vernon Winter Carnival

The 17th annual hot air balloon glow took place just after dusk today. I met Carl and Christina who drove up from Kelowna for the event. They brought along a couple of friends from the Kelowna Photo club, Dan and Marianne. So the stage was set. I decided to try for a different angle for this shot so I ventured across the Street to The Village Green Hotel where they kindly let me have a room on the top floor so I would have an almost birds eye view of the event. As much as you get from the 7th floor anyways. I was not really too happy with my shots from this spot so much to my surprise my favorite shot from the event was actually taken right at the cross walk going back, with the camera in one hand, the shot was rushed, at the wrong f/stop and now posted here for you to see. I played a bit with this one in Photoshop. To be honest the display was a bit disappointing and my fellow photographer friends from Kelowna agreed with me that the hot air quickly fizzled out of this one. Dinner afterwards however was more enjoyable.

While I was on the top floor of one of the tallest buildings in Vernon I thought why not take an evening shot of 27th Street and Vernon on a not so bad winter's eve. So here it is from the majestic 7th floor.  

I decided  to post one of my balloon shots taken from The Village Green Hotel after all:

Shooting in Osoyoos

We were on the road to Osoyoos today. Three house each way.  The Best Western Osoyoos had contacted us to do photos of the hotel. From rooms to lobby, pool, meeting room and restaurant. The staff and owners of the Best Western were incredibly nice and very hospitable. The shoot went well and the East Indian lunch was particularly enjoyable. On the way home we had a bit of sun but just missed the sunset by a few minutes so the blog shot of the day is taken late afternoon just north of Osoyoos.   

Central Station, Silver Star Mountain

On 465 Silver Queen Road you will find one of the coziest homes on Silver Star Mountain. Not only is it located conveniently within a short walk from the Village, it also features great ski access and a gorgeous view of the mountain. I have personally stayed in this home and I can attest that this home is set up with the skier in mind. With four bedrooms it sleeps a couple of families easily. The fact that it has three queen size beds is a huge plus. Enjoy the view of the mountain from the outdoor hot tub. The ski room is spacious and trust me, you need this space for all your winter jackets, footwear, ski and boarding boots. You will also have an outside lockable ski storage. For more information on The Central Station follow this link or email the owner at: stephen.t@almondinvestors.com.au

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Whitecaps FC Vernon Soccer Academy

It has been a pleasure working with NOYSA and the Whitecaps FC Vernon Soccer Academy over the last few weeks. We have done team photos, action photos, a two page flyer to promote the Soccer Academy around the World. A poster/sign will also be used during the Vernon Winter Carnival. 

An article in The Morning Star (Jan. 30, 2009) quotes former pro player Dan Lenarduzzi; "Players who have attended the Soccer Academy may go on to the provincial team or the national team. They might join our Whitecaps prospects program in Vancouver and become a Whitecap some day, or they might earn scholarships to play at universities in Canada or the USA". The Soccer Academy is available to secondary students at any of the Vernon high schools. For more information go to Whitecaps FC Vernon Soccer Academy.