Are you looking for a casual photographer that will capture spectacular special moments in a “candid” style? What about just portraits? I specialize in capturing both styles for you and your family.

Let’s go take a walk in one of Calgary’s many parks and I will grab natural moments of your family without the images looking posed. I think this “candid” style is much more relaxed, more natural, and shows moments which are much more memorable.

Contact me now and ask about the Family Sessions which start at just $99 for a two hour session anywhere in Calgary. When we are done, I will edit the images and place the finished and print ready files on a CD which you can get printed anywhere.

Family Sessions
2 hrs                           $99
4 hrs                           $350

Infant Sessions
2 hrs                           $250
(Includes proper studio lighting brought to your location)

Weddings
Ceremony                                                                     $550
Ceremony + Pictures after the event                            $990
Ceremony + Pictures after the event + Reception        $1550

Glamour/Fashion
2 hrs                 $199
4 hrs                 $499

Industrial
1/2 Day             $350
Full Day            $650

Visit thinkdan.ca for more information.

*All sessions receive a CD with final images. No prints provided.

Yes, summer is now gone. It’s cold. Day’s of running around with your beloved camera are over. No more fun. I definitely feel this way sometimes, and I find it hard to get into the mood to go shooting and then I feel terrible because I am not taking pictures. Here are some quick ideas to help change all that!

Create a photo project for yourself – Pick a theme and only shoot only that theme for the day, week or month. (if you choose the color red, only shoot things that have red as their color, communicate red or is the focal point in some way….get creative!) Go for lots of Photowalks, keeping your theme in mind. Here are a few to spark your imagination. Colors, shapes, objects, motion, age, texture, character, reflections.

Go to the thrift store and buy a cheap film camera to experiment with – Ever shoot with film? Try it with a $3 camera and check out your results!

Join photo groups on Flickr, Facebook and the likes - You can showcase your work very easily here as well as learn a thing or two. Don’t look for levels of expertise. Instead, look for shared interests and experiences. Don’t stick with your own age group—the best clubs have a wonderful mix of young and mature individuals.

Enter photo contests – Local and online. Check your newspapers and camera shops for anything. Here in Calgary, Vistek, The Camera Store and Saneal all offer seasonal contests.

Take a photo course – Check out your local college or university for a once-per week class and expand your knowledge!

365 pictures – Take one photo every single day of the year. Or you can do 30 in one month.

Take your camera with you-everywhere – I find I find pictures everywhere I go….when I leave my camera at home. You can bring it, just choose a small lens. I love my Nikkor 35mm on my D40x. Or take a small camera with you instead.

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200) Aperture: f/7.1 Focal Length: 26 mm ISO Speed: 200 Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV

This is how I did it:

Vacation photos can be tricky. The biggest issue I have is that you cannot control the weather and you are only at your viewing spot once, so you have to make the best of it. This also could mean that you have a car full of family members who want to just get to where you are going. I was lucky in that I wasn’t with a group of inpatients wanting to hurry to the next gas stop to go to the bathroom. I was fortunate enough to be able to stop to grab a few pictures at several different intervals along the way. I was also extremely lucky to have been passing by this gorgeous spot on such a clear, bright day.

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An essential photographic tool that a good photographer will often use is compositional rules. Compositional rules refer to the simple act of framing your subject in the viewfinder in such a  way to make the final picture of greater interest or to have greater impact. It is not unusual for a new photographer to frame a subject exactly in the middle of the viewfinder to do this. While this is technically not bad, this sort of composition usually isn’t very interesting.

Compositional rules are really just guidelines…there really aren’t any rules in photography period. Depending on the subject and situation, using these guidelines will teach you to see your pictures in a different way and change your approach to photography in a very positive and different matter. Let’s take a peek at some of them.

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Hi all, in the interest of learning and growing as a photographer, I want to help you all become greater photographers yourselves! The prize will be a limited edition, signed premium print from yours truly!

Now for the details, I want to see a themed photo from you as well as a quick blurb on your vision and what gear/settings you used. This theme is completely up to your interpretation!

Use my blog entries as well as other resources you may have access to, whether it be people, books, internet articles or other means. It’s wide open to everyone and anyone!

Theme: The color Red.

Please email dan@thinkdan.ca and I will post the entries on my blog. Once these are up I will then judge by a panel of personal photographer buddies.

Contest entry deadline is September 1st at 11:00pm.

Photo must be taken between the dates of July 28 and September 1st.

Final judging to be completed and announced September 15th.

If you have any questions, please email me!

Keep shooting,
Dan