Colette and I decided to get up at 6:30am to do some fashionable portraits in our hood.  These shots were by a bridge just east of Broadview Ave on Queen Street East.  One SB800 off camera to light these images and I love how they turned out.  The last image to the right is my favourite and I do believe Colette is going to use this as another head shot.

Last day of LG Fashion Week and I needed to get a shot of me with my “idol” George Pimentel.  I used to watch a great T.V. show called ‘One Shot’ several years ago.  It was about the paparazzi and I remember thinking George was not only hilarious but man did he ever get his shots.  It made me realize back then that you need more than just technical skill to become a successful photographer.  You need to be business minded, original, creative, persistent, as well as have the personality to succeed.  I saw George on Day 1 and introduced myself making it very clear that I wasn’t kissing is arse but that I totally respected and dug his work.  It went something like this.

“George.  How are you? My name is Luis and I am a big fan.  I’m not kissing your ass but I love your stuff.  I use to watch the show One Shot and thought that was great.”

“Thanks Luis.  I like you already.  Where are you sitting?  You need a spot beside me?”

Anyway, it was great to meet him and converse with him a couple of times during the week.  This shot was taken of me and George by Dickson Ly another great photographer I met during the week.  I actually met several fantastic photographers.  It was more comradery as opposed to competition when trying to get a spot in the pit.  I felt for some of the late comers who didn’t get a spot or reserve one on Day 1 and they would scramble on the floor in front of the pit for every show.  This did make it interesting however as I met different photographers in front of me almost every show.

So there you have it.  First LG Fashion Week done and man did my body go through a workout.  Loved it though and will definitely be at the next one. Now time to review and edit thousands of images from the week.

Thanks again to Joe from Riveting Riffs Magazine.

First runway show was Lana Dugmag and can be viewed here

Second runway show was Duy and can be viewed here

Third runway show was Amanda Lew Kee and can be viewed here

Fourth runway show was Denis Gagnon and can be viewed here

Once again the day started with a sore back but was now accompanied by a sore shoulder and a sore buttock.  Great thing that Pelican but definitely hard on my butt after many hours and days.  Monopod?   Nope.  Gone this far without it and stubborn enough to leave it at home once again.  I decided today to shoot some wide angle shots with the second camera just to change things up a bit.  I had the Sigma 12-24 on the D300 so it wasn’t as wide as I wanted it but I did get a couple of cool shots during one of the shows.  I also took some wide angle images of the venue itself for posterity as it was done up quite nicely, a lot better than past shows according to the veteran photographers.  The day went by smoothly although I did catch myself saying I could hardly wait till the week was over.

The above shot is from my favourite designer of the day and of the week, Romona Keveza.

First runway show was Baby Steinberg and can be viewed here

Second runway show was Klaxon Howl and can be viewed here

Third runway show was Lauren Bagliore and can be viewed here

Fourth runway show was Basch by Brandon R. Dwyer and can be viewed here

Fifth runway show was Romona Keveza and can be viewed here

I had to actually take a couple of tylenols today to ease the back pain.  Again I thought about the monopod but did not take it.  Although the excitement made the day easier I actually felt today that it was work more than anything to shoot the shows.  The lighting was the same throughout the week so once the camera settings were in place it was just timing the model’s feet to get the shot.  I struggled with my right thumb moving the focus points as the button on the battery grip is too stiff for my liking and my thumb is not used to moving the focus points on the fly so quickly.  I also accidently hit the manual focus on the 70-200 on two occasions and missed a couple of shots.  Other than that, as the night wore on, the weight of my camera definitely gave me a work out.  On another note I packed some extra cookies and peanut butter sandwiches in the Pelican as I noticed from the first couple of days that only chocolate was being served in the media lounge.  Some of us also decided to stay in the pit in between the shows instead of going to the media lounge so it was important to have some kind of lunch packed.  Thanks a bunch to Ron Louie who shared an abundance of great pastries and other sweets which definitely boosted my energy levels.

Above is an image from my favourite designer of the day which was Rachel Mara although Joe Fresh Style got the most hype and drew the largest crowd.

First runway show of the day was Chloecommeparris and can be viewed here

Second runway show was MARTHE AIME and can be viewed here

Third runway show was Attitude, Only at Sears and can be viewed here

Fourth runway show was Rachel Mara and can be viewed here

Fifth runway show was Joe Fresh Style and can be viewed here

The day started with my back a bit sore from the previous day.  The awkward sitting arrangement, the weight of my camera and my lack of exercise definitely all contributed to this slight soreness.  I did contemplate bringing my monopod to help lighten the load but decided against it last minute.  Excited for the day, this soreness quickly evaporated as I relaxed in the media lounge waiting for the runway shows to begin.  More talk with other photographers regarding past shows, designers, models, equipment and gigs but the hot discussion of the morning was the “Petite Marquee”.  Where was this runway suppose to be or how were they going to adapt the Marquee to make it petite.  Well believe it or not, the FDCC decided that for several smaller budget designers, they would shorten the runway by moving a rolling media pit type bleacher up a third of the runway.  This made for some scrambling among the photographers since everyone had to reestablish their position.  Luckily for me, I was there early and was able to get a spot just right of the runway at the bottom level of the bleacher. Anyway, after the first of what was suppose to be about ten shows for the week as a Petite Marquee, the FDCC decided against this set up and left all shows the full length of the runway thanks mainly to George Pimentel.

Above is an image from my favourite designer of the day, LOVAS.

First runway show was Jules Power and images can be viewed here

Second runway show was OR by Angela Chen and can be viewed here

Third runway show was LOVAS and can be viewed here

Fourth runway show was Pink Tartan and can be viewed here

Fifth runway show was Jessica Jensen and Alexander Berardi and can be viewed here

Sixth runway show was Line Knitwear and can be viewed here

First time covering LG Fashion Week in Toronto thanks in large to Joe at Riveting Riffs magazine.  I also had veteran runway shooter Raymond Chow to thank for giving me some great tips for shooting this event.  One of these tips being to purchase a Pelican case, which I did the first day of LG Fashion Week. I actually sat on the case all week in the same spot as shown above from an iPhone snap.  This two square foot space was the home away from home for the whole week.  I was able to get this spot on the first row of the floor in the pit about four photographers right of the runway.  Not a bad spot at all considering. I have shot several runway shows but obviously none of this calibre.  I was in complete listening mode regarding the other photographers’ discussions of equipment and past shows as I waited impatiently for the first runway show to begin.  Lens on hand was the new Nikon 70-200 2.8VR on my D700 and a D300 as a back up with a Sigma 24-70 2.8.  I wasn’t sure what kind of spot I would be getting but thought for sure that this combination would cover any eventuality.  After a few settings checked and double checked, the runway show started.  The photos you see and the stories you hear about the over crowded pit are absolutely true.  The sounds of all the shutters going off is amazing to hear but has the potential to be quite annoying.  After 20 minutes, the show was over and I quickly checked the back of my camera to see how the images turned out.  Satisfied with what I saw, I made a couple of mental notes for the next show and felt a great relief that my first runway show ever at LG Fashion Week was under my belt.

First runway show was Holt Renfrew Presents and can be viewed here

Second show of the evening was Bustle Rocks The Runway and can be viewed here

Great night shooting fashion at the studio with the warm and beautiful Jessy from Orange Model Management Inc.  We had Joy Couture’s latest designs and this dress with the two matching trench coats were my favourites from the night.

Thanks to Rina for the awesome make up/hair and some great styling.

Thanks also to Colette for her assistance and taking a stab at shooting video with my iPhone.  My first attempt at BTS video may be posted in a couple of days. This will definitely be the norm from now on as I love watching other photographers BTS videos and I also believe video will be an integral part of my creative output.  Now when is that full frame 1080p dslr from Nikon coming…

Music for the night was mainly Rina’s pop mix from her iPod and ended with one from my collection, Jet’s rocking album Get Born.  I thought I had a great collection of music but was 0 for 2 with Jessy’s request.  No Lady Gaga and no Metric.  She even had the nerve to say my collection is great for around the camp fire.  Off to HMV…