Once again I had the privilege of shooting Inna Clothing’s latest designs for a lookbook. This was the third lookbook and again Inna and Kirill brought not only their patented chic retro style in their dresses, they also brought their professionalism and cool relaxed vibe. The day was long incorporating ten pieces plus two very stylish vinyl jackets, two different backdrops and a couple of pieces of retro furniture. We had scouted a retro furniture store originally to shoot in to get more of an editorial feel but we encountered several challenges and decided that the studio would be better. Alex L from Ford Model was stunningly beautiful in these dresses and my favourite shot of the day is the one of her in the white dress against the white background and the white prop. I love the clinical look and feel of this image.

Thank you to Lindsay Angela Martin for the awesome job with make up.

Thanks to Theo for the hairstyling.

Thanks to Colette for the BTS shots and her assistance.

Special thanks to Kirill and Inna for selecting me once again to shoot their fabulous designs!

Music for the day was mainly all three albums from The Weeknd plus an assorted mix courtesy of Theo.

Visit www.innacc.com for more information on Inna and Kirill and their designs.

Another gorgeous shot of Colette at the home studio. Besides Simone, Colette probably gets the most shots from my cameras. Having shot thousands of images of her we pretty much can bang off these types of photos within a couple of minutes. Natural light using my Nikon 50mm 1.4G.

Music for this quick snap was Destroyer’s latest album Kaputt. One of my faves of 2011!

Fantastic day shooting Bravomoda’s latest designs for his lookbook. The cool beach wear and accessories were worn by two extremely funny models who were also very easy to work with. Anastasia and Brandon (Model Management Group) worked really well together and I haven’t laughed that much at the studio on a shoot in a long time! The atmosphere was so chilled and relaxed it actually felt like we were all on a beach having a good time. This and the fact that I love Seun’s designs made for a great shoot. Here are a few of my favourites from the day.

Thanks to Cassandra G Forrester for the splendid job with make up.

Thanks to Colette for her assistance.

Music for today’s shoot was Anastasia’s dance/R&B/Hip Hop playlist from her iPod.

Check out www.bravo-moda.com for more info on Seun and his designs.

I know you photographers know what I’m talking about when I say I have that itchy finger and I just need to get out and shoot. Well I definitely had that feeling this Saturday and after contemplating what to shoot, I unfortunately jumped back into bed with my iPad and logged on to Facebook and Twitter. Good thing I did since my friends at Spellbound Hair Design had posted a fashion event that they were sponsoring at Splendid China Mall in Toronto. The Dazzle Me Fashion Show was showcasing several designers and after some quick research I decided to check out the scene. There was no mention of media passes or accreditation so I knew I would have no problems, my last minute decision to attend not withstanding. For the same reason I also thought I would easily get a good spot. My photographer friend Ryan came along for the adventure and we arrived about ten minutes before the event was to begin. There was a designated media pit area and many people had media passes hanging from their necks. Doh! I wasn’t too worried about the passes (some did not have passes and we would not be standing in the pit) but I was definitely worried about getting a decent spot in front of the runway. There was no way to get a good angle due to the number of photographers and videographers so I snagged a couple of the fold up chairs that were for the spectators and Ryan and I placed ourselves just right of centre behind everyone in the pit. Just before the show was about to start a security guard sternly informed us that we could not stand on the chairs for safety reasons and would not leave until we were off the chairs. Now what?! I had already cursed myself fifty times for not bringing my Pelican case (travelling light not knowing what to expect) which would have solved this problem since standing on it would have given me the height needed to shoot over everyone in the pit. A videographer mentioned to me and Ryan that there was a small table that we could use and with no other options we placed the 3 foot in diameter table behind everyone and balanced ourselves ready for the fashion show to begin. From where I was standing there was no way I was going to get a full body shot but at least at the end of the runway, I had a clean 3/4 shot of the model. The two photographers that were directly in front of me didn’t have the best pit etiquette and I had to battle their elbows, lens movements and head movements caused by their constant chimping. I also had to battle my 70-200 VRll which needs to be fixed badly since I used it last at the studio. Not sure exactly what is wrong with it but let’s just say the VR and focusing is a tad erratic. Lastly, I also had to battle infinite flash bombing from many of the other photographers. Feeling sorry for me yet? Because I could go on.
Anyway, I was able to get some good shots and enjoyed many of the designs from Angela Phung, Leanne Ramnarine and Cecilia Pan. Overall a great day and most importantly I solved the problem of the itchy finger.

Thanks to Ryan for hanging out with a junkie who needed to get his fix. Hope you were able to get some clear shots from your spot.

All of the photos from this fashion event can be viewed here.

I know I take too many pictures of my cat but I just can’t help myself. Here is another set I took on this morning while listening to Joe Henry’s album Tiny Voices.

WHAT TYPE OF PHOTOGRAPHY ARE YOU CURRENTLY FOCUSING ON AND WHY?

I focused on wedding photography for the majority of 2011 for three reasons. 1) Shooting weddings is not an easy thing to do. After talking to many seasoned, professional photographers out there I found a lot of them agree with me and some chose not to shoot weddings at all. I look at this as a challenge and a way to improve my skills as an artist. A wedding photographer must be able to produce excellent images in all sorts of lighting conditions, is always pressed for time due to the unforeseen and sometimes unreasonable timelines, be a director in charge due to the necessity of managing people with a wide variety of personalities…the list could go on. Long story short, wedding photography forces a photographer to use all of his/her skills and there is no room for errors or weaknesses. 2) To be in the presence of family and friends all gathered to celebrate two people in love. Yes, it sounds cheesy but to be a part of the celebration is a very rewarding experience especially when you know you play a big part in the bride and groom’s special day and also in their future years when they look back to remember the event through your work. 3) Shooting weddings can also pay very well as long as you charge your proper worth. 🙂 Having said all that focusing again on shooting fashion and editorials is one of my goals for 2012.

TELL ME ABOUT A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO INSPIRES YOU

It is hard for me to name just one. Sometimes I like to research some of the great photographers before our time. When I look at their work I see a common thread in that the images they produce are timeless. For portraiture some of my favourites are Yosuf Karsh, Irving Penn, Alfred Stieglitz and Richard Avedon. For fashion I admire the work of Steven Meisel, Peter Lindbergh, Mario Testino and Russell James.

FOR YOU, WHAT ARE THE BEST AND WORST PARTS OF PHOTOGRAPHY?

The best part of photography for me is that there are so many different types of photography out there. If I start to get bored with one genre I can always pick something else to shoot. The worst part of photography is that it is very expensive! I’m not saying every photographer needs all the latest and greatest toys but if you want the good stuff then you have to have deep pockets…if you know what I mean.

WHAT IS THE LATEST PIECE OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT THAT YOU HAVE ACQUIRED AND HOW IS IT USED FOR THE TYPE OF PHOTOGRAPHY YOU DO?

The latest photographic equipment I purchased was a pair of Photoflex StarFire flash units. For situations where you need portable lighting to shoot outdoors it is not always feasible or convenient to bring strobe light heads. I already own two Nikon Speedlights, however if I wanted to buy two more it would cost me almost $1000. The Photoflex StarFire flashes are great especially when using them as off camera light sources. The reason they are more affordable is that they do not have TTL functionality but if you are the type of shooter that likes to control the power manually then its hard to pass these up. I’ve used them to shoot portraits outside the studio as well as weddings.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAMERA?

Being the son of a photojournalist there was always a camera within reach at home. When my father came to Canada he started to shoot weddings and I tagged along as his assistant. That planted the seed and the rest is history. My first camera was a Yashica Electro GX. Basically it was a small 35mm rangefinder type camera.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LENS IN YOUR BAG?

My go to lens is a Nikon AF-S 24-70 f/2.8 and its on my camera body most of the time. My favourite lens however is my Nikon AF-S 70-200 f/2.8 VRll. Its sharp, focuses extremely fast and it truly is a workhorse of a lens.

WHAT, WHO OR WHERE WAS YOUR ULTIMATE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE?

Time was November 2005. Place was Italy. It was my first time in Europe and everywhere I turned there was always something worth shooting. The country, the people, the food…everything was beautiful! I couldn’t put my camera down and I filled so many memory cards. Yes, that was the ultimate experience alright but the sad part was that I was on my honeymoon and to this day I have never heard the end of it. 🙂

WHAT, WHO OR WHERE WOULD BE YOUR ULTIMATE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE?

I would love to shoot beside Russell James photographing the Victoria Secret Angels all around the globe. I would ask him to teach me the ropes and then I would work my butt off to impress everyone in the hopes that VS would hire me as one of their regular photographers! LOL

WHAT MUSIC ARE YOU CURRENTLY LISTENING TO?

Compilation of classic house anthems. 🙂

THANK YOU AND KEEP SHOOTING!

www.floresfoto.com