#8 OF MY TOP 10 FAVORITE IMAGES SO FAR IN 2019

Here is #8 of my Top 10 favorite images so far in 2019.

Landscape pictures are all about taking you back to the exact location each time you view them and this capture does just that. It's not often that you find yourself at the top of the tallest building in the world and that's why I really wanted to save this memory through pictures.

It was raining on the day that I was inside the Burj Khalifa, so the windows were dirty which can often make for not so great pictures. There are certain things that need to be taken into consideration when shooting through glass because you have to deal with reflections and how clean that glass is will greatly affect the overall transparency of your images. And being inside a tower with hundreds of other visitors at the top, I had to wait for the right moment before I took each picture.

#9 OF MY TOP 10 FAVORITE IMAGES SO FAR IN 2019

Here is #9 of my Top 10 favorite images so far in 2019.

I've fallen in love with this image simply for the fact that the jockey (Pat Cosgrave) who was leading this race is transitioning from the shade to direct sunlight while in a full gallop. I was able to catch him in the best moment just as he was perfectly parallel to my lens.

Photography is all about lighting and the more one understands the characteristics of it, the better ability they will have in knowing how to use it to their advantage. I've said it before that I much prefer working with natural light as opposed to artificial light. They each have it's pros and cons but over the years working primarily with artificial light, the one benefit that I missed the most was being able to work in unpredictable environments.

#10 OF MY TOP 10 FAVORITE IMAGES SO FAR IN 2019

Starting with #10 for my Top 10 favorite images so far in 2019 and boy was it ever difficult to choose my #10. I could have easily flipped a coin but this edged out three other images because of the wow factor in this image.

This is a perfect example of a candid portrait that I just had to capture regardless of what was behind the subjects because in this particular case, the subject's make this image.

And that is one thing that individual's who are learning photography will grasp over time, is knowing when to make that split second decision on when the background becomes a non-factor. And this all goes back to reading your environment and envisioning your captures several seconds, even minutes ahead of what's actually happening in real-time.

Would I have loved to change up the direction? Absolutely. But I was fully aware of the lack of time and space that I had to get this and I sacrificed the perfection for just getting the subjects period.

I was originally about 100 feet from these ladies with my back turned to them as I was focused on the parade ring. I turned around, immediately noticed them, saw the opportunity, quickly rushed up to them and thankfully had just enough time to capture this before they turned around because they were on go.

HONORABLE MENTION #2 - MY TOP 10 FAVORITE IMAGES SO FAR IN 2019

Here is honorable mention #2 for my Top 10 favorite images so far in 2019.

The number one thing that I always tell people is that if you want excellent pictures taken of you, you have to be happy, there is no way around it - because emotions (positive or not) will always show in one way or another in your images. So if you want great quality pictures taken of you but you aren't having the best day? Find another time for it, as it's much less work to wait than it is to re-take photos.

Isn't this what working and associating ourselves with horses is all about? The joy that these beautiful creatures bring us in our lives. The pleasure and wonderful feeling of accomplishment that make us all proud to show our hard work and dedication in what we do with equines.

If you haven't already noticed, I love capturing individuals and entrepreneurs in the Equestrian World doing their craft and for me to illustrate their raw passion for what they do through my images. It brings out the best in these individuals and most importantly it makes them happy.

HONORABLE MENTION #1 - MY TOP 10 FAVORITE IMAGES SO FAR IN 2019

I cannot believe that 2019 is just about half over and because we are just about coming up to the half way mark, over the next 12 days I will be showing my top 10 favorite images so far of 2019 (as well as two honorable mentions) and I will explain why each one has become one of my top favorites.

Let's start with the first of my two honorable mentions that just about made my top 10.

Taking strong candid portraits of people can be a challenge because that moment is not always offered to you. But doing it in a packed environment with that many people and in such tight spaces, where all it takes is half a second later and you miss your shot or someone bumps into you or a person steps into your shot, makes the challenge that much greater. In this situation, it was more difficult working with my environment than it was to actually get my image.

Many of these moments, the fraction of time that you have to nail it is as minuscule as they come and that's what makes a picture like this that much more rewarding.

"PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSISTANT" POSITIONS AVAILABLE

I posted this last summer with it netting great interest but people's availability can change at any give time, so I am in need to find two more people to be my "Photographer's Assistant" - my goal now is to have one main and two backups as travel distances can be an issue. I need my MAIN assistant to be located either in Calgary or not too far outside of the city.

My assistant will come along with me just about everywhere. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴:

1) Horses 
2) Photography or videography (or even better both!)

The number one question that I received when I posted this ad the first time was "I am a beginner and don't know much about photography, can I still apply?" The answer is yes you absolutely can. For me, attitude is everything, skills (for the most part) can be taught but it all comes down to the individual as a person, fit and the level of determination that they have to achieving their goals.

Experience handling and working with horses is a must, experience with studs is an asset. This is the ONLY reason why I haven't put anymore time and effort into finding individuals right from colleges. I've met some stellar individuals right from college who would make great assistants but I need that experience with horses.

IMPORTANT: Every image that sits in my portfolio will ALWAYS come from my cameras and captured with my vision, so my assistants will not be working as a second shooter.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿?

I look for someone who is in this for the RIGHT reasons. If you have a passion for the two reasons as I indicated above, the big question to ask yourself would be, do you see this as mentor ship opportunity and not just a pay cheque?

Communication is a two way street and I am a believer that it's everything. I look for someone who has a strong work-ethic and sees this as an on-going journey, full of thrilling and valuable learning experiences. Working for me will not only be super exciting but very rewarding because I only want individuals who enjoy the experience that I provide.

If interested, or for any questions that you may have, shoot me an email at 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼@𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗼𝗻.𝗰𝗼𝗺

𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗜𝗡𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘.

Thank you.