JOEL BEDFORD PHOTOGRAPHY

usnatarchives: It’s Flashback Friday! Do you have a photograph...

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 08:49:30 -0400

It’s Flashback Friday! Do you have a photograph of someone in your family in a powder blue tuxedo?

See more 1970s fashion in our new exhibit “Searching for the Seventies: The DOCUMERICA Photography Project.”

Image: “Michigan Avenue, Chicago” (couple on street) Perry Riddle, Chicago, IL, July 1975. National Archives, Records of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ok, I really want a time machine to go back and befriend these two.

Mert & Marcus light gorgeous-voiced Adele for US Vogue, gorgeously

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:37:21 -0500

Mert & Marcus light gorgeous-voiced Adele for US Vogue, gorgeously: admin,...

Dawn on the Gatineau River- on Flickr.Last weekend, just before...

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 00:25:17 -0400

Dawn on the Gatineau River- on Flickr.

Last weekend, just before sunrise in Wakefield, QC.

My Thoughts on Photo Assisting

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:20:03 -0400

I was speaking to my friend who has assisted me on a couple of shoots; one editorial, one wedding....

A recent editorial I shot for Style Magazine back in early...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:21:00 -0400

A recent editorial I shot for Style Magazine back in early April. These were photographed near Mud Lake in Ottawa’s west-end, lit only by the sun and foam-core reflectors.

Concept / Styling by Justyna Baraniecki

Makeup and hair by Noah V.

Models (brunettes) by Models International Management (Ottawa)

Photo Assisting by Will Orellana

On the weekend of her 60th anniversary on the throne, I thought...

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:40:00 -0400

On the weekend of her 60th anniversary on the throne, I thought it may finally be a good time to mention that I met the Queen.

I had a surreal time assisting my father in shooting her official portrait on the 1st of July, 2010 for the occasion of her upcoming diamond jubilee that falls on this current weekend, June 2nd / 3rd 2012 (also my birthday weekend but that feels like a moot point in comparison).

So just a little history here: My father Michael Bedford, a professional photographer since 1970, was called out of an early semi-retirement by Heritage Canada in early 2010, asking him if he would photograph her majesty for the occasion of her 60th anniversary on the throne to which he gladly accepted. - Just to note, he wasn’t new to this kind of offer - this would be the fourth occasion in his long career that he had photographed Queen Elizabeth II (once in the late 70’s, the next in 1982 for Canada Act, then again in 2002 for her 50th anniversary on the throne). Naturally he needed an assistant for the job and asked me to fill that role. To which I too gladly accepted (I think I dropped the candy-bar I was eating at the time from surprise and excitement).

So as it happened, on the morning of Canada Day 2010 we made our way to the tent room at Rideau Hall in Ottawa (we had scouted the location thoroughly a month before to assess the room, light, etc…) , set up a Hasselblad 500c/m and a Nikon D200, some umbrellas, a podium, and waited anxiously for the Queen to arrive. At 10 o’clock she appeared adorned in a white gown, tons of jewels, a tiara, and all that. It was kind of a trip being (loosely) introduced - My dad and another gentleman (who has used my dad’s portrait as reference for a painting he will soon unveil) were ‘officially’ (re)-introduced.

So the shooting began and ended rather quickly as she was on a tight schedule. I was very impressed not only by her ability to pose perfectly (she’s had much practice) but for my dad’s ease and flow, speaking with her casually (but respectfully), and coming off cool as a cucumber. It was an interesting lesson in the importance of engaging with one’s subjects and making them feel comfortable in front of the camera, even if they’ve already been photographed (quite literally) a billion times before.

She was cordially shuffled away by her assistant immediately after the shoot was finished (probably all of 10 or 15 minutes total with a short break in between - a LOT of time considering her time is precious).

So check out the behind the scenes photos above - the camera crew also present were doing a documentary for the National Film Board of Canada.

If you have any questions about the experience, I’d be happy to share them with you.

p.s. I’m not exactly sure when the official portrait will be unveiled, but it should be soon. When you see it, please take note of the subtle retouching work (if you can’t see it then I’ve done my job right) - that was my job too.

One person’s trash is another’s treasure. A few...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:52:00 -0400

Final Band Cover

Fly on lampshade

Trash wood

One person’s trash is another’s treasure.

A few years ago when I was living in Toronto, I was walking around my neighborhood with my first DSLR (Canon Rebel XT) and was photographing interesting textures I could somehow play around with in Photoshop (CS2). I came across a nondescript, albeit old, wooden counter-top that someone was throwing away. It had an interesting look to it, so I photographed it and moved on.

Back at home, while I was importing my photos, a fly became fascinated with my lampshade and held it’s attention to the warm glow just long enough for me to focus and snap a pic.

Using the transform tools, different blending modes, and some light, gradient, and color fx, I was able to transfer the fly onto the wood texture, preserving its original shadow to boot.

I couple of years later a local band in Ottawa contacted me to photograph and design the cover of their first CD. Though they didn’t choose this particular mock-up I made for them, I was happy with the simplicity of design and the overall look. I wanted to make the band initials (WYK - Wise, Young & King) appear to be etched into the table. The text was added simply with text tools and some creative embossing / light effects in Photoshop.

If I were to repeat the job, I would add some wood shavings, and have stuck a knife in the table (maybe just the tip through the fly’s wing) for added drama - only in post, of course - I’d never hurt a fly ; ).

With the 100th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Titanic,...

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:03:00 -0400

With the 100th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Titanic, I got to thinking as to what I may have in my photo archives to contribute to this significant, somber occasion. As it turns out, not too much (ha) BUT I did visit Belfast in Northern Ireland a couple of years ago. What does that have to do with the Titanic, you may ask? Well, you may or may not know that the Titanic was built in Belfast by the company Harland and Wolff ship builders, and I had the opportunity to take a tour (on double-decker bus, no doubt) of this crusty old city and it’s famous ship yards.

Seeing the actual shipyards where the Titanic was built was a bit of a trip - just thinking about all that hard work that went in to building that ship over two years and how such a task, even today, would take such massive feats of engineering. Despite the sinking of that impressive vessel and the 1,500+ lives lost there is a banner displayed on one of the dock buildings that proudly states ‘TITANIC: MADE IN BELFAST’. On one hand, it was probably the most beautiful ship ever made (at least from my understanding of the CGI renderings courtesy of James Cameron), but on the other its generally more famous for its demise, not the grandeur of the ship itself. Paradox or Antithesis? (seriously, which one, if any - I’m a photographer, not a writer).

Our bus left the shipyards and continued the tour of Belfast where we got an decent view of the city - I have to admit, I’ve traveled to and lived in many cities worldwide but Belfast had to be one of the saddest looking places I’ve seen in a long time - and I’m from Ottawa (zing!). Lots of gray faces, decaying buildings, broken windows, and an unsettling amount of CCTV cameras EVERYWHERE. The building of the Titanic could actually have been the best thing going here…Well, I shouldn’t be TOO hard on Belfast - I’m well aware that Northern Ireland has had a very tumultuous past and is only recently experiencing an extended time of peace. From the looks of things, though, and talking with locals, there is still a very palpable tension that smolders between the loyalists and republicans (just mentioning to a few guys at the bar that my grandfather was Manx was enough to get me cold shoulders and into a heated discussion). In any case, I can see that it’s going to take Belfast some time to make a full recovery - and I sincerely hope they do recover - but let’s just say I have no plans to move there (or visit again).

On the upside, I did get to spend a long drinking session on a Saturday afternoon at Belfast’s oldest tavern, White’s. This place was amazing - built in 1670(!) it was chock-full of old Irish posters, postcards, nick-knacks, arched ceilings, and old-Irish men sporting fine caps, sitting in dusty shafts of window light. Half-way in to my 5th Guinness these 20-somethings joined me in the booth and broke out traditional Celtic instruments and whipped the place up into a fury of song and swaying. A really memorable time - I have to thanks the group, Keep ‘er Lit and Annie (owner of the place) who was super kind and took my friends and I out to lunch the next day.

This post went sideways a little, but the timing is still appropriate.

Chelsea for FrAsh on Flickr. I made this shadowy teaser for a...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:43:00 -0500

Chelsea for FrAsh on Flickr.

I made this shadowy teaser for a local jewelry designer named Frash as a promo piece for their upcoming runway show (February 17th 8pm) at Ottawa Fashion Week. The show is produced by my girlfriend and working partner, Justyna Baraniecki who’s been working her buns off to make the show an entertaining, beautiful spectacle. If you’re coming to OFW, please don’t miss this show. It will be a good one for sure!

Valentine's Post...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:40:16 -0500

I’ve always been more of a listener than a talker. Some people may argue this (especially...

Jenna on Flickr.An outtake from a recent editorial I...

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:44:28 -0500

Jenna on Flickr.

An outtake from a recent editorial I made….

Model’s name is Jenna from Angie’s Models
Styling by Justyna Baraniecki
Hair and Makeup by Melodie Iafelice

I couldn’t resist making this. So sue me. Actually, please...

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:43:58 -0500

I couldn’t resist making this. So sue me. Actually, please don’t.

Autumn Portrait of Justyna on Flickr.

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:11:26 -0500

Autumn Portrait of Justyna on Flickr.

Helicopters, Lunar Eclipses, and High ISO

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:32:00 -0500

That about sums it up. I shot a job for a real-estate development company last summer. They provided...

* on Flickr.This is an outtake from a recent editorial shoot to...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:16:13 -0500

* on Flickr.

This is an outtake from a recent editorial shoot to be published sometime in March… I can’t say what magazine, but you can probably guess which one. I’ll post the finals on my blog when they’re published.

Have to say, we had a great couple of models that day. This is one: Carmen from Angie’s Models in Ottawa. Despite being just 15, this girl could move and pose with the best of them (though I asked her to be still and straight on for this portrait). Hoping to see big things from her in the future. She’s got a promising career ahead of her.

Telegraph Pictures: Digitally altered images: ...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:06:57 -0500

Telegraph Pictures: Digitally altered images: ...: twitter.com Don’t believe everything you...

Most Powerful Photos Of 2011 Versa, fubiz.net Voici cette...

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:30:25 -0500

Most Powerful Photos Of 2011
Versa, fubiz.net

Voici cette sélection de clichés qui résume toute l’année 2011 selon Buzzfeed. Rappelant les différents évènements entre tsunamis, révolutions et l’anniversaire du 11 septembre, les photographies sont parfois durs à regarder mais sonnent…

guess the lighting: Nick Knight goes GaGa (again) for i-D Magazine

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:39:08 -0500

guess the lighting: Nick Knight goes GaGa (again) for i-D Magazine:...

This Is The World’s Most Insane Wallpaper BY RANDI...

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:22:06 -0500

This Is The World’s Most Insane Wallpaper
BY RANDI GREENBERG, fastcodesign.com

This wallpaper demands a second look. No, make that three looks.
No, you’re not seeing double. Nor are you seeing triple. What you’re looking at is RGB, a multi-layered wallpaper by the Milan designers Carnovsky. Three overlapping and…

Wow…this isn’t something necessarily photo related but it does explore the color spectrum and pushes what’s possible with light, so I’m gonna share it. Would look amazing in a lounge or man-cave.

I was driving back from a shoot today when I passed a cemetery...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:51:55 -0500

I was driving back from a shoot today when I passed a cemetery in Ottawa’s east end. As I glanced over at some tombstones and shrines, the late afternoon light illuminating them nicely, one of them in particular caught my eye. I decided to pull over, get out of the car, and investigate. What serendipity. It was the grave Yousuf Karsh and his wife, Solange.

For those who don’t know, Yousuf Karsh was one of the most well known, respected, and talented masters of photography the world has ever known. Click on his name above and you will discover (or re-discover) his incredible portraits that spanned a 70+ year career.

I knew he lived in Ottawa most of his life, but had never contemplated his resting place and where it might be (he was originally from Armenia). Of all the graves in that massive cemetery, I’m still pondering how his caught my eye and how I thought to actually stop the car and go take a look.

Feeling very blessed for the experience.