tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80553419687764068392012-01-28T13:21:53.489-05:00Mostly PhotographyJohn Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-36893247094874848652010-07-19T22:37:00.032-04:002010-07-26T00:02:11.123-04:00

I'm of two minds about Ottawa Bluesfest. On one hand it's a big event that attracts some great musicians who might not otherwise play here. On the other hand you have to stand outside in the middle of a very large crowd to see those bands. I've weighed the pros and cons of this over the past few years since the festival moved to the Canadian War Museum site. The crowd has gotten increasingly

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-38585554857440760612010-05-20T19:50:00.028-04:002010-07-04T21:13:17.994-04:00

This spring the University of Calgary asked me to take a couple of portraits for their U Magazine. They needed pictures for an article on alumna Erin Silsbe, a grad from their Masters of Environmental Design program. Erin is now a climate change negotiator for Environment Canada and was at the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December.The following week I was lucky enough to photograph an

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-17213079633768958352010-05-10T23:15:00.022-04:002010-05-23T10:06:17.111-04:00

Emily has been working on a lot of knitting projects lately, including the beautiful poncho she's wearing here. I recently bought a cool reflector kit and wanted to try it out, so these two things, along with a suggestion from our friend Liz, came together in the portrait here.Click photo for larger sizePhoto details:SB-600 through an umbrella, 1/4 power, camera left, 40" white reflector, camera

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-25870212637415304272010-03-14T16:10:00.024-04:002010-07-04T19:03:18.124-04:00

Last week I got invited to go flying with a friend. I'd been in a small plane once before and loved it, so of course I jumped at the chance. We flew around Ottawa and out of town as far as Sharbot Lake. Oh and I brought a camera along too. Here are a few shots. Click on them for the larger version.In a funny footnote, after we took off and were climbing out of the airport we flew very close

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-40742134150286179682009-10-30T08:30:00.003-04:002010-07-04T19:08:44.251-04:00

If you're looking to make photos with good light and you're using a point and shoot, your options are limited. If your point and shoot has a flash hot shoe then you have something to work with, but if not then you're sunk. Right? Maybe not. If, like me, you're a fan of David Hobby's site but you don't have a dSLR then read on.Being creative with off-camera flash is easy enough if you have a

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-91357415389284265072009-08-05T07:30:00.028-04:002010-07-04T19:16:57.749-04:00

UPDATE: Lots of people find this article when trying to fix a stuck mirror on a D70. Chris Inch reports that his D70 mirror would stay up after making an exposure normally. Another shutter button press was needed to return the mirror to the down position. He fixed this problem by using a different battery. If this is the problem you're having, give that a try.Important: I recommend against

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-66444956435908476652009-06-11T20:39:00.005-04:002010-07-04T19:50:16.479-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was lucky enough to be asked to help out with photos for the National Capital YMCA/YWCA 2008 annual report. Well now that report is out and thanks to the talents of Emily Chen, who laid it all out, it looks great. Here are a few shots of the report, as well as the award-winning 2007 report, the cover of which I shot last year. Thanks to all the great people

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-20190830347380377842009-06-10T20:25:00.004-04:002010-07-25T23:10:44.536-04:00

I like to keep things for a long time. Some things I shouldn't hold on to any more, but that's another post for another blog. This post is about a couple of cameras that have been around for a while, and fixing the problems that come up as cameras age.As anyone who's owned a Yashica FX-D knows, the original leatherette covering didn't last very long. Mine has been without most of its covering

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-55098252760876557492009-04-28T23:48:00.007-04:002010-07-25T23:12:03.985-04:00

If you find yourself heading to see a show with Vancouver-based Black Mountain, my advice is this: Be prepared. They're going to knock your socks off. I didn't know what to expect when I got invited by CBC Radio 3 to photograph a BC Scene show here in Ottawa on Friday night which featured three bands: The Pack A.D., Ladyhawk and Black Mountain. I had heard Ladyhawk before, but only had time

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-49321903716184925882009-04-07T21:31:00.008-04:002010-07-25T23:12:55.851-04:00

Sort of. The camera's not new, but it is full-frame. Following up on an earlier post, I got the film back that I shot with my old SLR. From the photos and the fact that some have snow in them and some don't, you'll see that one of the problems I always had with film still persists: It takes me forever to shoot a roll and get it into the lab. Well this article is supposed to be about how fun

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-44916475814820322222009-03-25T21:20:00.007-04:002010-07-25T23:13:21.946-04:00

This week I had the pleasure of photographing some seriously cute kids at the YMCA/YWCA in Ottawa. I was lucky enough to be asked to help out with some photos for the annual report, and this week's task was to get some shots of the kids at the daycare there. Now if you think you can walk into a daycare and just start clicking away without generating a little interest, well you're wrong. These

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-11410993803752318262009-03-07T21:44:00.000-05:002009-04-07T21:30:23.504-04:00

OK so you can't be of my particular vintage without having heard a little ABC(The Look of Love - Remember?). It's just a fact. Heck, I'll even admit to having enjoyed quite a bit of ABC in my time. If that worries you, let me assure you that I'm now firmly rooted in a musical diet consisting of substantially less disco. That said, some musical memories never leave a person's brain and because

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-37684745190449632162009-03-05T11:04:00.000-05:002009-03-05T11:17:29.882-05:00

This cat's an artist. According to his owners, his composition is excellent and he follows the rule of thirds, at least in sixteen of his thousands of photographs. Those sixteen are on display at a Seattle gallery, and for sale at $275 apiece.I should hang a camera around my neck that automatically takes a photo every two minutes, then hire a cat to sort through them.

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-768990912440063432009-02-17T00:13:00.004-05:002010-07-25T23:14:09.943-04:00

This weekend I took a few shots at a house concert where Peter Elkas performed with Andrea Simms-Karp opening. The show was hosted by Bob and Cathy of Bobcat house concerts, and once again they picked a winner. The show was amazing.House concerts mean low light, and low light means blasting the musicians with flash, or using a nice wide aperture, throwing on Auto-ISO and hoping for the best.

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-55657376889274471372009-02-05T13:39:00.002-05:002010-07-25T23:14:31.862-04:00

Good things are worth waiting for, even Yahoo Answers agrees with this (for the most part anyway). I say this today because something I've been looking forward to for a long time has just begun:I have a photo show at the Manx Pub from Feb.4th until March 4th. (2009)Vernissage: Sunday February 8th, 2009, 4pm - 6pmThe exhibit consists of thirteen never before displayed photos of diverse locations

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-6076187521693183052009-01-24T16:34:00.007-05:002010-07-04T20:02:38.491-04:00

Nearly every day, Adrian gives me an update on the price of the Nikon D700. Obviously he's trying to talk me into getting one, but I'm not sure why. Is it because it's a great full-frame digital SLR and the logical next step addition to my camera bag? Is it because it would make him feel better about buying one himself, and help him explain the purchase to his wife?Is he trying to ruin me

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8055341968776406839.post-30448030669907406482008-07-20T02:30:00.006-04:002010-07-25T23:14:55.268-04:00

Mark Knopfler, NAC Southam HallI caught the Mark Knopfler show last night at the NAC.  This guy is a real pro and didn't disappoint.  With a great band and his long list of well crafted songs, this was a show not to be missed.More photos here

John Bagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03905741630701370566noreply@blogger.com0