Yannick Beauvalet Photography

Beauty at -25

2012-01-15T09:58:00.000-05:00

It's cold and beautiful.

Ottawa Sunset

2011-09-30T13:06:00.000-04:00

South Shore Wedding

2011-08-01T20:34:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure a few weeks ago of shooting a beautiful wedding on Montreal's south shore.

Gorgeous venue, beautiful people and a nice hot summer day.

A few clouds would have helped but I really can't complain. It really was a glorious day!

Thanks for letting me share your special day.

Update - Product Shot

2011-07-11T23:07:00.000-04:00

On May 7 I blogged about a product shot I did for my good friend, and great designer, Gontran.

Well he won the design award for the brochure category!! See it here: Applied Arts Magazine.

Congrats G!

Soccer Kids

2011-06-28T22:50:00.000-04:00

I've been shooting my kids soccer team for the last two years. What a treat!

Not only does it take me out of my photography comfort zone, it creates great memories for the kids and their families and forces me to get creative week after week with the same subject.

It's also just a just a nice way to share smiles.

One Hundred Foot Line

2011-06-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Roxy Paine's sculpture at Nepean Point behind the National Art Gallery.

One Hundred Foot Line

Ottawa Walk - Hintonburg

2011-06-03T22:34:00.001-04:00

Sculpture - Hintonburg

Wooly - Hintonburg

'nough said - Hintonburg

Elmdale - Hintonburg

Sculpture 2 - Hintonburg

Sun vs Flash

2011-05-22T07:25:00.000-04:00

This is the type of photo I like to challenge myself with.

How do I shoot directly into the sun, now blow out the sky and present a properly exposed subject.

By using the high speed sync and off camera flash available with the Nikon CLS system, I can under-expose the sky and deliver enough light to my main subject through the strobe, in this case a Nikon SB-600 with a Gary Fong LightSphere, to balance out the exposure and create an interesting image.

Original out of the camera.

In post production I adjusted the exposure slightly, adjusted the whites and blacks through the Curves function and added a faded warming layer to give the image a little extra glow.

The photo in itself is not spectacular but it is a good example, I think, of combining a number of different techniques to create an image that otherwise would be impossible to capture.

If you want more information on this type of technique the best source I've found is Grand Master Flash himself, Joe McNally. His books and blog are just a wealth of great, simple information and inspiration.

Now get out there and just shoot.

Ottawa Post Card

2011-05-21T20:40:00.000-04:00

Guess that Building

2011-05-20T19:47:00.000-04:00

This, in my opinion, is a great Ottawa building. I know it is not an opinion shared by many but so be it.

Can you name it??

iPaddiction

2011-05-15T21:05:00.000-04:00

No comment!

The Beauty is in the Details

2011-05-08T19:10:00.000-04:00

Why We (really) Love Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T19:08:00.000-04:00

Product Shot - Pamphlet

2011-05-07T14:16:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure earlier this week of shooting my good friend Gontran Blais' winning entry in Communication Arts magazine.

This was a great opportunity for me to do a little studio product shot, not something I do very often.

Set up was pretty simple: two Alien Bee B800 and one Nikon SB-800 with a Honl Speed Grid.

I set up the product on a grey seamless and then used the big lights to create nice even light coverage - no shadows.

I then used the SB-800 with the Speed Grid to create a hot spot right in the middle of the product set up.

I really like the end result as it really makes the product stand out from the background and gives the bright color a really nice pop.

Gontran also wanted to make sure the silver binding of the pamphlet was highlighted so I used a similar set up and shot a wide variety of close ups.

Gontran and I have successfully collaborated in the past winning a prize in Grafika magazine for a piece called Paper Lover and being published in the 2005 Communication Arts Design Annual.

I don't usually do a lot of this type of product shot but I must admit it's really nice to have an inanimate object as a model. You can take all the time in the world to get the shot right and not ever have to worry about it getting bored or tired.

Looking forward to shooting a bunch more.

Garden, Rain, Strobe

2011-04-23T19:27:00.000-04:00

Nothing like a quick exploration through the garden after the rain with a camera, a strobe and small softbox. Me loves strobes!

Boys of Summer

2011-04-12T21:39:00.000-04:00

Took the Alien Bees B 800 out for a little competition against the late afternoon sun today.

The Bees won.

This was shot with the Nikon D7000 using a 17-35mm f2.3 lens at f11.0, 1/200 sec, ISO 100.

I really like this type of shot where the lighting is both very present and invisible at the same time.

I hope to get out and make a lot more of these types of portraits throughout the upcoming summer.

C'mon!!!

2011-04-12T17:02:00.002-04:00

GOOD MORNING!!!!

2011-04-08T07:27:00.000-04:00

Jonas & The Massive Attraction @ Club Soda

2011-04-05T17:53:00.001-04:00

Ice Flow

2011-03-22T22:26:00.001-04:00

Couch Castle

2011-03-21T20:18:00.000-04:00

This shot captures everything I love about photography; people, emotion and light.

I just love it, and not just because it has my son in it.

He loves building forts out of the couch and I love taking picture - we met in a good place on this one.

Technical info:

Shot with Nikon D700 and 17-35mm f.2.3.

Nikon SB-600 flash was hidden in the fort under the blanket to soften the light.

Flash was triggered in commander mode by the on-camera flash.

You gotta love the Nikon CLS.

Rushing to Ottawa

2011-03-20T20:20:00.001-04:00

Smiling Self

2011-03-15T22:44:00.000-04:00

I usually shoot much tighter portraits and self-portraits so this is a nice departure for me.

I'm really happy with the composition and the quality of light on this one.

I also tried to shoot a much more expressive face which is very different the more serious portraits I usually shoot.

I really am running out of room though and may have to come up with a new portrait space to keep experimenting and growing.

The set-up:

1 - AB 800 in medium softbox as key light at camera right

1 - AB 800 in beauty dish as rim light in back at camera left

Please Take a Minute

2011-03-12T07:14:00.001-05:00

K'Naan is the man.

The Man

2011-02-27T15:02:00.000-05:00

I'm very proud of both the lighting and the depth of filed control on this photo.

The contrast between the crisp detail in the face and the soft focus on the far shoulder create a really nice feeling of depth, while the soft lighting on the front of the face contrasts nicely with the brighter exposure on each side of the head.

Over all I'm very happy with this portrait technically and as a bonus I actually caught him with a nice, genuine happy expression.

A good day in the Lightbratory!