Apparently I only update my journal (approximately) once a year now.

I've been trying to keep my gallery on here updated with my most current work, I'm definitely not on deviantart nearly as much anymore as I was a couple of years ago, but I still try to respond to my comments and whatnot--I appreciate every single one, I wouldn't want anybody to have the impression, for any reason, that I don't.

No new big equipment updates as of late.  I got a 580 EX II flash in the summer, and with some homemade light modifiers (think boxes lined with aluminum foil, and Safeway-bought turkey pans), I've managed to make it work well for some beauty shots.  I have a job coming up this month that will require legitimate studio lighting--that combined with the budget means that I'll have enough to buy a proper kit, FINALLY.  I'm looking forward to getting that and putting it to good use.

After that, I'd love to get a 100mm macro lens (Canon's IS, L-glass model is drool-worthy), mostly so I could get back into shooting the geckos.  Billy (the crestie) is too small to photograph without using macro, and since upgrading to a full-frame camera last year, I've noticed that the lenses I used to take gecko shots on my 400D don't work so well anymore--without the crop factor, the lenses can't focus close enough to the lizards to allow them to fill the frame, making for some pretty mediocre shots.

I was hoping to start university this fall, but that didn't end up happening.  I applied to only one school, and never made it off of the wait list that I was put on.  I kind of got the impression that they aren't too keen on letting a bunch of students in fresh out of high school without a lot of experience, mainly to encourage the idea that those who take the limited spots in the program are serious about pursuing the entire 4 year degree, rather than switching out after a year or two.  That, and my portfolio was on the weaker side, I had to use a lot of old work when submitting because grade 12 left me with almost no time to shoot new material before the submission deadline.  The more I think about it though, the more OK I am with the fact that I have a year to save up money and get my shit together before moving across the country.

I'm applying to a few places this fall, two in Toronto (Ryerson and OCAD), one in Victoria (UVic), one in Vancouver (Emily Carr), and one in Calgary (ACAD)--all of which have BFA programs that allow you to major in photography.  Part of me wishes I could stay home to go to school, but all that's here (with relevant courses) are trade schools which have proven, so far, to have essentially high-school level classes (for thousands of dollars more), which I've already completed.  But I love Toronto and I'm hoping I end up there, Canada's 'media capital', and, I've found, that it's the city with the most big-name modelling agencies that cross over into the U.S. and Europe.  British Columbia would be nice, I'm not opposed to starting out there--I've never been to Vancouver or Victoria, so it would be a great opportunity.  Nicer weather, that's for sure.



I was surprised back in September to find out that one of my photos of ~stickbugs made it onto the cover of a locally-distributed magazine.  They did a feature on Western Canada Fashion Week (formerly Edmonton Fashion Week) and interviewed Natasha Lazarovic, the designer I usually work with.  She submitted some photos for them to use and they ended up choosing mine for the cover.

I can't think of anything else worth mentioning.  How has everybody here in dA-land been doing?