About me...
I can remember when I was 11 years old, hanging out watching my dad and brother playing with their Contax, Olympus OM-1's, and Hasselblad's cameras, talking about Vivitar lenses, skylight filters, Tri-X, Pan-X, Ilford, and some guy named Ansel Adams. Every chance I got, I would love to put my eye to the view finder of my Dad's OM-1 and focus on something. I thought that was pretty cool. I did learn quickly that what you see through the viewfinder is not what always shows up in print (or now a days, the computer screen).
The first lesson my brother Tony taught me about photography had nothing to do with the camera. It was about our eyes. He rightly said the human eye was infinitely better than any lens man could make. The eye has the ability to focus in different light, can see macro, telephoto, and wide angles in a split second. Great photography starts first with the eye, then the camera.
With age of digital photography upon us, the art of photography is lost on some, replaced by mega pixels, scanners, DPI, Photoshop, etc. A friend of mine and co-owner of a great online community for photographers, Rob Provencher of Sudbury, Ontario, has taught 1000's of professional photographers. A centeral theme in Rob's teaching is that regardless of the $1,000's of dollars one may have in equipment, lenses, and computers, the fundamental principles of solid photography are still needed to make good photographs and images. We still have to find or create beautiful light, we have to expose for it, and most importantly, we have to capture the moment.
Photography Is Important
My dad loved photography. We have about 3,000 Ektachrome and Kodachrome slides from our family travels through Central America, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, and parts of Europe from 1961 - 1968. My brother and I are getting ready to digitally scan, retouch, catalog and possibly make a book from our family story. I can't imagine what a loss it would be if we didn't have those slides today.
Think how cool it is to be able to look at a picture and have a permanent record of what was happening 5, 10, or 20 years ago. We change. Our kids change. Everything changes - sometime too fast. There is no re-wind in life. Having pictures as documentation of our lives is an incredible gift.
Five years ago I purchased 2 MP digital camera. After being away from photography for many years, I realized how much fun it was to take pictures again. My passion to take pictures was rekindled. After a summer vacation with my daughter and family to Disney World, I was surprised to find out I had taken 1,000 pictures over 7 days. I suppose was pushing my little camera beyond its limits! After that trip, I began to immerse myself in photography magazines and books to learn the new digital technology and it's related vernacular. Shortly thereafter, I knew I wanted to make great pictures and become a photographer. Again.
Learning to light, compose your subject, and when to click the shutter is the art of photography. It's a never ending process. Over the last 18 months, I have had the privilege of studying and communicating with 100's of talented photographers from around the globe to include Canada, South Africa, South America, Australia, Europe and the good old USA. Some of these photographers routinely earn praise for their works. Their "stuff" is outstanding. What has been fascinating to me is that these are the same people who never stop learning. They are always attending another photographer’s work shop, reading a new book, and contributing on various online photography forums.
One day an award winning, international photographer, Charlie Vandersluys, from Niagara Falls, Ontario, told me that "I nailed it" on a portrait I made of my daughter Hannah. Hearing that gave me the encouragement to know that with work and dedication, someday, I might be in the class of these gifted artists.
Wedding & Family Photography
If you are considering portraits of your family members, your children, or even your pets, I would love the privilege to record these images for you. I believe in natural looking poses and relaxed sessions to capture you and your family in not only their best light, but also the innocent, unguarded moments.
If you have a wedding coming up, let’s talk about what you want and see if we are a fit. There are many good photographers to choose from. I believe in no pressure consultations. If you choose me as your wedding photographer, I will catch the day as it unfolds. In addition to traditonal poses of the immediate family, we can create some out of the box poses that are suited to your personality.
Thank you for letting me share a part of my history with you today. I look forward to meeting with you and hopefully take your picture.
- Rob Oresteen
All content on this website is © copyright 2006 - 2008 by Rob Oresteen Photography. Please do not use without permission. Thank you.