Niagara Botanical Gardens with Tyler

Working with Tyler has been something I've had on my "to-do" list for a long time. I had a gut feeling that she would be great in front of the camera and she didn't disappoint!  This was the first big personal shoot I had done with my brand new 85mm lens. If I hadn't been convinced it was a "must need" in my kit already, this shoot would have proved it!

I wanted to do something soft and pretty, but emotive at the same time. We stuck to a very natural look...nothing too over processed in hair or makeup. I wanted her natural beauty to shine through. I love the contrast of her brunette hair to her pale skin and freckles!

As for the location, I initially wanted to find a large rosebush, but I wasn't able to really find any around where I live. I decided my best bet would be to try the Niagara Botanical Gardens in Niagara Falls. I had never been there, but I knew it was time to try it out!
In the midst of my excitement, I forgot to take some photos on my phone of the location. Thankfully after a quick Google image search, I grabbed a couple of the areas we shot in

(We actually moved the bench to get some better angles in front of the bush, hehe)

Tyler had never modeled before, but that wasn't an issue. I've worked with many people with little to no experience. After a few photos, she was comfortable in front of the camera and brought her A game! Also a big thanks for her putting up with thorns and mosquitos!

Here are a few of my favourites...

(this photo had a distracting branch and white sky at the top, so I swapped it out for a background of one of the other shots. I'm not the best at doing this kind of manipulation, but I try to do it when I feel it's needed)

(this is why they call the hour before sunset "golden hour", there's nothing more satisfying than capturing that golden light)

(I attempted using a crystal in front of my lens for this one.. still need to tweak this technique a bit)

(this one is 4-5 images stitched)

My Nikon D600 and 85mm were used. Also, I use Photoshop CS6, not sure if I've mentioned that in my other posts.

After I showed Tyler a couple of the first finished photos, she told me that I had made her feel very pretty. This is the exact reason I love being a photographer. Knowing I can make people feel good about themselves makes me extremely happy.

Feel free to ask me any questions about any of my shoots!

Till next time, 

Courtney

 

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Summer Evening Cropping with Michael

I always try and make an effort to keep up with my personal photography work as much as I can. I find it's the best way to grow and improve my work. In preparation for an upcoming shoot, I decided to ask Michael if he was up to modelling for some photos. Luckily he agreed and we were soon wondering through my suburban neighborhood. I really wanted to play with different cropping. Although it was a quick exercise, I really find value in any sort of practicing/experimenting I can do.

This image was taken in side walked pathway between two streets. There happened to be some tall bushes from one of the neighboring house's backyards.  There was a tiny piece of the top of a chain link fence in the bottom left corner that I found distracting, so I cloned it out in Photoshop. 

The three above were taken in a secluded/abandoned baseball diamond that is surrounded by a tiny creek and tons of trees.

And of course, one documenting some houses in suburbia.



I used my new 85mm f1.8 lens and Nikon D600.
For toning, I really wanted a film/analog look to these. I achieved this by playing with adjustment layers in Photoshop. I find lightening up the blacks really defines the film/analog look. I really love the look of the rich greens I got.


Courtney

Short Hills Mini Session with Petra

Back in June, my friend Petra took me on a hike at Short HIlls on the outskirts of St. Catharines. We found an abundance of purple wild flowers and I knew it would be an awesome location for a photoshoot!

I asked Petra if she would be interested in modelling and lucky for me--she agreed!
We discussed a bit about wardrobe and styling and went back later on in the week at around 7:00pm.

Here are some images I took on my phone of the location...

It was Petra's first time modelling and I could hardly tell. She was a natural! I always enjoy using my friends as models because I want to show them the beauty I see in them :)

Here are a couple of favourites...

Both of these images are panoramic and were originally three different images that I stitched together.

I used my Nikon D600 paired with a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens.


This was a fun shoot and I hope to be able to do some more with Petra in the near future!


Courtney

Parkour with Katie Hollow

I've been photographing my friend Katie Hollow for a little over a year now and it's still always as enjoyable as the first time. We are on the same page about style, hair and inspiration so it works extremely well. Not to mention  her beauty and awesome attitude... I could just go on and on! She has been a huge supporter of my work and I am eternally grateful for the encouragement and confidence she has given me :)

I had this idea that I knew she would be perfect for... I wanted to shoot on a rooftop in downtown St. Catharines. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to get access without the possibility in getting in some trouble. Yikes.

Luckily, Katie has some awesome connections from the tattooing community...did I mention she's an amazing tattoo artist? With the help of her fellow tattoo artist and new shop owner Maggie, we were able to access the roof above the new Studio 4 Tattoo Parlor. Maggie even gave me a hand getting onto the roof!

The rooftop where the fire escape leads to is where we took most of the images

and the obligatory picture of the model giggling texting cute boys...hahaha

This was definitely one of my favourite shoots to date! I was extremely grateful to spend some time on the roof and create something awesome with Katie!

I used my 50mm f1.8 on my Nikon D600 for all of these, taking extra background images for a couple of the panoramics.

Here are a few of my favourites below:

I'm absolutely thrilled with the outcome and very proud of what we created!

- Courtney

A Short History

My name is Courtney Michaud and I'm a 24 year old Canadian photographer from St. Catharines, ON.  I've been taking photos since the end of high school and have no plans of stopping...ever!


I started this blog to share my photos, process and journey in the world of photography.

:)