Portrait Stories

May 22, 2018
|In Blog
|By Dennis Ducklow

 

My photography has led me to a number of portrait sessions in the past few weeks. Here are some results from three of them.

Portrait Session in the Kitchen.

Meet my good friend Matt. He is multi-talented: an amazing chef, musician and gardener. I have coffee with him regularly and, on one of our visits, he showed up with such a memorable crop of whiskers (not an unusual event), I just had to set up a portrait shoot with him. The next morning, he was flipping crêpes and I was clicking my camera. For him, it was a chance to play in the kitchen. For me, a chance to play with the camera. Two retired guys, doing our thing. Then we ate it all … so good. 

chefs checks on crepes
“It’s just right!” Matt declared.
chef flips crepes
Now how’s that for flipping with flair?
The crepes are cooked to perfection.
It’s all ready! And it’s perfect.
breakfast is ready
“Come to the table, breakfast is ready!”

If you play your cards right …

At a recent concert, I introduced myself to a man I noticed in the foyer during intermission. With a long grey beard, a tall black leather hat, and an abundance of tattoos, this man caught my eye as a great ‘character’ for a portrait session. When I told him what I wanted, he replied “Sounds interesting”. We exchanged business cards and a couple of weeks later, Bad Bob (according to his business card) was in my home studio, along with two of my photo buddies.

In spite of the name and foreboding appearance, Bad Bob was a most congenial and cooperative subject to work with. A professional poker player, Bob has travelled much of the world to participate in competitions. As one would imagine, he was full of stories and freely shared a few with us. I’m a complete zero when it comes to poker and Bob assured us he could teach us the game within a half hour. But it’s not understanding the rules that makes one a winner, it’s being a keen observer, interpreting body language and the ability to remember details. Don’t think I’ll go for the career change!

poker player sizing up opponent.
Checking out the opposition.
intimidating look from poker player
I asked Bob to give me the look of an impatient player, waiting for the opponent to play his card. Notice the poker chips in his right hand. Bob continuously rolled these over in his hand, creating a very annoying clicking sound that would unnerve any opponent.
poker player about to win it all
“Keep playing, buddy. Won’t be long till all your money is mine!”
poker player stares at opponent
Just play that card!
poker player deals
One more hand and it’s all mine!
I’ve got all the patience in the world.
poker player celebrates win
“Ah, it feels so good to keep on winning!”
poker play counts his $
“Well, another day, another dollar!”

 

At the Langley Memorial Hospital

Langley Memorial Hospital health care professionals and supporters.
The Langley Memorial Hospital is planning to build a new emergency wing. I was privileged to photograph a number of health care professionals at the hospital along with a number of community supporters. The imagery was used in a video at a fundraising event. The event raised half a million dollars! What a great start.
portraiture
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