Lessons Learned

“…and every now and then, remember to look behind you.”

That tid-bit of gold was given to me more than 25 years ago by a photographer I met while shooting an assignment. To this day I remember the conviction in his voice and sincerity in his eyes has he said it. I also remember thinking at the time, this was one of those unwritten pearls of wisdom that come after years of experience.

The picture here happened as a result of that advice. I was in Goderich Ontario on a booking for a corporate client. It was unseasonably warm and I, along with many others headed down to the lakeshore to enjoy another Lake Huron sunset.

I was shooting into the sun and after making a few pictures, turned around to take a look behind me. At first I saw this couple sitting on this natural pier. I made a couple of pictures with just them sitting in the frame. Then, a large flock of Canadian Geese who were floating in the bay began to squak and within a few seconds began to take flight.

I was a little further away than I would have liked, however using my 400mm lens I was able to fill the frame with this image just as this break away group of geese flew overhead.

Photography is a lot of putting yourself in the right place at the right time. It is also a little bit about luck, but most importantly it is about remembering lessons from the past.

Thanks Bill.

You can see more of our work here Wide Open Studios Archive

Summer Vaca…

How was your summer vacation? While those summer days may be fading into a distant memory, we thought we would share a couple of our favourites from what was a great summer in Southwestern Ontario.

Cooling off on a hot summers day, young girl jumps into Pigeon Lake in the beautiful cottaging area of the Kawarthas, Ontario, Canada.

An Emirates Airbus A380-800 “Double Decker” airliner on final approach to land at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Mark Spowart/WideOpenStudios.

Grand Bend Ontario – Canada. July 23, 2016. Personal watercraft and pleasure boats make they way across Lake Huron under the glow of a setting sun. Mark Spowart/WideOpenStudios.

It was a busy week for concerts

We like shooting concerts, I mean, who wouldn’t? You’ve got two maybe three songs, sometimes from what is called “The Pit” which is space between the front row and the stage – sorry to all you front row people – or sometimes you are all the way back at the soundboard, but either way, it is a rush to have the opportunity to photograph some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.

This past week we photographed Elton John, Papa Roach, SixxAm and Five Finger Death Punch, and while we normally alternate who is shooting, I (Mark) was lucky enough to shoot all of them.

Here are some shots from those shows. You can see more of our work from this week of concerts here: Our Archive

London, Ontario – Canada. September 29, 2016. Sir Elton John performs in concert. Mark Spowart/WideOpenStudios

We’ve been quiet, but busy…

It has been a while since we have been here. But that doesnt mean we haven’t been busy in the background.

In the last couple of years we have continued to shoot for a number of our clients and have been adding clients to our roster along the way. We have also had some great opportunities to spend time shooting for ourselves and adding to our archive.

It’s now time to bring that archive to market.

With that, we have transistioned our beloved Wide Open Studios from its original mandate as an adventure photography tour company into a boutique stock image agency.

Combined we have close to 10,000 images in our vault, and we have been and are continuing to re-examine those files and start uploading our work to our archive. Of course this takes a bit of time, and when there is only the two of us – to start – it may take a couple of months to get everything up there.

We will update our progress here on our blog, and you will see that we be posting here more regularly too.

You can also follow us on Twitter @WideOpenStudio and on Instagram @wideopenstudios

And through our website you will be able to view our work as it is uploaded Wide Open Studios Website

Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you around the water cooler again.

Mark.

 

 

Our Big News….

Ok, we have been teasing this for a little while now, and for those of you who know us personally, this may not be news to you.  However for the rest of London we are happy to announce today that on May 1st, 2014 we will be opening a new photo studio/gallery at 432 Waterloo Street in London. 

Or at least thats when we get the key!  There will be some painting to do and move our lights and equipment in, but we expect to be up and running in very short order. 

In addition to this being a studio where Joe and I will shoot work for our corporate, advertising and communications clients, it will also be studio available for rental – fully equipped with lights, backdrops, stands, stools…etc – as well as a dedicated space for workshops including everything from “There’s An App for That – Smartphone Photography” to “Photography for Communications Professionals” to “Photography 101” these are just a some of the workshops we have been developing.  

We will also be offering private instruction for those who are more comfortable not learning in a group setting. 

And finally, we want our studio/gallery to be a social place as well.  A place where photographers of all stripes can come in and chat. With that in mind in late May we will be hosting what will be our first “Sunday Studio Social” a relaxed time to stop by, bring some recent work to share and get to meet other photogs in and around London. 

That’s it for now, follow us on Twitter @WideOpenStudio to keep up to date on future announcements, and check back here as well. 

This is the first bit of news, more info – and pictures – will be coming soon. 

Cheers.

Mark. 

Pearl Jam rocks Budweiser Gardens.

Eddie Vedder and the rest of Pearl Jam played to the delight of more than 9500 fans at Budweiser Gardens on Tuesday night. 

 

 

 

 

 

Alice In Chains at Budweiser Gardens

Concert photography is one of our favourite genre’s.  Both Joe and I can be found at the side of the at just about any concert in London.  Last night was Alice In Chains.  London has seen a number of great shows – often the only date in Canada – this year, and last night AIC did their fans proud. Next week – Pearl Jam, oh yeah baby!!

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Petty plays London.

Legendary rocker Tom Petty, along with his band The Heartbreakers, played to a sold out Budweiser Gardens on Tuesday night.  The show was the only Canadian date on the bands 2013 concert tour. 

 

 

 

 

2013 Fiesta London

The fourth annual Fiesta London took place on June 9 in the Rotary Square at Covent Garden Market.  The festival was part of the unofficial kick off to the 2013 festival season in London. 

 

 

Happier Times….

London Knight captain Scott Harrington celebrates after the London Knights won their second OHL championship in as many years.  What a difference a week makes, the Knights were slammed by the Halifax Mooseheads 9-2 last night at the Memorial Cup.