PERSPECTIVE: Train the Trainer '09

(Innovative Fitness trainers Scott McRae and Thomas Wan getting put through their paces at Train the Trainer '09. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Every year, Innovative Fitness gives back to their community by holding an event called Train the Trainer. Personal trainers invite their clients and the public in to pledge money to a charity in exchange for five-minute blocks in which they can make their trainers do whatever they want, whether it be dancing an Irish jig, climbing a fire truck ladder in full firefighter regalia, or having meat strapped to them so dogs can chase them around a parking lot. The photos here are a bit on the tame side but if you want to see the extent of the chaos, try checking out the Innovative Fitness Facebook page. My photos should be up there shortly.

(Martie, another Innovative Fitness trainer, feeling the burn. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Innovative Fitness in White Rock raised $16,000 for Canuck Place Children's Hospice and the White Rock South Surrey Community Foundation last Friday. More importantly, I got to see $20 of Sarah Thomas' money go towards watching a guy do inappropriate things to a punching bag. Hey, it's all about priorities. Besides, it couldn't have gone towards a better cause.

White Rock's Peace Arch News should be running a story on Train the Trainer '09 later this week with accompanying photos. White Rock residents, keep your eyes peeled.

(Emcee Matt taking IF trainer Josh McCaig for a ride. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography is available for assignment at BenjaminLuk.com.

PROSPECTIVE: 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon

(Courtesy of 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon.)

On December 12th, 2009, the 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon will be taking place in and around Vancouver's Yaletown district. For the past few weeks, I've been helping out on the 12x12 planning committee, contributing thoughts and ideas as to how the contest should run. In a recent development, I'm also on the judging panel along with other esteemed Vancouver photographers and couldn't be more excited. If this goes well, it could be the first 12x12 of many.

The 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon challenges participants to take 12 photos over 12 hours relating to 12 secret themes. Every hour, the new theme is revealed and everyone races to snap the best shot they can before the hour is up. The only catch is, they're only given 12 film exposures to capture all 12 themes. Sound interesting to you? Click here to receive Early Bird Pricing before Sunday, December 6th!

More details on the 12x12 website.

Benjamin Luk Photography is available for assignment at BenjaminLuk.com.

INTROSPECTIVE: Hong Kong 2008 on Kodachrome 64

(The city's red taxis are ever-present in the streets of Hong Kong. © 2008 Benjamin Luk.)

Four days ago, I returned from yet another three-week trip to China. The main purpose of my visit was to see family, but never being one to pass on a photo op, I brought along my Canon EOS 500N and a few rolls of my favourite film, Kodachrome 64. For those of you who know that Kodachrome is seeing its final days, you'd understand my hurry to shoot as much as humanly possible before they pull the plug for good at the end of 2010. The Kodachrome I shot just last month is currently on its way to Kansas for processing, but here's a look at the Kodachrome I shot when I was in China in 2008.

(Hong Kong has a unique urban geometry all its own. © 2008 Benjamin Luk.)

Hong Kong's known for many aspects of its urban environment, but what attracted me most about the city was its dense geometry and complex signage. Residential neighbourhoods overlap commercial hotspots, ads dominate the skyline and the city seems so cluttered, you find yourself wondering how 7,000,000 people could possibly call it home. And yet, there's a strange peace to how Hong Kong operates, as though being around so many people day after day demands a certain calmness or patience. This was what I tried to capture. Click the link or any image in this post to see a short slideshow of what I've uploaded so far from Hong Kong, 2008.

(The line between residential and commercial districts is blurred in Hong Kong. © 2008 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography is available for assignment at BenjaminLuk.com.

PERSPECTIVE: Natalie and Nathan's Engagement

(Natalie and Nathan, photographed last Monday on Westham Island. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

On-location shoots are the best shoots, and not just because they're my specialty. They're also the most fun. In fact, in the week prior when Jason Kazuta (a colleague of mine) and I went location scouting for this engagement shoot, we stumbled across many an abandoned barn, a dilapidated shack I now plan on shooting a fashion editorial in, and a full-blown kink dungeon hidden away in the middle of nowhere. (See what you're missing? Clearly, you should follow me on Twitter.)

The location scouting in itself was fun. The shoot was even better.

(One of our aforementioned abandoned barn locations. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

We spent two hours cruising around Westham Island with the happy couple and shot in three separate locations we'd prepped the week before. Working mainly with natural light and shooting in open shade as much as we could, we fired off nearly 250 proofs for Natalie and Nathan. When the light we had wasn't enough, our lightweight Profoto AcuteB 600 strobe pack came to the rescue and just looking at the shots I'm working on now, I can't wait to show our clients what we came back with.

Benjamin Luk Photography is available for assignment at BenjaminLuk.com.

PERSPECTIVE: Andrea & Daniel's Wedding

(Andrea and Daniel O'Connell, photographed at VanDusen Gardens in July 2009. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Easily one of the most fun couples I've had the pleasure of shooting, Andrea and Daniel brought me to VanDusen Botanical Gardens in early July to photograph their wedding. With perfectly overcast weather overhead, we were able to create both extremely evocative images and also some really fun ones. For our half-day shoot, my assistant and I documented the ceremony and reception in 240 beautiful high-resolution images from three cameras. If you're interested in the wedding services we're able to provide, please don't hesitate to call us at (604) 649-5635 to set up a free private appointment. Sample images and slideshows will be made available for viewing.

(Daniel and his groomsmen, in typical Scottish civility. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Special thanks to Twitter user @wacqueline for her referral. Benjamin Luk Photography strives to stay ahead of the social networking curve and it's nice to see it paying off. Please follow us at @benjaminluk for a more personalized photography experience and look for us online at BenjaminLuk.com.

We still have dates available in September and November, and we look forward to working with you real soon.

(Andrea and Daniel, cutting the cake. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography is available for assignment at BenjaminLuk.com.

PERSPECTIVE: Vans Warped Tour '09

(Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada performing on the Main Stage at Vans Warped Tour '09. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Well before I even considered a career in fashion photography, my first experiences with a proper camera all involved photographing live music. Starting by shooting local bands at a small karaoke bar called Hoko's, I created ThatRockBlog.com shortly thereafter, an indie music blog dedicated to documenting music performances in and around Vancouver. From there, the blog took off and it was through that we were able to acquire media passes to cover Vans Warped Tour '09.

(Dallas Green of Alexisonfire at Vans Warped Tour '09. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

To see more photos and a particularly foul-mouthed review, follow the link - LIVE WIRE: Warping the minds of today's youth. (ThatRockBlog.com)

Benjamin Luk Photography is available for assignment at BenjaminLuk.com.

PERSPECTIVE: 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer (w/ Jon Benjamin Photography)

(Dr. Everett E. Vokes lectures on bleeding edge treatment therapy for non-small cell lung cancer patients. © 2009 Benjamin Luk / IASLC.)

For those of you who follow me, many of you may have noticed my disappearance from Canada in the first week of August. Teaming up with Jon Benjamin Photography, I took off down to San Francisco to help photograph the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer at The Moscone Center downtown. Working for a total of six days, I ended up delivering 2,025 images, or roughly 29 GB.

(Conference attendees at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer. © 2009 Benjamin Luk / IASLC.)

Many of the photographs Jon and I took ended up in the daily conference newsletter. These can be viewed at the following links:

1 Aug - WCLC Daily Newsletter Saturday (PDF)
2 Aug - WCLC Daily Newsletter Sunday (PDF)
3 Aug - WCLC Daily Newsletter Monday (PDF)
4 Aug - WCLC Daily Newsletter Tuesday (PDF)

With over 6,000 attendees at WCLC '09, this was the largest conference to date I'd had the privilege of photographing.

(Dr. Frances A. Shepherd presenting during Sunday morning's plenary session. © 2009 Benjamin Luk / IASLC.)

Benjamin Luk Photography is available for assignment at BenjaminLuk.com.