PERSPECTIVE: Memewar Magazine Issue #12

(The cover of Memewar Magazine Issue #12: Children. © 2010 Memewar Magazine.)

I've been featured on the back cover of Memewar Magazine before, back in Issue #8: Gods & Idols with my shot of Canadian musician, Matthew Good. However, I'd never been offered a front cover before for such a reputable literary magazine. It was named "Best Free Literary Magazine" in The Georgia Straight's 2008 Best of Vancouver issue. I immediately took on the project, no questions asked. What followed was a quick photo shoot at an editor's residence with two models; an older gentleman and a toddler, both of them blowing bubbles towards the camera.

The final cover photo was achieved with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens and a Profoto AcuteB 600 with softbox attachment.

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

PERSPECTIVE: BLP Annual Christmas Party 2010

(Awaiting the raffle ticket to be drawn for the $180 Lush gift basket grand prize. © 2010 Tyler Branston.)

Benjamin Luk Photography has been very lucky this year in bringing various sponsors on board to help raise money for BC Children's Hospital Foundation. Our list of raffle prize donors include Lush, Fighting Chance Productions, Build-A-Bear Workshop and Blenz Coffee, and together, we helped raise $1,071 in a four-hour event. Many thanks go out to our sponsors and our team of volunteers. Philanthropy coordinator Jason Bell, event coordinator Sarah Thomas and photographer Tyler Branston all deserve a hand for the effort they put in and the work they've done.

(Event coordinator Sarah Thomas adding up the night's grand total. © 2010 Tyler Branston.)

In addition to coffee sales and raffle ticket money, a select few also decided to make direct donations straight from the heart.

• Tyler Green - $100
• Phileo Luk - $50
• D-Rock - $20
• Zachary Paradis - $5
• Anonymous - $5

Without their help, we wouldn't have been able to reach our goal of $1,000.

(Our lucky prize winner for $40 worth of Blenz Coffee gift cards. © 2010 Tyler Branston.)

I hope to continue this Christmas tradition for many years to come, and also encourage any other photographer who would like to take on a similar project to get in contact with me. I'd like to see Vancouver's photographic community rallying behind a night of charity every year, and more entrepreneurs building philanthropy right into their business model. For more details about this event, please see our previous post here.

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

PERSPECTIVE: Sabrina's Headshot Session

(Sabrina Prada, photographed at UBC in November. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

Months ago, our friend Fighting Chance Productions contacted us to see if we'd be interested in donating a headshot package to them to be raffled off during their 2010/11 season announcement. Since our entire team are big fans of local theatre and the performing arts, it was a natural decision.

Our prize winner turned out to be esteemed actress Sabrina Prada, whose film and TV work has taken her to "Smallville", "Fringe" and the upcoming Zack Snyder project, Sucker Punch. It was a privilege to photograph someone with such a knack for being in front of a camera. The photo above is virtually untouched. With our headshots, we strive to create a natural, accurate representation of who you are. Overdoing post-production can make life difficult for casting directors.

Fighting Chance Productions later went on to donate four tickets to their upcoming presentation of The Wiz to BLP Christmas 2010, also as a raffle prize. Thank them for their generosity by attending one of their shows. It's some of the finest community theatre in Vancouver.

Special thanks to team members Sarah Thomas and Tyler Branston.

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

PROSPECTIVE: BLP Annual Christmas Party 2010

(Christmas is a time of giving, family fun and wearing awesome hats. © 2009 Benjamin Luk Photography.)

At 6 PM on Saturday, December 18th, 2010, the Blenz Coffee location at 599 6th Street, New Westminster, BC is going to be packed with friends of Benjamin Luk Photography looking to give something back to their community. In an annual charity event we put on each holiday season, BLP will be needing your help to fundraise for BC Children's Hospital Foundation. There will be live entertainment, raffle prizes and numerous opportunities to donate however you wish. If you would like to contribute, simply get in touch with either myself, event coordinator Sarah Thomas, or philanthropy coordinator Jason Bell.

Donations will be collected in three ways:

1) Simply show up and buy coffee! Every dollar you spend on coffee, tea, etc. adds up to a final tab I will then match in a donation to BC Children's Hospital Foundation.

2) Come out and buy raffle tickets! Tickets are on sale for $2 each, 3 for $5, or 10 for $10. Prizes include gift baskets from Build-A-Bear Workshop and Save-On-Foods, gift cards from Blenz Coffee, and the jackpot from a 50/50 draw. All proceeds go to BCCHF.

3) Donate directly from the BCCHF website! We'll have a computer and assistants standing by for you to make credit card donations directly to BC Children's Hospital Foundation. Donors will be credited on the BLP blog in three categories: <$50, $50-100 and $100+. Donors will also receive an automatic 10% discount on a future BLP photo session! Some limitations apply.

There will also be an additional $10 Blenz Coffee gift card prize for Best Tweet about the event! The winner will be announced at the end of the night and all you need to qualify is to hashtag your tweet with #blpchristmas. Also, please consider following our sponsor @BlenzCoffee and yours truly, @benjaminluk.

With your help, we can keep providing a spectacular event and in the process, raise some money for children in need. This is our seventh year holding this event and our third year doing it for charity. Please bring your family and friends, and please give generously. RSVP on Facebook here.

For additional details, please see our Facebook page or contact me directly at (604) 649-5635. I look forward to seeing you at our event, and I wish you all a happy holiday season.

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

PERSPECTIVE: Maria & Nathan's Wedding

(Maria and Nathan Lusignan, photographed at 1000 Parker Street, Vancouver. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

Maria and I go way back, which is why it was such a pleasure to photograph her wedding. If you can believe it, I've known her since I was in Grade 9 and she was my Math teacher. Now, years later, she's a student again and I'm a professional photographer. How time flies.

(Maria and her bridesmaids. © 2010 Winona Lee, Benjamin Luk Photography.)

We were hired to cover the ceremony and reception with a portrait session in between, but we arrived early to capture Maria and her bridesmaids getting ready. The ceremony was an intimate backyard gathering and though we had to contend with harsh sunlight, the photos turned out great thanks to my second shooters, Jason Kazuta and Winona Lee. Covered from three angles, we didn't miss a moment.

(Nathan and his groomsmen, going for Reservoir Dogs style. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

From there, we went to 1000 Parker Street, a favourite shooting location of ours. Maria made it clear that she wanted her wedding photos to reflect East Van culture, and this particular building, with its graffiti and characteristic grunginess, was the perfect fit. Lucky for us, Maria and Nathan were a playful couple open to ideas, so we came back with some of our best wedding shots yet.

(Maria fleeing on a passing train, with Nathan trying to catch up. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

With over 2,200 images from the day, we pared it down to 515 high-quality images for delivery, our highest number ever. We meet again with the couple next week to drop off our CD of images, along with a couple of bonus surprises as a wedding gift from me to them. Maria and Nathan, you were a delight. We wish you the very best for a happy and hopeful future.

(Maria stealing a drink. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

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

RETROSPECTIVE: Montecristo Jewellers' Chinese New Year for Montecristo Magazine

(Lucy Ye and Emma Ma, photographed at Montecristo Jewellers' Oakridge Centre boutique. One of seven shots published in the Summer 2010 issue of Montecristo Magazine. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

Back in February, Benjamin Luk Photography was brought onboard by Montecristo Magazine to photograph Montecristo Jewellers' Chinese New Year event. I was asked to photograph a number of their distinguished guests and take note of their names for later publication. I also shot for them an elaborate Chinese fan dance and numerous product shots for their sponsors, which included Burmester, Hennessy and Voss. In total, seven shots were published on page 70 of their Summer 2010 issue, which is available now at any Chapters location in Greater Vancouver.

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

PERSPECTIVE: 2010 Surrey Canada Day

(2010 Surrey Canada Day attendees were delighted to be part of the largest July 1st celebration in Western Canada. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

On July 1st, Benjamin Luk Photography was hired to cover the 2010 Surrey Canada Day festivities at Cloverdale Millennium Amphitheatre. Much like the Surrey 2010 Celebration Site in February, the city of Surrey was offering a family-friendly environment for both young and old to be out celebrating in the community.

(The celebration grounds at 2010 Surrey Canada Day. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

Multicultural entertainment as well as many popular bands were performing, and it was my job to capture both the performers and the celebration attendees. It wasn't as difficult to wrangle up families for group shots as I initially thought, and I came back with many images that would look great in a City of Surrey brochure.

(Bhangra dancers performing on the Chevron Main Stage. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

I was more selective this time in what I was shooting, so I came back with 500+ high-quality images, which I then edited down to the 134 I ended up delivering. Each selected photo underwent standard colour correction and tonal adjustments to make each image as eye-catching as possible.

(Families came out in full force to enjoy the festivities. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

Special thanks to Jon Benjamin Photography for handing me this gig. Please be sure to check out Jon's photography by clicking on the link.

(Surrey mayor Dianne Watts giving her opening speech. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

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