Monday, April 20, 2009

RETROSPECTIVE: Ali Milner - "Crystal Clear"

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(Screen grab of Ali Milner's "Crystal Clear" music video, directed by Kyle Sandilands. © 2009 Benjamin Luk and Kyle Sandilands.)

Prior to becoming a photographer, I studied Motion Picture Production at Cap College back when it was still known as Cap College. Though I graduated from the Diploma program in 2007, my film school contacts still keep in touch and occasionally call me up to work on projects with them. Last summer, in May 2008, I got a call to come out and shoot some stills for an up-and-coming pop/jazz musician's music video: Ali Milner's "Crystal Clear". This is the final product.


Ali Milner - Crystal Clear from Kyle Sandilands on Vimeo.

Watch for my work from 1:55 - 2:02, 2:18 - 2:24 and 2:56 - 2:58. The rest is scattered, but I'm most proud of those three sequences.

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

Friday, April 17, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: Vancouver Fashion Week 2009

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(VFW F/W 09 designers, from left to right: Lauren Vidal, Helen Lee, Joseph Domingo and Malene Grotrian. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Photos from Vancouver Fashion Week Fall/Winter 09 are finally here! Actually, they've been done for a while but I've been too caught up in other work to make a blog post about it. String Magazine picked up the whole slew of photos in their Vancouver Fashion Week: Runway Reviews Part 3 article. Check out the link and be sure to comment!

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(Vancouver Fashion Week F/W 09: Designs by Lauren Vidal. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

To see a slideshow of my Vancouver Fashion Week Fall/Winter 09 photos, click on the link or any of the two images above!

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

Friday, April 10, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: "Play On" CD Photoshoot

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(Graeme Emmott, photographed at Iona Beach Regional Park. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Last Monday, the day after shooting the yet-to-be-uploaded JCI BYOB Photoshoot #4, Benjamin Luk Photography worked with local folk rock musician Graeme Emmott to create the artwork for his fourth studio album Play On. Using our favourite spring shooting location, Iona Beach Regional Park, we shot for two hours, came back with 150 frames, edited it down to 30 selects for delivery, then edited that down even further to the 10 key shots you see here in our slideshow. Click on any of Graeme's pictures to view it!

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(Graeme Emmott. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Employing a Clarity and Contrast Boost effect that legendary photographer Dave Hill pioneered, we were able to achieve a more dimensional image than one that was processed through more conventional means. If you're a photographer yourself and a Lightroom user, just ask me in an @Reply through Twitter and I'd be more than happy to tell you the BLP formula. If, in turn, you happen to be overcome by gratitude, feel free to Donate to our blog fund via the PayPal link on your right. We're rather fond of money.

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(Graeme Emmott. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

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

PROSPECTIVE: JCI BYOB Photoshoot #4

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(Behind the scenes of JCI BYOB Photoshoot #4 at Iona Beach. © 2009 Elias Danner / Benjamin Luk Photography.)

About every two months, Benjamin Luk Photography takes part in the John Casablancas Institute BYOB (Build-Your-Own-Book) shoot, where up-and-coming wardrobe stylists, hairdressers and makeup artists get to show their stuff by working with a professional photographer for a day. Last Sunday, I took my crew out to Iona Beach and came home with four hot looks I can't wait to Photoshop. Photos should be up in a week but in the meantime, check out these shots from the last BYOB.

For more information about JCI's BYOB projects, read this article by String Magazine.

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(Tia of JC Models, from JCI BYOB Photoshoot #3. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Special thanks to my assistants Sarah Thomas and Elias Danner.

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

Thursday, April 2, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: WCSE 2009 (w/ Jon Benjamin Photography)

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(Amy Fraenkel, Gregor Robertson and Theo Oben attending WCSE 2009 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Working with Jon Benjamin Photography, BLP worked as a photographer and digital tech for the 8th World Conference on Sport and the Environment. Over the course of the conference, I was able to snap photographs of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, BC Premier Gordon Campbell and His Serene Highness Albert II, the Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

Special thanks to Jon Pesochin.

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

PERSPECTIVE: JunoFest '09!

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(Max Kerman of Arkells, playing The Roxy during JunoFest '09. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

JunoFest '09 is one of the largest music festivals to hit Vancouver in the past decade. Through my connections from ThatRockBlog.com, I was able to secure passes and photograph two of the most noteworthy shows of the entire festival. To see a slideshow of what we came back with, click on either of the photos! If you're also interested in reading the show reviews, point your browser over to ThatRockBlog.com.

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(The Trews rockin' the WestJet tent on Granville at JunoFest '09. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Special thanks to Jon Pesochin.

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