PERSPECTIVE: Lauren Mulcahy, Intern

(New intern, Lauren Mulcahy. © 2011 Benjamin Luk.)

In the past few months of our wildest wedding season yet, there have been people working behind the scenes to make sure everything at Benjamin Luk Photography runs smoothly. One of those people is our latest intern, Lauren Mulcahy. In addition to putting up with my requests for personal chauffeuring, she's also been involved in promotional work, equipment testing, post-production and photo assisting. In return, I'm helping her along to become a successful professional photographer on her own terms. If you've hired us recently, know that Lauren has been integral in making sure you receive the best product we can provide.

Check Lauren out at her website here and follow her on Twitter at @PandaAteMyFace.

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

PERSPECTIVE: Fighting Chance Productions' "The Awesome 80s Prom"

(Girls love cozying up to exchange student Feng Schwey. © 2011 Benjamin Luk.)

Fighting Chance Productions has always been a great supporter of Benjamin Luk Photography and vice versa. You may remember them donating an entire season's worth of tickets to BLP Christmas 2010. Their production of The Awesome 80s Prom was a chance to finally collaborate and create some art together. In the previous two months this has been going on, myself and assistant Colten Warne have been running their photo booth.

The Awesome 80s Prom is an interactive theatre event much like Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding. However, instead of an Italian-American wedding reception, guests are treated to Prom Night 1989 at Wanaget High. Prom characters like spaz Kerrie Kowalski or Asian exchange student Feng Schwey wander amongst the audience, interacting with improvisational gusto. If you haven't been yet, it's quite the experience. Dates left include Friday, April 1st, Saturday, April 2nd, Friday, May 13th and Saturday, May 14th.

All our photo booth shots are photographed on a 21.1 MP Canon EOS 5D Mark II. A disc of all your images can be purchased for $20 CAD and will be sent to you by mail within one to two weeks. I look forward to seeing you at the prom.

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

PERSPECTIVE: "Talk to the Pro" at Van Tech

(Guest lecturing for a bunch of high school students at Van Tech. © 2011 Benjamin Luk Photography.)

Kids have mad talent. In fact, both pictures you see here were shot on my camera by students at Vancouver Technical Secondary School during my guest lecture two Thursdays ago on March 3rd, 2011. Assistant Colten Warne and I showed up with our gear, gave a short presentation, then answered questions from the small but enthusiastic after-school group. Some were keen on me teaching them the basics of composition and settings. Others were interested in internship. It didn't take much to get the students excited about photography as a legitimate career option. All I had to do was mention the possibility of world travel, getting paid thousands at a time to create art, and how fulfilling a life of creativity really is.

(Assistant Colten Warne examining a student's black-and-white negatives. © 2011 Benjamin Luk Photography.)

From what I saw of them during my brief presentation, it wouldn't surprise me if there were at least one future professional photographer in the group I lectured. If any of them are reading right now, I offer mentorship programs for youth and, in the future, hope to establish a charity foundation to develop photography programs in elementary and secondary schools. I look forward to making that dream a reality.

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

PERSPECTIVE: Kris & Ellen's Wedding

(Ellen and Kris, photographed at Swan-e-set Bay Resort and Country Club, Pitt Meadows. © 2011 Benjamin Luk.)

I first met Ellen and Kris in a coffee shop in New Westminster some months ago. Though they were very casual in demeanour, it became immediately apparent they knew exactly what they wanted and would settle for nothing less. I took that as a challenge. I knew my team and I would be ready to rise to the task.

(Ellen admiring her dress while her sister looks on in the background. © 2011 Benjamin Luk.)

On a brisk weekend morning in January, my teammates Patrick Leung and Winona Lee piled up our cars with the gear we needed for our shoot. We had five camera bodies, an extensive selection of zooms and primes, a number of Speedlites and a Profoto AcuteB 600 on site. Even though we had three locations to cover, two of them during the same time, our preparation beforehand ensured perfect photojournalistic coverage.

(Our signature Reservoir Dogs homage with Kris and his groomsmen. © 2011 Winona Lee, Benjamin Luk Photography.)

We captured the ceremony from a variety of angles, delivering the standard close-ups and wide shots, but we also got great coverage of the moments a less trained photographer may have missed: reaction shots of the parents, the tears and laughter that only happen once, etc. Over the many weddings we've shot over the past three years, we've managed to hone our craft to become some of the best in the business.

(Ellen and Kris' first kiss as husband and wife. © 2011 Benjamin Luk.)

From 2,300+ captures, post-production assistant Tyler Branston brought it down to 528 selected images for delivery. However, because we feel we can stand behind our work, we're also sending them all their other shots at no additional charge. We've also included a small video portion in our delivery for the very first time. The disc is currently en route to Ellen and Kris in Denwood, AB.

(We had a lot of fun the moment we found the bar at Swan-e-set. © 2011 Benjamin Luk.)

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

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.