Tuesday, December 15, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: Train the Trainer '09

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(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.

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(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.

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

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

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

PROSPECTIVE: 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon

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(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.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

INTROSPECTIVE: Hong Kong 2008 on Kodachrome 64

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(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.

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(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.

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(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.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: Natalie and Nathan's Engagement

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(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.

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(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.

Monday, August 24, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: Andrea & Daniel's Wedding

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(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.

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(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.

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

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

Thursday, August 20, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: Vans Warped Tour '09

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(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.

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(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.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

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

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(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.

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(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.

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(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.

Friday, July 10, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: Lucia's Photoshoot

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(Selected headshot of Lucia Lorenzi, photographed in the AQ Gardens at Simon Fraser University. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

On Canada Day, while most Canadians were still soundly sleeping off the effects of a wild party the night before, Benjamin Luk Photography was up and at 'em in the AQ Gardens at Simon Fraser University. Despite working on an event shoot the night before that went until 3 AM, we were ready to go to camera again by 10 to produce a series of headshots and portraits for Ms. Lucia Lorenzi. Click the image above to view a high-resolution version of her photo.

Special thanks to Ben Geldreich for coming out and lending a helping hand. (I hope you took away something worthwhile and I look forward to working with you again!)

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

Monday, June 29, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: Bisou Bridal Creative

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(Model Karen, photographed in the Royal Suite of The Pan Pacific Vancouver. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Last Thursday, Bisou Bridal was kind enough to lend our team four designer wedding dresses for our creative shoot. With some of the dresses valued as high as $6,000 CAD and utilizing such popular wedding venues as Hart House Restaurant and The Pan Pacific Vancouver, this was to be one of my most ambitious shoots yet. However, with expert styling by Heather Parson and a crack team of young models and assistants, the shoot went off without a hitch and I'm happy to present to you some of my most engaging bridal photography yet. Click any of the images you see here to view a short slideshow of our Bisou Bridal Creative.

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(Model Karen, also photographed in the Royal Suite of The Pan Pacific Vancouver. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography also offers destination wedding packages. We're currently in talks with a potential client about working with her in Mexico.

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

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: Tylas' Photoshoot

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(Selected headshot of actor Tylas Merriman, photographed on Front Street in New Westminster. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Just before June arrived, local actor Tylas Merriman commissioned Benjamin Luk Photography to shoot his headshots for some upcoming auditions. We brought him down to Front Street in New Westminster for the shoot, which has also served as a shooting location for major Hollywood productions such as Shooter, Rumble in the Bronx and the soon-to-be-released New Moon. I like to think our choice in location might provide Tylas some luck once his career gets underway. Click on the link to see Tylas' other selected headshots.

Also: my apologies in not updating this blog more often with BLP news. I've been so busy working on weddings, events and meetings that blogging often has to take a back seat to client work. Big things are on the horizon though; Benjamin Luk Photography may soon be on its way around the world.

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

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

RETROSPECTIVE: Kristina Emmott's first studio album, "Words Take Flight"

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(Inside view of Kristina Emmott's new CD, "Words Take Flight". Photography by Benjamin Luk, album design by Leah Emmott. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Last Friday, local artist Kristina Emmott had a CD release party at The Media Club to promote her first studio album, Words Take Flight. Back in February, Kristina commissioned us to do all the photography on said album, working on the liner notes design and art layout. We're very excited to see such a great looking project come to fruition. Click on the link to see the original Words Take Flight artwork before it made its way onto Kristina's CD. Or perhaps you'd like to see that in a slideshow.

Kristina Emmott plays The Backstage Lounge (1585 Johnston Street) on Sunday, May 24.

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

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.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

PERSPECTIVE: BLP Studios Glamour Creative #5

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(Eileen, in BLP Studios Glamour Creative #5. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

Last Thursday, the BLP team got together to do a few shoots for some clients. But after all the client shooting was done with, we decided to stay and play. The result was this: BLP Studios Glamour Creative #5. With makeup by Katie Satow, hair by Sarah Alicia Thomas (who's also my regular assistant) and our lovely model Eileen, we were able to dash off two amazing looks while I experimented with both creative overexposure and one-light techniques. Click on the pic above to see the photos!

Also, special thanks to Dan Udey for sponsoring my Flickr Pro account in the 2009/2010 calendar year!

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

Sunday, March 22, 2009

RETROSPECTIVE: BC Fashion Week & Vancouver Fashion Week 2008

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(BC Fashion Week Spring 09: Designs by Jacqueline Conoir and Joseph & Elizabeth. © 2008 Benjamin Luk.)

Welcome to the brand spankin' new BLP blog! In months to come, you'll be able to catch up on all the exciting news and events that Benjamin Luk Photography has to offer. So bookmark this page or just keep checking back for regular updates soon!

Vancouver Fashion Week Fall/Winter 09 is just around the corner and BLP will be shooting from the front lines. Taking place from March 24-29, it's a chance for Vancouver's local designers to showcase their work and for the rest of us to see what will be hitting the streets six months from now. Check out photos from Vancouver Fashion Week Spring/Summer 09 by clicking on the pic below, or take a look at BC Fashion Week Spring 09 by clicking the pic above!

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(Vancouver Fashion Week S/S 09: Designs by Adhesif, Barbara Gregusova and Elroy. © 2008 Benjamin Luk.)

Don't forget to follow Benjamin Luk on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates!

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