Aminah Syed | Photographer

New blog format

2009-11-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

I'm trying out a new blog format. Let me know what you think, please?
http://aysyed.myfotojournal.com/

The curse of being the photographer

2009-11-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

As a photographer I find I have very little pictures of myself. Earlier today I was browsing through photos of my Siberian Husky puppy, Marty. I noticed there were dozens of pictures of my husband walking the dog... my husband playing with the dog... the dog alone... and even strangers at PetSmart with Marty. Me? Two. Well, at least they're two very memorable photos.

Pic 1: He licked the inside of my nose just prior to the shutter.
Pic 2: Quick, Maciek take the picture!

More fake tilt-shift photography

2009-11-11T12:18:00.000-08:00

I'm getting better at it!

Sunday Afternoon

2009-11-08T18:09:00.000-08:00

Teaser - The Gress Family

2009-11-07T13:33:00.001-08:00

More from Asia and Cam

2009-11-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

More from the Becigneuls

2009-11-02T19:28:00.001-08:00

Teaser - Amber

2009-10-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

Batman Marty

2009-10-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

Marty and I carved pumpkins

2009-10-28T21:00:00.001-07:00

Teaser - Asia and Cam

2009-10-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks for volunteering to help me with more portfolio pieces! Here are a couple teaser shots from today.

Just for fun

2009-10-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

I never have a shortage of people in the office willing to be my test subjects pre-photo shoots. Thanks guys!

More from the Lerners

2009-10-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

More from the Langridges

2009-10-08T18:49:00.001-07:00

My dog

2009-10-08T13:50:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to catch up on all my editing lately. At one point I was sitting on the couch with the lap top and thought I'd snap a cute photo of my puppy and I. Just before the shutter snapped, he licked my nose. Ha ha Priceless photo!

Becigneul Teaser

2009-09-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of shots of the Becigneuls out in St. Albert. Ben sure is a handful. :)

Teaser: Lerners

2009-09-20T20:25:00.003-07:00

Had an awesome shoot with the Lerners this weekend. Here is a teaser shots.

More Jo

2009-09-14T21:28:00.001-07:00

Even though they didn't turn out like I had hoped, some of these still look pretty good.

Night shoot

2009-09-12T21:47:00.001-07:00

I had an idea for a magazine shoot for work and thought I'd test it out first with my friend Jo. I think I know what I need to fix but the studio kit outside worked pretty decent. Thoughts?

Teaser - Langridge

2009-09-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

Here's the best family shot from the long weekend. Yay, all the dogs are looking in the same direction... almost.

New favourite photo

2009-09-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here's another photo from Tyson and Kristine's wedding. I think this one is my new favourite.

PRICE CHANGE

2009-09-01T10:43:00.001-07:00

As of September 1, portrait sessions are now $200.
Weddings remain the same at $1,000.

Playing around with a Canon 5D

2009-08-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

I love this camera... and now I must find a way to get one. Here are some images from last night while testing it out.... oh and we re-decorated our living room wall with some of my photos from New Zealand. Thoughts?

Marty

2009-08-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Doesn't he just have movie star written all over him? We have to teach him to "mark" and then he can follow in the foot steps of his aunties and uncles who were in "Snow Dogs" and "8 Below".

Some more

2009-08-25T20:09:00.001-07:00

And here are a few more from Tyson and Kristine's wedding...

Kristine and Tyson Teaser

2009-08-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a few teaser shots from Tyson and Kristine's wedding this Saturday. They got married outside at the botanical gardens. Congratulations! You guys are awesome.

Sad news

2009-08-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

The family that adopted Sophie from us just came to let us know she passed away this weekend. Poor Sophie! You came into our lives and showed us so much. As Cesar Millan says, "you don't get the dogs you want. You get the dogs you need!"

We needed you Sophie. We needed you to show us that we were naive and needed to be trained ourselves before we got a dog. We didn't want a puppy, but you gave us 11 to show us that we could handle it. You taught us to believe in ourselves and others around us. You taught us to do the right thing, even when it was the hardest.

Thank you for everything. We will miss you dearly!

Wal-Mart

2009-08-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

What's worse than calling yourself white chocolate?

More from Kristin's Wedding

2009-08-04T12:49:00.001-07:00

More Marty

2009-07-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

He's so photogenic.

Group photo

2009-07-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

Our new kitty

2009-07-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

This is our new puppy, that looks like a kitty... His name is Marty and he's an almost completely black siberian husky. Heaven help us!

Roxy

2009-07-16T10:57:00.001-07:00

While in Vancouver I also had the chance to hang out with Caitlin and her boxer Roxy. Such a cutey!

Intertube Trouble

2009-07-16T10:53:00.001-07:00

Sorry all! I was having trouble with my internet for awhile... or lack there of! Just got back from Vancouver. Kristin's wedding was amazing. Here is a teaser. I'm not sure if I'll continue to photoshop like this. We'll see... I'll be editing these photos from now until the end of time so stay tuned for some new ones.

Sorry Kristin!

2009-06-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

My one blog reader has complained that I haven't blogged in awhile. I apologize Kristin! :)

I've been pretty busy travelling back and forth between Edmonton and Calgary for the ATB Financial Classic. I now think I'm golfed out! Here's a shot from the tournament. I rented a Canon L-Series 100-400mm lens. It was a heavy beast but I am absolutely in love! Too bad it costs $1,800.

Ok, seriously!?! How is it not 4:30 yet?

Teaser - Baby Izabela

2009-06-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

Had the opportunity to shoot baby Izabela this morning. Oh my goodness, adorable! Thanks to Karolina and Graeme! I'll have more photos up shortly.

New favourite photo

2009-06-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

I was down in Calgary covering the newly renovated Uptown ATB branch on 17th and 110. It's a pretty neat and artsty looking branch! Just a teaser shot. I tried to get artsy.

Zaza Gallery

2009-05-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of twitter and started following photographers and came across this company that will print your photos on canvas. Couldn't resist! I actually got it about a month ago but things were a little crazy with the puppies and I could post.

I think they did a pretty great job! The price is decent. The shipping was fast and the overall quality is good. Highly recommend them the next time you are stuck for a mother's day present or wondering how to decorate your condo. :)

Seriously, check them out! Za Za Gallery

Should I?

2009-05-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to enter this photo in the Stella Artois contest under the "Good Times" category. What do you think?

The puppy aftermath

2009-05-23T11:32:00.001-07:00

The puppies were dropped off at the Humane Society this morning. They won't be ready for adoption for a few days. A hole in the heart and THIS to clean up is all we're left with.

Mountain Climber

2009-05-08T09:22:00.001-07:00

Just another update: One of the puppies (Kasia the husky mix) has learnt how to climb out of the x-pen. The rest of the puppies have not, but they cheer her on while she's doing it. Then bark profusely to tattle on her while she's out playing.

An update of sorts

2009-05-08T08:25:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. It's been a busy few weeks.

I'm happy to report I rocked my final exam (20/20) and massive IMC project (90%). I finished with an A- in the class (probably would have been an A if I didn't fail the midterm).

The puppies are seven weeks old. This weekend we are taking them in for all their shots and deworming. We're also going to pick up a few leashes and see if we can't walk all 11 of them at once. (Pictures will follow) They'll officially go to the Humane Society in about a week and a half. We'll let you know when they're up for adoption.

Oh and lastly, I developed a website for my fledgling photography company. (Though I still don't have a name.) http://www.syedphotography.ca/ I need to work on more portfolio material. Any volunteers?

Email me if you're interested!

Twitter #2

2009-04-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

To my surprise, someone from Rotorua re-tweeted my "Really missing New Zealand. Even though it was stinky,I'd like to live in Rotorua!" Let's reminisce:

Twitter

2009-04-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

www.zazagallery.com

Currently waiting for an 8x10 canvas print from these guys I met on Twitter. Check them out!

New puppy photos

2009-04-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Nothing new to report here... except some new puppy photos.

2009 Prices

2009-04-09T13:14:00.001-07:00

Lifestyle Portraits $100

Band promo/album covers $100
Band shows starting at $50

Sports Feature $100
½ game coverage $75
Full game coverage $150

Weddings starting at $850

Please email for package details.

Cuteness personified

2009-03-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will. This is Maya. She's one of the two puppies that look like Huskies from Sophie's litter. I think if this little girl stays in our house any longer, she's going to be adopted by us. *sigh*

More hockey

2009-03-21T18:20:00.001-07:00

More FIJI hockey pictures...

Hockey pics

2009-03-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Fiji grad vs. undergrad game.

PUPPIES!!!

2009-03-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sophie had her puppies last night. Just as we called it--Maciek was out of town and Alysia came over for a visit. There are 11 puppies all together.

Back to the drawing board

2009-03-11T12:26:00.001-07:00

Still trying to figure out a company name for my ever so little photography company. Any suggestions?

Sneak Peak: Peas and Carrots

2009-03-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'll go through the rest of these later, but here's a sneak peak of the Peas and Carrots shoot from this afternoon. Thanks Alysia for being the best unpaid photography assistant to an unpaid photographer. But I have one question? WHERE'S MY COFFEE???

Test LRT shoot

2009-03-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

Testing for tomorrow's shoot...

That's so M&A!

2009-03-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

So remember cutesy little Sophie? The wonderful two-year-old golden retriever we adopted about a month ago? Turns out she's pregnant! WE ADOPTED A PREGNANT DOG!

The vet could count 10 puppies but said there's probably A LOT more hidden behind what he could see on the X-ray. Puppies could be on their way in as little as two weeks. FML!!!

Whoa now!

2009-03-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Lynda Steele's tweet - here are some photos from my ride-along a few years ago. Got to spend some time with the boys from #1 and #3. Uh... yah they strapped me into the aerial bucket and hoisted it up 50ft in the air. More photos here.

The ring

2009-03-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

Detail shots are always important to have. Maciek had bought me these flowers for Valentine's Day and they were still alive this weekend. (It's amazing how long-lasting daisies are.) As it turns out, Kristin's wedding colour is purple so it was a perfect match.

Kristin and Dean's engagement session teaser

2009-02-28T13:16:00.001-08:00

A teaser from Kristin and Dean's engagement photo session. The weather wasn't our friend this weekend sadly.

I'm a posting machine these last few days

2009-02-26T18:53:00.001-08:00

I'm addicted to vignettes.

More sheep

2009-02-26T10:06:00.001-08:00

Default

2009-02-25T16:19:00.000-08:00

When in doubt, post a photo from the New Zealand trip.

Trouble

2009-02-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

Look into these eyes. There's both trouble and love!

FIRE!

2009-02-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

Because I'm cold and sitting by the fire place to warm up. Don't make me go outside again, please!?!

Sisters are friends

2009-02-20T19:21:00.001-08:00

A portrait of the little munchkin. She's going to kill me someday for that second photo! Those are Mrs. Potato-head glasses, only she calls it Mrs. Tomato-head.

The life and times of...

2009-02-17T21:22:00.000-08:00

A ski instructor... (because I like to procrastinate instead of work.)

Kind of boring

2009-02-17T18:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry... boring! Candles at a church in Germany from a few years ago.

Will remain boring until IMC plan project worth 50% of my mark is finished. *sigh*

More hair massacure

2009-02-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

Hair MassaCURE 2009

2009-02-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Hair MassaCURE 2009. I was asked to to photograph our volunteers and not the hair shaving.

Going into anti-social mode.

2009-02-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

I have a mid-term on Thursday. See you Friday!

A better picture of her

2009-02-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

So... this is our Sophie on day two. So far we've had a few adventures with her leash. Tonight I am happy to report she learnt "wait." When she got too far ahead she would stop and wait for me to walk up to her before walking again.

What have we done?

2009-02-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Our new addition! She's two-years-old and I hope she's not chewing up my bathroom right now. This is going to be an adventure!

REPOST: A shirtless Dave

2009-02-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

REPOST - NOW WITH A BETTER PICTURE: Another portrait... this time it's my friend Dave from a few years ago. Added a texture overlay and tried a light sepia. What a difference in monitors...

Matt and Sabrina's wedding

2009-02-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

Congrats you guys!

Happy February! Here are some outdated photos from fall

2009-02-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

When I got my 50 mm lens, Maciek and I went for a walk in the ravine by our house. The berry/pink background photo was featured on CBC's website. If you'd like a print, let me know. You can see more fall photos here.

Family Portrait

2009-01-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

Just any old shot will do

2009-01-29T19:58:00.001-08:00

The thinker

2009-01-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

A candid snapshot while taking a bus in NZ. She looks like she's in deep contemplation with her reflection but really she's looking at the mountain range where they filmed Lord of the Rings.

:(

2009-01-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

It’s a sad day for us all. The world has lost one of the greatest grandmas.

Great Grandma Lepchuk passed away on Sunday at the age of 92. We’ll miss you grandma!

Mexican Superman

2009-01-27T07:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. With two best friends getting married this summer, my time has become a precious commodity. ha ha

Here's a very interesting stat from my flickr account - At least once a day someone online searches for images of "Mexican Superman" and comes up with this picture of my brother. Oh Dino! You're retarded but we love you any ways!

More band stuff

2009-01-22T20:45:00.001-08:00

Here's some more band photos. This time it's SHOW pics. For some strange reason I don't have many of their show pics online. I don't think I ever missed a gig.

Drum roll please....

2009-01-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

More exciting than the Oscar nominations announced today... The votes have been tallied and 42Photos is the winner!

Thanks for input.

A name?

2009-01-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to figure out a name for my pseudo-photography company that's currently taking booking for the summer already. (Without my knowledge, is this possible?) What do you think of these names?

MeenerPixels
Shakalaka Photography
42Photos
YazG Photography

Just for the heck of it

2009-01-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo I took of Fernando Pisani and Patrick LaForge during an Oilers announcement at the start of the summer. Fernando was a little embarrassed because he thought he could leave all the speaking to LaForge. Low and behold LaForge announces, "and now I would like to call up Fernando to say a few words on behalf of the Oilers players."

Relive the mayhem

2009-01-17T21:55:00.000-08:00

Call me pessimistic but I don't think we will be reliving this mayhem from the 2006 playoff run any time soon. For this picture I used a slow shutter speed with a flash. It makes the night's events feel a bit more crazy than if I were just standing there with a faster shutter speed. Afterall, we all know how crazy those playoff nights were on Whyte Ave.

Industrial Portrait

2009-01-16T16:32:00.001-08:00

I had to take a 'business portrait' for one of my photography classes awhile back. I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out. The hatchery didn't look very photogenic to say the least, but this shot turned out pretty good I think. What do you think?

Awe summer, how we miss you...

2009-01-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

The weather here is starting to feel a little bit like spring. Since it's only January, I'm sure we're in for another wicked spell of -40 soon. But we'll just forget about that for now...

This is a shot I did for a summer promotion. Their 'Street Team' was out and about during the entire event. Here they were driving a golf cart up and down Stephen Avenue in Calgary to promote a giant golf tee unveiling at noon. I love my wide-angle lens.

I really hate Wednesdays!

2009-01-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

Today has been one big giant pile of suck! Here's my paparazzi-shot of Mark Messier.

Penguins are badass

2009-01-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

I can't decide if I should post only people-photos to promote myself to potential business clients, or if I should just post photos that I am proud of to showcase what I can do. What do you think?

Since this blog is still in its infancy I will just go with the later until I can fully figure out what the heck it is I'm doing.

This is a yellow-eyed penguin I photographed while on a wild life tour in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Note the profile picture of me in the 'hide.') There are many reasons why this photo should stand out in my portfolio. Personally it was one of the coolest days of my life and I'll never forget it. In reality, it is how I got the photo that is the real story. We were able to get this close to the penguins, seal lions, fur seals and royal albatross thanks to Elm Wildlife Tours.

Our guide, Shawn (who looked like Kelly Hrudey - that should get some awesomeness points) really loved his job which involved more than just the tours. It involved a whole conservation effort for the animals. The group works closely with a local farmer that owns the land the penguins and fur seals have decided to call home. They build nests for the penguins and have also set up protected spaces for the albatross and fur seal colony.

What struck us about this group is their passion for the animals and the tour guests. Even if one lowly tourist shows up they will take them out to see the animals. They are just as enthusiastic about the animals as the vistors who have never seen them before. The tour doesn't feel like a gimmick to make money as many "touristy tours" often feel like.

If you are ever in New Zealand and find yourself on the south island wondering what there is to do, I highly recommend this tour... or even if you are feeling generous and want to donate to an organization that truely cares about what they do!

Tamaki Heritage Experience

2009-01-11T21:23:00.001-08:00

Just a tid-bit from the Maori cultural experience in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Another example of tilt-shift

2009-01-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I'm like uber excited about learning how to do this. Here's one more example of tilt-shift fakery in Photoshop. This is a photo I took in Prague, Czech Republic a few years ago.

Tilt-Shift for FREE!!!

2009-01-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago my husband showed me a link to the 50 best examples of tilt-shift photography. Immediately I wanted a tilt-shift lens thinking it was the coolest thing I had seen. It's a lens mostly used for architecture and if used in the proper settings can me the average city skyline, look like a miniature.

Imagine my dismay when we looked up how much a tilt-shift lens was. $1,699 plus GST. Well, that was a nice thought. Until we found a tutorial online for how to build your own tilt-shift lens for under $50... all it required was an old lens and too much time on your hands. Again, not something that I wanted to try on my own.

But then today we found a Adobe Photoshop tutorial on how to simulate some tilt-shift effects of your own. This is my experimentation. I don't know, I think it looks pretty good. Of course, it won't work with every photo but it was fun to play around a bit.

The band

2009-01-08T15:48:00.001-08:00

As mentioned below, my husband is in a band. Err.. he was, but not anymore. In any case, this was one of their photos I took for them. They needed some good portraits for promotions and disc images. Notice the lack of brick wall in the background. :)

This photo was originally shot in colour but we changed it to black and white. Sometimes black and white can create more of a dramatic effect. I like that!

The sports portrait

2009-01-08T15:40:00.000-08:00

This is Corey. He's kind of a geek but we still love him! He kindly helped me out for one of my photography assignments awhile back. Corey LOVES to curl so we decided a portrait session on the ice would be the best type of photo for him.

Ps. Yes ladies, I think he's single. Don't fill up my inbox with requests for his number all at once now. HA!

The rock star

2009-01-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

This is my husband. This photo was taken quite awhile ago when he was in a band and we were just dating.

I think an important part of photography is capturing the person in their own environment. However, your creativity can produce a new way of viewing the same old, same old. He practiced in the basement all the time but it wasn't until we turned on the light machine they use for their shows, that suddenly everything looked different.

Alysia and Bubbles

2009-01-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of my best friend Alysia and her bearded dragon, Bubbles. There's quite a bit of post-production work but that's Alysia for you. She likes things that are dark and artsy!

The photographer

2009-01-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

That's me, sitting in a 'hide' waiting to photograph the yellow-eyed penguin just outside of Dunedin, New Zealand. I'll start with this photo as my first post because it represents a moment in my life I will never forget. Hopefully there will be more experiences like this to come.

I’ll try to post a one or two photos per day of some of my best shots. Eventually I’d like to start my own photography business but for now I’m just trying to get my feet wet with more experience.

For those of you who are regular followers of my Flickr account or photos on facebook, you may be a little bored for the first month. :)

Enjoy! And I’m always up for taking new photos. If you have a great idea or want me to photograph YOU, just give me a shout!