Jim Gates Photography

Deckers, Abacus, Karoo & Prime

2011-11-11T11:03:00.000-04:00

Recently I was hired by NM Ventures to shoot their family of restaurants, including Deckers, Prime, Abacus and newly opened tapas restaurant at Camana Bay, Karoo. They needed fresh images for their marketing materials, and I guess because I frequent all of these great establishments on a regular basis, I was forefront in their minds when they went in search of a photographer :)

I'd recommend all of these restaurants. Deckers appeals to a mixed bunch; from dive instructors to attorneys to on-island vacationers, it's a melting pot at the bar where you can rely on some good unpretentious conversation. Abacus is a great spot for a romantic meal. As a photographer, I appreciate the attention that was put into lighting the restaurant, especially the orange glowing wave wall in in the dining room. Karoo, their newest place, is a perfect spot for happy hour - it's situated right on the water in Camana Bay and serves a variety of small plates - perfect pre-dinner appies. Prime is a Brazilian Steakhouse, where a huge array of sides are served buffet style, and the chefs bring skewered meat to your table and carve it right on to your plate. Bring an appetite, the food is amazing and it's hard not to gorge yourself trying to sample a bit of everything.

A big thanks to Mel at MT Design, the guru behind NM Ventures' marketing, for recommending me for the shoot.

Deckers

Karoo


Abacus

Prime

The new Bamboo

2011-10-05T14:03:00.000-04:00

Bamboo, one of Cayman's favourite sushi restaurants and lounges, recently revamped it's interior decor and added some fresh new flavours to its menu. For those familiar to the space, the biggest and most striking change is the entirely new bar. It's now an open concept that allows customers easier access. I'm looking forward the patio when it opens!
Last week they asked me to come in and capture some of these changes. It was a fun shoot, I really enjoyed working with Marina from Bamboo and Simon from Eye Waves Graphic Design.
Jim Gates Photography.

Wedding of Michelle & Alex

2011-10-04T16:19:00.000-04:00

www.jimgatesphotography.com

wedding of Jackie & David

2011-09-30T13:29:00.000-04:00

Jackie and David were married earlier this year at Smith Cove. We started with some pre-ceremony shots at the Ritz Carlton - Jackie and her sister and her mom were have a great time...if there were any nervous jitters it didn't show! Lot's of laughs though.
The portraits were a lot of fun - kudos to Jackie for being a good sport and climbing into the rowboat! Jackie & David, thanks for having me document your wedding day! Thanks to Rebecca at Parfait Weddings and Events for recommending me!

www.jimgatesphotography.com

Sandon Feat

2011-09-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

Here's a blog I wrote long ago and for some reason never published...however it's blog house-keeping time!!

In February I was hired to photograph Sandon Feat art gallery in the DaVinci Centre building. The gallery is home to the works of local painter CE Whitney.
My goal was to capture the details of the interior architecture, . From the marble floors to the custom built aluminum furniture and the hanging metal wire ceiling, the space is original in its design. It has a minimalist industrial feel, and the neutral tones allow the paintings to take center stage.
I primarily used two strobes, one with a soft box and one with a reflective umbrella. It was a challenge to light, as I shot very wide angle to capture the entire space, which left very little room to maneuver the strobes. Models Rachel Boraston and Nick Adendorff added a human interaction with the space.

www.jimgatesphotography.com

Chrystina & Gregg

2011-09-30T11:19:00.000-04:00

Some pics from a wedding earlier this year. Chrystina & Gregg were married on the beach in front of Villas of the Galleon, with a few close friends in attendance.

wedding of Yaneli & Scot

2011-09-29T12:13:00.000-04:00

Yaneli and Scot were married in September at the Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman. They had their ceremony on the beach in front of a beautiful sunset. The light was excellent for portraits. The reception followed at the beach until a sudden squall forced the party inside. However the weather didn't slow down the revelry at all! Thanks to Yaneli & Scot for having me photograph your wedding. You guys are a lovely couple!!

Eduardo & Emilie

2011-03-10T13:34:00.000-05:00

Eduardo & Emilie were married in Demember 2010 in Winnipeg, but decided a few portraits here in Cayman would be a nice addition to their wedding photos, since part of their wedding celebrations took place at the Caribbean Club recently with friends who couldn't make it to Canada. I've known Eddie and Emilie for a long time, probably since before they knew each other! Emily is an exceptional artist and Eduardo is Cayman's premier tennis pro and owns and operates Torres Top Tennis. If anyone could make a tennis player out of me, it'd be him (although tennis is still behind kite boarding on my list of sports to get into.) He also a pretty accomplished surfer and has patiently taught me a few things out in the water as well. Thanks Eduardo & Emilie for asking me to take these pics!!!

www.jimgatesphotography.com

photobooths - a fun way to entertain your wedding guests

2011-03-08T12:27:00.000-05:00

A common challenge for wedding couples is coming up with ways to entertain and involve guests at the reception.
A photobooth can be an easy solution. With my photobooth setup, guests operate a camera remotely so they can shoot on their own time at the reception. Add a few props such as party hats and feather boas, and guests start to loosen up and enjoy themselves more quickly than what's achieved with an open bar!
Here are some pics from a recent photobooth...

www.jimgatesphotography.com

wedding of Erin & Steven, Marriot Beach Resort, Grand Cayman

2011-01-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

In a small, intimate ceremony January 15th, Erin and Steve were married just before sunset at the Marriot Beach Resort in Grand Cayman. Francine Jackson of Cayman Weddings performed the ceremony. The courtyard at the hotel is possibly the lushest, most tropical looking place in all of Cayman, with a winding lagoon surrounded by broad leaf palms and flowers I don't know the names of. An excellent place for wedding photographs!!

www.jimgatesphotography.com

Caybrew 2011 Calendars

2011-01-14T10:54:00.000-05:00

Inspired by the iconic image from the film American Beauty, this image was created for Caybrew for the first in a series of 2011 calendars. First I'd like to say a big thanks to Rachel Boraston for modeling. She is very patient, follows instruction well, and is a great to work with.

The shoot was challenging as I was perched on a make-shift scaffolding. I used five lights in an attempt to recreate the lighting in the movie poster: a large umbrella as a mainlight, two gridded speedlights and two strobes with reflectors. Each speedlight lit under an arm. One strobe I placed low and above Rachel to highlight her hair and shoulders, covering part of strobe so as not to spill light onto her face and body. The other strobe I positioned low and below Rachel to add definition to her legs and add light to her face from a low angle.

Rachel was shot on a white backdrop. I took pictures of a single bottle cap, and a small pile of caps to create the background in photoshop.

Look for the Calendars in cases of Caybrew!!

John & Leonie, married at Kaibo Dec 30 2010

2011-01-13T17:40:00.000-05:00

John & Leonie married just before the new year, at the beautiful Cayman Villas property Fantasea,

located in Cayman Kai. The ceremony took place on the property's private beach under tall coconut palms. The dock right behind the ceremony offered up some great picture opportunities. Thanks John & Leonie for having me photograph your wedding!

Solomon Family Portraits

2011-01-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

The Solomon Family, from Chicago, has been coming to Grand Cayman for nearly two decades. This time around, all four kids and their families where here together, so they they thought it would be a good idea to have me take some family portraits. We shot for an hour at Grand Old House before the Solomons sat down for a dinner on the patio. They are a beautiful family and it was a fun shoot.

www.jimgatesphotography.com

Abi's 3rd Birthday

2011-01-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

My how they grow up fast!! Doug & Elaine's daughter Abi turned 3 last month, and for the occasion mom and dad threw a pool party, complete with a delicious BBQ, lot's of new toys for the kids, and a Minnie Mouse birthday cake! This first picture is from when I photographed Abi when she was just a few months old. Fast forward nearly 3 years, and here she is growing up fast. Thanks for the invite Doug, Elaine & Abi!
More photos can be seen & shared on social networks by going to jimgates.smugmug.com, and to the 'Abi's 3rd Birthday' gallery. the password is 'Abi'.

7am at Camana Bay, Grand Cayman

2010-12-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

I love the architecture at Camana Bay, a new community built in the last few years on Grand Cayman. The development is a massive undertaking by Dart Realty, and includes a movie theater and a school in addition to mixed commercial / residential buildings. I must applaud Camana Bay for it's foresight in planning; In much of Western Canada where I'm from, we have made the mistake of developing big box outlet malls on one edge of town and suburban sprawl box-houses on the other, and linking them with congested thoroughfares filled with idling cars. Everybody knows this and complains about it, yet I believe it continues because of developers and banks wanting to make a quick dollar, and people wanting the biggest house for the least amount of money. What's the trade off? Community for anonymity. Walking to work for a commute, fresh air for exhaust.
But I digress...this post is about photography after all...

So this morning I dragged myself out of bed at 6am, despite my usual insomniac's bedtime of 1:30am. And it was worth it. The water in the harbour at Camana bay was still and reflected a mirror image of the sunrise. The light was fairly soft, yet bright enough to give the sky contrast.
despite the miserable-invisible flies that feasted on my exposed flesh, the morning was well-worth the effort getting up.
All of these images required a tripod to achieve small apertures and long exposures, and still be sharp. As a rule of thumb, always use a tripod when shooting landscapes or architecture. The first images is an HDR composite of three images, using photomatix pro. The tone was manipulated by adding a channel mixer adjustment layer and bumping up the red channel.
The next four are composites by layering two images in photoshop, then using a layer mask and low-to-medium opacity brush to paint away the top layer. This achieved the effect of a neutral density filter.
The last shot of the palms is nearly straight out of the camera, except for a slight adjustment for contrast and vibrance in the camera raw editor, and of course some sharpening. (i sharpen all of my images)
All were shot in raw.

I hope you enjoy, if you have any questions about the images please comment and I'll respond asap.

Thanks,
Jim

Add caption

A quick way to reduce blur in your photographs

2010-12-12T11:41:00.000-05:00

Erin Carney- Dardano
i have a nikon d90 and sometimes my photos seem blurry. how can i get all faces to look in focus? also how do you get a picture of say a kid in a swing? they always turn out blurry? thanks

Hi Erin,
well, there's a long answer to this and also a short one. The long answer requires an understanding of the mechanics of cameras, and shooting in manual mode. The short answer will tell you how to set your camera and should help you get sharper pictures in the mean time. We'll stick to the short answer for now.

Blur is often caused by motion, either the camera shakes when the photo is taken, or the subject your photographing is moving. Your camera has a setting called shutter priority. When set to shutter priority, you set the shutter speed and the camera automatically sets the aperture. It is the S setting on the dial on the top left of the camera. When the camera is in shutter priority, control the shutter speed by spinning the wheel on the back right of the camera. The number will display on the top of the camera, as well as when looking through the lens.
The larger the number, the faster the picture is taken. the faster the picture is taken, the less motion blur. As a rule of thumb to avoid camera shake, make sure that the shutter speed is at least 1.5 times the focal length of the lens. If you have a zoom lens, the focal length is the number that indicates the amount of zoom.
Lets say your lens is a 28 - 200. if you're shooting wide angle at 28, you should set your shutter speed to at least 1/40 of a sec. (you may not be able to set the shutter to exactly 1.5x the focal length, as the shutter speed changes in increments, err on the larger(faster) number) On your camera display, it will just say 40. If you're zoomed in to 200, you should set your shutter speed to 1/320 (display will say 320).
If your shooting someone moving, such as child in a swing, set the shutter speed to at least 500.

Try this and let me know how it works for you!

Cheers,

Jim

Questions from Elizabeth Isley Riley

2010-12-09T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hey Jim! I am an avid, amateur photographer that finds the Cayman Islands so inspiring! I do not understand f-stops and apertures at all, but still manage to get some amazing photos. I have 2 questions for you:

Should I use a fill-in flash ...in morning sun? I am taking our Christmas Card photos at Smith Cove @ 10am and think the sun will be in our eyes. I want to do it then as the colour of the sea is so beautiful in that light. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
My 2nd question is regarding capturing lightning (I love yours). I have tried with no flash and I have a "boost" feature on my camera that has allowed me to capture a few cool forks.
Thank you so much for offering your advice. Take care.

Hi Elizabeth,

Good to hear you're inspired by the amazing scenery we have here!

Fill flash is a very useful tool for bringing up the exposure of the shadows to match the ambient light, and I'd recommend using it in the 10 o'clock sun at Smith's Cove. However, be mindful of the position of the sun and how the shadows are falling across your subjects face. If your subject is facing the sun, fill flash will not get rid of the shadows under the eyes (it will reduce them), nor will it help with your subjects squinting. If you're out on the ironshore, try facing your subject more north, shooting more south, so that the angle of the sun is slightly from behind them, lighting the side of his or her face to about the ear. This way, their entire face is evenly in shadow. Now the subjects can keep their eyes open slightly more, and the fill flash will light their face evenly.

Better yet, try putting your subject in the shadow of a sea grape tree. If they are close to were the shade meets the sun, you'll notice a lot of light reflecting from the sand onto your subject; this can be really nice light. With a little fill flash you can achieve a light that doesn't look flashed at all.


Sun is backlighting here. fill flash and sunlight reflecting from the sand light the couple

for the second question....

Generally the best way to capture lightning is by putting your camera on a tripod and taking long exposures (30 sec to 1 min). That way, as long as the lightning strikes while the shutter is open, it will show up in the image. (some people see my lightning pics and assume I have lightning fast reflexes - not the case. patience and rain gear is more the case.) To capture lightning like this you have to shoot at dusk or at night. It needs to be dark enough to allow for a 30 sec to 1 min exposure.

Start at F8 with your aperture. If the lightning is too dim, open up to 5.6 (lets in 2x the light). If the lightning is too bright close down to f11. (1/2 the light).

Most important, what else is in the shot besides the lightning? lightning on its own rarely produces an excellent image. Pay attention to what is in the image and how the lightning interacts.

Hope this helps! Feel free to keep the questions coming!

Happy Shooting,

Jim

In the new year I'm going to be doing courses and workshops so stay tuned in.

Free 8x10 fine art canvas print when you book a portrait session.

2010-12-06T11:40:00.000-05:00

Book a portrait session for $175.
includes up to an hour of photography on location. Images will be uploaded to a private online gallery for viewing and ordering. Fine-art prints, canvases & albums are available online.

A Free 8x10 stretched Canvas print. How it Works: Follow my work on Facebook by clicking the 'like' button. Contact me though my website www.jimgatesphotography.com to book a photo session and mention that you saw this ad on Facebook. It's that easy!

new website

2010-12-02T18:24:00.000-05:00

Check out my new website at www.jimgatesphotography.com. There are some new images, a new flashy look and feel, and some new services such as my U.S. store! Now clients from the States that want to order professional quality prints, museum wrap canvas prints, and dozens of other products can order directly from a pro-lab in the states, and save on shipping & duty.
Let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Jim

wedding of Kelly & Ty, Nov 13 2010, at the Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman

2010-11-30T21:02:00.000-05:00

Kelly & Ty flew in from Texas to get married at the fabulous Ritz-Carlton, on the famous 7 mile beach. We started with some pre-ceremony shots in Kelly's beautiful suite then moved to the Ritz's south lawn for the ceremony. After some portraits on the lawn, we dashed to the beach in time for a vibrant sunset then finished with a reception at the Ritz-Carton's 7 Restaurant (their filet mignon was the best steak I've ever tasted).
I was flattered that Kelly chose me to shoot her wedding as she is also a professional photographer - I can think of no greater compliment! Check out her work at www.kellynottingham.com .Thanks again Kelly and Ty for having me photograph your day!

wedding of John & Cathy - Whistler, B.C.

2010-11-26T15:01:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pics from a wedding I shot recently in Whistler, B.C.

John & Cathy came from Edmonton to have their wedding at the beautiful Nita Lake lodge, located at the south end of Whistler village. The place was amazing, the weather perfect, and the guests a lot of fun. Thanks Cathy and John for having me photograph your day!

Melanie & Jeff wed at Alice Lake, Sept 11, 2010

2010-11-01T13:46:00.000-05:00

Jeff and Melanie gambled with the finicky Howe Sound weather on Sept 11, and were rewarded with overcast skies that provided beautiful soft light for their ceremony at Alice Lake, near Squamish.
The rain held off until after the ceremony, but when it did begin to drizzle as we started to shoot portraits, out came the umbrellas and it only added to the fun. Thanks Jeff and Melanie for having me photograph your day!

Edgar & Jamie's Wedding

2010-04-19T18:13:00.000-04:00

Edgar and Jamie were married March 15th 2010 at the Guisachan House , a beautiful property hidden away in downtown Kelowna. For mid-March the weather couldn't have been better for a wedding, as the skies were clear blue and the temperature hovered around 15 c. The ceremony was held outside and the reception followed in the Guisachan House, an immaculate early 20th century home turned restaurant. The food and decor by chef Georg Rieder were world class, as his web address www.worldclasscatering.com implies.

Edgar and Jamie were good sports - even when I accidentally directed them into a bramble patch it didn't stop them from having fun with the photography. Congratulations Jamie & Edgar!

my first post finally - a little about me

2010-04-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

I was in Australia when I decided I'd pursue photography as a career. Instead of buying postcards I'd take pictures, have them developed and write my stories on the back of the prints, affix some postage and send them off. To be precise, I was too cheap to buy postcards - they would have cut into my precious beer fund.
I knew nothing about photography except that I enjoyed doing it. And although I hadn't yet chosen a profession, I had firmly made up my mind about one thing: I would find what I love to do and pursue it. At 19 I decided that life is too precious to be spent on a career where you're living for tomorrow and working to retire.
My professional foray in photography began in 2000 when I attended the Western Academy of Photography in Victoria, B.C. After school I started as a journalist/photographer at The Hinton Parklander in Alberta before moving to Grand Cayman in 2004 where I worked as a freelance commercial photographer until 2009. In July 2009 I moved to British Columbia where I continue to freelance. To date, I've shot more than 400 weddings, international boat races and tennis tournaments, many corporate events and a variety of other commercial work.
I continue to love what I do for a living, so for now I will continue to do it!
If anyone who reads this has any questions about my work or any general questions about photography please get in touch. I'd be happy to pass on anything I can if it helps someone enjoy photography as I have.

Thanks,
Jim.