I did my first beauty shoot yesterday on the beach. The model was Grace Chung, my friend's sister. While shooting on the beach, the sun was slow to drop, but I didn't anticipate the sun to go down that fast at the end (which brought up a problem as our model didn't know what poses I want). Note to self: always talk to models beforehand and let them know the style you are going for. I caught some close ups with my 50mm and switched to my 18-200mm for wide angle. This is one of those times when I wish I really have a super wide (ie. 14-24mmm). The sky, although it didn't live up to my expectation, wasn't all that bad. What's worse is the "pile" of ships (freight vessels, private sail boats, etc) on the ocean; once I arrived, I knew there would be lots of post-processing cloning to...

Today was the big day. It was the most anticipated Muse concert. Say what you want, but I've not been to a proper rock concert before, so I was looking forward to it. It was at Pacific Coliseum. David had to buy the tickets right before from someone whom he had arranged previously. Of course, none of us knew the tickets were labeled with "no camera" until it's too late. I carried my gigantic D200 thinking I could probably get some good shots. However, when we entered through security, they told me check in my bag during the concert. So I did. I dropped it at the service center within the stadium. When David and I were just leaving the counter, the security woman accidentally pushed my camera bag forward. It dropped like a rock, and this is what happened. The top LED screen is totally borked and the side of...

Few days before the end of term two for my photography class, I was told that if I don't hand my assignment in, it will never be marked. Although a lot of people skipped this assignment, I thought it'd be fun to do. It was a shoot for a setup crime scene. After buying some yellow crime tape from the nearby dollar store, I called up two of my buddies, David Kim and Kevin Lee, to help me out. To make matters simple, I decided to shoot near my place around a "loading bay" (I don't even know what to make of it.) Since crimes usually happen at night, I also had to mimic the night effect by using a faster than usual shutter speed. Couple that with a snooted Nikon SB800 flash, and I got myself a pretty darn good setup for doing dramatic mood shoots. Kevin, to my...

Hi, I'm Andrew Strain and I'm an outdoor action, landscape and lifestyle photographer from Vancouver, currently living in Pemberton, BC. Location is my game - I've photographed federal politics, frat parties, wine cellars and weddings - but my true passion lies in documenting the vast wilderness of British Columbia and the people who explore it. During the summer months, you can find me in some of the most remote regions of BC and the Yukon, where I work in the mineral exploration industry as a prospector. The immense landscape and unparalleled beauty of the north is what inspired me to pick up a camera in the first place, and over the years I've gone from taking random snaps with a little Canon Powershot, to working on a book documenting my experiences within the exploration industry with my Pelican-protected Nikon. I spend my winters working (and playing, of course) as a snowboard/ski photographer, providing...

It's been a while since I last updated this blog. I've always wanted to write for it but never found the time. Recently I went to New York City to take a break from work and school. I took photos - a lot of photos. In short, I fell in love with photography all over again. Maybe it was the city, but I hope to continue this blog on a more regular basis (ie. weekly post). I'm also hoping to do some artsy shoots from time to time, so stay tuned for those. Now onto the trip. My hotel was near Times Square, so getting around was easy. At first, NYC seemed old and filthy comparing to Vancouver. However, after staying there for short of a week, I began to love it. The subway was definitely helpful once I figured it out. My trip involved visiting a lot of art museums...