Author: Nina_Kirienko

Owner of Old Girl Photography. Graduate in Digital Photography at Durham College. I am especially drawn to fine art, architectural, landscape and community event photography.  The world is full of fascinating natural and man-made landmarks, many of which tell compelling stories of survival or imagination or both.  My aim is to find and photograph as many of them as I can. When I do photograph people, I most enjoy portraying them in a place or situation that inspires them. I have an infinite curiosity about the world. I'm not happy unless I'm learning.

The Real Meaning of “Shooting RAW”

Photography, Tools

I like to know how things work.  I ask “why” A LOT.  Recently, I took an online course offered by lynda.com, one of the premier online learning environments.  They cover many professions and subjects, including photography.  One of their elite photography instructors is Ben Long, who has worked with clients such as 20th Century Fox and Bluenote Records.  In this course, Learn Photography:  Shooting in RAW Mode (sorry for capitalizing RAW, Ben), he covers all the details any nerd like me could possibly want about shooting raw images.  It was so full of information, I went through it twice.

ben-long

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My Portfolio

Architecture, Landscapes, Macro Work, Nature, Nina Kirienko, Photography, Portraits

Durham CollegeYesterday, I completed my program in Digital Photography at Durham College, Oshawa, Canada.  Although not official until June, I’m ready to strike out on my own and find my niche in this competitive world.

Our last few weeks of school were about defining our photographic style, preparing a compilation of our work, deciding how to present it in print and electronically, and staging a show for industry and family.  I found this to be the most revealing and meaningful segment of my education.  I emerge from this experience with a better understanding of my interests and style, and with a full portfolio of work to share. Continue reading “My Portfolio” →

Why I Shoot Photographs

Nina Kirienko, Photography

In a mere three weeks, I will be completing my college education in Digital Photography.  I’ll be let loose upon the world to hopefully make a mark.  One of the last tasks in our college lives is to assemble a portfolio of work that represents our style and area(s) of focus (pardon the pun).  In putting my portfolio together, I thought long and hard about whether I wanted to make my mark commercially or artistically.  I decided the latter was more important.  Easy for me to say since I have an alternate source of income.

Once that decision was made, I needed to be able to explain my photographs – why I shot them, what they represented and what impact they had on me.  Typically labelled an “artist’s statement”, these short spans of text are often poetic and lofty, serving to both reveal and conceal information about the author.  By conceal, I mean create some sense of mystery in that the reader would want to know what might come next.bioposter Continue reading “Why I Shoot Photographs” →

Tools That Make My Photography Easier – CamRanger

Photography, Tools

In the first of what I hope will be an ongoing series, I’m profiling one of the many tools that help to make my photography easier.  When I say easier, I’m thinking about this from several perspectives:

  • achieving an effect that would otherwise be time consuming or overly complicated,
  • getting a shot that, because of site or equipment limits, might be difficult or impossible,
  • automating tasks that would be time consuming, tedious or repetitive,
  • compensating for one or more of the personal challenges we might have as photographers (getting older, mobility issues, etc.)
  • alternatives to expensive, top of the line solutions for any of the above

These won’t be “reviews” in the traditional sense.  Instead, they’ll discuss how I use the tools and what advantages they provide to me.  Hopefully they’ll help you too.  This month: camranger-title

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On Being a Portrait Photographer

Photography

We’ve just finished another semester at school.  Three down, one to go.  This latest semester dealt with all aspects of portrait photography – fashion, glamour, lifestyle, environmental, figure studies.  Also a touch of small product work to get us ready for next term.  Now that we’re done, I find myself reflecting on what I’ve learned.  Most importantly, I seek the answer to a very basic question:  has  the experience made me more interested in photographing people?

Kelsey

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The Appeal of High Dynamic Range (HDR) – Or Not

Photography, Portraits, Tools

I recently completed an assignment that required a High Dynamic Range (HDR) final image.  This image blended an outdoor background with a studio foreground subject.  Both were processed using HDR capture and develop techniques.  I think the result turned out well, don’t you?

Yoga on the Common
Yoga on the Common

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The Business Side of Photography – My First Year as a Photographer

Photography, Tools

Photography is a tough business to be in.  The advent of cellphone cameras has meant the demise of staff photographers on many publications or even the demise of the actual publications.

Business PlanMost often, photography jobs are contract or freelance, paid by the job or image, or not paid at all.  The business owner who might need a few pictures for publicity doesn’t understand why these cost hundreds of dollars.  Often they wonder if the photographer should be paying them, for the opportunity to publish the work and be noticed. Continue reading “The Business Side of Photography – My First Year as a Photographer” →

Seeing Like the Camera – My First Year as a Photographer

Artistic Ideas, Learning, Nina Kirienko, Photography, Tools

As the next college year approaches, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned so far about photography, both in and out of the classroom.  All the technical and operational basics, for sure, along with lots of creative details that more experience and practice will make stronger.  It’s been a great year.

Knocking Down HurdlesBut there is one thing I continue to struggle with overall – it’s simply vision, in all its many forms.  That includes seeing clearly as my old eyes dim with time, developing a personal style and creative direction for my work overall, and maybe most puzzling, understanding how the camera, lighting and all of the other gear can be fully exploited to fulfill that vision.

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Brand Name Equipment or Not?

Photography, Tools

The airwaves and Internet are full of opinions on the value of brand name equipment for photographers.  There are opinions on cameras and lenses, lighting, accessories to support both brand names and competitors.  There are even opinions on small niche providers who build products to make a photographer’s life easier (bags, stands, organizing systems, even online services).  And of course, lots of stories on saving money by making due with what’s on location or in the environment around you.  You don’t always need to buy.  So how do you choose when it comes time for a new investment in gear? Gear Reviews Continue reading “Brand Name Equipment or Not?” →

Joe McNally

Photography

Every once in a while, if we are lucky, we have an ah-hah moment.  In my case, having retired from an unrelated career, I’ve been wondering just how far I could take my photography, both artistically and commercially.  It’s always been apparent that this field is highly competitive.  It was less apparent that the value of professional photography had diminished over time, what with the proliferation of both on-the-spot cellphone professionals and software that can make almost any image look professional.

Then I met Joe McNally.  Well, at least met him online.Joe McNally

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