Visual Cocktail: Photography with a Twist by Olivia Kachman

Olivia is a phenomenal photographer. Her ideas were not only fresh and new, but fun and exciting. Her keen eye for great shots and angles made my model portfolio sparkle. I trust Visual Cocktail's ability to transform a person into a wonderful piece of art!

Olivia Kachman with Visual Cocktail provided our family with not only excellent, professional photographs, but also great ideas and suggestions for the pictures. She was very professional, accommodating and understanding, as she came to our home at -40 degrees, brought all of her own backdrop equipment and was very patient with a tearful 2 month old baby. We absolutely love our pictures and have received nothing but compliments from across Canada about the quality of the pictures!

I love quotes and often find wisdom and insight from the words of others. In this section I am going to examine the statements of great photographers from www.photoquote.com with my own personal experiences in photography.

The moment you take the leap of understanding to realize you are not photographing a subject but are photographing light is when you have control over the medium. - Daryl Benson

I was truly honoured to spend an inspiring afternoon with Daryl Benson, an Alberta landscape photographer who photographs the magic in landscapes all over the world. The way he sees light, is truly what makes him the world-renowned photographer that he is. I remember when I first got this concept. It was like a form of visual enlightment. The moment the light changed and I witnessesd the magic unfolding before my eyes, a feeling of utter excitement washed over me as I reached for my camera. There is nothing more satisfying than "seeing the light."

It's more important to click with people than to click the shutter. - Alfred Eisenstaedt

An excellent portrait photographer will connect with who they are photographing immediately on a personal level, which quickly bridges the gap between two strangers, creates trust and inspires natural expressions. It is the synergy between the photographer and their subject that truly creates special portraits.

In a portrait, I’m looking for the silence in somebody. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

It is funny how we are conditioned from a very young age that when someone is taking our picture we should smile (even if we do not feel like it) and pose. This fakeness becomes the natural response to seeing a camera pointed in our direction. My favourite portraits are the ones that reach deeper into the soul of the subject and really tell a story of who they are through their most natural expressions. The only way a photographer can get a picture of someone's "stillness" is if they are connected to their own spirit through silence. There is a sense of trust that must be established that communicates that it is okay for a person to just BE themselves. We are often never given this permission in everyday life.

This is a very tough lesson to learn, but an essential one if you are an aspiring photographer with camera-envy. Although this quote is anonymous, it really came from one of my favourite photography instructors in my first year of college. I remember my heart racing with panic as as my classmates boasted at the capabilities of their Canon 20Ds and I did not have the latest and the greatest digital SLR camera at that point in time. I thought I would fail at photography if I did not have the top-of-the-line equipment. The lesson I learned was that it does not matter what camera you hold in your hands- what matters is the photographer holding that camera and the creativity and knowledge they bring to using that tool. Keep that always in mind- a camera is merely a tool. The camera does not create amazing photographs: you do.

A mad, keen photographer needs to get out into the world and work and make mistakes. - Sam Abell

This is really the lesson I teach my students who take my Photography 101 class. I teach the technical aspects of how to use their cameras creatively, how to read light, how to artistically compose pictures. I believe knowledge is power. However, the true lessons of a photographer do not occur in the classroom. They occur when a photographer goes out and takes pictures, and of course, makes mistakes and learns from them. The most powerful lessons occur by doing. I make it my routine to "walk my camera." You may laugh, but it is just like anything else in life- you have to practice, be committed and never give up. I asked one of Canada's top photojournalists what were the three pieces of advice that he could give an aspiring photographer and he paused, then responded with a smile on his lips, "Shoot. Shoot. Shoot."

Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. - Dorothea Lange

I still believe in the power of still photographs. Despite our daily bombardment of video imagery, I refuse to believe that a photograph is less effective. A photograph's power lies in the fact that it demands its viewer to meditate on a precise moment. The exhileration, the horror, the fragility, the victory of that moment is contemplated on and leaves an emotional impression upon its viewer. To learn great truths about ourselves and the world around us, we are required to sit still for a moment in our busy lives and just be. The best photographs allow us to do this.

LIME: UPCOMING EVENTS

June 2009

Visual Cocktail has MOVED!

Visual Cocktail has moved its services to Edmonton and the surrounding region as of May 2009.

Please note our new contact information:

info@visualcocktail.ca or 780-932-1109

http://www.showmyphotos.ca/visual_cocktail/

Visual Cocktail will post your photos on a password-protected gallery site online.

Check it out!

© Copyright for all images remains with the photographer – OLIVIA KACHMAN. All rights reserved. All images included herein this Internet Web Site publication are the property and copyright of OLIVIA KACHMAN and VISUAL COCKTAIL.

YOU MAY NOT DISTRIBUTE, COPY, PUBLISH OR USE THE IMAGES OR ANY PART OF THE IMAGES IN ANY WAY WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OLIVIA KACHMAN. YOU MAY NOT ALTER, MANIPULATE, ANY PART OF AN IMAGE WITHOUT CONSENT.

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The use of any images or other materials included herein, in whole or in part, for any purpose other than for the private purpose of the user, including, but not limited to, copying, reproduction, publication (including on Internet Web Site including third party web pages by any means, including "hotlinking", storage in a retrieval system (other than internet browser), manipulation (digital or otherwise), or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of OLIVIA KACHMAN and VISUAL COCKTAIL. All artistic and moral rights of the author are hereby asserted.

All inquiries regarding use of and purchasing prints and image use rights must be directed to OLIVIA KACHMAN, by emailing info@visualcocktail.ca.

There are many useful resources on the Internet that have provided useful information and inspiration to me.