Montreal ’12

So earlier this month I had the opportunity to spend a week in Montreal and intern with my cousin Richmond Lam, who is an incredible photographer that is well established in the city. It was quite the change from the reason why I usually, and probably many others, go to Montreal…

Throw away the 5 hour drive with a bunch of friends all looking to party, and replace it with a nervous kid and a desire to learn. Throw away the 2 queen beds in a budgeted hotel room and replace it with a single bed in an apartment with a roommate and a cat. Throw away the drunken escapades full of laughter on Crescent or St. Catherine’s Street, and replace it with time spent in the studio learning and playing with different cameras and lights.

You get the point lol.

There is one thing I’ve been really dying to mention though lol… the feeling of being inside a photo studio is NOTHING like the feeling beside inside a music studio to me. Back when I was still doing music, my dumb ass would ALWAYS have the biggest grin on my face when I was inside a music studio, or even when I was just talking technical music jargon to somebody lol. That was always the dream for me. Music. So to actually be in the studios and to be conversing while creating songs was just surreal to me.

Fast forward to the present day, I sometimes get confused when I’m in photo studios… not confused in the sense of not knowing WHAT to do… but confused in the sense of WHY/HOW did I end up here? How do I know what camera that person is using? How do I know what lens that is, and why they’re using it? How do I know about this light, that light, and yada yada yada? It’s strange lol.

But yes… back to the point. Montreal. It’s a no-brainer that travelling is a wonderful experience. It feels even better when its work related lol. Then on top of that, even better when its work related AND I get to see family members who I haven’t seen in forever lol. Add that along with the self-growth whenever you travel and this trip was nothing short of amazing

In terms of photography, I learned tons of new things and definitely picked up a lot more confidence towards my own work. Just being present during the ALDO and BEDO shoots allowed me see and understand so much more.

Thank you again Richmond for helping make this possible and an amazing experience. It was definitely such a pleasure to get re-acquainted with you and Edmund after all these years. Thank you to Coey and Patricia, and also everyone I met at Made of Stills.

If you guys are in Montreal and need a photographer or a studio to shoot at, make sure you check out www.richmondlam.com or www.madeofstills.com. If you haven’t already seen the photos from my shoot in Montreal, check them out here.