toP f1ve for October & November

OK, so third times a charm, and yes, this is my third time being late with this post. I have been extremely busy, trying to get all my albums done for X-mas and it's looking like I will. In the meantime, check out the latest edition of the Top Five

2011 World Juniors ~ Are you kidding me, this is like the biggest news ever. the World Juniors are coming to Buffalo, 20 min's down the road. tickets are going for $800 (lower bowl) for all 17 games at HSBC, and $400 for upper bowl. If I wasn't shooting it, I'd have tickets for sure.

New Macbook Pro ~ What a sleek new design. I was at Mac Outpost just the other day checking these bad boys out, can't wait to get one under the Christmas tree. The great thing about them, Mac has made 24" LED Cinema Displays that connect via magsafe cables. it's as easy as plug and dis-PLAY.

Canon VIXIA HG21 ~ Finally my old JVC HDD camcorder is getting replaced with this new bad boy. Full on hi-def video with CODEC capable of recording 24Mbps. This is going to bring a new (but small) dimension to work.

The Trews ~ Another good old bunch of Canadian Boys rockin' hard. their latest hit "Hold Me in Your Arms" is on constant rotation on my ipod, I think Lucas even knows the words by now.

Chase Jarvis ~ Everybody wants to be somebody, me....I want to be Chase Jarvis. This guys absolutely rocks as a photographer. I have featured a few of videos on her before, but go check out his site, it will amaze you.

Don't forget, Christmas is only 43 days away, so start your shopping soon.

Cheers
Rick

Read more...

Top 5ive for September

OK, so again, yes I know I am a little late with my Top 5, but this ones a good one, so enjoy.

1. Canon 5D MKII ~ This is going to be one crazy camera when I get my hands on it. At first I was a little disappointed with the specs that Canon released, but after further review (hands on that is) this thing ROCKS. If you want to see what it can do, hit up this link .

2. BlackBerry Storm ~ Finally, something to look forward to in the cell phone dept for us Bell users. I had previously mentioned the Samsung Instinct but bell does not consider it a smart phone. Well the Storm is beyond smart, it's freakin' brilliant. With an unofficial release date of sometime in mid November, this is going to be a nice early Christmas present for yours truely.

3. Steve Madden & Robert Graham ~ OK, go ahead and give me the gears, but what can i say, I love to shop. These two designers have been tops on my list for the last little while, and all I can say is I can't wait to show off the new threads in the 2009 wedding season.

4. Kings of Leon ~ Thanks to my loving wife Amy for this one. I had never heard of them before she caught one of their vid's on Much. So she hit up iTunes and next thing ya know, we have a new favourite band. Their recent album release ’Only By The Night’ hit #1 on iTunes Canada, I mean how could it not with songs like sex on fire, use somebody, and crawl.

5. Tanja Lippert ~ Not much to say here, excepy WOW! Check out tje link to see some more than amazing images.

Have a good October, hope you all enjoyed Turkey day, and I can't wait for Hallowe'en.

Cheers, Rick D

Read more...

TOP 5 for auGuST

OK, so I know it's a tad bit late, and believe it or not I have been getting email's asking me where August's top five list is. It has been a busy month shooting as well as vacationing, and on top of the the Niagara IceDogs have started up again. So with no further adieu I give you August's Top 5

1. Think Tank Photo, and more specifically the Airport Security V.2. Man this thing kicks but, hauls all my gear in one gigantic roller, and is faa compliant for overhead storage on domestic flights. It has been around for a while, but I finally got off my but and got one, my assistants love me so much for this purchase. No more carrying bags, just rolling them now.

2. Nike, yup that's right the big shoe conglamorate. I picked myself up a pair of Nike Air - Series 6C kicks and they rock. I wore these things around all the Disney Parks and they didn't flinch, 100% comfort for the whole trip. I don;t usually put Nike's on my feet, but these things deserve some serious props.

3. Sam Roberts Band, they have been back for a bit now since the release of "Them Kids", but don't let the experience stop there. The whole album is a great Canadian rock album from start to finish. This one is on the ipod now and I love every song on it. Go out and buy it or download it and support Canadian rock.

4. Amelia Lyon, look out, these two have some serious talent. If you want to see some amazing pictures, that I swear are one of a kinds, check out their blog. On top of their amazing work, they were also voted Blu Domains "Photographer(s) of the Year", and well deserved.

5. Rich Bride - Poor Bride, last but not least, I have to add these guys to the mix, why? Well because I am going to be featured on one of the upcoming episodes of course. I mentioned way back in the first "top 5" list that there were some things in the works. Well we film my part this coming Saturday, and I am sure I will have a few behind the scenes photos to share with you on the blog come next week, so keep your eyes peeled.

Until next time, Cheers!!!!!!!!
Rick D.

Read more...

TOP five 4 jUly

It's that time of the month again, yup you guessed it. IT'S TOP 5 TIME. This months list is compiled of some great products, shooters and music. Let's get things started off.

1. Pictage
So happy to be a member. These guys are absolutely fantastic at what they do. My work just became so much more streamlined thanks to them. Oh! and the products they offer, WOW wait till you see the new albums. Keep your eye's peeled for some product sample shots once they get in.

2. The 2008 Niagara Wine Auction
Once again, I had the honor of being the official photographer for this gala event. Unfortunately I did have a wedding on the Saturday so I had my friend Charity Swords cover Saturday's events for me. I did how ever get a chance to stop by Friday and hob nob with some of Niagara's best. Oh and I got to meet Jason Priestly, ya that's right I am such a closet 90210 fan.

3. Boda Bag
Yay, this bag ROCKS and that's all I have to say. i was turned on to this bag by my good friend and fellow shooter Amanda Lachapelle when she second shot for me. Now thanks to her I am the proud owner of a Boda Jr. My assistants are so gonna love me for this purchase.

4. Kid Rock
He is back, and rocking again. His latest release "All Summer Long" is such a typical Kid Rock song, ya gotta love it. Whether he's watchin the D-Wings during their Stanley Cup run or trying to get back in Pam's good book, this guy is truly the All American Bad Ass, and ya gotta love him for it.

5. Jesh de Rox
Words can't say enough about this guy. Simply hit up the link and let his images do the talking. Again, I thank god Jesh lives so far way.

That's it for this months installment, now go enjoy the nice summer weather while you can.

Cheers, Rick

Read more...

My Top 5 for June

So first off, there are going to be a lot of updates over the next few days so pay attention. I have the Niagara Wine Auction photo's, plus 3 E-Sessions to post. In the meantime to kill some time, here are my top five's for June.

1. So You Think You Can Dance ~ http://www.fox.com/dance/show_info.htm
Yup that's right I'm a SYTYCD junkie. Cat Deeley, Nigel Lythgoe, & Ms Mary Murphy are all back for season 4. Twitch & Kherington are clearly my early favourites, but keep an eye out for Chelsea & Will as well. On a side note, season 2 of America's Best Dance Crew has started, this show would be much better if they got rid of Mario Lopez, JC Chasez, & L'il Kim.

2. Alex Pietrangelo ~ http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=11513
Way to go Petro, taken #4 overall by the St. Louis Blues in last Fridays 2008 NHL draft. Keep an eye out for this kid, he will be a big name in the show within the next few years. Props go out to local boy Daultan Leveille as well who was taken 29th overall by the Predators.

3. Simply Canvas ~ http://www.simplycanvas.com/
Another new vendor to add to the list. I am so looking forward to working with these guys, i can't wait to get my gallery samples in. These guys make some absolutely gorgeous canvas gallery wraps, that anyone would love to get a hold of.

4. Cold Play ~ http://www.coldplay.com/index.php
They're back, and in full force. Topping the charts with their new album release "Viva la Vida" these guys rock. The title track "viva la vida" and "violet hill" are currently in my play list and getting air play all over the world. How ever, give a listen to track #2 "cemeteries of London" and track #9 "Strawberry Hill".

5. Bebb Studios ~ http://www.tyingtheknot.net/
Again, another great husband & wife team (Amy pay attention) based out of Vancouver, BC. I definitely pull a lot of inspiration from these guys, their work is amazing and shows why they were voted as one of the Top 10 wedding photographers on the planet by American Photo.

Cheers, RD

Read more...

My Top 5ive List for May

Welcome to another edition of my top five, enjoy!

1. Buffalo Bandits - http://www.bandits.com/
Finally after 12 years, these guys brought the NLL Champions Cup back to Buffalo. Congratulations go out to everyone, but especially local boys Billy Dee Smith, Mark Steenhuis, Danny Sams & Ian Llord (both of who I coached), Sean Greenhalgh who is a good friend of the family, and long time friend and former teammate Pat Mccready. I only wish I was there to shoot it for you guys but unfortunately I had a prior engagement.

2. MGMT - http://www.whoismgmt.com/
Ok, so this is definitely #1 on my ipod lately. These guys have a real cool synth rock meets the 80’s retro sound to them.

3. Oakley Hijinx - http://oakley.ca/pd/4810/16004
I have been searching hi and low for a pair of sunglasses that fit me and thanks to my cousin Brandon I finally found a pair.

4. Asuka Book - http://www.asukabook.com/bf-bookbound-hc.html
These guys make some incredible albums, well technically I make them, they just put them together. Anyways, these albums are now on the list of items I will be offering, so if you want to step up to a gorgeous high end bound album, this is what you will want.

4. bobbi+mike - http://www.bobbiandmike.com/
Wow, talk about talented photographers. Bobbi & Mike hail from the Midwest city of Indianapolis. These two shooters have such a creative approach to their work it makes me extremely jealous. Check out there galleries to seem some top notch photos.

Read more...

My Top 5ive for April

So, I figured that towards the end of each month I would post up my favourite top five things from the previous month. It could be music, TV shows & movies, camera gear, gadgets, or whatever. So for April here we go.

1. The Niagara IceDogs http://www.niagaraicedogs.net/
WOW, what a great run these guys had, too bad it didn't last longer. If you want to see some really, and I mean really good hockey, grab a ticket.
2. Radio Poppers http://radiopopper.com/products/view/radiopopper_p1
These things are gonna revolutionize photography. Unfortunately they are not available in Canada as of yet, but hey my parents live in the states so hopefully we'll see some soon.
3. Spiral Beach http://www.spiralbeach.com/
I am really digging these guys. They have some pretty cool tunes on their disc, but check out track 2 "made of stone" and make sure you check out the video for it to.
4. Blu Domain http://www.bludomain.com/
What can I say, they made me look really really good.
5. TriCoast Photography http://www.tricoastphoto.com/
These guys are good, and when I say good, I mean good. Check out there galleries to see some amazing work from these South Texas lads.

Keep your eyes peeled on my blog for some cool upcoming posts. I have a Trash The Dress shoot next week, sweet location + sweet brides = cool images. Wedding season is also right around the corner, so if you are looking for some family or maternity portraits, get in touch before I get to swamped, '08 is really busy. Also I just found out that I will be covering a wedding that will be featured on Rich Bride, Poor Bride http://www.slice.ca/Shows/ShowsPage.aspx?Title_ID=98222 should be a fun day. It's not until Sept. 27th, but I will post images once the big day is over. Till next week, stay safe, have fun, & enjoy the weather.

Cheers, Rich

Read more...