Wow, it’s been a while since my last post! Lots of photography projects lately, and none more fun than getting out and shooting the races for the Maritime Pro Stock Tour. This past weekend was the Lockhart Truck Centre 100 at Scotia Speedworld, and 2009 champion Shawn Turple won by leading the entire race from green flag to checkered flag – quite amazing considering all of the wrecks and mayhem that unfolded behind him. Motorsport photography is quickly becoming a favourite of mine – hope you enjoy the images of action on and off the track too!

I’m getting geared up for a second season of shooting motorsports in Atlantic Canada for both Scotia Speedworld and the Maritime Pro Stock Tour. It’s still almost two months until the first green flag drops in 2010, but I’ve taken some time to pick out my favourite Pro Stock Tour images from 2009.

The 2009 season was my rookie year for motorsports photography. I knew so little about this type of photography going in that it was all on-the-job learning. Taking the job was a big leap off the deep end, but I was hooked immediately and there’s no going back. With plenty of bumps along the way, the vast majority of the 10,000+ frames I shot over the summer fall well short of “best of” territory. What I enjoyed most about the whole experience is how the “keeper” images always tell a story.

I don’t know what the 2010 season will bring, but I can’t wait to get back to the track!

For those who may be wondering just what an Ezybox Hotshoe is, allow me to describe this mini marvel. A softbox is a diffuse light source that a photographer will normally attach to large and powerful studio strobe lights in order to produce beautiful soft light and gentle transitions to shadow areas. Most softboxes are both large and relatively clumsy to set up, with a number of metal rods that hold the box’s shape, and a strong metal mounting bracket to attach the studio strobe at the back. Wonderful tools, but not very handy or portable outside of the studio and also not particularly useful with smaller battery-powered ’speedlight’ strobes that most photographers carry. Lastolite therefore aims to solve two problems with the Ezybox Hotshoe – it is very portable, light and quick to set up, and it also is one of the only softboxes on the market that is designed to be used with everyday speedlight strobes from Nikon (or even Canon, if that’s your system of choice).

The Ezybox Hotshoe comes in a remarkably tiny little 10″ canvas carrying pouch and upon removal from the pouch, expands almost instantly into a relatively large two-foot by two-foot square softbox. No metal rods here – this product is certainly a testament to the power of plastic. And don’t think that means cheap and flimsy either. It’s almost a miracle how the Ezybox folds over and twists into itself without breaking any of the underlying plastic frame, but it has clearly been engineered to do its job over and over again. You are also provided with two separate diffusion panels to insert into the softbox. Using two panels ensures that the harsh light from the relatively small speedlight flash will be spread out enough to evenly cover the complete 24″x24″ surface area. The panels tuck away conveniently when you are ready to fold the Ezybox back up. The last detail worth mentioning is the actual hotshoe flash mount. This mount is fully adjustable for both height and depth to ensure the strobe is ideally positioned at the back of the softbox. The big surprise here though, is that the mounting ring isn’t really “mounted” to the softbox using any typical clamps or screws. Plastic reigns supreme here again, as the sheer tension of the open softbox frame has been designed to hold tightly onto the face of the flat plastic mounting ring. While this is impressive engineering, it’s also clear that there will be a trade off here with some stability sacrificed in the name of light weight and set up speed. That being said, the mounting ring holds remarkably tight and refuses to twist or slip in my tests so far. I’m just not 100% confident that this mounting mechanism would hold up to hurricane-force winds outdoors.

Of course I had to test the Ezybox out on a couple of handy household props. I can’t wait to try this softbox out on a shoot with actual people, but so far I’m impressed with both the extreme portability and quality of the light. The bracket is intended to be mounted to a standard light stand, but the Ezybox was light enough that I could actually hand-hold the whole assembly. There’s nothing like being able to instantly reposition a large, soft light source as you’re working with your subject. I guess that pretty much sums up the intended purpose of the Ezybox, so I would say Lastolite has hit the nail on the head here with a great lightweight and ultra-portable softbox.

If you were patient enough to read all of that, here are two of my test subjects – enjoy!

I was lucky to work with Sports Entertainment Atlantic for Tall Ships Nova Scotia 2009, so I was very excited to have another call from SEA this past week. The assignment this time was to catch all the snowboard action at the Urban Butter snowboard showcase, which was the main event at Waterfront Winterfest this past weekend. So far, most of my sports action photography has been motorsports, so I was happy to face this new challenge. The event is the largest snowboarding competition in Atlantic Canada, with a top prize of $1,000 going to the winner. The riders really gave it their all for the huge crowd, risking life and limb while pulling off some unbelievable tricks. Hope you enjoy the photos!

In the meantime, here is a mini-gallery of photographs I took of Concordia last July, when it participated in the Tall Ships Nova Scotia 2009 festival here in Halifax:

Concordia Tall Ship – Sinks off Rio de Janeiro Feb 18, 2010 – Images by Matt Jacques

Well, what were the odds of this? I’ve been submitting images to stock photo agency Shutterstock for almost four years now, and I just learned that one of my images ended up being their 10,000,000th image! This feat required absolutely no special skill on my part, but it still feels like a great little thing to celebrate. The photo was taken during an outing to Shubenacadie Wildlife Park. More of my wildlife images from that trip can be found here.

Besides my own archives of images (all available directly from myself for print sales or instant licensing), I’ve slowly built up a diverse collection of over 1,600 photos, illustrations and drawings on Shutterstock. Online stock sales through an agency like this can really be a great way to build up your photographic skills and earn some money while you’re doing it. My Shutterstock earnings were initially a useful justification for my increasingly expensive hobby, but they’ve now grown to become a steady supplemental income. Having my photography habit pay for itself has given me the freedom to expand my services and be selective about the clients I choose to work with.

All of that to just say a big THANK YOU to Shutterstock for providing this great opportunity!

If you want to read about the great 10 million milestone, check out the Shutterstock blog here: Shutterstock Hits 10 Million! , and a quick little Q&A with yours truly here.

If you’re considering entering the world of stock photography, why not give it a shot and see how far it might take you! Shutterstock wants you – click here to sign up!

I moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia from Oakville, Ontario in 2007, and I have been blown away by all the amazing photography opportunities in this beautiful province. From scenic natural landscapes to the thunderous roar of motorsports, Atlantic Canada has no shortage of visual and visceral inspiration. But ultimately there’s nothing better than talking with you about your photography project. Whether you’re a bride getting ready for your big day, or a business owner looking for a way to kick your promotional efforts up a notch with unique images, I am here to discuss your vision and exceed your expectations.

Please get in touch any way you wish, and hopefully I’ll see you back again soon!

Had a great time at the 2009 Maritime Pro Stock Tour season awards banquet last night. Congratulations to points champion Shawn Turple and all of the other great drivers and crew!