Architectural & Interior Design Photography, Corporate Commercial Photography, Advertising & Portrait Photographer | Ottawa | 613-558-7585 | justin.vanleeuwen@gmail.com
It was great to work on the cover and shoot the opening editorial spread for the latest issue of Ottawa-Woman. This time I got to work with the talented “shark” criminal lawyer Natasha Calvinho. Despite being a pleasant mother of two, her teeth come out when it comes to defending her clients, which often consist of the worst of the accused: Murders, violence, gangs, and drugs. You have to love what you do, and believe in the criminal justice system, to but up with the rigours of the type you see come through your doors every day.
It seems she also pulls some sway, as we got unprecedented access to the main court-house here in Ottawa, their most embellished room no less. Of course once we get in this large court-room I realize we have absolutely no control of the house lights, and to make things worse, the dark wood panels will just eat up the ink on the final product (Ottawa-Woman is printed on newsprint, which requires a bit of a less contrast, less shadow, look). The best way to deal with this was to minimize how much of the room we saw (thus had to light) and keep it simple. This is one of the more “dramatic” photos that was too dark for print, but perfect for web.