The Faces of California

In September I had the incredible opportunity to travel across the entire state of California.  While words don't normally fail me, I do not have the vocabulary to do justice to the beauty of the state.  It struck me that it in many ways the state reminded me of the beauty of Canada - with a more bearable climate, a desert, and a little more glitz.

I am going to post a few of these magical moments over the next little while. but if anything reminded me of home it was the people.  It struck me the moment I stepped on Venice Beach the first day.  Not long after, I decided to do my own mini project along the way.  Below are the Faces of California.

At the skate park on Venice Beach there were at least 60 guys and girls ranging in ages from 4 to over 50 who were motoring around.  This young man on rollerblades, saw the big camera and came skating over and said "Hey, Grab a pic of me doing a 360."  And off he went.  He nailed the jump, I caught the shot, he came to look at, smiled wide in approval and with that the Faces of California was born.

This one is kind of a bit of a cheat.  He was actually the bartender in a little shady joint just inside the Nevada Border across from a Casino on the state line.  It was late and everything in the desert shuts down at dark except 8 miles down the road across the border.  It took a little convincing to get me inside but as I sat at the bar and listened to this man's story from a travelling musician to bartender in a whole in the wall joint, t ended up being a great night!

At the end of the trip through Yosemite National Park I stopped to catch the view looking back one last time.  It was a popular spot and I wasn't seeing anything that everyone and their dog wasn't snapping away until I saw this man.  The big camera again focused the attention on what I was doing and after a few minutes of chatting I asked this fellow photographer if he would pose for a moment.  He was hesitant but soon warmed up to the idea and it is one of my favourites from the series.

All Along the route to Wine country, I saw these stalls.  So in the middle of nowheresville California the navigator came to a full halt.  This man, from Laos, owns his hut and is carving out his version of the American dream.  He had me in fits of hysteria as his broken English point to various pieces of fruit and how they made for great TV food.  A memorable random stop that simply makes me smile every time I see this photo. 

Though it was far from my favourite wine, there was such an endearing quality to this elderly gentleman as he methodically (a nice mature way of saying slowly) poured out the samples for each glass of wine.  

Finally, the coastal road had resulted in many run-ins with surfers along the way but for some reason it wasn't until the last day that I thought to add one to my collection.  Because I wanted him to represent all of the surfers I had seen along the way, I chose to silhouette him against the fading California sun.

It was an unbelievable trip and I look back with fond memories often.  The sights were incredible but it was the people who really bring back most of the smiles.

I've been away from blogging for almost a month and even still I've had a number of people still checking in so to you I say sorry.  I'm in the middle of preparing for the comprehensive oral exams for my PhD and that with the business as well as the influx of marking has not left me with much time.  That, however, is an excuse and I prefer not to make those.  So I'll be better... Until the next time...

Sylwia in the studio

Last week Sylwia and I got together for another shoot.  She had a few casual and high fashion ideas and I had a few projects I wanted to complete.

I have to say, we shared a lot of laughs that day and it's always good to test out a bit of the new lighting techniques on someone as personable and comfortable as Sylwia.

Sylwia is a science major and a first generation Canadian.  Her parents came here from Poland.  Though she is short, she has tremendous control of her facial expressions and makes for a lovely print model.

I'm looking forward to the next time I need a motivated subject...I know how to call on.

Thanks for the great afternoon.

Symplicity.ca is live...

Your Story To Tell...

For almost 6 months anyone who visited symplicity.ca was redirected here.  Today I am proud to say that www.symplicity.ca is up and running.  I wanted a unique site, a place where I could be proud of the design and the presentation of the portfolio.  Though the design section is still a work in progress, the photography section is exactly what I was looking for.  (for those with slower computers the Galleries may take a few seconds to load but in this case it was my decision to choose quality of the image over load speed).

I could not have done any of this without the exceptional hard work of Jason Freake, who despite following his numerous music and photographic interests, found time to work with me and my vision.  The final product speaks to the talent, commitment, and patience of that man.

I'm often asked when and why I started taking photos...what follows is my story.

A little over 6 years ago I first picked up a Digital SLR.  I was teaching English in Ulsan, South Korea and I was visiting a number of these incredible places.  I always picked up the postcards where I was but rarely did they capture what I saw.  Don't get wrong.  They were great photos but we've all seen them.  Out of season, or from a different vantage point, or Sunny when you were there on an overcast day.  They just didn't represent my story.  The small Kodak 3.1mp camera that had served me so well in Rome the year before just didn't seem to give me enough control.

A good friend in Korea, Gareth, was already snapping with a Digital SLR and after a few short times handling his camera, I decided to take the plunge into the world of prosumer photography.  I started capturing the beautiful places I was seeing and a funny thing happened - People started asking for prints.  I certainly can't dance, sing, play an instrument or draw much better than a four year old but photography gave me that artistic outlet I had longed for and I'm happy I get to share it with you.

Anyone close to me will tell you I dive into the deep end of my new passions and trust that enthusiasm, research, and hard work will keep me afloat.  In this case I devoured the topics of an online form - www.photography-on-the.net.  Perhaps stereotypically I tossed aside the manual for a more hands on/question and answer approach.  Understanding the gear allowed me to capture what I was seeing through the lens.  While bringing home personal memories remains an integral part of my own photography, capturing people, families, events, and the moments that mean so much to others soon became my focus.

We all remember the school photos where we had one chance to smile and maybe a second on retake day.  But that didn't capture us as individuals, as families, as communities.  I started taking photos of families, models and events soon after I touched down in Canada.  At Laurier, I worked one year for The Cord to test myself in a myriad of situations.  I bought strobes and worked with models to help both of our books but mostly so I could learn my lights - I'm still learning.  I did one wedding in 2006 and a number of family portraits.  The next year I started working with a Taekwondo Club and local softball club.  The following year I worked with a few musicians which really allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and use my vision to help portray their art in images.  Slowly growing the company has allowed me the right balance of work, challenge, and education.

Along the way I developed my own philosophy on photography:  It's Your Story to Tell.  Your family is unique, your activities are your own, your events display your personality.  It is my job to capture those moments, not fabricate them in my own vision.  In this way I can honestly say, I'm proud of what I put in front of my clients and I've been humbled by those who return time after time to ask me to capture their wedding, their family, their event, and ultimately their story.

Thanks...

Working with Emily

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of working with the talented Emily.  In her freshman year she played for Basketball for Mount A before chasing her primary passion - Music.  She has decided this year to build her modelling portfolio and happened to be passing by my neck of the woods.

Emily is 5ft11 on paper but I think she's taller.  The step ladder came in handy to keep up with some of the poses.

She was seeking experience in front of the lens and this was another shoot for me work with my lighting and add to the 3 current art projects I have on the go.  Every photographer has their personal projects.  Mine are coming along but as always I'm rather shy about sharing them until they are completely finished.

Ironically, Emily is from Nova Scotia and currently finishing her final year at Mount A.  She was in Ontario visiting and we were able to meet up for a couple of hours.  I look forward to working with her again...

At one point, Kick Start my heart by Motley Crew came on my ipod and both Nick and I looked in shock as she knew the words.  The quick witted 21-year old, recognizing the look on on our faces, shot back with "I have a dad."  Well played Emily...

Nathan and Tyne Peto

From Thursday to Sunday last week I was in the small Manitoba city of Brandon.  Nathan Peto and I were roommates for a week of our two-week battlefield study tour through France in 2006.  Since then we've kept in touch, more so since Facebook linked us up again a few years ago.  There are certain people in this world that you just immediately get along with - That was Nathan.  In August, Nathan asked if I could come and photograph his October wedding.  I didn't hesitate.

Nathan is a member of the Brandon Barbarians Rugby Club

When I arrived in Brandon, it was like 4 years had wilted away and the ease of conversation was apparent immediately.  Nathan, his year and half old son, and I went for a walk.  As we passed the community rinks, I couldn't help but think of the years my family spent in Kenora and the cold rinks where I first started playing hockey.

I arrived a few days early to spend a bit of time with Nathan and Tyne and was injected into the wild days leading up to a wedding.  Though I would normally stay in a hotel, in stereotypical small town fashion Tyne's parents wanted to make sure that everything was taken care and instead I stayed at the family's house.  The unforeseen benefit of staying with the Carmichael's and spending time with the guys of the wedding was that by the time the wedding rolled around they were so used to me that the ease and comfort that normally takes a little while was instantaneous.  The licence plates in the prairie province read "Friendly Manitoba."  Nathan and Tyne, your families and friends certainly proved the province's motto. A special thanks to Doug and Shelly for being such wonderful hosts.

The wedding was beautiful.  The bridal party and the groomsmen were all smiles and laughs which made for such authentic smiles.  The families were both so proud. Even with over 250 guests, it had a genuine small wedding feel.  I'm thrilled you asked me to capture your special day.

click on the video for a larger version

Nathan and Tyne are off to the Bahamas now on their Honeymoon and I sure hope it isn't another 4 years before I get to see them and Noah again.

Little Claire in the Fall

Every time I'm in New Brunswick, Jessica finds a way to get little Claire in front of my lens.  Today was a wonderful October day in Moncton and little Claire, despite the lack of nap, was all smiles.

Though she loves puddles, mommy has taught her that only with her rain boots on is it time to jump in the puddles.

The airplanes whizzed above and the sound was met with an enthusiastic finger point toward the sky.  

She really is a precious young girl.  After Claire's first shoot, Jessica looked at me and said "You know you're going to photograph her entire life right?"

I don't think I could have anticipated just how serious she was.  22 months and 7 shoots later, It's been a great ride.  Because months separate the time I see Claire, there is just such a huge difference in her little personality every time I see her.

Now she is laughing and talking and most importantly always smiling...  Until the next time Claire.

Conservative Jake Stewart wins Southwest Miramichi Riding as Tory's Dominate at the Polls

New Brunswickers made their way to the polls Monday 27th, 2010.  the small province of just over 700,000 residents made their collective voice heard loud and clear.  Time for a change.

Jake's team stares intently at the TV looking for any early signs of the election

I was in Miramichi on election day to spend time with a great friend and conservative nominee Jake Stewart.  Since our time in Rome, Jake and I have stayed in contact and our friendship has grown over the years.  He played guitar at my graduation party and we both taught in Korea at the same time and with his wife Shannon, we found a way to meet up, experience Busan, Ulsan, and Seoul even though we worked at opposites ends of the tiny peninsula.

Jake as he first heard the news that he was elected MLA for the Southwest Miramichi

As a councilor from Blackville NB, Jake found himself at the heart of an arsenic scare.  With his youngest son suffering from various illnesses, Jake found himself taking on the province and the Liberal government.  With his son making trips to the IWK and with no answers from the Liberal government, Jake was irate and let the Liberal party know his frustrations through the media and every other avenue available to him.  As a result, he has grown a reputation for being quick tempered but this is far from the Jake I know.  A kind intellectual and a father of three who is fiercely loyal and will always battle for what he feels is right. The kind of no-nonsense you'd like to see from all elected politicians.

Jake, with 40 other Tories swept into power on Monday and to see the community support was incredible.  The biggest cheer during Jake's speech was reserved for his blunt assertion that "I may not be able to do everything you ask but if I can't I will tell you to your face."  For a community, and our country for that matter, the honesty of his statement was a welcome change from the usual rhetoric of too many politicians.

Though I'm not usually a supporter of the Conservative party, I am always supportive of friends who aim to make a difference and in this case Jake has a real chance.  I look forward to following his political career.