Drinking With Photographers
April 25, 2010 | Filed Under Personal Project, Photography | Leave a Comment
One of the downsides of living in a smaller place is that you have a tendency to feel isolated from the rest of the world. This week Don Weber was in town for a couple of workshops and it was a nice reminder of the wider world out there.
Thursday night I met up with him and a couple of other local photographers at a local pub and we had one of those great freewheeling talks over a few drinks that left me buzzing with ideas at the end of the night.
Don and I were joined by Deddeda Stemler, Sean White (the two just back from three months in the Philippines) and Duane Prentice, all local photographers although Sean is also a videographer, filmaker, producer etc.
We chatted about the basic (equipment and cameras) , we talked about travel, we talked about technical things and format but most of all we just talked about ideas. Everybody had different viewpoints but it was all agreeable and thought provoking. I don’t really know Duane, this was the first time I had had a chance to chat with him and while he was quiet (compared to the rest of us) he had some interesting insights and thoughts about challenging yourself as a photographer.
The next day I took a look at Duane’s site and was struck by the connection between his Remnants project, David Pollocks’s Sign, Symbol and Nature and my own Saltwater And Rain project. There are, of course, differences, for instance both David and Duane are using large format and I’m not. All are about Vancouver Island though and are concerned with the impact of landscape. It would be interesting to see a show with all of our work together.
Good Friday Walk with the Cross
April 4, 2010 | Filed Under Personal Project, Photography | Leave a Comment
For more than a decade now I’ve been trying to get out on Good Friday and photograph the annual walks with a wooden cross that some churches do. It’s a project I call Weight of Faith. It’s an event that’s great for a photo project, visually the cross is an amazing symbol. It’s also a rare example of mainstream Christians showing off their faith in public. I started the project while living in Calgary and have continued in Victoria. This year there was a good turnout for the Christ Church Cathedral’s Good Friday Passion Procession despite rain showers and really heavy winds.
Preston Is My Paris Photo Books
March 31, 2010 | Filed Under Personal Project, Photo Book | Leave a Comment
I’ve been enjoying the proliferation of independent photos books being produced by a variety of photographers and promoted by sites like The Independent Photo Book and Little Brown Mushroom.
One series of books that I’ve been ordering and enjoying are those produced by Adam Murray and Robert Parkinson, the two English photographers behind Preston Is My Paris. I really like their idea that you need to take your inspiration from wherever it is you live. Each book is different in style and design and they all have little touches that really make them unique, like the see through sleeve on Your Negatives or wrap around band on I am… Their newest book is the one shown first, You could be in London, You could be in Vegas, But you’re in Brierfield. It’s funny but so true for most of us. You can order their books through their publishing site here. They are sold out right now but will have more publications coming. Just so you know, Preston is in Lancashire, north of Manchester ( I admit, I googled it) An article on the pair and their projects here.
UPDATE ______They have a new book out Tokyo, check their site and see photo below.
Cherry Blossoms and Residential Parking Only
March 21, 2010 | Filed Under Personal Project | Leave a Comment
Spring is here with cherry trees in full bloom and boats still parked in yards and not out on the water.
Jordan River Winter Surfing
January 2, 2010 | Filed Under Personal Project, Photography, Photos, Sports | 1 Comment
Just another Vancouver Island winter day with the surf kicking up along the coast. Lots of surfers and kayakers out on the water. Weather ranged from pouring rain to a light mist although the sun came out on the drive home (typical). Word was spreading about the waves as more and more surfers were turning up throughout the morning.
Surfers head out
Beautiful BC wheel cover and surf board
Boarders and kayakers on the water
Waiting for the right wave
Catching a wave
Stand up surfer paddles back out
Surfers walk along highway
Dog on the beach, surfer on a wave
Happy New Year 2010
January 1, 2010 | Filed Under Personal Project, Photography, Photos | Leave a Comment
Who knows what surprises the new year will bring?
Merry Christmas
December 24, 2009 | Filed Under Personal Project, Photography | Leave a Comment
Working On Projects
November 11, 2009 | Filed Under Personal Project | Leave a Comment
It’s always interesting when working on a project how certain themes or subjects start to repeat themselves, often threaten to become a project in themselves. Boats have begun to show up in many of my island photos, it makes sense as we have such easy access to water but until you start looking you don’t realize how many people do have boats and how they store them in unusual places and how often they’ll have several, just sitting in the yard year after year the way people in other locales store old automobiles.
I was out this morning to Goldstream Park to work on another project dealing with spawning salmon. This male chum was still alive but barely, still breathing while lying on his side partly out of the water.
On Conscientious
November 10, 2009 | Filed Under Personal Project | Leave a Comment
It was more than a pleasant surprise today during my daily check of photo sites to click on Joerg Colberg’s Conscientious site and see one of my photos from the Salt Water &Rain project.
It was especially heartening as this is one of the first projects where I’ve moved away (or at least I feel like I have) from my newspaper photojournalism background.
The project is based on the idea that despite increasing globalization and commodification of culture we are all, no matter where we live, still strongly shaped and given identity by our landscape and weather. Those two factors work to keep us distinct. Living on the western edge, actually off the western edge, of Canada on islands, surrounded by the ocean and often, certainly in the fall and winter months, living in the rain and fog does affect how you live.
These photographs are an attempt to look at and understand that effect.
Suddenly Eye Surgery
June 21, 2009 | Filed Under Personal Project | Leave a Comment
What I thought was dust in my eye turned out to be a detached retina, so after a very quick round of eye doctor exams I found myself in surgery. Luckily the surgery (not my shooting eye, even luckier) appears to have been a success. After 72 hours of remaining upright (to keep everything in place) I’m now coping with a large black bubble bobbing about in my vision (the bubble was injected there to keep the reattached retina in place) that will take about 6 weeks to dissipate. A bit disconcerting but better than the alternative on not seeing at all.
While waiting in the hospital for my turn with the doctor I ran into Toni Tata, daughter of the late Sam Tata, the great Montreal based photojournalist and buddy of Henri Cartier-Bresson, so got to chat about Sam and his work before going in for my eye job.
Tried driving today and took this photo, will be part of a personal project on the west coast islands.
