Wilf Schmidt and The Little Photo Shop – Photographers’ Work Spaces and Studios
March 29, 2010 | Filed Under Gallery & Workshop, Photo Studios and Work Spaces | Leave a Comment
I was in Kamloops this past weekend, the first time I’ve spent anytime there in at least three years. One of the last times I was there I’d come across this gallery/store on 3rd Avenue run by photographer Wilf Schmidt and I was curious to see if he was still there, and he was. Schmidt calls his place The Little Photo Shop and claims it’s “The World’s Smallest Photography Supply Store’. The former high school photography teacher sells prints of his own work but also stocks black and white film, Holga cameras and has a group of pinhole cameras in the back of the shop as well as other photo odds and ends. It’s a very cool space and it’s tiny which just adds to the charm. The shop is currently a little more crowded than usual as he is selling off his darkroom equipment and has the boxes stacked there. Hidden behind him is an antique safe, part of the original furnishings in the heritage building his store is located in.
Wilf in the ‘office’ section of his shop.
Wilf shows off a tiny camera that actually works. It originally came with rolls of film.
A few of Wilf’s photographs
Day 1 2010 Olympics
February 10, 2010 | Filed Under 2010 Winter Olympics | Leave a Comment
A travel day, my son Nick dropped me off for the 9am ferry, then bus to the Bridgeport Station and Skytrain downtown. A walk to the main media centre for what I thought was a 1pm photog’s press conference that turned out to have been moved to 10am. A wander through the press centre to get oriented and an opportunity to say hello to a number of photographers I hadn’t seen in ages. These big events are always a chance to catch up with people you haven’t seen in a long time, some a very long time. Then I had to Skytrain out to Burnaby carrying all my gear so I could drop off my clothes at my son Spencer’s . It’s a short walk from the station to his house, a short walk provided you aren’t carrying a ton of gear and clothing and it doesn’t start to rain which it did. Now I’m almost dry again so I’ll hop back on the Skytrain ( we get free transit rides with our media passes, thank God) and head downtown and see what else I can find out is going on and/or to shoot.
Calgary’s The Camera Store’s Peter Jeune, a volunteer in the photographer’s corrall
In from Toronto, the Star’s Steve Russell and the Globe’s Fred Lum
Vancouver’s Wendell Phillips
Victoria, BC native Greg Bos is a Reuter sports photo boss based in London, England
Reporters at work in the main press centre at Canada Place in Vancouver
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
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.
Prime Minister’s Controls Over Photographers Grows
November 7, 2009 | Filed Under From the Newspapers | Leave a Comment
An interesting article in the Globe and Mail regarding the growing control by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office over the photo coverage of the PM.
Here’s the lead on the article:
Minutes after Stephen Harper finished his now-famous rendition of With a Little Help from My Friends , the Prime Minister’s Office e-mailed Canadian media an arresting close-up shot of what it described as the gala piano performance.
Only it wasn’t.
The picture, which featured Mr. Harper framed by dazzling theatre lights, was actually snapped by a PMO photographer at a private rehearsal hours before the Oct. 3 evening concert.
My photo above was from a brief photo opp in Victoria a few weeks ago where photographers did have access.
Olympic Torch Run In Victoria
November 5, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
The Olympic Torch Run started it’s trek across Canada in Victoria with a lot of ceremony but luckily very short speeches in front of the Legislature.
Olympic medalists Simon Whitfield and Catriona Lemay-Doan light the first torch
Premier Gordon Campbell signals success as VANOC CEO John Furlong lights a cauldron with the Olympic flame brought over from Greece
Esquimalt Chief Andy Thomas holds up the Olympic flame inside a lantern at the start of the ceremony
School children watch as athletes leave with the torch
Ted Grant at Luz Gallery
October 21, 2009 | Filed Under Photography | Leave a Comment
Quinton and Diana hang photos for the Ted Grant exhibition.
The Luz Gallery opens an exhibition of medical photographs by Ted Grant. Opening reception starts at 6pm October 22 at the Fort Street location in Victoria. The Gallery also hosts a workshop by photojournalist Farah Nosh this weekend. Coming in March of 2010 Donald Weber will present a photography workshop and a grant writing workshop.
First Nations’ Art Unveiled
September 28, 2009 | Filed Under Photography | Leave a Comment
It always amazes me how often that you’ll get a run of assigments that are connected. This past weekend the photographer working ended up at two events where there were dogs wearing sunglasses. Last Thursday and Friday I had an assignment each day that was centred around First Nations art. Thursday was the official unveiling of the Darlene Gait/Butch Dick designed murals on the Ogden Point breakwater and then Friday saw the Lt.-Gov Steven Point show off the latest additions to the Government House art collection. The Luke Marston healing pole (below) is just another example of this amazing artists work. Three other artists had work on display, all excellent, although Marianne Nicolson, who had a stunning show in 2008 at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria was the only other artist I was familiar with.
Don Denton Website & Blog Updated
August 2, 2009 | Filed Under Blog, Website | Leave a Comment
My website www.dondenton.ca and blog have been updated and given a bit of a new look and a couple of new galleries added, thanks to Tristan Shouldice at Introvenus Design. Please check back over the next few weeks as I’ll be adding more photos to existing galleries and posting new projects. Thank you.
Ninety year old photographers, Photo-Snobism and more
July 17, 2009 | Filed Under From the Newspapers | 1 Comment
The New York Times has a feature on 92-year-old fashion photographer Lillian Bassman and an obituary for 98-year-old architectural photographer Julius Schulman.
Spacing Toronto on taking photographs of events from the photographer’s balcony.
A feature on Magnum’s Susan Meiselas at artdaily.org.
Interesting piece from Thoughts of a Bohemian on photo-snobism.
Dirck Halstead at the always interesting Digital Journalist revisiting the death of photojournalism
An important book pointed out by Jorg Colberg at Conscientious, The Last Days of Shishmaref by Dana Lixenberg. Say goodbye to the Arctic.
Check out the newly redesigned News Photographers Association of Canada site.
A day late but a nice piece about selling your own stock from A Photo Editor.