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

Poet P.K. Page dies at 93

January 14, 2010 | Filed Under Literary Photographer, Obituary, Photography, Portrait | Leave a Comment 

Renowned Canadian poet, novelist, artist and librettist,  P. K. Page has died aged 93 at her home in Oak Bay, British Columbia.

Just two days ago I’d stopped by the Cadboro Bay Book Store and asked Amber what was new in the store and she pointed out a new chapbook Cullen by P.K. Page, published by Outlaw Editions. I bought a copy and after heading out realized I was passing by the street P.K. lived on so I turned back and drove up the street thinking that if I saw someone at the window or other signs of activity I’d stop by and ask her to sign the book. The house was quiet and dark though so I drove on.

I remember a few years ago during a photo session the conversation turned to aging and facing the end of one’s life and she said (as I remember it) that she was not afraid of dying, what terrified her was not having the chance to finish all the creative ideas she had.

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.

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.

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.

Diver Riley McCormick

June 9, 2009 | Filed Under Photography, Sports | Leave a Comment 

Saanich diver Riley McCormick is a young upcoming Canadian athlete who’ll be someone to watch at the next summer olympics.. Travis Paterson wrote about Riley and about the amount of time he spends falling through the air each month while practicing. He’s not only an amazing athlete but seems to be a really nice young man as well, very personable, clowning with the younger kids who clearly look up to him. The shoot was easy, lots to photograph and he has no problem with the camera following him around.  The only challenge were the diving shots as the light at the pool was fading.

McCormcik warms up with handstands that mimic his diving platform stance

Watching the younger divers around him train

Taping his thumb, broken during an earlier dive

A practice dive

Say Goodbye To The Canadian Museum Of Contemporary Photography

April 12, 2009 | Filed Under Photography | 1 Comment 

In this era of cuts to the arts and the cancellation of the new Portrait Museum, the fact that the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography has been effectively eliminated as a standalone entity seems to have slipped under the radar. A good article by Randy Boswell in the Ottawa Citizen for anyone interested in the full story. It seems strange that the Canadian government can’t support institutions like this when other countries such as Australia can.