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Last night I had the pleasure of experiencing a fantastic concert! Well, two of them, really. The concert was held at the Yates in Lethbridge with proceeds going to support the charity organisation Bridges of Hope, a very dedicated organisation of people who raise funds for the care of people in need in Africa, especially in Burkina Faso.

To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to this concert. I had arranged to take photos for the concert on a professional level, but I thought the music would bore me. I know, I know, how could I be such a cultural Philistine? But my main prior exposure to world music was listening to a friend’s new age music CD. And the music sounded like whales farting. So, armed with this utterly inaccurate view, I slunk off to the Yates Memorial theatre with my cameras.

Noumoufassa was supported by Joshua Reuben, along with vocalist Bridget Yarwood and percussionist Kurt Langrud. These guys opened the night and they played both original compositions and cool reworkings of recognisable tunes. They were a great start to the evening, blending virtuoso performances with a light, fun mood. They were joined near the end of their set by keyboardist and percussionist, Rex, from Noumoufassa, who added some funky bass to their songs. Then, after the intermission, Noumoufassa exploded onto the stage with highly energetic playing and acrobatic performances. I have to say that this was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to in my life, and as a lapsed musician, I’ve seen my fair share. These guys put everything they have into their show and it really comes alive in the most incredible-sounding and visually-entertaining way.

Twice during the evening Daniel Zopoula, the founder of Bridges of Hope, came and spoke quite briefly about the organisation and their goals. He is a passionate and well-educated man, but not someone who rants or bludgeons you with emotionally manipulative speeches. One thing he said really struck home to me and that was this: when the 2004 tsunami struck the nations around the Indian Ocean, around 200,000 people died and many people in the world rallied to provide aid. Yet approximately 150,000 people die in Africa every month. To learn more, please head over to the Bridges of Hope website.

You can still catch the show at two more locations in Alberta, in Red Deer and LeDuc. For more information check out this link. There is also a little YouTube video you can watch there to give you a bit of an idea of the music. However, with no offense to the people who made the video, it really doesn’t come close to capturing the energy of the actual performance. You really have to see them live to appreciate the show. If you’re anywhere in the area, go. You’ll have a whale of a time.

These images are not really edited, because I haven’t had the time, but I wanted to get something up on the blog right away. Most of them are shot at around ISO 6400, with some at ISO 8000.

We had an interesting start to the weekend. I had a wedding to shoot and my wife Sherri woke up with contractions two minutes apart. I texted my second shooter, Jessica, and told her that the labour was starting (the implication being that she may have to cover most of the wedding with someone else helping her, without me) and then called Sherri’s mum and asked her to come and be with Sherri. After that I left for the wedding, telling them to call or text me as soon as things started to really heat up and I’d drive in to be with Sherri, leaving my second to finish up.

Sherri went to the hospital and they told her that, yes, she was in labour, but she had a while to go yet. In the end, I shot the wedding for our contracted time and got to the hospital for the final three hours of labour. The couple were really understanding and even sped up their reception so we could get the important shots and then leave! They did their cake cutting, dances, and bouquet and garter tosses back to back. I certainly didn’t suggest this and Jessica would have easily covered this on her own, but they wanted to give me something in return for me being there for them that day.

When I got to the hospital I didn’t want to bring a camera. I wanted to be there as a father and husband and not as a photographer. Sherri and her mother pretty much told me to bring a camera though, so I grabbed a D700 and single non-zoom lens. I took a shot as soon as I arrived, to make sure I had the exposure and everything set. Then I left it on the side-table.

Sherri did really well. She did not have any drugs of any kind or really any medical interventions. Our main nurse was very nice and the obstetrician was great, too. The pushing part went from 11:15pm to 12:43am, when our baby girl was born. Sherri saw her and cried, “She’s so beautiful!” while I thought, “She’s kinda goopy and very similar-looking to other newborns”. I have since revised my assessment. I think the moment of birth, both visually and Sherri’s reaction, will be with me forever.

When she was born I was hovering over the N.I.C.U table as they examined her and Sherri called out, “Take photos!” So I scurried across the room for the camera. The images that I took were more from obligation than something that I took any thought about. I pointed and clicked. They’re not even cropped or properly edited. Funny how I feel more attachment to them than anything else I’ve ever photographed.

The N.C.I.U people said, “She’s so perfect it’s not even funny” and left her with us. We stayed there over night, since it was already very early Sunday morning, and we left in the afternoon. Here are a few photos. I’m holding some back to respect the privacy for the hospital staff in them.

Recently I had the pleasure of working with up-and-coming model Chantal and her boyfriend Andy on a shoot that was recorded for Global TV. I think this is my fourth time on TV and I’m actually getting used to it now! Man, the first time was freaky, even for someone who used to perform in live bands and act in amateur theatre! But this time it was a breeze and Chantal and Andy were very easy to work with as well. Of course, it certainly helped that our cameraman, Chris from COGO Productions, was super calm and professional, too.

The idea was to do a regular engagement-style session and record it for a TV commercial for Global. So I went through the sort of things that I would do for an engagement shoot and directed Chantal and Andy, telling them to interact and pose in ways that suited their personalities. We had a lot of fun. Chantal, especially, was really into the whole image-making process and both of them were up for anything, so we ended up shooting for quite a while, continuing long after Chris had packed up his video gear and gone home for dinner.

We started out in the Henotic restaurant and then spent a bit of time in an alleyway, before heading out to a nice big field just outside of town.

You can see the commercial on Global’s network, mostly around the 6pm to 7pm timeslot during the next couple of weeks or so. And here is a selection of images we got from the shoot.

I have something a bit different this week: photos of us! After over six years of marriage without ever having our photos taken we finally had some done. I had been thinking about this for some time and when we had the opportunity I called Dave from DQ Studios and made a time to get ‘em done. Well, I tried to, anyways. But between our schedule, winter, and Dave and Quin’s crazy flying all over the world schedule it took a couple of months before we made a date that stuck.

It was weird being in front of the camera for a change. And it was especially weird not being in charge! I had to follow directions instead of telling other people what to do! But Dave and Quin are a fun couple and I had confidence in their exceptional photography abilities, too. If anyone could make me look good it was them. It was actually a great experience being on the other side of the camera for a change, because it’s been so long since I was regularly a subject instead of being the photographer. So it’s given me even better insight into how our clients feel when we take their photos.

When I first made the appointment Dave asked me, “How do you feel about junkyards”? He’d recently met someone on a flight who owned a wrecking yard in Calgary and so he was all fired up for a shoot at this new new location. I’d never done a shoot in one either, so I was definitely interested. I’m always up for new things.     I brought along my guitar—that’s what you do at wrecking yards—because I think it’s can be cool to have some kind of props that show an aspect of who you are.  Apparently, the aspect of my personality I showed was that I take musical instruments to strange places.  It was good to have though, and it probably made me less self-conscious, because it gave me something to do.  That’s a hint to potential portrait clients. 

Dave and Quin were really easy to be subjects for and I’m glad we chose them.    On a more personal note, it was great to spend the time with Sherri and I think the photos and the photo session managed to bring us even closer, somehow.  I think looking at the photos and seeing yourselves from the outside looking in can give you a new perspective on your love for each other.  It was an unexpected benefit of the whole experience.  Here are some photos.