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Misadventures in the Canadian Rockies with a side of Punk Rock May Long - Day TwoSleep. Glorious sleep.... is what I would have had if Creepy dog hasn't recently learned that when I wake up, she gets breakfast. Needless to say, she has also learned that 10 minutes of pathetic whining, followed by barking and dancing on the bed is a good way to wake me up. Awake, and early too. Thanks Creepy. Having spent the last day driving and pouring my weekly allowance of fun money into my gas tank, I was hesitant to hit the road again. My alternative option was to tackle the increasing pile of house and yard work and so I compromised and took a quick trip out to the Elbow Falls area just outside of the city. Sitting around doing nothing makes me a bit antsy, but then again... so do chores. I have always wanted to find a good way to the bottom of the falls so Creepy Dog and I parked a few kilometers away and started hiking up the river bed. We didn’t last long. About 10 minutes later I began to see some rather large paw prints in the mud. Originally, Creepy dog was brought into our lives to help keep me safe when I’m out in the forest, but now I would do anything in my power to keep her out of harm’s way including bare knuckle boxing a wolf if I have to. So if looking out for the dog (never mind my own safety) means giving up on a good photo opportunity then so be it. I opted not to find out if the trail of prints lead to someone furry and hungry and we turned around and wandered some trails populated with a few more humans. The camera stayed in the bag for another time. It happens.
A few hours later I found myself at home with sunset quickly approaching and a location that I have been itching to revisit on the opposite side of the city. I left Creepy in the capable and loving arms of her treat dispensing toys, threw my bicycle in the back of my truck and sped up the road. I arrived at the Glenbow Ranch parking lot just as the sky began to change colour and raced down the hill on my bike. I arrived at the bottom with my hair blown about wildly, sniffling and watery eyed from the wind and bugs peppering my teeth. Lucky for my sense of vanity, the park was absolutely deserted. The solitude found so close to the city is something that always surprises me considering it's beauty but for now - I don't mind having it all to myself. The park is large and I have only begun to explore what it has to offer, sticking to just one single location for now until I get it right. I set up the camera and snapped away while the local Ravens sat in the trees behind me and told me stories.
Satisfied with what I captured and with a deceptively long hill to climb to get home, I packed up and started pedaling upwards. By the time I reached the top, I had started mentally berating myself for owning more than a point and shoot camera. The backpack will only get heavier over time, if nothing else, this photography habit will help whip me into shape. May Long - Day OneIt rained. It rained a lot. It wouldn't be May Long weekend without a bit of weather.... Friday evening was spent taking in the newest Mad Max movie, not the greatest idea right before bed. With adrenaline coursing through my veins and visions of my truck welded onto a bigger truck and wielding flame throwers I fell into bed and drifted off while contemplating the pros and cons of a 4x4 vs tank tracks. I woke up Saturday morning and for the first time in a long time - I had absolutely zero obligations. With visions of highway dancing in my head, and Mr. Bastard headed north to live out his own Mad Maxian fantasies (next time you see him, ask him why he's limping and how difficult it is to jump from one moving vehicle to another......) I packed up my suddenly substandard truck, grabbed Creepy-dog and hit the road. I had a specific photo in mind that I wanted to make and it required a rather robust flash light, five minutes later and I found myself in the Canadian Tire parking lot with soaking wet feet. We were off to a good start.... Creepy and I arrived in the Crowsnest Pass shortly after 1 pm and pulled into the parking lot at Lundbreck Falls. Our first order of business was to immediately get the rest of ourselves soaked with a quick jaunt around the area to scope it out. Wet feet, newly wet clothes, shivering wet dog and a sudden hankering for warm coffee and lunch, we hopped back into the truck and roared towards Blairmore. Already soaked, I thought nothing of wandering around town for a little bit to give Creepy some exercise, I was delighted to see 6 train engines roll through town, though I decided they wouldn't be nearly as cool in a post apocalyptic Mad Max world. I stopped in at a local coffee shop for a cup of java and headed back towards a municipal campground to cook up a bit of lunch. I set up my picnic in a shelter while Creepy investigated every disgusting little thing on the ground. Hoping to keep her occupied while I ate, some of my stir fry "accidentally" wound up on the ground. Now when Creepy hears the words "oops" she suddenly pays very close attention to me. The lunch break didn't warm me up however and soon we were back on the road with the windshield wipers and heater on full blast. I stopped in at Lundbreck Falls once again, this time armed with a rain suit, boots and an umbrella (Dignity be damned, I need one of those stupid looking umbrella hats). I left Creepy in the truck and huddled next to the river bank to snap a photo in the time between waves of families pausing occasionally to assist the odd tourist with their vacation cell phone photos. One tourist even went so far as to apologize to me for the small size of his cell phone camera compared to the 30 pounds of gear I was lugging around. No need to apologize, the cell phone photos I snapped this weekend outnumber my "real camera" photos by about 10 to 1. Convenience is King.
After I was satisfied, I rejoined Creepy in the truck and together we headed for Waterton National Park. I was expecting the same glorious mountainous views as I'm normally greeted with in the area, but instead we were treated to a flat grey cloud that covered the landscape nearly to the ground. We wandered around the town, had a bite to eat and then I settled in at Cameron Falls to wait for nightfall. I had a particular vision for this set of falls but as the rain began pouring down harder than before soaking me and my camera gear faster than I could mop the water up, I took a consolation photo, tucked my camera away in it's soggy bag and headed for home. I wasn't too upset though, the falls aren't likely to go anywhere and like most landscape photos - sometimes it takes a couple of visits before everything lines up in real life the way it does in your head.
The drive home was typical of May Long weather, strong winds blew the rain across the highway in horizontal sheets lit up with headlights from the oncoming traffic. Soon after getting onto the northbound highway, the pouring rain turned into a dizzying pouring snow. After 12 hours on the road, I was glad to finally be home, dry and tucked into bed. Perhaps Day 2 would be a little more comfortable and successful.
Press Gang CD ReleaseGig photography can be immensely fun and rewarding, combining both live music and photography in to a single riotous event The challenges that arise with capturing the lighting and frenetic movement of the performers all while dodging drunken party goers guarantees to keep every gig interesting. On the opposite side of the spectrum, once the final guitar has been loaded into the van and after a solid night of sleep, the editing process begins. Often this means hours of colour correction, small edits and the occasional journey into photoshop on each individual photo. Unless the lighting at the venue remains constant (which is very rarely the case) batch editing just isn't an option, so after a rowdy night of music, Sunday afternoon rolls around (and usually several evenings after Sunday too) and the routine is to sit on the couch ignoring the sunshine outside and pick apart each image. At times it can be boring, tedious even frustrating work, as image after image requires similar but slightly different treatments all at the expense of having a life beyond the computer screen. But sometimes when the energy of the crowd and bands reach a certain threshold the photos become more fun to edit and I look forward to finishing one image so I can dive into the next. Such was the case of the Press Gang album release, the culmination of nearly a year's worth of hard work by the band. A great deal of promotion from everyone involved in putting on the show meant a celebratory atmosphere now that the big day had arrived. I was on hand at Dickens Pub to capture the night, it always goes by so much easier when the bands are so damn good. I really enjoyed seeing Magdalene, Citizen Rage and Craic the Lens bring their own individual styles to the stage and as always, the Press Gang delivered. Here's a few select images from the night, with more to come in this album in the coming days. I'll also post a link to the Press Gang's youtube channel for you to check out in the next few days as their entertaining new video should be posted soon. DIY done right. As always - thanks for looking!
I do apologize about the rampant watermarking these days, I've been finding a lot of uncredited instagram filtered photos of mine pop up lately. I get annoyed when I work hard to get the colours the way I like them only to find some brown coloured version floating around the interwebs. and latelyI haven't posted in a while, I've been quite busy with life. Summer has arrived early and the mountains have been calling, I've had a few hiking adventures with friends and have also been volunteering to help organize an upcoming art festival in Calgary. Fun and games aside, I've also been working on a few different sets for some band's upcoming albums that I thought I'd share so you know I haven't been neglecting my camera altogether.
The Press Gang - Album release is May 9, 2015 at Dickens Pub Class Action - album coming fall of 2015
Gear Review: Youngnuo 622N TX (Nikon)I'd picked up a set of YN622N radio transceivers about two years ago and tried to use them with a master speedlight (SB 700) on camera and another SB700 off camera. They did work but they were not reliable in the slightest. I hadn't bothered picking them up since the day they failed me at a wedding and I was really disappointed (read: pissed off) with them. They sat on a shelf for 2 years and a few weeks ago I considered selling them and started poking around the internet when I noticed that Youngnuo had come out with a separate radio controller for them (622N-TX). I sent Mr Bastard on a long weekend rush hour errand run to pick one up before my shoot yesterday. He was not happy, but I was. (He is too good to me)
They're ttl capable and they also support manual modes, a few different groups available and 3 channels to shoot on. I'm really happy with them (and happy I didn't sell the receivers before I gave them one last chance), especially since the 2 receivers and controller only cost me about $175 altogether. I shoot with Nikon, but from what I've read the Canon versions are even snazzier. They get a solid thumbs up from me, and I'm so excited to play with them again I might even have to update my head shots soon.
I'm Back in the Game!It's been close to two months since I was able to stand up while holding a camera viewfinder to my face without tipping over like a little teapot. While I still have trouble with my balance, occasionally stumbling around and giving the impression that I pour vodka on my cornflakes in the morning, as of yesterday morning I'm back in the game! The game being one that requires me to wake up at 2:45 am. The game that pushes the limits of my gas tank on a gravel road somewhere South East of Calgary. The game that pits 42 cups of coffee against 1 bladder. Ah yes, sunrise on the prairies. Thanks to the magical powers of google, I had found a location near Cessford that I put on my to-shoot list this year. I left the house around 4 am with a couple of highway numbers in my head- hoping that I could find the location in time for sunrise, but not expecting to be successful even finding it, let alone in time. Somehow, the Google Gods had smiled on me, and I arrived promptly at 7:00 am, minutes before the sun was about to rise. I put on a second pair of pants, my boots, snow pants, sweater, other sweater, jacket, toque, and gloves, grabbed my tripod and camera bag and walked 6 feet to a barbed wire fence. Put down the tripod, the camera bag and then stared at the fence with the age old dilemma: Over or Under. I chose under and with my puffy un-bendable layers of clothing- managed to weasle my way through like I was Angelina Jolie dodging laser beams - except 300 pounds heavier and with the same grace as .... Okay, fine, I looked like a flailing walrus but at least I made it through without any clothing casualties. I set up the tripod just as a speck of sunlight peeked over the horizon and began quickly rising. It didn't take long before I abandoned the tripod and spent the next 20 minutes capturing as many compositions as I could. Darting from one side of the ruins to the other chasing the sun through the window frames. I had my 11-16mm lens on, and after I had grabbed the compositions I wanted, I thought about switching to a longer focal length to get some variety, but the sun rise happened so fast, I didn't dare take the split second to change lenses for fear of missing something important. A perfect reason to go back another day.
Exposure Festival 2015Last Friday marked the opening of my Exposure Festival exhibition at Verns in Calgary, my first time in a solo show. It's a large collection of photos I've taken at punk gigs over the last few years of the musicians, fans and venue owners. The opening night went fantastic with performances by Evan Symons, Franky Frog Liquor, Nevertime High and the Bloody Hells. We had close to 160 people come through the door over the course of the evening and I've been told that people have been trickling in ever since then. The majority of viewers are members of the music community and they have given me some wonderful feedback, stating the photos are definitely a nostalgic trip for them as I had hoped they would be. As always, but perhaps now more than ever, I am extremely grateful for their continued support. So to those of you who came to the opening or even just stopped by on your way to another show - thank you.
The space- our beloved basement venue, has hosted bands, burlesque troops, poets and even the occasional theatre troop, over the course of it's existence. I played my very first show ever with The Rigormorticians on it's weathered stage. While perfect for the content of the photos, it wasn't exactly ideal for a photo show with comically uneven walls (dart boards) and poor lighting. After several failed attempts to hang some large pieces of foam core (4 ft x 4 ft) from the ceiling, I eventually had to concede defeat and by the end of day 2 after receiving yet another message from a friend informing me that the display was all over the floor, I resorted to an emergency plan and used a bit of spare lumber to prop the displays up. It's not the prettiest looking way of holding photos up, and there's more duct tape behind those white boards than I care to admit, but I just keep telling myself that it all adds to the Do It Yourself punk attitude and authenticity of the display. Despite all this, my new friend Martin Aak still had this to say:
"If you're downtown in the next few days, I recommend that you take some time to visit Verns Bar on 8th Ave across from the Globe Cinema to view this exhibition by photographer Llisa Bastard. She's done excellent work here to document musicians in Calgary, many in live performance! Her ability to use existing light and approach to composition to capture the "live" action is outstanding!" So swing by Verns (622 8 Ave SW Calgary) and check it out if you get the chance, let me know what you think, and please - don't look behind the boards.
Dawn on 30I recently celebrated my 30th birthday a few weeks back and months before Mr. Bastard had booked a weekend stay in a cabin nestled underneath the impressive Castle Mountain in Banff National Park to celebrate. The plan that he would hunker down in the cabin and let me have a weekend with my camera was a pretty sweet one and I was looking forward to. It was a good idea in theory, but a few weeks back I was in the throes of some rather hilarious but life interrupting vestibular issues which led to some compromises from both of us. I think deep down Mikey already knew the answer when he asked what I wanted to do on Saturday morning. He was probably hoping that because I couldn't walk in a straight line to save my life, or sit in a car without feeling like I was piloting a space ship, that I would be happy to stay close to the cabin, but that's never the case when my camera is close by. I decided to take the 2 hour head start afforded to us by staying the night outside of the city, to go just a little bit further into the mountains for sunrise than I can normally make it. Because it was my birthday, and I couldn't drive, Mikey got to wake up at 4am to chauffeur me through freezing rain and snow to Waterfowl Lake to make sure the sun came up. (Lucky him!) The sun indeed rose as it said it would and I clumsily photographed the mountains while trying my best not to tip over sideways, relying on the tripod for balance.
The next morning, there was no convincing Mr. Bastard to ruin a perfectly good Sunday morning by waking up earlier than we're known to go to sleep on the weekends and tackling another sunrise scene, so I decided I would walk down the road from the cabins to an old standby location. The river next to the highway and under Castle Mountain has proven to be a good location time and again for many a photographer, and it was the best that I would be able to reach that morning. The proximity to the cabins was a real treat as I woke up, showered, cooked myself some breakfast and bundled up with plenty of time to spare. I stumbled and staggered and swayed and swaggered my way down the road, crashing into snowbanks and giggling at the irrational footprints I left in the snow. I made it to the river, surprised to see the ice and snow had significantly melted over the last day, and plunked myself down on a bit of ice and waited for the sun to arrive. Rain gently fell out of the sky and the ice that was piled up on the banks of the Bow slowly melted out from underneath me leaving me kneeling in a steadily flowing stream melt water. It was a nice quiet morning and I was happy to begin the next decade of my life so peacefully. I had the place all to myself for a few hours, but by 9 am I was freezing cold, soaking wet and it would soon be time to check out of the cabin. Later, I grinned as we drove away at noon, and saw the crowd of photographers in the same location I'd had to myself all morning. They had all missed the best part of the show.
VertigoI have mysteriously come down with a case of vertigo this past week. Attempts to to bring a camera to my face have so far led to me tipping over sideways like a little tea pot - comical, yes, but not conducive to good picture taking. My plan for an early morning shoot East of the city has been postponed until I can drive again without feeling like I'm in a spaceship and any photo editing (a poor consolation prize if you ask me) has to be done in tiny little increments. I thought it would be a fitting time to show some of my series of impressionism photos. It's at least a semi-productive way to bide my gravol ridden time while I wait for this little episode to clear up. (I'm trying not to be a whiny little brat about it, I'm just sour because I've lost a good portion of my independence) A number of these photos were shown in the 2013 Exposure Photography Festival at Dickens Pub. They were achieved with various techniques - panning with slow shutter speed, jogging, throwing the camera in the air and vaseline over the lens (on a 99 cent UV filter, for the love of photos - don't put the vaseline directly on the lens!) It's a really easy and fun way to take a new approach to the same old scenes.
Print DrawOops, I forgot to mention here, I'll be giving away a 12x18 print to one lucky winner over on my facebook page for my birthday. Yes, my birthday and you get presents- steal of a deal. The contest draw will be January 25
New YearNew Year's Eve came and went leaving me feeling like I'd run a marathon while playing Jeopardy. Physically, mentally drained and happy as can be. The day started off with a pre-dawn walk around Glenbow ranch. After two 3:30 am wake up calls for mountain trips the previous days, I was not looking forward to another early morning. A quick check of my weather sites while laying in my comfy bed convinced me otherwise - partly cloudy, low ceiling and a good strong wind. The near perfect conditions had my feet touching the cold bedroom floor before I had time to protest. I had the entire park to myself as I set up my tripod around the old Glenbow Store at first light. A chinook wind was threatening to blow through the valley, but it wasn't trying hard enough, by the end of my walk I was shivering and my water bottle was frozen shut. The sunrise over the city was beautiful enough to provoke a text from Mr. Bastard making sure I had made it out of bed for the occasion. I haven't had time to fully review the mornings captures but at first glance, I'm not entirely happy with how my own photos turned out. They're missing that "something" still so I'll have to keep exploring the area and visiting until I get it right. I can't be upset about the early morning wake up, a location has to have it's first photo run through and they can't all be wildly successful. It would have been nice with a few more hours of sleep though, because a few hours later I was host to a few friends at my place and soon we were off to the Stetson for a 10 band New Year's Eve show. The culmination of the Calgary Beer Core's Punk vs Metal tournament (props to Thrashadactyl who won this years competition) I can only compare the amount of physical and mental exertion of shooting a 10 band bill to shooting a wedding in high speed. Bands are on and off the stage within 25 minutes leaving little time to get the required shots for each act. Especially since I try hard not to impose on the band or the fans experience, it ends up being a lot of crouching and sneaking through the crowd trying not to be a giant douchebag with a camera. Operative word is try, as it's sometimes difficult to be discreet. By the end of the night, I had turned into a roving portrait photographer capturing groups and couples in their blissful states as well as the usual slough of incriminating photos that come with the territory. One friend even remarked how impressed she was at my ability to make people look good, and refrain from posting the embarrassing photos publicly. I may not be able to exercise self restraint around a Havarti cheese sandwich, but I can bring myself to hit the Delete button. As the clock struck 12, I found myself balanced on top of a PA system trying to catch some of the celebratory action, completely forgetting about the tradition of kissing someone at midnight (read: Husband-guy) I can officially say that I rang in 2015 with my camera. Oops - sorry Mikey! Here's a few photos from the night. If you enjoy seeing these, make sure to come to my exhibition at Verns (622 8 St SW Calgary) for this year's Exposure Photography Festival. My show runs February 20 - 28. The opening night will feature some great bands and joyful hugs from yours truly.
The Highs and Lows of 2014Ok, I have a blog therefore I'm obligated to do a year in review post, is that how it works? 2014 was a strange one, photographically speaking it was full of a lot of highs and I'm happy that it has been my most successful year yet (though I intend to say that of every year), but personally, it was a challenging year and I'm very happy it's nearly over. I'll let you know about the crappy parts of 2014 - but I'll keep the downers to a minimum, that's not why the internet was invented: A few weeks after bringing her home, our new puppy was attacked by wild dogs while I was on a sunrise photo shoot. It happened right before our 3 week European vacation setting us back a large chunk of cash, though without the amazing generosity of some good friends (and strangers) we would have had to cancel our trip altogether. Creepy recovered fairly well aside from some behaviour issues that continue to improve over time. The attack on the poor pup scared the hell out of me and it has been a long road to even be able to leave the safety of my vehicle for those sunrise photos I love so much. I have managed to gather the courage to leave my truck by myself exactly one time since the end of May, though I'm determined there will be more.
Shortly after Creepy's attack every appliance in the house broke at the same time and then at the end of summer our neighbour started a 2 alarm fire and nearly burnt down both of our houses. It was, as one friend pointed out "A very grown up thing to have to deal with" When the tree between our houses lit on fire, priorities were surprisingly very straight: Evacuate beloved Roommate, Capture terrified little Dog, Grab Photos. I attempted to find my Grandfather's banjo but I had, in my super quick thinking as the power lines lit on fire, shut off the breaker box a bit prematurely and couldn't find the banjo in the dark. Fortunately, the damage to the houses was minimal and only our wallets and insurance ratings suffered along with some stuff. Just stuff. This past autumn also marked the end of both of my bands, one petered out naturally and The Rigormorticians went out with a bang with the release of our final album. I'm sad to see it go as I credited The Rigors with a large portion of my identity and feel as if a part of my "self" is missing now. I am adjusting, though I'm quite looking forward to playing bass in new projects when they arise, especially ones that don't require dealing with the multitude of annoyances that come with being covered in fake blood, even if it's minty fresh flavoured.
Fortunately, through all this I had photography as a constant passion to distract me, motivate me to better myself and challenge me to face my fears. Plus, now that I find myself with a lot more free time, it keeps me busier than ever and I'm excited to see what the new year brings. So without any further woe is me self indulgent BS, on to the happy year in review stuff!
On the photo side, and the brighter side, 2014 was a lot better looking. I was a top 10 contender in the Alberta Emerging Photographer contest (for the under 30's). I've been told that I had one of my photos on a billboard though I never did get to see it in person.
I put together another successful Sixth Degree Collective exhibition for the Exposure Photography Festival, this time on my front lawn. I stuffed about 80 people in my house for the opening party and then stuffed the guests full of chocolate chip cookies while musicians kept tunes flowing out of my basement. I was even asked to speak a bit about my own photos in the exhibit at a small gathering put on by the Exposure Fest. I did speak. The words were coherent. Some people even laughed at my jokes -always a bonus when they laugh with you.
A big plus for 2014. (Really, I'm not being facetious) I bought some rubber boots. Finally! (How sad has my life become that an $11 pair of ugly rubber boots makes a year in review post) I still have a tendency to overstep my boundaries - with the boots - and wind up with soaking wet feet, but I'm learning. They really do open up new possibilities for photos, not that the lack of boot ever stopped me before, but at least I'm more comfortable now and less likely to get hypothermia. Now if I could only find some gloves that I don't immediately rip off when I'm trying to work I'd be set.
I added an 11-16mm 2.8 Tokina lens to my arsenal this year, a lens that I don't know how I lived without for so long. She's pretty, she's beastly and she's a lot of fun regardless of the situation - landscape or punk rock shows. I have managed to keep the gear acquisition syndrome to a dull roar, and I only buy items once I simply can't go on without them, but I had my eye on this one for a while and I was thrilled to see it in my camera bag at last.
A definite highlight of my year was living out my dream of showing my camera around Iceland. I was also able to add a much needed visit to my family in Denmark to the trip as well. I left my heart buried in the black sand beaches on the southern coast of Iceland and I can't wait to go back. I have been slowly editing photos from the trip and adding them to my Iceland gallery, there are prints available if you're so inclined.
I also ramped up my work with the Calgary Beer Core, taking over their Instagram account and managing to attend a good number of punk/metal shows in the City. I do love a good rowdy gig and there were plenty to choose from this year. I had an impromptu collection of photos turned into a collage for the annual awards show this year which planted an idea in my head. The ongoing photos of the punk and metal community over the last several years has provided me with enough material to put on a solo DIY show, so I let my mouth do some talking before my brain could convince me otherwise. The show will be at Verns for the next Exposure Photography Festival in February (but that's 2015 year in review stuff)
The biggest joy this year though has been the introduction of our pup Creepy Bastard, making our little family feel complete. So from our family to yours, have a safe and joyous holiday season and a here's to a great 2015. See you next year!
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