Well, New Year's Eve came and went. I celebrated by dragging my best friend to a 10 band bill at the Stetson for the Calgary Beer Core's Punk vs. Metal finals.  Thrash metal band Blackest Sin took the top honours for the evening after a few days of deliberation (read: curing hangovers) by the judges. 

What a night! What chaos! What fun! What copious amounts of liquor!  It was a real treat to spend the night with such great company. I had my camera along with me, but opted to only take a few shots per band and spend time with my friend instead of being glued to the viewfinder. It was sure an odd change to view bands through regular eyes and ears rather than a lens, I often found myself not knowing what to do with myself, what are people supposed do with their arms when they're not taking photos? Do you cross your arms and look mad?  Do you jump into the mosh pit with reckless abandon? Do you drink two beers at once? I tried for a clumsy combination of all three. 

Even without spending the entire night behind the camera, I managed to walk away with some nice shots for each of the bands that played with the exception of my own. Someday I'll learn how to do on stage selfies and play at the same time for the ultimate self indulgent experience.   Until then, I rely on you gentle readers, armed with your iphone in one hand and slopping pint of beer in the other. 

Here's Blackest Sin during their winning performance of the metals:

Select photos from the entire tournament and finals can be viewed here

Happy 2014 everyone, see you in the pit!

As I was leaving the bedroom after a mere 4 hours of sleep yesterday morning, Mikey's voice came from the darkness with two words for me "You're mad" he said, "Yes, I have to agree with you" I replied, and headed out the door to go find a sunrise.

I had somehow misplaced my snowpants from the last adventure day, but I thought, I'm going to the prairies so how bad could it possibly be out there? Exhausted, I arrived in Dorothy just before sunrise and quickly grabbed my gear out of the truck and headed into a field to set up and instantly sunk in the snow up to my thighs. We have been getting record snowfall amounts in Calgary, and apparently east of the City is no different. I grumpily set up my tripod, plunked my bum down in the snow and started shooting the grain elevator I had come to see bathed in morning light.  

Dorothy is a picturesque ghost town located on the "Hoodoo Trail" in the Badlands of Alberta, and one of my favourite prairie towns to visit. The grain elevator is not the only building worth shooting, but by the time I had gathered my photos of the building, I was soaking wet, freezing cold, sleepy, hungry, grumpy, craving more coffee but most of all I just wanted to go home and go back to bed. I know, I'm such a party pooper!

Knowing that I had captured the photo that I came for (no more and no less) I cut my adventure day short and begun the two hour drive back to the city. When I drive, my eyes wander around looking for more picture possibilities and then I saw a perfect row of trees that had been planted for a windbreak.  Yep, that would make a good picture, I thought and kept on driving, anxious to get home.  But the image of the trees plagued me for several kilometres down the road even though I tried my best to ignore it, trying to convince myself that there are trees everywhere (It's the prairies after all, known for it's abundance of trees). Finally, just as I was reaching the next town on the way home, I succumbed to the nagging photographer in the back of my mind (sometimes she can be a real pain) turned around and drove back up the highway to find that row of trees again. I begrudgingly hopped out of my truck and shot a few frames and then turned around again and went home for a nap. I'm happy I went back for the photo, I'm glad the little photographer that lives in my skull is so convincing.

 I absolutely love adventure days, but they can sure take a toll.


 

I was fortunate to catch a few of Calgary Beer Core's Punk vs. Metal shows over the last few months, both as a performer and a photographer.  The camaraderie, encouragement and beers shared between bands is always great to see at these shows, even though technically they are competitions. 

In previous years, the Beer Core dedicated their November and December shows to raise money to buy toys for kids and donate them to a local charity.  This year, they took a slightly different approach and raised money for a family in need.  Because of everyone's generosity at Saturday's punk vs metal gig the bands and fans were able to raise over $900.00 to make one family's Christmas a bit merrier.  My hat is off to everyone who made that happen.

It's been a great few months, the talent in this city never ceases to amaze me and I'm definitely looking forward to the finale at the Stetson.  It's 10 bands for $10 on New Years Eve. And yes, this is absolutely a shameless plug, not only will I be there with camera in hand, my band will be one of those on stage as well. Hope to see you there!

 Here's to a few...

I have to confess something, I'm scared of bears.  I've spent most of my life living in areas where it's not out of the question to have a bear wander through your front yard so while I have a good level of respect and a great deal of education regarding them, it hasn't helped my adrenaline levels from unnecessarily shooting through the roof when I'm out in the woods. 

While Mr Bastard and I were vacationing in Wells Grey Provincial Park (British Columbia) in the summer of 2012 we ran into our fair share of bears.  We even chased one out of the campground one morning before we went on a nearby hike (you see where this is going yet?)

The campground we were staying at was quite remote and the hike we were going on appeared to be even more so as we had to use my 4x4 truck to get us up a trail (apparently it was a road?) in order to even get to the trail head. We parked the truck and started our hike surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful, lush wild raspberry bushes. Prime place for a bear to hang out. Great. Just Great.

After already chasing a bear earlier that day my spidey senses were screaming to pack up, go back to the city and spend the rest of my life surrounded by safe loving concrete, but we kept going deeper into the forest.  It was the kind of hike that you bang sticks together and talk about how awesome the cold eggs and burnt toast you had for breakfast was just to make enough noise to keep the teeth and claw club away, but not enough noise to occasionally hear a rustle coming from somewhere in the dense raspberry bushes.  

Whenever we heard a rustling noise we would freeze and listen for a moment, trying to pinpoint from which direction, how far away it was and more importantly -how big.  We discussed turning back, but we had already made it half way through the hike so we pressed on. Finally, the rustling noise became very very close and we froze on the trail yet again, not knowing which direction we would have to use as an escape. I was having a mild heart attack in the middle of the forest when we finally spotted our culprit as it leapt across the trail mere inches in front of us.  An adorable little toad.

We laughed it off and continued our hike but we didn't stay very long at the waterfalls we had traveled to see.  By the time the truck was in view again, I practically sprinted towards it and leaped inside, happy to be safe away from the toads and other murderous creatures in the raspberry patch.

Note: Not that I have painted a particularly appealing picture of Wells Grey Provincial Park, but I do sincerely recommend exploring the area if you are able, especially if you are the kind of person that enjoys frolicking through forests and looking at water. Still water, rushing water, bubbling water, falling water.   It's an enchanting area of British Columbia with crystal clear lakes, numerous waterfalls and a lot fishing and wildlife viewing opportunities. 

After going on a shopping spree to pick up some new winter gear, I needed to test it out!  Had I known less than a week later, southern Alberta would be engulfed in a full blown blizzard, I may have been able to save some gas money, but catching the sun rise over Bow Lake was well worth it.

I woke up at 3 am to shower and grab some coffee and snacks, I was surprised to find out that Mr. Bastard was awake and planning on joining me as photo adventures are exceedingly boring for those without cameras.  I was happy that he came along though, company is always nice

The road conditions from Calgary all the way up the Icefields Parkway were less than ideal and the drive was slow going, lots of black ice and drifting snow on the highway. We were in the middle of a chinook and the wind gusts were polishing the pavement with snow.  Good thing we left early because we arrived at Bow Lake not long before sunrise. We had very little time to trek through the waist deep snow ( Just in case you thought walking through waist deep snow sounded fun, you are mistaken. It sucks.) and onto the ice.  Fortunately, the ice was clear and the frost flowers were in full  bloom. Something I have not yet had the opportunity to see in person, they are beautiful little formations that delicately flutter in the wind.

We hung out on the lake for the better part of 2 hours and were treated to a beautiful sunrise before the sky clouded over.

When working on my Rubber Ducky series, I expect to sacrifice a few of the little dudes in the process, it's part of their job and I don't care to risk it all just to save them from their fate. So I was not at all surprised when I lost Ducky #1 to the river one afternoon last year, but I did not expect the tragedy to unfold quite how it did.  

I showed up at the weir on Calgary's Bow River, a great spot for watching seagulls and other birds. I had been there before and knew that the seagulls liked to hang out at a particular portion of the bank, my plan was to set up Rubber Ducky and retreat a short distance away and wait for the gulls to return.  The gulls must have gotten my memo because it wasn't long before they returned and I was able to start snapping photos. 

What I expected to have happen to ducky was that a bird would inadvertently bump the little dude off the bank and into the river. Like they don't know how to control their tail feathers, but that's not what happened at all. I should have known better.  

A bit of time had passed and the majority of the gulls had moved down the river a bit, but one conniving gull remained and sidled up beside wee inanimate ducky. I could tell by the way the bird kept slowly side stepping towards ducky, that the gull was up to something.

Before I knew it, the gull had very deliberately and precisely flipped ducky on it's side and then kicked him into the river, like booting rubber duckies into a watery grave was just all in a day's work.  I know, you totally don't believe me do you? Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, though I have to apologize for their poor state. The photos I managed to capture of the murder itself are blurry to the point of being unsalvageable.  I was laughing so hard I could barely sit upright, let alone operate my camera.   

There are two types of items that I absolutely can not keep track of no matter how hard I try, they are sunglasses and lens caps. If I had a nickel for every time I lost one of those items, I would have enough nickels to buy a few replacements and probably piss off some retail clerks in the process.

Fortunately, I subscribe to the "Know Thyself" train of thought and I purchase replacement lenscaps in bulk from the interwebs and I refuse to purchase sunglasses that cost over $7 because I know I will lose them immediately.  (And yes, I've already checked the fridge but all I found in there was last week's potato salad and my car keys)

My latest pair of sunglasses (They cost me a whopping $1.00 and they're so stylish *cough*) have me seeing the world in a brand new light.  Literally. I'd put them somewhere around a #85 warming filter.  I get the warm fuzzies every time I try to decipher what colour a traffic light is, is it yellow, red or just sooo pretty against the sky? I feel like I'm perpetually wandering around in a utopian golden hour, it took me a moment to get used to but now I don't want to take them off. The warm light just puts me in the best moods.  Seeing the world through non-sunglassed eyes has actually become a bit of a bummer since the light is so drab and normal looking.  However, the office is a bit too hard to navigate with them on and I'm getting tired of hearing people sing Corey Hart songs at me so I save the sunglasses for those special outside situations (ie: daylight).

Normally I think my photos tend to be a bit on the cool side, I just love those chilly looking blue tones.  These new sunglasses have me thinking it might be time to thaw those photos out so I am issuing a challenge to myself - more warm toned photos. Finally, a cure to my winter season depression. There will be happy warm snow and happy warm ice in the middle of happy happy warm November. So if you see me posting too many cool toned photos this winter, tell me to snap out of it because it's too cold out for cool toned photos.

No, not camera gear, but it's just as important to landscape photography as the camera itself.  It seems fitting that I'm writing this post after the first winter storm of the year,  I finally caved and went on a shopping spree and got the winter clothing I've had my eye on. I've been putting off getting new winter gear for ages, but last year the winter landscapes tried to best me so this year, I'm ready.

My "Sessions" winter jacket is designed for snowboarders and skiiers, I really enjoy these jackets because they have a lot of internal pocket space for cell phones/ipods and spare camera batteries. They usually have zippered vents to cool you down and prevent you from sweating which is very important when you need to stay warm.

It also has a RECCO reflector which I have never heard about until today.  If you are caught in an avalanche many organizations have RECCO detectors (including the majority of search and rescue organizations in my favourite landscape photography areas)  From what I understand the reflector has a diode that generates a harmonic when it is hit by the radar signal from the search equipment.  Obviously, it doesn't make up for using common sense while out in the wilderness, but it's nice to know that if I get buried in an avalanche my body could be located. 

The next item I splurged on is a pair of thermal socks.  I put them on the moment I got home and went to shovel snow in some thin shoes, what a difference these socks make, I'm actually quite surprised and now I'm excited to put them to the test out in the mountains.  

Speaking of feet, I also picked up a set of ice cleats that strap onto your regular boots.  This year when I venture on to Abraham Lake I'll be better prepared for the ice, now I'll have to find a set of camera backpack cleats so the wind doesn't blow it away from me again.

The last set of items are a pair of gloves that will work with touch screens, no more taking my gloves off to use the phone, they are also thin enough to operate my camera gear.  I also picked up a pair of electric warming mittens that run on batteries. They were relatively cheap so time will tell how effective they are but it's worth a shot. It seems no matter how much I try, I can not keep my fingers warm and I've had to miss out on great light in the past because I had some mildly frostbitten fingers and could not stay outside any longer.

So, bring it on winter, I'm ready for you this year. 

My photo "Improper Ventilation" has been the most expensive photo I've produced to date.  I like to say that with an air of pretentiousness until someone actually believes me and then I tell them the rest of the story. The cost to produce this photo is somewhere in the range of gutting and rebuilding the entire addition on my house.  If you're interested, prints are available for sale for approximately the same cost as a few batts of insulation.

Here's a handy dandy tip for you, if you have a hot tub inside your home, opening windows and doors doesn't count as proper ventilation (It's my first home and first hot tub... who knew?!).  It's also great if you can verify that the materials used to build the area surrounding said hot tub aren't just made to look like they're moisture proof.  In our case, drywall had been nicely wrapped  in textured wall paper to look like moisture resistant material (and when I say wrapped, I mean they were wrapped nicer than your Mom wraps sneak proof birthday gifts).  In fact, the drywall was wrapped so nicely, that when the ceiling began caving in last spring it was the wallpaper that held the whole place together. 

The funny thing, as disgusting, messy, unhealthy and smelly as the whole ordeal was, I quite like the patterns and tones in the photo I managed to capture.   Today, I'm happy to have a new moisture resistant and propertly ventilated room and, maybe this makes me weird, but I have a snazzy print of mouldy drywall hanging on my new walls.  

There is a right way and a wrong way to flash the band. Both are distracting in their own ways but generally one is more accepted than the other. Having been on the receiving end of both good and bad flashes I thought I could share some insight.

The right way to flash the band often (but not always) involves the female form and a briefly exposed pair of breasts shown as appreciation for the music. It often results in many members of the band missing a note or two but overall it increases morale for the band and that results in a much better show for the audience.  Also acceptable for showing appreciation for the band is moshing, beer spitting (in some scenes) and tasteful microphone hijacking for those raucous sing along chorus.

Very important and serious side note:  Obviously I do not play in the kind of mysogynistic bands that encourage women to "show us your tits"   because we all believe breast viewings offered out of love and appreciation for the band are better than ones offered to shut the assholes on stage up.

We believe bands who piggishly demand boobie flashes from audience members should take a course on manners before being allowed back on stage.

The wrong way to flash the band has to do with photography and I can honestly say that getting blinded 97 times during a 30 minute set is 100% annoying.  (I'm not bitter, I'm just sayin it kind of sucks)  Stage lights, while hot and bright, are typically gentle enough on the eyes as long as you don't look directly at them, kinda like the sun.  On the other hand, surprising bursts of bright white light eminating from the audience and directed towards the face are both distracting and painful. They often result in missed notes from the one blinded member of the band and it makes that blinded member of the band look like a hack.  It also sucks for the audience members who happen to be stuck behind the flasher.

On the photography side, unless the photographer has a firm grasp on the technicalities, flash has a tendency to wash out the stage lights in your photos which are half the fun of photographing live music performances.  If you have to use flash (and sometimes it is necessary, especially when photographing those elusive bass players and drummers that lurk in the shadows or to achieve a certain style ) be a considerate photographer and use those bright lights sparingly or, even better, ask permission from the band first.  Remember my photographer friends, it's the band's show, not yours so try not to hog all the attention with your light show.  Super bonus points if you can remember to put the camera down and enjoy the show.