GlobalFest 2013

I worked as a volunteer photographer for GlobalFest again this year. It was my second year participating in the event. I absolutely love doing it.

This year I really tried to interact more with people to get the shots I wanted. Getting the perfect candid shot is pretty tough. I suspect you need a keen eye and really quick reflexes. I think my eye is decent but I typically miss the perfect frame by a second or two. Instead of ruing about the missed shots, I decided instead to approach the subject, give them a little direction and get my "candid" shot. The effort paid off and I got a lot of great shots like this one, which I felt really captured a bit of the spirit of GlobalFest.

Keep shooting.

Ice Cream + Bike = Awesome!

I love ice cream and I love bikes. The two together make a perfect combination for me.

I set up this picture for a friend who needed some shots for a poster to promote her "Ice Cream Ride" to race money in support of the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride. Jen and I took turns posing for a few shots and then I asked some other people if they minded posing with their ice cream and my bike or theirs. I ended up with some really great shots, including this one.

Keep shooting.

Finally, A Good Fireworks Shot!

I shot a bunch of fireworks pictures this year. I shot Canada Day fireworks, I shot Stampede fireworks and most recently I shot the GlobalFest fireworks but I really had not been happy with any of them.

Until this one.

USA provided the fireworks on this particular night and they put on a truly amazing show. It got me out of my self-proclaimed fireworks slump.

Keep shooting.

Come Hell or High Water!

Only two weeks removed from some of the worst flooding in Calgary's history, come hell or high water has become the unofficial theme of the 2013 edition of the Calgary Stampede. Today the 101st Stampede kicked off with a parade and things went off without a hitch.

For the next ten days this city will take a break from the flood cleanup and blow off some steam. Awesome!

Keep shooting.

Canada Fireworks 2013

I picked a new spot to shoot Canada Day fireworks this year, right on the Centre Street Bridge where they originate.

I liked the idea of having downtown Calgary in the background but I was not so keen on the one streetlight in the foreground. Composing it out of the frame was possible but I thought the shot lost a lot of context. It wasn't the greatest location but you have to try it in order to find out.

What I did like though was after the fireworks display ended I took pictures of the crowd dispersing and walking back up Centre Street. It produced a really neat effect with the longer exposures.

Keep shooting.

After The Flood

The second day that I volunteered in the one of the hardest flood stricken areas, I brought my camera. I knew there wouldn't be much time to take pictures but I saw some incredible things during my first day of volunteering and there was only going to be one chance to capture them.

Later in the afternoon as we were looking for more people to help, I came across some cars that had been completely swamped in the flood. I peered in the windows and was absolutely blown away seeing the dry, cracked silt peeling away from the seats and dashboard. Even though I had spent the past two days in basements where the high water mark was four or five feet up the walls, I was dumbfounded to see these cars in their post-flood state.

Surprisingly, the doors were unlocked and the interiors were just as the flood waters left them. I was careful not to disturb them as I grabbed a few shots.

I have never seen anything like it.

Keep shooting.

The Flood

I remember standing on my 21st balcony overlooking the Bow River on the morning of June 20th. The weather forecast a day or two before had called for heavy rains in the mountains but on this particular morning Calgary was enjoying a warm, sunny summer day.

Hours later when I took a break from work and looked over the river once more, the water level had already risen a couple of feet.  The bike path under the Louise Bridge had become submerged under the grey, turbid water. Not until several hours later would I realize what was unfolding before me.