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.

I Like My New Hat...

I got a new hat last week. I thought it would make a good prop for stock pictures and, you know, just generally wearing around town.

I took it out for a spin today and shot some stock. I like it.

Keep shooting.

Birdhouse

Jen and I picked up a cute birdhouse for her mom on the weekend.

I just had to grab some pictures for stock before giving the gift.

Keep shooting.

Crocuses at Canada Olympic Park

Last week Jen and I met some friends at Canada Olympic for a bike ride and I managed to get a shot of the beautiful wild crocuses.

Normally when I got out riding I rarely take camera gear but on this particular day I wanted to try out my new Lowepro Flipside Sport 20L AW. I have had the bag for just over a week and I absolutely love it! It has quality construction, it is very light and it stows just the right amount of gear. So far I have taken it on a few walks about town and a couple of bike rides and I am extremely pleased with its performance. It was a very good purchase.

After our first lap we took a quick break and I popped on the backpack full of camera gear. I wanted to try a few action shots and test out the backpack's performance as we completed a second lap. We were almost done our ride when I came across this cluster of crocuses as the sun was just starting to set. I pulled off the trail and set up for a shot.

Jen grabbed a shot of me while I was shooting the wild flowers.

Keep shooting.

Drama

April was an insanely busy month.

I was shooting stock nearly every day and I added over fifty images to my stock portfolio. It was my most productive month shooting stock ever! I did a bunch of goofy, almost cartoonish images but I started to get tired of the same old thing so I switched up the lighting and notched up the drama.

This is what I came up with.

It was refreshing to shoot something a bit more challenging and it turned out to be my favourite image of the month.

Keep shooting.

Eggs

I shot a bunch of stock today and this particular shot was one of my favourites. It's a simple shot but I think that's what I really liked about it.

Keep shooting.