Jellyfish Heart
Jellyfish Heart is a series of prints taking a very close look at one of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures – jellies, in this case the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish. Washed up on beaches along British Columbia’s coast, the jellies contain a universe within their gelatinous confines, as they have for almost 700 million years.
Editions from this series are available for purchase. Please get in touch if you are interested in an archival, fine art print.
Vancouver Folk Music Festival 2012, Part III
Here’s my final post from this year’s 35th anniversary Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Sets one and two are already up, so check ’em out! This time around you’ll see the following artists: River City Extension, Wazimbo, Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, Alejandra Robles, The Head and the Heart, Dan Mangan, e.s.l., The Cave Singers, K’naan, and the Johnny Clegg Band. If you still have a hankering for an even larger collection, head over to my flickr set for some more context, audience and musicians.
So, what caught my ear this year? Well, everyone you see here – that’s why I shot ’em! The best part of this festival is discovery – with more than 60 groups, that’s a serious amount of talent to uncover. New Jersey’s River City Extension really blew me away at their concert and in the workshop setting. I suspect these guys (and gals) are onto something big here. Their new album Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Your Anger is solid through and through – great songwriting, fantastic arrangements and a real push/pull feel to the song cycle. I’ve listened a number of times since the weekend and love it – a new summer soundtrack.
Wazimbo from Mozambique had an incredible voice that drew me in immediately. H’Sao from Chad/Quebec sure knew how to throw a party. The Wood Brothers had a great feel – stompers, chasers and ballads with a minimal three-piece set up. British Columbia’s e.s.l. were super fun, particularly on the 1-5 Meets The 99 workshop where they were paired with Dan Mangan, The Cave Singers (personal faves I’ve yearned to see at Jericho for some time – that’s new member Morgan Henderson above), and The Head and the Heart (buzzed about Seattle band with those sweet harmonies). It was one for the books and they wrapped it up with a raucous Rocky Raccoon. Hungary’s Besh o DroM killed it each time I saw them, especially with Geoff Berner at the Wedding Party workshop. K’naan is a bonafied superstar if the audience reaction was any indication. And closing out Friday night was Vancouver’s Dan Mangan and his tight nine-piece who drew more photographers to the pit than anyone in recent memory.
Regrets? With such a stacked lineup, there were a few but I really wish I caught NYC’s Blitz the Ambassador who were absolutely incredible by all accounts. Sidi Touré, all the way from Mali, would have been nice, too. Dang. Well, there’s always next year and all those other, unbeknownst-to-me acts ready to blow my socks off. Congrats to the 1400+ volunteers and VFMF staff for pulling off an incredible weekend on the beach. Here’s to another 35!
Vancouver, 2012.
On The Salish Sea
A lone oarsman on the Salish Sea, as seen from Mace Point on Savary Island, BC.
Vancouver Folk Music Festival 2012, Part II
Here’s my second batch of shots from the 35th annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival at Jericho Beach Park. I hope you enjoyed the first set. In this second collection you will see Ani Difranco, H’Sao, Veda Hille, Besh o DroM, Geoff Berner, Alejandra Robles, Wazimbo and more. Stay tuned for more…
Vancouver, 2012.
Vancouver Folk Music Festival 2012, Part I
This past weekend was the 35th anniversary edition of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and it was another doozy. Held at Jericho Beach Park in Vancouver’s westside, this is definitely one of the year’s highlights for me. I’ve been shooting, and later coordinating, photography for the fest for just about a decade now and I can’t imagine a summer without a weekend in the park. Shooting the stages, artists, festival goers and general revelry is a blast. The crew I work with are all incredibly talented photographers and together we try to capture the spirit of the ‘Folk Fest’.
Here is a first selection of shots from VFMF 2012. Performers in this batch include K’naan, The Cave Singers, The Head and the Heart, Wazimbo, Dan Mangan, The Johnny Clegg Band and e.s.l. As I edit, I will post another gallery with many more!
Vancouver, 2012.
Cordoba Crumble
Cordobá, Argentina, 2007.
Bicycle Portrait: Gregor Robertson, Vancouver’s Bicycling Mayor
A number of months ago – back when it was still winter in these parts – I had the opportunity to photograph Vancouver’s mayor, Gregor Robertson. I had a window of 30 minutes scheduled with the man and two locations close to City Hall I had scouted in advance. Well, the busy mayor was a bit late, so those 30 minutes soon became about 15, give or take. A kind and soft-spoken fellow, Mayor Gregor arrived with his trusty Rocky Mountain – the same bike he has been riding since the 1990s – and a Happy Planet container in his bottle cage. Fitting for a man who chooses to shop and eat locally when possible, Rocky Mountain grew from our North Shore mountains and Happy Planet, well, that was his juice business before politics came calling. We had a successful shoot, recalling my days as a newspaper photographer and getting the shot in 5 minutes or less. 15 was a luxury!
Of course, I was shooting him for Momentum Magazine, so we were interested in his urban BikeStyle. He describes it as “suit & shell” and divulges his love for cycling in a downpour….with the right gear. Here are a few shots from this session.
Check out the July/Aug edition of Momentum (#57) online and on newsstands now.
Vancouver, 2012.
Spirit, They’re Gone
On the topic of fine art prints, here is one from a series called Wilderness Impressions. It’s an ongoing project, exploring the dynamic of the backcountry as an ever-changing landscape. You can peruse the series-to-date right here. The image you see above is entitled “Spirit, They’re Gone” and is available as a signed archival print. I have been looking at finishing images from this series on 2mm aluminum for a frameless, modern look. A 20×26″ framed edition has been exhibited at Vancouver’s Photohaus Gallery in 2011. Let me know what you think!
Spirit, They’re Gone / British Columbia, 2009.
Edition options available.
A Polystyrene Landscape
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to photograph some artists working on a public art installation for Vancouver’s Robson Street. Our shoot took place out in Surrey at Mansonville Plastics, where extruded polystyrene foam goes to be recycled and reborn into new forms. Still working on the edits for these artist portraits – which I will share soon – but here’s an interesting scene from our location. Sure gave me pause for thought – not only about how much of this polystyrene is out there in the world, but the many uses for huge chunks of light, insulating, industrial material available.
Surrey, BC, 2012.
This Is East Van: Orders
This Is East Van is a community photography project now publishing it’s second in a series of books depicting life in East Vancouver, as captured by the community. I was fortunate to be a contributor to the first book with four of my shots making it to print. Interestingly, each image somehow related back to the bicycle, my chosen tool for neighbourhood exploration and community engagement. A camera and a bike = the perfect way to get to know your city.
Just over a year after the first edition and This Is East Van 2 is about to be released. I have one image in the second edition – a piece called ‘Orders’ that you will see above. Taken at Budgie’s Burritos at Kingsway/Main, just a few blocks from home. I’ve been there a few times, to say the least. A framed, signed print will be available at the show for $160.00 and I would love to find a great home for this piece.
So please, join me at the launch party and photography exhibition Saturday, July 7 at the Interurban Gallery – 1 E Hastings Street in Vancouver, BC. The exhibition will run until July 28, 2012.
‘Orders’, Vancouver, 2011.
16×20″ framed & signed digital archival print.
Meeting Fires Creative 