I can’t believe I have lived this long without a proper cataloging program for all of my digital photography. After a few tutorials and reading how-tos, I finally dove in and figured out how to use it! Thankfully Lightroom Beta 3 has similiar features as RAW so learning the basics of LR was fairly painless! I am astonished at the speed of my results, it’s highly efficient in quickly cropping, adding effects and with more than 1 photo at a time!! The bonus is the logical structure for cataloging your images! All this within a few hours from initial shoot to distribution. Check out my first slideshow. . .

Had a fun time at GURU Digital Art Colleges ‘2nd Annual Gala Guru’ and Twestival.  Was delightfully impressed with the hilarious, funny and talented ukulele cover band the BeArthurs.  Latitude 53 was an ideal venue with just enough space to mingle and meet new folks in the digital media industry.  Creative conversations where plenty, along with funky interactive displays. Lastly, the animated film screened by guru students proved that these recent grads are prepared for whatever the digital industry will throw at them.  Enjoy a few photos of the BeArthur’s and check out their live show if you ever have a chance, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

BeArthur’s on Youtube

BeArthur’s on MySpace

It was memorable to feel the spirit at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and witness  first hand a collective energy that I will never forget! The power of collective support is incredible and watching the growing success of the Canadian athletes was truly inspiring and motivating and made Canada truly proud.

Other than watching all my favorite athletes compete, my additional interest while there was to capture events at the Aboriginal venues that featured a  growing number of talented Indigenous musicians and artists from across North America.  The Four Host First Nations 2010 Aboriginal Pavilion drew huge crowds and quickly became a symbol of pride and success for Aboriginal Peoples all across Canada. The Talking Stick Festival featured fantastic performances nightly with First Nations, Metis and Inuit  dancers, writers, and musicians. Here are some moments from the week I was there.

Client: City of Edmonton   Process: Design and Illustration

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Over two weekends recently, I attended a Beginner and Intermediate photography class at Vancouver Photoworkshops.  Classes started with lectures in the morning and various shoots in the afternoon.  Instruction went beyond the fundamentals with LOTS of shooting both indoors and outside. I appreciated the relaxed learning environment,  having access to professional models, all the various lighting gear, the location (lunches where easy with a short walk to Broadway St.), and a down to earth instructor.  If you are you looking for a great next step to advance your basic digital photography skills, but don’t have the time to commit to a 10 week program? Then, Vancouver Photoworkshops is for you!  Check it out and happy shooting. . .

Many thanks to the instructor Syx Langman and Models Jennifer and Marissa Gough

www.nograffito.com
www.pixchannel.com
www.dpreview.com
www.joemcnally.com
www.danburkholder.com
www.6sk8.com

Client: Linda Duncan MP Edmonton Strathcona   Process: Design and Illustration

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Finally had some time to do some camping in Southern Alberta this past summer.  We drove from Edmonton to Calgary then to Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump then Fort Carleton and finally our destination Milk River.  This place is literally a little paradise in the middle of nowhere?  It felt like we where driving for ages and then suddenly we where amongst the hoodoos and a desert like oasis.  We body surfed down the Milk river during the hottest time of the day, hiked to the Police Coolee and met a rattle snake on the way.   Everynight I started to experiment with night photography tutorials I found online.  It was a great spot for photographers since every night at sunset the colors would come alive with deep blues and fantastic red and orange highlights everywhere. I happily took photos to my hearts content.  Enjoy a few of my favorites.

The golden ratio is an irrational mathematical constant, approximately 1.6180339887. Other names frequently used for the golden ratio are the golden section and golden mean. Other terms encountered include extreme and mean ratio,medial section, divine proportion, divine section, golden proportion, golden cut,golden number, and mean of Phidias.

At least since the Renaissance, many artists and architects have proportioned their works to approximate the golden ratio—especially in the form of the golden rectangle, in which the ratio of the longer side to the shorter is the golden ratio—believing this proportion to be aesthetically pleasing. Mathematicians have studied the golden ratio because of its unique and interesting properties but I am simply fascinated with it’s history and use in design.

I have always had an interest in the Moroccan culture and in 2007 I finally had a chance to explore Northern Africa. I first arrived in Marrakesh on a flight from Venice during late August. I was met at the airport by a driver from the Riad Djemmana who thankfully drove us to the Medina and carefully directed us to the Riad. The Riad Djemmana was absolutely fantastic and I recommend it to anyone who wants to experience staying inside the Medina.  They provide beautifully decorated and air conditioned rooms, high speed wireless internet, delicious Moroccan meals and friendly staff. While in Marrakesh, I enjoyed a hammam bath, toured the El Badi Palace, explored the Jemaa El Fna Square, bought a Berber Kilim rug and had the most memorable dinner at the Comptoir Darna.

My next destination Tangier was a long but relatively pleasant twelve hour train ride from Marrakesh. Tangier is located near the Straight of Gibraltar and is also the entrance to Europe via Malaga, Spain. I stayed with two friends who where locals in Morocco and they invited me to join them at a relatives wedding during my stay with them.  With no hesitation, I agreed to join the celebration and with approval from the family I also had a chance to photograph a berberiska henna ceremony and the wedding the following day!  I am forever grateful to my friends for their kindness, generosity, and wonderful family.  Check out some of the photos from the trip.

Location:  Marrakesh and Tangier, Morroco – August 2007