Outer Shore Photography

Two dresses are better than one...

2012-01-06T00:09:00.000-08:00

I love wedding dresses. Really. Out of context they are absolutely ridiculous but on the day-of, they are magical. Without a doubt they are one of the objects that transforms a wedding from a mere party into a once-in-a-lifetime celebration and they certainly make wedding photography more fun than it should be.

You can imagine my excitement when I showed up to the venue to find that there was not going to be just one, but two dresses. I mean, I don't want to get all weird about it but c'mon, it's like double the magic.

Even better than the dresses, however, were the ladies wearing them. Weddings are potentially kinda stressful situations but Mel and Annie were amazing: seriously chill, seriously funny, and pretty obviously seriously in love.

And to make matters even more fabulous, they chose to have the whole shebang (wedding and reception) in this lovely old house in a park in Tsawwassen...

...with decorations like this...

...china like this....

...and jewelry like this.

It was the type of wedding that (almost) made me want to get married..

...and it was most certainly the type of wedding that made me happy to be involved with weddings.

I'll have gravy with those fries...

2012-01-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

As a born and bred West Coaster I harbour the requisite amount of guilt over only speaking one of Canada's official languages. As such I was more than a little surprised when I got a call from the good folks at Francouver to take photos of their first annual Poutine Festival.

In the name of transparency I feel I should mention that I haven't eaten meat in over 20 years (and there is no arguing that gravy is essentially easy-to-pour meat). Thus, given my ignorance on both the flesh and language fronts I couldn't possibly imagine how something like a festival based on extra-messy fries could possibly fly here in BC. I couldn't have been more mistaken.

Turns out this thing was a BIG deal. There was TV and radio coverage from both English and French CBC and a huge amount of funding came directly from the government of Quebec.

There was a massive "Poutine Crawl" (in which participants walked or rode the bus to restaurants around Vancouver, while collecting points for various challenges), children's activities (including a potato sculpture contest) and various Quebec-based musical guests. The best part though was a poutine cook off in which pairs of chefs came up with amazing poutine-based concoctions that were served and judged throughout the night.

In what can only be described as a truly Vancouver moment the winning recipe went to these two guys who dreamed up a Peking-Duck-tine.

Yup, that's the kind of night it was!

Seriously, if you missed it this year don't make the same mistake next time around. Vive La Francouver! Vive la (le?) Poutine!

My Favourite Thing...

2012-01-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

Repeat customers are always a pleasure to deal with and Mike, Sarah and Ryder are three of my favourites.

Every year since Ryder was a mere bump in a wedding dress, the four of us have met up for an outdoor family photo shoot. It's really great as I know them, they know me and once every twelve months or so we get a chance to walk around, catch up, and record just how much their little family has grown.

Of course one of the bonuses of having folks who keep coming back is that we all know the routine: nobody's scared of the camera, I know just how much outrageous banter I can get away with and there is a tiny little touch of tradition that forms a little more every time we meet.

This is exactly the type of work that I started Outer Shore with the hopes of being able to do. Thanks Mike and Sarah; your business is appreciated more than you know.

Dave and Jess...

2011-10-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Intentionally or not every wedding has a theme.

Sometimes it's predicated on setting, sometimes on decor, and sometimes on something less tangible.

In the case of Dave and Jess this theme showed itself right off the bat.

And while the decorations were certainly lovely to look at,

the ceremony was funny, warm and touching,

and the setting both spectacular and intimate,

that which made this particular wedding so incredibly special,

is that it clearly and utterly pointed to the fact that...

whatever else we may or may not have going on in our lives,

it is the people around us who matter.

Dave and Jess's wedding was, to my eye, an example of how much joy a community of committed family and friends can bring one another.

And while the bride and groom may have been the focus of this particular occasion,

their union is really about creating a situation which is much much more than the sum of it's parts.

It was a pleasure to be a part of.

The Waterfall Building...

2011-10-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

The following photographs are from a wedding that I recently shot at The Waterfall Building near Granville Island. While the clients (very private, very lovely people) have asked that I not use any identifying photos they have been gracious enough to let me show you a few detail photos as this was one of the highlight weddings of the summer. Thanks you two, it was great working for you!

Angela and Nick...

2011-10-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

While Angela and Nick are getting married overseas they thought it might be nice to get some pre-wedding shots closer to home...

..and when you think weddings and Vancouver the only real choice is Queen Elizabeth Park.

We were lucky enough to get one of the few sunny days so far, no small feat given what seems to have been endless spring showers.

As is so often the case when one is wandering around in one of our city's most beautiful parks, everything felt relaxed and green and perfect...

...and the affection and fun these two seemed to have in each other's company reflected the warmth of the day.

Nothing fancy, nothing over the top, just a couple of people in love; just like it should be.

2011-10-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

Anniversaries, Birthdays and Family...

I come from an extremely small family: our reunions tend to look like a few disparately-aged folks getting together for beers on a Saturday afternoon. Not so with the Morewoods. Turns out Paula and Henry's 50th Anniversary and Henry's 80th Birthday fell in the same year so to celebrate they rented out a good chunk of the Pacific Shores Resort in sunny Parksville, BC, flew in a bunch of family and, well, reunited.
This is Paula:

And this is her husband of 50 years (and newly minted octogenarian) Henry:

And here is the clan (It's Henry's birthday so he can do whatever he wants with his tongue).

Imagine, if you will, your boss saying something like, "I want you come up with a project that will make you really happy and then I want you to do it." That's kinda what shooting this reunion was like. For two days I got to wander around one of the prettiest towns on the Island and take really casual shots of relaxed, welcoming people having a good time.

We hit the farm...

...we hit the beaches...

...we hiked around Englishman River...

...and we just generally hung out and had a good time.

Notice I'm using the pronoun "we" an awful lot. I can't overemphasize just how open and lovely everyone in this family was as they truly made me feel like I was just one of the cousins who happened to own a couple of expensive cameras. The only real directive was to be sure and "get some nice portraits of the grand kids" which, ya know, is pretty much my thing anyhow:

While reunions are certainly not the bread and butter of Outer Shore it sure is nice to be able to change it up once in a while...

... especially when you're made to feel like one of the family.

Love in the city (Part 2)...

2011-10-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

As promised, they went ahead and did it: Kristen and Tyler got married! And while every wedding is special this was one of the ones I was really looking forward to.

For starters, it took place in one of my favourite spaces in Vancouver, the Heritage Hall on Main Street. It's got all the fixin's: the building is gorgeous, the interior is classic and the bathrooms are stunning.

None of this was lost on the betrothed (a pair of designers by trade) and there were beautiful little signs of creativity everywhere one looked.

After the ceremony we headed down to the local community garden for a few shots...

...and then on to fuel up at the nearest hipster $7 coffee spot where the barista was extra thoughtful.

I have to admit to having my expectations about this particular wedding blown out out of the water a little. The fact that Kristen and Tyler were very specific about wanting an "urban" engagement shoot, coupled with their rather sophisticated professions led me to assume that this event would be a pretty slick one.

Rather it was one of the most heartfelt, family-centred celebrations that I've seen in a long while. And while there is no doubt that, aesthetically speaking, this was one well thought out wedding...

...it was readily apparent that the most important part of the celebration was the folks doing the celebrating.

Perfect match...

2011-10-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Dave is a good friend who I know from working in the bicycle industry. Jessica is his stunning fiance, a woman with class, style, wit and, apparently, a love of men with encyclopedic knowledge of Hip-hop history and bike parts.

Dave's mother did not raise any fools and as a result he knows a really really really good thing when it smacks him upside the head. As such, while the two of them were on a motorcycle trip around Europe he popped the question. Obviously Jess accepted.

Anyhoodle, as part of the celebration we grabbed a blanket and some sushi and headed down to Whytecliff Park in West Van. It was a beautiful night and even though we were getting low on light, we managed work our way around the rocks.

Also present (with something blue) was Jess's best lady and one of my favourite people Rosie. Her job was to keep the bats at bay and throw in a cynical remark or two whenever I started to use my professional photographer voice.

They're getting married on Bowen Island. That's Bowen over there. (For the record this shot was not my idea although I kinda wish it was).

When I decided to use my background in photography to go into the wedding market I was a bit worried that I would have to swallow my pride and take image after image of couples staring longingly into each other's. Not so! Take the following, for example:

While I'm not sure exactly how it happened, D and J got to frolicking a bit too violently and Jess ended up getting her bell rung on the manicured Whytecliff lawn. While it's not yer typical engagement shot, for some reason it really speaks to me about the quality of caring between these two.

Dave and Jess: there really is something about them...

...something that says they're going to have an awesome run.

Somebody's gotta do it...

2011-05-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

While I'm not really a big fan of air travel (you try folding a 6'5" frame into a coach seat) there are some jobs that make even the most arduous sequence of flights worth the effort. One such job was Frederique and Isabelle's wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

While all the obvious niceties of shooting a tropical beach wedding applied, there was the extra bonus of being brought along as a second shooter. They had already hired a (French speaking) local photographer to cover all classic wedding photos and it was my (non-French speaking) job to capture everything that went on behind the scenes.

For those of you that haven't been to a wedding it should be noted that if there is any stress to be observed it invariably plays out around the main event. As such, being the behind-the-scenes guy is about as much fun as one can have while still getting paid: nobody really has any expectations as to the shots you're supposed to come up with so you can pretty much fall back on your natural style and have a totally rad day with a camera in your hand.

That's not to say that I don't love shooting the whole circus, but given the choice who wouldn't want to modify their job so that all stress was stripped away while leaving all the challenge and interest intact?

Don't get me wrong, it was still work. After all the sun was really quite bright and dealing with the intense hues of the tropical sea was, ya know, almost challenging. But like the professional I claim to be I put my nose to the proverbial grindstone and got the job done.

Yup, just another day at the office...

Merci Frederique et Isabelle!

The Annual Easter Portraits.

2011-04-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

This year Graydon's mom was in San Francisco for the Easter long weekend. Thus, being two men alone we quickly secured an invitation to dinner at the cousins. Of course everyone under 10 was in a chocolate induced hypertrance, but in between bouts of mad circle running and cross-eyed trampoline double bounces we managed to get a record of how much the kids had grown.

Happy Spring Everyone! See you all in the wedding season!

Not my thing, but still...

2011-04-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of many aspects of the modelling world and while there are lots of interesting things going on in fashion photography I'm not really drawn to it as a profession. Every once in a while, however, I get a call to do headshots for aspiring actors/models and every once in a while I'm forced to admit that some people are meant to be in front of a camera.

Stacey is one of those people. So I set up the studio (the office of the photography world) and we did an afternoon of making a really good looking person look even better.

While I was initially dreading the shoot, Stacey turned out to be a lovely young woman and between her, her mom and myself we actually had a super fun afternoon.

Hey, I'm just a photographer and I have no idea what the "it" factor is when it comes to aspiring actors/models, but if Stacey ain't got "it" then I certainly don't know anyone else who does.

Good luck out there! Don't forget me when you get your first Vanity Fair cover...

Love in the city...

2011-04-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

When Kristen (an interior designer) and Tyler (a fashion designer) requested a location for their engagement shoot they made it clear that going pastoral was not their intention. "We're more urban
people," stated Kirsten when I suggested meeting up in Stanley Park. To be honest I couldn't have been more thrilled.

I've been fortunate to shoot an inordinate number of couples in which one or the other partner is either an artist or a designer and I always find it both challenging and interesting. On one hand you're shooting for folks who share a common visual language, but on the other you're dealing with people who know what they're talking about.

That's not to say that non-artist types don't know what they're looking for when they hire a photographer,

just that I feel like there's less to explain to people who make a living pushing visual limits.

One of the best parts is I feel a lot less pressure to bow to traditional wedding photography norms, which is great as it really isn't my home style. I get to take make things blurry that wouldn't otherwise be so and I can shift the subject around the picture plane with hope that there is more of an understanding of visual intention. That said, if yer gonna haul out yer artsy side, you better make sure it works out.

Whatever the case, shooting for Kristen and Tyler was awesome. Thanks for an afternoon of letting me be myself.

Sol!

2011-04-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

To be blunt I'm not a huge animal fan: I don't eat them and, for the most part, I don't really hang out with them. It's not that I don't enjoy their lovely little personalities, it's just that they make me sneeze.

Every once in a while, however, I meet an animal of one sort or another that I can't help but love. Sol is one of those animals. He is the DEO (Doggie Executive Officer) at the aforementioned Endless Biking, is an amazing dog-brother to Myla-minute and is part cyborg (he has a titanium pelvis and a specially modified hip). Given my allergic disposition you probably won't see many animal pics on this site but here, for your viewing pleasure, are four pics of the best dog ever!

Good dog, Sol! Good Dog!

Born to shred...

2011-04-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me know that while photography is my passion, cycling is my life. And growing up on Vancouver's North Shore meant that I was infinitely fortunate enough to be in exactly the right place and time to take part in mountain biking's first golden age.

Now I don't mean to be immodest but learning to ride on the slopes of Seymour, Fromme and Cypress gave me chops that I'll gladly pit against anyone my age. That said, the stuff that the kids are doing now makes my skillz-set look pretty outdated: I can't pronounce half of the tricks that fly off the latest video and to put my increasingly brittle bones in the line of that type of fire would be both foolhardy and, well, extra foolhardy. Of course I have nothing but admiration for the new kids.

As such you can't believe how excited I was when I recently had the honour of shooting Myla.

Myla-minute (as she has been dubbed) is the newly minted daughter of BC Bike Race Champion Kelli Sherbinin,

and ex-pro freerider extrordannaire Darren Butler.

And as if this super-gene packed bundle of awesomeness needs any further advantages, Myla's parental units are the owners of Endless Biking, a mountain biking school that is absolutely defining the industry worldwide.

Anyhoodle, I took a few shots around the house while everybody got ready,

...and, as is proper, we headed out into the woods.

Then, in true North Shore fashion we finished up with some beer and a few shots at the new Quay development.

All in all an excellent day hanging with two of mountain biking's most influential personalities and, of course, it's soon to be reigning princess!

First Prize!

2011-04-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing about being a non-studio based photographer (if I wanted to sit in a room all day I'd get a desk job): shooting in the winter can be a bit of a challenge. That's not to say that I'm afraid of the rain: hell, I grew up in Deep Cove so anything less than a deluge is considered a sunny day. It's just that most couples want their shots to be done on a nice day because as we all know love is all about blue skies and warm breezes.

Well, sometimes you just have to get stuff done, warm breezes be damned.

Katie and Chris were one of the couples who won a free Outer Shore engagement shoot at the wedding show and after numerous weather-related re-schedules we decided to ignore the rain and see what we could come up with. Oddly, in spite of (or perhaps as a result of) the wet we ended up laughing for a good hour and a half. And not just intermittently, but for like the entire time.

Anyhow, it was an afternoon of outtake,

after outtake,

after outake,

after outtake.

Now as a former class clown I like to think that I know funny but these two were in a league of their own. Anyhow, between truly painful bouts of laughter and attempts at real kissing we were actually able to get a few shots that show just how deeply in love these two are: their affection was lovely and obviously they mean the world to one another.

A wonderful couple. A wonderful afternoon. Thanks you two: It was fun fo' sho!

After the show...

2011-04-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

The wedding show was craziness defined!

Hundreds, nay thousands of bright-eyed brides, focussed mothers and bag-hauling grooms-to-be fought their way through the masses to get the best deals on everything from china to cupcakes. The Outer Shore booth was tucked away in a nice little room where I had the opportunity to do my best pitch to well over 500 interested, semi-interested, and just plain shell-shocked potential customers. It was exhausting but tonnes of fun.

Extra special hugs and kisses go out to my sister Shari who, as always, talked an amazing talk and to Karen who shamelessly funneled folks my way. I love you both!

And of course a huge thanks to everyone who ventured off the main floor and chatted with me, even if only for a few seconds. Good luck with all your planning and may your wedding be everything you dream it to be!

Here we go...

2011-01-08T06:42:00.000-08:00

It's 6am on Saturday morning and I haven't slept since 3.

All day yesterday was spent alternating between sitting in a room setting up my booth and running around town picking up brochures, prints and price lists. The clothes shopping is done (thanks Karen) the lines are practiced and as far as I can tell I'm pretty much ready for the full on bridal tsunami that is The 2011 Wedding Fair.

Fortunately for me I won't be going it alone as my sister Shari, a trade show veteran, will be there to make me look good or at the very least send me out on some errand if I'm starting to melt down. So far her one piece of advice has been both practical and simple: wear comfortable shoes. Needles to say with wisdom like that I have every confidence that everything is gonna be alright.

Here a couple of shots of the soon-to-be-infamous table 735 just so you know what to look for (the reason they look so dark and brooding is that they were taken with the new iPhone Hipstamatic app in an effort to give me street cred and edge).

Note the handmade pom-poms, late 90's christmas lights and 10-duck canvas. I figure if you refuse to be slick you at least better be, ummmmm, interesting. Please also note the new corporate tagline "Your Day, Your Story (I just take the pictures)..."

And here are a couple more Hipstamatic shots of the newly stylized me wearing clothes that look suspiciously like those in which my grandfather used to go struttin'. Again, thanks to Karen for dragging me kicking and screaming into numerous clothing stores and dressing me up. I gotta say it feels great!

Anyhow, if you're not doing anything for the next coupla days and you feel like getting into the wedding spirit, come on down and say hello. Mention this blog entry and I promise I'll show you my new hat flipping trick...

Happy New Year etc...

2011-01-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not know the big wedding show is happening at the Westin Bayshore here in Vancouver and for the first time, Outer Shore Photography is going to have a booth! To mix a metaphor or two I'm throwing my hat in the ring and running with the big dogs. With all the preparation (and procrastination) that an independent like myself has to go through for such an ordeal, I realized that I haven't updated the blog since Hallowe'en, so here goes!

To all the people who have been so very very generous with their support I would like to say thank you soooooooo much for helping make my humble little business a success. I hope that the New Year brings you everything you want, need and wish for.

As I neglected to take ANY Christmas photos this year I would like to leave you with this picture of Gray and his first big event of 2011: his very first tooth molt (or as my good friend Kajola called it, The Toothening). Somehow such an event seems metaphorical; I'll leave it to you to figure out how.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2010-11-21T21:07:00.000-08:00

It's official: Hallowee'en is the greatest holiday ever invented. It's kinda like all the good stuff thrown into one night especially if you're a kid: there are fireworks everywhere, you get to dress however you want to, people give you more candy than you could possibly squeeze out of your parents for the next six months combined and best of all you don't have to sit through any tiresome 'be-on-your-best-manners' type dinners.

This year Gray was really into it and in spite of our protests (his aunt is a master makeup artist after all) he really really really wanted to go with a cheesy skeleton/Death costume that he spotted at London Drugs. In the end it was kind of fitting as the girls went as a pair of recently murdered twins and, well, another Death. At least the theme was suitably grotesque and not all Rainbow Bears or whatever it is the youth are watching on TV these days.

As was to be expected the night was a howl especially as Uncle Jeff had the forethought to purchase firecrackers which he blew off at random and unexpected intervals much to Death's chagrin. This was the first year that the G-man was able to keep up with the older kids and I must say that both the pace and milage were suitably impressive.

Needless to say the haul was absolutely obscene. I seriously don't know why the Diabetes Society hasn't jumped all over this thing. Of course in what was originally a selfless parenting move I've done my best to ensure that Gray is a good sharer.

Guess we'll see how well that holds out over the next couple of weeks.

Steven And Kwan...

2010-11-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you cross two Californian cowboys, a family full of gatecrashers, a bunch of kids and one of the nicest days of the summer?

Steven and Kwan's excellent wedding!

OK, I might be a little off on the cowboy thing but Kwan (a dairy farmer) and Steven (an animation supervisor) did it up in style with what looked to be pretty authentic Western duds. Of course as everyone knows, no cowboy wedding would be complete without a tea ceremony...

...the requisite spinning bride's (groom's?) maids...

...and a cake rustler or two.

As far as I could tell this full-on family event was packed with as much love, compassion, sunshine and fun as one could possibly ask for. I felt lucky to have been there but then I generally do.

Good luck back in Cali guys!

Those who inspire the rest of us...

2010-11-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

Meet Kajola Morewood.

As is well known in the back rooms of the Canadian art world, for every artist who makes it there are hundreds of incredibly talented creatives making amazing objects outside of the often garish glare of the white cube. Kajola is one such artist. Now it's been pointed out to me that I tend towards the effusive when I describe the folks I shoot: hey, I'm an enthusiastic guy. That said, I want to make it perfectly clear that Ms. Morewood is, in my humble opinion, one of the most talented, prolific and original artists working on the West coast today.

Kajola recently received a First People's Heritage, Language, and Culture Council Aboriginal Arts Development Award and when she called me up to help document her project I was honoured to say the least.

Working in the same conceptual vein as artists like Lawrence Paul Yuxwelupten, Brian Jungen and Sonny Assu, Kajola uses materials and images that are related to her Inuit heritage in a manner that directly relates to her European Canadian upbringing (or vice versa). For this particular project she is sewing a patchwork quilt out of the skins of animals that are traditionally found in the Canadian arctic.

Not normally being a fan of fur I was initially challenged by the project. However, after spending an afternoon shooting the artist at work I was easily won over: she is clearly in control of both her craft and her ideas, and this project is original both in its conception and it execution.

Whether you follow the Canadian art scene or not, you should make the effort to remember Kajola's name: I'm sure you will hearing more about her.

Shiela and Tom...

2010-11-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

As a wedding photographer I have the opportunity to see all sorts of different approaches to the whole getting married thing. On one end of the spectrum lies your basic elopement and on the other, your all out family gathering/feast/dance party. Shiela and Tom most definitely slip in on the former half of the scale and I have to say that they did it right.

All day long we were surrounded by really genuine, really interesting, really awesome folks and if I die with half as many friends as these two seem to have in rotation I will consider myself both fortunate beyond imagination and, well, just plain fabulous.

As seems to have been the case with almost every wedding I've shot this year, the sky was a bright blue, the sun was shining, and the day seemed somehow overtly vibrant and full of interesting colours and shapes. Of course the fact that Tom's parents' place has a backyard that rivals Buchart Gardens didn't hurt. Neither did the firm assertion by all present that this was going to be a party to remember.

Throw in a few kids...

...more than a touch of class...

...and you have the makings of a massively fun time. Most certainly a true-to-life reflection of the couple who put it on.

Mother's Day thoughtfulness...

2010-05-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

Meet Karen and John.

Karen is a dear friend and one of the most original human beings on the face of the earth: those of us fortunate enough to know her were pretty much in agreement of the fact that she is one of a kind. Then we met John, her younger brother and it turns out that God made an extra Karen of the opposite sex just in case the first one didn't work out. Anyhow, they decided that for Mother's Day they wanted to get some son/daughter togetherness shots (John lives in Guelph so it was a rare opportunity). We headed out into Stanley Park on a lovely spring day and here's some of what we (well, they) came up with.

Usually a big part of my job is to act as a kind of director, trying to make folks comfortable in front of the lens and all. Karen, however, is a director (television and documentary) and as such she had something to say about how the whole thing was going to go. In all honesty I can't believe that a single shot turned out as I was in stitches the entire time. The relationship these two have is something akin to an old bickering couple and the number of sentences that one started and the other finished was both unnerving and a window onto what must have been a childhood of ridiculousness that most of us could only imagine.

Of course I wasn't able to get a single standard portrait out of these two although in fairness to me it wasn't even close to a standard portrait shoot. And while I have no idea what their mother will think I imagine there will be a fair amount of eye-rolling and resigned acceptance.

Happy Mother's Day Mrs. D!

G-man, Ski-man...

2010-04-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

So you know how when you meet someone new and you're really good at something and there's kind of tension around that particular activity because you really want to spend time with the person but you don't want to have to pander to their inabilities? Well, that was kind of the situation when Graydon's mom and I met about 17 years ago. Now I'm no slacker on the slopes but when it comes to sliding on snow Lorraine is one of those been-skiing-since-I-was-old-enough-to-walk types and the first time we had a ski date it became apparent that I was being heavily condescended to.

Anyhow, Gray had his second lesson ever over the weekend and, whaddaya know, he got his mother's genes big time. We were able to squeak a private lesson (it was a group lesson but no-one else showed up) and his need for speed came barging to the forefront. It seems his interest in turning is somewhat understated but he had an obvious instinct for the fall-line so while I sat on the sidelines and worried, Lorraine cheered him on as he pointed his tips downhill and let 'er rip.

I suppose I get to be the summer sports parent...

Blue eyes indeed...

2010-04-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

After much arranging and rearranging of schedules and naptimes I was finally able to get together with Sarah, Mike and Ryder for a non-sleepy reshoot. This was the third time I have had the opportunity to work with Sarah and Mike (second time with Ryder) and the experience gets more pleaurable every time we get together. We decided to meet up at Stanley Park and, with the sun shining, the birds singing and Ryder's eyes wide open, we went for a mini hike / family photo session. Here's a little of what we came up...

(As an aside, have I mentioned how much I love my job?)

Easter with the kids...

2010-04-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

We had the excellent fortune to be invited up to my sister's place at Heffley Lake for the Easter long weekend and I would officially like to state that anyone who claims that chocolate has no effect on the behavior of children is either childless or in utter denial. Second only to Christmas for its intense early morning activity levels and Halloween in its ability to cause huge mood swings in remarkably short periods of time, Easter clearly has the edge for the title of most exhausting semi-religious holiday (long weekend category). Hope you had a good one!

Threading the weather needle...

2010-03-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

Unless you're a hardcore storm watcher, getting married in Tofino in February is a craps shoot at best: There's a teensy-weensy chance that you're going to get to say your vows on the beach but more than likely you'll end up pensively staring out the window being amazed at how raindrops the size of your fist are able to fly horizontally with such speed.

Kim and Pete took the chance and to say that they won big is an understatement of ridiculous proportions. Note not only the cloudless sky but the total lack of goosebumps on Kim's shoulders.

Of course it was the people who made this wedding special; the atmosphere was relaxed, everyone was gracious and open, and there was a warmth to the proceedings that was both genuine and moving. It was one of those lovely events that would have been joyful even if there had been a sleet storm pounding down outside.

That said, having a summer day show up in the middle of winter was sure a nice touch.

Ryder's Super Relaxed Sleepytime Portrait Session...

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When people like Sarah and Mike get married you can't help but feel a little glimmer of hope for humanity. They are really nice, genuine folks and I was lucky enough to shoot their wedding in Tofino this past summer. Here is one of the pictures from said wedding:

As an ex-high school English teacher I have taught literary foreshadowing more times than I could possibly count but I have to say that I completely missed the obvious visual foreshadowing above. Here's what (or more correctly, who) it was referring to:

Meet Ryder! Of course when Sarah and Mike called me to ask if I could take some photos of their son I was totally thrilled. We had a bit of a time getting a window of weather that would allow us to go for a little outdoor shoot and when we finally did get together it turns out that the poor little fella hadn't really slept very well the previous night. As such he didn't open his eyes once the entire time:

Ryder was pretty relaxed in front of the lens, so much so that in the 2 hours I was there were only able to get one action shot (of sorts):

We had a lovely time wandering around in the garden and woods hoping for a moment of consciousness but Ryder was obviously happy hanging out in napland. Anyhow, we've rescheduled in hopes of getting a few waking shots; rumour has it his eyes are blue...

Welcome to the world little guy: I have a feeling you're going to love it here...

Back in the city...

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Welcome to the new Outer Shore Photography site and blog!

After three amazing years living in the most beautiful place on earth I've returned to Vancouver. Of course I dearly miss the incredible people and places that I got to know so well but it's great to be close to family and old friends once again. Of course it's not like moving to Tofino was like moving to the moon (although when the weather shut down the pass it felt pretty darn close) but living in a small town was definitely a cultural shift.

Some of the city things I'm happy about:

-The proximity of aforementioned family and friends.

-The arts scene (although that's not to to say that Tofino's arts scene is any less vibrant, just a helluva lot smaller)

-Lots and lots of restaurants (although very few that match the amazingness of Tofino's SOBO or the sheer everythingness of The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn).

-Being able to ride my bike on more than one road.

-The North Shore mountains (my local 'hood) and,

-Having a camera store within 10 minutes of home.

Some of the things I miss about Tofino/Ucluelet:

-The truly amazing sense of community that is created by a mix of really intense weather, close proximity and a shared fate.

-The sense that one has a specific and recognized role within said community.

-The over-the-top beauty that is your back yard and of course,

-The SURF (oh lord how I miss The SURF).

Whatever the case, it is great to be back in the town of my birth.

While I'm yapping, I'd like to thank all the folks who let me use their images on the new site: I couldn't have asked for a better looking crew. I would also like to thank all of the Tofino/Ucluelet locals who were so incredibly supportive of a new business in their midst. Of particular note are the incredible staff at the Wickaninnish Inn, Eagle View B&B, Shawn Lennon (the creator and overlord of this lovely site) and the entire Summer '08 crew at EAG who kept me on the coast long after I thought it was time to go. I love you all!

The wedding season is fast approaching but in the meantime I've started off the new Outer Shore Photography blog with a few shots of the real reasons I love Vancouver: my gorgeous nieces Monica, Laura, Georgia and Ally, my amazing nephew Lucas and , of course, my heart of hearts and son, Graydon.

Thanks for tuning in!

Shawn