A travel feature about a series of images shot in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Jan 14, 2023
Jan 2, 2023
2022: Top Photo Essays of the Year
2022. A year where, due to the documentary production, new posts on the Editing Luke site dropped by almost half, but traffic increased 38% - go figure.
My Lensa AI gallery on the website has to receive an honorable mention, despite not technically being an original photo set, the post generated tens of thousands of hits in just the last month as a result of being early on the trend.
It easily encapsulates the randomness of "best of" lists, as it's always a bit of a crap shoot to understand why something hits. All that said, here are the Top 9 most popular, original photo essays released on the Editing Luke site in 2022.
9. Belgian Beer, Belgian Chocolate, and Belgian Waffles
A recap of some of the stereotypical "bests" experienced in Bruxelles.
8. Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France
Architectural images of the Louvre's iconic entrance.
7. Space Shuttle Discovery in Virginia
A detailed collection of NASA's most travelled Space Shuttle.
6. Villa Vizcaya & Gardens in Miami, Florida
Architectural images of one of Miami's most historic estates.
5. Surfing in Manhattan Beach, California
An impromptu shoot on the California coast.
4. Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California
A look behind the gates of one of the world's most iconic movie studios.
3. Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, UK
Easily the most coincidental photo essay of the year from the streets of London.
An exploration of one of Japan's most visited castles.
1. Savi's Workshop Lightsaber at Walt Disney World
A look behind the upcharged lightsaber building experience within Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge ... because ... lightsabers obviously lol.
Dec 30, 2022
What Difference Does A Trailer Make?
What I wasn't prepared for was the trailer for "Your Cinema Needs You" inspiring a few tip-offs about the potential future of the Monarch Theatre, and the preview convincing the only hold out interview of the entire documentary to finally request a sit down.
Dec 21, 2022
Monarch Documentary: Teaser Trailer
Dec 12, 2022
New Artwork in Medicine Hat Brewing Company
I want take a moment to shoutout Medicine Hat Brewing Company here in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Last week I had the pleasure of delivering a large order of custom canvases from my "Hometown Series" to be utilized in one of their new spaces.
While it never gets old to see your work appreciated, there's really nothing quite like when it's at home. I've always tried to be vocal and engaged in promoting my community to a wider audience, so anytime a local business goes out of their way to work with me I want to show them some love too - particularly when I'm also a frequent customer lol.
Thank you MH Brew Co. for the patronage and for another unique opportunity to see my work on display in my hometown. Let's do it again sometime.
Dec 2, 2022
One Year Into Production on the Documentary
One year ago I announced that my new documentary about the Monarch Theatre had been greenlit - a largely unknown (outside of my hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta) historic cinema with a really unique backstory.
No surprises, it's come to define a lot of my 2022.
Production updates, exploration, title reveals, behind the scenes, media releases, etc. It's been fun to share parts of this process (if for no other reason) because uncovering the history of a century old cinema, its origins and evolution, etc. lead me down a few rabbit holes that I needed help climbing out of (so to speak).
Oct 1, 2022
A Month of Travel Shoots Across Europe
For the month of September I was having the time of my life on what I can only describe as the most elaborate, continuous travel shoot I've completed to date. With shoots taking place across Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, and Scotland, there was no shortage of things to do, places to see, and experiences to capture. It was a wild month!
While content from these shoots won't really start to emerge until 2023, I did share a handful of highlights on the Editing Luke Instagram @editingluke as things were unfolding. Unlike most shoots were it feels relatively easy to sum up the adventure under a single banner or theme, I'm still reeling from just how varied and expansive this entire undertaking was. I'm going to need some time to be a bit more thought provoking - but, in short, it really was incredible.
May 31, 2022
Rise Up YXH Hot Air Balloon Festival 2022
A few visual highlights from my weekend of shoots as the official photographer for the inaugural Rise Up YXH Hot Air Balloon Festival hosted in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
May 27, 2022
First Hot Air Balloon Ride Over Medicine Hat, Alberta
Last night's shoot from the air was a long standing bucket list experience checked off my list. I'm proud to share that the Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival in Medicine Hat has hired Editing Luke as their official photographer for this first of its kind event in Southeastern Alberta.
Apr 21, 2022
Documentary Production Continues
Production on the Monarch documentary has been ongoing this month.
This week I've been following up on rumors about several artifacts / stories surrounding the Monarch Theatre. I literally examined screw placements on vintage chairs over the weekend lol. I crawled on my hands and knees through a century of basement cobwebs in search of another secret hatch. And, perhaps best of all, yesterday I successfully acquired an untapped collection of images featuring the former neon marquees lit up two decades ago.Piece by piece we're pulling this thing together. Post-production is on the horizon. Now, how cool would it be if we could invite everyone back and premiere this in the old Monarch?
Apr 3, 2022
Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar at the Palliser
Seamlessly blending the weight and heritage of the Palliser Hotel with a fresh and thoughtfully modern aesthetic, the Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar is the ideal spot for a late night drink or morning coffee. The comfortable and eclectic styling of this grand lobby bar is effortlessly cool, inviting, and enough to warrant a visit on your next visit to Calgary, Alberta.
Mar 29, 2022
Around the Hat: 10 Year Anniversary
It was 10 years ago today that I launched a series called Around the Hat (aka the Hometown Series) featuring scenes around Medicine Hat, Alberta. I couldn't have predicted how much would've have snowballed from this self motivated project, but from prints to production agreements to the hundreds of photo essays from around the world that eventually followed, a lot of that momentum started right here with this series.
Before the Editing Luke production company became a full-time operation I was looking for ways to create content to drive visitors to my website. I had an interest in exploration, history, and expanding my business to include photography in addition to the video production I had already been doing. Medicine Hat, my hometown, felt untapped in terms of people going behind closed doors to show off what was there. So I began to think about what it would be like to contextualize the local history into compelling plot points and to develop character out of a sense of place in a way that felt fresh, energetic, and above all, visual.
Coming from a filmmaking background and education, this was all a deliberate exercise to get my feet wet and build an audience through storytelling. My first photo essays featured the most obvious historic sites and attractions, like - Medalta Potteries, St. Pat's Church, and the Cypress Club (all posts that have now been updated since their first release).
To be clear, the history was really just a jumping off point. I wanted people to feel like they were exploring with me and still have context for what they were seeing along the way. When the initial posts attracted thousands of hits in a matter of days I knew I was onto something.
Over the years the series continued to refine itself with regular social media posts on Facebook and Instagram, and into more elaborate photo essays on this site that featured glimpses into places that most people weren't able to see or had largely forgotten about. Recently I highlighted the renovation happening inside the former Cecil Hotel and put together a recap of the former Riverside Waterslide. While larger photo series' and projects continued to follow this one, after a decade of growth the Around the Hat series alone has been responsible for millions of hits.
While the collection isn't complete and continues to expand and deviate, the lesson here has been all about approach. Sometimes a simple change of perspective makes the familiar seem completely new again - I just chose to share it as I was doing it.
Explore the complete Around the Hat series here.
Mar 16, 2022
Documentary Production at the Towne Theatre
Documentary production briefly moved centre stage this week with some exploration of the abandoned spaces within the former Towne Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Those who remember seeing movies here would now be hard pressed to recognize this interior as the cinema it once was, but there are still a few clues hiding within these walls.
It's a strange feeling to return to a place you so actively remember from your own childhood, not least of which because you find yourself tapping into memories you didn't know you still had. Each step just gets me a little more excited about how this documentary is coming together.
This stage of production has become about rounding out a lot of the specific visuals inspired by the stories collected during numerous interviews at the nearby Monarch Theatre. Creating a record of a lot of these forgotten spaces has been a real bonus.
Mar 11, 2022
Searching For Monarch Theatre Artifacts
Mar 10, 2022
Monarch Theatre Documentary in Production
Currently in its second month of principal photography, my latest documentary featuring the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta has provided some really memorable experiences so far. With hours of interviews shot and a deep dive into every space, cubby, and rafter of this old theatre, I'm already certain that I've uncovered a few untold gems in the story of this cinema that have never been formally documented or contextualized before.
In addition to this being a story about one of the oldest surviving cinemas in all of Canada, what's been particularly interesting about the Monarch is how little material actually exists about it. Photographs, artifacts, records, etc. are few and far between so connecting the dots to go beyond the obvious has been a really involved, but fascinating undertaking.
While I'm saving a lot of the surprises for the finished documentary, I wanted to share a few of the production highlights up to this point:
- Interviews are still ongoing, but a few early highlights have come from acquiring stories from both a 101 year old with a unique connection to the theatre and a 94 year old who used to work at the Monarch as a teenager.
- In addition to the obvious task of documenting the Monarch, the cinematic side of the production has involved playing with various lighting rigs, gimbals, cameras, props, and even painting with projections throughout the cinema.
- As a result I'm certain I've now filmed and photographed more details inside the Monarch Theatre than anyone else in its 110+ year history.
- I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge how helpful the social media response has been, in addition to features in the local news, Toronto Star, etc. in helping to connect me with a wide array of people with memories about cinemas in this area.
- Numerous highlights have also come from uncovering clues through old paperwork, basement finds, and mapping out the history of the theatre. What's been so thrilling about this is that I know just the exploratory aspect of this documentary will be compelling to a lot of people who have likely never even heard of this place.
- Speaking to former employees has made me wish I'd have worked at a movie theatre as a teenager too lol.
- And finally, one of the absolute coolest things about shooting this documentary has been the unfettered access I've been given to the Monarch. While it was always going to feature this space, the ability to arrange and film every interview within the cinema, while also coordinating multiple ancillary shoots, has been practically ideal.
If you have any information or memories to share about the Monarch Theatre (or any of the former cinemas in the Medicine Hat area) please contact me via my business site here.