It's been a while since my last update, but in short it's probably been the busiest year of my professional life. Between the handful of contract video and photograph projects that I took on this fall (and am now in the process of editing), the full-time work with Weddingstar, an end of year video project with Stream Media, and a few last minute art projects/contracts on the back of my Around the Hat series - I've essentially been in a blur since late August.
My latest video with Medalta and their artists in residence is in its final stages, and I just finished a new web promo for another client last week, but after a meeting at city hall on Friday it seems I'll have even more on my plate leading up to Christmas. I often have to remind people that I'm also working full-time with Weddingstar through all of this, doing their in-house media and working with digital publishers for their new magazine. I really haven't had any downtime since I got back from my road trip around the Pacific Northwest this summer. It's actually worked out well because my photo series of that trip has carried much of my blog's content through this time and will wrap up in mid-December.
All things considered, this is a good kind of busy. It's a privilege to make my living doing work that matters to me. I think I've found a nice balance between corporate gigs and creative opportunities, and have found some unique ways of showcasing my work and getting my name out there. Perhaps most of all, I'm thankful for the variety. Between photography and video this year, I've had some amazing projects on both sides.
Everything kind of exploded for me in 2013. From my presence in social media to the photo sets I shared and the videos I worked on, there have been plenty of weeks where I haven't been able to keep up with the correspondence. Last month Editing Luke had its highest number of visitors in its 6.5 year lifespan - just shy of 12,000 people visited and viewed nearly 17,000 pages. That's crazy! Especially for a non-sponsored site like mine where I just share what I've been working on.
In addition to all of my big projects, it's been the unexpected ones that have been especially exciting. I'll save some of those announcements until I have a bit more info, but there are some really cool things in the works. I should have updates in the next few weeks.
Who knows what the new year holds, but I know I'll have to be more selective about what I take on. I can't continue to work 12 hour days, although I am incredibly proud of what I've accomplished and been able to be a part of this year - lots of promotional work, my images on covers, stationery, postcards, artwork, magazines, tourism materials, websites, a phone book, and even as a sponsored exhibition. It's all been great, but at this point I'm counting the days until Christmas. Frankly, I'm looking forward to some well deserved time off.
This year I had the pleasure of being hired as the official photographer for the 3rd annual Black and White Gala hosted at Medalta Potteries. This black-tie gala is the largest fundraising event of the year for Medalta, and raises money for their artistic, community, and education programming. Some of the most prominent members of the local business community were in attendance, along with our newly elected mayor.
For my role, I was tasked with capturing the general atmosphere and energy of the event. From the decor, to the main room, to the silent and live auctions, and the on-goings behind the scenes, I was really happy with how much variety I came away with at the end of the night. The 3D printer video I created for Medalta was screened that evening, and I also donated one of my framed prints for their silent auction (which went on to sell above asking price). All and all, it was a lot of fun and a great event to be connected to. Here's a small sampling of my photographs from the gala.
My Halloween traditions have been pretty tame the last few years, but like usual I went in search of a giant pumpkin purely for roasting the seeds. I bought myself a modest 21 pound pumpkin, put the seeds in the oven, and did a little carving to pass the time. I didn't get as many seeds as I'd hoped for unfortunately, but the process did make for a few nice collages at least.
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I did a photo shoot with my parents last weekend in Police Point Park. I made a promise last Christmas that I'd shoot some nice portraits of them this year, and we managed to finally find the time just before the last of the leaves started to disappear. In the end I think the shots turned out really well. The autumn scenery was epic and my parents were pretty cute.
Our Thanksgiving celebrations have never really been that elaborate. A stuffed turkey, the usual starches, and a few rounds of giving thanks seem to sum up the occasion. Spending time with the family is especially nice though, and my folks cooked an amazing meal for us to enjoy. A few games, lots of laughs, and full bellies makes it easy to be thankful for all we've got - and let's be honest, it's easy to forget sometimes. Cheers to you and yours on this festive turkey day. Happy Thanksgiving!
Culture Days kicks off around the province this weekend, and I've been busy preparing for it. In addition to all of the work that I've done with Spectacle for our exhibition, Thinking Hat, which opens downtown tonight, for the last few weeks I've been preparing this promo video about culture in Medicine Hat.
This project was a lot of fun to do, but it presented a few challenges. The timeline was tight, summer was already winding down, and I was nervous about finding enough variety in only a few weeks available for shooting. It's always a bit of a crap shoot when you're constructing a video with a theme as broad as culture. With a lot of hard work and scheduling everything came together though. The bonus was that I got to experience some really cool scenes around town as a result.
From the main stage of the Esplanade to the market at Medalta, I filmed musicians, gallery openings, artists at work, and concerts in the park. I even incorporated some of my shots from this year's Stampede, Spectrum Festival, Sunshine Skillet Food Fair, and my Around the Hat photo series. In the end, I think the video touched on just how much variety can be found here in the Hat. Hopefully you'll be inspired to go and discover some of it for yourself. Culture Days weekend is a great time to start!
Following in a long line of epic road trips, earlier this month my buddy Mike and I hit the road in my Chrysler 300 to explore the Pacific Northwest of the United States. From Portland to Seattle, from the mountains to the ocean, from natural wonders to cultural landmarks - this road trip was filled with some absolutely incredible locations. Our days were filled with one memorable experience after the next, and my pictures still have me reeling from just how much we did.
My goal for this road trip wasn't just to get away, it was to search out a variety of places, some recognizable and some off the beaten path. From the top of the Space Needle in Seattle to the back roads of Oregon, from the coast highway to one-off shops in downtown Portland, we experienced such a random mix of roadside attractions that we were left feeling like we hadn't just seen the best of a region, but we'd tapped into a winning formula for an unforgettable road trip.
As you might expect, I took thousands and thousands of pictures. I've clearly got some editing to do now, but consider this my way of kicking off the spectacular photo sets to come in the weeks ahead. I can't wait to share them. Stay tuned!
This custom 4x6" photo flipbook of the Towne Theatre is the latest addition to my Around the Hat shop. Featuring 22 original images from inside the Towne, this affordable flipbook seemed like a really cool way of sharing my rare pictures of this old movie theatre before parts of it were dismantled. Check out this new item here.
This custom 4x6" photo flipbook of the Monarch Theatre is the latest addition to my Around the Hat shop. Featuring 22 original images from inside the Monarch, this affordable flipbook is a way of sharing some of my best shots of this historic and beautiful movie theatre. Check out this new item here.
If my own photo sets around Medalta didn't give away how much I like the place, hopefully these images of their products do. I was hired to shoot these images for their gift shop back in the spring before I became side-tracked by the 3D printer video I also did for Medalta. Expanding on what I've done countless times for the Weddingstar website and magazine, I set out to capture the items in Medalta's museum gift shop for the launch of their new online store.
From basic shots on white, to comparison shots of sizes and sets, to in-use shots with props and food, the entire shoot was a lot of fun to pull together. I can't wait to see these images in use, but for now here's a sampling of some of what I captured. Stay tuned for the launch of Medalta's gift shop when it goes live here - and shameless plug - I'm always on the lookout for new projects, so feel free to inquire here.
