New Hometown Prints Up in Medicine Hat, Alberta

An order so nice, they made it twice!

The Boston Pizza (Box Springs) location in Medicine Hat, Alberta is the latest local business to add a custom collection of large scale Editing Luke prints to their walls. This follows the custom set that went up in the Boston Pizza (Strachan Road) location in 2018.

It bears repeating how truly humbled I am by the way my work has been embraced by so many diverse businesses and travel organizations around North America since this business went full-time in 2014. In fact, there are now more than 20 prominent installations of my work in my hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta alone.

I can't say thank you enough to all those who have made these successes possible.

One Year of the Hometown Series in Medicine Hat

One year ago, as the insanity of 2020 kicked in, I saw the majority of my upcoming projects and travel shoots evaporate under lockdown. Realizing I was going to have some time on my hands, and that 80% of my business would be paused without being able to travel, I did something I hadn't done in years - I began exploring my hometown in detail again.

The resulting "Hometown Series" shot in Medicine Hat, Alberta has seen the creation of hundreds of new local images, thousands of reshares, and nearly 2.5 million online impressions over the last 12 months. I can't begin to thank everyone who expressed interest, shared engagement, and provided the patronage that further fueled the entire project.

You can explore highlights from the "Hometown Series" as an extension of the original Around the Hat collection that launced back in 2012. Thousands of images have been categorized here.

To mark this anniversary I've released two new limited edition, numbered collage prints titled, "Hometown Winter" and "Hometown Summer" - each featuring 30 unique images from the series. Only 25 units of each collage are being released. Details are on the Editing Luke facebook page if you'd like to get one before they're gone.

Finally, I put together this short video to promote the "Hometown Series".

New Limited Release: Cinema Collage Prints

Now available as a lifetime release of only 50 units per collage, the latest print sale from Editing Luke features these two, brand new archival collages of the Towne Theatre and Monarch Theatre - two historic movie theatres located in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

To skip to the sale post on the Editing Luke facebook page click here. 

As a filmmaker who was feeling particularly nostalgic at the time, in 2013 I set out to document two of the iconic local movie theatres from my childhood - the (now former) Towne Theatre and the (since refurbished) Monarch Theatre.

What makes these collage prints rare is that they showcase no longer existing details, architectural elements, and equipment from the interiors of two cinemas that have seldom been documented for their own merits. Years of project research and exploration through numerous archives around the province has only further confirmed this.

When the images for these collages were shot in 2013, the Monarch was still undergoing upgrades and the Towne had yet to be gutted. As a result, these limited edition collages highlight the character of these cinemas as they had existed for decades prior.

From the concessions to the projection rooms, these archival collages are certain to bring back memories of summer blockbusters, first dates, opening weekends, first jobs, and weekend matinees. Anyone who grew up in the Hat almost certainly has a story about going to the Towne and the Monarch.

As a lifetime release of only 50 units per each cinema, these hand-signed, numbered prints will never be licensed, reprinted, or duplicated. There will only ever be the original 50 collages of the Monarch and 50 collages of the Towne movie theatres released.

To inquire or order, visit the sale post here.

The Art of Making Your Work Discoverable

Since my film school days I've always put a lot of faith in the idea that my next opportunity rested on how easy I was to find. The mantras have likely changed to suit the stories occasionally, but it's always been some form of - "make your work discoverable!"

All this really means is that when you create something you put your name to it, tag it strategically, link it, and then do your best to network it. And truth be told - be it through social media, early film festivals, or my ever-evolving website, this philosophy has paid major dividends over the years. 

I like to point this out, because the roots of this philosophy were revealed to me last month when I received a personal message from a defunct Flickr account I created in 2011.

Messages about content I've made are not uncommon these days, but years of dead-on-arrival requests make you more attuned to introductions that show potential to lead somewhere.

As it turned out, someone working at a design firm in Philadelphia had discovered a photo essay I'd shot around City Square Plaza in Regina, SK back when the new upgrades had just gone in. Regina is where I went to university, by the way, which is partly why I'd shot some of these images. The message came through an old email address from Flickr that was then forwarded to my new one. 

Not only was I surprised that this Flickr account still existed and that the message had actually reached me, but the images I'd uploaded were shot years before travel photography was even on my radar. I was honestly a bit embarrassed ... mostly because someone was contacting me about work that I had essentially forgotten about and wasn't actively promoting in any way. I'm admittedly my own worst critic, but I never expected anything to happen with these shots.

Long story short, payment just cleared this week and a handful of these images will be going up in the TD Bank Tower in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan as part of a new installation. 

So, about that mantra, "make your work discoverable" ... turns out it's now working on the stuff that even I'd forgotten about.

New Limited Release: Medicine Hat Arena Print

Now available as a lifetime release of only 100 units, the first major Editing Luke print sale of 2021 features this exclusive framed print of the old Medicine Hat Arena before the venue was retired.

To skip to the sale post on the Editing Luke facebook page click here.

In 2014 / 2015 I was commissioned to photograph several stages of development behind the new Medicine Hat Event Centre as it came to replace the Medicine Hat Arena.

Recognizing how quickly things were changing, and before any of the banners or signage was to come down, I also photographed the Old Medicine Hat Arena for posterity - capturing the venue as it looked in the final season the Medicine Hat Tigers would ever play there.

This never before printed image captures the Old Arena in both its prime and in its final stages as an active venue. After nearly five decades of Hatters experiencing this view in person, this photograph is a record of this arena as it should be remembered.

As a lifetime release of only 100 units, this hand-signed, numbered print will never be licensed, reprinted, or duplicated. This series was shot independently, so no third party was ever given access to these files. There will only ever be the original 100 prints released of this image.

To inquire or order, visit the sale post here.

Updates to Alberta Travel Photography

While 2020 was a slow year for travel in general, one bright spot was finally having the time to complete some big updates to my various preview galleries for the professional travel content I've shot all over my home province of Alberta, Canada.

Several major refreshes for 2021 include travel photography from the Rockies, Calgary, Edmonton, the Canadian Badlands, and Southeast Alberta (including my hometown of Medicine Hat). 

While you'll find a lot of content has been featured on this website, if you're looking to license material or inquire about a custom order, shoot me a message and I'll be able to quickly narrow your search or direct you to one of these newly created online preview galleries. 

A lot of the preview content has been refreshed into online galleries for ease of sharing with clients or interested parties. While this was always the case to a certain extent, the extra time has allowed me to streamline my galleries, retire older content, finally add in some of the newer shoots, and take stock of how much there really was. 

Looking for something specific? Just ask.

Explore more on the Editing Luke business site.  

 

Editing Luke in 2020 ... Not Quite A Recap

Since Editing Luke launched in 2007 I've always put together a year end recap to share some of my highlights and creative achievements as a way to reflect, gain perspective, and to take a moment to appreciate the journey the year provided. 

Obviously, 2020 is an entirely different can of worms.

It's not that there weren't achievements this year. In fact, if I'm honest I've had a relatively strong year all things considered. From visits and travel shoots in California, promoting existing film content to new audiences, releasing hundreds of new images and building up online print sales, and even managing several weeks of travel shoots in France - I've definitely had considerably worse years than 2020.

Snapshots from Editing Luke in 2020.

What's changed is that at the end of this year I don't particularly need any more time to reflect. The year has provided nothing but time to reflect and I'm eager, if not completely distracted, by what 2021 has in store. Between the measured optimism of all the things I want to see and do, there's also still a considerable amount of uncertainty in the mix.

Unlike 2020, which had moments and projects that could be salvaged or altered because the planning predated the chaos, it's been almost impossible to predict or try to confirm anything with accuracy in the new year. My experience in France was no exception to how chaotic trying to make things work in this 'new normal' can be. Are we even out of the storm? I don't know.  

The reality of running a small production company that specializes in travel, documentary, and general promotional content can be mentally exhausting at the best of times. I've discovered it's a 'one day at a time' scenario when the world has paused and you have nothing but time to marinate in your own insecurities and have had your ambitions put on hold. 

I'm even finding it hard to distract myself with content these days. I have thousands of unpublished images from numerous travel shoots waiting in the wings that aren't even worth releasing until people can go places again. And there's another checkmark for 'things I never knew would be a problem in my lifetime'. 

I know I'm not alone in feeling the frustration and stress. I know this year has created challenges that we'll all be dealing with for years to come. And even in thinking about my own recap this year, I've realized that maybe I don't have context for this yet while I'm still in the middle of it.

I'm doing fine, but I'm coasting. Just waiting like everyone else.

Things could be worse. Things could be so much better too.      

So, forgive the lack of a recap this year, and in breaking a 13 year tradition on this website, but I'd rather be looking forward right now. I'm sure many of you can relate. 

Please join me in willing 2021 into being something amazing. After the haze that was 2020, I think we're all going to need one another more than ever.

  

Announcing the Winter Edition of the Hometown Series

Well, for those who kept asking let's just make it official right now. A winter edition of my "Hometown Series" shot in Medicine Hat, Alberta is launching on January 1, 2021.

Following the success of the summer series, it seemed like a no-brainer to expand on the popularity of the lockdown inspired posts from around my small corner of Alberta while options for travel photography still remain limited into the new year.

It's looking like things won't be getting back to normal quite as quickly as I'm sure we'd all like them to, so in the meantime I hope followers of my work can appreciate the return of regular posts, epic winter scenes, and loads of new visuals to share in the weeks ahead as they debut (near daily) on the Editing Luke Facebook page.

Exactly like the summer series was, the winter edition is being funded entirely on the back of the print sales that made shooting the content possible to begin with.

It's been a massive experiment / departure trying to figure 2020 out, but I can't tell you how incredibly grateful I am that so many viewers have helped to make the "Hometown Series" a success and a personal bright spot in a challenging year. It genuinely means a lot.

So, are you ready to see more? Stay tuned for the debut on New Year's Day!  

A Travel Shoot ... in France ... in a Pandemic

With a few weeks back home in mandatory quarantine to reflect, I wanted to take a moment to record a few of the details (and challenges) behind my latest travel shoot in France in the midst of a global pandemic. I can't say I would've predicted saying that at the beginning of this year. 

For starters, it's important to note that traveling during Covid was never the original plan. The dates, flights, and hotels in France were all confirmed and paid for in February 2020 before anyone fully realized just how crazy this year was about to become.

As a travel photographer I have several memberships which provide generous discounts for top-tier flights and hotels. The catch is that these bookings are often non-refundable and have pretty strict rules for cancellation. Over the last 5 years this had never been an issue before, but after everyone began cancelling trips in late March the rules for everything just became more chaotic.

With the trip still half a year away, and with no idea of how long any of this would last, it was clear that the best thing to do at that point was nothing - at least until it got closer.

Here's what was on the table back in March:

• Two roundtrip / direct flights from Calgary to Paris. 
• Two weeks worth of hotels at four different properties.
• And a rough timeline of attractions which dictated where we'd be staying.

As you'll all remember, months went by where everything was closed. Then, in the summer France reopened its borders to Canadians and options became available. Realizing that I'd already be sacrificing an entire summer season of travel projects at that point, with restrictions lifted, I was driven to make the fall trip to France happen at all costs.

My friend Jaycene was also incredibly motivated to make the trip happen, but due to a pre-existing health concern she didn't want to put herself at risk. I understood and respected this decision completely. We've already talked about going again at a later date. However, understanding that we wouldn't be refunded for our existing trip whether we went or not I decided to press on.

This is when the chaos began.

Up until the beginning of September the reservations had been fairly isolated from everything going on, but as the fall approached the impact of Covid became clear. Between September 1 and October 12 my flight reservations were modified 14 times by the airlines. 

The original direct flight to Paris became a complicated series of connections on different airlines after routes were cancelled and passengers were grouped together to fill what few flights remained. I ended up needing to add an extra travel day to the beginning and end of my trip (with hotels) to make room for the new connections.

The worst moment of trying to make sense of these flights came after one more revision where the only option I was offered on my original ticket was to fly from Paris to Mexico City to Montreal to Toronto to Calgary to Medicine Hat over a 72 hour period. I declined, took an unusable credit, and rebooked a route from Paris to Montreal to Calgary with a different airline and a new flight back to Medicine Hat from there.  

The day before leaving I was also notified (after my numerous attempts to get in touch) that one of the hotels I had booked with had gone out of business because of the forced closures from Covid. Not only was the money lost, but I found myself scrambling to book another four nights somewhere else. I wasn't thrilled about losing the money, but the replacement ended up being in an incredible location overlooking the Pantheon in central Paris. 

I knew this wasn't going to be an easy trip, but the stress mostly came from things that I knew would be outside of my control. I knew the rules for entry to France could change week to week and that I was essentially just putting more money on the line by committing to going when it clearly wasn't ideal. 

Despite years of practice in planning ambitious travel shoots, I've never had a trip like this where despite following all the new rules, there weren't actually a lot of guarantees that someone else wouldn't change something on you. 

Every attraction I went to over the next two weeks required me to book and pay in advance to get a dated, and in most cases hourly, ticket for entry. I tend to have a thorough list of all the places I want to see and all things I want to do on every travel shoot regardless, but the level of planning this time was excessive. Add to this that Paris implemented a 9pm curfew a few days after I arrived, and suddenly hours for everything in the city were shortened in response.

I can pretty much describe the whole experience in two words - extra steps. It was still possible to do most of the things I wanted to, it just meant a lot more red tape for everything. Book your ticket here, but reserve a specific time online. New entryways, new checkpoints, new ways of checking in, and so on. Everything was just an extra step to how it had been done before.

All this said, I can't tell you how grateful I am that everything worked out so incredibly well. After so much planning, rescheduling, mapping of attractions, etc. by the time I was in France I found it so easy to get lost in what I was doing. Sure, I had to wear a mask for 10-12 hours straight everyday and sure, being spontaneous was way harder than usual - but what a place to escape to!

Just a couple days after getting back to Canada, France entered a second lockdown. All of the places I had just explored and photographed were closed again. Travel was off limits again. The reality of this year hit home again. I felt so lucky with my timing, and at the same time dreaded how the options for travel work had evaporated - again.

And so it's back to waiting to see what happens next, I guess. 

It's tough to put all of this into context without knowing how much longer this will be impacting our lives - but, I have a feeling these experiences (and the accompanying photos) will only become more interesting with time. 

Two Weeks in France

Narrowly avoiding the obvious challenges with travel at the moment, for the last two weeks I was busy shooting a new series of travel images in and around Paris, France. From iconic landmarks to quaint street scenes, it was refreshing to be back doing what I love and shooting new material.

Clearly, this was not a typical trip and numerous adjustments and revisions were made between when this was confirmed at the beginning of 2020 and now. I'm now safely back home in Canada and starting to make sense of what a whirlwind this was - and frankly feeling a load of stress off my back now that I can see it all worked out.

I'll dive into the messy details of what traveling right now actually looked like in an upcoming post, but for now I just wanted to announce that new additions from France will be coming to my Overseas Collection in the months ahead. A lot of content has been on hold this year, but I'm excited to offer a temporary escape with some of this new material on the way.

Clay Documentary Continues To Find New Eyes

One year ago today the documentary I directed Clay, Creativity & the Comeback premiered inside one of the historic factories showcased in the film (Medalta Potteries) and was then released to the public. Resulting in some amazing connections over the last twelve months, the project has now reached hundreds of thousands of people on various platforms across Canada. 


Clay, Creativity & the Comeback is the story of how the factories and abandoned ruins of a once booming industrial clay district were saved from demolition and renewed through the work of artists, volunteers, and a community with a vision. 

Shot in my hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta this was a story that I felt echoed one of the challenges that communities across Canada are continually facing. How do you preserve heritage while also adapting historic sites for renewed purposes? What does that even look like? And who are the people that make these visions a reality?

Clay, Creativity & the Comeback is a documentary that captures the first hand stories of many of the individuals directly involved in this decades long transformation - a transformation that lead a collection of crumbling structures to not just be saved or restored, but to become a National Historic Site of Canada that would welcome artists from around the world.

The entire feature length documentary is FREE to watch and has been posted on Editing Luke. View Clay, Creativity & the Comeback here.  

So, Editing Luke Is A Print Shop Now?

Call it an experiment, going with the flow, temporarily adapting, an attempt to feel busy, a creative exercise, killing time, or all of the above - but if you've noticed Editing Luke print sales popping up in your feed over the last few months it hasn't been by accident. It would seem that during lockdown I found a way to pass the time as a temporary art dealer of my own work.

You might be thinking that selling images is what Editing Luke (as a business) already does - and that's technically true. From custom orders and publications to art installations and corporate commissions, selling images commercially has always been part of the equation - but selling to individuals? Selling to my audience? Not so much. 

And then COVID happened.

Almost immediately the projects I had lined up for 2020 were either stalled or cancelled when travel restrictions and closures hit in March. After a couple months of home-based busy work, I had begun shooting new daily images around my hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta and sharing them on the Editing Luke facebook page. This wasn't an entirely new concept for me, but the frequency and variety of new local work I was creating was something I hadn't done since I first launched my Around the Hat series back in 2012.

While it sounds pretty quaint and maybe a somewhat creative way to pass the time, what actually changed in the weeks that passed was the popularity of the posts. While my casual posting had been moderately successful over the years, suddenly this focused project had the Editing Luke facebook page organically reaching hundreds of thousands of people a month. 

Now I'm far from the first person to figure out that popularity doesn't automatically equal sales, but the daily engagement from people who had been following me for years made me realize I had already been advertising the artwork - I just hadn't been doing anything to make it available.

Stacks of sold prints ready to be wrapped and delivered.

Flash sales of framed work became the plan - short, limited, targeted releases that made my images available to those who were interested. This wasn't about targeting the masses - I quickly realized the limited release of framed prints would sell out in less than a weekend because they were something exclusive in an already very specific market.

From a creative standpoint, I also loved being able to showcase and sell the variety of this new series in these limited bursts. From local landmarks to iconic prairie scenes, I've always been told I have a fairly distinct photographic style - and it's been genuinely fun to see the reactions that have come from releasing all this new work born out of essentially being temporarily stuck in my hometown.  

So is a permanent online Editing Luke print shop in the works? Probably not - at least not right now. As work picks up the targeted releases and flash sales will diminish, not least of which because keeping this many frames, prints, packing materials, etc. readily in stock is a departure. And while it's cool to sell artwork to my followers - it's never been the drive behind the production company to also be a storefront or shop at the same time. 

While things continue to be slow this year you can expect the series of flash sales to continue through the summer and then transition into a few limited seasonal releases. I think I've hit my stride now, but I do want to emphasize this isn't a long term plan. If you see something you like come up, best to get it now because statistically most of this new work won't ever be actively marketed to my audience again.

That said - thank you. 

I can't say thank you enough for the incredible support I've been shown in the last few months. I've hand delivered and shipped more of my artwork in the last two months than I have in the last two years combined. In every way the print sales have exceeded the casual expectations I had when this began. It's undeniably been a major help and financial support for the business in trying to navigate the uncertainty of 2020. 

For all of it, I'm grateful. Thank you for the support.


  

A Wedding, A Reunion & Los Angeles

A flight into San Jose, a series of travel shoots in Santa Cruz, a drive down to Monterey to be Best Man in a friend's wedding, a road trip down the coast to Los Angeles with a film school buddy, and naturally thousands more images captured over a week in the City of Angels - these are the bullet points from my last few weeks upon returning to California.

The funny thing about travel shooting in California, particularly Los Angeles at this point, is that I've been back and forth so many times now that you'd think I'd be bored revisiting a lot of the stereotypical spots. It's the opposite though. The familiarity is an asset. I always seem to come across something new, some random detail that fills in a blank I hadn't captured before. 

Places like the Pacific Coast Highway, Disneyland, Hollywood Boulevard and the Santa Monica Pier have actually become incredibly nostalgic now. I'm instantly reminded of other trips, friends I shared these experiences with, and professionally, some of the really cool material that's come from these random excursions and how I can experiment to build on it. 

This recent trip was really interesting because my mind was so focused on my role in my friend's wedding, that by the time the trip to L.A. started it felt like a surprise almost because I hadn't really been thinking about it. That said, this was no sit-by-the-pool vacation - we hit several major spots every day and covered a lot of ground between DTLA, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, Burbank, Glendale, and Anaheim. The inspiration was actually rooted in a lot of discussions we used to have in film school - so what better place than L.A. to relive them.

I launched my Roadside California series at the beginning of 2015 and looking back now it's pretty amazing just how much the collection has expanded in 5 years. From redwoods and mountains to beaches and theme parks, it's really cool to see how much of California I've been able to explore as Editing Luke. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. There's still so much to see! Explore more from my California series here.

Experience Pass in Calgary, Alberta

Motivated by the Experience Pass I was gifted by Tourism Calgary last year, I set out to revisit a few of Calgary, Alberta's top attractions on a brief layover I had in the city last month. The great thing about Tourism Calgary's Experience Pass is that it granted free admission to a number of local hotspots. I'd already photographed a number of them as part of my Around Alberta series over the last few years, so on this day and half revisit it became all about the details. 

While not exactly a recommended itinerary, I maximized my time by visiting Studio Bell, the Calgary Public Library, the Glenbow Museum, the Hangar Flight Museum, the Calgary Tower, and Fort Calgary. In addition to several other visits last year where I returned to explore Heritage Park and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, I undoubtedly have a lot of new content in the pipeline that should be popping up online soon. Explore more from around Calgary here.

Small Town Rodeo in Vulcan, Alberta

A few visual highlights from the rodeo in Vulcan, Alberta.

Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation

A few visual highlights from the Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation in Coaldale, Alberta.

What Was Thinking Hat?

Over the last few years I've been asked a handful of times, seemingly out of nowhere, about this one project I was involved with - "what was Thinking Hat?" It's funny how some things spread and then pop up again - having gone on a journey that was largely out of your control. It began in the summer of 2013. I was approached by Spectacle out of Calgary to discuss the idea behind a joint exhibition to debut in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta as part of Alberta Culture Days. 

The premise was a simple, but compelling idea centred around what was and what could be in the downtown core. My portion of the exhibit featured the photo essays that I had captured of some of the historic and abandoned structures in downtown Medicine Hat for my Around the Hat series. This would be contrasted against Spectacle's architectural and design work for how some of these underused spaces could be reimagined for modern developments. 

What made this concept pop was that it was hosted in a then vacant Beveridge Block at the same time as 2nd Street was in the final stages of receiving a massive upgrade. The weekend long exhibition debuted on September 27, 2013 and saw hundreds of curious visitors come through the doors including fellow artists, business owners, city councilors, and the mayor. 

Following the initial exhibition, Thinking Hat was displayed in the public library and eventually ended up in several of the vacant storefronts on 2nd Street. Amazingly, the project was left visible to the general public for nearly half a year. Why after all these years though, you may be wondering, has Thinking Hat still come up in conversation from time to time? 

Not long after our exhibition in the Beveridge Block the building, which had been vacant for more than a decade, was sold and completely renovated into an impressive event space. While we can't take credit for that, the work we did to put on this exhibit was the first time the building had been accessible to the public in years. It was also arguably the best it had looked in a long time too. Naturally, it sparked a lot of conversations.



At the end of 2018 I also released a documentary short called On 2nd, which was about the changes I had witnessed on 2nd Street as part of shooting my Around the Hat photo series. The project featured some of the footage I captured during Thinking Hat, and to date the documentary short has been viewed several hundred thousand times.

I still look back fondly at what we achieved with Thinking Hat, not just because of the feedback, but because it felt like we were stirring the pot on a discussion about downtown that had felt stagnant. Thinking Hat added more to the conversation by highlighting the good, the potential, and the proof that there was more here than people realized. It was a good start. 

 Jessie Andjelic and Philip Vandermey of Spectacle, and Luke Fandrich of Editing Luke (me).