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Showing posts with label The Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Blog. Show all posts
Nov 18, 2018
Ask Editing Luke: Vol. 1
Earlier this week I had an impromptu Q & A on my Instagram stories @editingluke. Having never done one on Instagram before I was surprised to receive so many questions - and by the end of it, have over 5K people see the updates. Here are the questions I responded to.
Jan 1, 2018
Editing Luke in 2017
This was a year of significant growth, brand new (and often unexpected) opportunities, and some of the most diverse projects that my company and website, Editing Luke has ever produced. From travel and video shoots around North America to releasing a successful photo book to collaborating with some amazing partners (both locally and abroad), I'm especially proud of what was accomplished in 2017. Here are some of the moments that really stood out:
January 12, 2017 - In a year where the traffic multiplied and broke most of my previous records on the Editing Luke website, it was fitting that it kicked off with this milestone.
January 2017 - I was off on another incredible travel shoot / road trip through Nevada, California, and Arizona to add to the series I started in 2016. I shared a few initial highlights in the post: Snow Drifts, Sand Dunes, and the Open Road.
February 8, 2017 - I was hired to shoot architectural photography for The Keg.
February 16, 2017 - I had the pleasure of being 1 of 150 people from around Alberta invited to "Meet in the Middle" for this unique event that took place in Olds.
March 5, 2017 - I photographed Rogers Hometown Hockey in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
March 9, 2017 - I photographed Tom Cochrane on his Mad Mad World Tour.
March 14, 2017 - This photo series unexpectedly went viral locally when I was invited to shoot some of the final images of the century old Riverside School before it closed in June.
April 26, 2017 - The initial proof for what would become my MHHS AS IT WAS photo book was completed and I finalized my decision to move forward with the project. I seemed to be generating some buzz, but I still had no idea if any copies would actually sell.
May 3, 2017 - I signed a contract with McDonalds Canada to work as a brand influencer / content creator on several of their social media campaigns in 2017.
May 31, 2017 - Editing Luke celebrated its 10 year anniversary!
June 5, 2017 - After over a year of filming and months of editing, the rough cut of my schoolwide documentary finally debuted. Despite several small screenings and an overwhelmingly positive initial response, the documentary (unfortunately) has still not been approved for a public online release. I'm still hopeful. Here's what the project is about.
June 2017 - I began shooting a new series in Medicine Hat, Alberta titled "Then & Now". I photographed comparisons between archival images and the same locations in 2017. The shots became viral hits on the Editing Luke facebook page. Here is a recap of Part 1.
June 2017 - A lot of late nights / early mornings spawned a collection of summer sunrise images in Medicine Hat, Alberta. This impromptu series also exploded in popularity, receiving thousands of likes & shares on facebook and even a feature from Travel Alberta. Here is Part 1.
July 1, 2017 - The video I shot of the Canada 150 fireworks went over pretty well.
July 9, 2017 - I hiked to the top of Medicine Hat's cliffs to capture the view.
July 25, 2017 - I recapped the epic road trip / photo series I shot while driving the length of the Pacific Coast from Seattle to San Diego in 100 images.
August 2017 - I spent two weeks filming in the Canadian Badlands for a really exciting Alberta travel project with Canadian icon Tom Jackson. From dinosaur digs to aerial photography, there were a ton of visual highlights over the course of the shoot.
September 17, 2017 - The Editing Luke edit suite underwent a major upgrade.
September 2017 - Click the link to see the most popular image I shared on the Editing Luke facebook page this year which reached over 50K people through organic shares.
September 30, 2017 - Partners were on-board, funding was approved, and production officially got underway on my 2nd Street documentary project.
October 6, 2017 - After months of pre-orders, publishing, and organization, my photo book MHHS AS IT WAS was officially released over this weekend after selling over 1000 copies. More about the book and release here.
October 2017 - I spent the majority of the month road tripping / travel shooting around Florida and up the Gulf Coast of the United States through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Capturing thousands of images over the three week adventure, I shared a few early highlights here.
October 31, 2017 - AFAR (a popular travel magazine) featured an image from my Roadside California series.
November 29, 2017 - I was in Montana for another memorable travel shoot.
December 17, 2017 - Bringing the project with my former high school full circle, I was hired to shoot the architectural photography of the brand new MHHS.
December 2017 - For their December issue, my travel photography of Waikiki in Hawaii was featured on the cover and in a 7 page spread in Jetstar Magazine out of Australia. Full story and images of the publication here.
January 12, 2017 - In a year where the traffic multiplied and broke most of my previous records on the Editing Luke website, it was fitting that it kicked off with this milestone.
January 2017 - I was off on another incredible travel shoot / road trip through Nevada, California, and Arizona to add to the series I started in 2016. I shared a few initial highlights in the post: Snow Drifts, Sand Dunes, and the Open Road.
February 8, 2017 - I was hired to shoot architectural photography for The Keg.
February 16, 2017 - I had the pleasure of being 1 of 150 people from around Alberta invited to "Meet in the Middle" for this unique event that took place in Olds.
March 5, 2017 - I photographed Rogers Hometown Hockey in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
March 9, 2017 - I photographed Tom Cochrane on his Mad Mad World Tour.
March 14, 2017 - This photo series unexpectedly went viral locally when I was invited to shoot some of the final images of the century old Riverside School before it closed in June.
May 3, 2017 - I signed a contract with McDonalds Canada to work as a brand influencer / content creator on several of their social media campaigns in 2017.
May 31, 2017 - Editing Luke celebrated its 10 year anniversary!
June 5, 2017 - After over a year of filming and months of editing, the rough cut of my schoolwide documentary finally debuted. Despite several small screenings and an overwhelmingly positive initial response, the documentary (unfortunately) has still not been approved for a public online release. I'm still hopeful. Here's what the project is about.
June 2017 - I began shooting a new series in Medicine Hat, Alberta titled "Then & Now". I photographed comparisons between archival images and the same locations in 2017. The shots became viral hits on the Editing Luke facebook page. Here is a recap of Part 1.
June 2017 - A lot of late nights / early mornings spawned a collection of summer sunrise images in Medicine Hat, Alberta. This impromptu series also exploded in popularity, receiving thousands of likes & shares on facebook and even a feature from Travel Alberta. Here is Part 1.
July 1, 2017 - The video I shot of the Canada 150 fireworks went over pretty well.
July 9, 2017 - I hiked to the top of Medicine Hat's cliffs to capture the view.
July 25, 2017 - I recapped the epic road trip / photo series I shot while driving the length of the Pacific Coast from Seattle to San Diego in 100 images.
August 2017 - I spent two weeks filming in the Canadian Badlands for a really exciting Alberta travel project with Canadian icon Tom Jackson. From dinosaur digs to aerial photography, there were a ton of visual highlights over the course of the shoot.
September 17, 2017 - The Editing Luke edit suite underwent a major upgrade.
September 2017 - Click the link to see the most popular image I shared on the Editing Luke facebook page this year which reached over 50K people through organic shares.
September 30, 2017 - Partners were on-board, funding was approved, and production officially got underway on my 2nd Street documentary project.
October 6, 2017 - After months of pre-orders, publishing, and organization, my photo book MHHS AS IT WAS was officially released over this weekend after selling over 1000 copies. More about the book and release here.
October 2017 - I spent the majority of the month road tripping / travel shooting around Florida and up the Gulf Coast of the United States through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Capturing thousands of images over the three week adventure, I shared a few early highlights here.
October 31, 2017 - AFAR (a popular travel magazine) featured an image from my Roadside California series.
November 29, 2017 - I was in Montana for another memorable travel shoot.
December 17, 2017 - Bringing the project with my former high school full circle, I was hired to shoot the architectural photography of the brand new MHHS.
December 2017 - For their December issue, my travel photography of Waikiki in Hawaii was featured on the cover and in a 7 page spread in Jetstar Magazine out of Australia. Full story and images of the publication here.
May 31, 2017
10 Years of Editing Luke
On every May 31 over the last decade I've celebrated another chapter in the storied growth of the Editing Luke website. To look back at a decade of my life while I continued to build this platform, this business, etc. is worthy of celebration, and I can't express enough how humbled I am by the support and opportunities that have come my way on the back of creating and sharing photography and video content that I'm genuinely passionate about.
It's only natural to want to reflect on the achievements that have developed over 10 years - millions of people reached, hundreds of thousands of images shared, film festival credits, awards won, and a long list of unique bucket-list adventures checked off. It's easy to celebrate those highs and make it sound like everything was destined to be. However, on a personal level this website turning 10 is really a celebration of just one thing - persistence.
In the lifespan of this website I've changed directions quite a bit. I've outlasted a lot of similar sites that sprung up at the same time as mine, and I've seen countless creative beginnings and endings from hundreds of other really talented people. There hasn't been a year (especially since Editing Luke became a full-time gig) without serious challenges, doubts, or obstacles that made me question my entire approach.
Editing Luke went from a film student's blog in 2007 to a filmmaker's media production company in 2017, but making this work hasn't been as easy as it often looks from the outside. People ask me all the time about how I've been able to do this as a career, but there really isn't a secret. It took years of work before I was able to transition this into a business and still maintain the integrity behind the type of content that I wanted to put my name on.
If I were to simplify it, a lot of the success has come from putting in dedicated daily hours, differentiating myself from potential competitors, regularly expanding into new markets, and nurturing a following by being consistent with what I produce and share. Even still, I'll be the first to admit that this entire operation is a continual work in progress.
From the start, the idea behind "editing" Luke was that I was striving to better myself. As a result, this digital scrapbook has kept me accountable to my ambitions. It's motivated me to do more. It's given me the opportunity to reflect on my progress, and to improve on what I've already done. As a creator, it's always kept me focused on what I was doing as a career and provided me with an outlet to experiment with my creative evolution.
Perhaps most gratifying, this website has far surpassed my initial expectations of what I thought it would become and what I thought it could help me achieve professionally. I dread to think how many incredible experiences I would've missed out on over the last decade had I not started this when I did. And therein lies the true achievement in all of this - not waiting for permission, not waiting to be handed your dream, but actively striving for it and making it a reality for yourself. I'm still adding new goals to the list every time I check one off.
A decade ago I felt compelled to start this, not because I had a grand vision of what my future had in store, but because I felt lost, and I knew this was a small step in the right direction. I'm now more driven than ever to build on what I've created. Ten years in and I couldn't be happier to be starting another chapter in this story, if for no other reason, because there's still so much I want to do. Take it from me, whatever your adventure, the greatest investment you can make is with your time. Here's to day 1 of the next decade.
It's only natural to want to reflect on the achievements that have developed over 10 years - millions of people reached, hundreds of thousands of images shared, film festival credits, awards won, and a long list of unique bucket-list adventures checked off. It's easy to celebrate those highs and make it sound like everything was destined to be. However, on a personal level this website turning 10 is really a celebration of just one thing - persistence.
In the lifespan of this website I've changed directions quite a bit. I've outlasted a lot of similar sites that sprung up at the same time as mine, and I've seen countless creative beginnings and endings from hundreds of other really talented people. There hasn't been a year (especially since Editing Luke became a full-time gig) without serious challenges, doubts, or obstacles that made me question my entire approach.
Editing Luke went from a film student's blog in 2007 to a filmmaker's media production company in 2017, but making this work hasn't been as easy as it often looks from the outside. People ask me all the time about how I've been able to do this as a career, but there really isn't a secret. It took years of work before I was able to transition this into a business and still maintain the integrity behind the type of content that I wanted to put my name on.
If I were to simplify it, a lot of the success has come from putting in dedicated daily hours, differentiating myself from potential competitors, regularly expanding into new markets, and nurturing a following by being consistent with what I produce and share. Even still, I'll be the first to admit that this entire operation is a continual work in progress.
From the start, the idea behind "editing" Luke was that I was striving to better myself. As a result, this digital scrapbook has kept me accountable to my ambitions. It's motivated me to do more. It's given me the opportunity to reflect on my progress, and to improve on what I've already done. As a creator, it's always kept me focused on what I was doing as a career and provided me with an outlet to experiment with my creative evolution.
Perhaps most gratifying, this website has far surpassed my initial expectations of what I thought it would become and what I thought it could help me achieve professionally. I dread to think how many incredible experiences I would've missed out on over the last decade had I not started this when I did. And therein lies the true achievement in all of this - not waiting for permission, not waiting to be handed your dream, but actively striving for it and making it a reality for yourself. I'm still adding new goals to the list every time I check one off.
A decade ago I felt compelled to start this, not because I had a grand vision of what my future had in store, but because I felt lost, and I knew this was a small step in the right direction. I'm now more driven than ever to build on what I've created. Ten years in and I couldn't be happier to be starting another chapter in this story, if for no other reason, because there's still so much I want to do. Take it from me, whatever your adventure, the greatest investment you can make is with your time. Here's to day 1 of the next decade.
Feb 24, 2017
Dream Chasing 101: Some Simple Advice
This month is one of personal milestones. Three years ago in February 2014, Editing Luke transitioned from being a glorified side gig to my full-time business and media production company. In that seemingly brief time my reach has increased by actual millions, the scale of my projects has grown, and I've been humbled to receive a bit of recognition along the way. Perhaps most meaningful however, is the realization that twenty years ago in February 1997, at the age of 12, I bought a used video camera with what little money I was able to accumulate and decided then and there that I was going to make "movies" for a living.
I couldn't have known then what the next two decades of my life were going to look like, but through teenage ambitions, a film school education, and the growth of Editing Luke, it's fascinating to look back on the thread of this dream that has linked so many formative moments. While I could rehash many of these chapters in detail, I thought it might be more valuable to share a bit of advice that I've come to embody in this pursuit. These are a few things that I found crucial in turning my dream at 12 years old into a reality at 32.
1. Hold yourself accountable to what you really want to accomplish.
I realized early on that the main thing that separates success and failure is a willingness to accept challenges. It's easy to quit. It's easy to not follow through. It's even easy to start, but then give up when the rewards aren't immediate. If you really want something, and have a desire to succeed, you have to put in the work knowing that achieving a dream is just that - work. Tell yourself otherwise and your efforts will always be half-assed.
As a student I understood that starting this website was an easy way to share a few of my goals. In the beginning my audience was really just friends and family, but by putting my ambitions in writing I felt like I'd made a promise that I wanted to hold myself to. Even to this day, especially with a much larger audience, I now feel more dedicated than ever when it comes to what I share and create. It can be a lot of self-imposed pressure at times, but there's no doubt that holding myself accountable has kept me improving and building on past accomplishments.
2. Fail forward.
Failure is to be expected along the way, but it's also guaranteed if you never take action at all. Some of the greatest lessons come from not quite succeeding, striving for something you weren't quite ready for, or stepping outside of your comfort zone. These kinds of failures are actually badges of honor that will make you reconsider your mistakes moving forward. Embrace them. You won't learn anything if your fear of failure keeps you from trying.
Some of my biggest failures, specifically during my film school years, became huge character building opportunities. When projects didn't go to plan, it was often the limitations that made moving forward easier. Limitless choices can be paralyzing, but when backed into a corner you realize how many solutions come from being forced to make a move - any move at all. It doesn't mean things always work out perfectly, but it does keep you from stagnating in a bad spot.
3. Find your niche.
It's only natural to take inspiration from others that you aspire to be like. In film school I spent a lot of time experimenting with different styles and approaches to media that I saw from a variety of directors, visual artists, etc. that I admired. When it came to shooting my own work it quickly became apparent that while I had a lot to learn, there wasn't much value in just being a cheap knock off of other filmmakers. Experimenting was an easy way to start developing a style that felt more personal. The more I recognized a gap in the types of content and styles that I wanted to see, the more my own work felt authentic.
This lesson became especially true as Editing Luke (as a production company) began expanding. I knew I didn't want to be a wedding photographer / videographer or be entirely focused on creating ads, so I made a concerted effort to take on (and promote myself as a creator of) more culturally / travel / narrative based projects that I felt would differentiate my business from what I saw others doing in my region. It was really difficult in the beginning to establish this where I was located, but even after just a few projects I could see how it set my business apart. Nowadays it's much easier to just browse a few of my project highlights and get a quick sense of what my niche is. Being different worked.
4. Work harder.
This is an unpopular piece of advice, but it's the most obvious truth about how I've managed to become my own boss and build a company where I get to do what I love for a living. As much as I enjoy photography and video, the success of the business only came when I learned how to market myself, network, work with other teams, and push for bigger and better projects. In a nutshell, I had to work harder than those who wanted to do this casually just to prove that my business could even exist.
As a teenager I already knew that it was going to be difficult to make a career out of something that a lot of people considered a fun hobby. This only became emphasized as YouTube and social media exploded and anyone with access to a cheap camera became an instant filmmaker and photographer. On one hand it was great, because I wouldn't be where I am now had this not happened. However, it also reaffirmed that working harder was the only thing I could actually rely on to get further ahead. The energy I've put into the development of this website (which will turn 10 this year) is just one example of the effort I've made to grow.
5. Forge your own path.
The beauty in taking any advice is that there are numerous ways to make it suit your own ambitions. Your success is not determined by how well you follow instructions. Your success is determined by how well you can adapt, evolve, and roll with the punches.
The idea that I'd be back in Medicine Hat, Alberta running an independent production company, that I'd be travelling all over North America to create content, that my work would appear in international film festivals or reach millions online, etc. etc. was not a reality that anyone sold to me or instructed me on how to achieve. It's not even something that I knew I was specifically heading towards or looking for. Frankly, this could all change again in a year. And who knows what I'll be sharing in another two decades from now.
The point is that as unpredictable as the journey is, finding your own way is a million times more exciting than chasing a stereotype of what you thought your dream was supposed to look like. I struggled with this a lot after university, but continued to redefine what it was that I really wanted. You have more control than you think. Achieving your dream requires action, a bit of bravery, and persistence. Stop waiting for permission. Go and make it happen!
1. Hold yourself accountable to what you really want to accomplish.
I realized early on that the main thing that separates success and failure is a willingness to accept challenges. It's easy to quit. It's easy to not follow through. It's even easy to start, but then give up when the rewards aren't immediate. If you really want something, and have a desire to succeed, you have to put in the work knowing that achieving a dream is just that - work. Tell yourself otherwise and your efforts will always be half-assed.
As a student I understood that starting this website was an easy way to share a few of my goals. In the beginning my audience was really just friends and family, but by putting my ambitions in writing I felt like I'd made a promise that I wanted to hold myself to. Even to this day, especially with a much larger audience, I now feel more dedicated than ever when it comes to what I share and create. It can be a lot of self-imposed pressure at times, but there's no doubt that holding myself accountable has kept me improving and building on past accomplishments.
2. Fail forward.
Failure is to be expected along the way, but it's also guaranteed if you never take action at all. Some of the greatest lessons come from not quite succeeding, striving for something you weren't quite ready for, or stepping outside of your comfort zone. These kinds of failures are actually badges of honor that will make you reconsider your mistakes moving forward. Embrace them. You won't learn anything if your fear of failure keeps you from trying.
Some of my biggest failures, specifically during my film school years, became huge character building opportunities. When projects didn't go to plan, it was often the limitations that made moving forward easier. Limitless choices can be paralyzing, but when backed into a corner you realize how many solutions come from being forced to make a move - any move at all. It doesn't mean things always work out perfectly, but it does keep you from stagnating in a bad spot.
3. Find your niche.
It's only natural to take inspiration from others that you aspire to be like. In film school I spent a lot of time experimenting with different styles and approaches to media that I saw from a variety of directors, visual artists, etc. that I admired. When it came to shooting my own work it quickly became apparent that while I had a lot to learn, there wasn't much value in just being a cheap knock off of other filmmakers. Experimenting was an easy way to start developing a style that felt more personal. The more I recognized a gap in the types of content and styles that I wanted to see, the more my own work felt authentic.
This lesson became especially true as Editing Luke (as a production company) began expanding. I knew I didn't want to be a wedding photographer / videographer or be entirely focused on creating ads, so I made a concerted effort to take on (and promote myself as a creator of) more culturally / travel / narrative based projects that I felt would differentiate my business from what I saw others doing in my region. It was really difficult in the beginning to establish this where I was located, but even after just a few projects I could see how it set my business apart. Nowadays it's much easier to just browse a few of my project highlights and get a quick sense of what my niche is. Being different worked.
4. Work harder.
This is an unpopular piece of advice, but it's the most obvious truth about how I've managed to become my own boss and build a company where I get to do what I love for a living. As much as I enjoy photography and video, the success of the business only came when I learned how to market myself, network, work with other teams, and push for bigger and better projects. In a nutshell, I had to work harder than those who wanted to do this casually just to prove that my business could even exist.
As a teenager I already knew that it was going to be difficult to make a career out of something that a lot of people considered a fun hobby. This only became emphasized as YouTube and social media exploded and anyone with access to a cheap camera became an instant filmmaker and photographer. On one hand it was great, because I wouldn't be where I am now had this not happened. However, it also reaffirmed that working harder was the only thing I could actually rely on to get further ahead. The energy I've put into the development of this website (which will turn 10 this year) is just one example of the effort I've made to grow.
5. Forge your own path.
The beauty in taking any advice is that there are numerous ways to make it suit your own ambitions. Your success is not determined by how well you follow instructions. Your success is determined by how well you can adapt, evolve, and roll with the punches.
The idea that I'd be back in Medicine Hat, Alberta running an independent production company, that I'd be travelling all over North America to create content, that my work would appear in international film festivals or reach millions online, etc. etc. was not a reality that anyone sold to me or instructed me on how to achieve. It's not even something that I knew I was specifically heading towards or looking for. Frankly, this could all change again in a year. And who knows what I'll be sharing in another two decades from now.
The point is that as unpredictable as the journey is, finding your own way is a million times more exciting than chasing a stereotype of what you thought your dream was supposed to look like. I struggled with this a lot after university, but continued to redefine what it was that I really wanted. You have more control than you think. Achieving your dream requires action, a bit of bravery, and persistence. Stop waiting for permission. Go and make it happen!
Jan 12, 2017
40 Million Is A Really Big Number
Since the start of the year I've been counting down the days knowing that this milestone was just around the corner. Today it finally happened. As of January 12, 2017 the content on Editing Luke has now officially been seen by over 40 million people around the world.
What makes this an especially exciting achievement is that this has all happened in the last 5 years. Despite starting this website on May 31, 2007, I didn't actually begin seriously tracking my analytics until late 2011. Amazingly, over 10 million of these views came from 2016 alone.
You might be asking yourself how is a number like this possible with my relatively modest social media following? The answer is actually pretty simple. Longevity and Google image searches.
Editing Luke is about to turn 10 years old in a few months time and since 2007 I've shared nearly 2100 posts on this site. The back catalog of content includes work I did as a film student, multiple photo sets spanning North America, my numerous video productions, contract projects, journals about filmmaking, concert photography, road trip adventures, as well as my incredibly popular posts about Medicine Hat and Alberta at large (just to name some of the highlights).
When my production company (including this website) became my full time job in 2014 I became even more strategic about getting my work seen to attract more business. I made a concerted effort to improve the quality of what I shared, I targeted bigger and more varied audiences, and I challenged myself to be more efficient and productive with my time. On the surface it may seem simple, but making this work hasn't come easy. Even still.
At the end of the day 40 million is still just a number, but I'm genuinely humbled by it. It makes me feel like my persistence has really paid off. Despite reinventing myself numerous times and having lots of excuses or reasons to quit over the last decade, building Editing Luke has turned out to be one of the greatest personal investments I could've made as a student.
For all you other dreamers out there, let this be a lesson that today is the day to start. One night in late May back in 2007 I was just a film student in a dorm who decided it might be fun to start a website. I hoped a few people might see my work. Well, so far so good.
You might be asking yourself how is a number like this possible with my relatively modest social media following? The answer is actually pretty simple. Longevity and Google image searches.
Editing Luke is about to turn 10 years old in a few months time and since 2007 I've shared nearly 2100 posts on this site. The back catalog of content includes work I did as a film student, multiple photo sets spanning North America, my numerous video productions, contract projects, journals about filmmaking, concert photography, road trip adventures, as well as my incredibly popular posts about Medicine Hat and Alberta at large (just to name some of the highlights).
When my production company (including this website) became my full time job in 2014 I became even more strategic about getting my work seen to attract more business. I made a concerted effort to improve the quality of what I shared, I targeted bigger and more varied audiences, and I challenged myself to be more efficient and productive with my time. On the surface it may seem simple, but making this work hasn't come easy. Even still.
At the end of the day 40 million is still just a number, but I'm genuinely humbled by it. It makes me feel like my persistence has really paid off. Despite reinventing myself numerous times and having lots of excuses or reasons to quit over the last decade, building Editing Luke has turned out to be one of the greatest personal investments I could've made as a student.
For all you other dreamers out there, let this be a lesson that today is the day to start. One night in late May back in 2007 I was just a film student in a dorm who decided it might be fun to start a website. I hoped a few people might see my work. Well, so far so good.
Jan 1, 2017
Editing Luke in 2016
For the record, there's something pretty uplifting about recapping the best parts of your year, editing out all of the stress and exhaustion, and then making it appear really organized and focused - go figure! In all seriousness, 2016 was an ambitious one for me. It was also incredibly scattered and uneven in terms of how everything played out, but I did get a lot done.
This was a year of some massive new projects, a year when Editing Luke reached more people than ever before, and a year, when frankly, I've never worked harder to open new doors and make things happen. Here are some of those things that made my 2016 memorable:
January 2016 - At the very start of the year shooting was already underway for what would become the massive schoolwide documentary that I was filming at Dr. Roy Wilson Learning Centre in Medicine Hat, Alberta. We still weren't exactly sure what we were embarking on, but I put together this post to announce the project.
January 18, 2016 - I flew out to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan and shared the experience with my Dad. We had a blast exploring the city and my Motor City photo series that followed got a lot of traction over the course of the year. I also put together this brief video to highlight the auto show and new series.
January 27, 2016 - After being asked to photograph the structure for archival record, I finally debuted the images I captured of my old high school after renovations began. The nostalgia of seeing Medicine Hat High School as it was one last time proved popular as the series attracted tens of thousands of hits. See Part 1 here.
February 12, 2016 - I was up in Calgary, Alberta working on an ongoing video production in collaboration with Streamline, MHC, and Medalta. Not only was the production a lot of fun to work on, but the shoot was also a great opportunity to explore and photograph more of Calgary for my Alberta travel library. Explore more of that here.
March 15, 2016 - I debuted a brand new video with the Travelling Exhibition Program highlighting artwork in rural Alberta.
March 16, 2016 - Indulging one of my former film student whims, I bought myself a really expensive piece of memorabilia that I've wanted since high school. See it here.
April 2016 - I spent a week road tripping and shooting travel photography all over Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The trip was a great excuse to get away for my birthday and expand my Pacific Northwest travel series at the same time.
April 25, 2016 - Following up on an earlier series of images, I returned to my old high school again to photograph the aftermath of some of the demolition / renovation in full swing.
May 13, 2016 - After months in production, Innovation @ Medalta debuted.
June 2016 - I flew down to Atlanta, rented a car, and spent two weeks road tripping through the American South and Midwest on another photo journaling adventure. I shot a ton of material for my brand new Middle America photo series. Needless to say, I met a lot of characters along the way and became one myself.
June 29, 2016 - On the last day of school before summer, I shared a few updates about how the schoolwide documentary I'd been filming was unfolding.
July 1, 2016 - I shot a little video of the Canada Day fireworks that went over pretty well.
July 13, 2016 - I photographed my friends Enslow performing at the Monarch.
July 29, 2016 - I decided to challenge myself by shooting and editing a little visual exploration of the midway at the Medicine Hat Stampede.
September 1, 2016 - I kicked off a new video project with the Canalta Centre (soon to debut). On a side note, I shot some awesome concert photography at the Canalta Centre over the course of 2016 as well. More of that can be found here.
September 5, 2016 - After receiving yet another random message asking for free images, I put together this post about why supporting creative content matters. Clearly a lot of other people agreed, because the post took off.
October 5, 2016 - After months of organizing and rebuilding my travel library of Southern Alberta, I finally began debuting it to potential clients. At 1700+ pics (and growing) it's the largest preview gallery of final images that I have assembled to date.
October 14, 2016 - I won the 2016 Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
November 2016 - For Christmas I began debuting all of the Disneyland and California Adventure travel photography that I had shot in December 2015. These made for some really popular additions to my Roadside California series that I expanded substantially this year.
December 2016 - My year culminated with the official end of production on the schoolwide documentary that I'd been collaborating on since mid-2015. I provided more clarification about the project in a new post here. With this one project being such a major part of my year, it's been amazing to look back and realize how much else was going on. It should also be no surprise that with post-production just kicking off, this documentary project will certainly be a big part of my 2017 as well.
So, that was my 2016 in a nutshell. I've glossed over a lot of the "work" that actually took place because that would mostly be shots of me editing at 2am or scheduling shoots or returning emails. But really, I can't complain. For all the ups and downs this was a pretty good year.
Thank you to all those that I've had the pleasure of collaborating with in 2016 and to all of you who have continued to visit this website and explore my work. The support that so many of you have shown me has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for sharing your time with me in 2016 and for making this even more fun than it already is. Happy New Year!
This was a year of some massive new projects, a year when Editing Luke reached more people than ever before, and a year, when frankly, I've never worked harder to open new doors and make things happen. Here are some of those things that made my 2016 memorable:January 18, 2016 - I flew out to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan and shared the experience with my Dad. We had a blast exploring the city and my Motor City photo series that followed got a lot of traction over the course of the year. I also put together this brief video to highlight the auto show and new series.
January 27, 2016 - After being asked to photograph the structure for archival record, I finally debuted the images I captured of my old high school after renovations began. The nostalgia of seeing Medicine Hat High School as it was one last time proved popular as the series attracted tens of thousands of hits. See Part 1 here.
February 12, 2016 - I was up in Calgary, Alberta working on an ongoing video production in collaboration with Streamline, MHC, and Medalta. Not only was the production a lot of fun to work on, but the shoot was also a great opportunity to explore and photograph more of Calgary for my Alberta travel library. Explore more of that here.
March 15, 2016 - I debuted a brand new video with the Travelling Exhibition Program highlighting artwork in rural Alberta.
March 16, 2016 - Indulging one of my former film student whims, I bought myself a really expensive piece of memorabilia that I've wanted since high school. See it here.
April 2016 - I spent a week road tripping and shooting travel photography all over Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The trip was a great excuse to get away for my birthday and expand my Pacific Northwest travel series at the same time.
April 25, 2016 - Following up on an earlier series of images, I returned to my old high school again to photograph the aftermath of some of the demolition / renovation in full swing.
May 13, 2016 - After months in production, Innovation @ Medalta debuted.
June 2016 - I flew down to Atlanta, rented a car, and spent two weeks road tripping through the American South and Midwest on another photo journaling adventure. I shot a ton of material for my brand new Middle America photo series. Needless to say, I met a lot of characters along the way and became one myself.
June 29, 2016 - On the last day of school before summer, I shared a few updates about how the schoolwide documentary I'd been filming was unfolding.
July 1, 2016 - I shot a little video of the Canada Day fireworks that went over pretty well.
July 13, 2016 - I photographed my friends Enslow performing at the Monarch.
July 29, 2016 - I decided to challenge myself by shooting and editing a little visual exploration of the midway at the Medicine Hat Stampede.
September 1, 2016 - I kicked off a new video project with the Canalta Centre (soon to debut). On a side note, I shot some awesome concert photography at the Canalta Centre over the course of 2016 as well. More of that can be found here.
September 5, 2016 - After receiving yet another random message asking for free images, I put together this post about why supporting creative content matters. Clearly a lot of other people agreed, because the post took off.
October 5, 2016 - After months of organizing and rebuilding my travel library of Southern Alberta, I finally began debuting it to potential clients. At 1700+ pics (and growing) it's the largest preview gallery of final images that I have assembled to date.
October 14, 2016 - I won the 2016 Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
November 2016 - For Christmas I began debuting all of the Disneyland and California Adventure travel photography that I had shot in December 2015. These made for some really popular additions to my Roadside California series that I expanded substantially this year.
December 2016 - My year culminated with the official end of production on the schoolwide documentary that I'd been collaborating on since mid-2015. I provided more clarification about the project in a new post here. With this one project being such a major part of my year, it's been amazing to look back and realize how much else was going on. It should also be no surprise that with post-production just kicking off, this documentary project will certainly be a big part of my 2017 as well.
So, that was my 2016 in a nutshell. I've glossed over a lot of the "work" that actually took place because that would mostly be shots of me editing at 2am or scheduling shoots or returning emails. But really, I can't complain. For all the ups and downs this was a pretty good year. Thank you to all those that I've had the pleasure of collaborating with in 2016 and to all of you who have continued to visit this website and explore my work. The support that so many of you have shown me has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for sharing your time with me in 2016 and for making this even more fun than it already is. Happy New Year!
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