A Photo Shoot with Rupali Yeast

When my cousin, Rupali sent me a message about doing some photo shooting last weekend, I thought it sounded like a fun idea. Some of the family was coming down from Calgary, and my Saturday hangout with Rupali seemed like a good chance to kid around and bond over shared interests. I really didn't have any expectations for that afternoon, but then I never thought that we'd get on such a creative kick either. 

Rupali has been pursuing a professional modeling career for the last couple of years. In addition to bookings around Calgary, she spent three months in Shanghai exploring opportunities set up by her international booking agent. Lucky for me, Rupali, having seen some of my photographs, seemed as enthusiastic to let me experiment as I was to have the chance to photograph her. 

I decided it would be fun to try blending some of Medicine Hat's stereotypical backdrops (that I'd already played with in Around the Hat) with Rupali's youthful look and style to create a contrast that I thought looked original. My goal wasn't just to capture a nice portrait, but to create a scene that made the various locations as interesting as my subject was. As a result, not only did Rupali look amazing, but I felt that the images had more depth, detail, and character. 

I loved the challenge of making the Hat seem overtly trendy in some instances, and almost dreamlike in others. Rupali glowed in these surroundings. Even just as snapshots, I think all of our images tell a cool story about the series of brief adventures we had that afternoon around the city.

I would also be remiss if I didn't acknowledge just how talented I think Rupali is. She was continually giving me a variety of looks to play with and didn't hesitate when I brought up ideas for us to try. In the end, I feel like we played off of each other's strengths and came up with some really cool stuff. I look forward to doing it again sometime. Hopefully sooner than later.

Salt Kiln Firing at Medalta

Of all my explorations around the clay district, it's been especially exciting during the last few weeks to get an up close look at the Artists in Residence facility down at Medalta Potteries. Having undertaken a few new contract projects with Medalta, I was in the right place to get a first hand look at a salt kiln firing last night.

Salt firing is a process where packets of salt are added to the kiln at high temperatures, where it then vaporizes and creates a glaze on the pottery. I watched as some salt was added, causing flames to momentarily roar from the kiln. I was also shown how test pieces are removed from the kiln to see how the firing and glaze is looking. If I remember correctly, this batch of pottery was in for about 14 hours.

It's some pretty amazing stuff, and a very cool scene to witness. I can't wait to capture more of the energy around the site as I try and contrast the old and new methods of pottery making in an upcoming video for Medalta. This is such an iconic location in Medicine Hat and a brilliant historical resource for the community. I'm really happy to have the opportunity to be involved in showcasing it.

Glazed test piece removed and cooled out of the kiln.