2009 Ends in Snow

What a crazy year this has been, honestly! Good crazy, but crazy nevertheless. Since I last remembered to blog I've been insanely busy. I shot Mame at the end of November:

After Mame came two Nutcrackers (see under Links) and then, what was really cool was, I was invited to a press conference with Keith Emerson, who sat down at the piano and started to play. For those old enough to remember the amazing Emerson Lake and Palmer, you'll understand why I was in complete awe as I got to stand there listening and shooting. Wow!

It's been a busy couple of weeks of shooting for me. First, I was given permission to shoot Royal Winnipeg Ballet's production of Moulin Rouge when they performed here in Kelowna last week. What a thrill! I was only allowed to shoot for the first 10 minutes but this shot seemed to sum it up for me as Moulin Rouge was all about the Can-can.

Principal dancer Maureya Lebowitz was absolutely stunning to watch and photograph. A big thank you to Royal Winnipeg Ballet for letting me do this. The photo ran in Kelowna Daily Courier with the review of the show.

Also on this list of events I was out shooting was the 6th annual Night of the Arts, a fundraiser held here for a youth and family counselling centre.

Headlining the night was Greg Sczebel. If you've never heard him, he's well worth checking out. He won a Juno a few years ago and is well on his way to earning another one. What an unbelievably talented guy!

It was great fun out shooting the Ballet Kelowna dancers this past week, getting ready to promote their upcoming gala fundraiser Pirouette.

The event takes place in February and you can get all the details by going to Ballet Kelowna's website at:

www.BalletKelowna.ca

Well, the colours in the leaves are changing and snow is beginning its annual creep down the mountainside here in Kelowna. For someone like me who loves winter, it's a welcome site but I know my snow sentiments aren't shared by everyone.

Of course with fall, and snow, comes the usual requests for family portraits - get something now to put in your Christmas card - EEKS! I said it! The dreaded "C" word and it isn't even Hallowe'en yet! Still, for those organized enough to think ahead, getting your family portraits done now in the beautiful fall colours does provide for great Christmas gifts for family members.

If you'd like to book a family portrait session with me, please give me a call. If I don't answer right away, it might be because I'm outside doing my happy snow dance. Let it snow!

It was hard to believe it was September as the thermometer went up to the high 20s for Jenna and Jamie's wedding in Penticton. And while I know this probably won't be the couple's favorite shot because you can't see their faces that well but I thought it was well worth the drive to Munson Mountain just for this one shot.

What a treat to once again work with the amazing artists of Ballet Kelowna. Shot their dress rehearsal for them Thursday night and then shot from the wings last night. This shot looks just so surreal, that they're both at the exact same height and perfect splits, Raelynn even beyond split. I just love "my" dancers~

It was a blustery day Saturday when I drove out to Okanagan Lake Resort on the Westside to shoot Mick and Dianne's late afternoon wedding. Their marriage license blew off the table and one of their son's had to hope this fence, down a drop to rescue it. Thankfully he was able to get it before it blew any further and the wedding proceeded on time.

It was hard to pick a favorite shot from the wedding I shot Sunday as I loved all three of these equally. What a fun wedding to shoot! Congratulations Carrie and Chris!

I was asked to be the featured photojournalist this year at Art Walk, which was a huge honour, however it couldn't have come at a worse time as I had not one but two weddings to shoot. I was pretty exhausted by the time I got everything up Friday night and walking around the empty halls, it felt kinda like Christmas Eve, when you've put everything under the tree and are just waiting for the people to come and find it.

Saturday's wedding was this nice couple from Calgary. It was over 30 degrees - hot for September and I felt sorry for the guys in their suits. I'm sure they were both tempted to just jump in the lake here!

Talk about good luck! Shot Angie and Garett's wedding yesterday and the weather couldn't have cooperated more if it tried. It hailed on the way to the outdoor ceremony at The Bear golf course, but when we arrived, the wind had stopped and so had the rain. The sun came out in time for the ceremony and we made it almost all the way through photos before the rain returned. It hadn't quite stopped but the sun was low enough in the sky that it created this beautiful rainbow so I got the newlyweds to stand just under the end of the patio's roof so they wouldn't get wet, and we managed to get this shot. The perfect end to an really nice wedding.

I was at Ballet Kelowna last week, shooting the dancers in action for the upcoming season, getting all the pretty head shots and shots of them jumping and moving on the backdrop with lights flashing to capture each movement. I just love shooting the dancers, they are the most incredible athletes as well as artists.

After we were done, one of the dancers took off her shoes to let her feet air out. I snapped this photo right away, before setting her up to get other one's with better lighting that were more posed, shots they might want to use for the company. Maybe it's my penchant for darkness but this ended up being my favorite of them all. A reminder of how truly magical ballet is, the illusion these artists create of being effortless and light as air.

Just back from covering Salmon Arm's 17th annual Roots & Blues show and while i got the expected shots, such as Sam Roberts, Bedouin Soundclash, Serena Ryder and Johnny Winter, this 5 month old baby wearing ear protectors was a keeper! It was well after sundown so the lighting was tough but she was just so darned cute, I couldn't resist taking her picture. Perhaps I'll get the Serena, Sam, Johnny, etc., photos up shortly.

Another fabulous festival! Nobody does it like Salmon Arm~

Well, I can't say for sure what he was wearing under the kilt but I did get to shoot my first Scottish wedding this month. Patsy and Paul were married under clear Okanagan blue skies - clear except for the Terrace Mountain Fire flaring up again and some of the wedding guests having to leave so they could rescue animals from the evacuation area. But all is well, no houses burnt down and the animals are fine.

Hard to say what's hotter - a tux or a woolen kilt. Hmmmm....

New Website Almost there...

Wow, finally my new website is just about completed! This is my first blog onto it as a test but I look forward to being able to blog about my work here. Stay tuned!!!!