I joke that my specialty in photography is shooting “girls in dresses”. No matter what style of photography I try, I always seem to fall back into accentuating beauty and working with people. I’m a people-person and love the collaboration between model and photographer. I’ve been extremely fortunate this year to work with many talented models from around Canada and the United States – some of these frames highlight shoots from Boston, MA to Missoula, MT.
Enjoy!
Fans of live music in Lethbridge had few options recently for a choice in venue, it was either a local pizza place, or various temporary stages setup throughout the city. Not so anymore with the changing of the guard at Lethbridge’s old firehall and LBN restaurant. Read more »
A full week after shooting Kardinal Offishall at the Roadhouse in Lethbridge, I was fortunate enough to take in and shoot Naughty by Nature at the same venue. Read more »
I was fortunate enough to shoot a local hip hop show featuring Canadian Artist Kardinal Offishall. Fans of this genre will note Kardinal as being a producer and collaborator for US-based artists Akon and Rihanna. Read more »
Residents of Lethbridge, Alberta have no shortage of live music, arts and culture thanks to the efforts of the student’s union at the University of Lethbridge. After shooting a few previous live shows at the Zoo, I was fortunate enough to gain an all-access media pass for the “Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll” show held this past Thursday. Read more »
Boxing day in Lethbridge was a series of snow drifts and howling winds, not an ideal environment for an outdoor portrait session. Not to be discouraged by the weather, I made a few calls to scout alternate locations and ended up connecting with Jason Beacock, new owner of Henotic Restaurant and Lounge. I explained my dilemma to Jason (new owner), and he openly invited us to come in and shoot. The weather had kept most sane people at home – so the old Firehall location was mostly empty when I arrived.
If you’ve not been to the new Henotic Restaurant, go. Food is great, and the ownership is very receptive to both visual artists and musicians. Located in Lethbridge’s original firehall, Henotic seeks to become a new venue for artists to showcase their work, and build local community.
Rod Leland showed up to assist my shoot (thankfully), and we explored a few funky lighting setups while shooting a couple in our newfound environment. I got a little creeped out when Rod told me the 6-floor bell tower was the stage for Lethbridge’s first legal hanging. Yikes!
Here’s a few sample frames from our evening:
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I took a break from the wedding scene last night and did a music portrait session with Martin.
Normally found roaming the aisles of the local HMV, Martin has a distinct rock “look” that was begging to be photographed. I love shooting frames of unique and interesting people, and Martin was no exception.
We toyed with a few different wardrobe and lighting setups, but ended up with some low-key portraits that will look great as prints, facebook or myspace.
Thanks for being so receptive to my ideas Martin, the other shots look great too! If you are a fan of music, visit him at the HMV in Park Place Mall – tell ‘em Michael sent ya.
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Last month, my shoot with Lethbridge’s Endangered Ape was featured in Beatroute, an independent music publication from Calgary, Alberta. Working with the “ape” theme, I threw out a nod to the beginning scene of 2001 (where the apes are circling the obelisk) with nothing but a remotely fired flash, and a commercial dryer.
The January edition of Beatroute expands on the career of a member of many local music projects, Jeff King.
As a good friend of Mr. King, I snuck into an undisclosed photo studio with a few bags of gear and got to work. A proper article deserves a proper portrait. I hope you like this sneak peek.
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