Friday, June 29, 2012

Behind "Behind the Vines"

Last night was the opening shin-dig for my Behind the Vines photo exhibition at The Old Firehouse Wine Bar in Duncan. It was a big night for me for a number of reasons. This was the first exhibition that I have been asked to do. Thank you Jeff Downey (owner of The Old Firehouse Wine Bar) for believing in me to such a degree to ask that I put together a collection of vineyard photos in my style. Not your normal grapes on the vines stereotypical vineyard collection. This collection is about the people who make the wines in the Cowichan Valley. Not many of us get to see who these people are but we know htey produce some great wines. My angle is people. I love taking photos of people. So that is why this is a portrait collection of the wine makers. I guess that makes sense.
Another big difference for this collection is that it is my first ever focused collection based on a theme. My previous exhibitions have been a mix of my favorite photos from past assignments. This collection was all self-produced on my time within a very short time window of just over one week. I had to leave it all to the last mintue for a couple reasons. First, the vines were dormant until just a few weeks ago. Dormant vines look dead which is not very interesting. So I wanted to wait for some signs of life. Secondly, this was my second start on the project because I had started it a couple months ago when everything was dormant and I didn't like the look. I didn't like the look for another reason which is actually more important - the first photos weren't portraits. They were more behind the scene shots of wine rooms and machinery. I saw where this was going and I wasn't happy. Thanks to my lovely wife and Clemens Rettich for your support in pushing me to follow my heart and start again in my own style. I really needed that!
This was my first collection of all black and white photos. No, I'm not going to shoot all black and white like Richard Avedon but I do like how it really makes you look at the person rather than being distracted by colour elements. There is a certain time-less quality to black and white as well.
The shin-dig, opening party was new to me as well. I have never had a formal event like this before. People came out to see my work. I toured them around, explaining each photo and the process. I loved it. I had people comment on how they really enjoyed hearing the behind the scenes information to each photo. It was just great to have such an interested, captive audience!
So please enjoy the photos. They will be on display (and for sale) at The Old Firehouse Wine Bar until the end of July, roughly.

And here's a little info on the photos:

top photo
 Joe, Divino Vineyards
He is a very nice guy. The first time I went to do photos with Joe the weather was just boring. I came away with photos that I was not too excited about. The next day, his wife Barb called and spoke to my wife. I had to go back and pick up a bottle of wine that Joe wanted me to have. Given another opportunity to see Joe was just what I needed. The clouds in the sky were brighter and so I packed my camera and gear and was off. When I got to Joe's farm, I saw he was in the field on his tractor, plowing between the rows. He came over and I asked if I could grab a couple more photos and he was quite happy to oblige. I was so glad I did these re-takes as he was wearing a nice hat and was just dressed more the way I envisioned him. And I came away with a great bottle of desert wine from Joe's favorite vintage of 1994.

 Jeff, 22 Oaks Winery
I did this shot on a very busy day - Five photo shoots in the afternoon. Mixed up weather. People who didn't want to be in the photo... Jeff is patners with some ex-NHL fold who have had enough photos taken so I snuck this one in with one of them on the tractor in the background. Ooops.

 Lyn and Don, Silverside Winery
On this farm, the dogs rule the roost. After maybe 10 mintues the dogs settled down nicely and I grabbed this shot. Nice, casual scene on the lawn. I love the German Sheppard's indifference to me!

 Dave, Godfrey Brownell Vineyards
posted a couple weeks back about my great experience with Dave. What more can I say?

 Linda and Mark, Rocky Creek Vineyards
Another photo from my 5-shoot afternoon. The highway was directly in the background in this shot so I did my best to use Mark and Linda to screen it from view. The vines here start up high (head level), then grow down, which is different and gave the foliage a shared starring role in this photo.

 Ryder, Averill Creek Vineyards
This shot was taken on a crazy day. Just 30 minutes before I took this photo, I was at Alderlea Vineyards (photo below) and the weather was ok. Grey but ok. I got up to Averill Creek and the skys had opened up into a monsoon. I asked Ryder to grab a rain coat because we were about to get wet. While he went to get his coat, I set up the lighting and bagged it all to protect it from the rain. I was even holding an umbrella to stay dry. Ryder ened up with a halo effect which I really like as a result of the light from the flashes bouncing of him and back into the pouring rain. You couldn't do that again if you tried!

 Nancy and Roger, Alderlea Vineyards
This couple really reminded me of family I have back in Saskatchewan, farm folk. I love it. The shirt and hat Roger is wearing add to this as does his big, working man's hand on Nancy's shoulder.

 Jim, Zanatta Vineyards
Another rainy morning in the Cowichan Valley. The field was just clear enough of mist to make out the tractor working off in the distance. The other characteristic of this vineyard is the high-voltage power line that runs across the property. Maybe this one should be part of a "Cowichan Gothic" series? Thanks to Clemens for planing that seed in my head...

 Dave, Damali Farm
Better known for their lavender, Damali Farm is now producing wine. I wanted to capture both the lavendar and the grape wines to show the diversity of this farm. This shot was actually taken as a test when I was setting up the lights. Dave was looking off to see if his wife was on her way. His wife later joined in as did their business partner and another dog. Suddenly the shot was getting very busy and it just didn't look right to me. This is the one I like.

 Xavier, Cherry Point Vineyards
When I met up with Xavier, I asked him what photos he'd done before and I told him I was going to do the opposite. He was happy to hear that. Take your hat off and don't smile at the camera. It worked. Plus, I was the first outsider in his barrel room. Oak barrels that he is quite proud of as they are very expensive and come from France. We later did some photos outside, in the wind and I sustained some equipment damage. This led to me making a great modification to my lighting the next day so it all works out. I like the photos in the wind and you can see one of them on my website.

 Marilyn and Giordano, Venturi Schulze Vineyards
This was one of those hidden farms that you cannot see until you get up into the property. It has a nice southern slope (I guess all vineyards do) that made for a good view. To make this photo rare for this collection - it was primarly sunny... Giordano was hesitant to have the photo taken because he was on his old tractor. He wanted to go to the barn and grab his new one. I told him the old one had character and it was perfect for the photo. He then relaxed. On my way out I saw the new tractor in the barn. It was beautiful. But too nice and shiny.

 Hans, Blue Grouse Vineyards
Hans has a beautifully kept property. Very clean and orderly. When he came out he asked why I wanted a photo of him. I explained and he was ok with it. He is German and is very straight forward and to the point. I can appreciate that. I am part German too... I framed the shot to express this. After a few photos I told him I was done. He was surprised and asked "That is it?". He was just getting into it and he had relaxed. I had earned his trust. I thought maybe I had taken too harsh of a photo but then I saw the warmth in his face. It all balances out.

My lovely wife, Nina enjoying a couple hours out at the Wine Bar.
So that is it. Tell me what you think!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Just shoot me.

This entry is a little different. No new photos from myself to show. I've been very busy and just need to sit back and relax a little.
Like most families, we were in desperate need of some photos of all of us together. I have tried setting my camera on the tripod, setting the timer and running back and forth after the shot was taken to see who was blinking or making a silly face. It does not work well and I find it pretty stressful. To me it is way, way, way more stressful than the most stressed I have ever been while doing photos for a client. When it comes to your own family, you have expectations of yourself and your family members (like a silly 4 year old son in particular) which can make the experience a real challenge.
Lucky for me, I have a friend, Paul Fletcher, who is a great photographer. And I trust him. I like his work. It is quite different from my style which is great. We should all strive to be different. And get this - He was actually our wedding photographer way back in 1999 when photographers were using film and did it the hard and expensive way.
Over the past year we have chatted a fair bit and I've taken some photos of him so he was keen on returning the favour. I'm not sure if he knew what he was getting himself into...
Being a typical family with young boys, we had to reschedule our photo session a couple times due to illness. Kids just tend to be sick when you have something booked. But finally the stars aligned and we had our chance to sit back and have our photos taken. For me this was fantastic. I haven't had a family portrait since I was a kid. Paul was the last professional to take my photo and here he was again, 13 years later.
It was fun to be in his studio and just sit there and let the kids be who they are. Yes, Kole was being silly. Rhys was being a very serious baby. And after a while my smile was starting to feel unnatural. Nina was just being her beautiful self :) 
Now I know what it feels like to be on the other side of the camera. Always good to see things from another perspective.
 
Thanks to Paul!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Get Bent

The human body is an amazing thing. Well, maybe not mine in it's current condition but some are. I had the pleasure of doing photos for the Bikram Yoga studio in Duncan last week and it was a real eye opener.
The owners, Carmen and Paul were looking to get some photos for their website and other promotional material and wanted to include some of their students as the models.  
One thing about Bikram Yoga is that it is HOT yoga. Over 30 degrees Celsius in the room. Yes I worked up a sweat. I guess that means I was working hard ;)
I was a little concerned for the welfare of my lights and camera with that heat and humidity but no problems arose other than the flashes eating batteries a little more quickly.
I was lucky to have one good wall to use as the background. The other walls were either mirrors or had doors or corners creating problems. I even liked the colour of the blue when seen with the light brown floor. Nice and soft, very relaxing colours and that worked well with the mood I wanted to carry through the photos.
I can really see why people take up yoga. Just being there and taking the photos was very relaxing for me. Maybe if I had more time...
I found the wall of mirrors to be quite helpful in distributing the light. It just took a little playing around to get it the way I wanted it but in the end it made for a nice fairly even light (by my standards).
Enjoy the photos!













What more can I say? Yoga is cool. I mean hot. You know what I mean. Go try the Bikram Yoga in Duncan if you get a chance!
Proof that I was there.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Wined and Dined

For the past week I've been working on completing a project which will be on display at the Firehouse Wine Bar in Duncan. While I'm not going to show much of what I've been shooting at this point (still a work in progress), I can share this little story with you. 
I stopped by Godfrey Brownell Vineyards a few days ago to get a couple shots for my project. I didn't know the owner and he had no idea of who I was, other than some photographer coming to take his picture (And take up his time.). I was warmly greeted by Dave, the owner and he hopped in my van and suggested a good spot on the farm to take the photo.
I grabbed several shots, including the one above and that was it. I was happy. I got what I came for. And Dave was happy. I think he was a little surprised that it took less than 10 minutes of his time. 
Dave then asked if I'd like to have a glass of wine. Sure, why not! And then he asked if I'd like some gourmet pasta and omelets that his chef, Robert from Barcelona, had just cooked up. Yes, of course! This was incredible. I can't get over how friendly some of these people are that I get the pleasure of meeting! While enjoying the wonderful pasta and wine, we just chatted, Robert, Dave, Hayley and I, like we were all old friends out for a late afternoon lunch at a rustic gem of a vineyard.  
And Dave just had to get a shot with me in it. Thanks Dave! And thank you for such a great afternoon on the vineyard!
Almost forgot to mention - Shortly after I got home, Haley dropped by to deliver the grape plant that Dave had given me but I had forgotten. Talk about good people!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Community Service

We often get so wrapped up in our daily lives that we forget what's going on outside our bubble. I know this is true for myself. But once in a while I get a chance to offer my services to a community project that will benefit someone in need.
Yesterday I helped out at the Young Professionals of Cowichan car wash for charity. Although I didn't have much time, nor did I help wash the cars (Lame, I know!) but I did take photos that will help get the point across of what this organisation is doing for our community.
A strong visual image gets the point across. 'Nuff said.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to have their cars washed, even though rain was in the forecast!
And good on everyone who showed up, donating their time for a good cause!