TIMELAPSE EXPERIMENT #2: still some bugs to work out
So here’s a second attempt at a timelapse and I’m still learning so please forgive the imperfections.
The biggest bother in this one are the jumps in the image 4 or 5 times in the sequence. I was shooting with a much longer focal length, about 110-120mm vs about 16mm before and I believe I also had the lens on Image Stabilization – the combination of these two were probably the cause of the jumps in the image you see. Even walking by the camera with these settings (on the second floor of wood and brick apartment building where the ground isn’t super stable like the concrete floor of my last apartment) would also explain where the jumps came from… shouldn’t IS keep the image from doing that? Fine vibrations are dampened by IS yes. Bumps or moves near the camera can set off the IS to adjust the image slightly that will appear as vibrations in this timelapse. That’s just a theory at this point – but I’ve worked with this lens long enough that I’m pretty confident that IS should have been off.
Other changes – I shot on large jpeg rather than raw (so I could get more images onto the card for a longer timelapse) – and had the intervalometer set to fire every 5 seconds rather than 15. This smooths out the motion and slows it down compared to my first timelapse but you can still see the trees in the foreground moving around erratically, which I understand can be smoothed out if I use a longer shutter speed to let the motion blur a bit. Next time.
BTW, this was shot through the bedroom window of my new apartment. Nice view huh?
Music is Joga by Bjork.
Oh and don’t forget to hit the fullscreen button to view it in 1080p!
HOPE IN SHADOWS 2010: Downtown East Side Photography Contest is in its 8th Year
Hope In Shadows news short from 24Hrs Vancouver
Yesterday I was pleased to volunteer as the documentary photographer for the camera handout at Hope In Shadows photography contest. Hope In Shadows is produced by Pivot Legal Society, and provides residents of Vancouver’s Downtown East Side an opportunity to photograph their neighbourhood from their perspective – showing the lighter side of an area that most outsiders mistakenly dismiss as a dark and dangerous place. Contestants lined up outside the Interurban Gallery at 1 East Hastings to register for one of 200 single use cameras. With only 26 exposures each to capture their vision, some 4000 photos will be narrowed down to 30 winners, and then further reduced to the 12 that are then published in next year’s calendar. It’s quite amazing the emotional and aesthetic qualities in the photographs that result.
A Hope In Shadows contestant showing off his winning photo at the InterUrban Gallery
Some people might challenge what the net benefit of a contest like this is. I think that some of the more privileged residents of this city may believe that purchasing a Hope In Shadows calendar somehow excuses their ignorance of the oft-shunned ‘bad cousin’ of Vancouver’s family of communities. Knowingly or unknowingly they might even be contributing to the oppression of the Downtown East Side neighbourhood simply by going about their daily lives. Yes, I do believe that buying a calendar does provide some people and some organizations that vehicle. But on another level, I think about what the contest has brought to the neighbourhood – one, an uncommon opportunity for the contest’s participants to have a little creative fun with the excitement of pretty decent prizes and recognition. Two, the official vendors who sell the calendar on the street pocket 50% of the $20 price for every calendar they sell – this can provide a substantial income to some people for a portion of the year. Third, and perhaps the biggest impact is that the calendar may actually reach some people and change their perceptions… perhaps some of those people living a more privileged life are moved enough to ask themselves whether that community should be walked on, ignored, and misrepresented as it so often is. Case in point – myself. The first time I saw a Hope In Shadows calendar three years ago, it piqued my curiosity just enough to take a closer look at a neighbourhood that I was once afraid to enter (because of its portrayal in the media). Now, I’ve been volunteering there for over two years, and while I wouldn’t quite call myself an advocate, I could certainly be considered a conduit for advocates of the neighbourhood.
A Hope In Shadows volunteer shows a contestant how to operate the flash
In addition to photographing the camera handout this year (my photos have been published by Hope In Shadows by clicking on the photo above or here), I was also on the panel at the photo workshop (where contestants learn how to take better photos with a single use camera) and I just received the good news that I will also be one of four jurors in the selection of this year’s photos.
This is Hope In Shadows’ 8th annual contest and my second year volunteering – it’s quite an honour indeed. I’ve also embedded at the top a short news clip from 24Hrs Vancouver, who were on site to cover the event along with CBC, CTV, 1130AM Radio, and other media.
“133 YEARS OF MUSIC IN SIX SOLOS”: one of the top 25 films in the 2010 International Doc Challenge
Team Tippius’ entry into the 2010 International Documentary Challenge. Our assignment: Write, produce, shoot and edit a 4-7 minute documentary film based on the genre of music and theme of dreams/nightmares in 5 days. 130 teams from 11 countries are competing for one of 12 finalist spots and a screening at Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary film festival, April 29-May 9, 2010 in Toronto.
Yesterday we learned that our entry into the 2010 International Documentary Challenge was ranked one of the top 25 films out of 130 entries from around the world. That’s Part 1 of the good news. Part 2 of the good news is that it was also selected for a special pre-screening at the NFB Cinemathéque on April 9 in Toronto (see previous post). Part 3 of the good news, and possibly the best news, is that we are now free to show it to you!!!
So what’s the bad news you ask? Well, here goes… we weren’t one of the Top 12 films, which means that we are not a finalist in this year’s competition. That’s a big bummer, but we’re keeping our chins up, considering where we did place, and considering we came into this competition with no crew and no preparation – I literally hovered my mouse over the registration button off and on for an hour (“should I do it, should I not”), minutes before the deadline, the night before the 5-day competition began (only a couple of days earlier I had never heard of the competition). That, and it was a lot of fun running all over the city getting private performances and interviews from musicians in their homes, studios, and gigs, at all hours of the morning, evening, and wee hours… I had 6 hours of sleep in 3 days… okay so some parts were more fun than others.
Anyhow, hope you enjoy the vid. Please leave a comment and/or “Like” the video. Spread the word – share/send the link to your friends – we want the biggest audience we can get. Cheers!
BTW – Wondering where we got the name ‘Team Tippius’ from? Well with minutes before the deadline to complete our entry, we had to come up with a team name, and lo and behold – our inspiration walks past…
Team Tippius, our frantic, last-minute name inspired by the darned cat.
RUN TO END POVERTY: promotional film for Engineers Without Borders
Last summer I was asked by Engineers Without Borders to provide some coverage of the Run To End Poverty event here in Vancouver, BC. Myself and friends Alejejandro Zuluaga and Andres Salas shot it over two days and since, it’s become a fairly drawn-out side project for me (mostly because Christian is too nice and let me stretch deadlines a couple of times) that’s finally been posted on their website, and so I’m now able to share the video with you.
The Run To End Poverty was started by Christian Beaudrie while he was on a placement near Tamale, Ghana with Engineers Without Borders a few years back. It is either 5K or a half marathon and is a fundraiser in support of international development of third world countries where extreme poverty is a real issue. Christian wanted me to emphasize however – the run is not just for Engineers Without Borders – anyone can participate – in fact all individuals and organizations are encouraged to join in their city’s Run To End Poverty (presently held in Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Waterloo) and if their city does not have a run, start one! Contact Christian at the Run To End Poverty website if you want to learn more. Here in Vancouver, the event piggybacks on the Scotiabank Half Marathon and on similar runs in other cities across the country.
One note on the music I’d like to make – and of interest to filmmakers – the two songs you will hear were blasting in the background during the race, and I leveraged this in post, laying down the real tracks for effect without a lot of consideration for rights. I do consider music rights of course – before using Tegan & Sara’s song in the trailer and then the full length versions of Surviving In The Cracks, I got their permission; Anyhow, last summer, when the bulk of this short was shot and edited, I highlighted to Christian this might be an issue, but we decided to push ahead believing the owners of the music would allow it, especially considering the non-profit use of this film. Interestingly however, Youtube muted Dire Straits’ song automatically when Christian tried to upload it there last week, so for now we’re hosting it elsewhere (my Vimeo account – with tight restrictions on embedding and sharing enabled to avoid being blocked again). Youtube is still our ultimate destination to reach the largest audience and in the meantime Christian has approached Dire Straits (and the Soca Boys too) to get their official permission. I am very interested to hear their answer.
ROOTSYSTEM: playing St. Patrick’s Day at the Backstage Lounge, Vancouver, BC
Here’s a photo from a morning shoot I did with the band, Rootsystem. They’re playing tonight at 10 at the Backstage Lounge on Granville Island (I know, it’s short notice). Now for a quick nap before we head out to check out the show! If you miss them tonight, be sure check out their myspace page.
2010 INTERNATIONAL DOC CHALLENGE: “133 Years of Music in Six Solos”
Jay Dabbler, a Vancouver drum and bass DJ, appears in "133 Years of Music in Six Solos"
Yesterday I dropped off a package to Fedex containing our – me, Angela, James and Alejandro: “Team Tippius” – entry to the 2010 International Documentary Challenge. 130 teams from 11 countries entered to write, produce, shoot and edit a 4-7 minute documentary based on a genre that we received in our inbox at 8am on the first day of the competition, last Thursday. Twelve finalists will be selected by a jury of documentary filmmakers and screened at Hot Docs, the largest documentary film festival in North America.
Karen Lee-Morlang, classical pianist
Naturally, in hindsight, there are some things that we would have done differently… from process, to creative, to research, type, lighting… pretty much everything. But in the end I think we ended up with a little gem. I’d be happy to share it with you, but unfortunately it needs to stay “secret” until Hot Docs.
Thanks to all of our artists: Scott Good, Karen-Lee Morlang, James Weekes, Neil Cruickshank, Pher, and Jay “Dabbler”. Also thanks to the artists who got back to us but we didn’t have time to include.
SERVICES: Director/Cinematographer
In the realm of filmmaking, I have finally put together a demo reel of my work from the last year and now I present it to the world. I believe that I am capable as a DIY (do it yourself) crew for creating an entire film from end to end (as I did with Surviving In The Cracks), but if there is one craft which I would call a strength/preference, I would have to pick cinematography. I do believe that my editing is also a strength, however when I think about which one I prefer, I would have to say cinematography, as running about with a camera in hand feels more appealing that sitting in front of a computer for weeks on end, especially during the summer months!
Thanks for watching, hope you enjoy, and please consider me for your cinematography needs!
FALLEN CONQUER: Great Grunge Metal at the Princeton Pub February 4
Fallen Conquer rehearsing for their February 4 gig at the Princeton.
Now I don’t imagine many of my readers are into Grunge Metal music, and to be honest, I don’t have that many tracks on my iPod either (okay, I have none). But I am reminded of my love/hate relationship with late 80′s hair metal whenever I sip from my broken Dee Snider mug each morning. Fast forward twenty years (!!) and these guys, Fallen Conquer, are a pretty decent crew – the modernization of what I thought was a phase of my life, this is something that is totally incomprehensible but exploding with energy and a catchy beat that I cannot deny (better with earplugs, I have to admit – and I don’t know if that is a compliment or an insult to the band, but considering the earplugs were given to me by them before the rehearsal began tells me it’s not a bad thing). Formed recently, Fallen Conquer brought me out to shoot at their rehearsal last week, and with my earplugs firmly planted as I moved about the “stage” to get my shots, I did not listen, but felt the music blasting through my body and it felt pretty darned good. You can check out Fallen Conquer on their myspace page (it’s a work in progress) but I do recommend you take them in live for the full experience. If you have sensitive ears, or even if you don’t, bring earplugs. Tomorrow night, February 4 at the Princeton Pub at Powell and Victoria.
SURVIVING IN THE CRACKS: All grown up! (to 56 minutes)
Screenshot from Surviving In The Cracks
Today I watched Surviving In The Cracks in its full 55 minutes and 50 seconds of glory on my roommate’s tiny little TV before dropping it in an ExpressPost envelope and sending it off to compete in the big leagues (NOT as a student film) in Toronto – Hot Docs – the largest documentary film festival in North America. Maybe (probably), like a proud parent, I may have shed a little tear as I watched it this last time, reminiscing at how my baby grew, finally ready to leave the nest after nine months of nurturing, long days shooting, sleepless nights editing, and several rejections pitching, this, my first (hopefully not my last) movie.
I wore a whole lot of hats in this project: writing, producing, directing, shooting, editing, and promoting it from the first day. But I certainly could not have done it without the help of many people, beginning with my brother, Dr. Jeff Masuda, who introduced me to the Surviving In The Cracks theatre project as a possible subject for a documentary. Then of course comes the Vancouver Youth Visions Coalition – Davina, Fraggle and Trevor, the openness of the cast, Amethyst and Cody especially but also Dave, Myke and Natasha, and the researchers Sean, Laura and Jenn. Lastly, and deserving of special recognition is Amanda, the director and driving force behind the theatre production. I would also like to mention Dr. Jim Frankish and Joyce Rock, who have supported and encouraged me along the way.
But what’s a movie without a soundtrack to bring it to life? Being somewhat clueless about music, I placed an enormous amount of trust in my composers and was not disappointed – I am extra thankful for the amazing contributions of Rachel Kidd, Connor Robinson and Tobacco Brown, and Tegan & Sara.
Finally, a special thank you to someone very important to me for her patience, support and encouragement, not to mention her frank and valuable input with regards to the graphics, typography, music – and life in general. Thank you Angela Karinn.
Tomorrow I will deliver this final cut to DOXA, another big league festival here in the west and then wait patiently so see if the film will be selected for either festival. I am also sending it in to Yorkton by the end of this month. Okay, reality check: what are the chances that my first film will be selected for any of these major festivals? I don’t know but I will let you know how it goes. I can dream can’t I?
Oh and finally finally – thanks Mom and Dad!
Whew! On to the next chapter for me.
SURVIVING IN THE CRACKS: 15 minute film screening at World Community Film Festival at Langara College Jan 29-31.
World Community Film Festival January 29-31, 2010
The 15 minute version of Surviving In The Cracks will be screening at the World Community Film Festival on Saturday January 30 at 1:15pm in Theatre 3 at Langara College Main Campus in Vancouver. The film is screening in the student category.
There are several VERY cool documentaries playing in this festival including RiP: A Remix Manifesto by Brett Gaylor, H2Oil by Shannon Walsh, and Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action by Velcrow Ripper. Visit the festival website for more information about the festival.
SPLENDOUR IN THE NIGHT: 1500 portraits of the Downtown Eastside December 21-22 on Dunlevy (at Oppenheimer Park)
Greetings readers. It’s been some time since my last post and that means I have been terribly busy, too busy to post in fact – and this is going to be a short one too:
A gentle reminder that the photos that I and 12 other photographers took of 744 (plus 800 from last year = 1500+ portraits!) Downtown Eastside residents back in October, will be projected onto a screen beginning at dusk on the winter solstice, two nights from now, and ending the following morning. Not specific enough? The show begins at 4pm on Monday, December 21 and runs all night long until Tuesday at 8am on Dunlevy at Oppenheimer Park.
It’s a free show and everyone is welcome. Read my previous post about this event if you’d like more background.
“Splendour in the Night …a silent homage to our DTES neighbours, an outdoor projection of those portraits gathered in October.”
Happy holidays!
ART AGAINST STIGMA ART SHOW: part of the 13th Annual Eastside Culture Crawl November 20-22
Kim Roberts
Last week Jessica Taylor, founder of Pacifica Photography, asked me if I would be interested in volunteering my photography services for The Kettle Friendship Society’s upcoming art show, Art Against Stigma, part of the 13th annual Eastside Culture Crawl. I was more than happy to help and shortly I found myself at The Kettle housing offices with a room full of artwork and two enthusiastic volunteer assistants, Dion and Jesse. Our task: photograph every piece in the room so that they could be used for promotional and archival purposes. In the hectic 7 hours that followed, we had unpacked, photographed, and re-packed 305 pieces of art that were on their way to be framed and displayed at the upcoming show November 20-22.
Jennifer Brouse
I have to admit, the quantity of work for this volunteer effort was a bit overwhelming. Dion, Jesse and I had a good flow going by the end of the day but often we would come across a piece that needed more than a slight adjustment of lighting to make it look its best. Some pieces were behind glass, and rather than use a polarizer (to avoid a slightly blue cast that it introduces), I darkened the room and hid my reflection by spending most of the afternoon covered by a dark blanket. I spent two nights in post, straightening and cropping, cloning and healing (to fix some seams in a not-so-seamless seamless paper background). Due to time constraints I had to forego any perspective oddities or lens distortions – shooting straight on with a 50mm lens and keeping the subject well away from the edges helped.
All of the artists that participate in Art Against Stigma have mental health disabilities and, as the title suggests, the show is designed to shatter the preconceptions that people have with “mental health disability” – it shattered mine. What immediately struck me was the quality of the art. Several times a new piece would be placed in front of my lens and I would think “wow, that would look good on my wall”. Then I would see how reasonable, and often how downright inexpensive, some of those pieces were going to be sold for. Dion, Jesse and I made mental notes of which ones we might snap up for ourselves. Today, a week later, I had to be reminded that all of the artists have mental health disabilities. I guess I’m comfortable in that knowledge and have already moved past it because when I look at these pieces all I see are some very talented artists.
The Art Against Stigma Art Show is organized by The Kettle Friendship Society and is one of several shows in the 13th annual Eastside Culture Crawl visual arts festival in Vancouver. The show runs November 20-22 at 1725 Venables Street (at Commercial).
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY: you have a conscience – trust it
Today I am offering a follow-up on a recent post where I shared my thoughts about shooting on the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. The same day I posted that article I was contacted by Pacifica Photography, a studio that I work with from time to time, to teach a “street photography” tutorial – on the streets of Vancouver. Hmmm. Well this is a bit of a dilemma. “Street photography” and “Vancouver” immediately conjure up images of the Downtown Eastside, poverty, drug abuse and prostitution in a lot of people’s minds, including my student’s; with that perception relentlessly fed to us by the mainstream media, it’s no wonder. Well I can definitively tell you that the Downtown Eastside also has probably the strongest soul of any neighbourhood I’ve been to in Vancouver – and I’ve been to them all. But photographers don’t usually go to that neighbourhood to capture happiness and soul do they? Without getting into the why right now, I also previously warned photographers from venturing into the Downtown Eastside without first being invited. So we didn’t go there.
Carlos (background) and Darrell gave us permission to photograph them.
With that touchy area now off the table, we still need to be ethical in our approach to shooting people in public. So how do I do (and teach) street photography while remaining well within my own ethical comfort zone? As Carlos, one of our subjects today so simply put it: ask. Don’t be shy. Ask permission to take someone’s photo. If they say no, respect their wishes. If they say yes, shoot away. Think about it: how would you like it if you were minding your own business and then you noticed someone taking photos of you without asking first? Things are a little more gray when it comes to candids, sometimes described as “stolen” pictures because, well, they’re stolen, taken without permission – and may even be downright voyeuristic – which is or may be awfully close to exploitation. A rule of thumb I use is with regards to the context of the photo – for example, a person is holding their ears as a firetruck screams by, then that might be okay. But if you’re taking a candid photo of someone just because they look decrepit, down on their luck, emotionally distressed… or on the flip side perhaps you find a person attractive and photogenic – and if you’re doing this without their permission – then you’re venturing into the realm of voyeurism and exploitation. Do not exploit your subjects. Respect them.
I did not ask the pedestrian for her permission - and I think that's okay because of her contextual role in this photograph.
Another form of exploitation happens when you take advantage of the reduced mental capacity of your subjects. Last week I was browsing the internet and came across a photograph that Google found – a photograph of a well-known neighbour on the Downtown Eastside – and it was clear that this person had given permission, or at least stopped long enough for the photographer to take their photo. It’s a safe bet that this person also suffers from mental illness. While it may seem that you have been given permission (or at least there has been no objection) to taking someone’s photo, they may not fully understand that their photo may end up at the top of the list when someone Googles “downtown eastside vancouver” – on display for the world to see, and for others to then further exploit (note that if someone is under the influence of alcohol or drugs they do not have adequate mental capacity). On the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, there are a lot of people who may not have the mental capacity to understand what their photo may be used for. Use your judgement. Be respectful. Trust your conscience. Your subjects are human beings, like you, like me.
So, what did we do today during our tutorial? Well, first of all we didn’t go to the Downtown Eastside. We weren’t invited and the area is just too exhausted from having photographers coming in, taking what they want, and leaving. Instead we went to Commercial Drive. And it was beautiful – the light was warm, the shadows long, the people happy and willing – because we asked – and didn’t exploit. Thanks Carlos. Thanks Darrell. I look forward to seeing you, and photographing you, again.
SPLENDOUR IN THE NIGHT: 744 Portraits of the Downtown East Side
Sunday, October 18, 2009. Four hours. Thirteen photographers. Six locations. Seven hundred forty-four portraits of happy, willing Downtown East Side neighbours.
I do not recommend that anyone walk into Vancouver’s infamous Downtown East Side and begin snapping photos. Even carrying a camera in the area will certainly attract angry looks, likely some angry comments, and perhaps even angry actions from residents weary of their portrayal in popular media, impatient with the world looking in on them as if they were on display in a zoo. The first time I ventured to the downtown east side with my camera, I was a naive outsider, and I was on the receiving end of those angry looks, comments, and yes, actions. I don’t go there with my camera anymore, unless I am invited.
Vancouver’s Downtown East Side can be a hazardous place for photographers, that is unless you are well known and well trusted – the Downtown East Side Neighbourhood House is just that. A fixture at the corner of East Hastings and Jackson for over three years, the Neighbourhood House is a tiny, grass-roots community center happily decorated with a brightly painted wall mural and a small street-side garden – both curiously free of any fences, graffiti or trash – the Neighbourhood House cares for its neighbours and its neighbours care for it. The people that staff it are happy, selfless and welcoming to anyone that wants to visit. You can get a hot coffee, a healthy meal, a good conversation, participate in one of their many food or craft programs, or maybe even get a photography lesson from yours truly.
Only a well-trusted organization like the Downtown East Side Neighbourhood House could attract 744 Downtown East Side residents to participate in an ambitious project like Splendour In The Night. The show is the manifestation of the long-time vision of the Neighbourhood House’s Executive Director, Joyce Rock. Now in its second year, many residents sought us out to have their photo taken for this year’s show. You might have noticed that there are no photos in this post. This is because all of the photographers gave their word that their work would be used solely for Splendour In The Night. Not a single photo will make it into our portfolios. No pay, no pictures, no expectations. Just the opportunity to get to know the people from a neighbour’s perspective, as friends.
Splendour In The Night is a celebration of the neighbourhood, for the neighbourhood, by the neighbourhood. It is an outdoor slide show, portraits projected on a big screen beginning at dusk on the longest night of the year – the winter solstice in December – and running until the following morning. The show will take place outside, adjacent to Oppenheimer Park in old Japantown. It is not a media event. It is not a protest. And the public is welcome to stop by and enjoy the show.
SURVIVING IN THE CRACKS: screening at the Vancouver Short Film Festival Friday, October 23 at Vancity Theatre
I learned this week that the 15 minute version of Surviving In The Cracks was one of twenty-two films selected to screen at this year’s Vancouver Short Film Festival. The film represents Langara College and will be screening in the Student Shorts category with 11 other entries from UBC, SFU, VFS, Capilano University, Emily Carr University, BCIT, the International Language School of Canada, and the Art Institute of Vancouver. The Student Shorts start at 8pm on Friday, October 23 – tickets are $8, available at www.vsff.com or at the door. World’s Best Shorts and the Pro Shorts category screen on Saturday, October 24 followed by the awards ceremony. The festival will be held at Vancity Theatre located at 1181 Seymour Street in Vancouver, BC. There were a total of 139 submissions to the festival this year.
To read more about Surviving In The Cracks, please see my earlier post here or find us on Facebook.
WE DAY 2009: photographing the Governor General
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada addressing 15,000 youth at GM Place, Vancouver, BC for We Day 2009
“You want me to follow the Governor General tomorrow?” I asked. “Yes, the Governor General”, she replied. “Okay, sure.” I remained calm – after all, she couldn’t have meant THE Governor General. She did. I would be following and photographing Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M, C.D., Governor General of Canada at We Day.
Monday night, the night before Free The Children’s We Day event, was the night I received that phone call from Amy. Amy had been corresponding with me since we were first introduced by the organizers of Hope In Shadows, a photography contest for which I taught a workshop this year. Prior to this phone call, my assignment was to capture the energy of the 15,000 youth and children in the audience at GM Place for this massive event. This was quite the change. Quite the responsibility.
So let me put this into perspective. I will not pretend to be a big time photographer because I am not. I am a humble, community-involved, self-taught photographer (and filmmaker). Yes I know my stuff – I have been shooting professionally for over ten years, but my largest commission prior to today was a wedding I was flown to San Francisco for back in 2004. So to find out that I would be photographing the Governor General of Canada while she met with other dignitaries, world leaders and celebrities was something so enormous for me that, well, I am still in a state of disbelief.
I arrived at 7:50am, ten minutes prior to my call time. There were four photographers. We were escorted to the staff room on the 400 level of GM Place and I was promptly rushed back to the ground level to be briefed by Her Excellency’s wrangler for the day, James. “Keep your distance, don’t be intrusive, don’t direct her for your photos. She’ll have an official photographer following her, just follow his lead.” These same instructions came from four different people and were carefully worded so that I would clearly understand, apparently because they were terrified that I would commit some hideous faux pas or worse. Really, I’m sure they weren’t trying to make me MORE nervous.
I am the only photographer permitted when Her Excellency’s (you must address her this way) motorcade pulls in. She gets out of the car quickly and begins greetings. In an instant, her official photographer (looking very official in his military uniform), Jeff (or Geoff), is standing next to me, firing away with his two Nikons. Oh crap! I should be taking pictures! I wake from my trance and begin…
Moving through the corridors at We Day with Her Excellency
The first stop on the agenda is to address some 70 senior educators on the concourse of the 300 level of GM place. We’re moving fast and I’m trying to keep up. When I find myself between Her Excellency and the security escorts, they quickly and quite decisively direct me to move outside of their perimeter. Watching where Jeff is and what he’s doing, I try to take position next to him but he’s fast and he’s done this before. He runs ahead and turns around to snap a couple of photos. I imitate his movements, but I’m not prepared for the speed and my shots are lackluster. I’m lacking confidence. We reach the podium and there is another photographer there, following Marc Kielburger, co-founder of Free The Children. Both Jeff and this other photographer move to the front of the podium. I follow, take position and start shooting. The Governor General finishes her speech and another woman comes to the podium… wait she’s familiar – it’s Kim Campbell, our ex-Prime Minister. I look around to see where Jeff has gone but he’s nowhere to be found. I’m stuck in a corner next to the podium and I can’t move so I get what I can from my position. Suddenly we’re moving again and I’m again behind. Jeff is still nowhere to be found so I follow the entourage and try to keep a close yet discrete position.
The Gear: I’m shooting today with two rigs: a Canon 1D Mark II with a 70-200 2.8L IS and a 5D Mark II with a 16-35 2.8L. I have a 550EX on the 5D. The light changes quickly as we move through the corridors so I set up to shoot in low light – ISO 1600 most of the time, sometimes I dial it down to 800. Wide open on aperture priority most of the time and when we slow down I switch to manual. I SHOULD have attached my Quantum pack to my 550EX because, as I will regret later, the AA’s in the strobe just didn’t cut it for recycle time in the media scrum for his Holiness the Dalai Lama…
Just a few of the 15,000 kids at GM Place for We Day 2009
After a hectic walk through the corridors, we’re back on the floor level of the concourse at hair and make-up as Her Excellency is prepared to go onstage in front of the 15,000 kids and hundreds of thousands (maybe millions?) of TV viewers. I switch to the 1D and grab some candids from outside of the door. Geez, I wonder if it’s okay to take photos of the Governor General having hair and makeup applied? I think about my assignment for Me To We: document the Governor General’s experience at We Day. Okay. I keep shooting.
Before she emerges I anticipate where she will be and raise my camera for the shot. She turns the corner and comes right towards me then whoops! She’s surprised to see me! I bashfully lower my camera and apologize and she turns around to go the other way.
We’re waiting backstage now and she is in a private tent preparing for her speech. Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim are pumping up the energy onstage as I’m finding the right exposure for my shots. It’s a full house and the energy is peaking now. Jeff is suddenly beside me again and we ask if we can move to the front of the stage when the Governor General takes the podium. We are directed to the media corral, at the BACK of the floor, too far for even my 70-200 to reach for a decent full figure shot. I return backstage in time to follow Her Excellency to the queue for her introduction. I grab a few candids from behind the stage and as she is introduced. The crowd roars and I move around to the front, stopping at the podium. I shoot away: wide, long, crowd shots, closeups, as much as I can get. Okay, finally reaching full stride here – my confidence finally decided to show up after all. Jeff appears next to me again – wow this guy is a photo-ninja! – he got tired of the media corral and joined me closer to the podium. As we are asked to leave by a woman with a radio headset, I gather we are not supposed to be there. I tap Jeff on the shoulder to let him know and then move backstage again, just in time to catch the Governor General coming off stage.
As we move up the elevator I look over at Her Excellency. She gives me one of her infectious smiles and I feel compelled to speak. So what would you say to one of the most recognizable icons of our country after she has just addressed our nations children, introducing the “rock concert” for youth-led social and environmental change? “Uh, Good job” I blurt out. Brilliant Greg. Just brilliant.
To her private skybox we go, so she can watch the show in comfort – but I’m not allowed in so I have about an hour to wait outside and relax. Jeff emerges with a bottle of water for me. He gives me a few tips for carrying two fully rigged cameras and a weapon, like he had to on his tour in Afghanistan. It’s good stuff. I’ll be modifying my setup to match his, sans the weapon of course. I take a breath, a drink of water and text my girlfriend one word that sums up my morning so far: “Whoa.”
Canadian Tenors, meet His Holiness. Holiness, meet the Canadian Tenors.
Okay this is taking a long time and we’re on the executive box level so I can’t see the show unless I’m IN a box – and I know that’s not going to happen. I decide to go back to the ground level to see if I can get any interesting shots backstage. As I’m walking to the stage there is a crowd gathering at the doors where the Governor General’s motorcade arrived. I learn they’re waiting for his Holiness the Dalai Lama. Hmm, okay I guess I’ll stay here then. This time, unlike at the arrival of the Governor General, there is media everywhere and security to match. I anticipate where His Holiness might end up, settle in, and wait with my cameras ready. A motorcade arrives, a figure emerges, and the scrum begins. I snap a few pics from a distance with the 1D. I stay put, patiently. Flashes are firing wildly, people – media and celebrities alike – are being displaced and shoved around, security is eyeing everyone and clearing a path for of His Holiness. I wait. Then the crowd parts in front of me and he is there – about two meters away. I raise my camera and begin. Whaaa? My flash isn’t firing! I jiggle it on the hotshoe and try again. Nothing. It turned out that it did fire the first time but didn’t recycle fast enough for the subsequent shots. Still, I got a couple of photos that are usable. No prize winners, but that’s okay. I’m not here to win a competition. I’m here because it’s cool to be here. I’m here for the fun of it and to hopefully get Me To We some great photographs.
As the Dalai Lama crowd moves down the corridor, I turn and head back to my assignment, Her Excellency. After a few steps down the hall I recognize some of her security detail and by the size of the growing crowd, it appears that something big is going down – so I decide to wait. Hmm, I’m the only photographer around. After a few minutes his Holiness emerges – how did he shake the media crowd? I quickly snap a few photos. Oops I think I surprised him! And no good shots again. Sheesh!! A minute later Her Excellency emerges. I snap a few photos. No surprises – she’s used to me by now I hope. I hope.
Upstairs to a private meeting. No photographing allowed, that’s made very clear, so I don’t. Instead I go upstairs to watch the Dalai Lama’s speech. I head downstairs again in time for Her Excellency to meet with Craig and Marc Kielburger, founders of Free the Children. Then it’s back to the motorcade and away to the airport, oh and look – there’s Jane Goodall! This is so cool!
One thousand, one hundred and sixty-six photos. Maybe ten or twenty keepers. Typical.
Thanks to Carolyn Wong, Amy Gottung, James Lombardi, Jeff (Her Excellency’s official photographer), and of course Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada for your patience, instruction, support and for gifting me this wonderful opportunity.
SPATIAL POETICS VIII: experiments in place and migration
This was a lot of fun to shoot – and to experience. Two performances, one musical, and one audiovisual, in sequence, at dusk on September 20, in the heart of old Japantown, on the Downtown East Side of Vancouver. The evening began with “Drawing Line” by Mark Soo and John Korsrud (with musicians Evan Arntzen, Saul Berson, Michael Braverman, Bruce Freedman, Graham Ord, and Bill Runge) and finished with “Coastal Calls” by Shima Iuchi and Jean Routhier, an audiovisual expression on the top floor of the Japanese Language Hall with a 360 degree vista of the City of Vancouver.
Six saxophonists took their positions along a “line” that ran five city blocks. Once in position, they passed musical phrases back and forth for two 15 minute performances, filling the air with a pleasant departure from the traffic and industry that overwhelm that neighbourhood on any given weekday. In that short time I would have to run to five positions along the five block line, plus the roof of the Japanese Language Hall, to reach each musician and get the shot with enough time to go and cover the remaining locations. I had a few different approaches in mind to cover this event – but the light was falling off quickly, so I settled on using flash – even though I more often lean towards using only natural light. To give the photographs more drama I set the strobe up off-camera and triggered with my PocketWizards. I am pleased with the results, although if given more time and had I anticipated that the sun was going to drop out of the sky that quickly, hindsight has provided me with improvement ideas for “next time”, as always.
The second performance that evening was something quite different, and one that I would have to be much less visible for. In “Drawing Line”, I was firing off a flash at the musician for ten to thirty exposures. While certainly distracting for the musician, it was limited to five minutes before I would have to run off to photograph the next musician in the line. That performance, a musical one, was simply not affected. “Coastal Calls” on the other hand, had a large visual component that could not be interrupted with a strobing light – and that suited me fine. As a mentioned, I normally shoot with available light – it suits the unobtrusive documentary style that I have become so accustom to when photographing weddings and documentary films with sensitive subjects. So, off with the flash and dial up the ISO, or gain, for the videographers out there.
The Canon 5D MarkII performs remarkably well in low light. I shot most of the “Coastal Calls” at ISO3200 and applied Noise Ninja in post, although I don’t think it really needed the noise reduction. Shooting in low light normally requires a fast lens (I used the Canon 16-35 f2.8L) but this time the lens was chosen more for the super wide aesthetic it offers and less for its speed. The dynamic nature of “Drawing Line” and of the saxophone called for a dramatic look. The off camera flash, the super wide stretch at the edges of the lens, Dutch angles, and vibrant colours all contributed. I didn’t bother changing the lens for “Coastal Calls” later in the evening and found no reason to – it proved last night to be a very capable lens for both purposes.
For more information on Spatial Poetics VIII please visit the website of the Powell Street Festival Society.
SURVIVING IN THE CRACKS: Documentary Film
Surviving In The Cracks is an auteur creative documentary about a group of unlikely subjects who, from abusive backgrounds, homelessness, addiction, prostitution and poverty, struggle and succeed along with a youth support group and some university researchers to complete a remarkable theatre production based on their lives.
Creating this film has been a remarkable experience. It carries significant weight in my decision to depart the corporate world to pursue film, although when I made that decision I had no idea that the project even existed let alone was just itching to be filmed.
That realization came quickly though – not fully one week into the summer semester of the Digital Film Program at Langara College, I attended a rehearsal for the “Surviving In The Cracks” theatre project to investigate whether it was a viable focus for my grad project. After that first rehearsal, and for the many rehearsals and events that followed, I couldn’t tell whether it would be viable. But I kept on shooting.
What resulted has turned out to be far far more than I could have ever expected. Sure, it met the requirements for my grad film – but it CONSUMED me for the entire four months of the summer. Today, the pursuit of getting funding to complete a long version of the film continues to be a major motivation, and a little frustration, in my life. I strongly believe that this is an important film to complete, for its social and educational value, for academics and participatory researchers, aboriginal advocates, street-involved youth, and parents – and it is in this spirit that I am trying to complete it.
Today it exists in a 2.5 minute trailer (above), a 10 minute short and a 15 minute short. Within the 20 hours of footage, there is a strong broadcast hour length version just waiting to be cut.
Thanks to the kind support from the Vancouver Youth Visions Coalition, the UBC Center for Health Promotion Research, CBC Archives, Tegan & Sara, Tobacco Brown, and Connor Robinson, not to mention the instructors and fellow students at Langara.
POWELL STREET FESTIVAL 2009
The 33rd annual Powell Street Festival was held August 1st and 2nd at Woodland Park this summer and I was there as one of three official event photographers. My parents were in town to visit and so we made a weekend of the festival – they volunteered at the lottery booth while I moved around the park collecting photos in the hot sun. The festival is normally held in Oppenheimer Park, at the intersection of Powell and Jackson Streets in the heart of old Japantown, but due to park renovations for the 2010 Olympics, it was held at Woodland Park near Commercial Drive this year.
The Powell Street Festival is the main event held by the Powell Street Festival Society, a group that celebrates the arts and culture of Japanese and Asian Canadians. At the festival you will find arts and crafts, martial arts demonstrations, Taiko drumming, lots of great food, and many other superb performances.
