Lakehead University - Material Witness - The Outpost

Patrick Chondon May 10, 2019

The Office Of Aboriginal Initiatives hosted a special production of “Material Witness this evening at the Lakehead University Outpost. I was lucky enough to photograph some of it.

Material Witness was inspired by Spiderwoman Theater's 1976 production of Women in Violence. Irreverent, sometimes surprising, the show is rooted in powerful storytelling, with a twist of humor and an uplifting musical beat. It is a multigenerational exploration of violence, healing and renewal in the lives of Indigenous women in urban and rural communities on Turtle Island.

NADF CCP Workshop 2019 - Valhalla Inn

Patrick Chondon May 10, 2019

Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund (NADF) are a not-for-profit Aboriginal Financial Institution serving entrepreneurs, businesses and communities in Northern Ontario. They hosted a 3 day workshop focusing on community planning. It took place at the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay. I was there to cover a couple hours in the morning on the first 2 days. While I was there during the first morning they announced their new website launch which was super exciting. There was also a keynote presentation by Dan Longboat.

Makaila + Sean Engagement - Thunder Bay Tree Farm

Patrick Chondon April 28, 2019

I have been photographing Makaila and her family for the past 4 years, so when she asked me to capture her engagement session I simply couldn’t wait to do so. I’m so thankful to be a part of the next step in their life. Plus, I know it’s always a fun time. I was excited to see Lucas come along as well as their dog Bear, who is so handsome and friendly. So, even though it was an engagement session, it was kind of a family shoot as well which was nice.

Dizzy Mystics as Tool @ Crocks Thunder Bay

Patrick Chondon April 27, 2019

Living in a smaller town like Thunder Bay means that a band like Tool will never make their way here. That doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to listen to one of my favourite bands. Enter Dizzy Mystics who stopped by Crocks Thunder Bay last night to do a 3 set performance. Admittedly I had never heard of Dizzy Mystics but they were covering Tool for one of their sets so I was all in regardless. They also did some original music and a Soundgarden performance as well, which I unfortunately didn’t stay for.

BrewHa! Caskfest - The Camelot Building

Patrick Chondon April 21, 2019

For the past few years I always make it a habit to get out and shoot the BrewHa Festival down at the Marina in the summer. Well, summer came early so to speak, as BrewHa held an event here in Thunder Bay at the Camelot Building last night. A couple months ago when I saw the announcement I knew immediately that I had to attend this one and take photos. So in exchange for some tickets I took my wife Anne (who is posing for me in the cover photo) and we attended the last evening session.

Cosbey Quintet Portraits - Trinity United Church

Patrick Chondon April 17, 2019

Over the years I have don’t so many family portrait sessions but my latest one with Michelle and her family was probably one of the most unique ones yet. Their family happens to be the Cosbey Quintet and they wanted formal (and casual) portraits of their entire group, which obviously consisted of 5 total people.

ONWA She is Wise Conference - Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre

Patrick Chondon April 11, 2019

ONWA held their second annual She is Wise Conference this past March at the Marriott Hotel in Downtown Toronto. It was also the second year in a row that I was invited to photograph it, and I was honoured to do so. For those of you who don’t know what this conference is all about, it’s easiest to just quote the mission statement for the event.

Michelle Solomon Headshots - Thunder Bay Marina

Patrick Chondon March 30, 2019

When Michelle let me know she needed updated headshots for her re-election campaign, I couldn’t wait to capture some photos of her. We decided on the Marina as the backdrop. It only took about 30 minutes to capture about 25 photos to choose from. Here are some of my favourites from the session.

KAIROS Blanket Exercise - Lakehead University

Patrick Chondon March 30, 2019

Last year I photographed the second largest blanket exercise in North America at Lakehead University. This one was a much smaller one but the impact and importance was just as big. The KAIROS Blanket Exercise took place in the main lobby of Lakehead University, and it was a really good turnout.

Wake the Giant Launch - Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School

Patrick Chondon March 30, 2019

I was lucky enough to be invited to take photos of the Wake the Giant Launch at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School here in Thunder Bay. ‘Wake the Giant’ is an initiative for local business owners to offer support for indigenous youth. The goal is to have over 150 local business come on board.

The Chanterelle - Corporate Photos

Patrick Chondon March 24, 2019

The Chanterelle is definitely one of the nicest venues in town to host events, so when they approached me to do some headshots and corporate photography of their employees and venue, I jumped at the chance. Only some of the employees need headshots so once we finished those we did some candid photos and some action shots as well. It all took place in the back lounge which is personally my favourite part of the entire building. I had been there on a few occasions on weddings and events that I have photographed in the past.

31st Annual LUNSA Powwow - Lakehead University

Patrick Chondon March 12, 2019

Thunder Bay is a very diverse city, and that was on full display this past weekend as Lakehead University Native Student Association played host to the 31st Annual LUNSA Powwow. It was a 3 day event with warmups taking place on the Friday and the rest of the celebration happening on the Saturday and Sunday. There were 3 grand entries over the course of the weekend, a feast on Saturday, a wide range of drum groups from across the province and of course lots of dancing and singing.