Gathering of the People Pow Wow
This past weekend me and my family made it out to Boulevard Lake where the Gathering of the People Pow Wow was taking place. It was the last day of the event, but we got to spend just over an hour watching some amazing dancers and drum groups perform.
This past weekend me and my family made it out to Boulevard Lake where the Gathering of the People Pow Wow was taking place. It was the last day of the event, but we got to spend just over an hour watching some amazing dancers and drum groups perform.
Not only did I capture photos of the dancing, I tried to also get photos the people in attendance too. Overall it was a very fun and rewarding day. I look forward to hopefully many more Pow Wow’s over the course of the summer.
Lakehead University - Material Witness - The Outpost
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.
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.
I actually don’t do a lot of theatre photography these days but that isn’t because I don’t enjoy it. I just haven’t had many opportunities to do so. It can be a bit challenging being restricted to the sides of the stage but I think I came away with a few good ones. It also helped that it was an amazing production to capture.
Hopefully I’ll get a chance to photograph a few more performances this summer and fall. Check out some of the highlights from the show below!
NADF CCP Workshop 2019 - Valhalla Inn
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.
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.
The second morning, Juliet Rickard shared her story with all the attendees, which was really great to listen to. After that, there were a variety of breakout sessions which included a general overview of CCP, How to work with different groups, and a mentors panel with Alice Sasines and Prescilla Graham.
Both days for me were a lot of fun to capture and I also learned a lot while doing so. That’s why I very much enjoy capturing events like this.
If you are interested in learning more about NADF I encourage you to check out their website here.
Wake the Giant Launch - Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School
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.
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 idea behind Wake the Giant is to have local businesses display a sticker in their window, showing any youth that they are more than welcome there. Racism is still a problem here in Thunder Bay and of course across Canada so this is a very important start to help combat that.
If you would like to find out more about this cause head on over to the official Facebook Page.
31st Annual LUNSA Powwow - Lakehead University
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.
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.
After photographing it last year I knew I had to do it again this year because it is such an amazing atmosphere. With my wife being aboriginal, I have been lucky enough to be a part of the that culture for the last 10 years. Not only did I come away with a ton of great photos, I also created a short highlight video of some of the celebration below. I’m already looking forward to next years event. Luckily, there are many more powwows throughout the rest of the spring and summer so I’ll be sure to get out and check out some of them. Check out some of the highlights below!
If you would like to learn more about LUNSA click on the here.
ONWA Family Portraits - Christmas
Earlier in the week I did one of my recurring portrait sessions at ONWA. This time around there were 4 families which ended up being plenty. It allowed a bit more time for each family which resulted in even more photos than usual. Seeing as how it was pretty cold out, we decided to just set up indoors. As much as I love how the outdoor photos turn out, it just made much more sense to do it inside, especially with the families with babies.
Earlier in the week I did one of my recurring portrait sessions at ONWA. This time around there were 4 families which ended up being plenty. It allowed a bit more time for each family which resulted in even more photos than usual. Seeing as how it was pretty cold out, we decided to just set up indoors. As much as I love how the outdoor photos turn out, it just made much more sense to do it inside, especially with the families with babies.
Luckily ONWA still had their backdrop up from their Poetry Night which I photographed as well. So I just had to worry about bringing some of my studio lights. Once I set up we were off the races. There were actually a few families I hadn’t photographed before so that’s always great to see. As usual, I think everyone had a lot of fun and shows in the photos. Even the little ones behaved for the most part. Although, it was tough at times propping them up on the chair and not having them slide down slowly! We made it work though.
I’m very much looking forward to the next session in the Spring, and I hope the weather is much warmer by then.
ONWA - Poetry Night
ONWA held another Poetry Night yesterday and once again I was lucky enough to photograph it. I covered the last one and I was super excited to shoot this latest one as well. For those of you don’t know, Poetry Night at ONWA is held to raise awareness of Violence Against Women in support of the United Nations International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women.
ONWA held another Poetry Night yesterday and once again I was lucky enough to photograph it. I covered the last one and I was super excited to shoot this latest one as well. For those of you don’t know, Poetry Night at ONWA is held to raise awareness of Violence Against Women in support of the United Nations International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women.
It was an evening of poetry, prose and spoken word. The amazing Robin Ranger and his band played music throughout the night which was great. Along with the some guest speakers and poets, the final part of the evening allowed anyone interested to participate in an open mic. I was so impressed with the amount of talent from the people in attendance. It was an even better turnout then last year.
Poetry Night represents an extremely important cause, not just in Thunder Bay but across Canada and the rest of the world. If you would like to learn more about it, I encourage to head on over to ONWA’s website or Facebook page.
ONWA Family Portraits
It was that time of year again to capture some family portraits at ONWA. I've lost count how many years it has been now that I have been doing this but I get super excited each and every time. Usually there are about 5-8 families that show up which is actually pretty good, but, this time around there were over 10 families and some of them were pretty big too. Suffice it to say, I had my work cut out for me but it just mean I was able to capture even more photos then usual.
It was that time of year again to capture some family portraits at ONWA. I've lost count how many years it has been now that I have been doing this but I get super excited each and every time. Usually there are about 5-8 families that show up which is actually pretty good, but, this time around there were over 10 families and some of them were pretty big too. Suffice it to say, I had my work cut out for me but it just mean I was able to capture even more photos then usual.
My favourite part of these portrait sessions are the kids. They always bring such joy and energy that it's hard not to come away with some truly great expressions. Below you can see just a small sampling of some of my favourite photos. If I included them all, you would be scrolling down for ever. The Fall session can't come soon enough!
K.I.H.S. Graduation 2018 @ Valhalla Inn
This event was another one that I was photographing for the second time. Last years Keewaytinook Okimakanak Graduation Ceremony took place at the Italian Hall and it was a very intimate yet fun event. However, this time around, I was amazed not only at how many more graduates there were but all the family that attended as well. Whenever I photograph graduations such as this, it's really not that difficult capturing special moments because everyone in attendance is just so happy to be there.
This event was another one that I was photographing for the second time. Last years Keewaytinook Okimakanak Graduation Ceremony took place at the Italian Hall and it was a very intimate yet fun event. However, this time around, I was amazed not only at how many more graduates there were but all the family that attended as well. Whenever I photograph graduations such as this, it's really not that difficult capturing special moments because everyone in attendance is just so happy to be there.
It was a very fun night which had some live standup comedy, awards and of course some games that the staff and the graduates took part in. Combine those with some really good food and a hat toss at the end, and it was a evening to remember.
Congratulations to all the graduates for all of their hard work!
ONWA - She is Wise Conference - Chelsea Hotel Toronto
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of photographing an amazing event for ONWA, at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto. The conference was called 'She is Wise in the Ways of Life'. It focused on ending violence against women and girls. Along with photographing the event I also helped design all a lot of the marketing for it, so I knew everything that was going on. With that being said, I was still anxious to see how it all turned out, and I couldn't have imagined a better event.
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of photographing an amazing event for ONWA, at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto. The conference was called 'She is Wise in the Ways of Life'. It focused on ending violence against women and girls. Along with photographing the event I also helped design all a lot of the marketing for it, so I knew everything that was going on. With that being said, I was still anxious to see how it all turned out, and I couldn't have imagined a better event.
Each day consisted of various speakers within the indigenous community and a variety of workshops throughout the day. Even though the conference was specifically aimed at women, I was able to learn a lot during the 3 day conference. There were so many great moments throughout the week and I think I was able to capture quite a few of them. Not only were there laughs. but there was also some crying too. Everyone in attendance was there to support one another however needed, and it was very special experience.
The topic of ending violence against women is a very important one, and the She is Wise conference definitely helped bring a lot of awareness and education to the topic for all of those in attendance. I am so thankful I was able to cover such an important event but also that I was able to experience it as well. I look forward to continuing to work with ONWA on this subject and using my photography to help spread the word. If you would like to learn more about this issue, head on over to ONWA's website.
Gull Bay First Nation Microgrid Announcement
I was recently asked by Ontario Power Generation to cover a very important event at the Gull Bay First Nation this past Tuesday. Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek and Ontario Power Generation are working together to develop a microgrid that will use solar, battery storage and grid technology to help reduce diesel use at Gull Bay. It is to be the first fully-integrated solar energy-storage system in a remote community.
I was recently asked by Ontario Power Generation to cover a very important event at the Gull Bay First Nation this past Tuesday. Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek and Ontario Power Generation are working together to develop a microgrid that will use solar, battery storage and grid technology to help reduce diesel use at Gull Bay. It is to be the first fully-integrated solar energy-storage system in a remote community.
My job was to simply photograph the speeches, the people and the atmosphere at the announcement, and that's exactly what I did. I was accompanied by my good friend and associate Tony McGuire of Theymedia. who was filming the event alongside me. Even though it was pretty cold up there, it was such a great turn out. It was amazing to see so much support.
After all the speeches were done, there was some homemade bannock and moose meat being served. Then everyone made their way over the community centre for lunch. If you would like to find out more about this development I encourage you to clicking on this link here.
30th Annual LUNSA Powwow
I got asked to cover some of this weekends LUNSA Powwow and the Lakehead University Fieldhouse. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the event and I was honoured to photograph it. Surprisingly I had never been to the LUNSA Powwow, but I have photographed other ones throughout the city. So, I was amazed at just how many dancers and people attended. As I photographer, it's a dream event to photograph with all the colours and people and energy.
I got asked to cover some of this weekends LUNSA Powwow and the Lakehead University Fieldhouse. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the event and I was honoured to photograph it. Surprisingly I had never been to the LUNSA Powwow, but I have photographed other ones throughout the city. So, I was amazed at just how many dancers and people attended. As I photographer, it's a dream event to photograph with all the colours and people and energy.
For an event of this nature, it's almost all candid photography with a few posed shots mixed in. I also made sure to get in close on some of the details. Each and every dancer had such amazing attire, I had to slow myself down sometimes and really take it all in. Even the children were dressed up and having a great time too. The whole evening had such an electric atmosphere, with the drums beating loud, it was hard not to come away with some great photos.
I'm very much looking forward to more Powwows throughout the year!
