Burlesque!

With more and more great shows being put on week in and week out, it's hard to keep track and know exactly what to get out and watch. Luckily, that decision was made for me recently, when The Walleye asked me to take some photos of Burlesque! I got two tickets so my wife Anne joined me. We didn't really know what expect going in but we were pleasantly surprised. 

The show was really funny and extremely entertaining. Not only was the music fantastic but the overall energy of the whole show was so good. The crowd was yelling out and cheering during certain segments which made it that much more engaging. Everyone was really into it. Even though I was taking photos most of the time, I was still able to really appreciate all the hard work that must have gone into the production. 

Assuming it is a yearly production, my wife Anne and I will definitely be going back again to watch. Please enjoy some of the photos I took from the evening. 

The Walleye Bucket List - Maestro for Day

When The Walleye asked me to cover another Bucket List event for their April Issue, I knew I had to do it. This time around ti involved Justin Allec who is a writer for The Walleye. His bucket list was to play maestro for a symphony, and the TBSO granted him that wish.

Even though Justin, from what I have heard, leans more towards heavy metal music, embraced the fact he would be conducting a symphony orchestra. I honestly didn't know what to expect going in to the session. As it turns about, The TBSO ended up practicing for a couple hours for their performance which would be taking place the following day at the Community Auditorium. It wasn't until after they were done rehearsal that Justin made his way to the centre of the stage to 'conduct' one song. You could tell he was a bit nervous, but the conductor guided him through it and the whole orchestra followed his lead.

All in all it was a wonderful for experience, not only for Justin I imagine, but also for me. Prior to him getting up in front of the orchestra, I was able to photograph the rehearsal that the symphony when through. I came away with a lot of great candid shots. I have photographed the TBSO before at the Auditorium, but I was never able to get in so close. 

So, not only died I get to photograph Justin for a great cause, I was lucky enough to see and hear what takes place behind the scenes of the TBSO

Urban Infill: Art in the Core 11

This past Friday I had the opportunity to photograph this years Urban Infill which is hosted by Definitely Superior Art Gallery. This was the 11th year that it took place, but the first time I attended. I don't know how I have gone this many years without checking out but at least I made out this time around. After attending this years event, I will be definitely be going to next years. 

For those of you who have never attended before, it's a great opportunity to go see all the great local talent in Thunder Bay. So many business in downtown Port Arthur opened their doors and allowed a wide variety of artists and performers show their work. It was amazing to see everything and everyone come together to support the local art scene. I was thoroughly impressed with just how much raw talent there is out there in the city. 

Even though I was photographing the event for Definitely Superior, I was still able to take it all in. My wife Anne kept me company throughout the evening and even she had a good time. As a photographer, my goal was to capture the essence of the event, which included the people and of course some of the art and just the overall mood. 

I am very much looking forward to photographing next years event and seeing everyone come out again to support such a great cause.

The Walleye - Breakfast Issue

Last month I was asked by The Walleye to photograph a few different breakfast dishes at various restaurants in Thunder Bay, for the upcoming breakfast issue, which is out now! I jumped at the chance, for a few reasons. The first being that I love photographing food, and second, it gave me a chance to try out some dishes I haven't had the chance to yet. 

If you haven't noticed yet, there are a lot of great places to eat out in Thunder Bay, and I know some of them, people don't even know about. It's so great that The Walleye decided to focus on breakfast for their March issue, because as I mentioned above, there are a ton of different options in town. 

The first restaurant I covered was Prime Gelato. Most, including me, assume they are all about Gelato, but it turns out they make crepes there as well. As you can see from the photos below, they are super good. There are a bunch of different types you can get there so I encourage anyone, who enjoys crepes, to check it out. 

The second place I visited was Java Hut. The feature plate I photographed was the lumberjack breakfast. If you haven't had it there before, and you are really hungry, I can't think of a bigger, tastier breakfast in town. 

The last restaurant was Naxos. Even though it's a essentially a greek restaurant, they serve amazing breakfasts with a lot of different choices that you can't really find at any other restaurants town. 

All in all, it was so fun to get out and shoot at these different restaurants. Thanks as always to The Walleye for asking me to be a part of their March Issue. For those interested, the current issue is out, and you can also view it here.

Indigenous Peoples' Court - Community Celebration Dinner

When I was asked to photograph the Celebration Dinner for The Indigenous Peoples' Court, I was first honoured to be chosen to capture it, but also excited to be a part of it as well. All in all, I would estimate that there were about 150 people there. Don't quote me on that though. It was such a great turnout and there were a lot of special speakers attending as well. 

The evening started with an opening prayer and song. I was given permission to photograph the drum ceremony which isn't always the case. So that was a nice surprise and I actually came away with some really good shots. Following that, the MC for the evening, Sandi Boucher, explained how the evening was going to unfold.

Soon after that, there were a few welcoming remarks, followed by an overview from the IPC Coordinator, Frances Wesley. Everyone then took part in a wonderful buffet dinner. The food was really quite good. Once people had a chance to eat, it was then time to cut the cake which I made sure to get a photo of when I first arrived. The rest of the ceremony had a variety of important speakers saying some words to the guests. 

At the end of the night, the last order of business was the presentation of a few different gifts. One was to the Regional Senior Justice Elder, another was to Justice Joyce Pelletier and the last one was presented to the IPC Committee. 

After everyone received their gifts, the night was closed with a prayer and then another song. All in all it was a wonderful evening, and one that I was proud to be a part of. 

Yo Chef! Round 4 @ Daytona's

Last night, Daytona's in Thunder Bay, hosted Yo Chef! Round 4. It's a wonderful event that essentially pits some of Thunder Bays' best chefs against one another, by preparing dishes for a select panel of local judges. As I mentioned above, it took place at Daytona's, just like the previous events, and it as an absolute packed house. That's the important part too because the all the proceeds go towards Our Kids Count of Thunder Bay.

Admittedly, when The Walleye asked me to cover the event I had absolutely no clue what to expect. I tried to do a bit of research online to find out what it was all about, but even doing that, didn't answer all of my questions. So, with that being said, I kind of when in blindly, which I think ended up working out for the best. 

As far as I know, the general concept stays the same between rounds but I believe there are certain surprises each round too, that the chef's don't know about. In this case, 4 chefs competed, for three different rounds. The catch for each round was that they had to use certain items presented to them just before they were too cook. So, it really put their ability to adapt to any ingredient to the test. I wasn't able to try the food of course, but by the looks of it and the reaction of all the judges, they did an amazing job. In the second round, which was the main course, they had the challenge of having a helper from the crowd assist them in cooking. At one point, each chef had to take a step back and let the helper do all the work, with only the ability to talk them through it. 

All in all, it was such a fun and chaotic evening for a great cause. I am so happy that I was able to be a part of it. I'll definitely be looking to cover the next event. The hardest part of the entire evening for me however, was smelling all the wonderful dishes coming out of the kitchen and not being able to try any!

Big Wreck at the Rockhouse

The Rockhouse once again played host to a band from my childhood. Big Wreck rolled through town this past Tuesday along with Ascot Royals. I was in attendance, along with my wife Anne, to photograph the performances for The Walleye. Surprisingly, this was the first time I had the chance to see Big Wreck live, so I was quite excited to hear some of their new work and of course, some of their classics. 

We ended up arriving a bit late, but I still managed to catch the Ascot Royals last couple songs and I came away with some pretty good shots as well. Then, after about a 40 minute wait, Big Wreck took to the stage. You could immediately feel the energy rise a couple notches from the crowd. It was a packed house which was awesome to see. 

Big Wreck put on an amazing show, playing a good mix of songs from their new album, along with a lot of their classics. They even changed the arrangements on a couple of the classics, which really gave old songs a new twist. Not only was I able to get some great shots from the floor, but I also got access to the top floor, which is where I got most of my favourite photos. 

Anne and I stayed right to the end of the show and it was totally worth it. Next time Big Wreck comes through town, if you haven't already, you should really check them out. 

Veterans Affairs Office Grand Reopening

I recently had the opportunity, and honour, of photographing an important event here in Thunder Bay. When I was asked to cover the Grand Reopening of the Veterans Affairs Office at 130 Syndicate Avenue South. Seeing as how a great article was already written on the subject by TBNewsWatch, I will just supply their link below. For those interested in photos of the even, please feel free to scroll down. 

View article here.

ONWA Christmas Party 2016

This past Saturday ended up being a pretty busy day for photography as I ended up having two photo assignments. One was a surprise wedding which I will be posting shortly, and the other was a Christmas party for ONWA, which is what I am showcasing here in this post. Anne an I were invited to the party to enjoy some dinner and entertainment but just as I was finishing my small wedding ceremony that evening, I was asked to photograph some of the Christmas Party too. Well, I already had my camera gear and I had already done countless photo shoots for ONWA in the past so it was kind of no brainer. 

So, as soon as I was done my wedding, I went directly to the Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel, where the party was being held. When I arrived, it was already in full swing and they had a game going on the dance floor where you had to stay in groups based on the number of people called out. It got quite chaotic and it resulted in a lot of great photos. There was also a secret ceremony and eventually some musical chairs which was definitely one of the highlights of the night. 

One of the main performers of the evening was Keith Secola who you can read about by clicking here. He put on a fantastic show and is one of the most influential native artists in the field today and has been for a very very long time.

As the party winded down I managed to capture some photos of the guests. A huge thank you to Cora McGuire for inviting both Anne and I and I can't wait to work with ONWA again in the New Year. Feel free to check out some previous sessions I have had with ONWA photographing families for them.

Bif Naked with Jordan Alexander @ Crocks

It was another great night of music at Crocks this past Thursday. Unlike my previous concert with Buckcherry, this was more of a laid back affair which was a nice change. Bif Naked was the star that night and she was in town for a reading of her new book - Bif Naked I, Bificus. Before she made her way to the stage, the opening act, Jordan Alexander, sang beautifully. If you haven't already, please do check her out, you won't be disappointed. 

Once Jordan was done, Bif took the stage with her husband shortly after. As I mentioned earlier, Bif read excerpts from her book and also performed some of her favourite songs. It was quite the intimate performance in front of a seated crowed. Thanks again to The Walleye for the opportunity to photograph this awesome show!

Remembrance Day - 2016 - Thunder Bay Waverley Park

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae, May 1915

Buckcherry with Sebastian Bach @ The Rockhouse

The Rockhouse in Thunder Bay was host to an amazing concert last night. Three bands performed including The Wild, Sebastian Bach and the main act, Buckcherry. Unfortunately we couldn't get there early enough to watch The Wild perform, but, from what I heard, they put on an amazing show. The main reason I attended the concert was to take photos for The Walleye, but I was super excited to see Sebastian Bach because I grew up listening to him. 

Once he took the stage, the whole floor was jam packed as well as the balcony. Sebastian Bach sounded amazing and he really did put on such a great show. He just seemed so happy to be there, performing in front of the Thunder Bay crowd. He played all the songs you would expect and even a few surprise ones. I'm pretty sure my wife Anne would have fainted if he got remotely close to her but as he is one of her favourite singers. He was on stage for over an hour and it went by so fast. 

Buckcherry was the feature act, and after a short break, they kept the night going and then some. By the time they took the stage, you could barely make your way across the floor. I wasn't as familiar with their music as I was Sebastian Bach's but I didn't really need to be because they also put on superb performance. I did know some of their songs and even the ones I didn't, were very easy to enjoy. I still can't believe how good of show it was, and we were all talking about it even today.

Even though it was my first concert I photographed at The Rockhouse, I can't wait to do another one in the near future. 

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Sebastian Bach

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Buckcherry