ICC Citizenship Ceremony at Fort William Historical Park
Last week I was honoured to photograph a very important ceremony for a lot of people. It was the Citizenship Ceremony held at Fort William Historical Park and it was hosted by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. Approximately 50 new Canadians were officially declared Canadian Citizens. Before that happened, they all had a chance to meet with the other guests as well as share their stories and journey that brought them to this point. They have all been in Canada for quite a while now, so it was exciting for each an every one of them to be able to finally call Thunder Bay home.
ONWA Poetry Night - Strong Hands Stop Violence
This past Sunday ONWA held a very special poetry night in an effort to raise awareness of Violence Against Women in support of the United Nations International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women. My task was to capture the event in photos which included musical guests - Melinda a Melissa Henderson and of course Audra Santa.
Lakehead University Farewell Reception in Honour of Dr. Brian J.R. Stevenson and Judy Davies
This past Thursday, Lakehead University honoured Dr. Brian J.R. Stevenson's accomplishments as President and Vice-Chancellor of Lakehead University from 2010 to 2017. For the first portion of the event everyone in attendance mingled and conversed while enjoying some amazing food. As a surprise to Dr. Stevenson, students from his achievement program marched down towards the main stage with flags representing their country. It was a great start to a memorable evening.
Remembrance Day - 2017
Once again I was able to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony at Waverly Park in Thunder Bay. Below are some highlights from the day.
The Hunger 12
The Hunger 12 took place this past Saturday in the downtown area of Port Arthur. As the name suggests, this was the 12th year, and I think about the 3rd time I have photographed it. It's always the perfect excuse to dress up, go out, and see all the awesome costumes that everyone came up with. As with the previous years, I was taking photos for The Walleye.
NADF - Business Awards
The Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund Business Awards took place this past Friday at the Valhalla Inn. I was hired to photograph the event and I had a great time doing so. The NADF is a non-profit Aboriginal Financial Institution (AFI) providing business financing and support services to Aboriginal entrepreneurs and businesses to establish, expand, or acquire a business in remote, rural and urban communities in Northern Ontario. The awards presented celebrate the contribution of Indigenous people to the economy of northwestern Ontario.
CCAB Thunder Bay - Hot Topic Series
This past Thursday, the Valhalla in hosted the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business - Hot Topic Series. As I have mentioned in some of my previous posts, this was another first for me regarding this event. I didn't really know what to expected going in, but as I always do, I just rolled with the punches. The purpose of the event was to focus on partnerships between Canadian companies and Aboriginal communities to launch businesses in urban and rural markets. The discussion explored issues including the creation and alignment of shared goals, team building and management, and resource maximization. There were a variety of speakers at the event and they discussed some of the challenges and also some of the solutions in running a successful business.
Jumpstart 2017 - Lakehead University Hanger
I’m still amazed at how many great events there are going Thunder Bay, and a lot of them I don’t even know about. Case in point, I was asked to photograph Jumpstart this past Friday, which is an event put on by Canadian Tire. Jumpstart’s core purpose is to raise funds, lift spirits and support dreams. If you want to learn more about this great organization, I encourage you to head on over to the website.
St. Patrick's High School - New Football Field Opening Ceremony
This past week I was asked by Firedog Communications to photography the Opening Ceremonies of the St. Patrick's High School new turf football field. There were a lot of students and family there to celebrate the occasion, which is a long time coming. It was my first time seeing the field since it's completion and it looks awesome. The media was there to cover the event as well, and you could just sense the excitement from everyone there.
U-18 Baseball World Cup - Thunder Bay - 2017
The last time Thunder Bay hosted the U-18 Baseball World Cup it was back in 2010 and it was a big success. So, you can imagine that when Thunder Bay once again won the bid to host the event again this year, there was a lot of excited within the city.
Festival of Colours 2017
Since I missed last years Festival of Colours, I really wanted to try and see it this time around. The whole weekend was super busy with photography and Sunday was no exception. Anne and I managed to still go check it out for about 20 minutes and I was able to capture a few good moments.
If it happens again next year, and I'm available, I will definitely spend more time and come a bit more prepared. Until then, these photos will have to do. :)
Bluesfest 2017
All the years that I have lived in Thunder Bay, I never once made it to a single Bluesfest, which all changed this past year. I was hired to cover a few hours of the event so I had no excuse this time around. The day that I chose to go, of course it rained for the first part. But that didn't mean I stopped shooting. Luckily, I was able to come back later in the evening and a lot more photos.
Staal Foundation Open 2017
Even though it was a couple months ago, I figure it's better late then never on posting some of my corporate work. It had been 2 years since I last covered some of the Staal Foundation Open which takes place right here in Thunder Bay, and even then, I only made it to a couple days. This time around, I was able to attend most of the week which allowed me to see so much more of the festivities.
Live on the Waterfront - Thunder Bay Marina
Thunder Bay has gotten so vibrant with events and so many other things going on throughout the summer, that sometimes it is hard to keep track. This past Wednesday saw the last night for the Live on the Waterfront series, which took place at the Marina. It saw three bands take the stage to a large crowd of on lookers. Best of all, it was all free.
BrewHa Craft Beer Festival - 2017
BrewHa is one of those events, at least for me, that is on the top of my list for the summer. Luckily, I actually had some of the weekend free to attend and take photos. So, not only did a get to try some amazing beer with my wife Anne, but I also get to meet and photograph a lot of happy people.
ONWA - United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
I have been photographing different things for ONWA for about 5 years now and each and every time I do so, it's for great cause. This time around, they asked me to cover a small event speaking to Human Trafficking. The purpose of the meeting was to have an open discussion about the issue and also raise awareness. Along with this, They Media, presented a short film speaking to a bit of the history of this very important issue as well as what we can do now, today.
Canada's 150th Birthday - Thunder Bay Marina
Canada turned 150 yesterday which means I knew I had to go downtown at some point and see some of the festivities and people. The original plan was to go to Old Fort William first and then the marina, but the day just went by so fast that I only made caught the last couple hours of the day. So, with that being said, I tried to get as many photos as I could.
Everclear - So Much For The Afterglow - 20th Anniversary Tour
This past Tuesday, The Rockhouse hosted 3 killer bands from the 90's, and for someone who grew up with a lot of music from that era, it was definitely a flashback to say the least. As soon as I hear the 'So Much For The Afterglow 20th Anniversary Tour' was coming through town, I knew I had to photograph it. Luckily, The Walleye asked me to cover it and my wife Anne to try her hand at reviewing the evening.
Keewaytinook Internet High School - Celebration Dinner
Along with weddings I also photograph a lot of different events in and around Thunder Bay. Last week, I had the pleasure of covering the Keewaytinook Internet High School Graduation Dinner. It was a very laid back affair, but one that was very important to the students and family of friends too. All the graduation students were from various First Nation Communities across Ontario, including Fort Severn, Fort William and Keewaywin to name a few. All in all, there were a total of 17 graduating students.
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.