2017 In Photographs
Each year, I shoot somewhere between 10,000 - 20,000 photos. Many of these photos are discarded and rarely revisited, while the few I choose to release also get buried in the abyss that is the Internet.
This year, and perhaps each year going forward, I wanted to take some time to review my year via photography. Here are a few photos that I have selected from my personal projects and travel in 2017. Typically notorious for choosing too many photos, I have tried to keep the selection brief. I hope that my photography can bring some sense of adventure and meditation to my viewers.
Enjoy!
Since August of 2016, I have had the pleasure of working with author, entrepreneur, and motivator Brysen Johnson. Together we have created several creative projects to help get his voice heard. In 2017, the spotlight really hit Brysen when he released his first book, which gained Best Seller status the first day. Whether we're working on a project, geeking out over fancy drumkits, or just goofing around, Brysen's positive energy and determination is always an inspiration. He has given me the opportunities to push my creative skills and work on projects I otherwise never would have.
One warm winter day in January, a handful of fellow friends & photographers went on a nice stroll through St Vital Park. The pond was nicely frozen over and had the perfect lighting for a smooth reflective surface. Cole Stoughton, as seen upside down.
Admittingly taken from one of Winnipeg's most popular roofs, the view of downtown during a foggy winter day.
Facing the opposite direction on the same roof, a view down Osborne in the village, accompanied by John Ahi and his girlfriend Mary Rose. I have really enjoyed watching John learn and practice photography ever since our first car meets together back in 2014.
During some off-time on a work trip to Edmonton, and despite the freezing temperatures, I was able to visit this neat location. Found in the south end of the city under an overpass, and only accessible by foot via a nice hike through a snowy field, it offers very unique angles and design. There is also a large amount of talented graffiti to check out.
Ivan, who I met through a previous trip to Edmonton during an Instagram Photowalk, hung out with me for the day and took me to a handful of cool locations around the city. Here is a portrait of him in front of their subway (something I wish Winnipeg had very badly).
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Perhaps my most favourite city, and one of my most memorable adventures. This trip to the PNW marked my sixth ever trip to Vancouver, but for the first time I had ventured south into Washington and Oregon to get lost on a handful of hikes with a group of amazing photographers who I am so glad to still call amazing friends. Taken from the roof of my friend's apartment, facing part of downtown's west end with mountains in the distance.
Coordinator of our west coast trip, Caitlyn Mackie. Always excited to be shooting photos, and very often in front of the camera as well, shooting around Vancouver and the west coast with Caitlyn always brought fun adventures and amazing photos. She is definitely one to watch in the near future as her photography continues to grow and she finds new possibilities to explore.
Atop Cypress mountain facing English Bay. Cam Henderson had led Caitlyn and I along the Baden Powell trail to the Eagle Bluffs lookout point. This was my first time ever snowshoeing and while it gave my poor cardio a major test, it was truly an incredible experience.
My first time visiting Porteau Cove, Caitlyn, Kelen, and myself huddled in sleeping bags while shooting some nighttime skies full of stars.
Through a series of very odd events, we had managed a private tour of the highest penthouse suite in the Trump Tower, still under interior construction, thanks to an extremely chill construction worker. It offered balcony views in every direction and can be yours for the small price of $30 million. Make sure you can also afford the $5000/month condo fees!
Our first waterfall of the west coast roadtrip. Aside from tiny rapids in Manitoba and the massive Niagara Falls in Ontario, this was the first time I had ever experienced a natural waterfall in the wild. The first few steps up to the top of the falls were breathtaking. Those are the views, the moments, that I live for. That is where I truly feel at peace and where I can appreciate God's kingdom. There is something special about sitting beside such a source of natural power, as Cole is showing here. This power demands respect and care.
Further down the same trail hike, in the search of more waterfalls, the size of Jevon Lai on the path really gives you some perspective of how massive the forest trees are.
The most spectacular sunset of my life thus far: sitting on God's Thumb beside Lincoln City, Oregon. Another experience that truly took my breath away as I marvelled at the sky, the water, the cliffs below, the beach and shore, and my friends beside me.
Shortly before the sunset, ripping some obligatory danglers on God's Thumb cliffs, featuring The North Face Traction Mules.
As we parked our minivan in the safest place possible approaching one of our most difficult hikes, we randomly came across this beauty and took advantage of a quick shoot. We later ran into its owner, Mike Morozov, at Abiqua Falls down the steep riverbank trails.
With the falls behind us, we started the trek back to the van. Luckily we discovered a much easier trail back up the riverbank so we did not have to struggle up our initial decent trail.
Cannon Beach, Oregon. Home of a beautiful beach and an awesome little coffee shop.
Long exposures handheld (thank you Sony) on the journey back to the airport after our west coast road trip.
One of my first times shooting with Josh Lavallee, I managed to capture a nice view of the recently completed 300 Assiniboine apartment building.
The first time I shot with Madison Barker, I quickly learned how comfortable and organic she is in front of the lens.
Landon, my younger brother. These portraits were a rather spur-of-the-moment idea as I tried to make use of plain household lighting.
A classic Winnipeg lookup location, with an additional lookdown variation.
Anthony's Supra at World Of Wheels 2017.
Sitting on top of Winnipeg with Mike Peters.
Brady's STi at World Of Wheels 2017.
Revisiting a great spot for viewing downtown.
Whether we're on the top of a building or in a studio, Madison and I are always trying to capture stunning portraits.
Along one of the port stops on a Caribbean cruise.
While we were enjoying Florida aside from the cruise to the Caribbean, my good longtime friend Stephen Robinson and I drove all the way down the Florida Keys to the southernmost point of continental USA. While exploring Key West, we took advantage of this lovely spot for a portrait.
Chink The Barber, parking hard and airing out at one of Unrestricted Empire's weekly car meets.
A downtown Winnipeg sunset as seen from one of the latest apartment building conversions in the Eastern Exchange District.
Always a favourite of mine. Andy's mkIV GTI during a very rainy Spring Awakening event hosted by Top Tier Imports.
A lineup of well-stanced, classy Audis at Spring Awakening.
Who's mans?
I am glad to see the large buildings downtown finally renovating and updating their lobby's, entrances, and food courts. I can't wait to use this spot more as it is definitely underrated.
Madison's sense of style and ability to work with a variety of outfits and surrounding elements makes for striking portraits any day.
Al's crazy 350Z is never hard on the eyes. Posted up at UMCC's event, University Of Manitoba.
Rolling shots are something I really enjoy doing, and they sure went well with this simply clean BMW.
Nova Scotia & PEI. Each year, my mother, brother and myself try to take a vacation. While many of the years have been enjoyed at Disney World, now and then we change it up and go somewhere totally different. This year we did a 9 or 10 day roadtrip all throughout Nova Scotia and a bit of PEI.
My awesome mother (above), and rad brother (below).
A beautiful stretch of the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Winding, smooth highways through the hills with gorgeous views and low-laying clouds; these are the views I live for.
Uisge Falls, Nova Scotia. It was pouring rain during this hike, but the falls and views were worth it.
Skyline Trail, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Nova Scotia.
Stanced Euro cars are some of my favourite to shoot. When my friend Wlad was selling his S4, we offended some locals by doing a "for sale" shoot in a neighbourhood field. In my opinion, 100% worth it.
Since this sunrise was mostly a bust, Mike Peters and I "ripped danglers" instead.
I am thankful that I have the ability to travel as part of my job. When I'm not working, I am taking in the local sights and shooting photos with my friends in the area. This was my first time shooting with Felice, who showed me a different part of Toronto than what I was used to.
On this evening, I had met up with friends Nick and Victor to check out the recently repurposed Ontario Place trail. Near there is a walking bridge where the above photo was shot (shortly after Victor got a parking ticket for displaying his paid ticket upside down smh).
Another local Toronto friend, Taylor, is always down to try and get some unique portraits. Luckily the rain held up long enough this day for us to venture around downtown and shoot a handful of photos.
Madison loves to work with brands and companies on collaborative projects. On this hot summer day, we got the chance to showcase some swimwear which is handmade by her friend in Vancouver. Check out Violet & Olive for more.
They say you're best advertised by the friends you keep. Ever since grade 4, when Allie and I were placed beside each other in school, this couldn't be any more true. Fast forward several years and now she is engaged! Tyler is a truly awesome guy who I always look forward to hanging out with. I was more than joyful when I had the chance to shoot their engagement photos, so here is one that stood out to me from that evening. Congratulations guys, can't wait for the big day!
Last year, I had the pleasure of getting eaten alive by mosquitos while shooting some annual couples photos for my friends Brianna & Mitch. This year, Mitch asked me if I could shoot their annual photos again, however he had an extra surprise planned this time. I was honoured to capture such a special life moment for them and look forward to watching them grow together as a family in the future. Who knew modified cars could create such amazing friendships (and engagements)!
You already know my love for rolling shots. Back in Winnipeg, Alex had recently installed underglow on his mkIV Golf. So naturally, it needed some nighttime rollers.
If you know me, you know I also love rooftops. Here is a portrait of Madison atop Glasshouse with a great view of Portage Avenue below.
When Fall arrives, nature doesn't give you much time for photoshoots while some trees are still green. Shooting Bryce's bagged Genesis Coupe went as well as I had hoped for.
A few coworkers, their dogs, myself and my camera all gathered in Kings Park one evening for a very energetic photoshoot. Here is Amanda's dog, Marshal.
Accidentally 30 minutes early to a portrait session one Fall evening, I decided to shoot a few photos of my Genesis Coupe to kill the time.
After I had passed the time shooting my car, Brandon and I caught a few portraits making use of a few nearby building lights.
After a long period of long hair, Landon decided to have it cut so that it could be donated. And with a new haircut, comes a new profile picture. I always enjoy shooting with my brother because of his flourishing creativity within photography. While I usually give myself tunnel vision with the never-ending pursuit of understanding digital gear and technology, he never fails to stun me with his amazing film photos (especially the film he develops and scans himself).
Oh, Vancouver.
Beautiful BC.
West coast best coast.
This unexpected extended stay in Vancouver was quite the experience. I had flown out to drive home a JDM Subaru Legacy GT-B I purchased as a winter car. However, several transmission issues later, I ended up spending 15 days in Vancouver instead of 2 hours. While it was a very stressful and difficult time for me, I am very thankful that it allowed me to experience work & leisure in my favourite city. We made the best out of the worst, and although the Legacy issues remain unresolved to this day (January, 2018) I have learnt so much throughout the experience and was able to bond with my local friends (and of course, hike and shoot photos).
This photo was taken from a trail near the Chief facing Squamish.
The very popular Buntzen Lake
My bass-loving bro, Kelen, stunting hard in Alouette Lake.
Shortly after returning home from BC (without the winter car unfortunately), a few Winnipeg friends hopped in John's Jeep and enjoyed a lovely snowy day in the Whiteshell. This shot was taken at Caddy Lake.
Madison, happily being the model in the snow for the rest of us holding cameras.
Right before the drive back home, we came across this friendly fox on the side of the road. He posed in a variety of ways for us to grab a few great shots.
The beast that allows for very fun days of exploring off road. Thank you John for putting your Jeep through some tricky situations out in the bush.
For months since Summer, Faze and I had been meaning to shoot portraits together. Finally, on a warm winter evening with some light snow, we put some ambient downtown lighting to use.
What is a Toronto trip if you don't visit the sky? Atop One Bloor on a cold windy night.
This marks the 15th roof I've visited in Toronto, and a wrap to my urban exploration for 2017. I'm thankful for all the friends in Toronto I've made through photography, especially Brandon as seen here capturing the CN Tower.
My final portrait session of 2017, featuring my coworker, fellow photographer, and friend Steve Burton. Steve asked that I capture his beard before he rid himself of it, but it continues to live on despite plans of shaving.
This fantastically awful portrait of myself (clicked by Steve Burton - thanks) marks the end of my 2017 review in photography. Thank you for spending the time to reflect with me on one of my most passionate hobbies and missions in life; to capture precious life moments in the highest quality that I can achieve through my ever-growing pursuit of photography.
If you wish to view more photos from any of the events I chose to display here, you may find them on my Flickr or Instagram accounts. Feel free to drop me a line if you have any inquiries or questions.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
May the photos and adventures continue throughout 2018 and beyond!