Vancouver International Auto Show

I have no interest in cars, but I do love a busy event with thousands of people so I managed to get a media pass for the Vancouver International Auto Show last week. I’ve made a short video below if you want to check it out!

It was quite a challenge to shoot in this environment given how busy it was, and for me, I was not interested in just making images of whatever new cars were being shown, and trying to avoid pictures with people taking their own shots of the cars. It definitely took me quite a bit of warming up before really being able to see the type of shots I was hoping to make.

The Saturday in particular was extremely busy, with over 42000 people in attendance. While this made for more of a challenge it was also the most fun day as it just created many more opportunities for photos.

A favourite spot during the event was this display with toy cars and a miniature town. The plexiglass case gave some really interesting reflections and I spent a lot of time hanging out here waiting for some fun moments.

What started out slow and challenging actually worked out pretty well and I’m pretty happy with the results overall. If you’re reading this and wanting to shoot at some events like this, I highly highly recommend just researching upcoming events in your city and sending off some emails requesting media passes, it’s a really great way to get access and be able to shoot.

Documenting an (almost) abandoned mall

This is a project I had been thinking about for quite some time before actually taking any action on it. But I’m glad to have started and excited about the possibilities of continuing further with it. Robson Public Market was built in 1985, and is located in the West End of Vancouver, conveniently close to my apartment. It’s one of those places that feels like nothing has really changed since it first opened. I made a video documenting this process so far which you can watch below:

I took my Rolleiflex and a roll of Kodak Gold on two separate occasions. The first day I attempted to shoot handheld, which resulted in a few failures due to it being quite dark in there, but I did still manage to make a few images that I’m happy with.

Realising my mistakes, for my second attempt I did bring along my tripod and this was certainly the right move. It did get a bit of attention from someone working in one of the stores but we had a quick talk and it seemed like I was okay to continue. There are so few customers in this place during the day that it is very hard to understand how it has remained, but I’m glad it has, and that I’ve had the opportunity to shoot it. Here’s some from the second day:

That’s it for now but this is definitely something I’ll be continuing into the future!

On board the Delta Lifeboat

Last weekend I had the incredible opportunity to go to Ladner, British Columbia, to document the crew of the Delta Lifeboat. It was an amazing experience and a step out of my comfort zone. I made a video about the experience which you can watch below!

As someone who is quite shy and introverted, meeting new groups can be quite overwhelming for me. However the more I do this: putting myself in unfamiliar situations with my camera, the more my anxieties fall away. My camera legitimises my presence there and makes me feel more comfortable engaging with people and just focusing on telling the story.

The boat itself was built in 1944, in Pearl Harbour, so it has a really interesting history, and while it has undergone some changes through the years, a lot of the original details still survive. I did try make quite a few pictures to showcase these details and also focused on how the crew has made this space their own through personal touches.

Spending time with the crew, and just observing them in their tasks was an honour. The crew are made up entirely of volunteers. To find a group of people this passionate and dedicated is a goldmine for a photographer and I couldn’t have been happier to have had this opportunity.

A short trip to Bowen Island

A few weeks back, my partner Anastasiia and I spent 4 days on Bowen Island, a short ferry ride from Vancouver B.C.

I made a short video recapping the trip and the photos I made there and on a quick day trip a few days later. Check it out below!

We woke up after our first night to see there had been a fresh dump of snow overnight. While this was beautiful to see it did unfortunately mean that we were pretty restricted in terms of how much we could explore. That being said, we did at least manage to still get out on some short walks and explore the immediate area around our accommodation.

Our return trip back to Vancouver took an interesting turn as we learned the ferries had been cancelled. We had to take a small 12 seater water taxi back across some very choppy water which was a new experience for us, and not one I would be in a hurry to try again!

We decided to return to Bowen a few days later just for a day trip, seeing as we had not been able to get quite the experience we had hoped for on the initial trip. On the day trip the weather was beautiful. Cold but beautiful. We were able to get around a bit more and walk some trails up to the lake.

If you’re in Vancouver and haven’t explored Bowen Island, do yourself a favour and take a day to go and see it for yourself! It’s a beautiful escape from the city and can be accessed easily by public transit.