A different kind of family shoot

I was out with a friend shooting some landscapes. As we were about to leave I spotted something moving in the woods. To my great surprise it was a group of deer. It’s not often I get the chance to photograph wildlife. I know there is lots on the outskirts of the city so it was pretty cool to see them and capture some shots.

I did a baby bump session back in December for a fellow photographer/friend. I was honoured that Todd and Amanda allowed me to share in such an exciting time for them as they prepared for their first child. I am pleased to say they now have a healthy baby boy Mason, and I can’t wait to meet him! Congratulations Todd and Amanda!

I had a fun mini shoot with Olivia. She is a natural in front of the camera. It was a very relaxed shoot and I think one of my favorite shots is the first one where I caught her playing with her shirt and not expecting me to shoot. She is the grand daughter of a friend and fellow photographer and will be moving to town soon to continue her education. I look forward to shooting with her again.

#7/100 Strangers – Andrew, Eric, Noah & Eugene

I met this group of friends out on Callander Bay ice fishing. I was there with the photoclub for a day of shooting when I seen them out on the ice. The fish were not biting much that day but after the week of -43c weather we just had, I think we were all glad to be out and doing something. It was a pretty grey day and snowing with the temp hovering around -20c with the windchill. Andrew was visiting from Barrie, Ontario and the rest of the guys are from Corbeil.

They were very friendly and seem like a great bunch of guys. We even discussed photography a bit and talked about the club. Thanks for being a part of my project.

This picture is #007 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

I had to opportunity to shoot some winter portraits with Chenise & Mark for there Christmas cards. They were so easy going and fun to shoot with. I’ve had opportunity to work with Chenise before, It was great to be able to meet Mark.

I remember getting my first DSLR for Christmas 2008. On boxing day I jumped right in and started a self portrait project. It was such a great way to force yourself to shoot everyday and come up with new ideas. As the year went on you find yourself learning so much about photography, Photoshop and yes even yourself.

I remember I was very camera shy when I started. Now I will lay down in the road in front of a crowd to get the shot if need be. It was a year of ups and downs. I broke my ankle, I became diabetic and most importantly I pushed through all that and photography became a type of therapy.

It is really amazing to look back at these projects after a year or two and view your photography/art and feel a connection and a memory to each picture.

365 Days The Movie

The next year I did a 52 week project where I did 1 self portrait a week.

52 Weeks

I am currently finishing up year 3 of this project and back to a shot a day. It’s actually 366 shots this year because of the leap year. I highly recommend that everyone do some type of project like this. It’s a lot of fun and you meet some amazing people along the way.

I had the opportunity to work with some local talent again to finish off The Jade Amulet short film. It was a great collaboration. I did the photography & graphic design and was camera b operator. I have worked with Lindsay Sarazin (Director of Photography) on a few projects after meeting him through my North Bay Photo Club.

Julia Laberge was the makeup and costume designer for this project. It was great to work with new cast members Sean Morrison (as Shifu Biu) and Alexander Goldgruber (as Young Nuada) on the second half of this project. Jesse Terrell returned to his role as Noob Saibot and Jay Guertin as Prince Nuada. Jay has edited both parts into 1 short film.

Shifu J. Guertin teaches at Phoenix Shaolin Wushu in North Bay. Jay recently returned from China where he competed in one of the world’s largest martial arts events. The competition took place in Huang Shan, China at the 5th World Traditional Wushu Championships. Jay has spent countless hours training and perfecting his skills for these events.

Jay took 4th place in the 18-30 year old division. His next challenge will be in August when he will fight for a spot on the Canadian team in Toronto at the Nationals. If chosen, he will represent Canada in the Modern Wushu Olympics in Russia 2013.

Jay will be opening his own Wushu Club in North Bay very soon, so if you are looking to get your kids, teens, or young adults involved in something cool have them come check it out! Shifu Jay can be contacted at 705-474-6124.

Stay tuned for future collaborations.

Marianas Trench headlines Summer in the Park

Some shots and concert footage I took at this year’s Summer in the Park festival. Marianas Trench headlined Friday (August 3rd 2012) night in North Bay, Ontario. It was a beautiful night with a gorgeous sunset and some great music. The girls and I really enjoyed the concert.

Marianas Trench – Porcelain – live (08/03/12)

I hosted the 5th Annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk on October 13th 2012 for North Bay. It was a cold and windy day and threatened to rain but it held off and made for a great day of interaction and fun. We all joked, got some fun shots and went out for lunch when the event was over.

When I got home I realized I actually didn’t shoot a whole lot. I spent most of my time talking with fellow photographers. I am totally fine with that, it was great to get out with friends and meet a few new faces. I would like to thank everyone that participated and made it a success.

Some Graffiti we found in an alley

I co-shot the wedding of Dennis and Kaarina back in June with another local photographer.
This beautiful couple made their special day absolutely amazing by being so easy-going and it made my job a pleasure. We shot at four different locations which brought out the unique style of this young couple. It was a rainy day but the weather cooperated long enough to get some stunning shots and give us some dramatic clouds.

It’s always great to see young people in love. Thanks for choosing me to be a part of your special day.

The Bulrush Project was exhibited from August 1 – 9, 2012 during the annual North Bay Heritage Festival. Installations of Andrew Van Schie. It was co presented by the WKP Kennedy Gallery and the White Water Gallery of North Bay.

The installation consisted of 1000 bamboo poles painted vermillion, 500 natural bamboo poles, 1000 solar lights, and flagging tape. The bamboo poles were installed close to the shore west of the North Bay Government Dock. They were installed to mimic naturally growing bulrushes. All the painted bamboo poles had a solar light attached to it that was either orange or lime green. Attached to all the bamboo poles was a piece of lime green flagging tape.

During the day time the flagging tape fluttered in the breeze and in the evening the solar lights turned on to illuminate the false bulrushes.

http://www.van-schie.com/

Well it’s that time of year again!

The kids are back to school and life falls back into a routine. Is anyone else tired of the same old school pictures year after year? I did a shoot with my daughter and I love how they came out. Are you interested in unique and personal school shots this year? Contact me today to setup your session.