The Blog of Vancouver Photographer - Grant Harder - portrait, travel and life

----------new work----------

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:16:00 +0000

Pangaea Showreel for 2011

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:47:00 +0000

PANGAEA Showreel (2011) from Pangaea Mike Horn on Vimeo.

Mike Horn for Montecristo

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:15:00 +0000

Oh, hello blog. You've taken a bit of a back seat to the ol' tumblr over there. It's just that you're a little slow, less user friendly and don't really work in a way that encourages community involvement. Don't worry though because I'll continue to show you some love.

Below are the tears from the latest Montecristo. Cover action! Thanks Mark, for the work, and Craig for being a great travel companion.You can read more about this amazing assignment in an earlier post here and on Montecristo's website. File this under 2011- Awesome Jobs.

A Celebratory trip to Portland

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:47:00 +0000

Well, she's officially a ticketed carpenter with her Red Seal. I'm pretty proud, to say the least.

To celebrate Paige's recent graduation from her carpentry apprenticeship program we took a surprise trip to Portland via Amtrak. Trains rule and so do bikes, which we brought with us. Portland is always described as being like Vancouver except better. I'm not going to say that our fair city is any less than that of Portland but I will say that it is worthy of the hype- great restaurants and bars, friendly people, good vintage shopping, bike lanes galore, food carts, Powell's Books and the list goes on. Have you heard of the ACE Hotel? Of course you have. I tried to not get my hopes up too high on what this well talked about hotel has to offer...but I did and the Ace did not disappoint. You can read about the turntables, records, vintage-military-modern decor and original artwork on a million other blogs. All of this style wouldn't amount to much without great service, which I would describe as welcoming, generous and informative- easily my favorite hotel that I've ever stayed in.
Portland- We'll be back...but maybe in the summer next time. We get enough rain up here as it is.

What doughnut did I get at Voodoo Doughnuts?
The Old Dirty Bastard, obviously.

DBGT's

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:41:00 +0000

A big thank you to buddies Luke and Brett for letting me tag along for some dirt-biking good times. I'm looking forward to shooting more.

Vancouver for the Australian Financial Review

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:00:00 +0000

If you happen to be in Australia check this months Australian Financial Review for a two page travel feature on Vancouver. We hit up The Diamond, Grouse Mountain, Gastown, the Public Library and the new convention center. The Diamond, a Mark Brand establishment, is the second of his that I've shot in the last couple of months. The first being Save on Meats for Monocle Magazine. Quality cocktails!

Mike Horn and Pangaea for Montecristo

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

As I rethink, relive and take account of what’s happened in the last year I’m both amazed and thrilled that life has gone the way it has (she married me!). Is it too early in December for a 2011 recap? Ok, maybe, but I will say that my most recently published work is a fitting end to a satisfying year. This past summer I was sent on assignment by Montecristo Magazine to cover a three-day sailing journey through the San Juan Islands. This wasn’t just any sailing trip though as we were traveling aboard the vessel of world-renowned explorer Mike Horn. He’s kind of a big deal (…circumnavigated the equator by his own power, without any support he navigated the entire length of the Amazon River only using a hydrospeed and oh, there was the time he circumnavigated the Arctic Circle by boat, ski kite, kayak and on foot. It took 2 years! 8000m peaks without supplemental oxygen? Done). Photographically this assignment was full of nuggets but more than that it was an opportunity to spend time with Mike, his full time crew and a temporary crew of kids. The sea was calm and our days sunny. During the day we would sail and go on mini adventures. In the evenings Mike would chat with the kids (and me!) about where’s he’s been, what he’s seen and where he’s going. To say that Mike is inspirational is to put it very lightly. Basically, he believes he and every other person on the planet are capable of anything and everything. Sound cliché? –Not when you’re aboard the Pangaea and not when it’s coming from Mike Horn. His outlook is infectious and he leads by example. Just ask India’s 2011 World Cup champion cricket team. I’ve never met anyone like him in my life -intense yet genuine, kind and thoughtful. It was my birthday during the trip and when he found out he shook my hand so firmly (and happily) that my arm nearly ripped out of its socket. No joke. It was a great birthday.

I encourage you to read the Montecristo article, written by Craig David Long, and to check out Mike Horn’s website. If you know of anyone aged 15-20 that is interested in adventure, the environment, exploration and more I would highly recommend looking into Mike's Young Explorers Program.

Thank you to Mark and Craig at Montecristo for the amazing opportunity.

Strathcona Neighbor

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Paige and I were chatting with a couple we ran into recently while walking through our neighborhood of Strathcona. As our neighborhood is the oldest in Vancouver much conversation revolves around renovations and the history of Strathcona. Turns out one of our new acquaintances is a fine art photographer and had shot interior photos of our house before we took it over. Carol Sawyer is represented by the Republic Gallery and has a series titled Flux, which is what our home was photographed for (and is still in a state of...). Shown through interior photos of architectural details, Flux is a look into the transition process of Vancouver's oldest neighborhood.
Carol was kind enough to email me contact sheets:

Yesterday's Creative

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:16:00 +0000

Here's a little glimpse into yesterday's creative. I'll have the film back later this week. Look for that soon.

It's a portrait: Mark Hamilton / Woodpigeon

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:30:00 +0000

Mark Hamilton is the talented fella fueling Woodpigeon. He's also kind and gentle and probably a million other wonderful things. Hopefully this won't be the last time I get to take Mark's portrait. Luckily his label, Boompa, is in Vancouver and he was here for a visit. Mark formally hung his hat in Calgary and now resides in Vienna. Obviously.
Listen here.

One of my favs right now

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:08:00 +0000

Who wants a Walmart in Salmon Arm?

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:47:00 +0000

Check the last Report on Business for a feature on the future development of Walmart in Salmon Arm, BC. As the opening of a Walmart is in any city- it's controversial. Salmon Arm in particular is a significant story as the proposed site is on a delicate flood plain (see opening spread below) and is adjacent to First Nations Land. I was in Salmon Arm for a few days, mostly shooting portraits but also hunting relentlessly for the below view point of the city and surrounding area. This was followed by a less than 24 hour visit to Toronto to photograph Mitch Goldhar, owner of SmartCenters and developer of Walmart. You can read the article here.

Favorite quotes from the job:
"If you want to see your neighbors in Salmon Arm, just go to the Walmart in Vernon on a Sunday"
-Mayor Bootsma

"We’re just building what we’re told to build by the Canadian consumer...Sometimes people don’t like to see what they look like in the mirror..."
-Mitch Goldhar

Whoa! Mitch- I don't remember ever being consulted on the matter. That being said you did serve up a freshly-made-on-site-surprise-sit-down-quinoa and trout lunch in your gigantic office for both Rico and myself.

Big thanks to Clare at R.O.B. for the job. It's great when you can do what you love to do and marry it to an interesting story with passionate characters.

Mayor (former as of last weekend) of Salmon Arm, Marty Bootsma:

Leader of the opposition, Dr. Warren Bell:

Monocle Magazine / Save on Meats

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:13:00 +0000

Post UPDATE:
See Mark Brand and Save on Meats in Gastown Gamble on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

From OWN:
Gastown Gamble is a docu-reality series following a group of idealistic Vancouver restaurant owners, lead by Mark Brand and his wife Nico, on their quest to make an impact on the neighbourhood known as “Canada’s poorest postal code”: Vancouver’s downtown east side.

By re-opening the neighbourhood icon, a butcher shop known as "Save On Meats", they hope to provide opportunities to the unemployed and disadvantaged members of the community and inspiration to others. It would be a huge undertaking for someone who has experience revitalizing a downtrodden community, but for Mark, Nico and the gang it may be more than they can handle.

Check the November issue of Monocle Magazine for some new work (cover action!). Big up to Mark Brand, his wife Nicole and the entire Save on Meats crew, also to Monocle for continually recognizing relevant services from across the pond. Remember Le Marché St George?

Here's a couple that ran in the issue and a couple of outtakes. Mark Brand:

Skulls! Pirates!

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:32:00 +0000

Covet Exhibition

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:17:00 +0000

Brendan Meadows conceived the idea of COVET to help bring together the Vancouver photo community and to push artists to work outside of their comfort zones. You can find out more about the concept here and the task here. It's on for one night only! All framed print sales go to the DTES Small Arts Grant. There are a bunch of great photographers involved. You should come.
Nov. 4, 2011
Chapel Arts Gallery
304 Dunlevy Ave.
7pm - 11pm

A big thanks to Kristy Jacobsen (talent), Frida Norman (hair/makeup) and Sean (assistant) for helping out..

See you there!
Here's an outtake of mine:

CODE Magazine / Arc'teryx LEAF

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:37:00 +0000

Arc'teryx makes the most technical outerwear on the planet. Not only are they making top notch gear for climbing and skiing but they also make clothing for military use. Have you heard of their LEAF line? It's kind of a big deal. CODE Magazine, out of Amsterdam, sent me to the Arc'teryx North Van headquarters to see what's up. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with design manager, Dan Green, one fine soggy Vancouver morning. He stayed pretty dry. I didn't.
Outtake:

This was part of CODE's 2012 Survival Kit Issue. Three words to describe this magazine- high quality printing. Seriously. And big! That's 6, actually. Check it out if you can find it.

Cactus / Peru

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:41:00 +0000

Also here.

MOTEL

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:04:00 +0000

enRoute / words and photo

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Did you fly Air Canada this month? There's a whole shwack of my work in this month's enRoute. More to come!
Costa Rica, 2011...personal work turning into published work...I like it.

Thanksgiving 2011

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:21:00 +0000

tumblr site / it's new

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:56:00 +0000

I'm rolling with a tumblr site now too. Check here. I'm starting it off with all new work shot in Peru while on assignment with enRoute Magazine.

New Work / Experiments

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:33:00 +0000

Chip Wilson (lululemon) for Canadian Business

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:59:00 +0000

Chip Wilson: "How much time do you need?"
Me: "I'd love 45 minutes."
Chip: "I'll give you 20."
Chip, of lululemon fame, is coming in at #15 and $2.85 billion on the Canadian Business most affluent list (that's a lot of black stretchy pants).

New Neighbor's Sweet Ride

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:45:00 +0000

The PNE (from what I remember)

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:01:00 +0000

(I ate all of those donuts)