Category: Events

  • Event Moment – 2010 Birkebeiner Ski Festival

    On Saturday, I headed out to Elk Island National Park to photograph the 2010 Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival. The event is comprised of five distance events including a 55km, a 31 km, a 4.5km and a 13 km event. The legend of the Birkie stems back to 1206 when two Birkebeiner warriors, braved the elements to rescue a young prince who was heir to the throne of Norway. The two warriors traveled on skis 55 kilometres from Gudbrandsdal valley over two mountain ranges to Rena in Osterdal valley with the young infant on their backs. In the spirit of this tradition, participants in the Birkebeiner Ski Festival can choose to complete the race wearing a pack weighing 5.5kg – this is known as a full Birkie. Those who choose to ski without a pack qualify for the Birkie Lite. With the Vancouver Olympics happening, it was great to see so many families participating in the event and enjoying our Canadian winter while getting some exercise.

    It was a mixed bag of weather ranging from overcast and snowing to windy and warm but overall the conditions were excellent for skiing and for photography. I decided to rent a 300mm f2.8 lens from Lens Lenders and this was a great opportunity to try out this beast of a lens to see if it would be one I’d like to add to the lens collection one day. I hand-held the lens for about 6 hours and my arms and shoulders felt it on Sunday but the overall image quality of this piece of glass made up for the pain. It is a very fast lens and extremely sharp. Being outdoors with decent lighting I didn’t really have need for the IS but there were a few instances where it definitely helped, particularly considering I was working with it hand-held. For my fellow Canadian photographers, if you are looking for a great place to rent glass, be sure to contact Todd at Lens Lenders.

    This year, four of us including myself, provided coverage of the event. Special thanks to Owen Law, Stephanie Wachnuk-Dowber, and Paul Kruger for their help with this event.

    Here are a few of my favourites from the event:

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  • Event Moment – Refinery Night at the Art Gallery of Alberta

    On Saturday night I attended the first Refinery Late Night art party held at the brand new Art Gallery of Alberta. It was my 2nd visit to the new gallery in as many weeks and my first time visiting the gallery since it opened to the public. I was there to cover the event for The Edmontonians newspaper along with reporter Erin Rayner from Ed Marketing and Events. Our coverage will appear in the March edition of the publication.

    Refinery Nights will be an ongoing series of late night parties, themed around the current exhibitions on display at the gallery. This time around the theme celebrated the work of Edgar Degas and featured a variety of events including music by DJs Nik 7 & Jaycie Jayce, an interactive paper folding display featuring Gabe Wong’s Blockheads, exhibition tours of Edgar Degas: Figures in Motion with Alberta Ballet’s Jennifer Faulkner and Citie Ballet’s François Chevennement, a photography project led by Klyment Tan, dance performances choreographed by Stephanie Lilley and organized by Step by Step, and an Arabesque competition led by Rapid Fire Theatre’s Amy Shostak.

    The mood and the energy inside the AGA was amazing and it was a great way to enjoy the art gallery in a funky and relaxed atmosphere. One couple we met summed the evening up really well when they said that “it didn’t feel like they were in Edmonton; but in a good way.” Being able to enjoy a drink, grab some food, take in the entertainment, and explore the exhibits, was a great way to spend a Saturday night and nights like these I think will bring more and more people down to Churchill Square and the new Art Gallery of Alberta.

    Here are few shots from the evening’s events:

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    A woman admires the work of Yousuf Karsh.

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    Abe Wong and friends with Blockheads.

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    Dance performances by Step by Step

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    Sarah Hoyles from the AGA catches up with a friend.

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    The AGA lit up at night

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    Photographer Klyment Tan takes a moment from behind the camera.

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    Local artists take in the first Refinery Night at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton.

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    Guests enjoy making their own Blockheads.

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    Christian of Christian Hansen and the Autisics poses with friends.

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    DJs Nik 7 & Jaycie Jayce provided the music for the evening.

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    More dance performances by Step by Step

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    Amy Shostak from Rapid Fire Theatre leads an Arabesque competition.

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    Degas inspired dancers wearing horse heads

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    Members of Art Scene Alberta enjoy the evening’s events and entertainment.

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    Erin Rayner from The Edmontonians and Sarah Leib from the Winspear Centre.

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    Diane Begin from NAIT with a friend.

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    The Borealis design at night.

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  • Art Gallery of Alberta – Sneak Peek

    I was privileged to be invited to the Art Gallery of Alberta for a sneak peek inside the new building before it is officially opened to the public this Sunday. Our gracious guides included Sarah Hoyles (Media Relations) and Gilles Hebert (Director) and they both provided a wealth of information about the new building. Edmonton is in for a real treat when they finally get to experience this new building in all it’s glory.

    While we weren’t permitted to view any of the exhibits during our sneak peek, we were able to experience most of the common spaces including the gorgeous lobby with the striking Borealis design which extends to the exterior of the building. There is also a gorgeous terrace on the 2nd floor where people will be able to enjoy lunch outdoors and see some amazing sculptures. Some of the more prominent exhibits on display for the opening include an Edward Degas exhibit and an exhibition of photographs from Canadian photographer Yousef Karsh.

    Here are a few photographs I captured of the interior of the new building:

    Gift Shop at the Art Gallery of Alberta

    Fisheye View of the Lobby

    The Borealis Ceiling

    The Borealis Ceiling

    Zinc Restaurant in the AGA

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    Zinc Panels on the Walls of the AGA

    Sponsor Staircase

    Karsh Exhibit

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    Giles Hebert and Sarah Hoyles

    View from the Edmonton Terrace

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    Several of Edmonton’s active bloggers were in attendance and wrote some great articles as well. Be sure to check out their stories and images from the sneak peek.

  • Event Moment – Dancing for the Kids

    On Friday night, Sarah and I volunteered our time to photograph the 5th annual Dancing for the Kids event in support of the Edmonton Sunrise Rotary Club and the Kids with Cancer Society. This annual fund raising event features celebrity dancers who are paired with professional dancers a la Dancing with the Stars. Following a wonderful dinner, each couple performs a different dance which is then scored by a panel of judges.  Those scores are then combined with the scores awarded by the audience to eventually crown a winner of Dancing for the Kids.

    This year’s celebrity dancers included news anchor Marni Kuhlmann from CTV, former NFL & CFL player Sean Fleming, runner-up of Canada’s next top model Linsay Willier, former CEO of Stantec – Tony Franceschini, and radio host from EZ Rock – Ron Clark. Each were paired with a professional dancer who included Daina Moy Sanchez, Dominic Lacroix, David Lam, Delphine Romaire, and Elena Sinelnikova. The judges included last year’s winner and news anchor from CTV – Darryl McIntyre, Benoit Drolet, and Cynthia Dea. There were some great performances and at the end of the night, Marni Kuhlmann was crowned the 2009 champion after her energetic jive with her partner David Lam.

    Of course the real winner of this event is the Kids with Cancer Society. This year’s spokesperson for the Kids with Cancer Society was Sarah Weidmann. Sarah is the sweetest and bravest little 6 year old girl I’ve ever met. Sarah was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year and has undergone countless surgeries and radiation treatments. She gave an amazing speech and used words that a six year should not have to know let alone include in a speech to a large audience but she handled it with remarkable poise. At only six she has already decided that she wants to be a neurosurgeon when she grows up and I’m confident that she’ll get there.

    For more information on how you can support this great event, visit the websites for Kids with Cancer Society or Dancing for the Kids. Here are a few photos from the evenings event.

    The Marr-Mac Musical Theatre Group warms up the crowd.

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    Sarah Weidmann, spokesperson for the Kids with Cancer Society, watches the performances from the sidelines.

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    Kat Brandon along with Tom Gilbert from the Edmonton Oilers, instruct the audience on how to use the voting system.

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    Ron Clark and his partner Dephine Romaire perform the Paso Doble.

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    Sean Fleming performs the Tango with his partner Daiana Moy Sanchez.

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    Tony Franceschini performs the Waltz with his professional partner Elena Sinelnikova.

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    Linsay Willier performs with her partner Dominic Lacroix

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    Marni Kuhlmann and her partner David Lam catch their breath after performing the Jive.

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    The pairs line up to hear the results.

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    Marni Kuhlmann and her partner David Lam are crowned the winners of Dancing for the Kids 2009 and awarded the prestigious Mirror Ball Trophy.

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  • Burger Moment

    I’m working on a special project for the Century Hospitality Group that has me doing some really fun photography. The project is an event they are calling “Celebrity Chef” where local celebrities and the public will contribute their own Burger recipes. Each month one “celebrity’s” burger will be selected and that burger will be featured at Delux for one month. BTW, if you haven’t had a burger from Delux you must get over there immediately, order a burger and be sure to order a side of the sweet potato fries – they come ‘A La Carte’ in a little shopping cart. Get it – A La Carte – shopping cart. Awesome!

    To kick off the event, executive chef Paul Shufelt selected Ryan Jespersen, co-host of CityTV’s Breakfast Television, and his Thai inspired burger called “Thai One On”. I joined them in the studio and captured the making of Ryan’s creation along with all the gooey burger enjoyment afterwards. Check it out! Stay tuned to the blog to see who next month’s celebrity chef is going to be. Also, for a recap of the segment on Breakfast Television, head on over to Ryan’s blog for more photos and a video.

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    The Thai One On Burger
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    Ryan Jespersen and Paul Shufelt in the Kitchen
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    Ryan Jespersen Enjoys His Burger