Back in December, I had the privilege of being invited to The Verge/XM Radio’s Christmas Party at the Tatoo Rock Parlor. This particular party featured a two set acoustic show by none other than The Trews. The music was great, the vibe was cool, and it was a great time to take some photos. Because there was no pressure to shoot for anyone else, I thought it would be a good time to try shooting a series in B/W. I absolutely LOVE the contrasty look these photos took on.

I hope you enjoy them too!

Cheers!
t.

Back in the middle of July, my good friend Chris Kirkpatrick and I participated in Scott Kelby’s World Wide Photo Walk (Link here). For those of you who are unfamiliar, Scott Kelby is a professional photographer and a widely recognized Photoshop guru. How known is he you may ask? Well, to put things in perspective, his photo walk idea garnered over 32,000 participants in over 900 cities!!! That’s pretty popular if you ask me!

So Chris and I met up with 48 other photographers and began walking through the Distillery District in downtown Toronto. Photo walks are all about shooting with other photographers, and sharing ideas and techniques. Unfortunately, Chris and I had to leave early because of an unforeseen circumstance but I got to fire off 5 frames before we left.

This photo walk was also special because each participant was allowed to submit 2 images for judging and had the possibility of winning prizes…..many, many prizes. The leaders of each photo walk were to pick one image from their group to submit for judging on a global level.

….and low and behold, 1 of my five frames got selected! I was the winner of the Distillery District photo walk. What did I win you might ask? Well, I won a copy of Scott Kelby’s latest book: The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3 and the honour of having my image compete against 900 other images submitted from around the world. It is a complete honour to be in some great company and exciting to have been recognized like that.

Here is the image I submitted that won:

*EDIT* The winning images from the global competition were announced today and it looks like I didn’t win there but that is ok! If you are interesting in seeing the winning images, Click here.

Cheers!
t.

It was a dark room. I mean, really dark! But then again, The Opera House was not known for it’s outstanding lighting. The opening band “Dub Trio” (website here) had just left the stage and headlining Matisyahu was up next. I took my spot in the pit, conferred briefly with security (introducing myself, making sure they were cool in understanding the access I had been given, etc.) and set up shop. I didn’t really know what to expect, I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of Matisyahu before a friend mentioned his name two weeks prior. But as the lights dimmed (can you believe that – it was already pitch black and it got darker!) and the first melodic notes were played, I was hooked!

A brief bio on Matisyahu from Wikipedia:

“Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), better known by his Hebrew name Matisyahu, is an American Hasidic Jewish reggae musician.

Known for blending traditional Jewish themes with Reggae, rock and hip hop sounds, Matisyahu is most recognizable for his single “King Without a Crown”, which was a surprise Top 40 hit. Since 2004, he has released two studio albums as well as one live album, two remix CDs and one DVD featuring a live concert. Through his career, Matisyahu has worked with Bill Laswell and reggae producers Sly & Robbie. Matisyahu is set to release a new album titled LIGHT featuring the single “One Day” on August 25, 2009. A deluxe album pre-order is available now at iTunes.”

So needless to say, I had a blast. Matisyahu gained one new fan that evening. And I suggest that when his new album “Light” comes out on August 25th, don’t walk, run to your local record shop and pick up a copy!

Cheers!
t.

It’s like riding a bike after years of not being on one. You just fall into a rhythm and let your feelings take over. That’s what I felt last Friday night when I photographed The Tragically Hip at a special intimate theatre gig at the Danforth Music Hall. The band has recently returned to the scene with a new album and have followed with an extensive multi-night tour. This show was deemed a “warm-up show” when really, it was clear the band was (and is) in top form.

Below are some examples of the photos I took that night. Please feel free to register and leave a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

t.

Quickly becoming one of my favourite bands is Wintersleep. They are pretty much still and “Indie” band but have seen some rising success with their latest album “Welcome to the Night Sky.” In particular, the song “Weighty Ghost” has seen some success on mainstream radio. Personally, you need to hear “Nerves Normal, Breath Normal” (especially the 15-minute live version), “Orca”, and “Home” to really get a feel for the band. And most certainly, if you ever get a chance to see them live, go and enjoy it.

So below are some photos I made at a show at the Mod Club in November of 2007. Have a watch out for future sets of this band as well as I’ve had a chance to shoot them a couple of times now.

Enjoy!

t.

Back in early 2008, I shot a show for an up and coming Maritime band called Wintersleep (www.wintersleep.com). Opening for them that night was a local Toronto band called Flash Lightnin’ (myspace.com page). And well, well, well, they ROCKED! Below are some photos I made that cold, cold night at the Phoenix. I hope you’ll enjoy!

t.