Colin Adair Photography Blog

Great minds think alike........is 'alike' even a word?

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 15:39:00 GMT

That's a bit of a claim. Ok it's a huge claim. Let's just say then, that there are certain people that think certain ways and often times those ways of thinking overlap.

For example, two photos below:

So now you see my point. Two photos by two unrelated people shot around the same timeframe in totally different places. This is why I love photography and the internet. Multiple interpretations of the same scene at different times and places, found in one place at the same time.

I came across this photo by Danny Zapalac (who you should definitely follow) this morning and it immediately reminded me of my own photo which I shot on New Years eve 2011 with my iPhone 4s. I have been wanting to post my photo for a while and totally forgot about it until now. And finally a reason to post it and finally a new blog post.

A secondary but equally good reason for this post is to introduce you to "the doctor" as he called himself the first time I ever spoke to him on the phone about 10 years ago. He was shooting snowboarding and I was photo editor at Snowboard Canada Magazine. I loved his photos and he had a very unique and different style. He still shoots a bit of snowboarding today but his work is mostly commercial now. He loves film and his style has progressed even further. Check him out.

Pemberton

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:39:00 GMT

Seems like Instagram and Tumblr have divided my attention away from the ol' blog but I'll get back to more regular posts once the busy winter shooting season is over.

Pemberton is a small town north of Whistler that is surrounded by lush farmland and big mountains. We spend a lot of time shooting around that area all winter and it's a really unique place.

Here's a few shots from the Hasselblad I took a while back............

DC SNOW Catalog 2013

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:08:00 GMT

Has it been a month since my last confession.......I mean post...........apologies, 'tis the season of busy-ness and travel and mayhem.

Well, the snowboard tradeshows are wrapped up, the 2013 products have been released and shown to the world. In August of 2011 I went to New Zealand to shoot the 2013 product catalog with the DC Snowboard team. We shot the photos over the course of 10 days in the southern hemisphere. It was a really busy shoot for me. Everything from on hill action to studio product photos. Most of what you see below are photos we conceived prior to heading to NZ. We based many shots around the graphics for the pro model boards. Donkeys, DJ's, Gorillas,Helicopters and Beers........oh my!

New Zealand is an amazing and beautiful place. Special thanks go out to NZ DC rep Hamish Caunter and DC Snow art director Brian Thompson.

Year in the Rearview - Part 2

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:01:00 GMT

Back in the land of high speed internet so as promised Part 2 of my winter 2011 snowboard photography slideshow.

Different song. Some new photos and 2 minutes of your life you will never get back!

I will be dropping the full version of this slideshow, 10 minutes of action, landscapes and lifestyles, later today so stay tuned (or get tuned and then watch it.....................)

Remember: watch it in HD if you can!

2011 Year in Review - Short Version 2 from colinadair on Vimeo.

Different version with different music and some different photos. Music by The Breeders

2011 in the RearView: A Year in ReView

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:52:00 GMT

I've been working on this for a while but I've also been actually working so it took a little longer than I thought. I know you've all been waiting for this so here it is. Well. PART 1 anyway. I've got a few more sllideshows from my 2011 photography done as well but one at a time..........damn!

Here it is. 2011 condensed into about 2.5 minutes. That's a year of my life crushed into a internet friendly timespace and size.

PLEASE, if you have Apple TV or a big screen watch it in HD it's so much better than this pinner version (Don't just click enlarge because it will look pixelated and you will think my photos suck!). Respect.

Riders include: Devun Walsh, Iikka Backstrom, Ryan Tiene, Aaron Biittner, Jody Wachniak, Andrew Geeves, Kimmy Fasani, Jonas Carlsson and a few others.............Music is by David Bowie.

If you like that you can watch the slideshows from 2010 here:

http://blog.colinadair.com/_blog/Colin_Adair_Photography_Blog/post/2010_in_the_Rearview_Year_in_Review_for_You/

White Christmas?

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:06:00 GMT

Here's wishing you and yours all the best over the holiday season.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow................

KNOWLEDGE

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 06:30:00 GMT

"I basically found myself when I found photography" - Barbara Cole

This quote is from the tv series SNAPSHOT on the Knowledge network (Mondays at 10pm). If you like photography this is a great series. Each episode profiles a different Canadian photographer working in a different field or genre. Highly reccommend it. If you don't live in Canada I'm sure you can find it on the internet or the Knowledge Network website.

And now some bullshit about my life................

A few new DC ads dropped this month. Iikka Backstrom this time.

Don't Watch the News

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:16:00 GMT

It's Monday, it's December and let's be honest.............we all need a high five right about now.............that is all.

Bali Part 6

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:23:00 GMT

Saving the best for last. Well, at least I like these ones the best. Mainly because they were experimental film shots with a camera I have never used before so I'm happy with how they turned out.

These were shot at sunset at Uluwatu on a pretty flat day. I love the long exposure look of the water in the last few images. Next time I'll bring a tri pod and some ND filters..............

All of the photos you see here and on my website are for sale so hit me up for pricing if you are interested...........still time to get Christmas presents shipped out.

Bali Part 5

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:24:00 GMT

I told you I was going to milk the photos from this trip. Part 5. Back to the rice fields of Canguu from Part 2. The "scarecrows" are scattered throughout the fields and their costumes/outfits are amazing. I'm still uncertain about what they are meant to scare off. I didn't see any crows when I was there but I'm sure they have some kind of pesky scavenger bird there that warrants these statues.They might have been meant to scare off evil spirits. Balinese people are very spiritual so spirits and prayer play a big part in their lives. Regardless, to a foreigner like me these types of things make great subject matter for my photos.

Indo Part 4

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:23:00 GMT

This installment is based around my fascination with tourists. People in general are strange and do weird things but tourists are a whole other level of odd. They stick out like speed bumps in a school zone. Bringing their individual styles and cultural differences to a place that is not their own. Mostly what I like is how tourists are just groups of people standing around doing nothing. Maybe taking some pictures or eating food but serving no real purpose other than cluttering up what is usually a beautiful landscape and getting in each others way. I am a tourist like any other when I go on trips but I cannot see myself so I sit and watch others and try to figure out where I fit in.

Indo Part Trois

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:01:00 GMT

Third Installment. A little bit of a change of scenery from the green fields of Canguu. In this episode we will be mere steps from one of the greatest surf breaks in the world, Uluwatu. This famous left hand reef break is also an incredible spot to hang out, beach comb and watch the sun go down. While I was there we did not have much swell but I was lucky enough to have low tide at sunset so getting into some really cool spots to shoot was possible. The area is built on top of huge cliffs with amazing views but when you get down to the ocean at low tide, the reefs are bare and you get a really different perspective. The entrance to the beach is a huge cave with different paths and openings. If you were a little kid this place would either be completely terrifying or the best place ever...........depends on the kid I guess. The first shots are a perfect example of this. What's in there?? How far back does it go?? Are there pirates hiding back there?? Monsters?? Oh, to be young again..................

Indo Part 2 (now with slightly less irritating larger font)

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:37:00 GMT

So here is part 2. Not sure how many parts there will be to the series from this trip. At least 5. Less than 10. I know I said I'd post more next week but I just got too excited and couldn't sleep and it's Friday which I know is just super productive in office land so figured you would want more stuff to look at.............plus those HK airport shots in Part 1 are pretty bland.

This is the Rice Fields series. These were shot over several days with the Contax and the Hasselblad. These rice fields are in Canguu which has become a very popular surf spot and hence it is being developed heavily.These particular fields are surrounded by development and I suspect won't be around much longer. The sketchy little road we took to surf everyday ran right through these fields and it was definitely a hub for localized transport and activity. The contrast of Bali is pretty evident in these shots. Old farmers and young kids (I still don't know what these kids were up to. Fishing/hunting for some kind of small fish/animal but I couldn't figure out what exactly). The two women, one on a bicycle with a traditional hat on the other on a scooter wearing a helmet. Lush green fields and new housing. A lot of activity, some of it hard to understand but you just sit and watch and wait................

Indo Part 1

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:09:00 GMT

As promised the film is back from the lab and here is the first installment of photos from my recent trip to Bali Indonesia.

There are a ton of shots I wanted to share and because this is a pretty slow time of year for me before the snowboard season gets into full swing I thought I would milk it for a few posts. When editing I also noticed several patterns and themes within all the shots. This is partly due to some ideas that surfaced while shooting but also some random things that just fit together. I find that happens a lot when shooting film. The main reason being the camera format and use of one lens (Hasselblad 6 x6 and an 80mm). Over time I think I have begun to see things a certain way when I shoot with that camera so patterns begin to develop. I was also shooting my new Contax g2 with a 90mm lens. I hadn't shot a single roll with that camera before I left on this trip so I was shooting blind so to speak. I shot a ton of different stuff with it to see how it would react and what the shots would look like. It was kind of like just shooting anything that looked remotely interesting and hoping for the best. Overall I like how that camera works and I'm excited to shoot more with it so it becomes second nature.

The first series of shots is from a 16 hour stop over in Hong Kong. Contax G2 90mm lens.

There's lots more to follow so stay tuned next week.............

Back in the Saddle

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:45:00 GMT

I was away for a few weeks on a self imposed computer free spiritual journey seeking enlightenment and balance on the 7th plain of the 3rd dimension. It was pretty cool if you like that kind of thing.

However, I just could not tear myself away from my new iPhone 4s. It is just a thing of beauty compared to the old 3G I've been using for the last few years. I bought the 4s mostly for the new camera which is amazing and which I tested extensively while I was away. I takes really great photos for such a compact device and with all the photo apps out there, the sky is the limit.

I have become a complete Instagram junkie. If you want to see much more of my day to day photography and tons of travel and snowboard action from this upcoming winter then please follow me on Instagram @ colinadair.

And now the 3 rules of being an Instagram photographer which I have discussed with several other Instagrammer's who concur wholeheartedly. I am probably going to lose a lot of followers (and friends) but I just don't care because this needs to be said before it is too late!

1. No babies. Do I need to explain this? Unless the baby is driving a car doing 100 on the freeway or saving a cat from a burning building. Babies smoking cigarettes or drinking beers is ok too because that's hilarious.

2. No pets. Unless said pet is rescuing a baby from a burning building or smoking cigarettes or drinking beer because that's hilarious.

3. No food (or drinks). Unless you're eating monkey brains cause then I definitely want to see that. Or unless you shoot food professionally because then when I decide to follow you I know what I'm signing up for. If your lunch or your latte is the most interesting thing you can take a photo of that day than you should not be shooting photos. If you want to post photos of food than start a food blog. If lunch time is your only minute to shoot a photo all day than put a smiley face on that burger with mustard and ketchup. Hell, make a beard out of relish. Just put a little effort into it.

Instagram is not Facebook. It should not go down that path. Let's keep it pure. It's a photography application to share good quality photography shot with your phone. I don't normally rant like this and I don't mean to be a hater but I know people can do better. If you are just taking a picture of your foie gras to brag that you are eating at Chez Pierre than you are probably going to lose followers.

And on that wonderfully upbeat note for a Monday morning I give you some of my Instagram and iPhone photos from my recent trip:

And some recent work published over the last month or so..............

Snowboarder magazine article with DC snowboarders Devun Walsh and Kimmy Fasani

KingSnow Magazine article from February 2011 trip to Japan with DC Canada riders Andrew Geeves, Jody Wachniak and Jeremy Cloutier. You can read the full article here.

Latest DC Snowboarding ads with Aaron Biittner and Lauri Heiskari.