Blog

Hot off the Press

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:11:00 GMT

The new issue of Transworld Snowboarding will be hitting the newsstands any day now if you don't already have a copy. My old buddy Devun Walsh has landed himself on the cover once again. This is no small feat in this day and age with the amount of photos being produced out there every season. Unfortunately these are not my photos. I was on another trip with other DC riders so Scott Serfas stepped in and got the shots. Haven't seen a sequence on a cover since Chris Dufficy was on the cover of Snowboarder Magazine a while back. Pretty cool to see. This is a pretty popular jump north of Whistler and has seen a lot of action over the years. I shot Iikka Backstrom's ad for DC here last winter and also got a great sequence of Devun doing a cab 3 that day.

I was thrown a few bones in this issue as well in the article about the new Transworld movie "In Color".

Show N' Shine

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:40:00 GMT

Gastown in Vancouver hosted a huge motorcycle Show N Shine last weekend. I stopped by for a few minutes after another shoot I was doing nearby. The Hasselblad was in my bag and matched the style of the vintage and custom bikes. I only shot two rolls and here a few of my favourites.

The Dark Side

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:57:00 GMT

Here's an insane video I found over on Bogus Blog but you might want to click the link so you can watch it a little bigger and read a bit about it on Mpora.

Mickey Smith really sums up the feeling and love/hate relationship of being an action sports photographer. He is a waterman from Ireland but I'll let him speak for me with this eloquent and beautifully shot short.

MPORA Action Sports >>

KNOW what I'm sayin'?

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:13:00 GMT

The latest issue of KNOWMAG has hit the streets. I was commisioned to shoot a street style fashion portfolio back in June. These photos were shot over the course of one day in downtown Vancouver. Special thanks to stylist Tanus Lewis who put the looks together, hair and make up by Jenna Kuchera and all the models.

The first 8 shots are scans from the mag followed by some outtakes that didn't make the cut.

Classic!!!!

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:51:00 GMT

While doing some research for a shoot I'm currently working on I came across this absolute gem on Youtube. This is classic early Sesame Street! The Count meets Cookie Monster.

"Me eat!"
"No I will count dem"
"No me eat dem!"
"Count"
"Eat"
"Count"
"Eat eat!"
"Wait!"
"Wha?"

More details on this shoot later.........

Blank Cinema Sunset Shoot Out

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:46:00 GMT

I'm just running out the door to begin a pretty big commercial shoot I just got booked on yesterday. Can't say much about it just yet but I'll be running all over Vancouver for the next week shooting various people and scenarios. Should be fun.

Here are some behind the scenes shots from my shoot the other night with a local band called Blank Cinema. These were shot by my assistant Kieran Brownie who is an up and coming snowboard photographer and who just turned 19! Damn that makes me feel old.

I'll post my shots from this session soon.........have a great weekend!

the scene down at third beach in vancouver.........I swear that lifeguard is asleep.

Which Way to the Beach?

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:28:00 GMT

I just got a bunch of film back from the lab the other day and I have been editing up a storm. I also finished (almost) editing the 1500 photos from the Sun Wizard recording sessions at Mushroom Studio and I'm fresh off a shoot with another band called Blank Cinema earlier this evening that went really well..........Needless to say I hope to have a lot of posts coming down the pipe over the next week so keep checking back, sign up for the RSS feed and please forward to anyone you might think would like my photos!. At the same time, there is a potential job I could book which will keep me very busy over the next week instead. Hopefully it's the latter but I'll still try to throw up a few posts in between............cats and dogs I say! Cats and dogs.......

As promised.........more photos from the camping trip to Mussel Beach on Vancouver Island a couple weeks ago........shot on my Olympus point and shoot film camera with Portra film.

No Butts About It!

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:48:00 GMT

As you may or may not know, I am a member of the F-Stop Gear Faction team. F - Stop gear is one of the only companies out there that are making camera bags and accessories with the action sports photographer in mind. I have been using their packs for the last year and have been really impressed by the design and quality. Please check them out and become a community member (see link below) or sign up for the Friends with Benefits Program (not yet available in Canada but they are working on it). As a team member I get some free gear, I get to help in the design of the new gear and in return I post stuff on their site/blog/community. It's a good deal. It's even better when I stumble upon something like the video below which was posted on the F-Stop Community page. This guy went the distance sitting in a chair for 48 hours, all for a good cause and the love of time lapse. Respect!

48 Hour Human Timelapse from Marty Stalker on Vimeo.

Get Outta Town

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:23:00 GMT

The long weekend is upon us. I unfortunately will not be getting out of dodge but that's ok because last weekend I went "camping" on Vancouver Island. I say "camping" because it was car camping and when you car camp you can bring waaaay to much shit, which of course did. Everything except the SLR package because for some reason I just can't bring it on vacation with me. Just feels too much like work. I had my trusty G9 (which is reaching the end of it's days), my Olympus film point and shoot which has been recently brought back from the dead (ie. I finally got a new battery), and my trusty Hassy.

Here are couple shots from the G9. Film is still sitting beside me on my desk. I'll post next week if there's anything good. Haven't had a chance to get to the lab this week because I've been in the studio with a local band called Sun Wizard. They are recording their new album at Mushroom studios here in Vancouver. They will be the last band to ever record in the famous Mushroom studio as it exists now. The space will be there but all the old recording equipment will be gone. The new tunes are sounding really good. Photos too follow once the session is done.

So, to all of you who are heading to the great outdoors this weekend, enjoy!

Snow Media Heating Up

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:13:00 GMT

It must be the dog days of summer because the snowboard media are starting to crank out their summer issues, reports, posts, updates etc...........I've got two bits of work out there right now, both online which is something to consider these days because more and more of my work ends up online. I see this as a good thing because it is searchable, easily accessible and generally it looks great on a computer screen.

First off is a small update about DC team ride Iikka Backstrom with my photos. It's on a site called the ESPN Industry Insider Report.

Next we have pretty big portfolio of my work on the SNOWBOARDMag website. There's a short interview and some new photos mixed in with some old stuff that you might have seen. They wanted a variety of my snow and other work so there you go.........

Influence

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:47:00 GMT

I was recently reminded of a great website that I used to visit regularly. The Selby is basically a blog that showcases photos of creative, artisitc and interesting people in their homes and studios. It's a great way to spend some time, get inspired and see some amazing photography. The best part about it is that it is so simple but at the same time there is so much to it. It's a great idea and Todd Selby is definitely reaping the rewards. It appeals to all kinds of people on many levels. You can check it out for the photos which are colorful, well composed and have a distinct editorial feel. You can check it out for the interior design because almost all of the places are pure eye candy. And you can check it out to see who's who and what's what.

After having revisited the site again a few times recently I started to realize that I have been influenced by this style subconsciously. One of the things I love about what I do is that I get to invade peoples homes and places of work to shoot their photo. This is one of my favourite types of shooting. Natural light+casual pose = good photo. Here's a couple photos of mine that stood out in my mind that are in the same style as The Selby:

2008

2010

So now that I got that off my chest and no one can accuse me of plagerizational activities, where is the line between an influence and a rip off?? And isn't imitation the biggest form of flattery?? I'm sure Todd Selby would not be too concerned with my photos being similar to "his style" of photos. He is shooting campaigns for Louis Vitton and Cole Haan now so I'm sure there's room for me out there too. But who has the final say about this one? Copying someone else's work is probably the biggest "No No" out there in photography but can someone really lay claim to a style?? Doesn't art just build upon itself and become a newer version of the past?...............anyone?

Surf and Destroy

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:00:00 GMT

I was in California all last week working with DC on some image selection and ad campaign stuff. There wasn't really much time to shoot photos but I was lucky enough to get some very small but fun waves. And then this morning I came across this surf/skate inspired little video from Animal Collective, a band I like to listen to when I'm working on photos or video projects.

I also came across this video from Broken Social Scene via the Timebomb newsletter (originally posted on Pitchfork). It's very politically charged and visually chaotic and matches the song really well. The riot footage from the recent G20 in my hometown of Toronto is really intense and matched with some random pop culture and funny clips. Definitely worth a look (even if you're not a fan of BSS).

Sneak Peek

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 07:08:00 GMT

I just finished a really fun shoot with "the boss" Devun Walsh and "Captain Ron" Karl Fuhre for IS Eyewear today in Deep Cove. Karl and IS Eyewear have been behind some very clever ad campaigns in the past and I'm stoked on how the shoot went today. It involved the Party Snake boat known as "the cobra", a "responsible amount of beer" as Karl put it and me being stranded on an abandoned dock swarming with angry Seagulls.............all in a days work.

Here's a post shoot snapshot........look for the IS Eyewear ad to drop soon, an article in the next KNOWMag and a making of video, a first for Colin Adair Photography!

Babe of the week (not a regular feature!)

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 05:24:00 GMT

This blog has now reached an all time low.........not only am I posting "teenbeat" type schlock but I'm also exploiting the fairer sex for my own personal gain.

There's a surfer out there named Alana Blanchard. Let's just say she's easy on the eyes. The problem is she can also surf really well. Really well. And I won't say she surfs well "for a girl" either. She rips plain and simple. She is part of the SB Surfboards team which is run by a guy named Steve Boysen who is a friend of my friend down in Southern California. I have one of these boards and it is really good. I'm about to order a new one and if you want an insane board for an amazing price you should call them up.

This video was originally produced by Transworld Surf and it's pretty cheesy but there is a funny moment at the end about a fat red head kid............."it funny cause he fat" - leave a comment and tell me where that quote came from and I'll be stoked to know someone is reading this shit.......

Now with Video!!!

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:57:00 GMT

First time ever posting a video here on the blog! Exciting times indeed.

It's summer so things are slow in the snowboard photo world but the video teaser world is really heating up........

Here's the latest creation from the 8 Mile gang including many of the faces you've seen posted here.

I've been shooting a bunch of random stuff lately and spent last week up at the Camp of Champions in Whistler so I'll have some new work for you soon as well as stuff from upcoming shoots including: IS eyewear ad shoot with Devun Walsh (hope to shoot a video out of this as well), Mt. Hood, Tofino surf trip, Blank Cinema band shoot, and hopefully news about all my upcoming cover shots........and naked girls, always naked girls........

in the meantime, 3 minutes and 40 seconds you will never get back..............

Moose With Hat Teaser from 8MILELIFE on Vimeo.