A tribute to my father, Eric A. Svendsen.

Eric A. Svendsen in front of a cold war era plane, a submarine hunter - the Neptune.

My dad, Eric A. Svendsen, was born in 1932 on a farm in Stettler, Alberta.  His five brothers and two sisters grew up working the land and appreciating what you can achieve through determination.  He, like my uncles, joined up with the Canadian forces.  Too young for the second world war and too old for Vietnam, most of them did not see much in the way of combat, although one of my uncles served with the United Nations in Cyprus.  Papa, as we called him growing up, and Pop later on, served his country for a total of 23 years in both the airforce and the army.

He became a navigator of larger aircraft.  Stationed out of Gander, Newfoundland, he flew in Neptune anti-submarine planes looking for foreign U-boats off our eastern coast.  He met my mom there and eventually married her.  They eventually moved to Ontario where they had three children; I am the oldest and have both a brother and sister.  In 1977 at the age of 45, he retired from the armed forces and moved us all out to Alberta.  It wasn't long before the economy turned upside down and he lost everything he had worked for.  The family was struggling as well with serious issues, and he soon found himself out of work.

His commitment to family and the belief that hard work and determination will pay off brought him through some very tough years.  I have always appreciated how he persevered when many others would have faltered.  It is difficult to imagine how he must have felt; his generation was never given to sharing thoughts and feelings.  I believe he did the best he could with what he was dealt.  What more can be asked of someone?

My dad's number one physical attribute is his height.  At six feet six inches tall, he towers above most in any room he enters.  He always enjoyed watching me attempting to procure something from an upper shelf, stretching to my limit even when standing on a chair.  He would stroll over, taking only a few strides to cover whatever the distance was and reach well beyond my augmented grasp with ease.  The funny part about this is that he continues to do it today.  He just loves being tall, although the scars on top of his head could make you believe it is not always such a great asset.

My mom developed pancreatic cancer and passed at the age of 65.  He looked after her to the end; she died at home.  Pop was not sure if remarriage was for him, but a loving lady, ten years his senior, changed his mind.  They had three great years, but then she developed Alzheimer's.  Three years later Mary also passed, and at home where he cared for her.  Then came the whirlwind called Roberta.

If ever there was a woman to be his equal in spirit and determination, it was her.  My dad phoned me to tell me the news about their upcoming nuptials.  She took the phone and told me, and I quote, "Your father is an honourable man."  Truer words were never spoken.  They married and traveled the continent.  My dad's passion was driving.  He could drive for 48 hours straight, although Roberta wasn't fond of the notion.  Whether it was a Sidekick, Towncar, or their class A diesel pusher, he was often found behind the wheel.  I enjoyed traveling with him when I was young as it gave me a chance to spend some one-on-one time with him.  

After ten years of a wonderful partnership, Roberta also developed pancreatic cancer.  Again, as before, he looked after her until her time was up.  She did spend a few days in hospice, at her request.  Looking after the dying was getting harder for him.  Being an octogenarian was challenging enough, let alone one with a pacemaker and congestive heart failure.  

Today he is with Janet.  Theirs is a unique friendship.  They enjoy each others company and look after each other.  My dad has always enjoyed the company of a lady, and Janet is certainly that.  He fell and broke his hip two days ago.  She was there to get him help and has stayed by his side through it all.  Yesterday he had surgery and today he is up doing physio.  He will meet this new obstacle as he has met all the others.  One day he too will pass.  But it is not today.  No, he still has a fight in him and there is little that will prevent him from pressing on.  'Way to go, dad!  'Way to go.

A Go Kart Birthday Party.

Celebrating Hudson Silk's Birthday.

It was a day to remember.  Not the actual day Hudson was born on, mind you.  That wouldn't have worked out because his birthday wish was to experience the thrills of Go Karting, and it was not open during the winter months.  So, he had to do something all teenage boys hate - wait.  Yet he did it with composure and stamina; the day would eventually come.

It was on Easter weekend that his wish would come true.  His family and a close friend traveled to the nearest race track and braced themselves for what was to be Go Kart Glory.  His adopted uncle came along to photograph the event.  Each heat was to last seven minutes; an eternity when adrenalin is attempting to remove your heart from your chest.  There were to be three heats all together.  The whole event, from start to finish, took about an hour.  It was glorious.

Now, I could be making up how much Hudson really enjoyed the friendly competition.  I shot about 670 at the venue; many of them featuring the birthday boy.  His smile stretched from ear to ear in many of them.  He didn't just like it, he loved it.  It takes only a brief examination of the top photograph to see that.  He reveled in the challenge.  Each curve fraught with excitement, the strait-a-ways exhilarating with acceleration, and the chance to pass dad was priceless.  Everyone was on equal terms here.

When it was finished the party-goers received a printout of their times.  Average track times were near a minute for each complete circuit.  Hudson's were near the top.  But achieving top rank was not the goal, and Hudson came out a winner.  His birthday wish fulfilled and everyone excited about their experience, we headed out for ice cream.  A suitable reward for champions.  Happy Birthday Hudson!

Children have to move. Hudson Silk.

Hudson Silk doing Parkour

Movement.  It's that simple.  The colloquialism, "Move it or lose it" is well founded.  It doesn't matter what your age is, it doesn't matter if you are too busy, and it certainly doesn't matter if you don't feel like it.   How many other excuses are there?  Thousands.

A great example of this is captured in the above image.  It can be hard to encourage young people to be active.  There are so many other things to do, and the commanding presence of electronics in their lives is constantly drawing them away from more important activities.  This is hardly unique to young people though.  How many of us are prevented from being active because of the lure of brightly coloured screens compounded by the deterrence of laziness?  The trick is to find a passion.

I want to encourage parents who have "tried everything" to get their children to be active but feel as though they have failed.  Keep at it.  Even the process of looking for something encourages them to move.  With each contraction, the muscles and bones grow stronger and the brain improves the body's coordination.  Even if they stop after six months, they just had six months of movement which would have not otherwise happened.

Hudson, the boy above, has parents who also have tried numerous things to get him interested in something; anything.  Then came along parkour.  This involves a gymnastics facility and the goal is to get around things blocking your way.  What's cool about it is that there are lots of ways to do this, and each technique exercises different muscles and all of it develops coordination and gross motor skills.

There is a solution out there, not only for the children but also for you.  Keep moving, you will only be all the better for it.

It's all about relationships.

Photograph relationships, not just people.

As a photography instructor, I help others improve their photos through a variety of technical and practical suggestions.  One of the non-technical methods is simple; photograph relationships, not people.

People could be a group of individuals with nothing more in common than belonging to the Homo sapiens club.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is our common history, genetics, and interests which facilitates relationships.  People bond, they develop friendships, and they become part of each other's lives.  When possible, I like to shoot that relationship.

The above photo was taken at a wedding I shot yesterday.  I do not know much about the people in the shot, but you don't have to.  The way they are interacting tells you a lot.  They have a common history, they enjoy the company of the other, and they are at ease together.  Whatever their particular relationship, it is clear that they are friends.  Maybe they are related, maybe they are neighbours, maybe they have been friends since grade school.  None of that matters, what matters is the relationship they have.

If I took the above image, cropped it so that it was just individual faces, and presented each one with a shot of themselves, we could probably predict what their reactions would be.  Few people like to see pictures of themselves.  We tend to be overly critical of the way we look.  There is always something negative to focus on.  On the other hand, give each one the shot above and you will have a different reaction.  It is not a shot of people pers say, it is a photo of a relationship.

When you are shooting an event with an aggregation of people, look for relationships.  Look for natural groupings which occur.  You can even prod some by asking them to find someone to be in a photo with them.  "Can I take a picture of you?" is much more daunting and uncomfortable than, "Can I photograph the two of you together?"  People care about relationships.  Use that to improve your photos.

Thanks for reading.

Introducing Andrew and Hannah Croswell

The Croswell wedding party.

Today Andrew Croswell and Hannah Musick were married at a small church in Maple Ridge.  I had the honour of photographing their ceremony and reception.  It was a small event; the church could barely hold more than 60 people.  The reception was pot luck, and there were no speeches.  What the wedding lacked in pizzaz though it made up for in warmth, charm, and plenty of love and affection. 

As a photographer my job is relatively simple; run around with a camera and photograph anything that looks like it is important.  Be there early, bring way too much equipment because you never know what you will need or what may go wrong, and help without getting in the way.  The church was small and dark and presented some difficult challenges.  Good equipment and some idea of how to use it goes a long way.  I really appreciated the effort that was put in by the family and friends of the couple to make the atmosphere attractive and easier to shoot in. 

It was wonderful to see Andrew and Hannah begin their new life together.  They were surrounded by the people that love them and that they love.  Celebrating the start of their new life together and making the whole thing fun and memorable was the theme of the day.  There was tremendous appreciation and great respect for every person present.  I am thankful that I had a chance to be part of that.

All the best Andrew and Hannah in your marriage.  You started it off right.

Spreading cheer, wherever he goes.

Pastor Neil Penner at a Kickoff Sunday event.

You know the type.  Hard working, eager to lend a hand, and full of enthusiasm to boot.  Rare, but not unheard of.  The kind of person to bring a smile into your day, when you thought nothing would.  Someone that would help a stranger, visit you in the hospital, or lend an ear when it was needed the most.  This only begins to describe Pastor Neil.

The thing that makes Pastor Neil stand out the most certainly isn't his height.  His stature is found in his love of God and his fellow man, and his wonderfully unique character.  Spend some time around him and you will find that his sense of humor is only outdone by his ability to listen with true empathy and care.  Devoted to ministry, he arrives early and throws himself into the career he felt he was led into.  Not just a desk jockey, Neil's many assets are spread around the church as he is involved in all aspects of building the body of Christ.

Anyone who has been around enough will recognize the challenges of balancing life.  The demands of work, family, self, friends, and the plight of others all vying for what sparse personal resources are available.  The three largest factors that one has to offer includes time, energy, and money.  All those demands fill our virtual bucket.  Once it is full there is nothing to offer others, nothing left for self.  It becomes about prioritizing; filling the bucket with the most important things first.  The "bucket list," as it were, is always changing.

This is important.  The word "No" is a tool that has to be used in order to facilitate the delicate balance of those resources.  No doesn't mean "I can't" or "I don't care," it means that my bucket is almost full and I have to save something for other areas.  Use everything up at work and there is nothing for home.  The reverse is also true.  Go beyond what you can, or should do and it is yourself that pays the toll.  Our bodies are only meant to take so much stress.  After that our systems start to fail.  Slowly at first, until we are so used up that there is nothing for anybody; the bucket may never recover.

No one likes to utter that two letter dismissive.  It brings guilt to bear and we feel that we have let others down.  It is this guilt that drives people into overdoing it, into pushing beyond what is reasonable.  Outside forces drive our actions, and sometimes there are just too many of them.

I say all this because I have great respect for Pastor Neil.  Without going into details, suffice it to say that he has faced many struggles throughout his life.  Yet, he is there for others; he is always cheerful, and always doing his best.  He looks for the balance, prays for the strength, and comes up with the resources when possible.  Thankfully, Pastor Neil has the ability to say, "No."  When you hear him utter this, remember that he has done so with his bucket in mind.  It brings an entirely new meaning to the phrase, "My cup runneth over."

My bucket is full; I would love to help but cannot at this moment.  Perhaps later.  Consider waiting or maybe ask someone else.  This does not mean I do not love you, it means I have responsibilities to others and am up to what I can manage.

Thank you Pastor Neil for all your help.  Your cup runneth over, in both ways.

Tips on shooting portraits (part 2).

Kathryn and Trijnie, 2013.

The above photo is similar to the one posted on my last blog (part 1).  I used the same lens and camera type but with no tripod.  Aperture was f/1.4 and ISO 200 but shutter speed was considerably faster at 1/100^th of a second because more light was available. 

The technique part of the process was mentioned but not addressed in my last blog.  My portraits range widely for technique as setting, equipment, subjects, and objective are equally broad.  What I want to do is to focus on commonalities between the previous (part 1) image and the current (part 2) image. 

If you notice both photos involve two people.  This is not a coincidence.  One of the most important things you can photograph are the relationships between people.  Certainly, it is always great to have that image of what someone looks like, especially related to some milestone, such as weddings, graduations, and so on.  But it is the relationships which we end up really cherishing.  The minimum number of people required for this is two, and the more the merrier.

When doing portraits of people, I focus on the nature of the relationships.  Key people, such as grandparents or parents should be central with children assembled around them.  Pay close attention to hands, as they represent attachments.  Stiff, down by your side hands suggest rigidness while folded arms may recommend finding a counselor.  Notice in the previous image the hands are embracing (me) while my wife’s are hidden which conveys nothing in particular.  I may have various degrees of hand holding or shoulder / arm touching, depending on the particulars.  In the above image the friends are sharing an affectionate embrace while expressing some degree of silliness.

Head position also is important.  A slight tilt of the head toward other members helps to suggest various degrees of affection.  Heads away from each other may imply less fondness.  Body position is also important, with slight twists of the torso aiding in the demonstrative impression.  Keep space tight for the same reason, and consider using objects such as chairs, attractive backgrounds, or something representing a favourite shared memory.

Finally take a number of shots as things like closed eyes, lacking smiles, or suddenly remembering some missing aspect will help improve the outcome.  Feel free to give lots of suggestions; encourage head tilts and hand placements with the constant encouragement of letting them know it will improve the shot.  If they insist on something particular, go for it, but then try a few of your own.  Let them be the judge of what they want to use in the end. 

I like to use my photography to, in some small way, improve the lives of others.  You can do the same; it only takes a fraction of a second.

Keep on shooting.