Wrapping up April, still awaiting spring.

Here we are, almost May! I thought the sunshine would never come; and the snow out here has ceased to let up.
But Ma Nature can't keep a good thing down.

Today is Good Friday, and Earth Day. The sun is shining ever so brightly, and will certainly be welcome for my drive to Calgary this afternoon. I'm heading to the little city they call Cowtown to pick up a shiny new Canon 7D. I can barely contain my excitement. It'll be a satisfying feeling to push my Canon 30D to the side as a back-up body, and begin breaking in my new workhorse.
It was a hard decision between the 7D and the 5D MK II, but I feel like the options on the 7 far outweigh the 5, and I cannot wait to put that to the test.

In photo news, Thursday I booked a fun couple for their wedding August 27th, 2011. Kevin and Amanda are going to be great subjects, I just wish their wedding day was sooner!
I've also got a couple fashion shoots in the next few weeks, with Steph and then with Ashley. If it would warm up outside, I'd be a very happy guy.

Let's hope I come back from Calgary with a new camera, and not a camera, a MacBook and an iPad.

Keep smiling, enjoy the sun folks!

An image from a little hike last week. Banff National Park.

Just a walk in the park.

So another week has gone by, bringing us that much closer to spring.  Out here in Banff, it is sometimes hard to keep that in mind.  Just this week we received over 20cm of snow in a 24hour timespan. Yikes.  Luckily, it seems to be melting faster than it's falling.
Being the proud owner of a very handsome chocolate lab, (Hunter), Mylene and I find ourselves outdoors a lot, being thankful for this beautiful place we call home. Regardless of the season, the temperature or the amount of precipitation, it's absolutely stunning here, everytime you walk outside.
Here are a few images from this week's dog walking. Enjoy.
GS

(There's my boy Hunter.)

(This is one of our favourite spots for Hunter to do his own networking.)

(At the end of a popular trailhead around 'Johnson Lake', Banff National Park)

An afternoon in the snow

The date, Saturday April 2nd, 2011. Unlike my friends and family to the East, our forecast calls for -4c, and 25cm of snow.  Thankfully, the weatherman was WAY off: -2c and just 20cm of the white stuff.
Candice Payne of "Tying Knots" hair co. and I decided to go ahead with our planned photo shoot in the shadow of the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Canmore, Alberta.
It went along as planned, and without a hitch. Four models of different age and different background showed up, and everyone seemed to have fun, despite the chilly weather. (The girls from the West are pretty tough.)
Mother Nature, despite her being somewhat of a nuisance, was kind enough to grant us even lighting and a little relent in the snowfall.
The wind was at a minimum amongst the trees, so that's where we shot most of the afternoon.

After all, the show must go on.

GS
www.geoffsimpson.ca

New beginnings

Following the great opportunity I had on March 18th (see previous blogpost), on March 19th I was able to meet an incredibly talented and successful Toronto photographer, Steve Carty (www.stevecarty.com)  He was introduced to me by a mutual friend, (marketing magician Michael Poole) and we seemed to hit it off well in our first meeting.  He invited me to come to his shoot on Sunday March 20th, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Mr. Carty has been shooting full time for almost 2 decades. His past client list is humbling and impressive, including celebrities like: Tony Bennett, Pete Rock, DMX, Thom York of Radiohead, the great Phil Collins and on and on goes the list.

His skills are matched only by his kind personality and artist's demeanour.  I'm sure anyone who's had the pleasure of meeting 'Carty', or worked with him, would wholeheartedly agree.

His career is something that I can only dream of aspiring to, and he has already been kind enough to point me in the right direction.

So the shoot was for a very big Canadian company, whose name I shall withold, with a great Canadian pop star, Chantal Kreviazuk.  I can't really release many images right away, because the ad campaign won't run for awhile yet, but I'll set free a friendly shot of Chantal and Steve.

(Two great Canadians; Chantal Kreviazuk and Steve Carty, outside the historic Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, AB)

Taking part in this shoot was really great. Chantal had a group of stylists and hair and make-up people taking care of things, and she was a delight to meet.  It was immediately obvious that she knows her way around in front of a camera, and she even belted out a couple impromptu solo songs whilst standing in the snow.

Carty showed what a pro he is, and snapped shot after shot with great lighting and composition. I look forward to seeing the advertisements.

GS

A very special contract

On Friday March 18th, I was bestowed the honour of photographing the VIP's at the Immigrants of Distinction Awards in Calgary, on behalf of TD Bank.
The evening was a wonderful masquerade event with different performances including a traditional Chinese dragon dance, a beautiful version of Oh Canada and multiple dance groups from across the world.

(Mayor Nenshi addressing the large audience in attendance and via television)

(Mayor Nenshi addressing the large audience in attendance and via television)

Calgary's new mayor, and Canada's first ever Muslim Mayor, the Honourable Naheed Nenshi graced the event with an inspirational and heartfelt speech. I'm not really big on politicians, but Mayor Nenshi has charisma, a sense of humour, and excellent public speaking skills. I almost forgot to compose any images, I was so moved by his speech.
The Award Ceremony part of the night was also broadcasted nationwide on television.
 

My brother, my friend

Here are a couple portraits I shot of my brother, William David Simpson, in Aurora, Ontario a couple years ago. Not sure he ever got to see them... oops...
Oh sure, we had our differences over the years. But he's become a younger, taller, brother that I'm very proud of.

Immigrants of Distinction Awards

This Friday, March 18th, I'll be headed to the 'big' city called Calgary.  The Westin hotel downtown is hosting an awards ceremony called the Immigrants of Distinction Awards. Not too sure what it's all about, but one of the sponsors, TD banking group has hired me to shoot photographs. Should be a great night, even the new mayor of Calgary will be present. I look forward to this weekend, because following this early evening event, I'll be rushing over to the Ramada hotel for the 2011 Wedding Photographers Summit, where world renowned photographer Mike Colon will be speaking.  Going to be a busy one!
Geoff