Waaay North of 60... Mike Goes on an Arctic Adventure.

It's a rare opportunity to travel to one of the most remote locations in Canada, or on Earth for that matter!

This past October I was invited to journey to Nunavut to photograph for a very good client that owns and operates many industrial and commercial facilities in this harsh realm.

Arctic Fox - Resolute, Nunavut

Our ultimate destination was the hamlet of Resolute which is located on Corwallis Island and has a population of around 200 or so permanent residents.  Resolute is also called Qausuittuq, which is spelled ᖃᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᖅ in the amazing language of Inuktitut spoken by the local Inuit population, but you can wikipedia all this as well as I can.

That's me in this photo... really. - Resolute, Nunavut

The one question everyone has asked upon my return was "Did you see a Polar Bear?!?"  Yes, I did... but just one. We were taken to where we might get a glimpse of these impressive creatures and sure enough our guide spotting one, he was waaaay out on the ice trying to sleep! I used the longest focal length I had with me plus had to zoom into the image about 4000% percent just to see him... kudos to Canon that I was able to get even a glimpse of the undeniably cute, yet potentially viscous and horrifically deadly fellow.  The surprising thing is that we didn't see more.  In fact, at one point the local school closed for the day because there were at least four of them walking through town... like it was no big deal. 

Polar Bear... just chillin' - Resolute, Nunavut

On our way to Resolute we first stopped in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut which is, I must admit, a much nicer town than I expected.  The population is around 7,000 and is quite the bustling hub of activity, considering that it is on the southern tip of Baffin Island and is only accessible by plane.  (Yes, technically you can get there by boat, dog sled or snowmobile if the ocean is frozen enough, but that would just be silly)

Howling Guard Dog - Iqaluit, Nunavut

I was able to work with and meet many of the fine folks who work and live in Iqaluit.  Many of the residents there are of Inuit decent and speak the fascinating language Inuktitut.  It was really cool to be in Canada and see as many as three languages on signs; English, Inuktitut and French.

Always Fresh - Iqaluit, Nunavut

I really felt at home in Nunavut.  There is a slower pace of life there, sometimes this is because you have no choice but to adapt to the extreme weather but also because the people are very laid back and seem to genuinely be interested in taking time to get to know you.  I'll back someday to spend more time discovering the beauty of this amazing place.

Dear Abercrombie & Fitch...

It isn't often that I am controversial or express my political views in any public way.  It's not that I don't have opinions, I have plenty, it's just that I am normally somewhat reserved when it comes to making them known to the world at large.  Lately, however, I have been feeling very frustrated about certain decisions made by the garment industry.

The recent disaster in Bangladesh, which has killed over 1,000 workers, really got to me because it was preventable.  The garment industry and retail kingpins in North America turned a blind eye to what they KNEW was a huge safety issue... but they chose profit over the relatively small expense of ensuring these innocent workers were protected even to a laughably minimum level compared to North American standards.  These decision makers could have easily approved measures to ensure the basic safety of these poor workers, and still driven their Bentley's home...

Enter the revelation of comments by Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries that were recently brought to light on new sites and social media.  The comments affirm a policy that women who wear sizes XL shirts or are larger than a paltry size 10 are not welcome to shop in their establishment.  (I've included a link below to a Forbes article if you are not familiar with these comments)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviatemin/2013/05/13/abercrombie-and-fitch-v-dove-or-how-a-ceo-can-wreck-a-brand-in-1-interview-7-years-ago/

To add fuel to this fire it had earlier been reported that Abercrombie & Fitch has a policy to destroy any unsold clothing in their inventory rather than donate it to people in need because it would be bad for their brand. (It turns out they are not alone in this policy by the way.)

So what can a small time photographer in Calgary, Alberta do about all this...

I was struck with the idea to drive to my local Abercrombie and buy some t-shirts and give them away to the demographic they fear so much.  After venturing into their store (for the first and last time) I purchased a few shirts and struck out for downtown Calgary.  It was a beautiful sunny day and it took me less than five minutes to meet Randy.  Randy was minding his own business and so I introduced myself and told him what I was up to.  I asked Randy if he would be willing to pose for me and that he could keep the shirt afterward, he happily agreed.  I had brought some pieces of cardboard and a felt pen with me and quickly wrote "Too Poor for this Shirt" on it.  We found some open shade and I took one picture... then I heard a voice asking what we were doing.  It was the local business owner and he ordered us to move away from his establishment!  I must admit I felt very excited as I'd never been kicked of a location before for my photography.  I felt like I had made some right of passage, I felt like a real photographer.  It was wonderful.  Thank you Randy!

Randy

After my encounter with Randy I walked down to the pathway next to the beautiful Bow river.  There I met Ron.  I approached Ron because he wasn't wearing a shirt, so I thought he'd probably appreciate one.  Ron, as it turns out, had just come to town to help his daughter who was at the homeless shelter.  Even in poverty there is generosity... I felt humbled by this.  Here, I was assuming that Ron was down and out but he was trying to help others too.  When I explained my project Ron quickly agreed and gave me a great pose. Thank you Ron.

Ron

I met Brandis next.  I had written "Too Fat for this Shirt" on another piece of cardboard and honestly I was afraid to show it to her.  I didn't want to hurt her feelings.  Who was I to ask someone something so personal and so sensitive?  Brandis, however, was amazing.  When she saw the sign she exclaimed "F#@k them, I've got big titties and I'm not afraid to show them off!"  She eagerly grabbed the sign and put on the shirt after (somewhat discretely) removing the top she was wearing... while I found other places to look!  Thank you Brandis.  You are beautiful, don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Brandis

Thanks for reading my little rant.  Feel free to share these images as much as you can.  Companies like Abercrombie & Fitch need to know that we don't accept their out-dated prejudices and discriminatory attitudes.

Mike Heywood - May 9th, 2013

1826 & Lighting Design Innovations

UPDATE!!! - Centre Street Bridge lighting design receives City of Calgary Lion award!

Congratulations to Paul and Kim Mercier and their recent (and well deserved) achievement.  Here is an excerpt from their own press release.


"Lighting Design Innovations is pleased to announce that the lighting design for the Centre Street Bridge was recognized with a New Construction Lion Award in the City of Calgary's Heritage Authority 2012 Lion Awards Program.  The owner of the bridge - The City of Calgary - accepted the award on Wednesday, August 1, at a ceremony and reception at the new Calgary Board of Education Headquarters Building in the Centre City.
The Calgary Heritage Authority Lion Awards recognize citizens and groups who have undertaken initiatives, of any scale, in support of heritage preservation in Calgary.  The awards are presented every two years and recipients are selected by a jury of distinguished community members and board members of the Calgary Heritage Authority."

Centre Street Bridge, Calgary Alberta

Mike's career as an architectural photographer has been highlighted along the way by working with
Paul & Kim Mercier of Lighting Design Innovations.  Their creative use of light and attention to detail is simply unparalleled.  This reputation helped Paul and Kim become selected to re-light the iconic Centre Street Bridge in Calgary.  Recently Calgary had another bridge make headlines (insert controversy here) so to say the treatment of one of the city's most famous landmarks was delicate to say the least.

It was a welcome privilege to photograph the bridge and show off the beautiful final results.  The bridge is gently bathed with soft LED lights allowing the shape of it's original architecture to steal the show instead of an "in-your-face" "look at me" approach seen elsewhere.  

The lion sculptures are said to be reminiscent of a Chinese legend in which they come alive at night to guard the city.  Paul and Kim helped convey this legend by surrounding the lions with tightly focused spot lights revealing the amazing detail not seen before with conventional lighting.

Enjoy!

1826 & ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen

Studio 1826 once again had the opportunity to work with ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen for their 2012 Holiday Cookbook and trust us when we say... It'll be worth the wait!

Working with the ever talented food stylist Sue Spicer we shot a wide variety of food and (of course) we got a chance to 'sample' everything that came in front of the lens. Needless to say everything was delicious! We shot on location at the great Blue Flame Kitchen facility and this time we also had the privilege of hosting everyone in our studio.

Keep an eye out for the cookbook coming this fall.  If you want to have a look at what we've done in the past, swing by the ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen in downtown Calgary and take a peek at their amazing collection of cookbooks or have a look at our portfolio online.

First day: Getting set up.

The best quiche on the planet.

Day three: Our turn to be the hosts.

CAPIC Speed Portfolio

Last night the CAPIC Praire Chapter hosted a great get together of photographers, creative directors, art directors and the like in a new take on speed dating which they called: Speed Portfolio.

Each photographer received 6(ish) minutes with a creative mind to showcase and pitch their work then rotated to the next. Eleven creatives in total from agencies such as WAX, MacLaren McCann, Trigger, Foundry, Venture and more.

Very intense.

It was an absolute blast and we met tons of great people. Looking forward to collaborating with a lot of them in the future.

Have look and see if you recognize anyone.

Quietus

qui·e·tus  /ˈkwīətəs/

Noun:

Death or something that causes death, regarded as a release from life. archaic something that has a calming or soothing effect.

That's about all you're going to find out about Olaf's next short film. Currently in pre-production for the end of August. Stay tuned for more details.


In the meantime, have a look at these great concept boards from artist  Ben Rankel

The Slate

Here's the first video from the Mosaic Mirage project with Brookfield Homes.

Just like we promised.

Amazing music provide by our good friend Marius Masalar