Well… This is awkward. Totally kidding, but you know… not really. 2020 was looking to be rather promising, but thanks to COVID-19, it was completely turned upside down, and has absolutely annihilated the world we once knew it, along with the music and entertainment industry to the point where it’s repair is questionable. Now, I’m not about to flip this into a big controversial sob story; Instead, I’m wanting to take a positive approach to reflecting on the year. Let’s get into the nitty gritty of 2020, and shine some light on the positives that, now looking back, I’m extremely grateful for:
In 2020, I photographed a total of 7 shows, 10 press photo shoots, and a whopping 0 festivals; a steep fall from last year’s numbers, for obvious reasons. But luckily, I was happy to have photographed a portion of those few events for my ride or die outlets: Concertworks and the Starlite Room, Station on Jasper, Exclaim! & Pure Grain Audio. Along with providing photographic services to a handful of local artists.
I also had the great pleasure of being a guest on my friend Daymien Bourrie’s podcast, No Bad Ideas. We talked about all kinds of stuff involving my career, the highlights, and what I was most looking forward to in the year. Looking back on it now, it’s a little strange hearing myself express my hopes for 2020. If only I had the gift of foresight (lol). You can check out my episode on Daymien’s podcast right HERE and don’t forget to smash that subscribe button. I also began dabbling in the world of video. I’m no pro, but it’s hella fun. I’ve filmed 3 videos so far, one for my dear darling Gord, another for his band Tessitura, and one for the drummer, and my great friend Jesse of Juliet Ruin. Gord and I have actually been tag-teaming these videos, and I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it so far. If you want to check them out for yourself, you can peep Gord’s video HERE, Tessitura’s video HERE and Juliet Ruin’s video HERE.
Keeping up with my tradition of having bands jump for me during press photoshoots, I wasn’t about to let 2020 ruin that. Not for a second. So once again, I am bringing you yet another very special gallery of jumping bands. It’s a fun concept and it’s even more fun to be a part of! Check it below:
I wasn’t able to take part in a whole bunch of shows this year (obvi) but the ones I was able to be a part of were total bangers. I like to keep all of my sticky pass photo-credentials, and usually, I have a nice collection of them hanging on my wall by this time of year. But, as I’m sure you can assume thanks to the cover photo of this blog, I only scored one in 2020. Luckily, it was my 2020 kick off gig, courtesy of Alexisonfire. That show kicked some serious ass, and I’m glad I was able to catch it. I also did a handful of interesting press photoshoots this year, and I specifically want to note photographing Arcane Tyrant on the snowiest day of the year. In Edmonton, I think we got like, two feet of snow that day? I don’t know for sure, but it was a lot. Despite the shit weather conditions, they totally rocked their shoot like pros.
Sifting through my photos from this year and compiling a "favorites” gallery was bringing up all kinds of weird feelings. I’m sitting here remembering what it’s like to feel that rush before a band hits the stage, and wondering if the possibility of being in a packed venue will ever be a thing again. It’s hard to not get cynical and sad when thinking about that sort of thing. 2020 may have been a total asshole of a year, but it’s taught me that resilience is key when it comes to survival, and how important it is to stay positive and surround yourself with the things that make you happy. Despite my longing for the photo pit, I was fortunate enough to find solace in other things this year. My garden was off the chain and more lush than it’s ever been before, I rekindled my love for reading, and put more time into giving a damn about myself.
But, I digress. Summarizing the year as a whole is difficult to say the least, but thankfully, the first quarter was lit. To everyone who has supported me throughout 2020; Whether it was sharing my posts, referring me to your friends or hiring me for whatever your photo needs may have been, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU! Thank you for letting me be a small part of your lives as musicians, music fans and lovers of photography. You know the drill, I’m bringing another year end blog to a close, the best way I know. I've sorted through the hundreds of photos that I've snapped over the course of the year and have compiled some of my personal favorites into a little gallery (in no particular order) for you to feast your eyes upon. I want to wish everyone (especially you ride or die kats who stuck through this blog and made it this far) all the love, happiness and well wishes of health and success in 2021, let's make it better than this nightmare that is 2020! From my heart to yours, HAPPY NEW YEAR! <3
