Another year of shooting shows and taking in new musical experiences is in the bag! It’s hard to believe that I’m once again writing a year end blog, it seems as though 2019 has unapologetically flown by, and so much has happened, that I struggle to collect my thoughts on the high and low points of my year. I’ve really dropped the ball on keeping up with this portion of my website, and have been inconsistent with sharing galleries and blog posts with you all, and for that, I must apologize. But you know how it is, life gets busy, and shit happens. But I couldn’t deprive you of a yearly recap! So once again, I’m sitting here reminiscing on the year with a glass of wine in hand, a few stories to tell, and a bunch of favourite photos to share with you.
In 2019, I photographed a total of 74 shows, 20 press photo shoots and 7 festivals in Edmonton and across Western Canada; It was a busy year to say the least! A handful of my photos made it to print in numerous editions of Exclaim!, and I was pleased to have been a small part of some of the heaviest underground shows in town thanks to Concertworks and the Starlite Room. I also started working as a house photographer at Station on Jasper, and have been a contributing photographer to Pure Grain Audio since August.
As some of you long-time followers will know, during my press shoots, I always encourage the bands to jump for me with the purpose of creating a calendar. Though I have not made a calendar of these folks for a second year now, I have bigger plans for these images, and I’m hoping to announce my plans once I set the wheels in motion. Despite the lack of calendar provided, I still want you to appreciate them as much as I do, so I've included a special little gallery of these kat's jumping for joy, just for you! Check it below, and make sure you check out their music as well.
The shows that I had the pleasure of taking in over the course of 2019 are too many to name, however, there are quite a few that really stand out in my mind when asked which were my favorites. I was lucky to check a few artists off of my must-photograph list such as Snoop Dogg and the Backstreet Boys, as well as revisiting a few others that always catch my fancy like Ghost and July Talk. Festival season had it’s fair share of favorites as well, like Hozier and Brandi Carlile at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and saying a last farewell to heavy metal royals in Slayer, as they coined the debut year of inner-city metal festival Chaos AB as their final performance in Alberta. Putting the cherry on top of my summer, I made my way to British Columbia to take in Armstrong Metalfest, and Drumheller, Alberta for Loud As Hell. These are two festivals that I’ve been spending my summers at for quite some time now, and each year, they only get better and better. Closing out the year with a bang, I had the great honor of once again being invited with photograph the half-time show for the 107th Grey Cup in Calgary, Alberta featuring the likes of country music superstar, Keith Urban. Please do keep in mind, that these are just a few of my favorite events over 2019. Had I dipped into my memories of the events featuring the local talent I was lucky enough to witness, we’d be here for a hella long time.
Summarizing the end of the year is always a challenge, I don’t think it ever wont be, to be completely honest. But one thing is for sure, if I’ve learned anything over the course of 2019, it’s to be thankful for your opportunities and the people who stand by you when the going gets tough; Appreciate the good times and keep your head up during the hard ones! Not every year is going to be a success, but let’s just put a Bob Ross inspired spin on those years and coin them as ‘happy little building blocks’. Hah, I’ll take that! Shit happens, but life goes on, and it wouldn’t be worth it if I wasn’t doing something I love. But let’s bring this reminiscent and semi-cynical blog to a close, shall we? To everyone who has supported me throughout 2019; Whether it was sharing my posts, referring me to your friends or hiring me for your biggest event of the year, 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. So, as I bring another long-ass, year end blog to a close, I've sorted through thousands upon thousands of photos that I've snapped over the year and have compiled some of my personal favorites into a little gallery (in no particular order) for you to feast your look-balls upon. I want to wish everyone (especially you kats who stuck through this blog and made it this far) all the love and utmost success in 2020, let's kick it's ass together! From my heart to yours, HAPPY NEW YEAR! <3
