April 24, 2016 - A little overdue, but had a small shoot with my friend Sara a few months ago with the assistance and makeup goodness by her friend, Shaylene. Hit up Burnaby Mountain in a fairly impromptu manner before her Euro trip!
Tested out some editing techniques by modern portraiture photographer extraordinare, Dani Diamond - let me know what you think below!
April 20, 2016 - Perhaps one of the most controversial and infamous events in Vancouver is the annual 420 protest, a peaceful congregation of marijuana reformists and supporters. The event itself has moved from the Vancouver Art Gallery to Sunset beach due to its open-nature and lesser proximity to major downtown roads. Peak estimates ranged from a conservative 25,000 as quoted by the VPD to 50,000 as noted by SensibleBC spokesman, Dana Larsen.
An estimated 25,000 - 50,000 people ended up showing for Vancouver's annual 420 event.
187 booths lined the seawall providing a plethora of cannabis products including but not limited to flowers, plants, joints, edibles, dabs and other paraphernalia. Unsurprisingly, many psychedelics which are often associated with stoner culture were present including LSD, psilocybin, salvia and DMT. Free joints and dabs were also abundant, especially when 4:20PM hit. Many of the vendors were encouraged by Vancouver Coastal Health's chief medical officer, Patricia Daly to not sell edibles to minors due to the slow onset of effects and easy over-consumption, something that many of the organizers had agreed with.
Weed edibles including brownies, cookies and rice krispies were available for purchase.
Despite this, medical incidents were bound to happen - especially with the high April temperatures and lack of public water fountains. A mere 16 participants were admitted to St. Paul's Hospital, located downtown for the usual symptoms: dizziness, nausea and paranoia. A total of 25 incidents were reported by the VPD by 8PM (a major decrease from 100+ in 2015). Firefighters and police officers were on the scene as well - not making arrests due to the large scale, but rather for public safety and coordinating traffic at nearby intersections. The City of Vancouver stated that last year, taxpayer costs for these services cost an approximate $93,000.
Many police officers, among paramedics and firefighters spent the day promoting public safety.
Another major concern of the public was the abundance of youth who had skipped school to attend the event, even prompting the Vancouver School Board to make a PSA to faculty, students and parents. Concurrently, the current Minister of Health, Jane Philpott had announced in the House of Commons that legalization bills would be announced in the Spring of next year. She had stated that she is "proud to stand up for our drug policy that is informed by solid scientific evidence and uses a lens of public health to maximize education and minimize harm." Where the industry will take its course after legalization remains up in the air - will it become regulated by the state or will the private sector prevail? Regardless, tax dollars are to be made as illustrated by earlier examples in states like Colorado, which was on track to make $125 million in 2015 - which could be sent to harm reduction, education and other public services.
Rest of the footage below:
April 10, 2016 - I've again had a lovely opportunity to team up with my friend Jessica Dawn as her assistant for a "dark high-fashion inspired image" - a soft but bold product. I had set off early that Sunday morning where we ended up doing the usual prep (makeup, hair, wardrobe) and eventually shot at Mimmicadah Park Forest in Port Coquitlam, and even had the chance to shoot in the local manor due to an open house.
Sophia (our model) despite being relatively new to modeling ended up doing phenomenal after warming up a little bit and I was ecstatic to see what the final edits will come through as. Shawn's make-up resume includes an education at Blanche Macdonald, and employment for MAC, Sephora and Spa Utopia really showed with seamless blending and contouring. Lastly, the outfits that Charlene had put together were absolutely jaw-dropping. It was the perfect mix of allure, gothic and splendor. Mostly working alone in my projects with the model due to previous no-shows or lates from other "team" members, it was really nice to see stunning and professional artists from other fields absolutely slaying at what they do.
Team Info:
Photographer/Hair Stylist: Jessica Dawn
Model: Sophia (last name omitted due to age)
Make-Up Artist: Shawn Durkee
Wardrobe Stylist: Charlene Rowley (Faye Tality Couture)
Set-up:
Outdoor:
Indoor:
Equipment:
I'll be sure to post an updated link when the final edits come out! Stay tuned :).
April 17, 2016 - Another reblog for Aesthetic Magazine.
"Atlanta-based alt rock band Collective Soul, who released their ninth album, See What You Started by Continuing, on October 2nd, 2015 via Vanguard, which featured the singles “AYTA,” “Hurricane”, “Contagious” and “Without Me”, performed at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver last night. "
Setlist
