Weekend Soccer Action

Four halves of play, three shots on the post, two on the cross bar, 1 penalty and zero goals. Sounds like a couple of boring games perhaps. It was far from that. The two games I covered on Sunday were TOFC (Thompson Okanagan Football Club vs. Coastal and Vernon United U15 girls vs. Penticton. Both games saw plenty of chances and in both cases it was the home team that almost took victory. On Saturday TOFC beat Surrey 3-0 in an impressive game. A couple of shots here from the game vs. Coastal.

Check the link for more soccer photos from the weekend.

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Jenny's Grad

What fun today! Jenny and the rest of the Vernon Senior Secondary graduation class lined up outside the courthouse in Vernon for the traditional group grad photo. Fifteen minutes later, the busses were ready and whisked the students back to school. It was however; long enough to feel the sense of euphoria the kids are feeling. Perhaps I should say young adults. Congrats Jenny. In the short time we had today I hope I captured the essence of the moment.

Check out more photos from Jenny's Grad.

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KYSA Cup Kamloops

A couple of trips to Kamloops over the long weekend and four soccer games later we have a bag of new memories from this great soccer tournament. We do not have a great end result to brag about this year but a couple of tied games gave us plenty of excitement. The girls can be proud as they never gave up. Thanks to the coaches for all your hard work and for spreading such a great tournament atmosphere.

(Tech Talk Warning)

In the first shot below check out the great view I had in the last game on Sunday in Kamloops. The second shot below shows my main soccer setup. It is a Canon 1D Mark III with an EF 300 2.8L IS. Depending on the shots I am after I shoot this lens with or without the 1.4x extender. Using the extender the focal length goes to 420mm with a max aperture of f/4. The first photo above is the 1D with 300 + 1.4x extender. On day one of the tournament I chose to travel light and shot only with the EF 135 2.0L on the 1D III and the EF 16-35 2.8L on the 5D II.

Check the link to see all the shots from the 2010 KYSA Cup Tournament.

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This Week in Soccer

It has been another great week of shooting soccer. Last Wednesday I was at Marshall and dropped in on a couple of Vernon Men's City League games. I haven't shot men's soccer in a while so it was great fun being out in the evening sun getting a feel for the action. Check the link here for more shots from the two games.

The Vernon United U15 girls played a even match with Kelowna United on Sunday. With only one sub on the bench the Vernon Team had to work hard for the 0-0 draw. More photos from the game via the link.

Now only 23 days to the World Cup Start in South Africa. I am ready by the phone if either Getty Images, Reuters or AP should give me a call. I would clear my schedule. Call me: 250.503.8472 :)

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James and the Country Gentlemen Concert

I met James and the Country Gentlemen for the first time about a year and a half ago. We were doing a shoot for a poster as the gentlemen wanted to get out and play more gigs. The gentlemen, Stefan Raupach, Daniel Favell and Johan Linghor, have since done very well for themselves. Last year they the won the Valley's talent competition and it was evident to me that these young fellas had practised, practised and practised in order to put on the performance I witnessed at the Okanagan College on Saturday night. Being a guitar player myself it is humbling to see these guys whip up one great solo after another, taking turns backing each other up with a solid rhythm pattern. Another great guitar player, Neil Fraser, is the guy behind the scenes. I believe he has taught each of the gentlemen and the group. He was on the sound board Saturday tapping his feet and following every single note from the stage. After the concert the gentlemen came up to me and thanked me for showing up. They offered me a copy of their CD, which I really appreciate. This is the kind stuff which makes being a photographer all worth while. Thanks for a great experience.

Link to all the photos from James and the Country Gentlemen at Okanagan College

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Jill & Sheldon's Wedding

It is finally summer here in Vernon and it was a great day to meet up with Jill and Sheldon to discuss the final plans for their June 5th wedding, which will take place at the Sunshine Ranch in Kelowna. Jill and Sheldon really are a super nice couple and we absolutely look forward to their big day.

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James & the Country Gentlemen Live at Okanagan College

I had the pleasure a while back shooting and putting a poster together for James & the Country Gentlemen. Catch the James gang live a Okanagan College this upcoming Saturday, May 15th at 7:30 PM. Doors open at 7:00. Tickets are $10.00 at the Bean Scene, Blenz or at the door.

I will be there with the camera and look forward to hearing these guys live.

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Cosen Bay Hike, Vernon BC, Canada

It has been a long time since I last did the hike to Cosen Bay on Kalamalka Lake. So long that I forgotten how beautiful and tranquil an experience it can be. Although this trail is public and only 3.5 km each way, I still got the feeling that I was the only person there in the middle of the vast and beautiful landscape. I can easily imagine what it would have been like for the first settlers to have made this trek down to the lake. I was warned by a few other hikers to watch out for rattle snakes. They had just seen one. Luckily I was spared this experience. I also met a nice gentleman who in awe at the look of my camara gear said; "That's the kind of camera i needed last summer". A grey horned owl nested near his home on Kal Lake last summer. He had many amusing stories of the whole ordeal including the story of a robin attacking the owl at one point. He promised to give me a call if they come back this year.

Check out other photos from Cosen Bay and Vernon

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Shuswap vs. Vernon U15

It was a beautiful day in Salmon Arm today and the soccer field was in excellent condition after a bit of rain recently. In the end this did not help Vernon today as a few scoring opportunities were missed. Shuswap won the game 4-1. It was however a well fought match and the coach of Shuswap mentioned that both sides showed great examples of fair play.

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Neil Young Concert in Kelowna

NB. I originally posted this back in April of 2009. Today I revisited the photos taken at this concert and decided to post a few different shots. So here I go reminiscing about a great concert in Kelowna last year.

It was a huge treat to witness one of Canada's greatest rock legends last night. Neil Young is currently touring through Canada and lucky for us he made a stop in Kelowna. I was at the concert with a good group of friends which made it even more enjoyable. I would certainly characterize myself as a Neil Young fan but I still do not master his huge library of songs, now spanning about five decades. Going into to last nights show I was thinking that I would have a hard time stomaching some of his louder stuff by it was quite the contrary. This guy really knows how to rock and witnessing it live was amazing. Neil Young pulls out is arsenal of guitars, from old beat up Gibson Les Pauls to the gorgeous Gretsch and Old Martin acoustic he bought from Hank Williams. Nice stuff when you enjoy great guitars.

The set list had plenty of variety. Some well know classics such as Cinnamon Girl and Cowgirl in The Sand hit the spot with the audience. He did have a nice acoustic section with songs like Four Strong Winds, Unknown Legend, Heart of Gold and of course Old Man with the classic banjo solo performed by Larry Cragg.

Hats off to Neil Young for still doing this stuff at his age and holding up very well for a two hour plus concert. Five stars for this one. A huge thanks to Denise, Lorraine and Rick for helping me with my camera gear last night.

Check out all the photos from the concert via this link.

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Bestard Familiy Studio Shoot

The weather has been... well let's just say tricky lately here in Vernon. We had planned for an outdoor family shoot for the Bestard's this week but decided last minute to pull inside and do a studio shoot. We went portable so we set up backdrop and light in Neil and Jenna's kitchen/living room and then it was pretty much "lights and fast paced action" as everyone took turns in front of the camera. Lots of fun. Good to have you in Vernon for a while Gwen and nice to see you wonderful parents again. Hopefully Alyshia can join in next time.

Check out more Bestard Family Photos.

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Free Coffee Table Book with your Wedding Photos

When booking our 8 or 12 hour our Wedding Photography Services we include a coffee table book with a selection of the best photos from your wedding day. With the 8 hour coverage comes an 8 x 10 book. With the the 12 hour coverage comes a 12 x 12 book. Please see an example below of the 12 x 12 book.

Please follow the link for Prices and Options for our Wedding Coverage.

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An Evening of Song with Siobhan Raupach

I met Siobhan in February for a portrait session and have now also created the poster for an upcoming event in Vernon. Siobhan will perform at the Peace Lutheran Church on June 18th, 7:30 PM. Click for a larger view of the poster and for more information on the event.

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