A spooky and fun Halloween night
Halloween had a little shadow over it this year for us but the kids excitement and enthusiasm was quickly kindled and we had a great night. Our community is fantastic for trick or treating and the neighbours helped to make it a lot of fun.
Kezia was dressed as Rey from the latest Star Wars movie – she had her Jedi skills on display all night long.
Kian made his 80’s cartoon style Skeletor costume at home and enjoyed playing the character and doing the high pitched voice.
I enjoyed touring around with the kids and they were very accommodating while I snapped away – and were very generous sharing their candy with me.
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First day back to school
It was a busy morning getting ready for the first day of school in time for the bus this morning. Bobbi did a great job having everything planned out for the kids so it wasn’t chaos. Kezia is super excited to get back to class to see her friends and get Grade 3 started.
Kian and Bobbi are embarking on a home schooling adventure this year which will be amazing for both of them.
Kian is very excited about the opportunity to dive deep into subjects and be more in control of where his efforts are placed.
Both the kids are excited about each other’s path this year.
It was fun to photograph them together, and get one with Kezia and I (thank you Bobbi), before she got on the bus to get her year started.
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Finding Berlin
I crossed the pond last night to come to Berlin for a whirlwind visit with my cousin. I did find Berlin, and him so the trip’s off to a great start. We’re off to Belgium for the weekend and then I will be looking forward to finding much more of Berlin.
This was a quick shot of transportation by transportation while waiting for the metro on the U7 at the Jakob-Kaiser-Platz station.
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Calgary Stampede – running and riding at the rodeo
I started this year’s Calgary Stampede with an afternoon at the rodeo with two good friends. We were part of a larger band of harmless troublemakers so the party started before and continued after the rodeo was over. Photography wasn’t my focus on this visit to the grounds but I did have some good opportunities from the seats in the infield right above the chutes.
It was great to see the cowgirls, cowboys and all of the animals in action. Judging by the capacity crowd and all of their happy faces, I wasn’t alone. Happy Stampede!
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Happy Canada Day!
To my fellow Canadians, and anyone else with a soft spot for the country, Happy Canada Day! 149 years old today!
This was the annual bike parade in Redwood Meadows led by our local Fire Department. And followed closely by my daughter, Kezia, in the middle looking back.
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Shapes and shadows in Yellowstone
The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States. The rings of color which the rock, microbes and water create are amazing and I had hoped to be able to photograph them when I visited in late May. The weather had other plans and the cold, wet air created a heavy mist over the scalding hot water. The wind blew in on gusts from the south creating waves of cloud.
Occasionally, the elements would conspire and rifts would open in the sheets of white lifting off of the spring’s surface. I walked around the boardwalk twice, enthralled by the isolation created amid the fluid transitions blowing by.
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Kezia and Finnegan
On the weekend, my children and I visited the Calgary Zoo for the better part of a day. We used to go frequently when they were younger but it had been a couple of years since we went together. We had a really great time there with a number of fun moments watching the animals and having fun with each other. When we visited the river otters, Kezia had this wonderful interaction with Finnegan, the son of the other two otters. The otters are so curious, which matches Kezia perfectly, so when he saw her at the glass he swam by performing spins and rolls. When she put her finger against the window, he followed it around to her great delight. Two beautiful creatures sharing a little time together.
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Working with clay in Ni Xi
A good friend and great photographer, Jorge Sarmento, and I rented a van and driver yesterday and drove out into the countryside. We didn’t have any set agenda so we were just exploring the mountains and valleys as we went. Our driver was a Tibetan and was from a small village called Ni Xi about 40 kilometres from Shangri-La. We found that out when we asked about visiting that town which is renowned for its black pottery which results from baking it in the kiln without any coatings or glazes. He drove us to his friend’s home who is an apprentice potter. When we arrived, we asked if he would mind if we photographed him at work and he had no problem with that. As we watched he created a tea-cup on this small wheel. It was great to watch him work with his hands and tools to shape the final piece. Along the way I learned that he was five years into his apprenticeship but I was not able to ask how long he would study under his teacher. I absolutely loved watching the craftsmanship and ease with which he worked. There was mastery in his work. The two men were smoking while the cup was being made which gave Jorge the idea to increase the volume of smoke. We had a puff of smoke blown in through the open window, with both men’s approval, which rolled and wrapped around as seen in this image. It was a great idea and elevated an already compelling scene considerably. Thank you Jorge!
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Saddle Bronc Finals at the Tsuu T’ina Rodeo
The Saddle Bronc was a great event to watch at this year’s Tsuu T’ina Rodeo. The goal is to hang on for 8 seconds during a torturous ride that often finds the horse whipping the cowboy around like a rag doll tied to a rocket. Here are a few images from the finals on July 26th.
(click any image to open a larger version of that image)
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Steer wrestling at the Tsuu T’ina rodeo
All rodeo cowboys are tough. I particularly admire the steer wrestlers as that is an event that I have a hard time even dreaming of trying out. Leaping off a perfectly good horse onto the back of a small cow with large horns seems a bit too close to the insane end of the scale for me.
I absolutely love watching and photographing this event despite having no interest in doing it myself. The short go of the steer wrestling event at the Tsuu T’ina All Indian Rodeo on July 26th put the top 10 qualifiers in the finals and a shot at the money. Keenan Crane (the image directly above) had a great run and took home the cheque and the hardware – well deserved!
This series of Leon Montour pulling in a steer illustrates a bit of the power, balance and danger of this event.
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Merry Christmas!
We are enjoying good family time over the holiday break and hope you are doing the same with those you love. The kids had a chance to meet up with Santa Claus a couple of days before Christmas. They took the opportunity to review their lists with St. Nick and had fun running around the sleigh with the neighbourhood kids while they were waiting.
Kezia’s tricky ways caught the eye of one of the elves and they had a good game of tag while the procession was stopped in front of our house in Redwood Meadows.
Thank you for following my photography through the year. I appreciate your visits and your comments. I wish you a happy holiday and look forward to sharing more images this year – what’s left of it!
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A stroll through San José del Cabo
I enjoyed a beautiful walk around the art district of San José del Cabo one evening while vacationing in Los Cabos, Mexico. The galleries housed in character buildings stretching across a number of blocks were filled with wonderful Mexican art and we spent hours taking in what we could.
The Mission of San José del Cabo Anuití is a cornerstone of that area of town and I had to take a few pictures of this historic church.
When night arrived, we returned to the main square the church overlooks to see the lights in the pavilion, the big Christmas tree and the life-size Nativity scene. A dog charged out from the shadows as we passed by one gated establishment which served as a good surprise. Once at the square, artists had their paintings and sculptures on display which was a nice balance to the curated work in the galleries.
A great day ended with a beautiful evening in an old part of San José del Cabo that was new to us.
Christopher Martin Photography 