Special Moment

There are nights
When the wolf howls
Are silent
When God paints
The sky
With an active brush
That touches
The soul
The quietness of
Creativity gone wild
In silence I am
Reminded
Of all that is
Of all I must be
Grateful for
By design
Life is granted
The grandeur
The vastness
Reaches into
My imagination
To become my reality
On a quiet night
Like this
The perfectness
Of a dancing sky
Leaves no doubt
That I am blessed
That I am witnessing
A special moment

~ david ford

You Know You're Into Photography When

You Know You're Into Photography When:

- Your electrical outlets are full of photo/video recharging devices.

- Your coffee table is covered in books by Avedon, Lindberg and LaChapelle.

- Your mail arrives and you are more excited to see the latest issue of Picture then to get payments.

- You spend your entire summer inside on the computer rather than outside enjoying the weather.

- You use ruined CD/DVD as coasters.

- You remember dates of famous photographers while forgetting the birthdays of family and close friends.

- Your kitchen counters have been taken over by all the latest Mac gear.

- You have to ask, do you mean Aperture the program or on your camera?

- You use medium format and pro film cameras as paper weights.

- You have actually joked about the Nikon vs Canon debate.

- You save important photos on multiple drives in locations miles apart.

- You actually discuss another photographer's question about which camera you use.

- You don't mind getting into an awkward position in public to get "that shot."

- Someone hands you a point and shoot camera to take a quick photo you instinctively lift the brim of your hat and bring it to your eye only to realize it has no viewfinder.

- You see things different when shooting in B&W then in colour.

- Models tell you you pose better than they do.

- You buy an $850 iPad to use as your mobile portfolio.

- You can't help but notice how great the lighting is during a movie.

- You constantly try to accurately guess the exposure for various scenes around you.

- You step into the hot sun and think - I'm glad I'm not shooting a wedding today.

- You see a nice photo and say, I could shoot that. (But you didn't)

- You are satisfied with the camera you have rather than the latest technology.

- Finding stored rolls of film in shopping bags and old camera bags make you smile.

- Walking into a hotel lobby and trying to guess the white balance.

- You could happily spend a day at a camera store talking shop and playing with new gadgets rather than sitting by a pool in Vegas.

- Something builds inside you when someone says "great shot, what camera did you use?"

- You feel antsy after deciding not to stop to take a photo.

- You photos inspire other photographers.

- You let someone else hold your camera and joke "you drop it you bought it."

- You get nervous when someone asks to hold your camera.

- You have to resist the urge to pull the car over for a perfect shot because you're running late to an appointment.

- You look at photos around you and try to figure out the lighting.

- Your friends all want to give you their camera at social gathers for candis and group photos.

- The camera salesman is quick to let you play with the latest and most expensive gear.

- You understand the difference between bokeh and a cultural dance.

- Working with beautiful women you only notice the lighting.

- You are not embarrassed to pull out your iPhone regardless if there are others around with pro DSLRs.

- Models tell you they were asked by other photographers to take pictures of your lighting to share later.

- Other photographers ask you about your gear so they don't fall too far behind in the cold tech war.

- The new Yellow Pages arrives and you quickly look up Photographers to see who has better placement and ads than you.

- You notice how inaccurate photographers are played in movies.

- You wonder how they created such incredible bokeh in the movie.

- Someone compliments you on a tear sheet and you don't even care to check it out.

- Every magazine in your house features your work.

- Everything you look at is compared to your 18% grey card.

- You buy Gears of War 3 just to see HDR in action.

- You don't question a person spending more on their camera gear than on the car they drive.

- You can quickly and effectively teach someone exposure through ISO, aperture, and  shutter speed selections.

- You go for your passport photo and question the lighting.

- Your friend trips and hurts themselves and you are fast enough to grab a few shots before offering to help.

- You're looking to buy a house based on studio potential.

- Your studio office takes over your entire condo.

- 1G of memory lasts friends a year while 32G last you an afternoon - tops.

- You don't have to delete one shot from an afternoon of shooting.

- You can shoot, sort and get a clients images out in the same day.

- You have enough lighting stands you could hold up a house.

- You have a camera bag for ten different shooting assignments.

- You get a tear sheet and make it your Facebook avatar even though it's not a photo of you.

- You are late for a date and your significant other automatically knows you stopped to snag a few photos.

- Your studio is actually your own living quarters.

- You're in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal and you want to shorten your vacation to share photos on Instagram.

- You view a beautiful scene and quickly decide which gradient you would use.

- You're on a romantic outing and while looking into your significant other's eyes you are thinking ISO 100, F5.6 at a 60th.

- You won't buy less than a pack of 16 AA batteries at a time.

- You remember your camera bag but have to return for your car keys.

- A 2T hard-drive doesn't last you more than a couple months.

- You spend your nights watching the latest episodes of Creative Live rather than anything on TV.

- You won't get up early to make it to the gym but you'll get up a couple hours early to find that perfect morning photo.
- You are out and about and tourists automatically hand you their camera to take their group photo.

- You can't help but offer your services to couples taking individual photos of each other at landmarks.

- You wake up and can't wait to get out shooting.

This list is endless. Please feel free to add your own in the comments box below.

Photography Is For Everyone

Everyone has a photographer inside them. It doesn't matter if you own the latest or best gear, or any gear other than a camera phone for that matter. Photography is a form of art with no right or wrong results. Anyone and everyone has an equal opportunity to explore their individual vision. Unlike many educational programs, the only expense is the price of the equipment which is at an all time minimum. The opportunities are limitless and that is what makes owning a camera so exciting today.

Between my trip to Vancouver and Las Vegas I had the opportunity to spend a day in Banff. As I walked the streets, took the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain, it was clear we were in the age of digital imagery. I loved seeing everyone sporting photo gear - some more serious than others but all with a common goal - to capture moments in time - to tell a story.

Every year I have the opportunity to speak with photographers of all levels. What I find most fascinating is the individual journeys. Taking risks, while learning to explore the inner creative spirit is rewarding. With the busyness of life today, photography has become a creative outlet that allows the photographer to share a piece of their souls. I know for myself, writing and photography both enable me to eliminate stress. Feeling grounded allows me to grow both as a person and as an artist. 

How many professional photographers lose sight of what got them started? I'd venture a lot, myself included. Unless I could take a perfect picture, unless the lighting was exactly what I wished for, my camera would sit quietly in my camera bag. Then came along the iPhone 4G. I quickly made the switch from Blackberry to Apple. In many ways it has revitalized my photography. The best camera is always the one that is handiest and nothing is closer then my phone in my pocket. I now frequently walk with my eyes open. I see everything with an open mind. Capturing life around me is a priceless opportunity and with the quick adjustment through an iPhone app a regular image suddenly transforms into a complimentary piece of photographic art. Photography is fun again and that feeling to me is what every photographer needs on a regular basis.

Where are you in your creative journey? Are you leery to start because you don't think you are any good? Nothing could be farther from the truth. Photography as an art is not about competition. It's not about being the best. It's not about being compared to others. It's not about how you edit a photo. It's simply about seeing life as it is and grabbing moments that will last a lifetime. I encourage everyone to explore - get out and shoot. You can do it. As art, there is no such thing as bad pictures. Trust me, you'll love the creative outlet that is within your reach.

The Time Commodity

I sat in a theatre last night with my brother waiting to watch Warrior - for the second time. I don't know about you but I enjoy the previews. A specific trailer jumped out at me. "In Time" with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. The synopsis is this - in the near future, scientists have been able to switch off the gene that makes people age. However, this causes overpopulation, so everyone has to use their time as a currency - a means to pay for luxuries and necessities. The rich can live forever, while the rest try to negotiate for their immortality.

A few weeks ago I watched a Creative Live interview by Chase Jarvis with well known writer Tim Ferriss - author of the 4 Hour Work Week and the 4 Hour Hour Body. Chase asked the right questions and Tim shared many useful and motivating thoughts. In this blog I want to quickly touch on one of them - the importance of wisely utilizing our time.

Time management is as interesting as it is important, however, Tim argues that to some degree it should be eliminated. Now, does that not go against everything we've been taught? Although this sounds harsh, his reasoning makes sense. Let me share. Time management tends to focus on organizing and sequencing our day list rather than prioritizing our "to do" list. Elimination is a key element of prioritization. The quicker we eliminate the most pressing items from our "to do" list, the better and more successful we feel. We all have deadlines. We all have pressing items that we might delay for various reasons. Tim's advice is to focus the first hour of our day on identifying and reaching a milestone on one or two of our most important "to dos". By keeping our reactive work like emails, texting, Facebook, Twitter etc for later in the day after we maximize our forward momentum.

Since hearing those words I have done my best to adopt this practice. Is it easy? Not really, especially when considering the addition of exercising on a daily basis. Pre-exercise, it was easy to spend 12-16 hours a day on magazine and personal work commitments. Emails pile up quickly. People are sometimes impatient. Until recently emails were the first thing I'd see in the morning and the last thing I'd see as I went to bed. No more. I am starting to take back control of my life... that's right "my" life. Taking the first hour of my day, uninterrupted, and accomplishing significant steps towards elimination creates a pattern of success and I am seeing that. As for emails, Facebook messages... they will have to wait until I'm ready to dig in. My time is my currency and it's a nice feeling to spend it wisely. How do you spend yours? Definitely something to think about.

A Commitment to Train

 
I returned on Tuesday from an incredible weekend in Las Vegas. The Olympia was a great opportunity for me to reacquaint myself with many friends I haven't seen since the Arnold or last year's Olympia. I also had the privilege to meet many who I have come to know through the cyber world over the last few years. Putting an actual presence to a name always leaves me with uplifting engaging energies.

From 102 degrees to 42 degrees, the fresh cool air and falling leaves represent for me an opportunity to revisit a training regimen that has escaped me for far too long. The Olympia is a motivator for many including myself. So many fit athletes attend the expo and remind me why I started lifting weights back when I was sixteen. It's time. This year I am determined to reconnect with a past that saw better days. 

On my way out of Calgary this morning I decided to stop at Platoon FX to see my buddy Nick Russo. We have chatted about training a few times over the past year but I have avoided the topic because I wasn't ready to start. It's been over 15 years since I have eaten well and seriously trained with weights. Forming healthy habits in a busy environment takes mental discipline. It requires a promise to myself that once I start, I will make it through the initial 3 months - the time frame where I have failed over the last 17 years. Training takes a commitment. One day at a time. Until now I haven't been prepared to make that commitment.

As I walked in the door of Platoon FX I ran into Tanya Lee of Body Art Motion and Power Alignment. We chatted for quite a while. I have arrived at a place where I can leave my ego at the door. I no longer need to lift heavy or train hard too soon. That approach is typically counterproductive. Building up the strength of the soft tissues is vital to training longevity. Although it's easy to tire out my muscle, I have countless times aggravated tendons. How many of you have done the same thing? Not fun or productive is it? Tanya's knowledge is only outdone by her positive energy.  I'm excited to explore new beginnings with her.  

Here's something to think about. How many of us go to a personal trainer for a "training program"? A routine of specific exercises, sets and reps that we'll follow for a few weeks or months? Visiting with Nick was insightful. The moment I brought up the "routine" train of thought he quickly told me to forget about it. "I don't like to put people on training routines - every day is a new workout" Nick shared with me.  It sort of took me back but made total sense. My goal is to increase my health - lose fat, gain functional strength while changing my physique for the better. To be honest it was refreshing to free my mind of the "routine". Who really wants to do the same thing day in and day out? How functional is that really? 

What makes the next few months that much more exciting is that in addition to functional weight training and conditioning exercises between Platoon FX (Calgary), Bent Iron Gym (Red Deer), and SNAP Fitness (Edmonton) I will also be adding in Yoga with Bonnee Gregg at The Breathing Room Studio and Cafe, hot Yoga with Shauna Clarke at the Amaryllis Center as well as martial art training at Black Dragon with Grand Master Gil Lafantaisie. Will it be easy to over train? You bet but I'm prepared to take small steps towards building a strong base that can see the level of my training increase in the next two to three months. 

Making the commitment to train is exciting for me. I know there are many out there like me. Many of you guys that have let the fitter days slip by. I challenge each of you to start healthy habits today. It will never get easier. Trust me.

Meet the Breathing Room Yoga Studio + Cafe and Bent Iron Gym

"Follow your passion, and success will follow you."  ~Terri Guillemets

Passion is a topic that frequently arises in conversation isn't it? It is the cornerstone of what allows us to live our life without an ounce of boredom. Keeping a reign on passion may be challenging at times but we all quickly realize that it is a necessity that we never want to be without. 

Being around passionate people is contagious. How many of us feel the energy when someone excitedly shares ideas and goals they are setting for themselves? I don't know about you but I love that feeling! Despite being away for a good part of the summer, there were a number of local people I stayed in contact with. Can you guess why? Because both groups were passionate about building their business. 

A short bit ago I had the honour of shooting the campaign for The Breathing Room Yoga Studio + Cafe - a new Yoga facility that just opened today. Bonnee and Krista presented me with their ideas and having known Bonnee through Yoga classes, the moment they approached me I was sold. Yoga is for people of all walks of life, of all fitness levels, and of all ages. Bonnee and Krista share a passion that has given to the community many times through karma Yoga in the park and now they are set to realize the impact they have made. I ran into Bonnee this afternoon as she was grabbing a few items and I could see in her smile that all the hard work was proving rewarding. They had met their goal of opening on September 12. If you find yourself in Central Alberta, be sure to visit the Breathing Room Yoga Studio + Cafe in Red Deer. It is a friendly atmosphere in a great location. I will see you ladies in a class soon. Promise. Namaste.

Today was the only opportunity I have had in some time to work with another couple that decided to follow their passion when they opened up a new bodybuilding facility in Red Deer called Bent Iron Gym - affectionately called BIG by the members. Kathy Mack and Evan Taylor are an incredible couple that are focused on building a "family" amongst the fitness and bodybuilding athletes and the community. The facility itself has state of the art equipment handpicked by the duo who both are accomplished provincial level athletes.  However, as impressive as this is, they have built a core of staff that live and breathe health, fitness, and hard core training. The moment you walk in the door you know you're in a gym you can call home.  It was a lot of fun to visit and get some of the shy staff in front of the camera today. Of course I kept the funny shots, eyes closed, mouth half open shots to bribe them with at a later date. Haha Thanks again to Kathy, Evan, Brittany, Marty, Dan and Sarah for allowing me the honour of working with each of you today. It is always fun and I look forward to seeing you all on a regular basis once things slow a bit and I can make it in there frequently enough to blow by all you guys. LOL 

I'm sure many of you have your own stories of groups like this. Perhaps this describes you. Remember your support is important to everyone stepping out to create their own success.

To those at the Breathing Room and Bent Iron Gym thank you for passing on your passion to your community. Keep it up.

Warrior - Inspiring, Motivating & Moving

The last month has been hectic to say the least. Between shooting and scheduling shoots, writing, and editing photos I needed to make time to step away from work and indulge in something completely separate today - something that would take me out of the office and take my mind off all current demands.

8:00am. For the first time in months my day began with some casual level training. While watching the Secret Service and CIA in action on the National Geographic channel this morning, I sat on my spin bike and incorporated some Super-Sets of TRX and Kettlebell exercises. Perhaps this is a normal way for many in the fitness industry to start their day but with the summer being extra busy, and with so many projects on the go, I am quite proud of myself for taking that first step back to creating more healthy, active habits once again.

Several years ago, part of my escape was to go to movies. I liked doing this at least once a week, typically on a Friday evening. This afternoon as I worked away, I had the urge to see what was playing at the local Galaxy Theater. Two movies caught my attention - The Debt and Warrior. Somewhere during my travels to or from Toronto I had caught a glimpse of trailers for both shows. I remembered Warrior is one Dana White, UFC President, suggested on Twitter. I've enjoyed some good fighting movies over the past few years including Million Dollar Baby and The Fighter, however, I have seen quite a few cheesy ones as well, some of which I didn't hesitate to walk out of. How would Warrior fair?

I can usually tell within the first thirty seconds of a movie if it's going to be a quality produced flick or a waste of my time. I must admit that I didn't recognize the names of the main actors with the exception of Nick Nolte, a guy that typically brings a ton of talent to the silver screen. It was also great to see top MMA fighters Nate Marquardt, Erik Apple, and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson as well as Olympic gold medalist and pro wrestling superstar Kurt Angle in the show. The first thirty seconds gave me confidence this was going to be a good choice. How good? Once I caught a glimpse of the performance of each of the four main characters, I knew it would be a hit.

Without giving anything away, I must say that the story was powerful and the acting and action superb.  It provoked emotion and although it was predictable, it still had me sitting on the edge of my seat almost as if I was watching Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit do battle. There was no over the top Hollywood lighting and special effects. It was raw, gritty, for the most part realistic and moving. To be honest, it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long time. 

Another upside to watching an incredible movie like Warrior is that it hypes you up to train. For me, hitting the heavy bag is one of my favourite forms of cardio. I left the show wanting to breath in the fresh air while getting active.

How was your weekend? What did you do to change up your schedule and find some additional inspiration?

September 2001 - A Month to Remember

One more day.

September 11, 2001. A day we will never forget, but although I reflect on that day, my spirit takes me to another moment, connected in part to that horrific day. It's been ten years and twelve days before I walked into a moment that would stay with me till this day, and for always.

I had just purchased my first camera, the Nikon F80 from Peter at a local London Drugs.

"Back in the day", like many new photographers, I had a second job, a main job, and that for me was building homes. The summers were busy, and the opportunity to venture out with my camera alone into the mountains was something I looked forward to every fall. I would make my way to Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, you name it. I was back country driving and hiking in areas that took my breath away many times, and not only because of the beauty.

September 22, 2001, I found myself up before sunrise and in an area of the world that was reserved for those seeking a piece of heaven. I sat, fixated on waiting for the sun's early rays to reach up and kiss the tips of the mountains in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, 6,183 feet above sea level. Some may call it escaping, but for me it was an opportunity to connect, undisturbed, with the special moments and places I would discover. As they say, you can visit one place thousands of times and it's never the exact same twice.

I sat, alone, in the quiet of the morning. I looked at my watch. It was almost 6:30am. There were maybe five or six people in view from where I sat including a lone figure perhaps thirty feet away. As the light began to emerge above the mountain tops, I felt an urge to speak to this figure, obviously caught up in their own thoughts. Because I hadn't spoken yet that day, my voice cracked out a "what a beautiful morning." The figure slowly turned, likely wondering if I was speaking to them. It was a lady, in her late 40s covered in a hoodie to stay warm on the chilly rocky slope. "It's incredible here", she said, "it's like heaven on earth." 

We struck up a conversation, so with camera and tripod in hand, I made my way across some of the rocks to a place close so we could talk and share. The conversation was cordial and added  life to the surreal surroundings. "I'm a flight attendant for American Airlines" she eventually shared. "I don't know what is going to happen to my career." She shared about her experience on September 11, 2001, and her fears. Her life was filled of many incredible moments and she was working at the job of her dreams. The possibility of it coming to an abrupt end was scary for her. There were many layoffs over the next while, and although I don't know what was to become of her future, she left me with some powerful words. "Pursue your dreams and life will always be fun. Not many people are able to work at something they love. I get to travel to beautiful destinations. You will have the opportunity to photograph and remember moments in time. That's powerful." 

I am a lucky person. I "work" at what I love to do. I have been granted a gift, an opportunity, to share moments with the world. I want to say thank you to that lady that I met so much time ago that left an impression on me long before I pursued photography full time. It meant a lot then, and still means a lot now. Possibly even more.    

On this day, ten years later. Let us remember.