Portraits

A couple hitch-hikes from Ireland to Afghanistan and back

A couple hitch-hikes from Ireland to Afghanistan and back

I randomly met Brian Henderson through a series of introductions that all started with the wonderful Michelle Colley (previous blog post). After one introduction after another, a domino effect occurred and within 24 hours of arriving in Ymir, I felt as though I already knew half the town. This is how I came to meet Brian Henderson and his wife Sharon; they live just behind the town off a steep back road that hugs the base of the forest-covered

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Carpenter turned woman's carpentry course instructor.

Carpenter turned woman's carpentry course instructor.

With the southern Saskatchewan stories wrapped up and a final blog post on Jim Commodore, I will have more adventures from southern British Columbia and Vancouver Island as I continue to photograph people from small town and remote areas across Canada. If this is your first time reading one of my posts on Back To The Land I'll give you a quick brief on how each trip starts. First, I do very little research on the places

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One of the true last cowboys and his name is Jim...

One of the true last cowboys and his name is Jim...

Val Marie is gem of a town that lies on the borders of the Grasslands Nations Park surrounded by some of the most stunning prairie landscapes with incredible morning and evening light I have never witnessed. I suggest if you're looking to explore some of Canada's unknown or less listed parks, this would be at the top of my list as it boasts wild roaming bison, camping, backcountry camping, hiking, informative seminars on the grasslands ecology,

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From world travels to setting up shop in the Crowsnest Pass

From world travels to setting up shop in the Crowsnest Pass

I recently sat down with Suzie to find out more of her life story. Suzie was born in Kingston Ontario then moved briefly to the UK and then back to Canada where she received a BA in Philosophy. From there she spent the next 10 years travelling all over the world as far as India, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Nepal. With her love for travelling she would return back to Canada every so often working in Banff in order to fund the next adventure halfway around the globe. When I asked Suzie about each of these places she visited, she had few words but looking into her eyes I could see the memories flash with expressions of joy and subtle smiles that revealed everything that words could not express…

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Middle of Know-where General Store | Back To The Land

Middle of Know-where General Store | Back To The Land

On my first few days in Val Maire, Saskatchewan my days were spent visiting the cafe's and the local hangouts introducing myself to locals, getting a good feel of the surrounding landscape and deciding on who I could potentially photograph. One thing I find interesting about this Back To The Land project is each place I visit for any period of time, I know immediately if I'll be staying for five minutes or five days. This is purely based on intuition and gut feelings. I have always wondered where does this gut feeling come from and why does it happen? I do sometimes think about what might have transpired in life if I ever chose to ignore that little

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Bison rancher gives photographer tour of Alberta's Grasslands

Bison rancher gives photographer tour of Alberta's Grasslands

On my first few days in Val Maire, Saskatchewan I continued my pursuit in finding people with interesting stories. I managed to find Wes Olson randomly by one of the ladies that runs the coffee shop at the local museum just off the main highway as you pull into Val Marie. Usually when I decide to stay in a town for an extended period of time, I usually hit up the local spots getting a good feel for the area and the people who call each town home. As I ordered just a drip coffee from the lady at the counter, I also asked her about various

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Self-taught artist Neil Jones from Rockglen, Saskatchewan

Self-taught artist Neil Jones from Rockglen, Saskatchewan

Having only spent less than a week on the road, I am still in awe of the endless skies and rolling hills that meet the horizon in the province of Saskatchewan. It’s wave like grasslands and wheat fields dance in the wind reminding me of coral reefs swaying in unison among the ocean currents that bring them to life. When venturing off any major highway or road, you can find

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The rockstar beekeeper of Val Marie, Saskatchewan | BACK TO THE LAND

The rockstar beekeeper of Val Marie, Saskatchewan | BACK TO THE LAND

After photographing Arthur James in Orkney, Saskatchewan, and thrilled having found my first subject for my "Back To The Land" project, I continued East. I headed towards Val Marie, which lies on the borders of Grasslands National Park. As I pulled off the highway, I made my way down the centre street. Within 100 meters, I managed to spot the post office, the local grocer, a cafe' and a couple of buildings in the early stages of a renovation or demolition, with my appetite starting to grow into a severe case of the hangries. I pulled into the cute little cafe' …

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My first subject Arthur James sits for a portrait for The Back To The Land series

I have just woken up in Consul, Saskatchewan and my night was nothing short of interrupted. I wasn't thinking first when I pitched my tent on the outskirts of town as it was under a flood light from a nearby property leaving this orange haze that left little chance of a dark slumber. Not to mention waking up to a group of drunken teenagers coming from what I can only imagen being a barn party that went late into the night. Ahhh at that age... drunk, stumbling home through fields and hopping barbed-wire fences. Actually I'm a little jealous. When I woke it was around 6am

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New long term project Back To The Land has started

Well it's been a while since I have written anything on this blog and I can honestly say its feels good to write something down and I promise to be more diligent making blog posts a weekly part of my schedule. So much is going on and I am stoked to share with you some amazing stories and new exciting projects that are in the works. First and foremost the updates- I have started a new photography project (which we will get to shortly), I have become recently engaged, launched my first published book "The Human Connection", and spent this last

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