Some shots from a visit to Cora’s studio, where she makes beautiful stained glass pieces. Thank you to Cora having me and demonstrating your process, thank you to the landlord for frosting the windows, thank you to the sun for coming out during our shoot, thank you to you for taking a look.
Recently (re)visited Keillor, the designer behind A1 Studio, in his new, larger, and much warmer workshop. If you’ve spent much time in Vancouver, your butt has probably rested on some of Keillor’s work. He offers both a select lineup of signature designs and takes on custom projects. Hit him up!
Thanks Keillor for having me out again! If you (reading this) are someone who makes something with your hands I’d probably love to hear from you.
First, I have portrait openings for March and would luv 2 c u.
Second, meet Dora. Dora is a poet, teacher, editor, translator, and a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford. Her first book of poetry will release in 2027, so she needed an author photo (printing books takes a looong time).
She wanted images that felt “authorial” but not academic. I think we nailed it.
Congrats to Dora on a huge achievement, and thanks for making me a small part of your first book.
If you like this type of portrait and would like one for yourself, I’m now booking March and April sessions, so get at me.
New work today in The Globe and Mail. A few weeks ago I photographed Psychologist Yuthika Girme, who studies singlehood (singleness?) and runs The Secure Lab at Simon Fraser University. @securelab.sfu securelab.sfu
Yuthika was a dream subject, patient, generous, and fun. We took full advantage of a rare, clear February afternoon in Vancouver and the beautiful architecture and landscaping of SFU.
Below is the photo that ran alongside some favourite outtakes.
Huge thanks to Sarah @sarahpalmerphoto for the assignment!
Some photos from a quick studio visit with the multi-talented Zac Benloulou. Among the many digital/physical things Zac designs are his incredible custom sound systems. If you’ve been to Tourist in Victoria, you’ve probably enjoyed his work.
Thanks Zac (and Jaz) for having me!
Super pleased to contribute one small part to this massive Bloomberg feature on the Khalistan Independence movement and its impacts on Canada. The story reads like a thriller, spanning decades and continents, embroiling individuals and governments, outlining state-sanctioned assassinations and the resulting diplomatic tensions between India, Canada, and the US.
The Khalistan movement fights for an independent Sikh homeland in India’s Punjab state. The Indian government has labelled it a terrorist organization. In 2023 two men, allegedly under direction from Indian government officials, gunned down Canadian citizen and Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, BC, and sparked a diplomatic crisis between Canada and India.
Since then, Nijjar’s close friend and fellow advocate Moninder Singh, who I photographed, has lived largely in hiding. Wary of collateral damage, Moninder has bounced from place to place, spending months at a time separated from his wife and children, avoiding public places and family events.
In August I photographed Moninder at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, the temple in Surrey, BC, where Nijjar was killed.
I’ll leave it there, since this caption is approaching feature-length itself. Give this story a read, it’s well-worth your time.
Thanks to Moninder for his time and generosity. Huge thanks also to Jane Yeomans @jyeomansbbphoto for the assignment.
Captions:
Image 1: Khalistan Movement advocate Moninder Singh photographed at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, BC.
Image 2: A Khalistan flag.
Image 3: Khalistan Movement advocate Moninder Singh in Surrey, BC.
Image 4: Moninder Singh stands beneath a commemorative arch at the site where Hardeep Singh Nijjar, his friend and fellow Khalistan activist, was gunned down in 2023.
I was coincidentally re-working this image last week and the file’s been sitting on my desktop. I spent about four minutes with Dr. Goodall in 2017 after a press conference in a corporate hotel banquet room outside the Vancouver airport. It could not have been a more incongruous location given the subject, one of our greatest conservationists, a lifelong steward and advocate for our green planet.
She was exactly what you’d expect: kind, calm, quiet, assured. She made two requests. First, that we turn off the harsh overhead fluorescents. Second, that I put those cherry trees in the background of her picture, even though they were about 50 feet away, behind a sheet of glass, and currently enduring a dreary west coast downpour. Even in the most impersonal, anonymous, and cold circumstances, she found a small, serene pocket of nature. That's my essential memory from this moment.
Meeting Dr. Goodall was one of the highlights of my career. She will be deeply missed.
One I liked from a shoot with Aaron a few weeks back. Often my favourites end up being these in-between, sort of unusual moments that don’t really function as a “headshot” but are nonetheless interesting portraits. Also, when I zoomed in to edit these I realized Aaron has two of the most interesting eyes I’ve ever seen.
Thanks Aaron for coming by! Also, I have time mid- and late-September for portraits, so if you need ‘em, get in touch.
In no particular order, some favourite images for @cultivatetea over the past ~8 months. Thanks to Jude for his exquisite art direction, roster of beautiful fabrics and ceramics, and, of course, collection of incredible teas.
A last couple favorites from a session with Mason from @legendssscafe . Thank you Mase for coming through and the BTS Legends for bringing us together!
Some standout tea leaves from recent work with @cultivatetea . I’ve really enjoyed these macro studies of individual leaves. There are so many interesting details when you hyperfocus like this: the subtle gradients that emerge as they steep, the beautiful structures, the way they slowly unfurl as they soak up water and bloom. Just as the unique details of a person’s face will always interest me, I’m fascinated by the nuances that emerge when you really look closely. All credit, of course, goes to Jude from Cultivate and his tweezers for selecting the very best specimens.
