Omg...can these folks shoot, or what?

Some of you may know that Gary Lewis of Phoenix Perennials in Richmond has been cajoling me for some years to teach a macro flower workshop through his nursery. Of course spring is my busiest time--weddings, gardening, portraits--so I've always said a firm no, but somehow he broke down my resolve this year.

I met with my group twice, and wow, did I luck out! They are such talented photographers. The photos here show off a magical capture from each of them. Thanks to each and every one of you for two wonderful workshop evenings...I'm sure I learned as much as I taught, and I sure admired what all of you accomplished.

We still have some people missing, but I'll add images if they come in...

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image by Bob McMorine

image by Caroline Carson

image by Clare Philips

image by Neal Boxrud

Such fab news from California

Everyone knows by now that California legalized same-sex marriage...and it takes effect next week on June 16th at 5 pm. Woo hoo! It is such fantastic news. All the Californian couples wed in Canada will automatically have their Canadian marriages recognized (as do heterosexual couples).

A wonderful couple I photographed last year has been featured on NPR (National Public Radio in the US), and a photograph I took of them at their Vancouver nuptials was included in the coverage.

And for those of you who don't click, above are the blushing brides, Leanne and Moya, at the beach on a truly freezing day in March 2007. I guess they'll be hosting yet another wedding this fall, and here at Jane Photo, we wish them and their adorable daughter, Lucy, all the best for a happy future together (again).

The doc in the 'loop

Joy and I drove up to Kamloops on Friday to attend convocation at Thompson Rivers University where our "son" bill was receiving his honourary Doctor of Letters degree. It was a thrill for us to be there for this momentous occasion in bill's life, and his robes were so cool that I couldn't help but take a long series of snaps.

bill bissett, as many people around the world know, is one of "Canada's national treasures." He's certainly a treasure in our lives--and I think just about anyone who knows this remarkable and accomplished renegade poet/painter would agree that melting hearts is one of his biggest successes in life.


bill bissett with his sister, barb:

bill bissett on the podium during convocation with university chancellor and Olympic medallist Nancy Greene Raine





The photograph below was taken of British Columbia's pine forests along the highway around Kamloops. Beautiful though it is, it shows the devastation caused by the pine beetle.

Sarah and Erik got married!

It's always a particular honour when another photographer chooses you as their photogapher. I shoot some fine art work with Sarah's dad, Gary. He's the excellent fellow who had the ring flash and 580EX II on hand in January when we got to the studio with pinup model extraordinaire, my daughter Sarah, with hair and makeup and costumes all ready, only to find out someone had cleaned out all my studio gear. (I'm still trying to recover from that theft, which is another story. A very sweet photographer named Angela Deville in the southern US sent me two White Lightning can lights (...woo hoo Angela. The woman should be sainted...), but I am still limping along without the proper equipment.

Necessity is the mother of invention, I learned that night. Gary mostly used his ring flash and I used on camera flash in-studio, which was totally weird but kinda liberating and artistic. You can a couple of the resultant pix below under January or pinup. I am still amazed that I could carry on shooting when all I wanted to do was crumple in a ball and weep and weep and weep.

Anyhow, back to the celebratory matters of this current week.

I love brides and grooms who will play. I LOVE BRIDES AND GROOMS WHO WILL PLAY. There is almost nothing I'm not game for for the end result of "giving great photo". Lol. Sarah and Erik actually had me come up to Furry Creek Golf Course a couple hours before their ceremony and agreed to meet ahead of time. It's such a fantastic choice, because then there's time to get some out of the ordinary shots. And isn't that what your wedding is about? You being you?

'Course, parents, Gary's daughter doesn't really smoke. We were just putting on the dog for a good snap.

So have a peek at the lupin field up there. Anyone thinking of getting married there ought to pick the last week of May. Just look at these things! For a fine art flower photographer, it wasn't to be missed. In fact, I'm going back up to do some more shots of all that blue. It's kinda like BC's version of France's lavendar fields, right?

Thanks, Erik and Sarah and all your attendants, for being so much fun to photograph. I can't wait to have a better look at your images, and to design your Italian wedding book! I just got one back from Italy last week where the couple had chosen a butter white leather cover and a big, big, big book, and it was smashing. Yours will be too, I can tell just from these few pix.

Photo of the guys by Janet Rerecich shooting for Jane Photo. Thanks, Janet!