Almost a year ago I visited Corvus Casting for the first time. Ryan Corvus, the owner and operator makes things the old-fashioned way. The very very old-fashioned way. But that doesn’t mean any of it comes simply. Ryan has been casting and making things out of metal since he was a teenager, at the time learning from an old master of the past. He tells me, “If I need a piece of wire, I don’t go out the hardware store to pick one up. I make one.”

These are stills from the Rich Hope music video “I See Trouble,” filmed and directed by Aaron. This shoot was rife with adrenaline and organized chaos, with an old black Volvo awaiting destruction (which we later had to drive home), and a weapon wielding motorcycle gang. There’s only one chance to capture these kinds of moments. Glass and car parts were flying as the gang descended on the car. Yes, that is real blood. Halfway through I remembered my purse was in the backseat of the Volvo. After the shoot was over I retrieved my glass filled ladies clutch, a memento for a day of creativity and destruction.

Rich Hope rocks hard. He rocks until he crashes to the floor in a pile of sweat and exhaustion. He is one of the most engaging, passionate performers I have ever seen. Check out his website here.

Quirky Elephant was an installation project for Pacific Centre, directed by designer Desmond Wong. See the whole story here. I photographed him in the workshop, and a few days later for the setup at Pacific Centre.

Jan. 30 1012, Update! “Leeside Skateboard Mayhem” goes wild on the world wide web. Watch the video!

I took these photos at a Halloween skate jam where people put themselves at risk for wild craaazy thrills. I was on the periphery. Aaron filmed from the center of the skate park, in the middle of the madness. The only casualty he faced was a firecracker in the arm, burning through his first layer of clothing. Not too bad considering the circumstances. Are we crazy?

These photos were taken during a street photography course I attended at Emily Carr. The challenge was to take a photo that captures a moment, a natural expression or a gesture. As in portrait photography, half the task is in making the subject feel comfortable in front of the lens, while still controlling the technicalities of the photo. In street photography, this challenge is exaggerated. One must work with spontaneity and decisiveness. This has proven to be a great way of connecting with people. That said, beware! During this shoot I had a man ask if I would take his photo in the back alley… No thanks.

Back in the fall I had the opportunity to film Myk Roc pinstriping a guitar for Anchor Guitars, and witness his personal collection of amazing things. Being a master story teller, Myk shared a few good ones as he showed us around. Anchor Guitars put together a series of Myk’s short stories, watch them all on the Anchor site, or part four above.

This is a hand-made film from 2009, for the Bicycle Film Festival. I wouldn’t often use the word “painstaking”, but developing a film by hand and doing an assembly on a reel to reel Steinbeck is simply painstaking. Especially in comparison to the instantaneous delivery of a digital camera. On the developing alone I spent 13 hours, so this is a film perhaps best appreciated by film nerds, in spite of all it’s shaky camera work. It gives special attention to hand-made processes, combining the art of making bikes, music, food, and films.

View more photos and the entire film below!

I picked up this camera four years ago at a thrift store. It isn’t a noteworthy camera, but I chose it with curiosity and for it’s small size. I shot two rolls on it then went back to my Nikon, which unlike the “compact R,” framed pictures properly. Most of my Hanimex portraits came out as body shots, with people missing heads. But recently we pulled the little camera off the shelf and noticed it was still loaded with a roll of film. After sitting for four years, I consider that free film. So we hit the streets with it, shooting wider, more carefully, and on a sunny day. I still wouldn’t say it’s one of my favourite cameras, but it has since gained a small, special place in my camera bag.