My wife Anne and her mother Cathy were asked to spend an afternoon at Kingfisher Lake, which is just outside Thunder Bay, teaching aboriginal youth how to cook bannock. I decided to join them and document the afternoon through photos and video. Of course, I also got to have some amazing bannock made over an open fire! The program is called Mino Bimaadiziwin and is based on traditional cultural teachings and focuses on: key life skills, leadership development, healthy relationships, positive self-esteem, self-awareness and connections to education.
Read MoreBrewHa Craft Beer Festival 2019 - Thunder Bay
I have a lot of ‘favourite’ events throughout the year here in Thunder Bay, but I think BrewHa is up there as one of the best. Each year I’m more and more impressed with the vendors and also the people who attend. It’s such a chill and relaxed atmosphere and combine that with live music playing in the background by local bands, and you really can’t go wrong.
Read MoreJagmeet Singh Meeting with Bombardier Employees - Thunder Bay
In a very last minute request I was asked to photograph NDP Leader - Jasmeet Singh’s visit to Thunder Bay this morning. He was here to visit with the workers of Bombardier who were recently impacted by the news of the impending layoffs in Thunder Bay. He was here to show solidarity and talk about the solutions our Party has in mind for these workers. I was honoured to be a part of such an important event.
Read More7th Annual Bay + Algoma Busker's Festival - 2019
One of the premiere events, I think, of the summer, is the Busker’s Festival. It’s always a great time with so many performers and vendors coming out. Not to mention, it always brings out so many people from around the city. I didn’t get out as long as I would have liked this year because I had a wedding to photography, but I still got the chance to photograph a small portion of it. Along with the photos, I walked around for about 45 minutes on the Sunday and focused on capturing some video. That can be found below as well. I’m already looking forward to next years festival!
Read MoreFat Guys Auto Parts Car Show - 2019
Yesterday the annual Fat Guys Auto Parts Car Show took place yet again and I swear, it was twice as big as last years. I only spent around 30 minutes walking around because I had a wedding to photograph in the afternoon but it was enough to get at least a few photos of the cars and the people. It was pretty crowded with people as you would expect so instead of trying to get photos of entire cars I picked out details that stood out to me. I would say some of the photos are almost abstract.
Hopefully next year I’ll have a bit more time to actually photograph more of the awesome cars and people that attended the event!
Read MoreFestival of Colours 201
It was Day 2 of an amazing weekend. Yesterday, as I mentioned in my previous post, the Festival of India took place at the Thunder Bay Marina Park. Today, Festival of Colours was the main attraction, and it’s definitely one of my favourite events of the year to attend and of course photograph. I only had about an hour to work with because of prior commitments, but I managed to get some good photos. As usual, there was a ton of people in attendance.
Read MoreFestival of India 2019
Festival of India here in Thunder Bay has been going on for about 10 years I believe. I have made it to a few over the years and it’s always a great time. This year, I went for about 1 hour and came away with some memorable photos. The dancers that I did see were simply amazing. I would have been nice to stick around to see a few more but I had to go. Tomorrow, The Festival of Colours takes place at the Marina and I’m really hoping I can find the time to make it out. it’s quite the scene. Here are some highlights from this evening.
Read MoreProject Learning Tree – Government Funding Announcement – Lakehead Unviversity
Lakehead University played host to an amazing event yesterday. The Federal Government announced that it would be giving $4.4 million in funding to Project Learning Tree. Project Learning Tree is a workplace program that provides youth with employment opportunities in the forest and conservation sector. Currently Zac and Nick Wagman are biking across Canada and they made a stop at Lakehead University, where they were greeted by Minister Patty Hajdu to announce the investment, which will support more than 500 local and Canadian youth, particularly those facing barriers.
To find out more about this initiative, head on over to the Project Learning Tree Website.
Read MoreThunder Bay Blues Festival 2019
I attended the Thunder Bay Blues Festival a couple years back and that was actually the first time I did so. It was only for one day and I didn’t have access to the stage or the ability to really get in close. I still managed to get a lot of great crowd photos because that is mainly what I was hired for and I had a great time doing so. Fast forward to this years event and The Walleye asked if I could capture the event for them. As soon as they said I would be getting media passes I jumped at the opportunity. Plus, it’s rare that I actually have this weekend in July free. Usually I have a wedding booked.
Read More2019 Scholarship + Bursary Awards Reception
The Thunder Bay Community Foundation hosted their 2019 Scholarship and Bursary Awards Reception last evening at the Boys and Girls Club. A select number of high school students along with their families were on hand to receive various scholarships and bursaries. My job was to simply capture the atmosphere, the people and of course the award presentations. I had a great time capturing candid moments and I could really feel the joy and excitement from everyone involved.
Read MoreThunder Pride 2019 + Pride Parade
The final day of Thunder Pride 2019 finished with a parade. Oh what a parade it was. My wife Anne and I arrived about 15 minutes before it was to begin at Waverley Park. We walked up Algoma to the base of the hill and by the time we got there it was just starting. Last years parade actually went through downtown. I don’t know if it was because it was a different route but it seemed twice as big this year. We were simply amazed by the amount of people participating in the parade.
Read MoreLoud + Proud Pride After Party - Black Pirates Pub
Thunder Pride 2019 wrapped up today with the parade, which I will be posting very soon. Before that, Black Pirates Pub played host to the Loud and Proud Pride After Party which had an amazing drag show. I made sure I got right up against the stage and braced myself for what was to come. The bar was packed and the crowd was so energized. All the performers did an amazing job, and being that close, you could really feel the energy. It was great to see so much support from everyone there.
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