How to Improve your Live Music Photography 05/10/2011
 On a day-to-day basis I'm hard at work on many photography related things, which also includes my other company LiveMusicTO (pronounced "Live Music Tee Oh"). LiveMusicTO focuses on the music scene in Toronto; hosting events, blogs and artist interviews as well as live music photographs. Thanks to my 'job' over there I'm often browsing many live music blogs and websites trying to stay in touch with what's cool and currently revolving around Toronto musically. Time and again I notice a few things that bother me a bit and I think a lot of photographers are missing the mark. The frustrating part isn’t necessarily that they aren’t talented enough or don’t have enough passion, it’s simply that they’re using the wrong techniques or equipment to get the job done right. Some common faults: poor timing, bad clarity, too many of the same images and wrong flash or camera settings. I think what a lot of young photographers forget is that the power of a photograph lies in its ability to tell a story. And this applies as much to live music photography as it does nature photography. If all your photographs are the same close crop of the lead singer or drummer for example, you’re missing more than half of the “story”. The collection of photos as a whole should ideally share the experience of being there. If the viewer leaves your gallery only knowing the colour of nail polish the lead singer wears, you’ve missed the mark and the lasting value of your images will be lost. Sure, one photo might be spectacular, but if the pose you’ve captured is almost identical to the other 100 images you made public… it’s going to be less memorable. I recently had the opportunity to explore these ideas when I photographed Aaron Gillespie (The Almost, Underoath), Parachute Band and NineOFive at a concert in Ajax, ON last month. In my attempt to tell a story, I discovered some keys to success that I’d like to share with you.
So this concert wasn't your typical high energy club show. It was inside a church, the venue had seating and so the crowd wasn't able to move a whole lot. It posed a great challenge for me to tell a story or capture the live energy. Sometimes it helps to add context to the event by showing the crowd lined up, the posters lining the halls or the catering/production/sound checks. Sometimes as a photographer you have to create energy for yourself. Find crazy perspectives no one else will think of, that help tell a story, share a message or portray energy whether or not it was even there. A stranger should be able to look at your photos and know exactly what they missed if they weren't there. Hopefully what they missed was a damn good time, thanks to your photos. I don't claim to be an expert on the topic and I'm not always the best at practising what I preach, but I hope some of these tips help you next time you're out shooting a live music event. - Matt Vardy.                     1 Comment Photo Series: St. Lucia 04/29/2011
 I'm currently typing this as a memo on my blackberry, sitting 39,382ft in the air travelling at 510mph on a flight returning home from St. Lucia - my first destination wedding! But this trip turned out to be much more than just a nice vacation and wedding photo session. The country truly left me speechless and wanting more, with so many amazing memories, visuals and experiences. The thing that fascinated me most was not the extreme beauty of the mountainous landscape, but the people who call it home. I will say upfront that it's not for everyone, at times throughout my 7 day stay the people were incredibly cheerful - but sometimes they seemed more dangerous and in some cases clearly distressed. It was really an eye-opening journey I'll never forget because going into this I was under the impression St. Lucia was one of the premier carribbean destinations, but surprisingly I found it to be on the verge of poverty rather than luxury. Perhaps the most unexpected part of my trip began immediately after landing, and I'm not talking about the 30'C heat. The resort I was staying at was located on the northwest side of the island - complete opposite in relation to the airport, which meant after the 5 hour flight I had a 1.5 hour shuttle (small van) drive through the countryside, fishing towns and villages before ever reaching my actual destination. No longer than 10mins into the drive I realised this was no ordinary place and this drive would be unlike any other I've taken in my entire life. While most people in the van with me were kind of upset about the drive, I was thrilled and definitely pulled out my camera.  Arrivals and Departures at the airport  Van driver  My window to the St. Lucian world As it turns out I think the photos I took during the drive to and from the resort are actually some of the most compelling images I've ever taken - pushing the boundaries and out of my comfort zone. I had no choice but to adopt the classic sort of Henry Cartier Bresson "shooting from the hip" look since the van was constantly moving - at times going 100km/hr, or winding up down and all around through hills and rainforest villages. It was hard enough just to keep myself from being nauseous let alone take photos out a tiny window as everything sped by outside. But thankfully I made it work and some keys to success were high ISO, shutter speed priority and constantly keeping my eyes on the road ahead in anticipation of what might pass by my window next. Some photos merely document the setting: houses on pillars to avoid flooding and landslides - roadside souvenir stands in the middle of nowhere - city streets packed with bustling traffic - banana farms - mountains - and even stray animals of all kinds. The photos I'm most excited about, though, are the ones which I think capture the emotion of the people and the human condition. The way they exist and interact with one another and tourists was just so foreign to me and is what I enjoyed photographing most.  Man watching workers repair a roadway which collapsed due to landslide  House on cinder block stilts - a common sight. Helps avoid damage from flooding.  Roadside fruit market  Sign covered in bullet holes    If he/she repairs furniture the same way they do windows... I can't imagine business is very good.   Shacks and scrap vehicles line much of the road  Winding, steep roads One day I took a guided land and sea tour around the island. There was one small fishing village called Anse La Raye where the jeep stopped and we were able to get out and walk around. I left the group and wandered off on my own. Down the street I came across a man named John who told me he was the grounds keeper of the local church and invited me to follow him around - to the church, his fishing boat (more like a canoe) and his home. It was incredible and of course, as is custom in these areas, I tipped him which will help him provide for his family.  People on the Jeep. The little girl was named Danielle - a real trouper.  John  John's mom   Man teaching me how to play the steel drum This seemed to be a recurring theme throughout these "pit stops" in the small cities and villages - locals are quick to approach and offer help or goods for purchase. Usually they were really friendly, but the odd time I was approached by some pretty sketchy characters, so the need to be smart and aware was definitely there. It wasn't uncommon to see a man walking down the street carrying a machete - although this was the one thing I was never able to get a clear shot of.   Man selling souvenirs on the edge of a cliff     This creek served as the local laundromat, evidence of St. Lucia's African/French heritage        Old dog sleeps under this car  If you're like me, when you look at the collection of photos above they're definitely not what you expected to see when you heard the name St. Lucia. Reason being, tourism is the number one export in this country - and to most people these rundown roadways and villages wouldn't be condusive to a paradise island nicknamed "The Helen of the West Indies" (after the famous beauty of Troy). Although I prefer to visit the small villages, most would prefer to stay in a secluded resort. The resort I stayed in is a far cry from you've seen above, definitely "sells" better and ultimately made the perfect location to have a wedding. Below would be the images you'd expext to find in a St. Lucia travel brochure. In summary, the island truly is beautiful in many ways both geographically and culturally, but it has it's surprises. Not all of them good, not all of them bad, just a healthy mix of both which is fine in my books... it was a photographer's playground.       The One Minute Photoshoot 03/12/2011
I’ve always been a fast shooter. I don’t know what it is about me, or my way of thinking, that makes me work so fast (and efficiently, I hope?) but I often get “the shot” I envision much faster than expected sometimes. I think it comes from experience mostly, and knowing how to handle situations. Case in point, (and little known fact) some of the more popular shots in my music portfolio such as There For Tomorrow, Mayday Parade, We The Kings, Breathe Carolina and Steve Aoki were all one minute shoots done backstage at concerts. There was zero time to setup. I literally took around 3-5 photos before these artists were dragged away from me by managers and/or media. Being prepared for anything and, more importantly, being able to adapt to anything have probably become the two most important things in my life let alone my photography. So back to the title of this post – the one minute photoshoot. I’d like to share a very recent experience with you and a few things I learned along the way as I made the best of a situation as fast as I could. On day 4 in the recording studio with Lights I arrived ahead of everyone else, and as I walked through the halls of the building I noticed a heap of furniture against the white brick wall. (*my creative mind screams* Awesome!) I must have walked by this at least half a dozen times before on previous days, but never really thought much of it. But this time was different for whatever reason, maybe because I was feeling more comfortable and had the freedom to explore before the day got started. So amongst the chairs, electronic pianos, guitar cases and road bikes (common recording studio stuff, right?) was this humble little black leather couch. I’m thinking… white brick wall + hard wood floor + couch = cute/simple portrait of Lights on couch. Perfect, right!? I cleared the stuff away from around the couch, snapped a quick test shot and went inside. Lights arrived shortly thereafter and we hung out for a bit, played some iPad video games and I realised this day was already going to be pretty relaxed - no one was really feeling the need to get down to business right away. Turns out we were waiting for a few special guests to arrive and there was some time to kill. This gave me the opportunity to ask if I could take a couple portraits outside in the hallway. “Of course!” she says after I showed her the test shot on my camera and what I had in mind. That was key - and in a more difficult situation would have meant half the battle won because if I was working with someone who was more uptight than Lights (i.e. 80% of most people), showing a rough idea of what I want to achieve helps them visualise the end result. It also proves you know what you’re doing, and by already having an idea in mind this reinforces the fact that everything will be quick and painless. Regardless of how much fun we were having in the studio that day, I knew she was there to get work done – not necessarily be harassed by me for photos unrelated to the project at hand. So being conscious and respectful of that, I wanted to make it quick. I grabbed my 7D outfitted with a 10-20mm Sigma and off we went to the hallway. I was in such a rush that I didn’t even think to grab one of the two flashes I had with me as well. I had a rough idea of the exposure I needed thanks to the test shot I took earlier. But when Lights sat down, I took one shot and examined it and a couple things were going wrong: a) I didn’t like the look of her on the couch and I thought maybe this was a terrible idea and b) the shadows on her face were really dark because I had no flash/reflector/nothing. Now, the funny part about this whole situation is that Lights is a really cool person and if I asked her to wait a minute while I ran and grabbed a flash it would be no big deal at all. But I’m so used to shooting under pressure with people on tight deadlines that the thought never even entered my head. Also, as a photographer you always want to appear like you know what your doing - if you’re running around switching lenses and making weird faces or sighs your subject is going to lose interest in you. So I did what I do best I guess – I adapted. I needed to capture as much light as possible. I ramped up my ISO to 1600, decreased my shutter speed to 1/40 and brought my aperture down to 4.0. I knew this was the slowest shutter speed I could get away with - because the most important thing at this point was to ensure the photo was crisp and clear regardless of how dark it was. I knew I could bring the RAW files to life again later in Photoshop. I snapped a few more shots and something still wasn’t quite right – it didn’t feel like Lights. It didn’t feel like me either, if that makes any sense – the composition was uncomfortable and wasn’t fun or engaging at all.      Something had to change, so I asked her to lean forward or rest her arms on her knees and I took one last shot. I glanced down at my camera and I knew that was it. That was the shot - the best I could do with the equipment I had and the crazy deadline ticking in my head. I showed her, she was happy, and we both went back inside and got to work! It was a nice reminder that you don’t always have to have a million flashes and hours of shooting time to get a great shot:  So to summarize the point of this post: 1) Always be prepared - have a vision in mind, play it out in your head 2) Know your equipment like the back of your hand - what are the limitations 3) Make the best of situations - stay calm, find solutions 4) Be professional - be courteous of your subject and most importantly 5) Have fun - be approachable and sociable …because it will show in the photos.  Coming up next week (Wednesday) I have a very special event taking place - my first photography exhibit in Toronto. This one is particularly special in that the limited edition (1/1) prints will be up for auction and all proceeds will go directly to Covenant House, Toronto. Covenant House is a renowned organisation helping homeless youth around the city by offering them shelter, guidance and a host of resources to get back on their feet such as counceling and job hunting. I first became aware of the organisation thanks to a powerful ad I saw on the subway. More details as per the official press release: On December 15th 2010 a truly unique presentation will welcome industry professionals, celebrities, media, and emerging artists to view an exclusive arts awareness collection worthy of notable praise. EMOTIONS, presented by Matt Vardy Photography, will feature six never-before-seen black and white abstract photographs. The 24” x 36” printed photographs are limited edition pieces with proceeds supporting Covenant House Toronto. This event is a 1/1 exhibit, with sole production on this one occasion only! The self-portraits are reflective of inner struggle, vulnerability and emotional prose, seemingly depicting a challenging battle of fear and public outreach. With the onset of a holiday season many of Toronto’s homeless youth face a troubling time, and with the support of Covenant House this silent auction and look into human strife will bring attention to a cause and community that is in urgent need of support. Each print has a strikingly eerie layered complexity both in the construction and the execution, one that trends well with the vision of Covenant House. The intimate showing takes place December 15th @ Salt & Pepper (82 Bathurst St.) from 7–9PM. Refreshments will be served. Special guests TBA. This is an invite-only event. In addition, the photos will be released as part of a signature series of fitted tees by Trace Crew. Clothing launch party following the exhibit starts at 10PM, hosted by Toronto's notorious social networking site Z-List at Cobra Nightclub. RSVP by email: rsvp@mattvardy.net or click "Attending" on Facebook Below are the six images which were featured in my first ever photo exhibit in Toronto on December 15th, 2010. They were auctioned off as limited edition canvas wrap prints (1 of 1) benefitting Covenant House - an amazing organisation aiding the homeless youth of Toronto. The show was fantastic and the response to the photographs was overwhelmingly positive - so I think it's time I shared them online! Enjoy, and please feel free to leave me some feedback in the comments. Head over to my ONLINE STORE to purchase the first t-shirt of the series!       More Than Leading The Rush: PK Subban 12/01/2010
Nike just launched this super cool ad featuring rising hockey star PK Subban of the Montreal Canadiens (NHL). About a month ago I photographed PK for The Fourth Period Magazine. Nike says he's "More than an icon in the making... P.K. Subban is a Penalty Killer, Gladiator and World Shaker." Below is one of my favourite shots from the shoot, and check out the video!  Behind the scenes with Benefit of a Doubt 10/30/2010
Last week I had a blast shooting with an awesome up and coming band out of Ottawa called Benefit of a Doubt. Check out some photos below and a behind the scenes video put together by my friend Andy Wood. Low Light Portraits: Simple Flash Solution 10/19/2010
This past week I was out shooting a friend at night for a new music project he's working on. I had originally hoped to start the shoot earlier in the evening, around dusk which would have allowed for some natural lighting and some photos without flash - but since traffic and other circumstances got in the way we were forced to start later than anticipated and it was DARK. Now, in most situations like this it would be easy as a photographer to freak out and think the shoot is going to be a total bust. But that is never the case and I always tend to find a solution. Before David arrived I frantically searched through my gear to see if I had brought my mobile studio flash which would certainly come in handy/ideal to use in this situation. Unfortunately it seemed that I had forgotten it at home (later in the week, I found it buried in my car lol) and so I would have to quickly come up with a Plan B. Like most photographers these days, I always have a flash diffuser with me - my preferred choice is the Gary Fong line of flash accessories. I knew from experience that as a last resort this would definitely help me achieve a broader and softer flash spectrum (as opposed to shooting without it, causing the flash to be very harsh and direct - absolutely terrible for portraits). But - the hidden gem in my camera bag as it turns out would not be the flash diffuser, but rather my flash bracket which I also carry with me but rarely use. By combining the diffuse light from the Gary Fong and the added reach of the flash bracket, these two accessories turned out to be the perfect one-two punch for amazing portraits on the fly in the middle of the night. See figure below. -  1 - Gary Fong diffuser 2 - Canon EX Flash 3 - Flash bracket 4 - ETTL cable for flash bracket Basically, what the flash bracket+Gary Fong combo allowed me to do was shoot as if I had a studio flash with me. And especially on Manual mode, the results were really striking - I was surprised. Not 100% ideal, but the shoot went well and the client is happy - that's what matters most. By creatively making use of the flash bracket I was able to angle or stretch my flash in different ways - thereby directing the light in a variety of directions and creating shadows behind the subject in such a way that no one would ever know the source of light was actually attached to my camera. Getting your flash away from your lens is the most important thing in this type of work, to create more flattering light and shadows. There's nothing worse than the direct flash deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. Here's some raw out-takes from the shoot. Notice the soft lighting on the face as well as the direction of the light which could easily pass as the result of studio lighting triggered off-camera:    I would definitely recommend these accessories and if you don't already have them, go pick them up. They are relatively inexpensive in comparison to strobes/stands/power packs, easy to use and most importantly lightweigt and mobile. Ask your local Henrys or Vistek about the availability of these products. By the way, you can check out one of my favourite shots from this set in the Music portfolio. Adventures in The Bahamas 09/03/2010
So as some of you might be aware from my Facebook/Twitter updates, in mid-August I had the opportunity to go on vacation and visit my brother who lives in The Bahamas. The best part: my visit was a total surprise! My cousin and I (who also came along) had my brother fooled into thinking we would be visiting the following week.   As soon as we landed in Nassau we decided before heading to the house that we would grab some groceries and much needed drinks before my brother came home from work. I heard stories of how expensive most foods are down there in comparison to Canada and the US because virtually everything has to be imported because is it either grown or manufactured elsewhere (for obvious reasons; this particular island was only some 20 odd miles long). Even the most basic items like bread and milk are double or triple the price. That being said, the booze was so cheap I could hardly believe my eyes! Side note: I learned that a favourite cocktail for the locals is gin mixed with milk (puke). So we were fully stocked up on water, food, booze and all the essentials like KD and headed to the house hoping to still beat my brother home from work. And what happens? We meet him in a roundabout just a few blocks from home! Haha... even though our surprise plan was sort of ruined – we wanted to be hiding in the house when he got home – the look on his face as he entered the roundabout and noticed his girlfriend’s car with us inside it was priceless. He stopped and pulled over to take a good look at us. I was in the front seat, my cousin and his girlfriend in the back… He must have thought we were strangers! But as soon as I waved and smiled at him, he recognised it was me and burst out laughing and came over to greet us all with the biggest smile and hugs I think I’ve ever received. It was awesome! Until this time I hadn’t visited him since he moved away about 1-2 years ago. This visit was long overdue. And so my first Caribbean experience began! Stray dogs called “Pot Cakes” are scattered all over the islands apparently and go, for the most part, ignored – though some people, my brother told me, always carry a bag of dog treats in their car to feed dogs on their way to work. My brother being the animal lover he is decided to keep two of them and give them a better life. Cleverly named Eddie and Murphy, they were great company and a lot of fun to be around. Very thin, this seemed to be the norm in these parts of the world. One thing that I couldn’t believe was how well they survived and seemed perfectly at home outside in the heat; it was constantly above 30 degrees Celsius.    My brother’s house was amazing [red check mark, below]. I could have spent the whole week just hanging out in his backyard which he shares with his landlord and includes a pool, tons of palm trees, gazebo, outdoor surround sound stereo and everything else you could ever ask for. There were tropical frogs, geckos and other wildlife running around all over the pace – especially at night. Hanging out in the mineral-filtered pool, cooling off with some Kalik in hand (“Beer of the Bahamas”) and watching the sun go down was the best feeling in the world.      For the first few days we did a bunch of day and night trips to various nearby beaches, including flipper beach, jaws beach and an exclusive yacht club beach. The day spent at flipper beach was particularly awesome. We packed a cooler fool of food and drinks, and headed out to the National Park where the beach is found. My brother convinced the rangers to let us drive through the bush and literally park right on the beach. We unloaded our snorkeling gear and off we went - dove right into the water and explored some coral reefs and an abandoned pier. We played football around the pier, diving into the water to catch the ball. We also came across some cool stuff like this crab below, and the sunset was to die for.         We’d been in the Bahamas since Wednesday at this point and on Saturday we all wanted to do some of the more “touristy” things like take one of those explorer boating packages to Norman’s Cay and Exuma (cost around $200US) but my brother just so happened to have a friend on Facebook that owned a powerboat docked at Paradise Island [blue check mark above] and was planning an excursion of his own out to these islands and welcomed us aboard! It was amazing – and definitely worth the huge savings for all of us (…or so we thought…)         I can’t remember exactly in which order we visited various Islands and harbours… I was just living in the moment, along for the ride in every sense of the word. But throughout the beginning of this boat trip, we all had the time of our lives. We anchored and/or beached the boat at various little islands and coves, some uninhabited protected wildlife sanctuaries… seemingly undisturbed by anything except us at that very moment. We hopped out of the boat, grab a beer and some snorkeling gear and literally just sit in the sand or water, sting rays and schools of fish swimming by as if we weren’t even there. One of the coolest things we explored at the start of the trip was a seaplane which crashed in the ocean and was mostly preserved in the water. “The Bahamas were a mecca for drug smugglers in the 1970's until the government got its act together and cleared them out. The most notorious of them was Carlos Lehder who bought Normans Cay to use as his base. Although all is quiet and peaceful now the evidence of its previous history is very obvious – his semi-submerged drug runner’s plane lies in the anchorage.” We anchored close to the plane and swam out to it, I was able to stand on the wing of the plane and also dive in and swim through the main fuselage. My brother’s camera was waterproof and he was able to capture photos of some of the wildlife that have set up camp around the plane and now call it home.      From there we went to what was believed to be the actual cove where drugs reached shore. And interestingly enough – the tides were constantly shifting in this area – which provided us with the perfect opportunity to beach the boat in the middle of the cove, hop over the side and out into the ocean water (only about a foot deep) and just lay there, soaking in the sun and getting a sort of natural massage as the tide rolled in and out over top of our bodies. Beautiful! And I guess as a druglord back in the day, this truly would have been the perfect spot to do business since many ships wouldn’t be able to gain access to the beach; the water was so shallow. We also stopped nearby at a series of Islands called the Exumas, which are home to an endangered species of Iguana. I got up close and personal with some of them and hand-fed them grapes. Super cool experience.     By this time it was starting to get late and some much needed food was in order. Apparently a few miles away there was a Restaurant and Lodge called MacDuff’s. So we headed off in search of some food! We reached MacDuff’s about a half hour later. Since the tides were constantly shifting we had to anchor about 25 feet from shore and wade our way in, to save damaging the boat. Walking along shore, you could see a bunch of little cabins in the bush and as we made our way through the pathways we finally found the restaurant. Talk about remote! This place felt like it wasn’t even on the map, but breathtaking nonetheless. We sat down at a wooden table and ordered some food – thankfully for me there were some “American” options like chicken fingers – which I ordered – if you know me; you know they’re a favourite of mine. For the record, these were no Jack Astors chicken fingers, but they still hit the spot. The room we sat in was essentially just a raised deck, with canopy above and screened-in all around. The screens did little to keep the mosquitoes and “no-see-ums” (a biting insect so small it’s nearly invisible) away since the floor was littered with cracks and I was literally getting eaten alive. About 2 minutes after sitting down I had about 30 bites all over my skin. I ran back to the boat to grab a shirt, came back to meet up with everyone and continued eating.      Meal was fantastic! The sun was sinking and it was about that time to head home. Dun Dun Dun… *cue Jaws theme song*... So we all pile into the boat. By this time, our captain and his girlfriend are absolutely wasted, it’s been a long day of drinking and such; and the probability for bad decisions at this point was at an all time high (literally). I was fairly sober because that morning I felt sick and wanted to take it easy all day. As we were leaving I was talking to one of the girls who tagged along for the trip about what we’d do if the boat were to break down in the middle of the ocean… in a thunderstorm. Funny I should say that, because sure enough, not even 15 minutes after leaving shore and heading home, a series of alarms start going off on the boat’s dashboard. UH OH. This can’t be good. The boat is losing power quickly. My brother notices that the oil indicator is flashing for one of the motors – the boat had two 250HP outboard engines. So we head to the nearest harbour called Highbourne Cay in search of oil in hopes that this would fix the problem.     Finally we make it to the harbour. First of all – its absolutely STUNNING just like pretty much everything else in this part of the world. And to top it off, there’s massive yachts parked at all the docks… one of the boats was bigger than most houses I've seen in my lifetime. Ok so surely, we’ve come to the right place – there’s gotta be someone here who can help us! We find a spot to tie the boat up and head to the general store up the hill. It’s about 6PM now. Big sign on the door says store hours “8AM-5PM”. We’re screwed! So we ask a few of the other boat owners if they could spare any oil. My brother seems to know everyone, and here we are in the middle of nowhere and he happens to know one of the familys docked at the harbour, their boat was beautiful and for good reason - they own the Sandles resort franchise! After approaching a few of the other boats asking for help, a good samaritan donated 2 bottles of oil to us and we topped up both engines. But unfortunately, this didn't solve the problem and the alarms continued to sound. So we head back out to sea (in retrospect, we probably should have stayed put). And the debate begins: do we try and make it home before sundown on one engine, or do we try to find a room to stay back at MacDuff’s. Captain makes the call that we should probably play it safe and try and get a room at MacDuff’s and re-assess the situation in the morning. Off we go back in the direction of MacDuff’s, it would take us over an hour on one engine running at about 10% power so we radio ahead to them (never would have guessed a restaurant could receive a distress call from a boat, but I guess in this part of the world when help is needed you need all the help you can get). “Mayday Mayday come in MacDuff’s” one of the girls speaks through the radio after many failed attempts at getting a response. Finally they respond. We tell them our situation and ask if there are any rooms available. As luck would have it, no rooms available. But they offered to leave a light on for us so we could find the shore. Great thanks! ... By this time darkness has fallen, and we finally reach the shore at MacDuff’s again. Us Canadians, we’re sort of freaking out while everyone else is laughing and carrying on having a great time talking about camping on the beach and roughing it for the night. Me: I was thinking this isn’t what I signed up for AT ALL, with only the shirt on my back and one bottle of water. But with no other options available to me I had no choice but to go with the flow. We’re nearing shore and… buzzzzzzz… you guessed it. The no-see-ums and mosquitoes are quickly on the attack. We’re all literally being eaten alive. This was going to be the most unpleasant night I’ve ever spent camping hands down. Everyone else quickly felt the same and realised this would be no easy-breezy survivor beach getaway. So we collectively decided to drive back out into the middle of the ocean, in order to catch a breeze and keep the bugs away. In the coming hours this would prove to be a great decision to beat the bugs, but a bad decision for our safety and well-being… Captain anchors the boat about 1-2KM off shore. “We’re staying here for the night, this boat ain’t movin’ no matter what. Do not touch the rope; we will not move this boat. We’re gunna rough this night out folks, I’m sorry.” he kept on saying in his drunken state. By this time it was only about 9PM, and the captain and his girlfriend were downing the Bacardi like water and blasting the on-board stereo as loud as possible trying to turn this night into a party. The rest of us, sitting there in the middle of the ocean as lightning and thunderstorms loomed on the horizon, weren’t so stoked on the situation. We were in a predicament no doubt. Stay out at sea and take the thunderstorms on head first, or go back to shore and take the mosquitoes on head first. We had no protection against either bugs or thunderstorms; no bug spray, no cover, no warm clothing – you name it. Just a cooler of booze, Doritos and each others company is essentially all we had. 11PM rolls around, the music is absolutely BLASTING in everyone’s ears and the thunderstorms are headed straight for us. The winds are picking up. The sea around us is absolutely silent save for the echoing thunder off in the distance. We all knew it was the calm before the storm, and summer storms in the Caribbean are hardly friendly. I’m literally sh*tting my pants at this point. This could be Hurricane Roxanne headed for me for all I knew - things were not looking good for us by any stretch of the imagination. BAM! Lighting strikes and the battle against the storm was on! The boat rocked back and forth, up and down, every which way you could imagine – the anchor amazingly holding firm in the seafloor – acting as a saviour but also tugging the boat this way and that like a raging bull. The boat had almost no shelter from rain except a tiny overhead canopy above the driver seat; the rest was completely open to the elements. We got SOAKED by the rains. One guy named Ron (who was the closest thing to a Pirate I’ve ever met) curled up under the bow of the boat in a small cubby whole. The rest sat and hung on for dear life, I stood and held onto the driver windshield as best as I could as the boat continued to rock and bounce around like Mother Nature’s play toy. At this point we’re all in dire straights; I’m terrified and shaking from the pouring rains and I’m cold to the bone. The girl next to me is screaming and bawling her eyes out, I offered her some shelter under my towel and together we held on for dear life…   I started arguing with the driver to take us back to shore; I said mosquitoes won’t kill me but lightning, sharks and barracudas (if the boat were to flip) and hypothermia certainly can and we needed to get the heck off the water. “Nope. We will not move this boat. No one touch the rope. Swim to shore if you have a problem with it” He slurred in response. I wanted to kill this guy, but had no choice but to do as I was told since no one else seemed to back up my train of thought. We survived two of these storms, the second was the worst and amazingly after the second one ended around 2AM the sky above us cleared and the storms continued to crack and thunder but passed some distance away from us. Keep in mind – the music is still blasting. And we can’t convince the driver to turn it off for love nor money. The Bacardi was still flowing and we all realised at this point it would be a sleepless night. If you have to go to the bathroom, guess what – you’re doing it off the back of the boat. I would have loved to take photos throughout the night but my camera isn’t waterproof and was safely stowed away and I didn’t want to risk bringing it out of hiding. Let me tell you it was the craziest and most scary experience of my life that I’ll never forget. Finally 6AM rolls around and the sun begins to rise. (did I mention the music is still blasting?) and we all think to ourselves – THANK GOD. LETS GET HOME. Buddy turns his GPS locator on, and we begin our journey home on the one engine barely functioning. I think the waves traveled faster than us. Normally at proper speed the ride home would take roughly an hour, but the GPS estimates our travel time back to Nassau at current speed is 7 hours. When I heard that I was seriously contemplating jumping over board and drowning myself! 7 HOURS! In the heat of the sun, no water or shelter, no food besides chips. This was truly a nightmare. No one was speaking to one another, we were absolutely exhausted save the captain who continued to drink and carry on, keeping us awake for the entire ride. About 6 hours later we made it back to the harbour, trust me it felt like a lifetime. My body and face was burnt to a crisp, we’re all severely dehydrated, heat-exhausted, seasick and have just spent a total of 28 hours on this boat. As soon as we reach the dock my family and I pile out and head to the car and hit the nearest gas station to freshen up and drink some water. Disaster averted, but it was definitely a painful ride home. We reach my brothers house around 12:30 in the afternoon and we all crawl into bed and sleep the day away after some much needed KD. After such an awful experience and with only one more day left to spend in the Bahamas we decided to hit Breezes all-inclusive resort [green check mark above] to make up for the epic fail and waste of time spent on the boat. The pool and drinks were amazing, the king bed was heaven and the food was to die for. Best decision I ever made, and rounded off our trip nicely.     United We Fall 08/31/2010
A film by Bryan Law and Dan Dicks "United We Fall" is a documentary about the North American Union that is being developed right now between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. For years this topic has been debated in the news and in political circles as being a possible future for North America. In recent years, the mood has shifted and a rift is developing between those who want a Deeply Integrated North American Community, and those who wish to retain their national sovereignty. This film takes a look at both sides by interviewing both insiders and activists who have been at the heart of this heated debate. The film also looks to the broader agenda of building a world government and its implications. Featured Interviews: Robert Pastor (Council on Foreign Relations), Allan Gotlieb (Trilateral Commission, Bilderberg) Herbert Grubel (Creator of the "Amero") Luke Rudkowski (We Are Change) Dan Dicks (Press For Truth) Vijay Sarma (Political Activist, Independent Journalist) Dr. Andrew Moulden (Canadian Action Party) Richard Syrett (Talk Radio Host) Who's looking over your shoulder? 08/31/2010
After viewing some incredible portfolios today of my peers and fellow photographers, and watching some amazingly creative videos as well... I've come to realize how extremely talented so many people are in this world - especially within my own world or little bubble called Toronto. The talent brewing here, like many other places no doubt, is staggering and growing at an overwhelming rate. It's truly humbling to watch and be inspired by those around me. It reminds me of a story my high school art teacher, Percy Payette, once shared. He shared this story to us (the grade 9 or 10 visual arts class) during our very first drawing lesson. Drawing is something a lot of people are rather shy about - most people think you're either good or terrible at it - there's no in-between. But Payette was determined to teach us otherwise, and shared this story... The story he shared (as best as I can remember) was about one of his first classes in drawing school at college/university where he was studying fine arts. He sat beside a kid who was, in Payette's opinion, absolutely amazing at still life drawing. From day one, Payette said he was constantly looking over the shoulder of this guy sitting next to him in class, and felt absolutely terrible about his own work. Payette did his best to emulate his style, but always came up short and he thought for sure that he would fail, or that drawing just wasn't his thing. The guy sitting next to him in the studio just seemed to have all the style and grace in the world in his drawings, something Payette just didn't seem to have. He assumed the guy was getting straight A marks, too (of course, right?), and was surely a class favourite. It was going to be a depressing semester for sure, sitting next to this creative genius. One day Payette built up some courage and decided to actually talk to his classmate and let him know how much he admired his style. After all, it seemed like the right thing to do, maybe they could get along and Payette could learn a trick or two. So he did just that - tapped the guy on the shoulder and said, "Hey man sorry to interrupt you but I really, really like your work. I just thought you should know that it's truly inspiring. I wish I was as good at this as you are." And the guy replied, "I feel the exact same about you and your work. I've been watching you and wish I was as good as you are, too." Payette couldn't believe his ears. This guy must be joking, right? The creative genius likes HIS work? Yep. it was true. They had a good laugh, and from that moment became friends and fed off each other's creativity. It was just an amazing story to hear and a great reminder that no matter how much you might doubt yourself sometimes, there may be someone looking over your shoulder wishing they could be as good as you. There are a million different styles out there, in drawing just as there is in photography, and there is no "right" or "wrong". Once the story was finished, Payette jumped into our first drawing lesson and we all felt totally empowered and willing to give it a try - whether we thought we were good at it or not - he told us anyone can be taught how to draw and he's absolutely right. Sure enough, I was looking over the shoulder of the guy next to me and I thought his work was absolutely amazing, but in the back of my mind I knew that he might feel the exact same about mine. | Matt Vardy Photography BlogThis page serves as place to share written, visual and video entries about my photography and life experiences. I also like to share random stories or films which I find interesting, inspiring or thought-provoking.
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