The art of making mezcal

My favourite kind of shoots are the ones where my interests line up. Sometimes the stars align and you get blessed by the photo gods with a dream gig like documenting the art of making mezcal in Oaxaca… oh and the client asks you to shoot the whole thing on film.

I am new to mezcal, considering it’s been around for over a hundred years now. My first experiences drinking it were in Canada, and the mezcal that makes its way up here is not necessarily the best… I still was fond of the smokiness, especially in a cocktail and it soon became a favourite spirit to consume. Once I learned a little bit more about it, I started to dream up going to Oaxaca to see how it’s made and get to connect with the spirit. Luckily for me, a friend of mine in LA called me up to join in on a shoot, documenting the process.

Esfuerzo Mezcal is the artisanal product of Margarito Garcia Cruz, and his son Temo. It’s a family owned and operated palenque about an hour outside of Oaxaca Centro. A beautiful area, with rolling hills and mountains of agave. Here are some of my favourite shots from the shoot and the video that was created alongside.

2 weeks in Japan

Highlights from 2 weeks in Japan with Julia.

We started the trip with a 24 hour layover in Beijing, where we explored the city, jet legged and in a daze we roamed the streets at 4am, until we found a dumpling shop, crushed the best dumplings i’ve ever had, walked around in the morning, grabbed coffee and headed back to the airport to continue our trip to Japan. We started off in Tokyo, and with a rail pass, made our way to Osaka, Kyoto, Nagasaki, and rented a car to the south for Yakushima Island, my only regret was not staying longer.

72 Hours in Tofino with Huckberry

Last year, my buddies at Huckberry hit me up with a fun idea, “Shayd can you be our tour guide, we want to come to Canada.” No brainer, I said yes.

We did a whirlwind 72 hour trip from Vancouver to Tofino and back, with a few cool pit-stops along the way in my Landcruiser. Here’s the video they made and a few photos I took along the way…