Altitude Sports X Mountain Hardware

This summer I had the opportunity to shoot some images for Altitude Sports & Mountain Hardware in the Selkirk Mountain Range of BC. This shoot was an experience like no other as it was also a guided training exercise in mountaineering over 5 days. We flew from a logging road to a high alpine basecamp that was set up by the Alpine Club of Canada. It was a luxurious experience considering we were at 7000 feet. There was a full kitchen and kitchen staff who prepared amazing meals daily & even hot showers. Each day groups went out on missions, attempting to summit various peaks in the area. Here are some of my photos from the shoot!

Off the grid at Moonshine Kingdom

I've found that in the last few years of my life, I have been working at surrounding myself with people who inspire me. I learn from the different types of people I meet, making for a diverse group of connections in my life. 

Fate had it that I ran into some folks I followed on the internet while living on Galiano last winter, I stopped by a lookout off the road, and sure enough there was a group of people there who happened to be the one's I had been following, the owner's of the project known as Moonshine Kingdom. We chatted briefly, and shared a few interests in landcruisers and the gulf islands before parting ways... It wasn't until a couple of months ago when we reconnected to start planning a visit to the Kingdom. 

I got a few people on board... my friend Bourton, captain of the Ella Mackenzie, a famous tugboat from the early 1900's, Sara Harowitz and her boyfriend, Dustin from Montecristo Magazine and  Julia, my partner in crime. We set out mid-day on the tug to a dropped pin on Google Maps, cruising at about 8knots in the hot sun. 

We took an important stop near Lighthouse Park for a dip in the ocean to cool off, then finished the journey to Moonshine Kingdom. 

It's always been a dream of mine to have a little property, a cabin, something to call my own... This is why I was so keen to check out this 1 acre property off the grid, and surely it did not disappoint. As soon we arrived, we were greeted with a rowboat with Kristyn on board, ready to shuttle us to land. We hopped on with all our gear and played rock-paper-scissors for sleeping accomodations...

Kristyn & Sophena are lucky to have a natural spring that provides fresh water to the property... they installed a gravity fed system that travels steeply down the rocky face behind their place, creating enough pressure to have on demand water all year round... also perfect for the outdoor shower and wood-fired hot tub. 

There is little to no plastic on the property, a refreshing detail to discover, and as the sun disappeared, candles and gas lanterns lit the way along the property, creating a warm glow for the evening. The hot tub was a perfect place to burn cardboard, paper and wood, such simple systems, but all you really need.

We killed time listening to music and swimming in the day, and in the evening we spent time getting to know each other around some food, drinks and pie for desert. As the stars came out, we jumped in the ocean for a midnight dip with the phosphorescence glowing almost as bright as the stars. The water was cool but nice for swimming in the night, especially knowing we had a hot tub waiting to warm up the bones. 

Photoset : The Kamloopa PowWow

On assignment for Destination British Columbia, I was commissioned to document an amazing cultural event, the Kamloopa PowWow. A PowWow is a sort of spiritual experience for both the performers and the attendees, they travel from all over North America to compete in both song and dance over 3 days. The competitions range based on type of dance style, appearance & songs and along the way there are different ceremonies and events that fill in the time such as the best caucasian dancer, where they invite people in the stands to show off their best dance style. 

Here are some of the photos from the 3 days at the PowWow in Kamloops, BC.