Do you stand on your toes?

A new phenomenon is taking part in different countries all over the world. It's called "Toe Standers". And what started out as a facebook group, has now grown to a full website with members from over 10 different countries.

Toe Standers are a collective group of individuals who believe they literally need to stand on their toes in every photo. It is a must, and the more creative the spot the more praise from the community. There are even photos of people atop the Eiffel tower in Paris and underwater while scuba diving. Their creativity almost has an artistic merit.

One night in February, while the snow was shit, and the weather was less than favorable, Darren from Voleurz and I were out together on a shoot. While Nugget and Caleb were both warming up, and I was just about to fire my first test shot, Darren left his camera and walked right into my frame. I didn't think much of it at the time, because it was just a test shot. Nuggest drops in for an ollie, Darren leans into a mean toe stand, and I snap my first photo of the night. After I took the shot, Darren exclaimed "There are no standards for Toe Standers!"

Shit, now I've been caught taking a photo of a Toe Stander.

Are you crazy
Gonzo

Heaven and Hell

Once hit by a car, Freida is now blind in one eye and the cutest little ball of fur you'll ever lay your eyes on. When I first met Freida, I thought something was up. Her eyes seemed lifeless, and desolate. And after a closer look, I realized that her eyes did not reflect light like a normal eye should. There were no clear catch lights or pigmentation noticeable. They were just… there.

I have spent a endless hours divulging in photos trying to learn the lighting of photographers by looking at the eyes of their subjects. So when I met Freida for the first time, I had a hard time figuring out how I wanted to shoot her. What would be the point of a lighting setup that would not cast any catch lights? How do I display her to a viewer with no hints to a style? Like this.

I have a fascination with eyes; they are the gateway to one's soul. So my first impressions on Freida were chilling and vindictive. But I was quickly taught a lesson. Freida turned out to be a little fur ball of fun. She was playful, and respective. She was mellow, and adorable. She was, dare I say, the perfect cat.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have Bella. Her eyes glisten in the light with an almost euphoric existence. You can see everything in her eyes as if looking in a mirror.

Bella is – for lack of a better word – a bitch. She gripes and moans when she doesn't get her way and jumps all over the brand new flat screen TV, which only gets her to the top of a bookshelf that she will not jump off due to her flagrant fearfulness. This only makes her whine until someone goes and grabs her, only so that she can go and do this again.

Stay away from this cat if you can. Paul doesn't like her, I don't like her, and I’m pretty sure Amy doesn't like her either. Which ever way you want to look at it, these sparkling black cat’s eyes are the devil.

So what did I learn? I learned that eyes sometimes lie and as the saying goes, it's bad luck to cross a black cat's path.

Are you crazy
Gonzo

Back from Victoria

I recently had the opportunity to spend the week with Scott Pommier, a Transworld Skate photographer based out of Vancouver. He was in Victoria teaching the Adventure Sports class at my old photo school, Western Academy of Photography. I learned so much from him in such a short period of time that I can only imagine what assisting him would be like... Maybe on one of those Harley Davidson shoots he's been getting lately.

This 1 week trip to Victoria was exactly what I needed. It was a quick break from Vancouver and a refreshment of ideas. I crashed on Andrew Lint's couch. His hospitality was 2nd to none, and his girlfriend is the coolest person alive. Both of them were such an inspiration on life. Andrew has this obsession over photography that makes me feel like I should try harder, which I really should. Megan always has a smile, no matter what she's talking about. I like it when people smile.

So now I'm back in Vancouver, and living day for day. The snowboard season is over, and I'm pretty bored. I've decided that I want to shoot skating this summer, but that's a whole new topic I'm going to work on... I plan on blogging when exciting stuff happens and I'll post a photo each time.... WITHOUT A WATERMARK? Ya, I'm ditching the watermark deal for this blog thingy. So this is the end until next time.

Are you crazy
Gonzo