2014, The Best Of

All in all for me, 2014 was an interesting year of many changes, and growth. I wrapped up my first full year of school in five years, and ventured into one of my first summers unemployed. School started up for the second and final year, which I have still not fully processed. I made my first skate tour to major city centres, and I stumbled upon an idea with tons of potential for work down the road. Ultimately, my camera took me farther across this country this year than it ever has.

I learned a lot about myself as a photographer and as a human being in 2014. I learned a lot about how thinking positive can really change your outlook on life.

As the liquor starts to flow in my system I chose 10 photos from 2014 that I feel are not my best, but some of my most memorable moments from the year.

Connor Stone -- Hardflip -- Belleville, Ontario. January

I got my hands on some pocket wizards over Christmas break, 2013, and this was one of the first shots I pulled off with em where I had an idea of what was going to happen because of them. 

Mike Van Dolder handles a corner during the Hastings Cup in Bancroft, Ontario. February. 

Bancroft hosted the Hastings Cup in February, and I found a ride up there with some of the homies for a fun day of shooting. Rented out a 300mm for the weekend so I could get something like this, happy it all worked out. 

We were given 48 hours to find an active senior citizen in Belleville during our second semester in March. After having a subject fall through and a subject take too long. I got put in touch with Turk. Turk is a 65 year old bottle picker here in Belleville. He had to undergo a triple bypass surgery in 2010 and has not been able to find adequate full time work since the surgery. March

Chatting with Turk was easily one of the most heavy experiences I have ever had going through the photojournalism program at Loyalist College. He told me one of the most heart wrenching stories life stories I have ever heard a human being go through. After a two and a half hour interview session I snapped off this photo of him. 

Tyler Riddle -- Kickflip -- Belleville, Ontario. June

Because Tyler lives in Trenton, we don't always get to skate together. Whenever we do link up, we make the most of the time we get shooting together. He's one of those guys who just seems to love skating, no matter what. Thanks for the good times g! 

A buffalo grazes in the Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan. July

The Grasslands National Park was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. I found that I have a passion for long exposure and star trail photography this year, and when I found out that Grasslands happens to be one of the largest dark sky preserves in Canada I knew I had to go. I actually found out two days before I went that it happens to also be a large free range preserve for bison as well. It was a goal of mine to get a shot of the bison in their natural habitat, and I am pleased with the result. Definitely will be back here in the near future for more photo work. 

Tyrrell LeGrand -- Backside Flip -- Montreal. August

Through the last week of August, Tyrrell LeGrand and Corbin Schmidt made an epic trek out east from the humble prairies of the 306 to put some work in the big city streets. I had never made a skate tour before, let alone to two of the biggest destinations in Canada. The trip was amazing, many memories were made (and potentially forgotten) during the whole affair. It was a g time, thanks for the trip boys! 

Benjamin Slinn -- Ollie -- Trenton. September.

This may not be the flashiest shot, or the hardest trick I have ever taken. But what this shot represents to me is an idea, an objective, a goal. In September, one of the first assignments we were given is called Sense of Belonging. It challenged us to find a community of people, and photograph at least 5 people from within this community. The skateboard community of Belleville took me in without hesitation when I moved here in August, 2013, and it was the first group of people I thought of for this assignment. 

Since showing my first 5 images in the project I have continued to pursue the project and I will continue to persue the project across Canada for as long as I can. More details will be out soon enough, I got a few more pieces I have to put together for this to be properly announced.

  

Heart Lake, British Columbia. October

In October I traveled to British Columbia under some rather unfortunate circumstances. I got some time to make a few treks up to Heart Lake and reset myself after a hectic first half of the semester. It has forever put itself in my memory as a place of peace and serenity. 

A woman walks down Front Street in Belleville Ontario. November

In early November one of my professors told us we had the class period of two hours to produce either a feature photo or an environmental portrait. I've always worked well under the pressure of a deadline, and I came back with an image I was really satisfied with. I had been watching this location for a little while and decided it was time to camp on it. 

The Bay of Quinte, frozen after a relatively mild winter. December 

This is one of the few times I've actually felt compelled to make a photo for someone. This bridge is one of the iconic images of the Hastings County. I'm happy to have gotten an image of it during a scenic sunset.