Blink And You Missed It

I can't speak for other parts of the world, but over here we're already covered in snow as Fall gave way to Winter rather quickly this year.  I'm not one to speak ill against the colder weather, but it meant that there was less time to appreciate the colours of the changing seasons.  Luckily, I managed to spend a weekend in the County back in early October.  While visiting the family for Thanksgiving, My Lovely Assistant and I snuck away for a little car ride in search of some autumn colours.  I came upon this nice collection of trees by a lake and snapped away.  The photograph was taken at f/16, 1/60sec, ISO 100 at 70mm.  Just a little bit of colour for those of you out there for those of you who may have missed out.

Shining Through

While photographing bands, sunsets and fireworks are great fun, my favourite thing about photography are the surprise discoveries.  One evening while I was waiting for the sun to set, I happened to glance over to some wild bushes that were growing along the parking lot.  as the sun began to set, I noticed it shining through the branches and found it interesting.  It reminded me of one of those photographs taken from space of cities at night showing all of the city lights.  I took the photograph at f/16, 1/25sec, ISO 100 at 200mm.  The small aperture creates the little stars which stand out against the darker background.  The setting sun peaking through a bush, or lights of a city as viewed from space.  Let your imagination run wild.

Red Autumn Sunset

There's not much out there that I like watching more than a November sunset.  The sky gets so nice and red, it's a real treat for the eyes.  I'm lucky to be living in a spot where not only do I get to see these sunsets on a regular basis, but I get to see them against the island of Montreal.  It was snowy and grey today, but just as we were getting to the hour where the sun was to disappear, the clouds began to break a little and let some light in.  I grabbed my camera and went to one of my favourite spots.  I usually crop tighter on the buildings, but I really liked the texture of the colour on the clouds, so I decided to make them the focus of my shot.  As I often do, I then sent the photograph off to CTV Montreal and weather specialist Lori Graham was kind enough to feature it during the newscast.  It's always nice to see my name on the big screen.  The photograph was taken at f/7.1, 1/160sec, ISO 400 at 95mm.  Take the time to look up in the late afternoon, you're often in for quite the sight.

The Interrupters At MTelus

Sunday night at MTelus was headlined by California ska/punk band The Interrupters.  They've been entertaining their fans with their self-described 'unity music' since the the band formed in the early 2010's.  They call it 'unity music' because they like to make music the brings people together and the consider their fans to be one big family.  Something that is rather evident as singer Aimee Interrupter was already reaching into the crowd before the first song was over and was up to hugs and high-fives by the time we left the pit after the third song.  I only discovered them earlier this summer through local radio and was disappointed when I found out about their Spring show at Club Soda by a few days.  When I found out they were coming back, I didn't waste my time and found out the information I needed to get a photo pass and was more than happy I had done so.  The first photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm.  Here are several more photographs that I took of their performance.

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 26mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 31mm

f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 61mm

f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 41mm

f/2.8, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 42mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 3200 at 39mm

f/2.8, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 39mm

f/2.8, 1/80sec, ISO 12800 at 44mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 55mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 30mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

Wow, talk about a breath of fresh air.  I'd never seen The Interrupters live before, but I certainly would like to again.  Awesome attitudes and killer tunes, that makes for a crowd pleasing combination and the Montreal fans were more than happy to see them again.  They were touring to support their latest album, Fight The Good Fight, and you can find out more about The Interrupters by following the link to their website.  Thank you very much to Dan Hodge of the YMU Group for the pass, it was very much appreciated.  While you're clicking on links, don't forget to check out the photographs that I took of the two bands that opened the evening, Sharp/Shock and Skinny Lister.

Skinny Lister At MTelus

The night of music at Montreal's MTelus continued with our second band of the night, Skinny Lister.  Having formed in the UK about ten years ago, they describe themselves as a Folk Punk Rock band.  That's quite the contrast of styles, but they certainly live up to the billing as the usual electric guitars are accompanied by a standing bass, accordian and ukulele are also thrown into the mix.  The wrestling fan in me also got a kick out of their 'Listermania' guitar.  Skinny Lister found themselves a place on the list of opening acts that I've never heard of but definitely caught my attention by the end of their set.  The first photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 59mm.  Here are several more photographs that I took of their performance.

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 61mm

f/2.8, 1/125sec, ISO 3200 at 53mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 61mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 53mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 53mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 59mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/125sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm

f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/500sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

They were touring to support their latest album, The Story Is..., which was released earlier this year.  They also have a pretty loyal fanbase as if several members of the crowd are to be believed, they had been following them over this latest Canadian tour.  To find out more about Skinny Lister, don't forget to visit their website.  You can also see the photographs I took of Sharp/Shock and The Interrupters by following the respective links.

Sharp/Shock At MTelus

My latest evening of concert photography saw your Friendly Neighbourhood Photographer and his trusty camera  back in the big city as a trio of ska/punk/rock bands were taking the stage at MTelus.  The first band on the bill was Shape/Shock, a power punk trio with roots in California and the United Kingdom.  Both of which are homes to the past and present punk rock movement.  They took the stage and immediately grabbed the crowds attention by way of their ears.  It wasn't the easiest of shows to photograph as the light was really low.  Low lights means slow shutter speed, which doesn't really mix very well when the guys on stage move a lot, as these guys did.  It's all part of the game though, and a challenge that I'm always happy to face.  The first photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 41mm.  Here are several more photographs of their performance.

f/2.8,1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 39mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 33mm

f/2.8, 1/125sec, ISO 3200 at 33mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 39mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 28mm

f/2.8, 1/200sec, ISO 3200 at 35mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 44mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 35mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 3200 at 28mm

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 3200 at 24mm

f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO 3200 at 31mm

With that we were off and rockin'!  To find out more about Sharp/Shock, who were touring to support their most recent album, Youth Club, don't forget to follow the link to their website.  Don't forget to also follow the links to the photographs of Skinny Lister and The Interrupters that I also took that night.

Westlake Wild 4 ve Félines Du Richelieu 3

Saturday night is also known as Hockey Night, and I get to spend my evening at the Cynthia Coull arean in Greenfield Park as my favourite goaltender, Florence Bouchard-Maynard and her teammates on Les Félines du Richelieu were taking on the Westlake Wild. The Félines got an early goal in the first period and were leading 3-1 in the 3rd when I should have taken my cue and left.  Sadly, I stuck around and my bad karma struck as the Wild came roaring back in the final minutes to score three uanswered goals for a 4-3 victory.  There was a pretty good crowd on hand, which was nice to see as usually the stands are pretty empty when I go to these games.  Though Florence's team didn't win, spirits were still high after the match so hopefully the girls will have a chance to gel and make a run towards the play-offs in the Spring.  The first photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 200mm and the second photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/1000sec ISO 3200 at 145mm.  Here are several more photographs of the action from the ice.

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 170mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 200mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 140mm

f/2.8 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 140mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 145mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 125m

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 145mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 200mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec ISO 3200 at 145mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec ISO 3200 at 105mm

f/2.8, 1/1600sec, ISO 3200 at 142mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 130mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 125mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 165mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 135mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 130mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 200mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 200mm

f/2.8, 1/640sec, ISO 3200 at 165mm

f/2.8, 1/1250sec, ISO 3200 at 120mm

f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 165mm

It's always nice to see a goalie smiling at a puck that is being shot towards her.  A little 'nice to see you, but you're not getting by me' moment.  The season is still young, but I'm not sure how many games I'll be able to see this year.  Hopefully I'll be able to catch a few more so I can get a few wins in my dreadful won-loss record.