Every time I send out an email update I struggle with the decision as to which clients and assignments to write about. This winter has been chock full of a wide variety of photoshoots. In the last three months The Team and I have photographed (among other things) furniture, boats, high fashion handbags, celebrity chefs, a symphony orchestra, fruit liqueur, nude models, the country of Iceland and…mmm…beer.
Earlier this year we teamed up again with Canada’s top bodypainter Ashley Forshaw and Loyal Hair Therapy to produce a charity calendar in support of ALS. Ashley has arranged to have many of Vancouver’s top models and actors pose nude for this project. The concept is based on putting an adult spin on childhood fairy tales. So far we have completed ‘Red Riding Hood’, ‘Forest Fairy’ and ‘Porcelain Doll.’ Ten more to go. It has been an exciting opportunity and a fantastic creative outlet for everyone involved. You can follow our progress on Facebook by searching for “A Dream Come True, Fairy Tales For Adults.”
In January I took off to Iceland for two weeks to photograph what is regarded as one of the most fascinating landscapes on the planet. It is truly a land of contrasts. You can drive for twenty minutes and not only will the weather completely change, the landscape will as well. One minute you can be in the midst of lush, green rolling hills with the sun shining on your face and the next you are standing on a black lava flow with a blizzard of ice pellets hitting your face. As I tend to do on these solo photo excursions, I had no itinerary and simply tossed a sleeping back into the back of my rented SUV. Iceland has a total population of about 300,000 people and 65% of them live in the capital city of Reykjavik. One day I drove for three hours on the main highway of Iceland and did not see a single vehicle. Definitely not a place you want to get stuck! I climbed glaciers, ate raw eel that had putrified in dirt for sixty days, experienced a spectacular display of the northern lights, climbed up the Eyjafjallajokull volcano (try saying that ten times fast) and fell in love with the country. On my last night I decided to take in the famous Reykjavik nightlife. At about 4 o’clock in the morning in a rowdy downtown bar, a very large and jolly Icelander by the name of Thorvaldsen, who hardly spoke a word of English, learned that I was visiting from Canada and started the entire bar off in a chorus of the Canadian anthem. Definitely a highlight.
A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to shoot for Tree Brewing. After plenty of photography of wine, vodka and tequila, this was our first opportunity to photograph my drink of choice. Tree produces a large lineup of fantastic craft brews, so naturally this resulted in the perfect opportunity for a contra exchange of photography for beer. I think I am now officially on the hook to host a party at my place.
I am off to Beijing next week to photograph the Great Wall of China and will then follow that up with another week of shooting in Japan.
If you get the opportunity please check out some of the updated photographs on my website at www.shawntalbot.com
I would like to sign off with a big CONGRATULATIONS to my good friend David whom I have had the pleasure of working with for many years. He and his wife recently gave birth to their beautiful new daughter Alya. Congratulations to you both! …Now when are you coming back to work?!
All the best to you and your family throughout the rest of 2011!
Shawn and The Team (David, Angela and Aaron)