Mushrooming with Leiah Luz

Posted on 12th October 2017 in lifestyle, micro adventure, wandering

I asked Leiah Luz (previous posts, instagram, fb) if she would go on a Micro Adventure with me through North Vancouver, and she agreed. It was hard for me to really explain to her what I was interested in shooting, since it’s much different than a regular shoot. Leiah’s so rad though, she’s always been keen on shooting if she’s around, so she was pretty easy to convince I guess. At that time, I wasn’t calling them micro adventures, more a hang-out-session-afternoon-walkabout-thing. Like a romantic date filled with adventure. Instead of deliberating over clothing choice, we deliberate over where the most interesting location would be to adventure to.

Adventure was what we wanted, through the great outdoors. We wanted to stick to the West Coast theme, that much was clear, and wanted to try and capture all of the elements: earth, air, water, fire. We literally captured this by traveling on the Sea To Sky highway. Oh, and we found oyster mushrooms. I have been looking for them for a long time now, and we just stumbled upon a whole bag full of them without even trying. A good omen?

tech specs // Sony a7 / Super Multi Coated Takumar 28mm f3.5 / Super Takumar 55mm f1.8

Leiah Luz - Micro Adventures in North Vancouver - Ned Tobin Click here to read more.. »

comments: 0 » tags: fungii, leiah luz, mushrooms, north van, sea to sky, vancouver

The Strait of Georgia

Posted on 3rd December 2016 in adventure, nature

I cross the Strait of Georgia frequently. Back and forth, back and forth. I find that when I’m heading back to Vancouver Island I catch the best kind of sunset, if it’s not raining. On the way over, it’s usually around noon when I arrive – not so fine for them golden hour captures, but that’s all right. My trips over to the mainland are, for the most part, to do some photoshoots. If I’m lucky, I get to see a few friends.

There’s this funny thing I’m observing with myself, when I have photoshoots ahead of me, I tend to leave my camera in it’s bag and let the landscapes pass by with just my eyes watching, not my lens. I guess at the moment I’m ok with this, a focus of some sorts. But the idiom keeps popping up in my head: can’t see the forest for the tree.

This trip home I had just picked up a new to me 135mm lens from Russia, probably a 50 year old fully manual lens, so I was pretty eager to sit on top of the BC Ferry and catch some landscapes.

I’ve got to say, these are some of my favourite photographs of this crossing I’ve ever captured.

tech // Sony a7 / Jupiter 11A 135mm f4

Strait of Georgia from a BC Ferry by Ned Tobin
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comments: 0 » tags: bc, crossing, ferry, landscape, ocean, strait of georgia, sunset, vancouver, vancouver island, view

In a Stereo | Alex Mei

Posted on 31st October 2016 in lifestyle

When I go into a shoot, I have learned to drop all ideas of what I had planned, and leave what comes next as an open slate for magic. It usually works out pretty good because expectations can lead to stress and ignoring the flow. When capturing souls that’s not too smart, if you ask me. Alex Mei (prev shoots, soundcloud, fb) didn’t disappoint me. I love going into people’s homes to shoot them because when you’re in your own home you have so much more of a wardrobe to pull from.

I realize that the next step of my evolution as a photographer is to start working with more of a team. People to help me see the things that I miss and help in ways that I am not so strong. I had a stylish friend lined up to help me out with this casual shoot, hoping we could play off one another and find common ground, but an unfortunate series of events led me once again to show up by myself. However, Alex had a friend who prided himself as a particularly stylish fellow, and also a chef, so things worked out alright I’d say. Though I must admit, it’s not too hard to put me in a good mood with olives and cider. It was a bit funny for me since I don’t eat animal based foods anymore (not because I do not like animal based foods), because when I showed up, he was making two huge plates of deli meats and cheese. It was hard for me to stare such delicatessens in the face.

Alex is a musician who regularly kills it in clubs and at festivals. After the shoot we jumped in her car to head to the liquor store and everywhere I looked inside the car was some kind of sticker from a festival she’d played at. She said sorry about the mess and told me how she had just returned from a festival a few days earlier and her car had basically been her living room for a few days. I know it’s hard after festivals like that to return back to city life, the beat of festival life still coming in waves.

tech specs // sony a7 / super takumar 55mm f1.8 / super multi-coated takumar 28mm f3.5

 

Alex Mei by Ned Tobin Click here to read more.. »

comments: 0 » tags: alex mei, fur, headphones, musician, vancouver

Poésie de Pole avec Leiah Luz

Posted on 14th April 2016 in lifestyle

Reflecting back on these photographs of Leiah Luz (previous posts, instagram, fb) we made earlier in the year makes me realize how poetic every experience is with her. This is what I strive to capture as a photographer, and always the space I aim to nurture. I realize that a collaboration implicitly means it takes two to create such magic, and without such a openness of those involved, it can never be accomplished.

You should check out Leiah’s feeds on social medias because this woman is doing some pretty marvelous things with her body in motion. Yesterday I was watching her doing a handstand while in the splits with her back leg as a wave. Motivation and beauty. Right there.

Pole dancer and instructor Leiah Luz of Vancouver, BC in Tantra Fitness Click here to read more.. »

comments: 0 » tags: bc, dancing, fitness, instructor, leiah luz, pole, richmond, tantra, vancouver

North! To Prince George

Posted on 11th March 2016 in adventure, nature, wandering

I grew up in Prince George, BC. I’ve always described it as the place smack dab in the middle of BC, though it’s the capital of Northern BC. On a map, it’s pretty perfectly in the center. Driving, it’s about 10 hours north of Vancouver.

Driving from Vancouver one first finds the Fraser Valley, then abruptly turn norther into the winding Fraser Canyon that turns into the North Thompson canyon and then connects back up to the Fraser River to follow it more or less all the way up through the Cariboo to the Central Interior and Prince George. On the way back South, we hooked West at Cache Creek to wind our way through to Pemberton and Whistler before getting back to Vancouver.

In the winter the scenery is brown and muddy and very snowy and icy the further north one goes. In the fall you can expect to find every color of the rainbow in the trees that occupy the landscape that spins by. In the spring and summer everything is green and growing and each of the little lakes and creeks along the way call out, inviting you to jump on in.

Being so long of a drive, and one that I’ve done countless times in my life, I’m usually trying to avoid stopping, rather then stopping to take photographs of anything that catches my eye.

Having a foreign friend – Nene – with me, I took all the back roads and detours I knew! She was all smiles, and “ooh” and “ahhh”. Great travel companion!

20151113 - North BC Fraser Canyon Pemberton - Ned Tobin - 6

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comments: 0 » tags: bc, british columbia, cariboo, central interior, Fraser, north, prince george, thompson, valley, vancouver
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