It's not the camera

It has taken me some time to understand a few things about photography, things that I had long since forgotten about cameras.  I have been doing this for a very long time and back in the day of film and cameras it was still about having the latest in technology.  With digital and the constant upgrading of cameras by Canon and Nikon, and well the rest of the makers, haing a camera for more than a couple of years is a strange thing.  I used some of my film cameras for 10-12 years without any problems, shutters didn't fail, there was no software or messages popping up telling me that I had an error, the only error would have been what I didn't do right, and I wouldn't find that out until I saw the film.

I have always had the opportunities of using the best gear, and with great help from my dad over the years it was always possible.  With the changes to my career, and the changes in clients, the money to upgrade to the top of the line gear just won't be happening.  I recently bought an entry level digital camera, a small Canon T2i, I have great Canon glass to use with it.  I have to say that I was somewhat embarassed being seen with this camera, it wasn't what a professional should be using, but what I learned was that, I was producing great images with this camera, it is still better than the high end film cameras that I used to use.  It is better than the high end digital cameras of four years ago.

The point to all this, I know how to use a camera, it doesn't chnage the fact that I can still produce great images with this camera, what it does prove is that regardless of what others may think, I really don't care anymore.  I'm the brains behind the camera, not the other way around.

The passing of a great sports writer

On Monday April 16th A good friend of mine passed away, not only was he a friend of mine, he was a great friend to amateur sports in Canada.  Toronto Star writer Randy Starkman was just 51 years old, too young for anyone to leave us.  From the first time I met Randy back in the late 1980's while covering the Olympics, to the last time we chatted, just a few weeks ago while covering the Swimming Canada Olympic trials in Montreal.  We had some laughs, shared some sensitive moments talking about the passing of my mother only two days before, as always he lent me his ear and offered me some comfort during a very difficult time for me.

Randy Starkman, will be missed by so many, and I will always miss his friendship.

Football archive

I am really happy to know that the Canadian Football League Players Alumni has endorsed the photo archive.  It should mean that more of the photos will find their way into the lives of those that inspired me to shoot the pictures and put this site together.

The blame game

I used to blame all the amateurs that bought cameras and started to play at being "professional photographers"  It's not people that are to blame for the changes to professional photography, it's the technology that has made it easier for them.

For all that is positive about digital photography there is an equal negative side.

The football player

I had the pleasure of sharing e-mails with a former Ottawa Rough Rider player, who in the 1980's played four seasons, he is living abroad these days and dealing with issues related to the abuse his body and mind took during his playing days.  He had gone through the photos and found several of himself and former team mates, what he told me after that  made all the energy I have put into this archive worth the the time spent.  He was using the photos to piece back together his playing days, as a result of repeated concussions much of what he had lived through was gone.

An opening statement

For all that is good about digital photography a world of what is wrong sneaks below the surface a world of mediocre images created by camera's that do all the work. The learning curve of photography has been reduced to a 300 page manual.  Jump to the "Auto" button and away they go. The days of learning "how to take pictures, how to read light, how to compose" have slowly eroded into point and shoot world, where computers and software fix the mistakes, or create the images. The professional world of photography is slowly drifting away.