i mean, i was still a new guy - but i at least had a better idea of how it worked (i've never seen a fashion show previous to my shooting fashion week last season) and so i kind of knew what to expect. also, i saw many familiar faces whereas last season the only familiar face was george's and even he was pretty new to my life then ...

i remember patrick from last year ...
he liked that i shot film and i think i was the only photographer there doing it which i thought was kind of cool. but my film material will never go anywhere other than here and in to my personal collection. oh ... and my final project for one of my classes in uni. i figured since i already had a shit load of work piled up from school missed to shoot real world things that i might as well do my final project on something i will be shooting film at anyways. it was perfect!

patrick's really cool though! i was happy to see him there again! he owns a hair salon but loves photography!

i ran in to my friend diandra from high school ... what a small fucking world. we went to new york when i was in grade 11 for a history field trip ... i remember telling her i was going to challenge some gangsters to a game of bball in the bronx ...
i was happy to see her at FW!

and i agree that i'd rather have a blackberry than an iphone!

deryck and leonard who were photographers on george's team last season were there again which was wicked! i had a long conversation with deryck about how amazing skype is and how hdr looks like a video game at our celebratory dinner ... he's totally cool and i hope he's there next season as well! same with leonard ... who shoots bmr's!!!!



and also from last season's photo team ... edgar "dancing shoes" m ...
he had my back when some dude wanted to take my spot on the media riser ... george asked me to shoot it for him from his seat and edgar as well and as we were waiting, some fat guy comes in and says he wants my spot ... i told him i was there for george and told him a good spot that i was using for a show earlier that day from where he can get full and half lengths to which he cut me off and said "please, don't tell me how to fucking shoot a show, i've shot over 500 in my life" ... funny how me trying to help him solve HIS problem gets him pissed ... i said "ok dude, then find a fucking spot for yourself" ... and he insisted on having mine and said he talked to george and he said it was okay, so i called him up and what do you think he said? we came to a conclusion which made everyone happy but i think it's hilarious that people try to take advantage of me because they see i'm young.
there was another case when george put me in between two video guys ... and they were right there when he was telling me to stand there and not let anyone get in front of me because i'm house ... and as soon as he left, they were like "you're gunna have to move you know ..." and i was like "so why didn't you say anything when george was here?"

funny.

i mean ... he's not that scary is he? :)


this dj looked kinda creepy ...
he wasn't bad though!

the show's music guy was funny ...
cool view from up there ...


i'm having a really hard time organizing this ... and remembering which pictures i already put in ... fuck! i should have split it in to two or three ...

a model's point of view ...

i really liked this angle for pictures ...


my dad thought the rim lighting in this was photoshopped ...

definitely not. there wouldn't even have been enough time for me to do it if i wanted to. i got home at around midnight every night ... then dumping cards ... charging batteries ... and then doing quick selects of about 1500 pictures every day to be ready for the next day doesn't allow much time for photoshop. i did a custom batch action for resizing, copyrighting and adjusting curves and just hit play on the photos i selected.

but this angle was killer.


i don't even like sitting in the media riser ... everyone there gets the same shit.

but shooting straight in to those lights burnt the retinas after a while ...

i love that lens whatever it is in the pictures from the lights ...

i'm not sure which of the 5 or 6 from this angle i selected that i like best ... but, there were a lot more to choose from. i shot a few shows from there ... i'll see what they choose to put up in the "atmosphere" section of the official site!

sponsors ...



everywhere ...

i found it harder to make atmosphere pictures this year ... the light seemed to be a pinch better last season for that stuff ...

but during shows it was easy, of course!


i love these different angles ...


there's just so much more to be seen than this ...
but that's not bad once in a while either!! very fun actually!
this show was fucking wicked!!!


love wide!!!

"she'd rather go naked in fur"
i thought the protester models were cool!
loved seeing my friends from school at a few of the shows ... either the last day, or second last. i can't remember ... the whole week is a blur. but they are sophie, vanessa and michael!
they all do very nice work! glad they came!! i saw sophie last season as well!

met new people too ... olga!
she does makeup and styling ... very well! she'd like to go to NY fashion week next time!

flash tests on leonard ...
i think i took 4 pictures with flash the entire week ...

i love my new 2.8 lenses!
i used them at f/4 for some of the shows ...
this would be at 2.8 though ...
no comment ...
she knows it ...

i love the vibrant models ...

that was shot from the sound board ... i really like that angle as well!

there were some celebrity look-a-likes there ...

paris hilton/cameron diaz ...
sandra bullock ... who was my favorite model from last season!!


feist ...
i should send this to my friend jackson, who is the real feist's brother ... he'd get a laugh out of it probably!

kirsten dunst ...
and even santa ...
not sure who he was ... i just asked for a picture. i love film!!!

there were some real celebrities too ... part of a charity fashion show for the heart and stroke foundation ...

mary walsh ...
catherine o'hara ...

i think she's so cool ... from home alone ... she fell on the run way and then coming back for her final pose she fell on purpose again ... she's wicked!

jeanne beker ...
i met a girl named joey through dave (my singer) ... and she sent me a message saying that she saw me at a show for her mom's birthday/book launch ... and i wrote back saying "i'm pretty sure jeanne beker had a birthday/book launch that day ... is that your mom?" ... the world proves to be very small once again! i love when things like that happen!

there's jeanne at work ...


and backstage ...


and on the run way for her show featuring kids presented by diesel and bratz ...


more from the heart and stroke celebrity show ... different angle ...





funny light tests ...
robyn kay ... is awesome!


during a press conference with some italian designers from milan!


our mayor made an appearance too!


okay ... some atmosphere!


that was one of george's favorite words this week!

i love doing atmosphere!











i loved shooting with the nikon d2x!


some atmosphere with film!




even old people were there ... who would have fucking guessed??


the floors of backstage ... littered by hair clips!


lots of waiting ...
i really really like this frame ...
i'm excited to make an 11x14 print out of this!!!

these scans are all very contrasty ... i think the lab scanner sucks ... but i'm excited to see what the prints will look like!!

i like this one too!
i don't know what my teachers will think of my series of fashion week for school ... but i think my film stuff sums up what it was for me. maybe not for everyone else, but it's what i remember of it. we'll see!


and atmosphere during shows!





that isn't even a lot! but a photographer was telling me that the amount of press for toronto fashion week is zero compared to NY, LA, paris, milan ... i have no idea, never shot there!


love this!






did a lot of angled shooting ...




one of my favorites of this type of photo ...


i like how just the two faces are visible ...


inside the media lounge ...


and out ...


early when it wasn't packed ... it was crazy how crowded it was by the middle and end of the day ...

and my friend diandra talking with shenae grimes from degrassi ... very nice girl!


now before i get to my favorite ... backstage ... which i saved for last, here are the rest of the photos that i didn't put up yet.


i love including elements like the video guy ...

MR. WONG!!!


very funny photographer. i think he's cool - he was there last season too! actually, quite a few seasons - he's been covering toronto fashion week for like 25 years he said. he gave me a very good massage ... there's a funny story there. my friends sophie, vanessa and michael know it!


edgar and i in the pit!


oh yeah ... this was "weird pose" show ...



not sure what the designer was going for with these poses but the clothes were pretty cool!







fashion TV!!







fuck that's a lot of pictures!!!!





more waiting ...




i like this detail photo ...





damn, i really didn't think there were this many more before backstage! i like this one of the legs too ... i think it's a good juxtaposition of confident vs. shy!



coco!!!!


okay ... some film before backstage!

i love people who aren't afraid to let loose!


and the orangina girls!!

i wish these people could see these!

keith from the toronto star in the media lounge! i think this was f/1.4 at 800 asa at 1/20th ... it's dark there!


okay ... NOW for some backstage - continued here!