Got the new business cards today. They’re looking great and are going to be an awesome way to have a portfolio on the go!
Aug 152010
Aug 112010
An old one from the archives – Summer 2006 with Maegan & Sherri taking a break by the bow river in Banff National Park.
Testing some new flash equipment, I decided to snap my favourite GT race car; the FIA GT dominating Mercedes-AMG CLK-GTR, a 1:12 scale model of the vehicle in my collection;
Following the design that Porsche had laid out with their 911 homologation special, Mercedes-AMG was tasked by Mercedes-Benz with creating an extreme racing car that still maintained some elements of a normal street legal car. AMG’s designers created a car which shared some design elements with the Mercedes-Benz CLK, yet had all the standard features of a racing car underneath. A Mercedes-Benz M120 V12 engine would be at the heart of the car, mounted behind the cockpit. The bodywork would be made entirely of carbon fiber, and would feature many aerodynamic design elements and cooling openings in order to survive on the race track.
To test the CLK GTR before the first chassis were built, Mercedes-AMG actually took an unusual measure. Through secrecy, Mercedes-AMG was able to purchase a disused McLaren F1 GTR, the defending BPR GT series champion, from Larbre Compétition. This purchase first allowed Mercedes-AMG to see the kind of lap times that their competitors could run, to serve as a measurement of the CLK GTRs abilities. However, more importantly, Mercedes-AMG set about modifying this F1 GTR by attaching bodywork that was meant to go on the CLK GTRs. This allowed Mercedes-AMG to be able to perfect the aerodynamics of the car before it had even been built.
Upon completion of the first two prototypes a mere 128 days after the initial drawings had been made, the CLK GTRs were entered into the 1997 FIA GT Championship season, debuting at the season-opener at one of Mercedes-Benz’s home tracks, the Hockenheimring. Unfortunately the new cars were not able to shine, as brake problems eliminated one car after five laps, and the other finished over 20 laps behind the winning McLaren. However by the next round at Silverstone, the CLK GTR began to show its pace, finishing less than a second behind the winning McLaren. By the fourth round, returning to Germany for the Nürburgring, a third CLK GTR was added to the team. In this race, Mercedes-Benz successfully outperformed the fleet of McLarens, taking first and second places. The team would finish out the season with five more wins, at A1-Ring, Suzuka, Donington, Sebring, and Laguna Seca, allowing them to secure the team championship as well as the drivers championship for Bernd Schneider.
Aug 082010
For the first time in over a year and a half, the time finally came to upgrade my trusty workstation for image editing and composition. With the release of Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5 combined with the growing needs of large format production, the old workstation was finally beginning to show its age and thus came time for an overhaul. Much like the 2009 series UNITY Workstations that Calgary Theatre Systems offered, this new machine had the simple goal of setting the benchmark when it came to reliability, scalability, image processing power, and consistent output. The system developed to assist in producing the photographs, prints and books shown on this site, while also serving as a technology demonstration of the workstation capabilities of UNITY for Calgary Theatre Systems. I’m proud to introduce our new UNITY Visual Computer and would like to thank our technology sponsors at Intel & ATI for their development support with this project.
Custom built UNITY Visual Computers targeted towards the demanding imaging & workstation professionals are now available for order.
Please contact me for specification and customization options.
After a day of tweaking and tinkering, here’s the final result;
And of course, I really did have to test it out on something demanding, might as well make it Starcraft II;
Aug 012010
Just as the sun broke and lit up the peaks; I think I’ll return next year earlier to do a milky way shot instead of sunrise.
I had an opportunity today to see the moon set over the Rocky Mountains shortly followed by the magic hour of sunrise lighting the mountain range. Lake Moraine at 530am with no crowds, no sounds and just a smattering of golden light is a sight to behold.
Jul 262010
October 7 – 20, 2011. This departure is limited to a maximum of twelve participants. It is intended for people of all levels of interest and accomplishment in film, or digital photography. While the emphasis will be on photography, this is also a cultural journey, which we believe will enhance your ability to capture the essence of Hong Kong in your images.
From the bustling street markets, cosmopolitan metropolis and all the way up to the lookout on Victoria Peak, Hong Kong offers a very distinct journey into architecture, east meets west and religious retreats. Join us as we explore a city entrenched in Chinese tradition, grown on colonial influence and now shining as a jewel of the modern China. Prepare to be dazzled by a breathtaking symphony of lights in cosmopolitan Hong Kong. City-lovers worldwide rank Hong Kong among their must-see destinations, and for good reason.
A former British colony perched on the edge of mainland China, Hong Kong is a fascinating city of contrasts—a place where East meets West; where the modern blends with the traditional; where shiny skyscrapers stand next to narrow alleys crammed with traditional vendors’ stalls; where new technology flourishes alongside ancient Chinese customs. With its glorious harbor, excellent shopping, renowned restaurants, and some of the best nighttime skylines in the world, Hong Kong has it all.
For more information, contact us or visit our Photo Expedition page for more details.
Jul 252010
Jul 182010
