vancouver fashion and portrait photography

Sometimes opportunities arise that are once in a lifetime photographic events. The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is one of those global events. This conference, named COP15 , is the 15th meeting of international leaders from nations around the world, to discuss global negotiations on climate change and carbon pollution.  Climate change is a global issue with its effects creating devastating damage on communities in varying degrees. This conference, like its 14 predecessors, was initiated to create change by brokered negotiators appointed by various countries but COP15 is particularly special because the entire world has rallied together to in global campaigns to promote the responsibility that COP15 carries.

TED took Vancouver by storm when the firt ever TEDx Vancouver was organized and held on Saturday November 21st at EA Video Games in Burnaby. This one day conference was full of speakers, videos of TED talks and musicians that followed the main idea of 'Ideas Worth Spreading'. TED is a series of conferences that are centrally focused on technology, enterainment and design. Held all over the world, TED is often synonymous with inspiring ideas, motivating ancedotes and informational sessions that propel the audience into the future.

How could Static Photography say no when asked to participate in the first annual ReThink Hawaii conference in stunning Waikiki. Three days full of geeks on a island, discussing topics such as business, technology and sustainability made ReThink: Hawaii the perfect working vacation destination for all of the hard-working participants who attended. Kris Krüg had his camera in hand and a lei around his neck the entire week, all the while capturing the rad events of this awesome conference.

(cross-posted from Kris' personal blog )

Darren Rowse interviewed me this week about taking photos of people - portrait photography specifically - for a new book he has coming out on the topic. Thanks a lot for including me Darren. You do great work and it's an honor to be a part of it! :)

Here's a rough transcript of the interview:

Every year when the leaves are turning those beautiful autumn colors, hundreds of people gather on the New England coast of Camden, ME for the annual Poptech Conference . With three full days (over 9 hours a day!) of intellectual packed lecture series from talented artists, scientists, inventors and change agents from around the world, this conference saturates the participants with new ways of thinking, motivated inspiration and current who's who list of people that are making a global difference. Static Photography had the opportunity to go again this year, to capture the entire event. With camera in hand Kris Krüg was front and center to capture all of the dynamic speakers and talented musicians.

Static Photography has been in Camden, ME this past week for the amazing Pop!Tech 2009 Conference. Three full days of sessions with speakers from around the world all talking around the topic of Reimagining American. The third day was just as jam packed with knowledge as the first two days. Kris Krug has had his hands full shooting all the speakers during this busy week. The third day's sessions were divided into four themes: (R)mixed Messages, Edible Futures, Meaningful Engagements and Healthy Desserts.

It has been an amazing ride for Static Photography out here in Camden, ME for the 2009 PopTech Conference . Day Two was fillled with amazing speakers, amazing musicians and complete with a full fledged ice cream social to end the eventful day. The sessions on Day Two focused around Re:imagining America and speakers were categorized into four themed sections. Those sections were: Mindshifts, Teaching Change, Energy/Form/Motion and Challenging Conversation. Kris Krug has been very busy shooting all these innovative speakers but it's worth it!

Static Photography has been at the PopTech Conference in Camden, Maine for a few days now and it has been a photographic whirlwind! Kris Krug has been shooting photos of all the speakers during the sessions of the conference. The best and brightest have been here talking about various topics around the theme of Reimagining America. The day one sessions were split into four sessions: The Reset Moment, American Stories, A Keen Sense and The Invisible Made Visible. Here are some photos of the speakers from day one.

Autumn has snuck up right around the corner, as well the Pop!Tech conference that happens in Camden, Maine every year. Static Photography has had the opportunity to be to at the event for the last two years with Kris Krüg being the official photographer. With over speakers and musicians from around the world, this event is life-changing and packed with innovative thinkers, world-changing leaders and our change makers of today. We are really excited to be heading back to Camden this year to photograph this amazing event again!

Static Photography has had the opportunity to travel to many different conferences for awesome photographic opportunities! Whether it is shooting portraits at Microsoft Tech Days , or giving a photo recap talk at Gnomedex 2009 , or even heading back to Pop!Tech to be their official photographer, Kris Krug is definitely busy at conferences. Come this November Kris will have the awesome opportunity to lead a PhotoCamp at the first annual [Re]Think Hawaii conference .

Since the last time we were there, the Microsoft Tech Days conference has continued across Canada, all the way to Toronto. Following just a few weeks behind the Microsoft Tech Days Conference in Vancouver , the Toronto leg of the Microsoft Canadian Tour was September 28-29. Static Photography was present for the all action and to capture many lively and candid portraits of some of Microsoft Canada's employees.

Sometimes events come to Vancouver that are literally a once in a lifetime experience.  Static Photography had the amazing opportunity to document the Global Peace Summit that was organized by the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education in Vancouver. This Summit included two full days of panel discussions with leaders from around the world. The panels varied from the idea of transformative world peace through personal peace to peaceful conflict resolution with compassion. Kris Krug was taking photos of all the world leaders panelists and Danielle Sipple was covering the event for the Dalai Lama Center's blog for the Vancouver Sun .

As an artist it is always exciting when you are given the opportunity to showcase you are in a public format. Kris Krug from Static Photography was given this opportunity last week when he was asked to be part of a live concert photography art show titled Front Row at the Fifth Gallery in Austin, TX. The beautiful thing about Austin is that every year Kris attends the SXSW festival that happens there every spring. The tail end of the festival is filled with four days of nonstop live performances in venues all over the city of Austin. A large chunk of Kris' live concert photography is shot at the SXSW music festival every year.

Microsoft Tech Days was held in Vancouver, BC this past week as part of a cross-Canada tour that Microsoft curates every year. This two day conference was filled with multiple tracks that showcased sessions for developers and technologists that work with Microsoft software. There were six tracks held simultaneously with one bonus track that introduced bonus material for developing within a Windows operating system cell phone. Static Photography was on scene for the conference and Kris Krug had the opportunity to photograph some of the amazing people that helped create the sessions for Microsoft Tech Days Vancouver.

Photo by Kena Betancur / EPA. Used with permission by Oxfam International . Gonaivez, Haiti.

In less than 100 days, over 180 nations will be meeting in Copenhagen to discuss international negotiations around the global community's carbon emissions. This is not an easy task in any means for this is the 15th time these nations have met and the past 14 times, have failed to come up with a common solution. Many initiatives have started up around this important conference to spread the word of the importance of COP15 conference negotiations. Static Photography has been working with the global initiative TckTckTck with their project called Time To Click to spread the word of climate change through the use of photos taken around the world.

Static Photography just returned to Vancouver from the 2009 Gnomedex conference that was held in Seattle, WA. Organized by Chris Pirillo from Lockergnome, Gnomedex is an annual technology geekfest that brings the brightest from the online world to talk about the advances that the internet is having on its surrounding world, online and offline.

Arson clothing is a rad international clothing company that specializes in outerwear for the athletic community. Their style ranges from surf clothing to snowboard clothing to all around comfortable summer clothing. Static Photography has had the opportunity to shoot the last ten catalogs for the international clothing company Arson. All of them have been really different and fun and showcases the clothing in fun, creative environments that reflect the style of the season.

At Static Photography it is always exciting when we get the opportunity to shoot a live concert event. Usually a line-up includes one or two really awesome bands (unless it is the SXSW Music Festival !) but sometimes special events when stellar line-ups occur. Such was the Blazed and Confused tour that just came through Vancouver. This prolific tour included the musical acts of Beardo , Mickey Avalon , Slightly Stoopid and Snoop Dogg . Each of these acts in a solo performance would have been amazing, so to have them all on stage for one night was truly a sight. Stephen Marley was on the original tour line-up but was unable to make the Vancouver stop. :(

For the last two years Kris Krug has had the opportunity to be the official photographer of Pop!Tech , a 4 day fall conference that happens in Camden, ME. Over the past two years he has shot dozens of speakers while they were presenting on a wide range of topics, including inner-city violence , the fate of the oceans , musical possibility , linguistic theory and emotional robot technology . From musicians to leaders to the change makers of the present world, Pop!Tech has hosted them and Kris has photographed them.

So Static Photography has been very busy since we got back from Shanghai, China. We were in Shanghai for two weeks with a schedule booked very full! Kris was shooting photos for his book Chinameme Vol. 1 Shanghai which he is co-authoring with Christine Lu. While in China Kris also spoke at TEDxShanghai and attended BarcampShanghai , which he helped start back in 2006. We also attended Shanghai's and China's first ever Gay Pride Celebration , a Ghostface Killah concert that was promoted by Splitworks Production as well as a few other events. We met new friends, shots hundreds of photos and explored many parts of the 25 million person city, under the burgeoning heat of Shanghai's summer.