111-A Adelaide Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3N 2P1
Tel: 902-479-1591 Mobile Office: 902-225-9384
Email: presspics@gmail.ca
Web: http://pro-shooter.tripod.com
Accomplishments and Credits
PBR Halifax, Official PBR Photographer, 2006
JUNO Awards, photographer, 2006
Judge, Better Newspapers Competition, 2005
Judge, Better Newspapers Competition, 2003
East Coast Music Awards, Photographer, 2003
World Junior Hockey Championships, Photographer, 2003
G-7 Finance Ministers Summit, Photographer, 2002
Canadian College Athletic Association, Photographer, 2002
Canadian Interuniversity Sport, Photographer, 2002
Digby
Arts Council, Official Photographer, 2001
Canadian Postmasters
Association, Convention Photographer, 2001
Maud Lewis Folk
Festival, Official Photographer, 2001
Digby Scallop Days, Official
Photographer, 2001
Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union,
Official Media, 2001
Atlantic University Sport, Official Media,
2001
Halifax Regional Municipality Police Service, Official Media,
2001
Hand Hills Stampede, A-List Media, 2000
Red Deer Makin'8
Silver Buckle Rodeo, A-List Media, 2000
Canadian Professional Bull
Riders, A-List Media, 1999
Canadian Finals Rodeo / Farmfair
International, A-List Media, 1999
Canadian Bull Riders
Association, Official Media, 1998
Professional Bull Riders,
Official Media, 1996
Canada's Cowboy Festival, Calgary, A-List
Media, 1996
Chinook Rodeo Association, Media, 1995
Professional
Rodeo Cowboys Association, A-List Media, 1994
Calgary Exhibition &
Stampede, A-List Media, 1994
Canadian Professional Rodeo
Association, Official Media, 1994
Foothills Cowboys Association,
A-List Media, 1991
Employment & Experience
September 2005 – Present
Self-Employed Reporter-Photographer
Contribute news and advertising features to The Daily News weeklies and a series of private and public clients. I also am the only place east of Toronto where you can rent professional DSLRs, lenses, studio strobes, and sundry gear. I also provide digital post-processing, DVD albums, flash animations, and website templates.
September 2004 – September 2005
Transcontinental Media / The Daily News
Special Features Writer
Editor, The Bedford-Sackville Weekly News
Gavin Beer, Advertising Manager
Assumed a one-year contract working in the advertising department and editing the Bedford-Sackville. I re-worked the paper’s editorial content and style by introducing the concept of an editor who actually appeared in the community, which became the model for the Dartmouth Weekly News and Halifax West Weekly News. Duties included writing, reporting, editing and layout of the weekly newspaper and various special features. I rapidly became the top choice for ad features because I was the only writer with experience in professional sales communications. During my time at the paper I also worked with the freelance contributors to enhance their photography and writing skills.
June 2004 – Present
Communications Nova Scotia
Shirley Robb, Chief Photographer, 902-424-6790
Provide photography services to various government agencies and departments on assignment.
August 2002 – September 2004
Transcontinental Media / The Spectator, Annapolis Royal
Fred Sgambati, Managing Editor, Kentville 902-681-2121
As the professional newsperson in the office, I was responsible for producing a weekly community newspaper using a part-time reporter, community submissions, and freelance contributors. I successfully executed a turnaround in what was a “marginal” product by putting the newspaper back into the hands of the community.
Instead of dictating what made the news, I listened to the community and delivered a product they wanted to buy. I mandated that we would not run press releases to fill news holes; created a sports section; added court reporting; a lifestyles section; arts & entertainment; and re-introduced a brief style for town and county council reports.
I also provided ongoing photography education for my reporter, freelance contributors, and student interns and would argue The Spectator was the most improved product in the former Optipress group of 25 newspapers throughout Atlantic Canada.
According to market statistics, we were in more homes than any other community newspaper in Atlantic Canada and continued to be one of the most successful products in the group. For the 2003 publishing year we won third in the country for Best Front Page and were in the top three for Best Newspaper, I won Best Feature Series and regionally, I received the Boyne/Clarke Trophy for Best National Editorial, third for Best Sports Feature/Story and second for Best Spot News Photo. In 2004, The Spectator was the only newspaper in the former Optipress group to receive national recognition by winning Best Newspaper. Those accomplishments were also recognized with a resolution in the provincial legislature.
July 2002 – Present
The New York Times/International Herald Tribune
I’m the Atlantic region assignment photographer reporting to foreign photo editor, Beth Flynn (bflynn@nytimes.com) and Canadian bureau chief, Clifford Krauss (krauss@nytimes.com). Duties are to provide a selection of photos by deadline based on assignments from the bureau chief. My most memorable assignments were photographing the parents and sister of Canadian soldiers killed by U.S. pilots in Afghanistan and the controversy over Windsor, Nova Scotia’s claim as the birthplace of hockey.
May 2002 – March 2003
Epic Digital Photography, Dartmouth, NS, 902-430-9498
Provided sports action portraiture and event photography under contract. Shot using Nikon system cameras like the Fuji Finepix S1 and Nikon D1H.
July 2001 – April 2002
Transcontinental Media / The Digby Courier, Digby
John DeMings, Editor, 902-245-4715
Reporting to the editor of this community newspaper, my responsibilities were to shoot photographs, find stories, conduct interviews and write weekly stories using CP style. Also performed same tasks for weekly sister publication, The Regional. Received many compliments on photographic skill and news writing depth and style. Stories and photos were also reprinted in Yarmouth Vanguard, Bridgetown Monitor and Annapolis Spectator. I used my website as a holding area for photos to eliminate reliance on floppy disks and continued to provide relevant photos from the Halifax region. I received second spot for Best Feature Photo from ACNA 2001 Better Newspapers Competition and an honourable mention for Best Sports Photo.
March 2002
Hoops.ca Online News Journal, Toronto, ON,
Provided "fantastic shots" of CIS Men’s Final Eight Basketball Championships from Halifax and CCAA Men’s basketball championship from Truro. Duties were to provide edited photos from events along with cutlines on a 2 a.m. deadline. As I had previously photographed the CIS event, I used my portable computer to perform edits between games, then “borrowed” the Halifax Metro Centre’s Internet connection to upload the images.
October 2001 – February 2002
Digby Area Learning Association, Digby, NS, 902-245-7330
Instructor (Part Time)
Because of my passion for photography, I taught a 15-week course in photography as a career to adult learners from the Digby area. Topics included basic camera operation, camera types, lenses, lighting, filters, composition, film, digital imaging, digital darkroom, portfolio creation and finding markets. I provided a structured course curriculum as part of the DALA application process that included a field trip and model shoot. Because of my own career path, I was invited back to DALA in March to speak to a group of about 45 adult learners for 90 minutes about the importance of life long learning.
1984 – Present
Most of my media experience has occurred as a self-employed, professional, rodeo and western lifestyles photographer based out of Calgary, Alberta. I made weekly trips to small town rodeos, horse shows, cowboy festivals, cuttings, pennings and ropings in western Canada and the United States until I returned to Halifax late in 2000. I streamed a Farmer’s Daughter concert live over the Internet during the 1996 Calgary Stampede using two 8mm camcorders and 100 feet of coax cable!! I also broke the story of Ayshea Clements, a teenaged Australian bull rider banned from competing because of her sex, which became the primary source for Australian media follow-up and human rights investigation.
In Nov. 1998, my passion for and promotion of western culture prompted CBC to send a videographer out to Calgary for two weeks. That series of interviews became the five-minute lead story on the premier episode of Culture Shock in January 1999.
Education
Editorial Leadership Conference – Conference, 2003, A corporate weekend to develop writing and photographic skills as trainers and editors. The best, most intense training environment I have ever attended.
Creative Photography – Course, 1990, I took this program to learn more about photography and course content included history, film types, camera operation, composition, lighting, darkroom and filters. Certificate.
Member in Good Standing - Eastern Canadian News Photographer’s Association