Synesthesia

     Aside from photography, music is a huge love of mine, It stands to reason that it's just a matter of time before I took on a project where the two interests meet. For the last two years I've been shooting portraits of musicians engaged in their art. These portraits are all about the connection between musician and medium and where then connection takes both musician and listener. As with every personal project, new ideas and new projects and are born. I have to admit there has not been a project I have worked on in some time that I can say I am as proud to be a part of as I am of the album photography shot for Asif Illyas' new album solo album Synesthesia.

     The dictionary defines Synesthesia as "the subjective experience of a sense other than the one being stimulated."

     The music created by Asif on his new solo album is exactly that. An audio experience composed and delivered in such a stunning and beautifully full way that when you listen to it you can practically see colours, feel the textures and float through tones on each track.

     It was so nice to not only collaborate with a close friend, but someone who also happens to have such a deep appreciation for imagery, both in a literal sense and through his music. The main image for the album is a painting done my Asif. Using that painting and the music itself as inspiration we where able to create a series of photographs to be used as supporting elements used throughout the entire album, from the back cover, to the gatefold, the inside booklet and even the vinyl record labels themselves. (Yup you read right, the main release is a 4 side vinyal, of course the album will be available on CD and digital release as well) Here are some of the images used.

     The physical environment in each shot is meant to reflect the textures and tones of the music. Each scientific flask contains a liquid with the colour of each individual track.

     To truly appreciate these concepts you should listen to listen to the album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WffMhmDMgwE

     Heres an acoustic version on one of the tracks on the album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVSbX7aKgys&feature=youtu.be

     The album release date is Friday, April 19th. Asif is playing songs from the new album at a concert that evening at the music room. You can buy tickets here:

http://etixnow.com/events/asif-illyas-apr-19

So this is officially my first blog post that doesn't have anything to do with photography. Well, not directly. I was shooting some images of a downtown Halifax landmark at dusk for an ad client. I finished shooting after there was no more usable light and met up with my girlfriend. Being March in Halifax, it started to get a little chilly after the sun went down and the two of us decided to go on the hunt for something warm to drink before we headed back across the harbour. She suggested Ray's Haus in the south end. (on Fenwick St.) I had never been and I have to admit It was fantastic! The coffee was great and I ate something completely decedent and delicious called an apple bomb. (Its an actual pitted apple, cut up with and the put back together with sugar and caramel in between the pieces, then wrapped in a pastry and baked.) It was absolutely incredible! Next time you are in the south end of Halifax, give Ray's Haus a try. You won't be disappointed! Attached is a pic I took of the apple bomb and another dish I saw at Ray's Haus.

I took this shot of Brittany on the balcony of our room at the Chelsea Hotel during a recent trip to NYC. It was a great place to go to get creatively inspired. After spending a day at the MoMA and the International Center for Photography, I couldn't help but take a few shots of her at the end of a day. I actually lit her with a bunch of hotel room lamps stacked on a table inside the window with their shades removed. (I didn't bring any lighting equipment with me and it was too impatient to wait another day to rent any) The Hotel staff where so accommodating by turning on the hotel sign an hour early for us. We only had a window of about 15 minutes where the sky was perfect and this shot was one of my favorites out of the bunch.

This portrait I took of my grandmother when she came out to Nova Scotia for a visit. I really wanted to capture more than just an image of her, also portray her calm beautiful presence and strength that is her. Of all of the portraits I've taken, these are among my favorite.

This unexpected portrait came out of an editorial assignment I shot for Lifestyle magazine with fellow photographer, and good friend Andrew Chow. The two of us where originally sent up to document a small family run fish smokehouse in rural Nova Scotia that had recently gained international notoriety. The client was more interested in photographs that documented the process. However, at the end of the day when we where getting ready to pull away, I had to make Chow stop the car so I could run in and grab one last shot. Just lit it with ambient and a diffused a Canon hand held flash through a small soft box. This portrait was the outcome.

When I was approached to shoot the main image for the 30th Atlantic Film Festival I was excited at the opportunity to work on a campaign that not only highlighted uniquely maritime environments, but also inserted them into a clever concept and delivery that juxtaposed them with stereotypes of the "glam" film industry.

Although the copy and design is still being applied, here is the photography with the first draft copy in place. These shots where taken at 3 different beaches in Nova Scotia. The "Red Carpet" Shot is actually a composite shot, with the boardwalk photographed at Conrad's Beach and the limousine and some of the beach grass photographed a few days later at Martinique beach. The "Walk of Fame" Shot was taken just outside of Lawrencetown and the "Star Spotting" shot was taken at dusk at Martinique. (They are probably going to run a version I shot from the back of the chairs. I just happen to like this one better.)

I owe a lot of thanks to assistant John McKenzie for dragging so much heavy gear across beaches that I'm sure seemed a lot longer with that much heavy stuff, the models Tracey Crabtree and Adam Reid who did the next to impossible by holding poses while under attack by clouds of mosquitoes, Jim Rogers for arranging vehicles and transportation, David Muir for supplying the star fish, Ann Douglass for providing vintage beach chairs and Signature Limousine for giving us a stretch and providing us with an amazing driver who went far above and beyond the call of duty by doubling as an assistant when we where short a pair of hands.

This week I got the opportunity to photograph Graphic Designer and Guitarist Andy Wood. I really enjoyed creating a portrait that juxtaposed a relaxed and casual Andy against the very regal and formal setting of the Georgian Lounge at the Lord Nelson Hotel. We did a total of four different set ups in just under three hours and of those four, these two were the shots I thought were the strongest. I was grateful to have the very capable hands of my assistant Kelci to help set up, tear down and move equipment four times in under three hours to get the shots I wanted in the tight time frame I was working with.