Cover of North/Land

I’m honoured to contribute a portfolio of selected work to the Satellite Gallery in Vancouver as part of the Ten Thousand Suns exhibit, curated by Jeremy Jaud. An description of the exhibit from their website:

Satellite Gallery presents Ten Thousand Suns, a new group exhibition that features works in sculpture, audio, video and performance by Rebecca Belmore, Tanya Tagaq, Luke Parnell, Guadalupe Martinez, Abbas Akhavan, Jamie Look, Ali Ahadi, Erin Siddall, Carlos Colín and Brianne Nord-Stewart. These artists investigate our past and present relationships to resource extraction, the body and land.

The location of the exhibition in downtown Vancouver—a global resource exploration hub, major international port and un-ceded First Nations territory—is home to some 1,200 junior mining exploration companies that operate globally. Coal alone accounts for almost 40% of the total volume of goods moved through the Port of Vancouver. At present only three land-claim agreements have been ratified in all of British Columbia.

The exhibition brings together contemporary artists from British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Argentina, Iran and Mexico. Exploring effacement, memory and remembering this exhibition will consider the layered interconnections of policy with respect to resource-based development projects in Canada and globally, modern technology and artistic practice.

Ten Thousand Suns is curated by Jeremy Jaud, a UBC Critical and Curatorial Studies MA Candidate. This exhibition is made possible with support from the Michael O’Brian Family Foundation, the Killy Foundation, Government of the Northwest Territories, and the Audain Endowment for Curatorial Studies through the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory in collaboration with the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at The University of British Columbia, and Satellite Gallery.

My portfolio, North/Land, is a visual look at the Canada’s North and the people who call it home in the face of resource development and political mandates. Below is the work as it appears in the book. If you are in Vancouver, I invite you to go see this great exhibit. If you would like to purchase a copy of North/Land, please get in touch: patkanephoto@arcticmail.com

Click pages and spreads to view larger.

Photo by Samantha Stuart

Last week I held a workshop on using remote speedlites outside. We had a great turnout, with 14 photographers showing up. We also had three awesome models who helped out. During the class, the photogs broke out into 3 teams and I gave them a few instructions/techniques on how to set up and balance your artificial light source with sunlight, which can be tricky even for seasoned pros. From there, the photogs were given a few “assignments” to shoot. Here are a few images from some of the photographers, many of which have never done tried this before. I think they did a great job! Special thanks go out to Kim Henderson, Linna O’Hara and Thomsen D’Hont for modelling for us! Enjoy the photos!

Samantha Stuart

Valerie Pond

Darren Horn

Jocelyn Christensen-Blondin

Riley Veldhuizen-Dunphy

John Clark

Marcus Jackson

Gawain Jones

LOCATION-LIGHTING TECHNIQUES FOR IN THE FIELD PORTRAITURE

The Fishin’ Technician at the Mirage Islands, Great Slave Lake.

Whether you’re an amateur or professional photographer, whether you specialize in family, wedding, corporate, commercial or editorial photography, there will come a time when you’ll want to incorporate studio strobe or off-camera flash into your repertoire. In Light! On the Land! I will walk you through some of the basics of location lighting, discuss the unique challenges location lighting brings, and then offer some problem solving insight to help you create dynamic images that really pop. With the help of some great models and interesting outdoor locations in Yellowknife, you will be asked to produce a series of portraits that showcase your unique style and creative vision. These “in the field” assignments, coupled with group-based edits will take you from concept to final image in a fun, supportive, team oriented atmosphere.

If you are interested in participating in this engaging day of Yellowknife photography, please contact me at: patkanephoto@arcticmail.com.

WHEN: Sunday, August 11, 2013

HOURS: 5-9pm

COST: $125 + gst (a $50 non-refundable deposit is required for your reservation. Deposit will be deducted from total purchase price at workshop).

CONTACT: patkanephoto@arcticmail.com

DESCRIPTION: This workshop – designed for people who are well-versed with their camera but are looking to really bring their lighting skills to a new level  – will see our group focus on creating stunning location portraits using studio strobes, speedlites, various light modifiers, and with the assistance of some experienced models.

Pat has extensive experience in using both studio and off-camera flash systems to dramatically light his subjects in engaging ways; in this portion of the workshop, Pat will lead participants through the whole process of taking an idea or a subject and translating it to a powerful portrait.  This includes conceptualizing a portrait, location scouting, setting up lights effectively, and working with your subject to produce an image that’s reflective of the story you’re trying to tell through the image.

ASSIGNMENT/CRITIQUE:  One of the most unique elements of this workshop is that participants will be able to apply their skills and head out on an assignment to produce their own striking images.  There will be several models on hand throughout the workshop for the purposes of demonstration and that students can use in their own assignments.

After the assignment participants will gather together for a post-critique and sharing session.  We want to see your great images!

To see more of my work, please visit my website: www.patkanephoto.com