Canada Rowing Mens 8 - Olympic Champions 2008

Cleve Dheensaw sports journalist for the local Times Colonist Newspaper with a well written article about The Eight Book in this mornings sports sections.

Thank you Cleve for the support with this book and over the many years not only coverage rowing in Victoria but all sports for youth to amateur to professional.

You are a true champion of your craft.

Three Days Grace, Finger 11 and Royal Tusk put on a massive show in Victoria on Sunday night. I’m surprised the SOFMC is still standing. I have not seen such a passionate, excited fan base and sound quality since Jelly Roll played the same venue last year.

Didn’t get a chance to meet in the pit between the stage and the fans, but photographer Sanjay Parikh has some fantastic photos from the concert, totally worth checking out if you haven’t already.

Exiting to work with Michael Chisholm covering FC Supra du Québec first Canadian Premier League match against Pacific FC on the weekend. I knew I would likely have the opportunity and added pressure of photographing the team’s first goal in franchise history which I did coming in the 34th minute off the foot of Loïc Kwemi. Then a total bonus for the visiting team as with the game tied 2 -2 deep into stoppage time Alexandre Marcoux (the second overall CPL-U SPORTS draft pick) played hero scoring the winning goal and lifting FC Supra to their first victory of the CPL season as well as in franchise history.

On Sunday I brought my 600mm lens downtown for two hours of street and feature photography. A 600mm is usually found on the sidelines of a sports field — not walking down city streets — but every now and then it’s a good idea to do the opposite of what you think makes sense.

I had no real plan. I started at the Legislature, where people had gathered at the cenotaph in solidarity with those protesting political instability in Iran. I wandered toward the water and spotted two men paddling a beautiful wooden canoe past a bright yellow Prince of Whales boat.

From there I headed to Dallas Road and walked out to Finlayson Point, where a hummingbird perched perfectly on a branch and the view stretched east toward Clover Point. I made my way back downtown to Yates Street, chasing the last light as it hit different sections of the street — a man walking his dog, a woman doing her makeup in the reflection of a storefront window.

On the drive home, the moon began rising over the horizon. Blue sky, sunshine, Sunday evening — I knew people would be gathered at the top of PKOLS taking it in. From Lohbrunner Road near the Lochside Trail, I found the perfect angle for a 600mm.

Shooting features downtown with a 600mm definitely draws attention — and plenty of curious questions — but ending the day photographing the moon with my son beside me, excited to capture it himself on my camera and his iPhone, was the best part of all.

UrbanMoments ChasingLight Moonrise PKOLS Telephoto LongLens FeaturePhoto ExploreBC PhotographyLife FatherAndSon EveningLight YYJ

A family-focused two-game set between the Victoria Royals and Wenatchee Wild brought plenty of emotion and intensity. The Royals honored their incredible billet families and 20-year-old players, and also took part in celebrating Lunar New Year by wearing special themed jerseys during warm-ups.

The Wild came away with the win on Friday night, but the Royals answered back with a big victory on Saturday. With both teams battling hard for the final WHL playoff spot.

On a personal note thank you to the staff who have been so patient and helpful while I have been learning and experimenting with the remote camera placed over the goal in the catwalk. 🙏

Portraits of Jennifer Gunter, Principal Bassoon of the Victoria Symphony and bassoon instructor at the University of Victoria.

Jenny recently partnered with Fox Products Corporation as a featured artist and required some updated photos. We set up in my home studio and shot for about 30 minutes, developing a few fun ideas inspired by images of other artists on the Fox website, along with some creative concepts of our own.

I really enjoy these types of photoshoots, where creativity, technical ability, and intrapersonal skills come together. Helping a subject feel comfortable and at ease—especially when being in front of the camera can be a uncomfortable experience—is just as important as the technical side, resulting in images that the subject, photographer, and client can all be proud of.

Thank you Jenny for a wonderful afternoon.

Anaheim Ducks vs Vancouver Canucks prior to the Olympic break.

Construction continues as one of the final sections of glass is installed on TELUS’s 10-storey Ocean Tower along Douglas Street near Victoria’s Inner Harbour, in British Columbia, Canada, on January 20, 2026.

Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the building takes the form of a glass prism, defined by a striking curtain-wall façade. Once complete in mid-2026, TELUS Ocean will deliver Class-A office space and become a prominent new landmark on Victoria’s evolving downtown skyline.

Victoria Royals vs. Spokane Chiefs – First Net Cam & Catwalk Remote Experience

This was my first time operating a net cam and a catwalk remote. The first hurdle was upgrading my PocketWizard from version 2 to version 3 and adding the e-release upgrade. Version 2 works for the net cam but its signal isn’t strong enough to reach the catwalk. After a month of searching, I tracked down three version 3 units on the used market—two from Saskatoon and one kindly sold to me by my friend and fellow photographer Jordan Leigh.

Accessing the catwalk was another challenge. Arena staff had to trust me and my setup. Two magic arms—one for the camera, one for the lens—mounted with a 70-200 focused at 70mm.

For the net cam, I experimented with a 10-18mm RF mirrorless lens on a Canon R5 Mark II instead of the traditional 15mm. Its small size allowed me to cut a tiny hole in the plexi that a puck can’t fit through, while still giving a wide-angle view. The crop factor makes it effectively 16mm, so I can’t see both posts—annoying—but the images have less distortion and don’t feel like a typical net cam photo, which I enjoy.

A downside of the RF mirrorless lens is that, without a mechanical connection between the focus ring (which I tape down on the EF 15mm), a physical shock can interrupt the electronic communication and cause a “loss of control,” leaving the image out of focus. In the second period, a puck lightly bumped the net cam, and all the images afterward were out of focus.

When selecting I focus on image quality and try to forget whether the image is from my handheld cameras from between the benches, the net cam, or the catwalk setup as It’s easy to let the complexity of the setups bias my perception, so I remind myself to judge the photo on its own merits which is sometimes easier said than done.

Monster truck fans young and old filled the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for car-crushing monster truck racing, a wheelie contest, and high-flying freestyle motocross action.
The fans seemed to be having a wonderful time, and for me it was especially memorable because it was the first time I’d seen the arena operations staff open the windows around the roof to help the exhaust fumes escape whilst allowing the sunlight to filter into the building, giving the event an outdoor feel something I hadn’t experienced there before.

For lenses I kept it simple choosing a 70-200mm 2.8 and a 16-35mm 2.8 on two R5 mark2 camera bodies.

Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks made a visit to Vancouver to take on the Canucks on December 27th.
Definitely a pleasure to watch him play — especially when part of the job is to track him whenever he’s on the ice, and even when he’s on the bench I notice much more than I would if I was at the game as a fan.
He skates with the same intensity on offence as he does on defence, and at 19 he may still be a bit young to wear the “C,” but there was no doubt in my mind who the leader of this team is. Next year, at age 20 — just one year later than Sidney Crosby — I wouldn’t be surprised to see that “C” on his chest.