My Favourite Photos of 2012

"Pictures are better than words, because some words are big and hard to understand." - Peter Griffin

This year was a great year for the wannabe photographer in me. I am strictly a hobbyist, but I really feel like I learned a lot in 2012. I was lucky enough to travel to many places: Las Vegas, London, Seattle, Paris, Vancouver, Victoria and more. It provided me with the chance to shoot everything from the Olympics, to weddings to the Eiffle Tower. After sifting through thousands and thousands of photos, here are my favourite shots from the past year, with the stories behind them.

"Full On Double Rainbow"

This picture was taken at the Hoover Dam during a trip to Las Vegas. It was a classic case of being in the right place at the right time. Just as we were about to leave, it started to rain. We drove on the Arizona side of the Dam to get a different vantage point and saw this double rainbow.

"Oceans 1"

A silhouette of my father watching the water fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas shortly after we robbed it with George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

"Apple From The Tree"

My friend Heather brought her little girl with her to a party I had. Heather plays the fiddle and her daughter is learning too.

"Patriotic Paul"

I am a huge Beatles fan. When Paul McCartney played in Edmonton this past November, it was a no brainer that I was going to drive to the 3 hours to see the concert. I was lucky enough to score a great seat and brought my camera along with me.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

"Picture in Picture"

This picture was taken at the beautiful Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. If you ever have the chance to go there, jump at it. It was stunning. I was playing around with depth of field as my girlfriend took some pictures on her iPhone.

"Garth"

2012 was a great year for concerts. I've been a huge Garth Brooks fan since I was a teenager. I was lucky enough to see him in his prime in 1996. He rarely does concerts these days, but he came out of retirement for a night to honour the 100 anniversary of the Calgary Stampede. What a night it was. The Saddledome wouldn't be that loud if the Flames won the cup.

"Tower Bridge"

This is a panoramic shot of the Olympic rings on the Tower Bridge in London.

"Monsieur Accordion"

I spent a night in Paris this summer running around the city with my camera trying to cover as much ground as I could. This man was busking very close to the Notre Dame Basilica under a beautiful full moon.

"Eiffle Tower"

This structure is easily the most photographed building in the world. I got 3 or 4 nice shots of it, but this one is my favourite.

"Maria"

This photo is of Maria Kirilenko warming up on the practice courts at Wimbledon. She might be better known to Canadians as the girlfriend of Alex Ovechkin. I like this photo because it shows how relaxed she was prior to a huge match. You could tell she was having a lot of fun. She caught me taking pictures of her and she even smiled and posed for me. She ended up winning a bronze medal.

"Novak"

Novak Djokovic after just winning a huge rally against Andy Roddick. I had my camera on my lap, ready to go and caught his celebration.

"Shrek's Swamp"

This was taken in Campbell River, BC during a little hike through the woods. 

"May Flowers"

Another shot from the Butchart Gardens. I like the colours in this photo. The Butchart Gardens are a great place to take photos, but also just to walk around. The grounds there are world class.

My top 3 Favourite Photos

"Seattle Sunset"

This portrait was taken on the ferry from Victoria to Washington State, enroute to Seattle. We were a little tried from a week of long days of travelling. It was another case of good timing. We were watching a movie on my laptop and decided to go the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee. When we got out of my truck we saw this beautiful sunset on the Pacific Ocean. I ran and grabbed my camera and got her to pose for me.

"Pigeon Man"

I took well over a thousand photos in Paris in just over 24 hours. This picture was literally the last one. I made my way to the train station to head back to London. For the first time in my life I was early for something so I went for a little walk. I left the station and walked a block away and saw this homeless man feeding some pigeons. The sun was setting right in my face which setup a great silhouette. I was happy with all the shots from Paris, but this was definitely my favourite.

"The Great One"

This is the only picture that I didn't take, and ironically it's my favourite picture from this year. I got to live a dream this year when I played hockey with Wayne Gretzky in February. It's my favourite picture for many reasons. Mostly because it is an action shot of me with the greatest hockey player of all time, but also because it was taken by Bruce Bennett. I call him the "Gretzky" of hockey photography. He is a legend in the business. He shot some of the most important hockey games ever played from Canada Cups, to the Olympics, to Stanley Cups, etc... You name it, and he shot it. On top of that, he is a really nice guy who was more than happy to answer questions, and offer advice. It was a true honour to meet him. Visit his website to see his portfolio. The hockey history that he documented is amazing .