Alan Dickson Photography

There is no denying it - Thunder Bay is a goldmine for the Arts! Denise Smith is a young, vibrant Thunder Bay resident in her final year of the Lakehead University Fine Arts Program. She is applying for the Masters Program at the University of Manitoba and needed to send some images of her current work, so she gave Alan a call to shoot the pieces. The design specs were pretty specific so Alan had to build a custom background not only to hold the hanging pieces, but also to fulfill the requirements of the University. Several different lighting techniques were also required, from full to graduated, and Alan worked with Denise to achieve those specific looks. We photograph many art pieces for the local arts community (and now with our new 44" printer, we will be able to print fine art pieces on canvas for all our clients), but rarely have we seen such imagination and creativity at work. Denise is a very gifted ceramic artist, and some of her pieces are going to be on display at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery (at the corner of Park and Court) over the next few weeks. They are super charming, happy and whimsical, and you can't help but smile. She also specializes in 'Box Art' images, a style developed by Joseph Cornell in the early to mid 1900s. Denise has chronicled her childhood through this art form, from dolls to Viewmasters to costume jewelry, with vivid faces peeking out from unexpected places. Take a look at some of the highlights:

   

   





    



Good luck in the future, Denise! You are a bright and shining star in the Arts Scene!


   

Last week we had one of our most enjoyable photo sessions in recent memory! Krystyna Cappello is the Marketing Manager for the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and this upcoming year (2010-2011 season), the TBSO is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a part of Thunder Bay's cultural history. So how do you celebrate a milestone like that? She'd been mulling that idea over and over for weeks, and suddenly, at 3:00 one morning, it hit her - you commemorate the past by celebrating the future! Music is such a part of our everyday lives  (can you even imagine a teenager without an iPod stuck in their ears??) and especially as children, music is 'instrumental' in creating energy, joy and a sense of well-being. She asked some of her musicians to bring along their little ones, as well as an assortment of instruments, and we let them loose in the studio to see what they might do. Some of the images are priceless, and the morning brought two different artistic fields together in a rich, funny, meaningful and at times beautiful session. These are only some of the images that I loved best:




     





    





    

Thanks go out to Krystyna, her willing musicians and their most wonderful children for participating in a truly unique campaign that celebrates life, joy and the power of music. Also, congratulations to the TBSO for 50 impressive years bringing music of all sorts to their Thunder Bay audience. I know the next 50 will be just as spectacular!

We've been shooting Pat and Laura Szturm's Christmas photos since their wedding in 1997 and it's been fun seeing the kids arrive, grow and change. Every year, they come up with something original - one year using the white room as an ice rink for dressing as hockey and figure skaters, another year coming as Mr. & Mrs. Claus and two elves and one reindog, and people eagerly await what they are going to think of next. This year it was a stroke of genius to think of the Olympic Spirit, as Canada is hosting the Winter Games in 3 months, and Alan gets energized from their willingness to take chances, have fun and just play. They are a busy family, with Pat at Investors Group, Laura a nurse, and both Erin and Tyler actively involved in extra-curricular sports,  so daytime sessions are a rarity but Alan is more than willing to work in the evenings to accommodate their schedules. Take a look at a few of the shots they came up with:









Props to Pat and Laura, Erin and Tyler (and don't forget Jake!) for being such good 'sports' in this Olympic season. Go Team Canada!

There are a number of videographers that Alan works with during the wedding season, and one of his favourites, is Nathan Allard of "Are You There?" Video. Nathan is a quiet guy with a professional eye and natural, photojournalistic style. We came across some shots of Nathan at various weddings we'd done together, and thought we'd put them up as a little peak behind the scenes for a videographer. Here are a few of these images:







At the end of the season, he pulled together some clips of Alan at work and put it together in a video montage that just makes you smile! Check it out:



Thanks, Nathan, for that fun and entertaining spot! Can't wait to work with you next year! Check out his site here.

Family portraits can be a blast! Michelle and Jim had been planning a portrait session for years, but it just never came together...until today! Michelle had an idea of what she wanted and had been on the web to check out different portrait styles. So when they came in with their three girls (and two dogs!), her ideas meshed with Alan's and the creative sparks started to fly. Alan has been inspired in the last few years by portrait photographers from California, Australia and Texas (all southern shooters...hmm...), and Michelle's inspiration was actually one of the same photographers that Alan admires! The family had taken the time to co-ordinate clothing styles to create a harmonious look. Take a look of some of the images:











What a fabulous time, with fabulous results! Thanks go out to Michelle, Jim, Taylor, Hailey and Alexis (can't forget Jake and Fritz!) for giving this shoot a great, Southern Style and Flair!

One of the neatest things about shooting pregnancy shots is when, just a few weeks later, the babies come back in for a session! Paula and Gino were due this fall, so we brought them in for a 'baby belly' shot in late August. Then, in October, little Dominic returned for his own portrait session, and boy, is he cute! Atmosphere is crucial for newborn photography - the studio is warmed up nice and toasty, the lights are dimmed and all noise is kept to a minimum. Dominic's eyes were so expressive - big and dark and very curious, even at such an early age. Both parents are so proud of the little guy and rightly so. Here are some highlights of both pregnancy and newborn sessions:

    



    


Thanks Paula and Gino for letting us photograph your son, and thanks to Dominic Benjamin for being such a co-operative subject, both inside the belly and out!

If you live in Thunder Bay, when you think of hockey, you think of the Staal family. So when Kleenex Canada called us to ask about shooting a national campaign for them this August, Alan jumped at the chance. We've known the family for a few years now and had the honour of shooting Eric and Tanya's wedding in 2007. We booked off the entire day, as Kleenex Canada shipped up hundreds of hats, pucks and sticks for the brothers to sign, and for a few hours our studio looked like the Hockey Hall of Fame! Of course, their mom Linda was there for the shoot as well, since she IS Thunder Bay's #1 Hockey mom.









So look for the Kleenex boxes this winter with Thunder Bay's #1 Hockey family on it, and remember that this national campaign really DOES have its roots deep in Thunder Bay! And many thanks to Eric, Jordan, Marc, Jared and most especially Linda, for making this a great shoot for me!