Jack Richardson Music Awards 2017

April 29, 2017

2017 Jack Richardson Music Awards In London Ontario Canada in London Music Hall.

NEW YEARS 2016-17!

January 01, 2017

Holy Crap! where did 2016 go?

Well, we're here, it's 2017.. welcome to the future! Hope everyone had an amazing new years and didn't wake up to hung over! 2016 was a fantastic year (for me anyways.. seems like a lot of people had a really rough 2016.. and thats unfortunate), but with some travelling, fun photography opportunities, some new friends gained and some big life changes things have been pretty good. 2017 is a year I really want to push photography and get things moving in the right direction so this post is here to start 2017 off right!

New Years is also my birthday, which almost everyone forgets haha but thats not a big deal. This year I decided I didn't want to go out and do the "usual" .. hit a club or bar or someones house and get wasted, wake up feeling horrible for the next 3 days, I wanted to do something that I wanted to do. For those of you who know me, you know that I'm into concerts and that I love to photograph concerts, even though I can't ever seem to get in to photograph them anymore because i'm not affiliated with a media outlet and you pretty much have to be to get into them these days. This New Years London Ontario, Canada (30 mins from my home town) was putting on a "rockin' New Years " in Victoria Park at the band shell. This years headliner .... FINGER ELEVEN! now, I'm not a huge Finger Eleven fan.. but they have a hand full of songs that I like.. and let me tell you, after this performance I'm a fan! WOW! These guys have so much energy and from the first note of a song, right to the end, they are flawless... every song sounds like like what you hear on the radio/CD. With kids and parents on the big Ice Rink behind us, my camera in my hands front row, Finger Eleven on stage and a big fireworks display off the top of the London Life building behind us.. this New Years/ Birthday was fantastic! I couldn't think of a better way ringing in the new year then doing what I love, photographing a concert, outdoors in winter lol.. it was a little cold but hey.. we're Canadian!

OH!! Ps. ... before anyone points it out... Yes, there are no "full band shot " .. this is simply because I figured I wouldn't be able to get close to the stage as they were expecting 12,000 people so I had an idea of where I was going to shoot from, which would require a long lens, so thats what I had. When I showed up there was absolutely no one at the front lol.... so I went to the front and decided I was just going to shoot single portraits... then of course, some other crap happened like a camera guy in the cage area stood right in front of me and the crowd was so thick I couldn't move around so ... you get to see lots of images of the one guitarist and the singer.. everyone else was hidden from view. I tend to shoot the action people.. the bass player just stands there in the back so there was much of him .. the other guitarist moves around but I couldn't get shots because he was blocked by the singer, a large sub, and the annoying camera man...

- Shutter Click.

© Kevin Vyse Photography All Rights Reserved 2017 FINGER ELEVEN — © Kevin Vyse Photography
All Rights Reserved 2017

FINGER ELEVEN

Family Fall Forest Fun!

November 16, 2016

The leaves were falling, trees looking pretty bare, the sun was out and beaming through the trees and there was a cool breeze making the air crisp as we ventured through the woods out towards the pond. Ashley, her daughter Pyper and I have known each other for years.. we're bestfriends and I'm sure you've all seen them in many of my images. These two I couldn't imagine my life without. There's a strapping young lad amongst these images who goes by the name of Kyle, and he is Ashley's fiance who I am growing fond of and get along with awesomely.. he gave me corn the first time I met him and after this shoot he supplied me with a big bag of Butternut squash.. how could I not like him?

Every year we get together and set up a shoot or two so they always have pictures to see how far they've come and document Pypers growth, which I love. Every time we head out to shoot we always have a blast, Pyper is a dream to photograph always just being a kid and saying " Kevin, take my picture here... now over here.. can I take a picture with your camera? " as she holds down the shutter button and fires off 50 frames of blur lol, love this kid!

Kyles parents have a huge amount of land with tons of forest and a big pond all of which we decided to use for this shoot. It was a bit chilly out and windy so we didn't spend to much time out there, but shot as much as we could before we were to cold. Next summer we will be going back and doing some fun creative stuff out on the lake with the canoe and a fog machine.. so make sure you keep checking back for those.

Over all, we had a great time, made some great images and I can't wait to do it again!

Wish them Bon Voyage as they take off to Florida to experience Disney Land!

ICELAND 2016: A Solo Adventure

September 21, 2016

I remember when all of a sudden, 6 months had flown by. I was at home packing my bags, not sure what to take, freaking out over weight and size of luggage for the trip. I woke up and it was time to go. Drove over to my parents house, parked the car and they drove me up to Toronto to catch my flight on WOWair. I was all excited and nervous all at the same time, worried about getting everything on the plane and what I was going to struggle with once I got to Iceland.

Landing at the Keflavik International Airport in Iceland I was so tired. My flight left Canada at 7:30pm and I arrived in Iceland at 5:30am, and you might think that means the flight was 9 hours.. but it wasn't. Iceland is 4 hours AHEAD of Ontario, so it was a 5 hour flight. My first issue, was that the camper van company I rented through didn't open until 9am, so I had 4 hour wait for them to come pick me up at the airport. I ended up going to a sweet little place called Joe & The Juice in the airport which is a small cafe that was fantastic; the food was delicious, people were nice and they played some pretty good music too. 9am came and a girl came walking through the doors with a sign in her hands, on it was the Kuku Campers logo and my name... we were off!

Once at Kuku Campers we went through all of my options, extra insurance, whats included, my Itinerary.. everything, they were so nice and helpful which was a stress reliever. Next, it was time to go check out my ride!

My sweet ride for 9 days in Iceland... she was good to me!

Ok, lets get into the trip!
My first stop was in Reykjavik ( Iceland's Capitol ).. I didn't realize how close it was to where I picked up my camper so I kind of lost a day there because I had rented a wifi box from Reykjavik Camping Equipment for the day AFTER I arrived in Iceland. Driving in the city was a bit tough.. I didn't understand some of the signs .. a couple I thought were saying I was on a oneway street going the wrong way, which I later realized they just meant no parking. Also, they drive pretty aggressive in Reykjavik and all the damn double lane round-a-bouts just about killed me. I used the GPS I rented with the camper to find my way to the one and only Reykjavik campsite which all the websites referred to as " Reykjavik Campsite " ... when really it's called Tjaldsvaedid-Laugardal Campsite... or thats what I had to find in the GPS to get there because it didn't recognize "Reykjavik Campsite ". This campsite was awesome.. one of my favs on the whole trip.. loved it so much I spent two nights there at the end of my trip.

Now, into the good stuff! Iceland is an amazing, wonderful, beautiful place with ever changing landscapes... this has to be said! Blown away, it's been almost two weeks since I've been home and I still can't stop thinking about it and missing it. My trip took me from the West to the East along the South Coast... back from the East to the West then along the West Coast up toward the north. Let me put this out there first though.. I screwed up the trip. I didn't realize that I had enough time to complete the ring road ( the road that goes along the entire outside edge of the island in a big circle ) so once I got far enough East.. I went back West.
Lets start with Skogafoss... this waterfall was my love. I saw this waterfall online 6 years ago and instantly fell in love with it and that started my love for Iceland and the want to travel there. A mass waterfall surrounded my mountains and a staircase that takes you up to the top of this giant. Be warned.. the staircase is TOUGH... it's steep and long but once at the top it's an outstanding view! Once I had defeated Skogafoss I decided I would push on to the next stop. Plans changed as soon as I saw how close the black sand beach was which was the home of the crashed DC-3 Aircraft that crashed in the 1970's. This stop was about 15 mins maybe 25mins from Skogafoss, so once I saw all the cars parked along the side of the road and everyone walking out into the nothingness, I knew what it was and that I had to do it. WARNING... this hike is a killer! hahah maybe I'm just really out of shape.. but it's about 5K out and 5K back on black sand and rocks. I did this hike later in the evening.. maybe around 5:30pm with a big winter jacket and a 15lbs camera bag. My legs and hips were dying on my quick but it was so worth it once I got out there.. this was another MUST on my trip and I couldn't believe it once I was out there standing in the shadow of this gutted aircraft in all it's weathered glory.

Travelling the roads of Iceland is beautiful no matter where you are. One side of the road is all mountains and volcano's, waterfalls and farms. On the opposite side of the road flat as far as you can see or the Ocean.. it was quite crazy to see. As you drive down the roads there are times where the road looks like it's going to run straight into a huge mountain side, but then veers off to the side and around it. I saw countless waterfalls, big and small.. some really close to the road, others up the side of a mountain trickling down.. there were giant Glaciers.. horses and sheep everywhere.. the sheep were all over.. my eyes constantly scanning the roads for them as they just roamed where ever they please.. up high in the mountains, right beside the roads and often right in the middle of the roads.

I'm just going to focus on some of the highlight places of my trip as you can see this is already quite a huge post.. if you've read this far... i'm impressed with you!

VIK: Also another big, but small town, I wanted to visit! it is the Southern most village in Iceland located on the ring road (Road 1 ). This village is right on the Ocean and full of black sand beaches and cliffs. While there isn't much to the village at all.. it's still a beautiful place. You drop down into it with a mountain side on your right, mountains in the distance and the ocean as well as up high on a hill sits this Red and White church overlooking the ocean.. it was amazing.

JOKULSARLON: Also known as the Glacier Lagoon is a must see! I personally have never seen Icebergs before, so I had no idea what to expect. I parked where I saw everyone else parking and saw these little trails through these small sand/grass hills.. you couldn't see anything really but some mountains way off in the distance. Out of nowhere you go up this little hill and BAM you're looking out over the ocean with all these white and blue icebergs floating in the water.. my jaw dropped.. I stopped walking... took a minute to take it all in, then raised my camera to my face and snapped a shot in amazement. I spent about 2 hours just walking around, getting down to the water and seeing the icebergs up close.. watching some of them flip over and piece breaking off, splashing down into the water. I also saw a seal swimming out in the water.. it was far out and I had my wide angle on at the time so I couldn't get a pic.. wouldn't have been much anyways as it just popped it's head out from the water every now and then.

You know what... I know no ones going to read all of this, so i'm just going to let the pics speak for themselves... If you're thinking about going to Iceland.. stop thinking, book your flight... it's a life changing experience and something everyone needs to see. Get a camper.. it's the cheapest way to do it... grocery shop at the BONUS grocery stores that are in every bigger city and spend the night at campsites.. they average $15 (CDN) per night most have showers with hot water, nice bathrooms and Wifi. Almost every city has Geothermal Pools that you can pay a small fee to swim in all year round.. the people are so nice and helpful and everyone speaks english... it's the safest place ever.. there's no crime so it's so safe for people to travel solo.. there are hitch hikers everywhere and they always get picked up because everyones so honest and nice... it's so safe! GO GO GO!!!!!!!

Skogafoss - the water giant from far... spent my first night in the camper van here at the base of this monster as it sang me to sleep.

Another shot of Skogafoss up close just before I started to climb the stairs to the top.. there's a bird in this image near the middle.. these birds are constantly flying around and hanging out on the ledges and cliffs.

Skogafoss from the top... what a view.. after I caught my breath I could enjoy it.

Seljalandsfoss waterfall is one of the first waterfalls you see when you head east.. it's so amazing because you can walk right behind it.. you will get wet, but it's worth it.. and it's pretty huge.

Down the river from Skogafoss are these river side sleeping giants.. as the sun set lower behind a mountain the fog started to roll down the hillside.

As you drive road 1 (The ring road ) you get to flat points where the land has all these rivers flowing through it.. in the distance are some mountains sleeping in the sunlight.

When you get close to the Ocean you can see the mountains in the distance and the fog settling at the base of them.

The Crashed DC-3 Aircraft out in the middle of no where on the black sand beach by the Ocean was definitely a highlight for me. It has been weathered and gutted.. the sound of the wind whistling through it still goes through my mind when I close my … — The Crashed DC-3 Aircraft out in the middle of no where on the black sand beach by the Ocean was definitely a highlight for me. It has been weathered and gutted.. the sound of the wind whistling through it still goes through my mind when I close my eyes. a 5K hike out and a 5K hike back on black sand and rocks with very strong winds made this the biggest challenge but once you reach it, it's all worth it. <3

This is my favourite image.. you can almost see the time and pain of the aircraft.. so forgotten, yet seen daily.. people were everywhere, it was hard to get a shot with nearly anyone in it. Unfortunately, travellers have wrote on it.. broke pieces … — This is my favourite image.. you can almost see the time and pain of the aircraft.. so forgotten, yet seen daily.. people were everywhere, it was hard to get a shot with nearly anyone in it. Unfortunately, travellers have wrote on it.. broke pieces off of it and climbed all over it.. who knows how much longer it will be in the shape that it is.. I'm so happy that I was able to see this beauty.. crashed in the 1970's ... some of the locals say that the reason for the crash was never determined, but most say they simply ran out of fuel and had to ditch it... amazingly, the entire crew survived the crash.

Iceberg Lagoon ... just an amazing jaw dropping site.. To see these giant pieces of ice floating in the ocean with mountains/volcano's surrounding them.. the colour of the blue's ... wow.. just wow...

What do you see when driving the roads of Iceland.... this... it's beautiful! it gets a lot better than this too.. roads through mountain sides.. through the ocean.. it's mind blowing.

Horses everywhere.. and sheep.. but this horse was my first friend in Iceland. I stopped and approached the fence and none of the horses seemed to care. I put my hand over the fence and this beauty walked right up to have a sniff then put it's head … — Horses everywhere.. and sheep.. but this horse was my first friend in Iceland. I stopped and approached the fence and none of the horses seemed to care. I put my hand over the fence and this beauty walked right up to have a sniff then put it's head right against my hand letting me pet it's nose. Shortly after all the other horses made their way over to say hi. I call her White Lightening

Mars Mountain I call this one. I went through a section that looked like mars... like I said.. the landscape constantly changes.. you think you're on another planet!

On the flight home, the pilot took us over Greenland, which was a great way to end the trip.. what a beautiful sight from the plane.

Cody & Carly | Maternity

June 28, 2016

With a nice little waterfall, a small river and a park in the woods, Cody & Carly's session was fantastic! As with all things photography, the shoot was based around light... evening sunlight but as the shoot began the clouds rolled in putting a damper on the original plan. Was this something to worry about? not at all. Very rarely do things go to plan in the photography world, so what do you do? roll with the punches and thats exactly how we did this.

Off to the waterfall we went for our first bit of the session. These two are pretty natural when it comes to posing, ask them to stand near one another and the cuddling begins naturally. With a glowing mom to be and an excited father to be this shoot was the bees knees.
We had some pretty nice filtered light from the clouds, great locations to play with and create a personal collection. Once the waterfall was looking amazing with these two we then went back over to the open space near the river to take advantage of the grassy space and the river backdrop. I'm not going to lie.. the water was very sulpherous (is that a word? it is now ) ... but we had to put up with the amazing smell of eggs lol.. it was doable though and these two handled it perfectly!
We then decided to head on over to a last minute locations that Cody had just thought of, the park. It was pretty neat to see this park kind of hidden in a forest.. there was a ball diamond, swimming pool, small splash pad and long walking bridge over the water to get there and some walking trails. Mosquito's were in full force in the woods, of course, and boy did they get a feast out of us... lets just say the wooded are was a quick portion... very quick shots because none of us could stay still for to long. On the way out of the woods we came across a Ginseng field.. you know, those ones with the black mesh tent over the field.. at this point the sun was setting. Colour in the sky and the lines of the field and tent made me stop in my tracks, just knowing there was a shot there.

Over all this shoot was fantastic, couldn't have asked for a better day/evening, it was warm out and Cody & Carly were very easy to work with. Thank you two for being awesome and I can't wait to meet the little one!

-Shutter Click.

Great Lakes International Air Show 2016

June 20, 2016

Helicopters, Fighter Jets, Vintage Airplanes, Paratroopers, Gliders and vendors, the 2016 Great Lakes International Air Show was fantastic! With a clear sky, a scorching sun and a very small breeze, the Snowbirds took to the skies to open the show. Screaming in from the left, right, front and back, not knowing where they will be coming from next or how many of them there will be, the snowbirds never disappoint! As an air show veteran, it was nice to see a few new maneuvers in their routine.
This year there was everything from a transport truck that had a jet engine on the back of it shooting a gigantic flame out the back and making large clouds of smoke, to a glider. A C-130 Hercules flew in from 8 Wing Trenton Airforce Base, made a few passes, dropped some WDI ( Wind Direction Indicators ) then two SAR Techs leaped out the back, with parachutes of course. Once on the ground the C-130 made a pass, landed to show how quick it can stop, turned around and picked up the SAR Techs, then took off to show how little room it needs to take off. They were on duty so, so they could not stick around, but when they left they did one more high speed pass before they left the air space.
Another crazy display, which I've never seen before at an air show was the car drop... Yep, I said car drop! A helicopter came out with a long cable hanging from the bottom of it and on the end of that cable was a white car. The announcers played it up like it was a car that parked in a no parking zone so the OPP came up with a way to get it out of the way... thats when they brought it out. Once nice and high in the air, they decided to "put the car down " ... and put it down they did. The cable cut loose and the car fell for what seemed like quite a while until BOOOM!!!!! a big cloud of smoke and bits and piece of car went flying!
Two favourites at the show were the F-18, Of course, and Pete Mcleod, A Red Bull Racer/stunt pilot who is the youngest race pilot in the history of racing ( I believe ). The F-18 Demo Jet ripped the skies hitting 1000km per hour just screaming by, you could feel it in your chest. With it's high altitude capabilities, it's quick high G turns, rolls, flips it's always an amazing sight.. My fav by far.
Pete Mcleod, wow... this guy is insane! The things he does with this plane are mind blowing. Flips and rolls like nothing else.. things that make the plane look like it should just fall apart, or things a plane should never do. Climbing so high the engine stalls out, the tumbling uncontrollably back down to earth, Pete then regains control, powers full throttle using the earths gravity and the power of the engine, he gathers up a ton of speed to push him through the next series of flips and turns.

Over all, it was an amazing day! The heat was intense 34ºC, no clouds and barely a breeze.. people were passing out, the EMT's had their hands full. Did I get burnt.. Oh yeah, I suffered heat stroke.. did I drink a ton of water.. sure did... did people have an amazing time.. you bet.. was it worth it.. HELL YES!!!! always is. Next up is the London Air Show in London Ontario, Canada.. cannot wait for that in September.. This year the F-22 Raptor will be there.. my dream plane.
- Shutter Click.

The Power of Youth

June 08, 2016

They came, They spoke truth, told their stories & experiences about themselves, family members and friends battling with mental illness and some of their peers who lost the battle to suicide.

It was an emotional day in Woodstock Ontario, but also an exciting leap in the right direction when students from every high school in the city came together to orchestrate a 'walk out' to raise awareness for youth suicide. Students from Huron Park Secondary School, St. Mary's Catholic High School, Woodstock Colligate Institute ( WCI ) and Collage Avenue Secondary School (CASS) and Notre Dame High School flooded the streets at 9am as they started their walk out heading to Woodstock's Market Square. Signs being held high reading " One minute we're here ; The next we're NOT! ", shirts purple in colour with white semi-colons ( the universal sign of support for mental illness ) worn by most students and purple balloons blowing in the wind came down the main street in Woodstock (Dundas St.). Cars seeing the signs and large groups of students honking their horns repeatedly to show their support for the movement.

   So far this year in Woodstock, 5 teens have taken their lives, it is being called " Suicidal Contagion " and over all there has been somewhere around 36 attempts or youth thinking about it. Bulling and school stress have been thought to be some of the contributing factors to why this is happening.

Upon arriving at Market Square, there was a massive sea of students, parents, media and on lookers gathered around awaiting the arrival of the students. Each high school in Woodstock had a school representative leading the group, and who would be speaking at the gathering for their school. 300-500 people were in attendance to show their support for the Youth, clapping, yelling out positive comments like " we love you ", " Stay Strong ", " You are the cure ".
   Once the students arrived in Market Square the song " Fight Song by Rachel Platten " was being played loudly over the PA System which was the "theme Song " for this movement... you could feel the energy build with the students wearing Gigantic smiles as they walked up the middle of the crowd overwhelmed to see how many people came out to support them.
   Each student representative took their turns telling their story to the crowd. Stories of suicide attempts, thoughts about it and losing friends to suicide. Following the students, Woodstock's Mayor Trevor Birtch had some honest words for the students, words of encouragement and letting them know they are part of the solution!

   I applaud these students, a high amount of respect for being able to get up in front of so many people and talk about their experiences. Talking publicly about mental illness breaks down barriers and shows others it's ok.. speak out and get help. I have been hearing a lot of negative comments such as " why walk out of school? how does that help anything.. kids are just using this unfortunate tragedy to get out of school " .... and to those people, I shake my head. If you had been there you would see how much these teenagers care, what it meant.. the work they put into this, and lets not forget.. these teens have lost their friends, and friends of friends as well as family members. As for " How does this help?" It brings the issue into the media. It allows millions of people to see whats going on, bringing in the awareness causing people to ask questions and ask the government why nothing is being done and puts the pressure on for something to be done. These students not only showed up to talk about the issue, but they came with a plan! Put Social Workers in the schools so kids have someone to go to and talk to right away. Open beds in the hospital to kids under 16, as the hospital does not have that option right now. Last but not least... it shows other youth who may be struggling that they can talk about it.. "it's OK to not be OK". It also shows them that they are not alone, there are other youths out there struggling and getting help, talking is the answer!

Cassidy & Ben | Maternity

June 04, 2016

Welcome Cassidy ( Mother to be ) & Ben ( Father to be).

You may have seen Cassidy in some of my other collections, as we have worked together on many different occasions. This session was quite a bit different as this is Cassidy's first time being a mother also, I never really shoot maternity sessions, and Ben ( Cassidy's man ) is in this shoot!
What a fantastic day for a shoot, we had nice overcast skies, it was warm out.. a bit windy but that was fine, puts some movement into dress' and hair, conditions were perfect. This shoot took place in London Ontario around the Western University Campus.
With paths through a forest, A river and a wide open field this location offered many different looks, which is what I'm always looking for. I have to give a big thank you to Ben, he was a champ, not only in the pics, but when we were shooting images of Cassidy solo, Ben jumped right in as my assistant holding reflectors and scrims and offering to help carry my gear which was awesome of him!

Rise Against Cancer 2016

June 04, 2016

Rise Against Cancer is an amazing charity concert held once a year in Woodstock Ontario. Cover bands from the Woodstock area come out to put on a concert to raise money for Cancer. The band Sweet N' Innocent are the founders and also the headliners for the event and what a show they put on! Not only is there a concert but there is also a silent auction, pizza and lots of alcohol!
I was honoured to be asked to photograph the event by fellow photographer Rachael Little, who has been photographing the event for the past few years. Rachael was unable to photograph the event this year so she set me up with Scott from Sweet N' Innocent so he could see my work and bring it to the band so they could decide if they wanted to have me photograph their event.

These bands were amazing.. the covers were dead on, the lighting was fantastic and the crowed was pretty big, I was blown away. Everyone was having a fantastic time, singing along to old 80's covers from sweet n' innocent, and a variety of covers from other bands.

This years line up included:

SWEET N' INNOCENT

BLIND DOG JOE

SOCIAL STONE

ECHOING CONCUSSION

ANTHONY & ELLIE

May 13, 2016

These two love birds are at it again!

Anthony & Ellie have to be two of the most loving, laid back couples I know! With a new location just 10 mins outside of town (which was brought to my attention by Anthony ), we drove down to begin a couples session.

Conditions were perfect for this shoot. Overcast skies, warm.. spring is finally here and we are loving it. With two giant ponds, lots of room, rocky cliffs and giant sandy mountains, this location is screaming summer shoots not to mention summer days swimming and soaking up the sun.

© Kevin Vyse Photography All Rights Reserved 2016 — © Kevin Vyse Photography
All Rights Reserved 2016

NEW YEARS 2015/2016

January 01, 2016

"When he woke his, body was covered in coke fizz ".

SLOAN!!!! SLOOOOAAANNN!!! was being chanted by the crowd in Victoria Park - London Ontario and when they took to the stage the crowd went wild. Playing many different songs of many albums, Canadian Icon rock band SLOAN put on an amazing show despite the -4ºC weather and the bit of snow. Once the band started to play, it was like the cold didn't matter, no one cared, people were singing along, jumping around and dancing having a great time.

Ivory Hours is another Canadian band from London Ontario who is now getting national attention. This energetic band with an original poppy sound came out to open for Sloan and were a fan favourite as many people knew their lyrics and the band mates names, constantly yelling out " LOVE YOU! " "PLAY " so and so song... also chanting for an encore at the end of their set.

Once Sloan hit the 30 min before midnight mark, the countdown clock popped up on a screen behind the band on stage. They filled the 30 mins with a few hit songs including " Money City Maniacs " complete with the siren, which told everyone what song was about to be played and made the crowd lose their minds. At the 29 second mark everyone started counting down, when 1 second hit, the fireworks went off on top of the London Life building. Sloan's lead singer and bass player disappeared off the stage and their guitar tech jumped on bass as the band started to play AULD LANG SYNE ( the New Years Song ). We could hear the lead singer singing but no one knew where from until the band pointed out he was behind the crowd on the ice rink skating around with a wireless mic singing... how Canadian is that?, EH! What a great way to ring in the new year. Happy 2016 to all! - Shutter Click.

Oh PS. I didn't think I would be able to get as close to the stage as I did, seeing as how I read that last year there was 10,000 people attending the event, so my lens of choice was my 70-200. This lens is quite long and with me being so close my images had to be individual members. If I would have backed up to get everyone the crowd was so dense that it would have just been band members heads so I stayed where I was and did the best I could with what I had.

© Kevin Vyse Photography All Rights Reserved 2015 SLOAN — © Kevin Vyse Photography
All Rights Reserved 2015

SLOAN

IVORY HOURS

Joe Pember Jr. Final Goodbye

November 28, 2015

They work long hours, holidays, weekends and always put themselves first using their advanced knowledge to save lives everyday. Today in Oxford County was a sad day as the residence and EMS personnel mourn the passing of EMS Chief Joe Pember Jr.

Emergency Service personnel (EMS, Fire, Police, Flight Medics) from far and wide came to Woodstock Ontario to show their support and pay respects to Joe Pember Jr and his family. Joe's sudden passing shocked many in Oxford, gone to soon but never forgotten.
Lights flashed, bag pipes played and a sea of emergency service members marched down the road from the TA Truck Stop to GOFF HALL as people gathered to mourn Joe's passing.

Joe arrived in an old Ambulance from the 60's which was used back then and resembles the "Ghost buster car " as many people call it. Along side the Ambulance were Woodstock EMS members marching, following them was Joe's family and friends and behind them was a sea of Emergency Service members all marching in formation. Service flashes from Hamilton, London, Brant County and many more... it was an amazing sight to see. Once at GOFF HALL Joe was brought into the hall by fellow EMS where the ceremony took place.

Outside, after the ceremony... EMS, Police and fire lined the GOFF HALL entrance/exit driveway and saluted Joe as the hearse passed them by showing ultimate respect and honour for his years of service. A low rwaring, buzz was heard off in the distance which got louder and louder. To everyones surprise, the WWII Harvards came flying over head, so fitting for the occasion. 3 passes were made and on the final pass, with smoke on, the fallen man was performed. The fallen man is when three or more planes come in formation and one splits away from the rest to signify " the fallen man ". This ceremony was very well done, well deserved and Joe will be greatly missed in Oxford County.

I am constantly keeping Joe and his family in my thoughts. R.I.P Joe.

Kevin Vyse Photography All Rights Reserved 2015 — Kevin Vyse Photography
All Rights Reserved 2015

2015 WNU FITNESS CALENDAR

November 22, 2015

Well, it's that time of year again!! welcome to the 2015 WNU FITNESS CALENDAR photoshoot.

Dedication, Strict diets, long hours in the gym, time management... this is what it takes to get the bodies you see in magazines and thats what our models have been doing for this calendar... well not specifically for this calendar.. this is their life style.

This year two calendars were made.. 24 people! 12 males and 12 females for a male and female calendar.. WOW! I know, thats a lot of people, but they were amazing people, easy to work with, fun and ripped! We shot this calendar over 4 weekends, we had planned on shooting about 6 people a day, but like with anything in life.. people get busy plans must change so we work around it to get the job done, which is what we did and we pulled it off.

WNU Fitness is selling calendars to raise money for two charities: DASO ( Domestic Abuse Service Oxford ) and The Kendall Courts Project, which is an outdoor basket ball court that will have a roof over it so it can be used no matter what the weather is calling for, so kids have more fitness options. Not only did we shoot a calendar but there was a fantastic Party that followed. GOFF HALL in Woodstock On. was rocking with special guest, DJ FLASH from 91.5 The Beat Kitchener spinning all the hits. Everyone was there dressed up all pretty, dancing and drinking the night away. All proceeds from the calendar release party also go toward the two charities.

Overall, I had a blast being part of this amazing cause, meeting new people, pushing the photographic boundaries, my knowledge and editing abilities. I'd like to shout out a big THANK YOU to WNU for bringing me on board as the official photographer and for all their shout outs on social media and Rogers TV promoting my photography, you guys are fantastic! Can't wait to hear the finally tally raised. - Shutter Click.

Highway of Hero's: John Gallagher's Journey Home.

November 21, 2015

Canadian Flags dancing in the chilling November air, the crowed gathered, more and more flooding in on the over pass blocking traffic from passing.
John Gallagher, 32 years old from the Chatham-Kent area of Ontario, served 3 years in the Canadian Military. When his contract was up he decided resigning was not what he wanted to do as he was told that he would be pushing papers. Shortly after his decision not to stay with the military Afghanistan happened.

Volunteering, and putting his life on the line, John Gallagher headed into to Syria to battle ISIS with the Kurdish Forces. Sadly, John lost his life to an ISIS suicide bomber. After watching a video from Maclean's, it was apparent that John had complete faith that we would defeat ISIS and now, in his honour and for all of our lives, the need to irraticate ISIS is extremely apparent.
John Robert Gallagher is a true, Canadian Hero who deserved every bit of respect that he had coming down the Highway of Hero's. To be quite honest with you, I personally believe John deserved MORE than what I witness on the Highway Of Hero's.
What do I mean by more? The highway was not shut down, there wasn't really a police escort, other traffic did not pull over to make way for him, some of the more ignorant drivers were passing around them and cutting in front of the motorcade. With that said, the out pour of people who came out and lined the bridges over the 401 from Toronto to Blenheim Ontario was outstanding! Thousands of people filling up every bridge to pay respects to John and his family was a very emotional sight.

Leading the way of John Gallagher's Journey home down the Highway of Hero's was a Motorcycle club known for their military support, The North Wall Riders paved the way for John and hearing those motorcycle engines Rawr down the highway was fitting.
Due to the highway not being properly closed for John's Journey home, the motorcade was moving at a high rate of speed and with ignorant drivers cutting in and around them.. there really weren't to many images I could capture but I did manage to get a few.

R.I.P John Robert Gallaher. Gone to soon, but never forgotten. You are a true Canadian Hero.
- Shutter Click.

Motorcade Approaches on the Highway Of Hero's - Woodstock Ontario, Dodge Line Bridge.

Shadows Fall on the Highway Of Hero's, Showing the crowd's support with waving Canadian Flags and Signs that read " WE LOVE YOU " & "THANK YOU" as John Gallagher Passes down the Highway of Hero's.

R.I.P John Gallagher. Gone to soon, But Never Forgotten... you are a true Canadian Hero

The Crowd Gathers to pay respects to John Gallagher as he passes in Woodstock Ontario at the Dodge Line bridge. A lot more people showed up, including Beachville Fire.. this was about 2 hours before he arrived.

Support & Canadian Pride. Flags blowing in the Cold November air.

FASHIONEEEEESTAS!

November 01, 2015

Fashion photograph has always been something I've found to be drawn to, oddly enough, I've never really shot it?
This Past weekend, my friend & Hair stylist, Cassidy, had asked to get together and do a shoot with her and one of her friends in London Ontario. We didn't really have a game plan, I honestly hate planning shoots out.. they never seem to follow the plan I make anyways so we decided to make it kind of a lifestyle/fashion shoot. With the weather getting all rainy and cold we decided to keep it in doors and lucky for us Cassandra ( Cassidy's friend and co-worker) had a great location for us to shoot in.. her house!

From fashion, to punk/grunge this shoot went very well. We used 3 different spaces and a bunch of different wardrobe choices to create some awesome images that I am proud to have in my portfolio.

A big thank you goes out to Cassidy & Cassandra for their involvement and always providing me with some models to work with. - Shutter Click~

Hair, Make up & Wardrobe: Cassidy & Cassandra
Models: Cassidy & Cassandra
Photographer: Kevin Vyse Photography.

ANTHONY & ELLIES 2015 SUMMER LOVE LOCK DOWN

September 24, 2015

Let me tell you, these two are outstanding!

Anthony & Ellie are a photographers dream couple. These two were so easy to work with, laid back, fun, always joking around, serious when you needed them to be and the second you tell them where to be in the location, they magically end up in the best pose without even having to say anything! Pro's .. they are pros!

Our day started out at the Quality Inn in Woodstock, ON. We shot a few quick images of Ellie in her room with some family, just some quick shots. On to a 20 min ceremony, which is another photographers dream hehehe, which then led us into my favourite part THE CREATIVES! this is where the creativity gets to flow.
Our time for creatives was shortened a bit so it was pretty fast paced and not all the ideas I had fit into the time frame, but we did get a lot good shots with the time we had. From a corn field, to an old weathered barn, to a cobble stone wall and some silo's we made some pretty amazing imagery, which the couple seemed to be pretty happy with!

We then moved on to the reception: Dancing, Laughing, Crying, more laughing, eating, speeches, and a few more creatives.. why not sneak some more in when you see fit?
Over all, it was a great experience, lots of fun and I'm honoured that Anthony & Ellie decided to choose me to freeze memories of their special day.

Congrats you two! - Shutter Click~

BOHEMIAN PICNIC

July 18, 2015

She's the kind of woman who loves life, nature, travel and experiences life to the fullest while being thankful for her experiences.

Flower crows, nick nacks, dresses, jewelry... this was the back bone of our shoot. Bohemian Picnic was the theme and our location was in a big backyard which was set up as the bohemian picnic. Cassidy is a good friend of mine and a fantastic Hair Stylist, we have worked with each other for all kinds of different shoots as I'm sure you've seen before in past blog posts.
Not only is Cassidy a wiz with hair, but she was the one who set up this fantastic set to photograph on with all of her own personal Nick Nacks. Weather wise, we were a little worried as it was pretty cloudy and the forecast called for rain, but that wasn't going to stop us. Lucky enough for us it started to clear up and the sun was diffused through the clouds, giving us some nice soft even light.

With music blaring, some wine flowing and the creative juices fired up we started off with the shoot. I wasn't to sure if I was going to use lighting or not, but after snapping a few shots and seeing that the sun was out enough to cause some tough shadows, the lights came out. We wanted to get a bunch of "Hippy-Flower Child" images as well as some creative portfolio work that I had in my back pocket ( The bike shot with the crazy chunky cloud sky).

We had a ton of fun on this shoot along with Cassidy's sister who was on set to help out and watch the shoot go down and see how it's done because she is thinking about doing a shoot of her own in the near future. This shoot lasted about 4-5 hours, it was more of a hang out and shoot kind of thing, just having some fun, getting great shots and experimenting with lighting and different techniques. Hope you enjoy the images from this shoot - Shutter Click.

BOHEMIAN BEAUTY© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015 — BOHEMIAN BEAUTY
© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015

BOHEMIAN WOODS © Kevin Vyse Photography 2015 — BOHEMIAN WOODS
© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015

IN GOOD LIGHT © Kevin Vyse Photography 2015 — IN GOOD LIGHT
© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015

NIGHT RIDE© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015 — NIGHT RIDE
© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015

BOHEMIAN BIKE RIDE© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015 — BOHEMIAN BIKE RIDE
© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015

FLOWER CHILD© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015 — FLOWER CHILD
© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015

BOHEMIAN LIFE© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015 — BOHEMIAN LIFE
© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015

PORCELAIN QUEEN© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015 — PORCELAIN QUEEN
© Kevin Vyse Photography 2015

Pittsburgh For The Win!

May 11, 2015

Ever feel like you just need to get away? you're sick of being in the same place all the time and working and feel bored on weekends?

I get like this from time to time and once it all builds up over a couple weeks, I need an escape. An opportunity presented itself to me through my good friend JMAC, who was going to be taking off to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to meet up with a friend of his who is a Marine, to open up a new branch of his Charity PTSD Battle Cry. JMAC asked me if I'd want to go with him and see Pittsburgh for the first time, how could I resist an adventure? a chance to photograph a new place I've never been before? ... exactly! I couldn't.

We hit the road, bags packed, camera gear all charged up and ready to shoot. Scott ( JMACS friend) put us up of the two nights we were there and was also our Tour Guide lol. Scott is a stand up guy who showed us all Pittsburgh has to offer, introduced us to a lot of amazing people who were so welcoming and friendly, took us to some world famous places to eat and of course, helped spread the word about PTSD Battle Cry (www.ptsdbattlecry.org).

Once it Pittsburgh we got right to it, hit up the city for some sight seeing and some food + beer.. lots and lots of beer haha. 7pm we had tickets (thanks to Scott) to head on over to PNC Park to see the Pirates take on the Cardinals, which was a huge treat for me as I've never been to a baseball game before. To my surprise, I was actually allowed to bring in my camera with me 70-200mm lens (big zoom lens), which would NEVER happen here in Canada. I shot a bunch of images of the game, we ate some food, had some more drinks and out of no where, who do we see? Geno's Malkin (Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins hockey player's dad).. so of course JMAC and Scott had me take their picture with him, which you will see in the images below.

Day 2: Was all about tourism. We took to the streets yet again, all different areas of the city to experience and shoot as much as we could. We hit up Pamala's for some world renowned Pancakes, even President Obama eats there.. there was a signed picture of him on the wall, and let me tell you.. those pancakes are something special! We hit everything from a huge candy store to a Pittsburgh Pirates gift shop, to some little pubs/bars for drinks to a Bottle Shop and bar named Hal's which was amazing, my favourite place, we went there a few times. One of the best sites was Mt.Washington.. riding the trolly up the mountain side was fun, but the view at the top was breath taking. You could see all of Pittsburgh, the yellow bridges, the city, Point Park, and the split in the river.. amazing... but enough talk about it, I will let you experience it yourself through my images. Enjoy - Shutter Click.

Pittsburgh from on top of Mt. Washington.

Pittsburgh from the Mt. Washington look out.

While inside PNC PARK during the game with down town Pittsburgh as the backdrop.

JMAC & Scott, Opening of the PTSD BATTLECRY USA!

Scott PTSD BATTLECRY USA Branch Manager.

Scott and JMAC with Geno's Malkin ( Evgeni Malkin's Dad )

Afghanistan War Memorial Unveiling

April 11, 2015

158 Flags snapping around, dancing in the cool wind of April 11th 2015. A crowed gathered around the Cenotaph in Woodstock ON. to pay respects and await the unveiling of a piece of history.

158 Soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom in Afghanistan. One of these soldiers struck close to home; Pte. Tyler W. Todd from Bright Ontario, Canada lost his life while on foot patrol due to a road side bomb 5 years ago today (April 11th 2010). This Afghanistan War Monument, which is a soldiers Rifle, boots and helmet also known as the Battle Cross, was put in place in Woodstock, not only in Memory of Pte. Tyler W. Todd, but for all the soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan.

It was pleasure to be brought in to photograph this ceremony by the good fellows from THE EVENING OF HONOUR; 3 fellows: Jeremy Mac Knott, Kevin DeClark and Stephen Smith who decided one day that the veteran's of the Afghanistan War needed to be commemorated as this war was Canada's longest conflict, so they put together THE EVENING OF HONOUR, which is an event to raise money which can be put towards things like this War Memorial to commemorate the fallen. So much was happening: The colour party marching in, Wreaths being laid, Politicians speaking, Veteran motorcycle clubs riding in, 158 Flags stood at attention, each with the names of the fallen printed on the flag sticks and even a fly over by a WWII Harvard aircraft. It was a cold day due to the high winds but the skies were pretty clear and blue, the sun was out and the crowd was large, what more could we ask for. To see a community come together to honour our military personnel, Past, Present and future was amazing. - Shutter Click.

Evening Of Honour Members: Kevin DeClark, Jeremy Mac Knott (JMAC) and Stephen Smith Standing with Matt, who was in Afghanistan with Pte.Tyler W. Todd.

The Devils Regimen Salute the Cenotaph after laying down a wreath.

Afghanistan War Monument a.k.a THE BATTLE CROSS Sits Proud alongside the Woodstock ON. Cenotaph. 158 Canadian Flags dance in the wind, each with a fallen soldiers name on the wooden shaft.

3 Military men march out after placing a wreath at the Cenotaph.

Saluting the Cenotaph after placing the wreath

Jeremy and Kevin show a father of one of the fallen, his sons flag which was placed directly behind the Battle Cross. — Jeremy and Kevin show a father of one of the fallen, his sons flag which was placed directly behind the Battle Cross.

Woodstock Ontario's Mayor: Trevor Birtch, Speech.

Fellas from THE EVENING OF HONOUR at the podium.

Jeremy, Kevin, Stephen and Matt unveiling the Afghanistan War Memorial: Battle Cross.

The Minute Of Silence. — The Minute Of Silence.

A few Military men hanging out as they get ready to start the ceremony.

Silver Cross Mothers Presenting the Silver Cross to the Cenotaph.

Soldiers presenting a wreath to lay at the Cenotaph.

Members of the Woodstock Police Department Stand amongst the 158 Flags.

Pte. Tyler W. Todd's Mother reaches out to touch the Battle Cross in memory of her son while holding onto her grand daughter.

New Style in my bag

March 10, 2015

HELLO everyone! Finally, it seems like winter has been defeated and spring weather is making it's way into South-Western Ontario! it's +7 out there right now, snow is quickly melting, the air is fresh, the sun is shining, I couldn't ask for more. So, with this new weather, here's some new imagery.

One picture, just to show you whats coming! I'm excited to announce my animated still images also known as Cinemagraphs. These are still images that have a moving component in them, which really adds some creativity. Unfortunately, these kinds of images cannot be printed and can only be used on certain internet forums. So, from this point on, any Cinemagraphs I make will be posted on my webpage/blog as Flickr and Facebook do not seem to support them. I will, however, post links to my blogs and/or Cinemagraph section of my website, once it has been created. That portion of my site will be created once I get some really creative Cinemagraphs made. I just wanted to post a quick one (wish some bad editing, as you can see hahaha) so you all have an idea of whats to come... i'm sure you can see the potential these have for creativity!

- Shutter Click!

Kevin Vyse Photography Blog:

Featured posts: