vancouver fashion and portrait photography

Static Photography has been very busy these past summer months. Every day is a constant hustle at our studio in Vancouver, BC but we get shoot some really awesome gigs. Photographer Kris Krüg has the ability to transform his photography and capture vital elements within vastly different experiences, from photojournalism to weddings, from flowers to live concerts. Here is a photo recap of some of the highlights that have come along our way in Summer 2010. 

The world has watched with wide eyes as the Deepwater Horizon oil well has spilled millions of barrels of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico for the last 75 days. News reports of threatened wildlife, coastal destruction, media blackouts and the end of fisherfolk communities have plagued the news feeds of many concerned residents and citizens. Deciding this situation, with its saturation of misinformation, was a call to action, Dave Troy and Nate Mook decided it was  time to organize an event that would bring together the eyes, the ears and the minds of people involved. On June 28th, TEDx Oil Spill took place in Washington, DC.

"From the air I could see 3000-5000 feet of black smoke.. and what seemed like one fire was actually dozens of fires… recently heard a story of a captain who was rescuing sea turtles and realized that they were getting caught in the skimming nets that were being lit on fire.. the captain ended up checking up on the nets too much that BP let him go from his contract… the reality is that all kinds of wildlife are getting caught in the nets… and no one is getting them out before the burns."
Photographer Kris Krüg, audio interview with Arjun Singh

This past week the TEDx Oil Spill Expedition team spent time in the Southern states that line the Gulf of the Mexico documenting the disaster that is slowly unfolding in Gulf waters. Exactly two months ago the Deepwater Horizon oil well owned by British Petroleum sprung a terrible leak thousands of miles under the water's surface. The oil well has consistently leak millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf on a daily basis, with little to no stopping it . This catastrophe has effected so many areas of the Gulf Coast, not just touching upon the beaches and devastating the fisherfolk communities but also displacing hundreds of birds from their homes. Overall the amount of damage is infuriating.

The last few days have been a non-stop journey through the coastal area of New Orleans and the Southern Louisiana Marshlands for the TEDx Oil Spill Expedition team. The team of photographers, videographer and writer have been exploring the land and the sky in order to understand the story of the Oil Crisis here in the Gulf. A couple thousands photos and multiple blog posts later, the team is gathering media coverage from a witnessing POV for the June 28th TEDx Oil Spill event in Washington, DC. 

The recent Oil Spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has been on everyone's mind and media outlets for the past month. Between horrifying photos, misleading information and many failed attempts at stopping the gushing oil well, a growing national frustration has mounted into a direct collective responsibility that something has to be done.

Currently the entire world has their eyes and ears glued to the media that is coming out of the Gulf of Mexico, depicting the travesty and devastation around the BP Oil Spill.

It was a geek blogging heaven this past weekend in Vancouver when the annual Northern Voice blogging conference stormed the campus of the UBC. Highlighting its sixth year of existence Northern Voice came back bigger and better than ever. Two days with multiple tracks and over 500 attendees, this conference showcased some of the best and brightest in the blogosphere of Vancouver.

The World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth  wrapped up its four days of non-stop working activism a little over a week ago. Located in the small Bolivian town of Tiquipaya, right on the outskirts of Cochabamba, the WPCCC was a collective effort to gather the voices of activists, indigenous people and the global community at large into a collective document. This document titled Submission from the Plurinational State of Bolivia to UNFCCC would include the People's Declaration Agreement on Climate Change and the Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth. Static Photography had the chance to head down to South America to photograph this event which sparked a strengthened voice in the people's movement around climate change. 

The World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth is currently taking place in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This four day conference is a people's direct response to the lack of binding climate legislation that is lacking on a global level. This particular conference is different than other climate conferences for the fact that the end declaration document will be a summary of 17 different working groups, all which are fueled by the active voices of people from all over the world. 

Many organizations have come from all over the world to participate in the World People's Conference for Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Some of these organizations are small or have just sent part of their delegation while one particular group has a very strong physical presence at the conference. Noted by their large green flags, green hats and green scarves, La Via Campesina is an international organization that fights for the rights of peasant farmers.  Their work on an international level has set the terms for the defining right of food sovereignty. 

Ten years ago the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia was engaged in a political war, called the Cochabamba Water Wars, with the Bolivean government over the privatization of the water systems.  

These wars were a series of protests and demonstrations over the World Bank influenced private contract of the city's water systems which included village community systems and even legislated rainwater control.

What started as a rural movement grew into a country-wide organizing effort to over turn the government contract. 2010 is the ten year anniversary of the successful win for the right of water in the city of Cochabamba.

With the world moving at an ever-quickening pace, it is very important to document the change process as it is happening. Static Photography has had the opportunity to be at some of these world-changing events such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in Copenhagen, Denmark in December of 2009.

Another such event is taking place in Bolivia this week called the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. This conference is more directed towards a people's movement for negotiating climate justice legislation on a global level.

Spring has sprung and nothing screams warm weather like the idea of a perfect afternoon riding your bike!

In June 2009 Static Photography had the amazing photographic opportunity to travel to the city of Shanghai in China. Photographer Kris Krüg was shooting photographs of the Shanghai's underground arts and technology scenes for a book he was working on with Christine Lu called Chinameme Volume 1: Shanghai. This trip coincided with the Geeks on a Plane East Asia 2009 tour, which included events such as TEDx Shanghai and Barcamp Shanghai. Geeks on a Plane is heading back to East Asia for a 2010 tour this spring!

Wrote this photo essay for the fine folks over at PBS MediaShift . Our favorite blog. Every March for two weeks the town of Austin, Texas welcomes the world for its annual South by Southwest Festival, otherwise known as SXSW. This festival consists of three parts: Interactive, a four day geekfest for the internet community, Film, ten days of international cinema programs and Music, a four day non-stop schedule of live music. The Interactive section of the SXSW Festival is always a hotspot for the early adoption of the newest technology in the digital landscape. 2010 was the year of location-based application war between Gowalla and Foursquare, the debut of Google Bike Maps and a foray of citizen journalism at its geekiest.

Static Photography had the opportunity to be a part of the third Social Media Clubhouse during the SXSW festival this year in Austin, Texas. The SMCH was presented by Kristie Wells and Chris Heuer, who are the founders of the Social Media Club. The idea behind the clubhouse started off as alternate housing for conferences and moved towards a visionary shared space that included alternative summits, tweetups and performances. 

When March rolls around, everyone knows that it is officially Texas time. :)

The month of February has come to an end with the successful completion of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. The city of Vancouver transformed into a welcoming stage for the world to enter and athletes to compete in. The days after this extraveganet event may not compare to the weeks before but the memories will blaze brightly ahead.