Editing Luke in 2012

This past year was one of surprises and new challenges.  I think what I'll remember most about it was that it marked the beginning of a new evolution in my adult life.  I felt fairly stable in all aspects of my life throughout 2012, and because of that I felt like much of what I did over the last twelve months was a way of casually growing and adapting to the slivers of potential that I thought would be interesting to explore.  

More than in any other year since I created this blog in 2007, I expressly and deliberately motivated myself to find more interactive ways of sharing my experiences, interests, and creative ambitions.  The result of becoming such a prolific blogger not only opened new doors and helped me reach more people than in any year previous, but it reinvented my view of what this site was and what it could continue to become.  If Editing Luke began as an expression of my student frustrations, this last year was proof that it could also represent the fulfillment of some of those earlier dreams too.

Here are some of  the highlights that defined 2012 for me:

January 1, 2012 - Despite the years I spent in film school there, I rang in the New Year for the first time in Regina, Saskatchewan with my friends Wendy, Tyler, Mike, and Erin. It was also the first time I got some real quality time with Darwin, since first seeing him at Dave's funeral in late 2011.  The meet up was overdue, a lot of fun, and laid the groundwork for a trip to Las Vegas later in the year.

February 1, 2012 - Since making my first short films and videos at the age of 12, in February I celebrated 15 years of Fandrix Productions, the name I've kept and continued to use for my work to this day.  I put together a montage of some of the headers that have introduced my videos since 1997.



February 23, 2012 - The purchase of a vintage 16mm Revere film projector became instrumental in the rediscovery of some of my early film school work.  Some of the projects I shared included Silent City (2003), Line Art (2004), X (2006), and several of my early animation tests.    

March 5, 2012 - Despite the project not spinning off as we had hoped, I directed a video for the Savour the Southeast campaign and had an amazing time doing it.   

March 6, 2012 - I wrote the 1000th post on Editing Luke.


March 19, 2012 - The love for my car didn't subside this year, and I was happy to cross one of my early goals off my list by taking my Dad to the Calgary Auto Show in my Jaguar XJ8.  

March 29, 2012 - This was the first mention I made of my new photo series, Around the Hat.  After finding some vintage images of my hometown, Medicine Hat, I decided to start capturing notable locations around the city.  At the time, I had no idea where the project would take me.

April 3, 2012 - The first photo set I posted for Around the Hat was of Medalta Potteries. This became significant because it put me in touch with Quentin, and over the next few months I gained access to some of Medicine Hat's most incredible locations within the historic clay district.  Notably this included the interior of the abandoned Brick and Tile factory, and inside of the abandoned Hycroft China factory.  I also shot inside of Medalta while visiting with my family over Mother's Day. 
     

May 31, 2012 - Editing Luke celebrated 5 years.

June 2, 2012 - After years of working with Stream Media, they decided to let go of their office as the company reorganized.  Saying goodbye to the location was sad, and the end of a chapter.

June 11, 2012 - My sister and I went to see Beatlemania!

June 19, 2012 - I mused a bit about life after film school in anticipation of my upcoming 10 year high school reunion.

July 1, 2012 - Over the Canada Day long weekend I returned to Regina to visit my friend Tyler before he moved out east.  I took lots of photos on the trip, visiting the Legislative building, taking a memorable tour of the University or Regina campus, having a bonfire for Dave, exploring Moose Jaw, revisiting old film school project locations, and exploring downtown Regina.  I also had a great time getting to see Wendy and Darwin, and shot a couple of cool videos playing with Darwin and of the Regina fireworks.



July 24, 2012 - I went to Golden, BC for the wedding of my friends Tyson and Kristi, as well as to see the old group from College West.  The scenery was spectacular, and the reunion was a lot of fun.  Driving the Jag through the mountains wasn't half bad either.

August 1, 2012 - My folks took our family away for a weekend in Canmore / Kananaskis. We stopped to check out the Calgary Zoo, did a trail ride through the mountains on horseback, and did some whitewater rafting.  On the way home my sister and I checked out Canada's Sports Hall of Fame at Olympic Park, and met up for a brief family reunion to see my Grandma.

August 10, 2012 - I took a week off from work and did some local site seeing.  My friend Andrea and I took a day trip to Drumheller and visited the Royal Tyrrell Museum in the Badlands.  We also took a drive out to Red Rock Coulee.

August 22, 2012 - One of the saddest moments of the year was the death of my Grandma.  I reflected on my final visit with her just a few weeks prior, before sharing my experience at her funeral.  She was an amazing lady and it was nice to have to the family together to remember her.

September 10, 2012 - One year after the death of my friend Dave, I reflected on what the year had meant and what had since unfolded.

September 22, 2012 - After several weeks of discussions and buzz created from sharing my Regina photographs from the summer, I ended up selling on of my shots for the cover of the 2013 City of Regina phone book.  Here was how that unfolded.

September 23, 2012 - Months of planning came to fruition, despite my friend Tyler ducking out at the last minute, and I was away to Las Vegas for my long awaited 5th trip there.  I documented the entire week away and shared highlights from the Vdara, Blue Man Group, Bodies & Titanic exhibits, Mob Museum, Imperial Palace Auto Collection, and Pinball Hall of Fame - not to mention from the strip itself.

October 21, 2012 - After weeks of searching I finally found an original Hycroft China Hat souvenir for my Around the Hat series.

November 2, 2012 - In the wake of my Grandma's death, I wanted to share some of the treasures that I received from her and other family members.  This included vintage records, an old folding camera, a piece of Medalta pottery, and an old GAF 880.

November 24, 2012 - With the year wrapping up I mused about my current projects.

December 13, 2012 - Months of Around the Hat photography culminated this year with a brand new page documenting exactly what I'd captured, and with a call from City Hall to discuss the series.  We had a meeting to see where things might go in 2013.

December 27, 2012 - My year wrapped with numerous Christmas celebrations and gatherings.  In addition to this I shared pictures from the decorations around City Hall, checked out the CP Holiday Train as it rolled into town, and even pulled out some campy Christmas records.   

Looking back at everything I posted about, I'm actually really impressed with what a busy year I had.  I saw a lot of amazing places, both away and closer to home than I'd explored in a long time.  I spent numerous occasions with family and friends, and made a lot of events out of our everyday meet ups.  I pushed myself to do a lot of photography this year, and gave myself a history lesson on my hometown in the process.  Who knew it would become so popular, and that it would open so many new doors?  I grew a lot, learned a bit more, and found new ways to challenge myself.

I still haven't found what I'm looking for, but I'm enjoying the search.  Here's to the new adventures, yet to be realized dreams, and continued ambitions in the new year ahead! I wish you all the very best!

Around Alberta Promo

It's been a lot of fun being a local tourist this year and checking out places close to home.  Motivated by the popularity of my Around the Hat page, I thought it would be cool to single out some of my favorite shoots from around the province too.  Check out the new preview below and see my new Around Alberta page here.  

Around the Hat Promo 2

Over the weekend I took a major step with Around the Hat, my hometown photo series of Medicine Hat, Alberta.  I finally got around to organizing all of the locations into a single page, making it really easy to keep track of and explore the collection as it grows.

In addition to this, I put together a new promo to highlight more of the series.  As the winter gets closer, I think I'll have more time to explore possible outlets for the collection and start to consider how to expand it in 2013.  Things have been going really well so far and I feel like I'm on the cusp of bigger and better things.  

Taking a step back to look at all I've captured this year, it's really rewarding to see all of the local places I've been and realize how much I've learnt about them.  In a few short months I've completely renewed my appreciation for this place and it's been a thrill to share that.  See the series continue to grow here.  

A Week in Las Vegas (2012)

As promised, I took a week's worth of fun and stretched it into a scattering of blog post highlights throughout this month.  It was actually really enjoyable to be able to explore everything I'd done with my friends Mike and Erin again, and be able to share so much through the pictures and video I shot.  There really is no place quite like Las Vegas.

Our trip during the last week of September was unlike any of my other Vegas trips in that I feel like I went out of my way to do more exploring this time around.  The five star suite at the Vdara didn't hurt to upgrade my experience either.  While the locations felt familiar, the attractions seemed new.  Just seeing things from different perspectives and getting to enjoy Vegas with two friends who hadn't been before, kept everything on the trip exciting and fresh.  It was a week that I doubt any of us will soon forget, although with so many pictures I'd like to see any of us try.



To explore the highlights, photo sets, and stories behind some of my favorite moments from our time in Las Vegas, simply click the images below for the complete posts.

Bellagio Fountain Montage 2012

Staying at the Vdara, we were never more than a couple of minutes away from the Bellagio fountains.  I must have watched about ten different fountain shows over the course of the week, and probably would've seen more if there wasn't so much else going on.  The fountains are still a huge draw for crowds along the strip, and it's easy to see why.  I compiled a few minutes of my best footage from the various shows throughout the week and ended up with this.    

Pinball Hall of Fame: Part 1

One of the more obscure things that I did on my trip to Las Vegas was visit the Pinball Hall of Fame. What made it obscure is that the Hall of Fame is actually a few miles off of the strip, located in an unassuming and boring looking office park along Tropicana Avenue. The place is sort of a museum because of the history there, but it's really a no-frills collection of playable vintage pinball machines that have been lovingly restored and cared for. You might drive by and not give it a second glance, but once inside it's clear what a rare place this really is.    

This was one of the things that I had planned to do solo on the trip as seeing it included a 6 mile round trip walk in the midday desert heat. Admittedly, it was kind of exhausting, but the destination proved to be worth it and the walk allowed me to see the everyday side of Vegas that usually eludes visitors. I hadn't really planned to walk the campus of UNLV, but I did, and I have to say that I got a strangely satisfying feeling when I finally reached the hall of fame and recognized the location from my brief exploration on Google maps.

Once inside the Pinball Hall of Fame, my eyes took a few minutes to adjust to the dark warehouse-like environment. Before me were rows and rows of glowing pinball machines, buzzing and flickering, a few even spouting movie catchphrases. I quickly recognized a few familiar machines from my youth, and was happy to stumble onto a South Park pinball machine that my friend Jay and I used to play in the small arcade below the residence we lived in while in university. I'm not really a pinball superfan, but I quickly became swept up in the nostalgia blinking around me.    

As much fun as the newer machines were, it was the pinball machines from the 1960s and 1970s that really made the experience. Many of the older machines could be played for just 25 cents, and I'd never played anything like them before. Their simplicity, the buzzing electric flashes, the clacking flippers and bumpers, and high pitched bells made the machines seem so much more mechanical. There were no polished effects, the sounds were literally those of the machine operating, and that small ball bouncing into things. It was awesome!

I had a great time snapping pictures and ended up spending a couple of hours playing through a pocket full of quarters. What's really awesome about the Pinball Hall of Fame is that it's all about the games. They don't seem to care about making a fortune off of the machines or charging people to come and have a look, they're just happy that people are coming to enjoy them.

The silver lining of it all is that because the Pinball Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization, all excess revenues they make off of the machines are donated to charity. At the end of the day, it's probably one of the most guilt free ways to spend money in Vegas and it was an amazing experience that I won't soon forget.