Adam Wills – Photography, Design and various other creative ventures

Best photos of 2009

// January 1st, 2010 // 6 Comments » // Editorial, Photography

Well, 2009 turned out to be one hell of a year.  Highlights include:

-went to see the UFC in their second venture to Montreal.  Been waiting YEARS to see one in person.
-got my first DSLR – a Canon 40D.  Love it.
-traveled to California. Rented a car, and drove all over the state, from San Francisco to San Diego. Amazing trip
-was a zombie for a night in a small scale zombie movie entitled “Zombie Summer School”.  Patiently awaiting a release. I got killed!!
-entered my first photography contest – a local one, that had a surprising number of entries. I came out with two 4th’s, a 2nd, and a 1st!
-started playing bass again
-went to NYC to check out one of the world’s largest photo conventions. Attended a seminar with Joe McNally. Great guy, and super talented.
…and this is the big one…
-got a new job doing web development for the city I live in. I’m so excited about this, and the time it’s going to leave me to really start up my freelancing career – it’s definitely the start of a new journey.

A ton of positivity came out of the year, and am continuing the momentum into 2010… so watch out, world.

Without further ado, here is what I selected as 20 of my best photos of the year.  Enjoy.

Aaron and Jeff’s Wedding Reception

// November 15th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Photography

Aaron asked me to shoot photos at her reception, always the most fun part of a wedding to shoot.  The stressful part is over, and everyone can finally let loose a little, which always makes for great pictures.

I dragged the shutter all night, which really captures the movement, the atmosphere, and all around fun that was happening.  While sharp still photographer is great in most settings, the long exposure times really bring the shots to life.

Congratulations to Aaron and Jeff – best wishes to a long and happy life together.

Slideshow
Full set on Flickr

Woods of Ypres: At Home in the Northern Cold

// November 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // Photography

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling up to North Bay, Ontario for an exclusive story for Hellbound.ca on Canadian blackened doom metallers Woods of Ypres (of at least David Gold, the man behind the band).  Put together the first review of the new album (and a monster of an album it is!), as well as a solid video interview done right on the shore of Lake Nipigon and finally, a promotional photo shoot.  Photos turned out great, and had a blast all weekend with lots of metal, metal talk and beer.
Enjoy the photos, and be sure to check out Woods of Ypres.

Links:
Woods of Ypres (myspace)
Wooods of Ypres – IV: The Green Album review

Down/Voivod

// October 4th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Music, Photography, Writings

I’ve been a HUGE Down fan, ever since I discovered them, back when NOLA came out in ‘95.  Found them through Columbia House, oddly enough.  So once they announced a new tour, I was all over it.  Wasn’t sure if I was going to get to shoot it until the day of – but once again, Sean @ Hellbound worked his magic, and made it happen.

Opening was Weedeater, who I can’t say I was sad to miss, followed by Montreal legends, Voivod.  Was my first time seeing them, and were really great.  Full of energy, great sound, and new guitarist Dan Mongrain (ex-Gorguts, Martyr) sounded great.

But alas, the night belonged to the great Phil Anselmo and co., tearing it up the entire set.  Shooting the show was an absolute blast, and I probably spent half the time headbanging along with the band.

Was my first time shooting at the Guvernment – was expecting a bit more of their lighting… it was pretty rough.  But the B&W grainy feel works perfectly for these guys, so I can’t say better lighting would have given it the same feel anyways.

Anyways – enjoy.  My c0-review of the show is linked below – make sure to check it out!

Full Set on Flickr
Review on Hellbound.ca
Official Down Site

Bloody Panda

// September 6th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Music, Photography, Writings

An excerpt from my review on Hellbound.ca:

Silence. Not a typical reaction to a live performance.

As New York’s Bloody Panda concluded their final note, and began to pack up, the small crowd, who had gathered for their awe-inspiring performance, wasn’t sure how to react to the intensity that was just laid out before them. So instead of applause, cheering, or even conversation, the room filled with an eerie silence that couldn’t have been more fitting.

An absolute thrill to shoot…  after just getting my wireless flash trigger (you’re the best, Pam!) and some experimenting with some different flash techniques, I came up with some great shots using a bounce off the floor.  Although typically, I’d want to avoid shadows, the enormous shadows were quite fitting.  Lots of pretty creepy shots came out, and after the performance they put on, it couldn’t have been more fitting.

Full Review on Hellbound.ca
BloodyPanda.com
Full set on Flickr

Wolven Ancestry – Live in Toronto

// August 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Music, Photography

Photos from Wolven Ancestry’s headlining show at Toronto’s Reverb.  Also featuring Will of the Ancients, Cryptik Howling, Heaven Ablaze and Sylvus.  Solid bands all around.

Maniac – Farewell show – Live in Toronto

// August 17th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Music, Photography

I can’t say I know too much about Toronto’s beloved Maniac – except that they absolutely ruled.  Opening for Cauldron, they went out with a blast.  Pure thrash fun.

California Trip

// August 12th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // Photography

On word that the great Fedor Emelianenko would be facing Josh Barnett in Anaheim, I didn’t hesitate to quickly book my vacation time and a flight out to the coast.  I was so excited to see two of my favourite MMA fighters facing each other live – it was a dream come true.  A rental car was booked, and a loose itinerary was planned: fly into San Fran, check out the redwoods up north, drive down the coast, and end up in LA.

However, the week before my trip, there was a huge mis-hap, and the event ended up canceling.  I was  somewhat crushed… but the face remained, I was going to be in California for a week… there’s no way I can be upset with that.

So, armed with my camera, a laptop for on-the-fly planning, and some wheels, I unleashed myself in California, seeing all I could see in a week.  1500 miles were put on the rental car, and made it from San Francisco to Humboldt County to San Diego to LA.

A huge bonus – I was planning on seeing the premiere of Chan Wook-Park’s “Thirst” while I was there – it turned out that the director himself would be there for a Q&A session afterwords.  Got to briefly meet him (ie got a picture with them, then quickly pushed aside), which was a great experience, filling the void left by the canceled fight.

Photography wised, I attempted to capture a lot of landscapes using HDR techniques.  Had some really great shots turn out… not bad for a rookie.

Without further ado – pictures!!

Full Set on Flickr
Slideshow

Erin and Kevin's Wedding Shoot

// August 9th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Photography

With having a semi-professional camera, it was only a matter of time before I shot a wedding.  A couple good friends were tying the knot, so I asked if I could tag along with the bride’s brother, and work as a second camera – not a problem at all.

Although the day started off with rain (which moved the outdoor ceremony inside), things cleared up afterwards, and we were able to get some outdoor shots…  and the party began afterwards.  All in all, it was a great day, a beautiful ceremony, and a fantastic reception afterwards.

Congrats, you two.

Links:
Full set on Flickr
Slideshow on Flickr

Judas Priest!

// July 14th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // Music, Photography, Writings

Last Thursday, thanks to Hellbound.ca, I got my first big concert shoot assignment – none other than the legendary Judas Priest.  Still being a relative photo rookie, I was pretty nervous about the whole thing.  I mean, it’s Judas Priest – one of the bands that really began heavy metal.  And to have the opportunity at such an early point in my photo “career” to shoot them?  Yeah, I felt a bit of pressure (although Sean, who runs Hellbound seemed to have complete confidence in me – always giving me positive encouragement).

With only having one lens in hand (the Canon 50mm f/1.8), I felt it was time to expand my arsenal.  With my upcoming trip to California, and hopes of taking some landscape photos of the oceanic coast, I felt a wide angle lens was the way to go.  So, after looking around, I ended up picking up this bad boy – the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L USM – from B&H Photo.  With a delay at customs, the lens didn’t end up in Ontario until Thursday, the day of the show.  With a sprint up to the warehouse to pick it up after work, I really didn’t have a chance to test it out at all before the show.  A bit more nervousness.  Great.

Arrived at the show towards the end of the Whitesnake set… can’t say I was at all disappointed in missing them… got my ticket and photo pass without any problems.  Met up with a couple other people who were there to shoot the show (I wasn’t the only newbie there, which made me feel a bit better).  Shortly afterwards, after discussing the last Priest show with one of the security guards, we made our way to the photo pit.  3 songs went quick….  and here’s what I came up with…

The new lens kicked some serious ass, and am proud to say that this was by FAR, my best concert shoot.  Sure, it helps shooting such a great band, and the venue (the Molson Amphitheatre) helped… but I think I had a bit of a hand in the results.

After ditching my camera back in the car, I headed back in to enjoy the rest of the set, and had a blast in doing so.

I think I may just like this photography thing….

Links:
Review on Hellbound.ca
Full set on Flickr
Slideshow on Flickr
Judas Priest.com