Intervals - Time & Space

My photo collective f/action, celebrated our second event, INTERVALS on December 4 & 5 '09. This is my piece from the show which was based on the theme of time & space (please click on the image to enlarge it).

A synopsis:
In spacetime, the separation between two events is measured by the interval between these events. The length of such an interval is based on time and space. Photography suspends matter in which light makes possible. Without light, photography can not exist. Without matter time does not exist. Because there is no physical interaction between time and matter, time does not actually exist in reality. Photographs suspend time and space into a physical element creating a material reality for time to exist.

Rose Folds

These are images I took of Melissa McClelland at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg last month for guttersnipeconcerts.com. My favorite shots from the show are these lovely details of her gorgeous vintage dress. This typical live performance shoot was unexpectedly transformed into a fashion shoot of sorts thanks to her wonderful rose folds.

The Terribles

I shot the Terribles promo stills recently for their upcoming release. The band is based out of Winnipeg and will be debuting their first recording some time in the new year. I couldn't have asked for a better location or day which was filled with glorious golden sunshine. My subjects made the entire project an absolute pleasure to create.

Exorcising Ginger

From Exorcising Ginger

I am a member of a photo collective called f/action. This is my piece from our first group exhibition that we held on October 9 '09. To view the whole composition please click on the image, you will then be re-directed to view it full frame.
Also here is the link to f/action's brand new website:
http://www.fslashaction.com

Flogging Molly

I have been quite busy shooting shows for Guttersnipeconcerts.com
These photos are of Flogging Molly at the Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg.

Lee Harvey Osmond

This was an amazing band that blew me away, Lee Harvey Osmond at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg. What I love about shooting for guttersnipe is I am introduced to incredible new music. This is a band worth checking out.

Elliott Brood

Canada's Elliott Brood shot for Guttersnipe in Winnipeg at the West End Cultural Centre.

Ani Difranco

I had the great pleasure of shooting Ani Difranco at The Burton Cummings Theatre for guttersnipe this past Saturday evening.
What a fiercely energetic guitarist Ani is! I am not surprised in the slightest that I heard someone yell out "Ani, you're my hero" from the audience, those who love Ani truly adore her!

White Cowbell Oklahoma

Another guttersnipe assignment, this time for White Cowbell Oklahoma at The Royal Albert. This band is such a wild thing to witness; from chainsaws to free pouring Jägermeister down the throats of willing audience members, t'was a night of mayhem indeed!

Guttersnipe Shows

Trampled by Turtles
Wind WhistlesMagnificent 7sChristina Martin
The PhenomenautsThe JobRomi Mayes & Weber Bros.Marty Stuart

I have in recent months been recruited to accompany Eugene Osudar to shows that he reviews for guttersnipenews.com.
My photos can be found in and amongst the Winnipeg Rag segment. Here are some images from some of the gigs I've had the pleasure of shooting so far.

Carnival

It was my first time ever going to the Red River Ex in Winnipeg this year. It was quite tame and tolerable compared to the Calgary Stampede; the fair I grew up going to (which just started yesterday in Cowtown).
We had a blast braving the Mega Drop; a 140 ft straight drop to the ground. I'm glad I was able to convey the fun in a few shots.

Sunset Beach

I went to Grand Beach on Lake Winnipeg for the first time last week with my fellow photog colleagues. Despite being eating alive by mosquitoes it was a very successful photo journey!

And Happy Canada day eh ;)

Masquerade

I had the opportunity to accompany Elaine Halpert [photography] to shoot the dress rehearsal for Momentum Performance Troupe's - Masquerade. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

All images ©Ailsa Dyson for Elaine Halpert photography

Spring has Sprung!

My sweet Momma who lives in Calgary sent me this bouquet of flowers for my birthday. What a treat to have flowers delivered to my door.
I documented them for her since she wasn't going to be able to enjoy seeing them.

I think we can breathe a sigh of relief that spring has finally sprung this year!

Headshots

Artists need headshots. Whether you're an Actor, Model or Performer of any kind, a fresh unique Headshot will get you noticed!

Portraits

The type of images that truly move me are those with people in them.
Capturing those subtle human expressions can leave the viewer with an altogether memorable impression.

Live Performance

Photographing bands is my happy place.
Another reason I love living in Winnipeg; the live music scene here is fiercely alive!

Venetian Snares Live in Winnipeg

Artist Aaron Funk aka Venetian Snares at the Royal Albert Arms in Winnipeg -
January 30 2009.

My New Business Card!

[Back]I picked my new business cards up from the printer yesterday. I am pretty pleased with them. The best part is the extra thick silk stock they were printed on!

My Blog Made the London Observer!

I have a friend, Gordie Agar, who lives in London, England. My husband has known him for 20+ years. Gordie works for the Observer Newspaper which did a segment about Facebook this past week. The photo editor asked Gordie if she could "grab" his facebook page for a pic in the article. At the same time said photo editor "grabbed" his page, MY status just HAPPENED to be on display which included THIS very blog address!! See for yourself (it's in the bottom left corner, but I've blown it up to see better). OK so it's painfully small, but it's London for F$%K sakes!!
Like they say, no press is bad press and bad press is better than no press at all!

www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=56406919873

South of Pop

This photograph is my all time favorite... so far. It encompasses a whimsical sentiment that definitely makes it a very personal piece. It was taken in the window of my favorite building in Winnipeg's China Town; a landmark building which has recently been "prettied up" since this photo was taken. The Pacific Ave building was visited by Dr Sun Yat-sen in the early 20th century where he carved a calligraphy sign that still hangs over the entrance to the building (I have a similar style image of a detail of this sign in my Photo School Pt 2 entry [last photo]). One of the empty shop windows used to have this pic-a-pop sign and a bunch of other random things tapped to the inside of the window.
I am very proud of the series of shots that I was fortunate enough to get prior to the building being "made-over" (which I will share later on). This particular scene is immortalized in my POP ART rendition of Winnipeg's very own pip-a-pop Institution.

Portrait Making

I want to share one of my favorite portraits that I've taken along with a few of the unedited shots from the same shoot.
The end product came to fruition through some crafty post-production work; by exercising some simple tricks in Adobe Lightroom, I transformed an ordinary portrait into something sublime. The first 3 are cute and work on a certain level, but once I changed the colour and gave it a warm tone to match the natural warm background, I ended up with something a little out of the ordinary. I also broke one of the first rules in portrait making... never centre your subject!
This image became my favorite of the shoot because all of a sudden it was no longer just a little girl posing for a nice picture; her gaze along with her placement in the frame suggest otherwise and give the viewer more to contemplate.
She is the centre of the world, yet she is all by herself.

Rocky Mountain Wedding

I am extremely happy to announce a baby girl; first born to my dear friends, Anna & Nick! The photo in my first ever blog is of my close friend Anna at 16 years old. She has always wanted a baby girl, so this is a very lucky and happy day for her indeed! Since the couple live in Australia and I am in Canada, sadly I will not be able to photograph the new bambina :(
I will instead share Anna & Nick's wedding photos which I took. I was the maid of honour so it made for some careful maneuvering! This was the first wedding I shot before I really understood the camera's full potential. I didn't have a digital camera at this time either so it was shot with film on my manual focus SLR. I am still very proud of these shots considering they are almost 3 years old now.
Congratulations on your baby girl my dear close friends, Anna & Nick!!!

[My] Beautiful Manitoba

I have lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba for 2 and a half years now and the more time I spend here the more I appreciate and love it for its beautiful landscapes, great people and thriving music/art scene (I am originally from Calgary). The city of Winnipeg is graced with rich history and stunning historic architecture & just an hour away, the country is sprawling with white sand beaches that line 100's of kilometers of freshwater lakes.
Where I live; Winnipeg, Canada is a spectacular landscape that continually inspires me. I can hardly wait to see and shoot more, as I've barely cracked the surface.

Photo School Pt. 2

Here are my favorite un-catagorized shots from the second half of photo school. I will be moving onto genre specific posts next. For example; Landscape, Wedding, Portrait & Performance Art will follow.

Photo School Pt. 1

I find myself wondering what I should share next. I'd like to get to my recent work, but my analytical nature won't quite let me. Instead I will post my favorite un-categorized shots from the first half of Photography School.

It was 2004

During my second year at Art College (2004) I was able to start taking some photography courses. I knew at that point that I wanted to use photographs as the base for my fibre work. These are a few of my favorite shots that I took during that year. They are all taken with a manual SLR on black and white 35mm film. I did not have nor did I use a digital camera at this point. I actually didn't purchase my first digital camera until 2007, not until after I had decided to focus on photography entirely.

Art School

Click the pic to get a large view of all these pieces

I am giving a brief history of where my work has evolved from, so to arrange my blog in a chronological order, I am starting from where my formal training began.
I went to art school while still living in Calgary at the Alberta College of Art and Design for 3 years before moving and receiving my diploma in professional photography at PrairieView School of Photography in Winnipeg, Canada. I would just like to share some of my fine art from this period in my life before I begin posting my recent work which consists solely of photography. After spending the first year of art school completing the obligatory drawing courses, I realized that the fibre department was where I belonged. Fibre arts incorporate materials that consist of natural fibrous materials. I made felt out of wool, paper out of pulp and silk sceened images from emulsified photos onto clothing that I had sewn myself. It was right up my alley.
I do not think, rather, I know I can not draw. It was hugely challenging for me to complete said drawing and painting courses, but I persevered and what I am displaying here is some of the work that came out of those first years of art school.

In the beginning

I thought I would start by posting the image that sparked my interest for capturing the unseen, thus beginning my career as a visual artist. I was 16 when I took this photograph of my oldest friend, Anna. It is taken with bulk black & white film that I loaded into the film canister, processed and developed myself. Anna and I are 3 months apart and have known each other since birth (our parents are close friends).
It was during our 10th grade art class, that we staged an impromptu photo shoot in the girls washroom of Western Canada High School in Calgary, Alberta. My art teacher did little to encourage or even notice me as an artist causing me to not take it very seriously at the time. Fortunately my father, who is also a fine art photographer, recognized that I too may have the eye. His encouragement and fondness of this photo helped spark my enthusiasm for pursuing a career in fine art photography.


I would like to dedicate this blog to my family and friends who have been such solid support for me over the years; whose constant inspiration helped get me through numerous difficult assignments while still in school. I'm especially thankful to my Mom who has always been there for me, no matter what when or where. <3