Learning from the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future

I recently wrote an article on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens for the Chestermere Anchor City News. Since I am rather proud of the article I want to share it on my blog. Read it below or go to The Anchor for the original article. Thanks for reading.

As surely as winter brings snow and cold, skating and tobogganing, so too does Christmas bring light displays, mistletoe, ugly sweaters and holiday traditions.
While most families have their own unique traditions, the manner in which they decorate the tree or baking a family recipe passed down through the generations, one custom that seems to be nearly universal is the sharing of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
“A Christmas Carol stands as a good call to rediscover those things that are important,” said Chestermere Public Library Librarian Andrea Pflug.
In her opinion, the story’s popularity comes from the focus on the heart of Christmas.
“Which is…reconnecting with one another spending time with loved ones and with family having a generosity of spirit and basically stepping out of the everyday,” said Pflug.
The story tells of a transformative Christmas for miserly money lender Ebenezer Scrooge.
He is haunted first by his dead business partner and then three spirits in an effort to make him turn from a path of selfishness and greed.
A path that would see him suffer in chains after his death was changed to a long life of generosity and compassion for those who are less fortunate, such as his clerk Bob Cratchit.
This story has worked its way in to all aspects of Christmas. The themes and characters can be seen in television, film, theatre and even in advertising such as the popular Canadian Tire ads that ran in the 1980s.
“It’s been adapted to film purposes,” said Shannon Robertson who has studied and taught courses about A Christmas Carol, “it’s been adapted to musical purposes.”
“It has been really well worked through the modern culture,” she said.
Robertson is an Athabasca University Tutor and former instructor at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton where she taught a class on A Christmas Carol.
Every year it is read, viewed and taken in, in its original form as well as countless adaptations.
The story has become so intertwined with Christmas culture that even people who have never seen or read the story have an understanding of the plot.
“Lots of people understand the word Scrooge to refer to some sort of miserly, negative, stingy kind of character even if they haven’t read A Christmas Carol,” said Robertson.
A Christmas Carol was one of several Christmas stories that author Charles Dickens wrote but it has been the only one to take a hold of society’s collective imagination.
“None of them were as popular as A Christmas Carol,” said Robertson.
Proving its longevity, Dickens’ novella about the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge through his haunting by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, has not been out of print since it was first published in 1843.
The reason that a Christmas Carol has managed to maintain its popularity is that it captures the focus of our day to day lives.
“We live day to day in the grips of the daily needful activities,” she said, “we worry about money, we seek to in some way effect or accomplish our own security.”
These fears can consume the everyday activities of many people and are embodied in the character of Ebenezer Scrooge.
When these worries overtake a person’s life the results and consequences are the same as for Scrooge.
“There is a sense that we will be judged by how it is we have dealt with the…vulnerable among us,” said Robertson.
Like Scrooge as he discovers that his miserly way of life is viewed quite differently by those around him, people today are judged by how they treat others.
“The story of our lives is one that will not only be told by us but it will be told by those people we either blessed or did not bless,” she said.
“That is just as much a part of a legacy, what we fail to do…as what we in fact manage to do,” said Robertson.
She said that in the story, Scrooge is confronted by this fact in an uncomfortable and haunting way.
“These ghosts visit him nightly and he has a chance to consider his impending death,” she said.
As with Scrooge, Robertson believes that people want their legacy to be something that shows mercy, generosity and nobility of spirit.
Which is why this story keeps being passed down to each new generation at Christmas.
Joining in on this tradition, the Chestermere Public Library’s adult book club read A Christmas Carol as their December pick.
“It’s a story we’re all familiar with in all its different forms whether it’s A Muppet’s Christmas Carol or we happen to see it on stage at some point,” said Pflug.
Despite her career, until she chose it for the book club, she had never read it.
“I thought it might be interesting to have a chance to visit the text itself and give people a chance to see if the image of the story in their heads matched what was in the original writing.”
A Christmas Carol is a relatively short story, about 100 pages long depending on the edition.
“A Christmas Carol is consumable in a single sitting,” said Robertson.
The length of the original text has allowed for generally accurate reflections of the story in other forms.
However, she does suggest that the Disney and children’s versions should be considered as being inspired by the original text and not an accurate portrayal.
“The musicals that are performed almost every year…they are really quite faithful,” said Robertson.
Having now read the book, Pflug who is most familiar with the children’s adaptations of the story agrees.
She believes that the fear and terror inspired in Scrooge by the ghosts has been toned down for kids.
This is especially true she feels in the scene where Jacob Marley confronts Scrooge to warn him about what lies ahead of him if he doesn’t mend his ways.
“It’s actually rather haunting the way it’s described,” said Pflug.
Even in the most accurate portrayals, Robertson said that there is a loss of emphasis on Scrooge reflecting on himself as a child.
“It really does ask Scrooge to consider himself as a child, the younger wounded child,” she said.
And how that exclusion, loneliness and separation from the care of his family affected him in later years.
Those formative experiences in Scrooge’s early life are reflected in the man Scrooge grows to be.
Scrooge’s greed has grown out of a fear of want created in him as a child.
“It really is a call to mercy and to generosity for the sake of those who are less fortunate,” said Robertson, “it was in Dickens’ time and it still is now.”
There is a historical context such as the workhouse that no longer exist in western society but many of the themes from the story can still be seen in Chestermere and society today.
“We can get focused on other things, on the day to day concerns and how easy it is to ignore or scoff at Christmas,” said Pflug.
It is too easy to focus on the shiny extras as Pflug puts it; the decorations and trappings of Christmas instead of focusing on what the true meaning of Christmas is, people and connections.
This is something that she tries to foster through the library book club.
The club meets once per month to discuss their chosen book.
“Just something we can explore together,” she said.
The books are chosen by Pflug and are based around the feedback of the members and what they want to read.
“Part of the joy of reading is sharing the experience with other people,” said Pflug.
The club provides a venue for people to discuss the books they are reading and the books that they enjoy.

-30-

My Response To Trump

     Everyone seems to be reeling and searching for answers in the wake of Donald J. Trump's historic and unprecedented election win Nov. 8. Social media is ablaze with both celebration and fear. Which of these responses you see depends upon where you are politically. I have seen mostly fear and dejection. News media, comedians, pundits and pollsters have all been trying to bring some sense of normalcy by analyzing how this could happen. Although it has only been a few days, it is time to move from passive reaction and shock to proactive effective response.

     As I watched the election I was surprised but not as shocked as I could have been. I fully expected Clinton to win. I expected rational and educated thinking to carry the day. I was wrong. I was nervous when the polls suggested Clinton would win. They have been more wrong than right in recent years, predicting vastly different outcomes in elections here in Canada. More ominously they were wrong in Europe with the astounding Brexit vote.

     Even before the votes were counted I was starting to get a sinking feeling when I read an article about a person who has correctly predicted every Presidential election since the '80s. He predicted Trump, or rather he predicted Republican and hedged his bets saying that Trump was a wild card. (See the article here.) 

     As the results started to come I was more and more certain that Trump would win. And he did.
The Question now is how do we respond? The pronoun 'we' can mean Americans, Canadians or people in General. The response, so far, to this election reminds me of the cookie cutter response to mass shootings in the U.S. There is a lot of consternation, fear and anger that is forgotten almost as fast as it erupts. It is too soon to tell whether the election's response will continue to follow this pattern. If things are to be righted I hope it doesn't.

     I am (thankfully) not an American. I will however suggest some courses of action to those that oppose Trump. Like it or not, the American election has consequences globally and thus everyone has a reason to comment.

     Now is the call to action. If you are sitting at home stunned now is the time to start working. Don't move to Canada (we don't want you. You made this mess, it's your responsibility to fix it.) Don't wait till the next primaries. Start working. Now. Join the Democrats, be active, hold the party elites to account. Makes sure that next election the best, and I mean the best candidate is put forward, not the one whose turn it is or the history maker. Nominate the best, most electable Democrat in the entire country regardless of race, gender or creed.

     If you aren't a Democrat, work to change the system, abolish the electoral college, grow a third party to the point it is viable and not just a distraction. If you are a Republican, find the values of the party that have integrity. The GOP abolished slavery. If it was once able to do good in the world find a way to do it again. It doesn't matter where your political allegiances lie everyone has a part to play.

     Be active in your community. Do not tolerate ignorance, hate racism and misogyny. Don't fight hate with hate. Fight with love, with patience and with education. This won't be easy but it needs to be done.

     This same advice applies in Canada and to the whole world. No matter when the next election is, Now is the time to take a stand. As Canadians we will have no excuse if this hatred takes root here. We have watched the rise of intolerance in other countries and need to guard against it at home. If it comes and finds a home here it is because we have ignored the lessons of Britain and America and invited intolerance and ignorance into our home.

     Canada can be and needs to be a beacon of hope in the world, guiding others forward and showing that although it is hard, inclusion, tolerance and love can turn back the tide of hate.

-30-

Remebrance Day-Part 1

Sgt. Maxine McKellar retired after a 25 year career in Air Force.

     Remembrance Day is always a challenge to cover for the newspaper. The solemn act of remembrance does not pair well with the activity of trying to be everywhere and photograph everything at once. But proper coverage both in story and picture are integral parts of the day. If no record exists how can we remember as memories fade and veterans pass?

     The act of remembrance isn't passive and it isn't meant to last just the one day.

The Act of Remembrance

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
We will remember them."

     It may have been because I haven't covered a Remembrance Day Ceremony in a while but I was acutely aware that people may have been viewing my work to record the story of Remembrance as more of a distraction from the act then as an means to honour it.

     It wasn't until after the ceremony that I realized that people do understand the importance of recording the ceremony.

     I was thanked by so many people for my preview coverage of Remembrance Day that I started to feel uncomfortable. I am not a veteran. I have done nothing worthy of thanks on this day. I was thanked by veterans people I should be thanking, and did.

     The final affirmation came when I sat down for coffee with a veteran from England, David Hale. This senior gentleman who spent 18 years in the SAS was delighted to see my pictures of him and was unable to contain his excitement at being able to share our ceremony with his buddies in the legion back home.

     In pictures, "They shall not grow old".

     We will remember them.

Retired Cpl. David Hale. He served 18 years with the 22 SAS Regiment

Works Cited

"The Act of Remembrance" The Royal Canadian Legion, 2016, http://www.legion.ca/honour-remember/remembrance-day-ceremony/ Accessed Nov. 2016

Reboot. Or Déjà vu again

     I am restarting this blog once again. If you look just a few inches down you will see another post that states I am going to school and will be posting about that.

     It didn't happen, the EMT program did not inspire me to write and that career did not take off. If I wanted to stay in the medical field, nursing or lab tech are fields I could likely succeed in. EMS is not the fit for me.

     My period of unemployment and rediscovery has inspired me to write. That same inspiration to write fiction, write essays, write opinions has also inspired me to get back into journalism as a route into PR and communications.

     I am back in school again, working to finish my degree. Between reporting and school I can't commit to regular posts but as I am inspired, my writing will appear here.

    Thanks for reading,

Jeremy

-30-

I have never been very good at updating this blog regularly. Hopefully that will change as I start my new career in EMS. Currently I am applying to EMT schools and plan to reboot this blog once I start classes to document the learning process.

Stay tuned...

-30-

RMES Ride along

After seven years as a photojournalist and dozens of emergency calls I have never travelled to a scene with lights and sirens.

Until April 6 that is.

I was in the Chief’s office at the Redwood Meadows Emergency Services  (RMES) station to interview Rob Evans about his promotion to Fire Chief.

About five minutes into the interview Evans paused, said they had a call and left to see what it was.
They had received a call for a car fire on a service road in Kananaskis Country.

When I stepped out of the office to see what was happening, Evans asked if I had my camera gear and if I wanted to ride with him in the departments’ rapid response pick-up truck.

I, of course, said yes, went back into the office to grab my camera and while being careful to stay out of the way of the engine crew, go into the rapid.

The drive from the hall was fascinating, the first thing I noticed was that the sirens, which I’ve heard from the outside and are quite loud, are much quieter when heard from inside.

I was also stunned, more than I probably should have been, out how other drivers on the road reacted as we drove down Highway 22.

When I drive myself to the scene of and accident or fire, I have a general idea of where all of the responding police and fire units are thanks to my radio scanner.

If I am ahead of any emergency vehicles I frequently check my mirrors and makes sure to pull off the road and be out of the way well before they reach me.

Even without the advantage of knowing that they’re coming there’s no excuse not to get out of the way of emergency vehicles.

On this call, two pick up trucks continued driving, blocking the way, oblivious to us for some time as Evans honked the horn and worked to safely pass them.

I was told that this is actually about average but it does get worse on weekends as more people come out into the country.

We arrived on the scene moments after the engine did while that crew was still unrolling hose lines and getting their breathing masks on.

Evans said that everything went well at that scene. The proper strategy was with a combination of water and dry chemical extinguisher used to put out the fire.

With the fire out, they cleaned up their gear, turned the scene over to the Kananaskis Fire Investigator and returned to the hall where I was able to finish my interview with Evans about his promotion.

-30-

First on the scene - a river rescue

It's actually been a long time since I've arrived first on the scene. With most of the hard news happening outside of the town limits it's pretty tough to beat vehicles that don't have to follow posted speed limits, red lights and the rest of the rules of the road like I have to.

On this river rescue I arrived first by about a minute or two. I was followed closely by Cochrane Fire Services Capt. Huw Jeffries in their ERU (its a pickup truck, I'm not sure what the designation means). He drove right onto the bridge to asses the situation. The Engine was off responding to what turned out to be a false alarm fire.

Moments later, two ambulances arrived and their crews started asking me  what was happening, which unfortunately I didn't know much since I had just arrived and only knew what had been transmitted over the radio (I did tell them what I'd heard the police say since I have no idea if ambulance crews monitor RCMP radio traffic).

Shortly after that the crews who had been paged into the fire hall for this call started to arrive with the necessary equipment to effect the rescue.

From there things progressed quickly, safety ropes were tied, water rescue team members got in position to back up the high angle rescue, and a firefighter climbed over the edge to effect the rescue.

-30-

Rescue Animals

Although it is said that "patience is a virtue" its not one of my stronger virtues which is why I'm not much of a wildlife photographer. I'm just not good at sitting and waiting for wildlife.

I do however like pictures of wildlife. Which is why I quite enjoyed going to the Cochrane Ecological Institute where I was able to cheat and get great wildlife shots without much waiting. Since the lynx and owls and deer were in their cages it was pretty easy to get these photos.

It was especially nice to get the shots of the Lynx. After I finished photographing volunteer Konny Trosien and the baby deer (above), Lindsay, the reporter with Cochrane Eagle who was writing the story asked if we could get pictures of the Lynx. We were told that they are pretty reclusive but we could go up to the viewing tower and see.

Just as we turned to go one of the two lynx walked past the window right in front of me, it seems that the lynx was feeling contrary that day it was called reclusive so to prove the staff wrong it made an appearance and then to test my patience it paced so I could see it through the thick trees but not get a good shot for most of the time we watched it. Fortunately I managed this one good shot.

-30-

Fire in Bragg Creek

The whole point of my moving to Cochrane was so that I would stop missing hard news because I was out of scanner range in Calgary. I still nearly missed the biggest hard news since my move because I was in Calgary. Fortunately a friend and photographer at the Rocky View Weekly texted to let me know about the fire in Bragg Creek.


The Husky Station, caught fire and was destroyed the evening of Jan. 30 (read the Cochrane Eagle story here.)


As it turned out I was able to get some great photos but as I write this listening to the RCMP planning their coffee break at Tim Hortons I can't help but wonder why can't news happen on nights like this??

-30-

2011 - Animal Pictures

Horses at Rafter 6 Ranch.

A Swainson's Hawk keeps an eye out for prey from a fence post.

I should start out saying that I don't have the patience to be a really good wildlife photographer. I would love to take great shots of animals in the wild but I just can't concentrate and sit around waiting for the animals to come to me.

A seagull is lit by the setting sun as it flies past Ghost Lake.

I had some success this year shooting pics of animals for the paper some of them, such as the seagull were pure luck while others like the Osprey was more planning and patience (it helped that their nest is at the Toyota dealership in town and easy to access to photograph the Osprey).

An Osprey returns to its nest with twigs to add to it.

That said included in this post are some of my better and luckier shots of animals, not all of them wild.

A dog chases after its ball in West Bragg Creek.

-30-

2011 - The feature photo.

Paragliding off the big hill in Cochrane.

Remembrance Day in Cochrane.

Finding feature photos (or stand-alones as the reporters insist on calling them) is a real challenge in Cochrane. With a large portion of the population leaving Cochrane to work in the City not a lot is happening in town during the day.

Cam Macdonald breaks boards while fundraising for the Firefighters for World Need trip to Haiti.

I have a few favourite spots around town for features but I can't really run something from the same place in every paper. This is where being a weekly paper is an advantage. So long as we make sure to shoot as many photos that go with a story as possible I don't need to produce features every day which means I can spend the time to look for great pics like the ones featured here instead of settling on the first thing I see to fill the paper.

Kids sled on one of the few snowy days in Cochrane.

-30-

2011 - Fire

2011 turned out to be a good (or bad, depending on your point of view) year for fire photos. I covered everything from house fires, semi fires, wildfires and again lots of training. Given the distance I have to travel for many of these I was not always able to get the flames but had to photograph the clean up afterwards.
Below is one of my best and favourite images of 2011 from a house fire in Waiperous Village. It is also the only shot I can think of that has received multiple complaining letters. The more interesting one was a person who wrongly wrote in saying that the firefighters had plenty of water on scene. I spoke with one of the Cochrane fire captains after the e-mail arrived. He told me I had all the facts right in the paper, always nice (and reassuring) to hear.

Cochrane firefighters Hans Peterson and Cameron Robin keep an eye on a house fire in the Village of Waiparous while they wait for water to be trucked in. Fire crews from Ghost River, Cochrane and Exshaw responded to the fire March 2. The house was fully engulfed in flame by the time crews arrived.

Another favourite of mine this year came from car fire training, just as my favourite was last year. This time it was the Cochrane Fire Services training. This image works well entirely because of the one visible eye as the firefighter signals for increased water flow.

Cochrane Fire Services firefighter Randy Shiman signals to the pump operator for more pressure during vehicle fire training Nov. 5.

Although the controlled burn in Kananaskis, below, was a little outside of the Eagle's regular coverage area, the decision was made to cover it because the smoke could potentially blow into and affect our coverage area. It was also a great opportunity to get photos from a helicopter of a large forest fire.
Again luck came into play. According to the public information officer on scene the larger publications from Calgary and TV news had come out but conditions were unsafe and they left without any photos or video footage from the air. When I was there along with a summer student from a paper in Canmore, conditions had improved and we got, as far as I know, exclusive images of the fire.
I also discovered that I am probably prone to motion sickness as I wasn't feeling to well as the flight went on but started to feel much better once I was one the ground again.

The view from the air of a controlled burn in Kananaskis country.

Burnt out trees after the controlled burn in Kananaskis country.

The view from the air of a controlled burn in Kananaskis country.

-30-

2011 - Adventure in Haiti

Top: the firefighters play with one of the orphans at New Vision Ministries. Above: Firefighter Kailyn Sundby hands out toys to Haitian children.

The trip to Haiti with members from Cochrane Fire Services is something I should have blogged on as it happened. It was an incredible experience that taught me a lot.

Lieut. Derek Orr plays with one of the orphans at New Vision Ministries

I learned that although I can survive the heat I am much better suited to Calgary or perhaps even cooler climes. I also learned that I can handle the pressure and produce stories and images anywhere that I have too.
It taught me how to pack for working trips, I was maybe a little over packed with equipment as far as batteries and chargers go but in Haiti if anything had been broken, stolen, lost or worn out I would have been out of luck.

Firefighter Ryan Morrison and New Vision Ministries Stephen Byxbe work on the second day of the trip.

The trip also had several surprises, the biggest shock was how little culture shock I experienced traveling.
The number of people and confusion at the airport in Port-au-Prince was a little overwhelming, and likely would have been terrifying if I had been alone, but after I became used to the number of people it didn't feel very different.
I have often described Haiti to people here at home as a warmer, more populous first nations reserve here in Canada.

The group works on Marc Onell Pierre's house.

I very happy to have had the experience and am grateful I went with such a great group of people. Despite my loathing of the heat, I would jump at the chance to go overseas again to tell this kind of a story be it in Haiti or somewhere else.

Firefighter Kailyn Sundby works to smooth out the concrete before the firefighter start working to frame the wooden roof.

Click on the links to read the stories about who we helped, bringing happiness to kids and local firefighters build homes.
I am also writing a photo book that on the trip that will be published with help and support from the firefighters. I'll write more on that later.
Included in this post are some of my favourites from the trip. Click here for the full gallery of images posted at the Cochrane Eagle.

The firefighters work on the home of Marc Onell Pierre.

-30-

2011 - People & Portraits

This post combines some of my best portraiture and people features. Portraits are, for me, the most challenging aspect of the job. This is mostly due to the fact that I don't shoot enough of them. Depending on what the stories are in any given week I can shoot several or I can shoot zero portraits. Setting up and using lights, especially in tight, small indoor rooms is challenging and it is easy to lose these skills if you aren't using them.

Tea on canvas artist Marie-Josee McCool displays finished work.


Lee Edwards and Dwayne Eliuk, not pictured, are working to organize a competative singles darts league.


A composite image portrait of the team Cougar Town For A Cure who participated in Cochrane's Relay for Life on May 27 2011.

Although these next couple of pictures aren't portraits they are very much like what I would try to create if I needed to illustrate a story on an actress or play. As for the mayor, as a politician it is probably my favourite shot and works better to than a simple portrait at a desk.

Evil step-mother Devilia Hardup, played by Lisa Wood, gloats after tearing up Cinderella's ticket to the royal ball during the Cochrane Vision Theatre's performance of Cinderella Dec. 3

Mayor Truper McBride makes a speech thanking everyone for their role in getting Cochrane's Community Health Centre urgent care, lab services and diagnostic imaging facilities up and running.

-30-

2011 - The best of rodeo

A bullfighter attempts to get the steer’s attention during Tyrell Ward’s ride Sept. 5 at the Cochrane Lions Club’s Labour Day Rodeo.

Cochrane is a very western town. Over the course of the year I covered 5 rodeos and a PBR bullriding event. The nice thing about rodeo is that great images can be made regardless of whether the cowboy (or cowgirl) has a successful ride.

Wade Jober of Viking missed his steer and ended up landing on his head at the Dogpound Rodeo July 20.

This year most of my success has come from the unsuccessful rides. Some of those shots include the steer wrestler above who overshot his steer and the pair of bullriders, at bottom, who ended up with hard landings.

Water Valley trick rider Shelby Cummings performs at the Dogpound stampede.

Although it is definitely not one of my best action photos the shot below is one of my favourites. This year when we started to run preview stories in the Eagle for the PBR event, to be held in town in the darkest arena there is, I was not excited to say the least.
I knew that no matter how good the action, available light images would be of terrible quality, especially when compared against the outdoor rodeo pictures taken throughout the rest of the year.
I decided that if I could get permission, it was time to try something new. After speaking to both the arena manager and event organizer, I got permission to set up my studio lights for the event. I am very proud of the experience I gained and the success I had setting up the lights and shooting the event to get sharp wonderfully lit images.

Steven Turner scored an 87 for this ride on Mega Bite at the Cochrane Classic Bullriding May 14 at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.

Landen Collins from Coleman has a rough landing after being bucked off of Tree Toad during the bull riding at the Water Valley Rodeo June 4.

Grant Good Eagle is bucked off of Heat Seeker at the Tsuu T'ina rodeo and pow wow July 22.

-30-

A reboot and the year in review

Cobras senior boys coach Jim Forrest speaks to the team during the provincial finals at SAIT in Calgary.

When I started to work on this it was a little early for new years resolutions, now its right about that time but I'm not much of one for new years resolutions. Be that as it may, starting immediately I plan to use so called social media, this blog, twitter, and to a lesser extent Facebook more effectively.

A triathlete makes her way through the transition point at Footstock in Cochrane.

This means frequent updates starting with a photographic year in review. This year I've decided that instead of a top ten I'm going to write about different kinds of photos and assignments that I had success with in 2011. In no particular order they are: Sports, Rodeo, People, Haiti, Hard News (fire), Feature, and Animals.

The South Korean national women's team compete in the ladies bonspiel in Cochrane.

Starting with sports, ever since my time in Lloydminster with the Meridian Booster I have been very good at sports photography. This year might be my best yet.
Through a combination of more experience, good planning and a lot of luck I have been able to capture an array of pictures that show the emotion, skill, determination of the athletes.

Anthony Toth races south along highway 22 in the Viterra 70.3 Ironman triathalon July 31.

I think that the football catch below is my best shot of the year. It is also the perfect example of of planning, experience and luck coming together.
Over the years, I have covered all levels of football from atom to the CFL. As the Cobras vs. Phoenix game was being played I decided I wanted to try and get a shot of the receiver catching or reaching for the ball. Since there had been a fair amount of passing in the game I decided to hang around the line of scrimmage to capture the receiver as he turned back towards the QB to make the catch. As the play developed I kept an eye on the receiver and started to shoot as he jumped up for the catch.
This is where the luck came in. I was lucky that the pass was on target and even luckier that no player or referee stepped in front of me.

High school football, the Cochrane Cobras vs. the Springbank Phoenix

-30-