Tis the season for Xmas parties and my own was first out of the gate this year. As a gift to colleagues, friends and clients I held a little social event that gave back. In addition to providing everyone with fun portraits for holiday greeting cards and FaceBook fodder, we also collected a tonne of food for the Vancouver Food Bank Society. Thanks to all for your donations and support!

It is fun to see how this party idea has evolved from something I did just for fun with friends at a house party last year. The reactions and feedback were so great that I had to try something on a larger scale. This time I went all out with a studio party, DJ, snacks and boozy egg nog. Creating a party environment got everyone into the mood and the images speak for themselves.

This is just a small selection of the portraits taken. I don’t want to bore you with an endless stream of images or depress you if you didn’t make it to the party. But take heart in that I will probably make this an annual affair.

click on image for gallery

Last night a mix of adult film producers, stars & starlets, exotic dancers, sex-worker rights advocates, harm reduction & support workers, sex educators and researchers gathered for Vancouver’s first Adult Entertainment Awards ceremony hosted by The Naked Truth at the Rio Theatre.

The categories ranged widely from serious subjects like Best Advocate, to more industry based awards like Best Film Production Company and Favourite Stripper to more tongue-in-cheek nods like Best Pussy Squirter.

Outside on the red carpet, Jenny Magenta interviewed the successful and influential players of the industry while Samantha Mack hosted the ceremonies, entertaining everyone with extensive anecdotes on the art of blowjobs and creative uses for extraordinarily large breasts.

Judging by the smiles and laughter, everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly. It was a positive night of validation and encouragement for an industry that is often stigmatized and marginalized. As Mz. Scream put it, “It’s nice to be recognized, to have this pat on the back for those of us who work so hard and put ourselves out for the enjoyment of others.”

Memoirs Of An Apprentice Librarian is the latest piece put together by the Vancouver marionette troupe Carnival Sized Cinnamon Hearts. You may have been lucky enough to catch their premiere during the East Van Culture Crawl when the troupe entertained over 400 people in a marathon of performances, both in their studio and at the Echo Chamber after-party.

Set to the live musical accompaniment of a harp and cello, the performance is intimate and evocative, fleshing out a whimsical and mystical story.

“Mayhem beaks out when two Griffin librarians must pursue a flying book that refuses to stay on its shelf. Jeopardizing their apprenticeships, Phinius and Septimus escape the confines of their avian library, following the book to Earth, where Humans dwell…”

Looking at the marionettes, the attention to detail, the construction of the set and the amount of time spent on this project, it is clear how much fun and love this troupe has for their project.

There will be more performances in the New Year but you can still catch one of four final shows this year:

WHERE: Suite 501 of the ARC BUILDING 1701 Powell Street.

WHEN: December 21st and 22nd, 7 pm & and 8 pm shows

Tickets are only $4 and the show is 20 minutes long – an easy investment of time and money, suitable for the young and young at heart.

The path to reconciliation between the Canadian government and the First Nations people will take a significant turn as the world focuses its attention on Vancouver for the upcoming Olympic games. Politicians are in a hurry to ‘close gaps’ and ‘find common ground’ while trying to live down our country’s history of systemic racism, abuse and treaty violations.

One year after the Government of Canada delivered its official Statement of Apology to the former students of Indian residential schools, this year’s National Aboriginal Day is being held up as an opportunity to look to the future with confidence.

In Vancouver, the day started at the Friendship Centre with opening prayers, performers and a pancake breakfast. Then a parade led by singing and drums made its way up Commercial Drive to Trout Lake where a fairground was set up with teepees, arts & crafts, vendors, Aboriginal service providers and a stage.

Despite a few superstitious aversions to my camera (stealing pieces of the soul), I was delighted to be welcomed and photograph so many smiling faces at this event.

Chiho Chan and Mark McKim love cars. So much so that passion kept them out of trouble as mischievous teens. Now they are passing on that passion and helping at-risk youth discover a sense of purpose in Vancouver’s Customs for Urban Teens (CUT) program.

In cooperation with the Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Association (KAYA), they now have a shop and are teaching kids hands-on skills to rebuild cars, from removing the engine to cutting out and fabricating new parts from old metal.

Without much of a budget the program is completely run by volunteers. Chiho, a car rebuilding enthusiast and experienced grant writer, got the bureaucratic ball rolling. Mark is the machinist and custom car builder and Adam Clark, a certified hydraulic fit technician, has come on board as an instructor.

The program has become popular very quickly so the next build session is already full with a waiting list. In the time I spent with these kids I got a real sense of how much they enjoyed the project in front of them, which contrasted sharply against their smoke break conversations about curfews and lawyers. When asked about the success of the program Chiho said, “This is one of the best things I’ve done in my professional life.”

The Yoga scene in Vancouver is huge. Everyone is doing it, talking about it or checking out the cute girl in Lululemon pants. So naturally there are several communities to serve this phenomenon, divided by what they hope to get out of it.

There are your Bikram’s purists, hot yoga fanatics and hatha yoga evangelists. But every once in a while you’ll find someone who isn’t worried about brand loyalty or the Sanskrit word for every imaginable pose.

Susan Horning gave up a career in the gold mining industry to follow her particular vision of community and yoga by opening her own studio – Unity Yoga. Just around the corner from Commercial & Broadway, her space is more than just a school, but also a tea house and events venue.

In addition to some portraits of Susan and another talented instructor, Waylon, I was also able to shoot a Sangha event with good music, tea, food and conversation.

Although this is a photographic ‘gimme’, the Parade of Lost Souls is a mainstay of the Commercial Drive community.

The Public Dreams Society organizes this event and is responsible for the  Illuminares Lantern Procession each year. They also provide event management services with immersive audience experiences under the name Imaginate.

You really need to get in touch with these people if you enjoy dressing up for a party.