Blog

The blog of Calgary based photographer J. Dirom.

Sons of Fenrir Invade the Calgary Comic Expo

At this year's Calgary Comic Expo, as many of you know, I was there to display my airbrush and comic artwork on top of my photography. Naturally I had brought my camera, knowing given the chance that I would maybe get some good photos of some of the great cosplay costumes that are always there. What I didn't expect was the Sons of Fenrir.

This Calgary based Scandinavian Warband, was practicing there maneuvers, as I was making my way from my booth in the Big Four to the BMO to find Nat Jones. That in itself is a little serendipitous, as I love Nat's drawings of Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer. The Sons completely drew me in. While the mission was see Nat, and take photos of the many cosplayers that flock to the Comic Expo... I failed in that regard.

What time I did have away from the booth was consumed watching the Sons of Fenrir, and taking some quick photographs. 

All images were taken with the intent that I would be black and white images. Something about the portrayal of Scandinavian people and culture from 800-950 A.D. by the group, that screamed black and white to me. That and the gritty live steel combat.

If you have a chance check this group out. I promise you will not regret it. Beyond the live steel combat and maneuvers, their camp was something to behold. My only wish was that I had more time to spend watching as well as taking photos. 

You can find out more about the Sons of Fenrir and their upcoming "Raids" at http://www.sonsoffenrir.com

P.S. I did finally catch up with Nat on the final day of the show, so it was wins all the way around!

Helix - Bastard of the Blues

Helix is the iconic Canadian rock/metal band, boasting a long list of studio albums starting from their first in 1979. Shows like this excited to shoot, maybe due to the fact still listen to their 1984 album "Walkin' the Razors Edge" on the turntable, and honestly I am surprised I have not worn out the album, as I have worn out turntable needles playing it for sure. Brian Vollmer has been the mainstay of the band for it's 30 years of music history. Vollmer still belts it out with his raspy vocals, and unleashes his energy on the crowd. 

Dan Mangan

Vancouver baed and Juno Award winning Dan Mangan, graved the stage of the Jack Singer Concert Hall. This is probably one of the most challanging shows I have had to photograph in a long time.

Photography unfortunately is heavily dependent on light. For those of you who have shot concert photography know that, it is a challenge to shoot due to the large dynamic range. Manual is the only way to shoot, and getting your camera dialled in quickly is important with a three song limit in many cases.

The challenge here was the minimalistic lighting. To me it felt almost black. After the opening acts, to be honest it took me by surprise. I remember thinking to myself, they will get brighter as the music builds. They didn't.

Even wide open at 2.8 and 10,000 ISO it was still dark. But this is the challenge I love about this kind of shooting. I will be the first to admit, that I walked out of there thinking, that I might not have one shot that is even remotely usable. Some people might think it is crazy for me to admit that, but it is the truth. That fear tells me that I care about what I produce, and if you don't care about your output, in my opinion it is time for a change. Also it is a great opportunity for me to push my limits and grow a little more. Again the whole reason I love photography, and mores love concert photography.

But lets get back to Dan. Dan was phenomenal, smoke and minimalistic lighting matched the heavy tones. Which sounded phenomenal in the Jack Singer which is probably one of the best places to hear musicians live. I can't wait to get the opportunity to photograph Dan again, and revisit the Jack Singer Concert Hall.