Lyle Aspinall http://www.lyleaspinall.com Visual Journalist Sat, 23 Mar 2013 17:26:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 Protected: They’re growing up http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2013/01/14/theyre-growing-up/ http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2013/01/14/theyre-growing-up/#comments Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:20:41 +0000 admin http://www.lyleaspinall.com/?p=1114

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]]> http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2013/01/14/theyre-growing-up/feed/ 0 How to completely annihilate a Pocket Wizard Plus II http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/08/19/how-to-completely-annihilate-a-pocket-wizard-plus-ii/ http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/08/19/how-to-completely-annihilate-a-pocket-wizard-plus-ii/#comments Mon, 20 Aug 2012 00:21:54 +0000 admin http://www.lyleaspinall.com/?p=1011

A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, recently borrowed one my Pocket Wizards. He might never ask me for a favour again. :)

Poor guy forgot it on the roof of his truck after a shoot and pulled onto the highway. Then he heard something slide down the length of the roof and watched in the mirror as it bounced down the road.

Insert sick feeling here.

He turned around and drove back to it, hoping it would be okay.

He stood on the side of the road and waited for traffic to clear, and then…

Insert applicable onomatopoeia for a disheartening crunching noise here.

The vehicle that hit it didn’t even stop. The photog could only pick up the pieces and painfully admit all hope was lost.

So he got on the horn and managed to track down and buy one of only two brand new Pocket Wizard Plus II’s in Western Canada.

When I talked to him after the shoot, he said, “The good news is, I have a present here for you.”

I felt bad, but what could I do? At least I got a new unit out of it. Thanks, man!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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]]> http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/07/02/lawson-is-born/feed/ 1 Still talking about it http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/06/19/742/ http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/06/19/742/#comments Wed, 20 Jun 2012 02:49:22 +0000 admin http://www.lyleaspinall.com/?p=742 It’s been almost a year since I was another tree in a forest of international media pointing cameras and pens at Will and Kate, er, I mean the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, during their stop in Calgary in July 2011. But if you talk to my extended family, you’d think it happened yesterday.

I went to a family reunion last fall, in a different province, mingling with long-lost aunts, uncles and cousins, and I soon learned my career was known for one thing: the Aspinall who took pictures of Will and Kate.

“Hey, you got to shoot the Princess!” is a phrase I heard several times that weekend. I didn’t bother correcting the erroneous title (oops, I just did). I simply smiled, nodded and said, “Yep, I have a pretty cool job.”

Then I went home for Christmas a couple of months later, and at least half a dozen more family members brought it up.

Then, just a few days ago, a woman who works at my veterinarian’s office mentioned it again, although to be fair, she was more interested in the Duchess’s interaction with Diamond Marshall, a little girl battling cancer.

It’s kind of a weird feeling whenever the you-shot-Will-and-Kate thing is mentioned, because I don’t really see it as the high-water mark in the same way as so many of those who love me.

Yes, it was a memorable assignment, and I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity, but at the end of the day, it was just another day of work, and I wish those close to me knew more about my career than a single event that was little more than a paparazzi shootout.

But, as April Bartlett always told me, it is what it is. I can’t change it.

So for those of you interested in seeing some of my pictures from Will and Kate’s brief stop in Calgary, here you go.

 

Prince William and his new wife Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, wave goodbye before boarding a plane to Los Angeles at Landmark Aviation on Friday, July 8, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is given a bouquet of flowers by Frances Miller before boarding a plane to Los Angeles at Landmark Aviation on Friday, July 8, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Miller was to give a bouquet to the Queen 72 years ago, but the motorcade mistakenly drove past. The gesture here was to make amends. The newlywed royal couple are touring parts of Canada on their first official visit abroad and are spending a total of nine days in Canada.

 

 

 

Prince William shakes hands before boarding a plane to Los Angeles at Landmark Aviation on Friday, July 8, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duke of Cambridge waves from the back of a car after leaving the Calgary Stampede parade on Friday, July 8, 2011 in downtown Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge applaud amid confetti while watching the Calgary Stampede parade on Friday, July 8, 2011 in downtown Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge smile while taking in the Calgary Stampede parade on Friday, July 8, 2011 in downtown Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duchess of Cambridge waves from the back of a car while cruising through the Calgary Stampede parade route on Friday, July 8, 2011 in downtown Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duchess of Cambridge leaves the Hyatt hotel to take in the Calgary Stampede parade on Friday, July 8, 2011 in downtown Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave the BMO Centre on Thursday, July 7, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge speak with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife outside the BMO Centre on Thursday, July 7, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chat outside the BMO Centre on Thursday, July 7, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

A young fan greets the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge outside the BMO Centre on Thursday, July 7, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duchess of Cambridge greets young Diamond Marshall at Landmark Aviation on Thursday, July 7, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

 

 

The Duke of Cambridge shakes hands with Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi after landing at Landmark Aviation on Thursday, July 7, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses

 

 

 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walk off a helicopter toward their white-hatting ceremony at Landmark Aviation on Thursday, July 7, 2011 in Calgary during the 2011 Royal Tour of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The newlywed royal couple are touring parts of Canada on their first official visit abroad and are spending a total of nine days in Canada.

 

 


]]> http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/06/19/742/feed/ 0 Kayak GoPro http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/05/26/kayak-gopro/ http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/05/26/kayak-gopro/#comments Sun, 27 May 2012 02:05:55 +0000 admin http://www.lyleaspinall.com/?p=528 I’ve had my GoPro for more than a year, but I only recently bought the $35 suction-cup mount. Why on earth did I take so long on that?!

My first chance to put it to the test was during an assignment at Harvie Passage, the area of the Bow River in Calgary known better as ‘the weir’. Harvie Passage has undergone a major transformation over the past couple of years and has been converted into a playground for kayak and canoe whitewater enthusiasts.

The event I capitalized on was a formal presser initiated by suits to urge caution to the public when using the area.

A couple of top-notch rowers were kind enough to let me put my GoPro on their crafts.

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Mike Holroyd, Alberta Slalom Canoe/Kayak head coach, weaves through the Class 2 rapids of Harvie Passage, the weir formerly known as a death trap, in Calgary on Thursday, May 17, 2012. The weir was turned into a playground for experienced kayakers, and officials are urging caution for any floaters who want to give it a try. LYLE ASPINALL/CALGARY SUN/QMI AGENCY

Here’s a video with b-roll from it. It was edited by our in-house multimedia guy, Dean Pilling.

 

]]> http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/05/26/kayak-gopro/feed/ 0 Frank Shufletoski retires http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/05/22/497/ http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/05/22/497/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 04:00:42 +0000 admin http://www.lyleaspinall.com/?p=497 I was privileged to be able to tell the retirement story of my SAIT photojournalism instructor, Frank Shufletoski. I wrote the story, shot and cut the video, shot his portrait and put together a gallery of his favourite images.

Here’s the Sun link to the online content

Here’s what the page layout looked like in the Sunday, May 20, 2012 paper:

Here’s the video:

 

]]> http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/05/22/497/feed/ 0 Protected: Gabby Duff, Grad 2012 http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/05/16/gabby-duff-grad-2012/ http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/05/16/gabby-duff-grad-2012/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 01:36:02 +0000 admin http://www.lyleaspinall.com/?p=492

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]]> http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/05/16/gabby-duff-grad-2012/feed/ 1 It was a good month http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/04/30/it-was-a-good-month/ http://www.lyleaspinall.com/2012/04/30/it-was-a-good-month/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:03:10 +0000 admin http://www.lyleaspinall.com/?p=447 April 2012 was a fun month of shooting. Narrowing down my favourite photos was difficult because of the sheer variety. There was a provincial election, a night of boxing, a roller derby, a series of kid stories (they’ll be published in May), a science fair,  a comic expo (ever heard of Tank Girl?) and much more.

A gallery of my favourites is at the bottom of my post, but first here are my top favourites for various categories:

My favourite news photo from April 2012:

Sporting a bindi and a traditional Hindu dress, Wildrose leader Danielle Smith is guided through saying pranam to the Lord by Wildrose candidate Prasad Panda and Wildrose staffer Anish Dwivedi (R) in a Hindu temple in northeast Calgary on Sunday, April 15, 2012. Smith was guided through asking blessings of Hindu gods before taking part in a Sunday service. LYLE ASPINALL/CALGARY SUN/QMI AGENCY

I like this Danielle Smith shot for its uniqueness. I rarely enter a Hindu temple, let alone photograph a newsworthy person engaging in Hindu worship.

My favourite feature photo from April 2012:

Kids and an adult wait during Premier Alison Redford's tea break at the Vietnamese Buddhist Cultural Centre in Calgary on Sunday, April 15, 2012. Premier Redford had tea with the venerable Thich Thien Quang before speaking to a crowd in the temple. LYLE ASPINALL/CALGARY SUN/QMI AGENCY

This photo holds no real news value, but it was shot at a news event. An election candidate was visiting a Buddhist temple, and these four people were simply waiting off to the side while she had tea with a venerable.

My favourite sports photo from 2012

Sweat flies as Would-be champ Raymond 'Mount Kilimanjaro' Olubuwale of Toronto battles Eric 'The Hammer' Martel of Quebec City during the main-event heavyweight championship pro bout in the Fight for Kids Pro-Am Boxing Event at the Hyatt Regency in Calgary on Wednesday, April 25, 2012. The black-tie affair was a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area, by the Canadian Professional Boxing Council, and its main event was a heavyweight championship. LYLE ASPINALL/CALGARY SUN/QMI AGENCY

This photo appeals to me for its simplicity and how you know exactly what’s going on without seeing much of anything at all.

My favourite portrait from April 2012:

Tank Girl, a.k.a. Sarah Martin, poses during the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo at the BMO Centre in Calgary on Sunday, April 29, 2012. Calgary's comic expo is touted ast the second largest in Canada, this year featuring Stan Lee, Adam West and the cast of Star Trek: the Next Generation. LYLE ASPINALL/CALGARY SUN/QMI AGENCY

Truth be told, I shot several portraits this month that I like better than this one, but they’re all for stories that haven’t run yet, so I can’t show them yet. I’ll post them when I’m able to. For now, here’s a pic of Tank Girl at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.

And now for a gallery of more favourites from April 2012:

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