A Selection of my work from 2023

The Times They Are A-Changin'

The first four months of 2023 mirrored that of the last eleven years of my career - working as a staff photographer for the Windsor Star. However, in early January I learned more cuts were coming. On May 5th, after twelve years and two months, I worked my last shift at the Windsor Star.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Within the first week of leaving the Star, while enjoying some downtime at my cottage in Northern Michigan, I received a call from Samantha Craggs, executive producer at CBC Windsor. By June I would be trained for television and working for the The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a casual fill-in, but providing stills when appropriate.

The Veltman Trial for the Canadian Press

In early September I attended the first day of jury selection for the murder and terrorism trial of Nathaniel Veltman, the 21-year-old who killed four members of a Muslim family with his truck in London in 2021. After selling the Canadian Press some morning press conference images, I returned in the afternoon with hopes of getting a shot of Veltman as he exited the courthouse. The chances were low but I scoped out the angles anyway. This was the shot to get. Then, as the prisoner van pulled up to the door he might be exiting, a police officer started harassing me to get to the other side of the street. He suddenly emerged and within the three seconds he walked from the door to the van I managed to get a total of six frames. However, only two would be worth using. I quickly called CP and sent them over and by the end of the night his face would appear in dozens of news websites across North America. After this photo was published, the Windsor Police tightened up their transferring procedures, preventing anyone else, including myself, from getting another shot of him for the remainder of the trial.

The Windsor Star Calls

On September 20th I attended the 1 Million March 4 Children, a nationwide rally against sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) education in downtown Windsor. While the media covering the event attended the initial speeches, I was able to stay to the end to monitor if any trouble would develop. As the march was returning to Dieppe Gardens, a small group of counter-protesters were there to greet them, resulting in a confrontation of small skirmishes and vulgar hand gestures. I was the only one there to document the escalation and after posting my images to social media, Craig Pearson, managing editor at the Windsor Star, and my old boss, called wanting to purchase them. The satisfaction was payment enough.

A National Newspaper Shines the Spotlight on Windsor

In early December The Globe and Mail announced they would be setting up a popup bureau in Windsor, to focus on the expected growth the city is set to experience. I emailed the head of the paper’s visual department and by the end of the week I was photographing subjects for a piece they were doing on the latest cyber attacks to target five Southwestern Ontario hospitals. It was my first time being printed in the Globe since being a student at Loyalist.

More Time to Shoot What I Love

To round out the year, I reflect on what leaving the Star has afforded me - time to shoot what I love. Nature. Here’s to doing more of that in 2024.