A full page on the Globe and Mail today on the St-Joseph street. A couple of photos in the print edition, and 12 online.
Here is some that did the cut, and some that did not.
Sometimes, when on assignment, I stop shooting and say out loud: “Men! I’m PAID to do that!”
It was the case with this one. “Softair gun” is a mix between BB gun (fusil à air comprimé) and paintball gun. The story was about a bunch of kids playing with them in a remote suburb of Quebec city, and how dangerous they can be. I asked a kid to shoot me at point blank. And yes, it hurt.
Anyway, I decided to do this assignment in a very “immersive” way. I was running everywhere with them, taking cover with them, and sometime getting hit by a stray bullet. That was so much fun!
Sony Gravel-Paquet, left, tries to dodge a bullet from Emmanuel Talbot-Lanciault, center, as Maxime Labrecque looks on during a « softair gun » battle in St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, 50km east of Quebec city. A mix of paintball and BB gun, the softair gun is restricted elsewhere but not in Quebec. Photo Francis Vachon for the Montreal Gazette
Technical: Canon EOS 1D mark II, 1/160 at f4.5 with a 16-35 at 27mm – ISO 200
William Guilbault, left, uses Alexis Herrmann as a human shield during a « softair gun » battle in St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, 50km east of Quebec city. A mix of paintball and BB gun, the softair gun is restricted elsewhere but not in Quebec. Photo Francis Vachon for the Montreal Gazette
Technical: Canon EOS 1D mark II, 1/1600 at f4.5 with a 70-200 at 135mm – ISO 400
Alexis Herrmann tries to dodge a bullet from Elodie Talbot-Lanciault’s gun during a « softair gun » battle in St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, 50km east of Quebec city. A mix of paintball and BB gun, the softair gun is restricted elsewhere but not in Quebec. Photo Francis Vachon for the Montreal Gazette
Technical: Canon EOS 1D mark II, 1/500 at f4.5 with a 70-200 at 200mm – ISO 200
Isabelle Duval inspects a piece of native pottery found in the Cartier-Roberval Park archeological site in Quebec City June 21, 2008. The archeologists hope they can prove with this finding that Cartier and Roberval where trading with the natives. Photo Francis Vachon for the Montreal Gazette
Technical: Canon EOS 1D mark II, 1/2000 at f1.8 with a 50mm prime lens – ISO 400
Isabelle Duval, center, points out something to Joanie Gauthier, left, and Karine Vachon-Soulard, right, in the Cartier-Roberval Park archeological site in Quebec City June 21, 2008.
Technical: Canon EOS 1D mark II, 1/400 at f1.8 with a 50mm prime lens – ISO 400
Karine Vachon-Soulard, right, takes some measures to document the exact location of a native pottery she just found as Philippe Slater, left, and Joanie Gauthier, center, look on in the Cartier-Roberval Park archeological site in Quebec City June 21, 2008. The archeologists hope they can prove with this finding that Cartier and Roberval where trading with the natives
Technical: Canon EOS 1D mark II, 1/5000 at f1.8 with a 50mm prime lens – ISO 400
A movie is projected on the Bunge grain silo in Quebec city’s old port during the rehearsal of Robert Lepage’s Image Mill June 19, 2008 – Francis Vachon for CHRISTIE (the projectors maker)
Born April 2 at 01h19. 6 pounds and 8 ounces. So much more to say, but I got to go back to the hospital. And get some sleep. 2 hours in the bed after 23 hours up… God!
The story I was shooting when a nearby barn roof collapsed was played pretty big this morning in The Gazette for a story about « Resurrecting our churches« .
On the front page, they played a pretty big picture of an outside view of the Church as a teaser for the story. Then, on the front of the EXTRA section, a half-page picture of the inside of the Church, and a third picture on page B4.
A fantastic photo of an ordinary story will never bring you the front page. But an ordinary photo of a fantastic story will!