Fabrice Grover's blog

Vancouver Opera: Carmen

2008-12-18T21:55:59-08:00

I've been cast as Lillas Pastia in Vancouver Opera's production of Carmen. Rehearsals begin early in January, and the show runs for six nights from Jan 24 to Feb 5. I'm excited... stay tuned for more!

Okanagan Farmers

2008-12-11T13:37:22-08:00

I went on a trip through the Okanagan valley to do some portraits for a magazine article on the knowledge of organic farmers and the importance of preserving our diversified family farms.

The concept for this shoot was to take subjects traditionally considered "old-fashioned" and frame them in a light that reflects the pioneering role they are playing in saving our planet by creating a sustainable food supply. (No black and white photos of farmers with pitch-forks!) More photos after the jump.

Linda Edwards, BSc (Agriculture), MSc (Entomology) has faught to keep genetically modified fruit trees out of the Okanagan Valley. She and her husband Brian own and operate Mennell Farms, one of the largest organic apple orchards in BC.

Rebecca Kneen and her husband Brian MacIsaac own and operate Crannog Ales, Canada's first certified organic farmhouse microbrewery. Rebecca and Brian grow their own hops and use all of their spent grains on the farm to feed their animals or for compost. The water they use to make the beer comes from a well on their property and they also treat and re-use their wastewater, creating a zero-emissions system. "Our market garden feeds our family, and the surplus goes to support the farm." (check out the Crannog Ales wesbsite!). We sampled a variety of their beers, including the delicious Backhand of God Stout. Click here to see where you can get their beer.

Next door to Crannog Ales, Patrick Steiner and his partner Colleen O'brien operate Stellar Seeds. They sell certified organic seeds grown on their farm and seeds grown by other organic farmers working in the region. Patrick has spent the last several years speaking out on seed security issues in Canada and abroad, raising awareness about the importance of cultivating seed diversity. A board member of USC Canada, Patrick recently published a handbook for farmers called Small Scale Organic Seed Production, practical advice on why and how to incorporate vegetable seed production into existing farming systems.

John and Joanne Vivian have restored the shoreline of the Salmon River which runs through their farm into Shuswap Lake. Logging, farming and ranching degraded the salmon stream; their work has enhanced fish habitat and spawning beds and they have inspired other ranchers and farmers to think of themselves as stewards of the river and the land surrounding the Salmon River watershed. They are recipients of the Countryside Canada Stewardship Recognition Award which recognizes individuals and organizations for outstanding stewardship and conservation efforts on Canada's agricultural land.

A girl playing in a vineyard by the side of the road. I think I may have lost my lens somewhere around here... (if you saw one lying in the ditch, call me!).

A road closure between Summerland and Penticton led us through the winding backroads from Salmon Arm to Naramata where just past sunset we found Tim in his garden on Sweet Pit Farms. Tim grows over sixty varieties of heirloom tomatoes and heritage squash. He exchanges seeds with seed preservation groups and shares his fruit with local art galleries.

Tim's garden is hidden on a farm perched on the bluffs behind this orchard.

Ronnie is 96 years old and has been growing apples in Salmon Arm his entire life. "It's in my blood... just like photography is for you" he said to me. Ronnie gave us this box of apples as we were leaving. The only thing he'd accept in return was our promise that we'd mail him a print.

Gord Myren Headshots

2008-12-06T16:19:27-08:00

A couple of photos from my shoot with Gord Myren.

A recent graduate of the BFA Acting program at UBC, Gord had his professional stage debut in the History Boys at the Arts Club Theatre a couple of months ago and is now making a splash in the local film and television scene.

Nadya and Karina Photo Shoot

2008-11-25T18:01:00-08:00

Nadya and Karina found me on Facebook and hired me to do some photos for them. We had fun planning and shooting and came out with some pretty unique images. Click on the photos to enlarge (more after the jump).

We started in the studio by the beach.

As the sun set we moved to Spanish Banks.

Night fell.

We turned around and shot against the orange sky.

We waded into the ocean.

Yowsers.

It was cold!

When we could no longer feel our legs, we headed back to shore. Great day!

Vancouver Farmers Market

2008-10-12T22:15:03-07:00

The Vancouver Farmers Market is fantastic!

I dropped in on the Kitsilano farmers market a couple of weeks ago and realized I'd been missing out on one of Vancouver's great rites of summer; yesterday morning I biked to the West End market on Comox where I bought some cranberry walnut bread, fresh spelt pasta, and organic apples from local farms. Click the thumbnail strip above to enlarge my photos.

Forstbauer Family Farm has been growing organically for over 30 years. Mary and Hans started the farm in 1977 on 7 acres of land in the Matsqui Prairies near Abotsford. At first they grew mostly blueberries, but it wasn't long before they started growing vegetables too. Ten years later they moved the farm and their 12 children to Chilliwack where in the late 90's they began farming Biodynamically. They presently produce a wide range of Vegetables as well as Blueberries, strawberries, eggs & Beef. Their colourful varieties of heritage squash caught my eye.

You can find the Vancouver Farmers Market schedule here. Happy Thanksgiving!

Laura and James

2008-09-16T18:45:15-07:00

The last few weeks have been quite full. Weddings, portrait commissions, an assignment for Bank of Montreal, voiceover auditions and the filming of a new scene for Citizen 101, the indie feature I'm doing with Rory Blanchard. I am heading up to the Yukon in a few days and figured I'd post some of my favourite photos from Laura and James' wedding before I left. I've known James since we were kids and think of him as a brother. The wedding in St John's was a vacation for me -- I shot purely for pleasure. Follow the link below... more photos after the jump!

I met up with James in the morning.

James' dad fixed his son's tie.

James' mom double-checked.

James' groomsmen adjusted James' boutonnière.

Then it was off to the ceremony.

The guys wished James good luck...

...and left to usher-in the guests.

Among the guests was James' grandpa.

Laura arrived.

The bridesmaids waited by the door.

Clyde, James' neighbour and my gracious host.

Laura and her dad walked down the isle.

Jame's parents looked on.

Laura and James climbed the stairs to the altar...

...and were married.

Best Man Jeff and Laura's sister Becky.

Laura's parents.

Outside, James and Laura met with their guests.

The flower girl paused in front of a mirror.

Laura's mom and Clyde shared a laugh.

The happy couple got in their car.

Yeah!

The reception was nearby.

In the field beside the hall, everyone posed for pictures.

I wandered around.

Drinks were poured.

Cake was served.

Speeches were made and James got up to thank everyone.

Becky made a toast.

Then it was time to dance.

Laura and her dad.

James' big sister Becky and their grandpa.

James' little sister Sandra and her husband.

James' parents.

The dancing went til the wee hours of the morn.

Sandra and her dad.

In keeping with Newfoundland tradition, my friends made sure I got screeched in.

Congrats, James and Laura!! Now finish up with school and go find a house in St John's already... I want to come and visit again.

St John's Newfoundland

2008-08-26T19:27:00-07:00

My friend James got married in St John's a couple of weeks ago.

James and I were great friends in elementary school but life did its thing and put some distance between us and I hadn't seen him in a while so when the invitation arrived I jumped at the chance to be at his wedding and travel to Newfoundland. James and Laura came and met me at the airport and drove me up to Signal Hill which offers a spectacular view of St John's harbour. I had never seen the Atlantic ocean from this continent.

In the days before and after the wedding I wandered around exploring St John's with James and Laura's friends.

We visited local fishing villages, went to Laura's cabin, and walked out to Cape Spear (the Eastern-most point in North America).

A barbecue was held at Laura's parents' place for the out of town guests. Here is Laura's mom, enjoying a drink prepared by Clyde. Clyde and Brenda Flight are good neighbours... they were kind enough to put me up for the week.

Wild flowers for Laura.

Laura's doing her phd in plant biology at the university of New Brunswick in Fredericton. That's where she met James (she's studying the distribution of plants, he's mapping social values... i dunno... sounds like a good match!).

The flower girls.

Two generations of sisters.

A friend from the university in Fredericton.

James with his sister Becky and their dad Steve on Saturday after the rehearsal.

Laura's sister is also called Becky. Here she is at dinner.

James and Laura played the shoe game.

Fun was had by all.

The wedding was held on Sunday (wedding pics coming soon) and I spent the next few days hanging out with guests and the wedding party. One of my more memorable meals was lunch a The Sprout, a vegetarian restaurant not far from Jellybean Row where everything tasted amazingly good.

Everyone was in agreement.

The cats of St John's patrolled the Battery...

...and gave us inquisitive looks as we wandered through their neighbourhood.

Here we are at Cape Spear, the very edge of North America.

We spotted whales in the distance. It was windy.

I saw some wild iris (one of my favourites).

James looked happy.

Thanks you guys! It was great to meet everyone... stay in touch.

Citizen 101 - candid photos

2008-08-21T23:58:00-07:00

The feedback I've been getting on the Citizen 101 stills is that the movie looks very serious. OK, a film that takes the overpopulation of our planet as its central theme is not exactly a knee-slapper, but that doesn't mean we aren't having fun making it! The camaraderie and (dare I say) team spirit on an indie film is hard to put into words. To wit, here are a few candid photos I took behind the scenes, beginning with a shot of our fabulous director/editor/writer/producer Rory and my lovely scene partner Karina on the ferry ride over to Nanaimo the evening before our first day of shooting (more photos after the jump).

You know it's an indie film when your lead actor (Andrew) also moonlights as sound mixer and boom operator.

Michael plays my son in the movie. In real life, he plays a lot of Guitar Hero (and he rocks. I tried it and... uh... let's just say Van Halen has nothing to worry about).

The set in Nanaimo was awesome. Here's Rory coming through our kitchen. Note the exquisite set-decoration courtesy of Andrew's parents who own the house in which we shot the scenes for the opening sequence of the film.

Karina in front of our Nanaimo cottage.

Michael, taking a turn as Sound Guy (Michael is going to be a great film maker... you heard it here first).

Michael and Kennedy ripping it up between scenes in langley (location courtesy of Michael and Kennedy's parents who own the house in which we shot).

Judy, Michael and Kennedy's mom, made us amazing waffles. How good were Judy's waffles, you ask? Look at the smiles... as Aunt Jemima would say if she were Italian, "they donta lie!".

Kennedy isn't actually in Citizen 101, but the running joke on set is that her film & tv resume is longer than that of the entire cast combined. The camera loves Kennedy...

...and Kennedy loves the camera.

As we wrapped filming for the day, Kennedy managed to get a soccer-ball-on-a-string stuck in her hair (don't ask). Dad tried to get it out...

...much to everyone's amusement.

In the end, the tangle proved too strong. Kennedy and her soccer ball accompanied us on an impromptu location scout.

Rory takes his job very seriously and is notorious for controlling everyone with an iron fist, as can be seen by the steely glint in his eye as he notices me with my camera.

Did I mention how sad we've all felt while shooting this serious movie?

Michael, visiting the dark side of his psyche in preparation for one of the sadder moments of the film.

Yes, gentle blog reader, this is serious business.

Citizen 101 - the movie

2008-07-13T21:09:38-07:00

I spent the weekend in Nanaimo and Langley shooting scenes for Citizen 101, an indie feature by Rory Blanchard who directed me in Mourning Air (Best Picture at the 2005 Reel Fast 48 Hour film festival).

I play Eric. My connection to Arthur, the lead character, isn't revealed until the very last scene of the film. Here's a still from the first scene we shot on Friday morning in Nanaimo.

Michael plays my son. He's awesome. We shot this scene at his parents' home in Langley yesterday (thanks Judy!).

And here's a still from a scene with Karina Carreck, shot in the kitchen of the house in Nanaimo. Karina was my scene partner in Mourning Air (she won the Best Actress award). We are husband and wife again in Citizen 101. This is taken from my son's POV, looking at us from his bedroom.

I'm very happy to be working with Rory again. Karina, Michael, Judy... you guys are great. Stay tuned for more details about the movie!

Seeing is Believing - The Vancouver Sun

2008-06-27T20:58:00-07:00

I took some photos for the Canadian Business for Social Responsibility yesterday on one of their "Seeing is Believing" tours of Vancouver's downtown east side. My photos were published in today's edition of the Vancouver Sun on pages B1 and B5 and in a gallery on the Canada.com website. Click here to read Randy Shore's article. To see my photos, click "Gallery: CEO's on the street" beneath the red "Related Links" menu on the right side of the page.

France Perras Headshots

2008-06-27T19:56:00-07:00

France is a fabulous actor. She wanted something a little glam for her new headshot... eh bien, France, te voilà servi! OK, if your french is not so hot, you're going to have to babel fish that. If you don't know what babel fish is, you'll just have to google it. If you don't know how to google, how did you get here? semicolon right parenthesis

We also wanted to do a Young Mom shot, so we found a nice garden background in a location that will remain a secret to protect the innocent.

We wrapped up the shoot at France's apartment. I saw this cool painting on the wall. I got France to stand up on some cushions on top of a little chaise so that she would be in front of the painting and then I backed up onto her adjacent balcony and shot her with a long lens. France's boyfriend Moe is a painter and it turns out this painting is one of his... the casting directors may never know!