Published and News

Press: Using Drones for Conservation - Front Cover

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The story of how we're using drone technology to help raise awareness of endangered old-growth forests in the Central Walbran Valley landed on the front cover of The Province newspaper this week! You can read the full story featured on the inside page here: www.theprovince.com/technology/anti+logging+activists+using+drones+fight+information/11394855/story.html  and watch the YouTube clip I filmed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyMPXHOjlK0

Press: Soar Magazine on Avatar Grove, Ancient Forest Alliance, and Tourism in Port Renfrew, BC

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Soar Magazine has featured some photos and quotes from me surrounding old-growth forests and the benefits of eco-tourism to the town of Port Renfrew, BC. From a town who's economy was largely based on logging since the late 1800's, the transition to big tree tourism has been a novel approach, and that after being fully embraced, is truly taking off!

Press: Scientific American Features Sitka Spruce Forest Photo

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I'm thrilled to have one of my personal favourite photos spread across two pages of Scientific American, read in print by 3.5 million worldwide. The shot is from a beautiful Sitka spruce forest near Nitinat Lake on Vancouver Island and compliments an article with Dr. Sally Aitken from the UBC Faculty of Forestry and BC Big Tree Registry. Check it out on the shelves until the end of August to get the full scoop!

Press: MacLean's Magazine Features Big Lonely Doug Climb

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The 2015 Canada Day edition of MacLean's included a Guide to Being an Awesome Canadian and one of the things they featured was my photo and some words from our epic tree climb up Big Lonely Doug, Canada's second largest Douglas-fir tree. You can spot tree climbers Matthew Beatty (at the base) and Will Koomjian (near the top) for scale. See out a photo gallery with more pictures from the climb here: www.tjwatt.com/big-lonely-doug-climb/ Ascending Big Lonely Doug was an unforgettable experience - both inspiring and heartbreaking. I can now only hope that the awareness he's helped raise across so many media platforms about the threat to BC's ancient forests will help to keep the remaining adjacent forests alive.

Press: 2 Portraits for Canadian Wildlife Magazine

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I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing two great individuals for the July/August edition of Canadian Wildlife magazine. Alana Krug-MacLeod was awarded the Youth Conservation Award and Brent Cooke the Robert Bateman Award (given to one who brings awareness and conservation through artistic work). It's always a fun yet somewhat nerve wracking challenge shooting environmental portraits on location but it's also great way to get to know someone and their unique story in brief window of time and an opportunity to showcase them in a beautiful light.

For Alana's shot we walked around the Pearson College Campus in Metchosin until we found this nice glowing Garry oak meadow. The harsh midday sun was challenge in most areas but here the leaves helped filter it. I crouched down low in the grass and used the Canon 580EXII strobe as a fill light.

For Brent's shot we trekked around some nice forest trails near his house before deciding on this beautiful mountain top arbutus scene at sunset. Here I used the last rays of sun as a rim light while shooting my Vivitar 285 strobe through a white umbrella on a light stand as a soft fill.

Press: Environmentalists fight to save tract of old-growth Vancouver Island trees

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Thrilled to wake up and see one of my photos featuring the spectacular ancient forests of the Walbran Valley on the front page of the Times Colonist. If you can't bring everyone to the forest, bring the forest to everyone! Now we just need the headline to read: Walbran Giants Protected!!

I also had the fortunate opportunity to present a host of new images and information on the Walbran Valley to a full house forum in Victoria last night. A lot of great work is being done right now by citizens and organizations committed to protecting this global ecological treasure. I will be posting a link to a send-a-message site with a call to action soon!

 

 

Press: Central Walbran & Edinburgh Mt. Ancient Forest Threatened

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We've already picked up some big news coverage on the logging threat facing the endangered Central Walbran and Edinburgh Mountain Ancient Forests on southern Vancouver Island! Be sure to watch the Global TV interview with the Ancient Forest Alliance's Ken Wu below. Really happy to see that the included a lot of my photos and video footage of the areas alongside it as well! Video: http://globalnews.ca/video/2102896/vancouver-island-ancient-forests-at-risk

Press: Macleans Features Big Lonely Doug Climb

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In celebration of Canada's 148th birthday, Macleans has featured 148 first-person videos from people and places across the country.  Up front is a 1 minute video of our climb up Big Lonely Doug, Canada's second largest Douglas-fir tree near Port Renfrew, shot by both Will Koomjian and myself. Keep an eye out for a photo in the print edition as well!