My First Blog!

My Three Sons

Excuse my profound ineptitude when it comes to anything web related, but I thought it was time to delve into this blogging phenomena, while it was still relevant, to share some philosophies about family, life and work - and in the process, maybe help network my business a bit.

First off, I have a serious affliction called TKDS, or as the experts refer to it as, Technical Knowledge Deficiency Syndrome. I am not currently on any medications to reduce its emotionally draining symptoms, but would be happy to have some prescribed if it helped reduce the pain, anxiety and confusion it causes, or just to understand what the hell HTML or JavaScript meant...

I am a graphic designer and photographer based in Kelowna, BC, Canada, and offer a diverse range of services - from portrait and action photography to logo design. Contrary to my opening paragraphs - this I am pretty good at.

I have over 25 years experience in the industry and have an affinity for sports related photography and creative imaging. I have been freelancing for the past 10 years, and have had the privilege of working for many great organizations, including The Edmonton Eskimos and Edmonton Oilers - hence my passion for sports related design.




I have also been an avid landscape photographer for many years, but saw it more as a hobby, or a cheap way to fill the walls of our home, until a few years ago when I started dabbling in HDR photography. Finally there was a way to exhibit scenes the way the human eye actually perceives it instead of being held hostage by the tonal range limitations of even the most sophisticated camera.

I am still learning everyday and am always trying to improve both the composition of my photos, as well as the post production part of the process.

Please feel free to view my galleries on my Photoshelter website, which also provides a full portfolio of my work.

View My Website

A little more about me, or maybe a little too much information?

I have been married for almost 25 years and have three outstanding kids, all boys, quickly growing up and succeeding well beyond my own accomplishments before my eyes.

Our oldest is graduating from Engineering and after a long minor hockey career, including a stint at the junior level, is playing at a national level at rugby, a sport he picked up in his teens when we moved to White Rock several years ago. He recently accepted a position to work in Australia, and we will miss him immensely.

Our middle son is currently studying sciences at university, was also a very good hockey player (a goalie just like his dad, with the small exception - he stopped the puck...), but has also got into the rugby scene as of late. He is very kind, gentle, and possesses a great quick wit (just like his dad, with the small exception - he is funny).

Our youngest son is in high school, maybe the most talented of all of them in hockey (Midget AAAA as a 15 year old). He is bright, articulate, strong-willed (read:stubborn, just like his mom, with the small exception - he doesn’t give in) and even though we thought we had the child-rearing thing figured out, definitely tests our parenting skills from time to time.

But we love them all - each one wired completely differently with great attributes that will help them succeed in the future. We are very proud of them.

My wife is a well respected and published specialist physician at the local hospital here. She is the brains of the family, and thankfully has transmitted that all important gene, somewhat muted in my DNA, to our kids. My contribution? They got my height...

While she is extremely accomplished at her profession, her true passion is cooking and entertaining. The downside? The Armageddon-like aftermath she creates anytime she pursues this little pastime. Apparently, she can save peoples’ lives using her profound scientific knowledge, but she can’t locate the dishwasher, or on a more consistent basis, her car keys. But that is what I love about her. I am Felix to her Oscar.

She loves life and lives it to the fullest everyday. Me? I spend too much time trying to figure out what insidious disease I might have that is causing my Symptom Du Jour, or stressing out about our family dog with his Chewbacca-like coat of hair, clogging our central vacuuming system every time I clean the house.

She is also French, which explains a lot about her personality traits, and has also armed me with a lifetime of material for subtle and not-so subtle one-liners. 

I love sports and played up to the junior level in hockey back in the day. I have also been coaching at the rep level for over 20 years. I have coached all my boys and will always cherish those indelible moments shared together through the years.

Unfortunately, major back surgery a few years ago - coupled with the revelation that I was not going to get drafted to the NHL in my mid-forties - shelved my esteemed Beer League career and the most strenuous exercise I get now is tying my shoelaces or taking our Golden Retriever, Stanley, for a short walk. More on him and how he has reduced my life expectancy in another post.

I am a massive Beatles fan and at one point had a collection that consisted of over 1000 records and hundreds of pieces of memorabilia. I still possess some of these items, but unfortunately had to sell most of it off when we started to have a family and had to prioritize our spending habits and purchases - like food and shelter... Responsibility sucks.

I have seen Paul McCartney in concert several times, including recently from the 12th row on the floor. This was a bad precedent. There will be no more economy seating for me when I see a concert again.

I also had a chance encounter with John Lennon in 1969 when our family was visiting relatives in England.

The four of us were wedged in a Smart-Car-sized vehicle owned by an Oxford student who was giving us a private tour of London. As we passed Hyde Park, our guide’s perfectly manicured, proper English accent suddenly transformed into something more in keeping with a cockney chimney sweeper, as he blurted out “It’s f*&#ing Lennon!”

He slammed on the brakes and basically parked the car in the middle of a six lane roadway. We got out just in time to see Lennon wave and say a few words to a crowd of people - Yoko in tow - and enter a gleaming white Rolls Royce.

Even at nine years old, I was a huge fan and this was a seminal moment for me. Finally some interesting English culture that didn’t involve churches, castles or fine cuisine.

Only months later the greatest musical group we will ever witness, disbanded forever. And only a decade or so later, this musical genius will be senselessly murdered in front of his Dakota home. Thanks NRA...

Along with the Beatles, I will never grow tired of The Rolling Stones, The Who, Zeppelin or any other group that came out of the sixties. I thank god (insert yours here) that I was raised in an era that produced such iconic groups and timeless classics. At the risk of sounding like my father, I just don’t get today’s music...

I will admit, though, that even in my day I had to force a self-imposed ban on listening to the radio for about five years while Disco ubiquitously occupied the airwaves. When things mercifully returned to normal, I crawled out of my shelter and tuned in and turned on again. So kids, there is some hope for the future.

Little known piece of trivia: my grandfather was Michael Curtiz. Huh? For movie aficionados, you’ll know him as the man who directed such films as White Christmas, The Charge of the Light Brigade, King Creole, Mildred Pierce, and another little flick with Humphrey Bogart called Casablanca.

Didn’t inherit much of his skill, creativity or accumulated fortune from him, but I did manage to get his hairline. Damn recessive balding gene!

I am not a huge reader of books, per se, as I would prefer spending my literary windows of opportunity digesting interesting publications, such as Time, Newsweek, TV Guide, or issues of magazines related to my trade.

I definitely abhor fiction, though. If I am going to invest my ever-diminishing attention span on reading something, it better have actually happened, is happening, or will help me in some self-improvement capacity, be it design/photography related or fixing a leaking faucet...

I will try and continue to post any of my random views on life and exhibit some of my work As Time Goes By (shameless plug). I would love to hear from anyone who shares similar interests in family, life or work. Please, don’t make me post a Comment to myself!

Thanks Mo!

Alex