John Alden Photography

It's close to the start of another season of school photography. The summer is almost done and to help get it kicked off right I'm finishing the last vacation of the summer. Currently we are in Vancouver, B.C. where the weather has been moderate and the vistas inspiring, once you leave the canyons of mirrored buildings of the downtown area. Planes depart and land from Coal Harbour. There are many outstanding areas of Vancouver, one of my favorite areas is Gas Town, the oldest section (late 1800's). Touristy and gentrified it represents an bygone era of development and the working class. Old brick buildings, alleyways and narrow streets are starkly contrasted to Vancouver's high-rises of the last 2 decades. Shown here: the back of Gas Town where it meets the tracks.

We are on countdown. All the work of the last few months is coming to completion and we are excited. I have gone through the last year and 1/2 of shooting and have selected images from a variety of genres: family portraits, kids, high school seniors and some fine art. What excites me more is the capability of this new studio. Every wall presents itself as a possible backdrop, a different look; every toime I turn around I see a new possibility. Make sure you attend the August 18th grand opening. If you can't make that then just stop in and say hi, look around. I usually have some coffee brewing. John This is just a test - anyone  out there?

April of 2007 will be a significant month for me. I signed on the dotted line and committed myself to a new space adjacent to our existing studio. I went from 1100 square feet to 2300 square feet. The hair salon next door, after 25 years of being a hair salon, folded. The space was perfect. I spent several months prior to April determining how this new space would look. Now, come August 18, from 1 -4 pm you can visit us and enjoy our grand opening . We started by gutting the place and in the process discovered red brick walls that hadn't seen the light of day in over 70 years, an old concrete floor that once cleaned up shines like a jewel. We now have an existing light studio (using window light) and a traditional studio. The feel is New York industrial with a Fresno edge. Our first session in the studio (still incomplete at the time) was a great success. The studio easily lends itself to high school senior photography (not an accident). We have textures, red brick walls, interest...