This one has a bit of a funny story to it. I didn’t know Chris – like many of the athletes in this series. He is a former member of Team Canada’s National Sledge Hockey Team, but is now retired but is still very active in the hockey community. I have known about Chris for years, but have never worked with him. What drew me to contacting him was seeing an Instagram post of him getting back on his skates for the first time in 10 years out on an outdoor rink. Then of course I think – “this is perfect for my project!”. So I send him a message on IG. He responds and says he is in and available the next day, but there is one big problem – weather.
The day we are scheduled to shoot there was a big – I mean BIG snow storm about to hit. For reference – it was the kind of snow where all the cars have to be shovelled out and you just stay home for a couple days until the roads get cleared by the plows. What this really means though – the outdoor rinks will be covered in a foot of snow and forget about the mountain lakes having that glassy look or even being able to drive out to them.
So we had to improvise with this one to get it in before all the ice was ruined. Because of timing – we shot it out in DeWinton at an outdoor rink/pond out behind Chris’s friend’s place.
Here are some of the images from our very short shoot as we were both trying to beat the snow back into the city.
One day we will get you out on the mountain ice. Thanks for being a part of this Chris!
Candice Ward Photography 