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VTalk Radio Spotlight
Today's Guest: Adam Stein of Alpine Images in Sunpeak, British Columbia, Canada
Today's Host: John Bentley

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ANNOUNCER:  This VTalk Radio's Spotlight is brought to you by morephotos.com bringing photographers to the web to sell, display, and proof images since 1998.   Welcome to the VTalk Radio Photographer's Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.

 JOHN: Today we are in the studio with Sun Peak, British Columbia, Canada, photographer, Adam Stein of Alpine Images. Welcome to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight, Adam. 

A: Thank you very much.

JOHN:  Glad you could join us.  So tell us a little bit about your photography business way up there in Sun Peak, British Columbia, Canada.

A:  Mostly what we do is at the ski resort and that covers a pretty wide variety of photography servicing this area.  Certainly we do a lot of weddings in the summer time in and around the Camloop/Sun Peaks area and beyond into the beautiful Okanagan Valley and through the lower mainland of Vancouver.  In the winter time we do a lot of resort photography.  That would include family portraits, action shots on the ski hill, and certainly a lot of art prints and art work that people purchase for their ski vacation homes.

JOHN:  Well let's talk about family portraits in a ski environment.  These are all outdoor photographs? 

A:  We use the beautiful environment that we have.  We take the families up on the ski hill to do both portrait shots and action shots.  It's really easy and fun and the people seem to like to do it, it doesn't take very much time; we can do it in one or two ski runs...it takes about half an hour.

JOHN:  Now you are based at Sun Peak Resort up there, do you do a lot of events such as ski races and sledding and stuff like that?

ADAM:  Certainly we do.  We do a fair amount of ski events.  Some of the bigger ones we do is the Nancy Green Ski Festival which is up in Canada, our Olympic champion, Nancy Green, and we do lots of photography for her different events right from the youngsters in our junior ski leagues up to large benefit races.  We do pictures for the sponsors and for the participants and the participants can view their pictures and buy it online.

JOHN:  Now is this a ski hill that has snow all year around?

ADAM:  No we don't.  We're a 4 season based resort.  We have skiing certainly in the winter time from end of November to beginning of April and golf and down hill mountain biking on the chairlifts -it's really cool - right up on the ski hill with different trails throughout the summer and spring and fall is a bit of a down time, but it's a good time to get ready for the wedding season and finish all the close production for our wedding business.

JOHN:  Well, why don't we talk a little bit about the wedding business.  When you go out and do a wedding, is it something that you send a couple of photographers to do?

ADAM:  Depending on the package and what we're doing and where it is, I often use an assistant, but certainly I love to do it myself, and in this area where we do weddings throughout the Camloops and the Okanagan area.  It's such a beautiful scenery here in interior British Columbia that it's fun to get right in there and use the environment around us.  We certainly like that journalistic feel.  We like to do a lot of outdoor settings and that kind of thing. 

JOHN:  When you are shooting a wedding, I know a lot of people are very uncomfortable being in front of a camera.  What do you do to make your clients more comfortable?

ADAM:  Well I certainly try and be really relaxed, and we try and have a real good time.  One of the most important parts of a wedding day and you can have fun with it, you know, the bride and groom generally speaking, they're so busy throughout the day in the evening and, you know, the ceremony the only real time that they have together with just one on one is usually during the photo shoot so I try and work with that a little bit and we try and get the family stuff done as quickly as we can so that we can go out with the wedding party out on locations and relax and enjoy it and that's how I try and come about it.  I try and just sort of make it sort of fun.  We shoot lots of pictures, but we kind of have fun with it and it turns out to be, from the feedback I get, a good part of their day, because the bride and groom get to spend time together.  I also try and do a fair amount of shots where for a bit of a distance so that they do have a moment together on their own, and that's good for them and as for having a bit of that natural feel to the picture.

JOHN:  Now that's not all you do.  You do a couple of other things.  You do commercial photography too.  Tell us a little bit about that.

ADAM:  Certainly.  In the winter time, specializing in ski photography.  The majority of the commercial work we do is for tourism based stuff so all the marketing for Sun Peaks Resort if you look it up all their marketing photography, brochures, billboards, website, is my largest commercial client as well as different ski clothing companies.  I've done photos for Eider, ski clothing.  I've done things for Salomon, Nordica and we also do auto photos for Heliski operations in the area.  Selkirk, Tangiers, Eagle Past, Helisking, and Crescents for Helisking.

JOHN:  And you also have artwork posted on your website.

ADAM:  Yeah, we do and that's more for the people in the immediate area in the resort.  We have beautiful panoramics of the famous snow ghost that the tree is caked with snow up at Sun Peaks; that's pretty popular natural thing that we have in the winter time.  So we sell a lot of panoramic and different types of photographic art prints for people's lodges and condos and homes.

JOHN:   And as well you also have a large selection of stock photography.  Who's using the stock photography?  How do you make money selling stock photography?

ADAM:  Well we certainly have because of my background in outdoor adventure guiding and spending lots of time in the years past in the outdoor environment in the British Columbia, ski touring, climbing, hiking, paddling, we've got a pretty unique stock of outdoor photography that lends itself to venture tourism in the region so that's where we have a pretty healthy stock portfolio and again different clothing companies, different outdoor operators, the use our stock photography for their brochures, websites, their advertising.

JOHN:  Now our listeners can view your website and contact you via the web.  What is your website address and contact phone number?

ADAM:  Our website is www.alpineimages.ca and our phone number is (250) 578-0424 and our email is info@alpineimages.ca.

JOHN:  Today we are in the studio with Sun Peak, British Columbia, Canada, photographer, Adam Stein, of Alpine Images.   You're listening to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight.  We're going to step aside for these important messages.  Do stay tuned.

ANNOUNCER: Looking for a bridal show in your area?  Visit www.weddingdetails.com for a list of upcoming bridal shows in your area.  Visit www.weddingdetails.com tonight. 

VTALK RADIO:  VTalk Radio.

ANNOUNCER: This VTalk Radio Spotlight is sponsored by morephotos.com, the online photo sales solution to professional photographers worldwide.

ANNOUNCER:  We now return you to VTalk Radio's Photographer Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.

JOHN:  Welcome back to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight.  Today we are in the studio with Sun Peak, British Columbia Canada, photographer, Adam Stein.  Welcome back to the program, Adam.

A:  Thank you.

JOHN:  We've been talking about your photography business up there in Sun Peak, British Columbia, Canada.  Tell us a little bit about the communities; the cities that you service in that area up there, Adam.  Well certainly one of the the largest cities closest to the resort is Kamlish, British Columbia.  It's a growing city here in the interior of British Columbia, and other areas that are very popular are the Okanagan where the beautiful home city of Kalona is.  It's where all the great Canadian vineyards are.  Absolutely beautiful region. Samara Desert and the fantastic weather that we have throughout the summer areas and we do lots of photography, lots of weddings certainly in the Kamloops and Kalona area.  Just did a beautiful wedding up at Douglas Lake Ranch which is a famous Canadian cattle ranch and a great place to do a wedding, and I also travel a fair amount  back east and do a lot of wedding photography in Montreal, actually. 

JOHN:  So you're willing to be a destination photographer for anybody's event?

ADAM:  Absolutely.  We certainly enjoy going to different areas and both in the country and certainly in the city throughout the country.  We've done, like I said, a lot of weddings out in Montreal which we certainly enjoy throughout the mainland and Vancouver.

JOHN:  Obviously, we talked about Sun Peak Resort.  Are there any other resorts or ski hills that you actually service?

ADAM:  I've worked in the Whistler area.  There's a new resort in Revelstoke, Columbia, called Mount McKenzie that I'm going to go do some photography for the new developers there and anywhere sort of in the region for different photography that we try and build and also I shoot for Ski Canada magazine and I do a lot of photos in the region...in the area here for Ski Canada magazine.

JOHN:  How long have you been in the business, Adam?

ADAM:  I've been a photographer for 14 years.  I started off as a rafting guide and a ski touring guide in the winter times; brought my camera up on my different trips.  It sort of just naturally developed into a full time job for me.  I absolutely love it.  It's a beautiful way to certainly combine my love for photography and my love for the outdoors.

JOHN:  I'm assuming that you're doing primarily digital photography anymore?

ADAM:  Absolutely.  I switched about 3 years ago full time to digital photography.  Certainly a little bit reluctant.  It took enough years to learn the craft of film photography, but it certainly has gotten to the point where digital photography is in my terms where it's at.  It's more user friendly for the client whether it's event photography or wedding photography.  I find that that's the format that works best for the clients and with Photoshop and the creativity that you can have as almost as a digital artist as well as being a photographer.  I have...it's really kind of reinvigorated my interest in photography.

JOHN:  Now obviously you're involved in the tourism industry with the ski resort and what have you.  Are there any tourism associations that you are affiliated with?

ADAM:  Yes.  I've done photography for the Kamloops Tourism and the Okankagan Tourism and Thompson Michala Tourism Board.  The Sun Peaks Resort Association are all tourism boards that I've done photography for where I've used my photos on in their different ad campaigns for the region.  A lot of the photography is ski or golf photography.  Again it lends it's hands towards the products that the resorts in the area are trying to sell.

JOHN:  What does the future hold for Adam Stein and Alpine Images?

ADAM:  Well we're very excited.  We're just opening up our new art gallery retail space in the center of the ski resort.  We're going to open up in December; just doing construction on it now and it's going to host primarily our art work of the area.  Limited edition photography prints and panoramics of the region.  We're very excited about that and that's going to be built in the Delta Residence Hotel opening up this coming December.

JOHN:  When you shoot an event...when you shoot a client, what is the most important goal you're after as a photographer?

ADAM:  Well, I really like to have a good time.  In terms of sporting events, I love what's important for me is that I love the energy off the athletes.  And I get into the moment and if you can do that you always end up with pretty exciting images, because it represents the focus and the intensity of the athlete.  And in terms of wedding photography, for me it's important that we have a good time.  That we work hard, but it's fun.  We're not too controlling.  We don't want to take away from the day; we want to add to their day.  We want to make it a fun part of their day where the bride and groom of the wedding party have a good time.  It's their two or three hours that they get to spend together as friends and as a couple and we really try and have fun with it.

JOHN:  Well I want to thank you for joining us today on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight, Adam .

ADAM:  Thank you very much; it's been a pleasure.

JOHN:  Before I let you go, though, would you kindly give your website and contact information again for our listeners.

ADAM:  Absolutely.  We're just re-doing our website to be up and running in a couple of weeks and it's at www.alpineimages.ca.

JOHN:  And your phone number?

ADAM:  Our phone number is (250) 578-0424.

JOHN:   We have been speaking with Sun Peak, British Columbia Canada, photographer, Adam Stein of Alpine Images, and y ou have been listening to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight.  Thanks for tuning in today.  Everyone have a great afternoon.
ANNOUNCER:  You have been listening to the VTalk Radio Spotlight; only on www.vtalkradio.com.  Radio for the 21st Century.



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