Coffee For Charity

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For one week only, Endeavor Snowboards opened their doors to the public and transformed their loft-like, headquarters into a pop-up café for charity. All the profits went to Aprons for Gloves; a local charity focused on community outreach through the sport of boxing. They were serving the BEST specialty coffee in Vancouver; pouring lattes, flat whites and short blacks made with Portland's Heart Roasters. I was more than happy to capture the event in my well-caffeinated state. Check out some of the highlights below.

MELTED 얼음들

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Hailing from South Korea, Akdong is a brother and sister musical duo who were pushed into the spotlight after winning the K-Pop Star 2 series in 2013. For their second title track Melted, I worked with Cassandra Surina in producing the set design for this narrative music video. The story is about how a free spirited young man goes through difficulties which involve a number of unsympathetic "icy cold" adults. The video hints at how these difficulties eventually turn the kid into an icy cold man himself, but ends with a hopeful twist. 

Red sun washes its face turning the water black,
White sky is turned grey with the clouds and the storm,
the dark crawls into your heart and you let it stay,
and stand there like the cold shadow of the night.
Ice,
If they would just melt, we would be able to come up with a brighter song.
Why do they have to be so cold?
Why are they so cold? Why are they so cold?

Directed by Dee Shin
Produced by Jacqueline Nguyen
Cinematography by Peter Hadfield
 

UNNUMBERED SPARKS

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Last week I had the pleasure of shooting an incredible art installation located outside of Vancouver's Convention Centre, for Vancouver Magazine. The interactive sculpture was by Boston-based artist Janet Echelman.

Echelman builds living, breathing sculpture environments that respond to the forces of nature and become inviting focal points for civic life.

Reminiscent of a jellyfish, the mesmerizing sculpture made of soft fibers spanned 745 feet wide, making it Janet's most ambitious sculpture to date. Thanks to a collaboration with the Creative Director of Google Creative Lab, Aaron Koblin, bystanders could choreograph the lighting of the installation directly from their mobile device.

The title of the sculpture, "Skies Painted with Unnumbered Sparks," refers to the interactive lighting component. "It's about each one of us being able to paint the skies," says Echelman. This project embodies the infusion of art and technology, as both continuously evolve together. 

To read more about this project and view a making of video, please visit: unnumberedsparks.com 

PHOTOGRAPHY PRESENTATION

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My first photography seminar went down last week at Flüff Design Studio. I was super nervous to speak in front of a large crowd but glad I did! The room was packed full of interior designers and home stagers looking to gain some tips and tricks on shooting their own work. You can have a peek inside the event below. 


BEST OF HOUZZ AWARD

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Thank you Houzz. You are a constant source of ideas and inspiration. I am honoured to have my design photography work recognized for the second year in a row,  with a "Best Of Houzz" award! Delighted to receive this accolade again. Thank you to everyone in the Houzz community for the vote & win! 

“We’re delighted to recognize Heather Merenda among our Best of professionals for photography, as judged by our community of homeowners, home building, remodeling and design professionals, and design enthusiasts.”
— Liza Hausman, VP of Community for Houzz
Remodeling and Home Design