I can roughly divide what I did in three parts: Promotional shots, headshots and then photographing the dress rehearsal.

We took a very different approach to the promos and the headshots than for Narnia last fall.  There, the headshots had a darker feel to them and the promos were done inside.

For the promo shots, producer Marie-Andrée Rowsell and I scouted Langford and Metchosin for a nice, red barn.  We saw some red buildings, even some red barns, but nothing that would suit our purpose.  We were about to give up when we found our barn, almost hidden from view behind houses.  In fact, we almost missed it.  We knocked on the owner's door and got permission to do the shoot the following Saturday morning.

Cati Landry (Charlotte) and Márus Gunnarsson (Wilbur) graced the cover of the program.

The shoot went well, and a few weeks later it was time for the head shots.  I shot them in the gym at Belmont Secondary School, where I felt I had all the space in the world (if I had a studio even quarter that size, I'd be a happy photographer).  The setup was clean and simple, and with Marie writing down names and file numbers, I managed to photograph 36 members of the cast and crew in 43 minutes.  It was fast, but I was really happy with the results.

Molly Lydon.

Jeremy Sprague.

The two Wilburs. Márus Gunnarsson (left) and Daniel Hunwick split the part during the show as Wilbur grew from a runt to a full grown pig.

Avery Paul.

Finally it was time for dress rehearsal.  I was able to see one full rehearsal before the dress rehearsal, and had to make do with that.  There was an enormous difference in photographing Charlotte's Web as opposed to Narnia because of the faster pace of Charlotte's Web.  I only wish I could have had two dress rehearsals to shoot.

The show was lively, and even though there are scenes that cause the audience to shed a tear or two it is first and foremost a fun show, which leaves you with a good feeling.  And on a personal level, it sure didn't ruin things for me to have my son taking on the role of older Wilbur.

For those of you who missed it, you missed a great show.  Those who didn't miss it can attest to that.

Charlotte (Cati Landry) puts here finishing touch on her first words in the web: Some pig.

Goose (Jo Barnes) and Gander (Terry Rowsell) watch farmer Zuckerman (Brian Thibodeau) shovel dirt.

Charlotte (Cati Landry) reassures Wilbur (Márus Gunnarsson), with the help of Goose (Jo Barnes), Gander (Terry Rowsell) and Lamb (Megan Day).

Gander (Terry Rowsell) announces that goslings are on the way.Summer, summer...

The judges (Heather Senkler and Jeremy Sprague) at the county fair measure Wilbur (Márus Gunnarsson).

Wilbur is a crowd favourite.

Wilbur (Márus Gunnarsson) ponders life.

Wilbur (Daniel Hunwick) doesn't expect Goose (Jo Barnes) and Gander (Terry Rowsell) to sneak up on him.

John Arable (Stan Davis) and Sadie (Ashleigh Martens).

Sadie (Ashleigh Martens) breaks up a fight between two boys (Austin Black and Daniel Hunwick) at the county fair.

People wait excitedly by the pig pen to see what special award Wilbur is getting.

Abby Schmidt and Avery Paul sing at the county fair.

Charlotte (Cati Landry) and Wilbur (Márus Gunnarsson) say their last goodbyes.

The flying beer bottle.

First I went to the liquor store, but since most of the bottles were packaged in a way that I could not see the actual bottles to find out if they were scratched or not.  So I gave up and went to Lighthouse Brewing Company.  There, I talked to a nice lady who gave me three bottles of their Fisgard 150 beer.  I did offer to pay, though.

On my way home, I stopped at a thrift store and found a beer glass with the Lighthouse logo.  I paid only 75 cents for that.

When I got home I set up pretty much the same rig as last time (broomstick and broken table included).  I glued a length of copper wire to the bottom of one bottle, and after a few tries (and some cursing and swearing) I finally managed to adjust the thin fishing string, tied to the bottle neck, to the correct length.  Mind you, it's far from easy, because it stretches quite a bit.

My setup... or most of it.

When I had adjusted everything pretty much the way I wanted it, I opened the bottle.  That's where I ran into a bit of trouble.  On the plastic Coke bottle I didn't have to worry about the fishing string sliding off, but on the glass bottle... Let's just say that I was fortunate that I didn't spill too much beer on the table when I pulled the copper wire (you know, the one I glued to the bottom of the bottle with the help of my trusty glue gun).

After wiping the table and the bottle I found some superglue.  That was the only way to keep the fishing string on the bottle.  Of course I managed to glue two of my fingers together in the process.  As if that wasn't bad enough, my wife's niece, Sigga, sat there laughing her head off.

I readjusted the glass on the table, made sure the bottle was dry and without fingerprints, moved myself into position, took the trigger cable in one hand and the copper wire in the other.  I pulled the wire, and then it happened.  The glue went on strike.

Here you can see the safety towels on the floor, as well as the broken table with the broomstick.

At that point I was not a happy camper, especially with Sigga laughing even harder than before.

I tried gluing the wire to the bottle again, but it just wouldn't stick.  I ended up scraping the bottom of the bottle with sandpaper and then wiping it with rubbing alcohol.  That did the trick.

After that, everything went according to plan.

In all honesty it felt a bit strange.

Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin places a wreath on the steps of the cenotaph during Remembrance Day ceremonies

As you may know, Iceland doesn't have a standing army (we have the Coast Guard), and having grown up there I only ever saw some sort of Hollywood version of military life.  Before I moved here, I never met someone who knew military life first hand, or even second hand (spouse, child, sibling).  Well, at least I never knew about it.  Never even thought about it.

The day that comes closest to Remembrance Day in Iceland is probably Sailors' Day, a day dedicated to the Icelandic men and women who have, through the ages, put themselves in danger at sea in order to help feed Icelanders.  But that day focuses even more on celebrating down by the harbour, playing games and having fun, than it does remembering those who have drowned - although there is a memorial service in every town and village throughout the country.  So not even that day comes anywhere close to Remembrance Day.

Umbrellas came in handy on this very wet Remembrance Day.

Today I have friends and acquaintances that are or have been connected to the military in one way or another.  And I talk to them with open mind about what it's like, trying to grasp what lies behind.   They, in turn, find it strange that I don't know military life at all.  In that respect it's a bit like I come from another planet, because pretty every country in the world has a military.

I feel fortunate that I come from a country where there is no military.

I feel for the people who have lost someone during war times.

I respect the choices of those who enlist and fight.

But I may never be able to fully understand, no matter how hard I try.

Retired Lt William Stenton was in downtown Victoria to honour the memory of fallen soldiers.

CPO2 Pierre Cayer of the Royal Canandian Navy checked his clock as the crowd waited for Steven Point, Lieutenant Governor of BC, to arrive.

Rifleman Leo Stamp of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada.

Petty Officer Greg Sly plays trumpet in the Naden Band, which performed during the Remembrance Day ceremonies.

RCMP Sgt Andrew Cowan (left) and Corporal M.D. Luke of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

My next hurdle was which instrument would be ideal for the shoot.  Piano was kind of out the question.  I'm not hauling one of those up to Mt. Douglas - at least not yet.  Same thing with percussion (I was thinking a wide variety of big ones).  Then I realized that I've always enjoyed the sound of the clarinet.  So I started googling for local clarinet players, and very soon the name Rebecca Hissen came up.

Rebecca Hissen, clarinet player. This is my absolute favourite photo from the shoot.

Rebecca is a professional clarinet player in Victoria, a member of Music Corner, musical storytelling for young children.  She has performed regularly with the Victoria Symphony, among other things, and will soon start playing with the Naden Band, Canada's Navy band on the West Coast.

I got in touch with her, told her about my idea, met her over a cup of coffee, and the idea evolved from Rebecca playing her instrument on top of Mt. Douglas, or in a forest setting, or sitting on a stone by a brook or a waterfall, to her being halfway submerged in water.  A few days later we were on Willows Beach in Oak Bay, with two waders (one for Rebecca and one for Carrie, who assisted me) and the necessary photo gear.  On a Monday morning, no less.  My wife's niece tagged along to see how a shoot like this was done, and was more than willing to shoot a few behind-the-scenes frames for me.

We were very fortunate with how the weather turned out, as we were able to see Mt. Baker quite clearly. That made a huge difference for the final outcome.

Rebecca brought her own outfits, while I brought the waders which I had borrowed from a friend.  She got into the rubber waders and almost ran into the water, happy enough to stay dry the whole time.  Carrie, on the other hand, wore neoprene waders, which meant she got wet and a bit cold.  As you can see in one of the photos below, Rebecca didn't have to go too far out, but instead she knelt down, so that the surface of the water was around her waist.

We didn't shoot for very long, probably less than an hour, as I didn't want anyone (meaning Carrie) to get too cold and consequently sick.

All in all it was a fun shoot, and the whole process reminded me yet again that if you don't ask, the answer is always going to be 'no'.

A mock ad for a fictional concert.

Rebecca flashed me her beautiful smile after she was finally let out of the water.

One of the outtakes from the shoot.

Another outtake.

Carrie assisted me, getting cold and wet, while aiming the umbrella at Rebecca.

Carrie helping Rebecca into her waders, while I make sure my gear is intact. Photo by Sigríður Björg Þorsteinsdóttir.

Me and Rebecca waiting for Carrie to get into her waders. Photo by Sigríður Björg Þorsteinsdóttir.

Me kneeling on the beach, having given up on trying to stay dry. Photo by Sigríður Björg Þorsteinsdóttir.

I went to Canadian Tire and bought a very thin fishing line (.20 mm), a glue gun and a bottle of Coke.  After that I went to London Drugs, where I bought some different coloured poster boards to use as a background.  That was the extent of my shopping spree.

When I got home, I set up some lights in my living room (one of them being a snooted flash under the dining table), clamped a red poster board to a backdrop stand, taped and clamped a broomstick on half a table (don't ask), tied a piece of fishing line just below the Coke bottle cap (having already glued a length of copper wire to the bottom of the bottle) and put a glass on the table.

After some time practicing the pouring of the Coke, I put ice cubes in the glass, unscrewed the cap, and started shooting.

And just to make it look like an ad I placed some silly text on there as well.

My mock ad for a self-pouring Coke bottle.