Keri Coles Photography

The Boardmans. I love them. Check out those eyes!

kericoles — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:50:42 +0000

Welcome to the Boardman’s slideshow from our recent family portrait session. They were kind enough to support my Rent-A-Keri fundraiser to help get me up to Bella Bella to cover the Enbridge hearings and rally. I am so grateful for your support Shelly, Blair, & Brianna! Brianna has grown a bit since our “stitch in time” shoot and is cuter than ever. I recommend scrolling down to the bottom of the video player and clicking on the fullscreen icon in the lower right hand corner for the best viewing experience. Thanks for coming by!

Victoria, BC – Anti-Enbridge Rally

kericoles — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 02:29:45 +0000

A large anti-Enbridge rally against the Northern Gateway Pipeline happened in Victoria last Sunday. Hundreds turned out to the Legislature lawns before taking to the streets to march to Centennial Square. Once at the square, there was an afternoon full of workshops and panel discussions related to the environment, the energy sector, and effective ways to get involved in the debate. Here are some images from the day:

Behind the scenes of the Bella Bella trip.

kericoles — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:34:48 +0000

My trip to Bella Bella involved beautiful landscapes, good friends, small world run-ins, and fabulous boat rides.

Thank you, Yoey, for being such a wonderful friend, host, and inspiration. It was so great seeing your place and all the incredibly beautiful work you have put into it. It is a little slice of heaven.

Thank you, Anna, for being such a fun, passionate, and thought-provoking friend and adventure buddy. I look forward to our next project!

Bella Bella Wharf:

The wonderful Yoey:

Anna capturing the seascape:

Yoey’s place and our home away from home for the week:

Yoey’s woodshed:

The gorgeous morning light:

I *heart* adventure mudrooms. This one belongs to Raincoast.

Raincoast’s wharf:

Leaving Raincoast Headquarters after a delicious dinner and great company:

Nighttime boat ride with Bella Bella lights in the background:

Seeing Yoey off to work:

Boat ride back to Bella Bella thanks to Brian of Raincoast:

Clear message:

Joint Review Panel Hearings in Bella Bella.

kericoles — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:09:38 +0000

After the JRP inappropriately and disrespectfully cancelled the first day and a half of the hearings in Bella Bella, the hearings finally began on Tuesday afternoon. I was so impressed with the poise and resolve of the Heiltsuk people. They refused to be intimidated by the panel’s actions yet they were equally determined to prove the panel’s negative assumptions and prejudices wrong. They were respectful and complied with the panel’s requests in regards to how the hearings should proceed yet they cleverly showed their solidarity in ways that were not forbidden by the panel. A great example of this was the rule of no placards or anti-Enbridge signs. Not one was present at the hearings; however, the sea of red armbands made it evident that everyone there stood in solidarity. Because of the delay in the start of the hearings I missed the last day and a half of the hearings. From what I have heard, there was disappointment around the discrepancy between what the panel considered valid oral evidence and what evidence the speakers were giving. It is such an unfortunate situation as I feel that the locals have such an intimate and nuanced relationship with their land and seas that the panel doesn’t comprehend some of the connections being made. It is a lack of understanding from the panel not the speakers.

I am so grateful to the Heiltsuk for welcoming me in, showing me the strength and warmth of their community, and for including me in their incredible feasts! I have definitely left a piece of my heart in Bella Bella.

Mr. Kenneth Bateman, one of the three members of the Joint Review Panel:

Ms. Sheila Leggett, one of the three members of the Joint Review Panel:

Mr. Hans Matthews, one of the three members of the Joint Review Panel:

Jim White spoke during the opening ceremony.

Chief Toby Moody getting a hug from panel member, Ms. Sheila Leggett.

Marven Robinson from the Gitga’at, showing support.

Armbands of solidarity.

The incredible Evelyn Windsor. I couldn’t hold back my tears as she recounted being taken from her loving family to be sent to residential school when she was five years old. This is the first time Evelyn has spoken publicly about her ordeal. She had locked the memories away for years as she watched those that couldn’t, go mad. My heart was ripped out of my chest thinking about all the families put through such devastating circumstances.

Michelle Brown, giving the family perspective.

Bella Bella rally against Enbridge pipeline.

kericoles — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:03:27 +0000

I flew in to Bella Bella yesterday to witness and photograph the Joint Review Panel Hearings being held there for Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Pipeline. Sharing my flight were the panel members as well as Heiltsuk’s high ranking Chief Woyala. The community came to the airport to greet their chief and to stand in solidarity against the pipeline. The demonstration was powerful, respectful, and peaceful. The panel members were taken in a van from the airport into town and over to a resort called Shearwater. The rest of us walked into town where there was a feast, speeches, and dancing. The afternoon was a moving display of a unified community. The feast was a celebration of all the local foods that sustain the community which included smoked oolichan (yum!), salmon, rock cod, halibut, and herring roe on hemlock branches. At the end of the speeches we were all shocked to hear an announcement that the Joint Review Panel was cancelling the next day’s hearing because they felt threatened by the community and had feared for their safety when they were at the airport. I got off the plane with the panel members and I was with them until they drove away in the van. At no point was there anything aggressive or threatening about the situation. Shock and disappointment are not strong enough words to describe how the community felt upon hearing the news. Not only was the announcement extremely insulting but months and months of work were put into getting ready for this event.

The tribal council is currently in negotiations with the panel to try to get things moving forward.

While we wait for word, I’ll leave you with some images from the day.

Gitga’at Rally to protest the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline.

kericoles — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 06:09:13 +0000

Canada is at a pivotal moment right now in regards to energy sector decisions. It is a hugely polarizing issue and BC has found itself in the middle of the scrum. The tar sands in Alberta are expanding at an alarming rate and a pipeline is proposed to carry the bitumen from the tar sands across BC to the coast where it would be shipped to China. There is also a massive dam being proposed in the Peace River Valley in order to provide power to the expansion of the mining and gas industries in Northern BC. The Sacred Headwaters in the Klappan Valley has been slotted for coalbed methane drilling and the list goes on and on. Because a lot of this is happening in remote areas of BC it has taken some time for awareness and opposition to grow. But grow it has. These are big decisions, with big impacts on BC, and BC residents want in on the debate.

It was so moving being up at the rally in Prince Rupert and seeing community come together with such solidarity against the Enbridge pipeline. Many remote and coastal communities depend directly on the lands and waters for their food, livelihood, and cultural practices. If there was a spill in the area, it would not just be an inconvenience, it would completely desecrate the way of life for thousands of people, not to mention sealife and wildlife. In opposing the pipeline, these communities are fighting for their lives.

One of the reasons I feel so strongly about getting personally involved as a photographer in this issue is the inequality in financial capacities of the opposing sides. On the “for” side we have oil and gas and the majority government. They’ve got a few dollars to throw around. They can pay for primetime ads. They’ve got their voice covered. It is the other side that I worry is being underrepresented. The other side doesn’t have a media budget. They just have a whole lot of passionate people that are willing to fight for what they believe is right. So it will take tenacity, ingenuity, strength, intelligence, communication, sharing, and lots of other good stuff for us to get to a point of open educated debate on these issues (without being overrun by glossy rhetoric). So what I have to offer on this side of the debate is my skills. I don’t have many but I take a decent picture. So that is what I give.

Most major media didn’t go up to Prince Rupert for the rally. Too remote? To expensive to go? Not news worthy? I can only speculate. What I do know is that it was the most powerful display of civil society I have seen in a long while. I personally believe that that needs to be seen, to be shared, and to be considered during the pipeline decision.

If you would like more information on the pipeline and its implications here are some great links :

Dogwood Initiative

Pembina Institute

Ecojustice

Humans are incredibly intelligent, innovative creatures. We have options. The pipeline is not the only option that could provide jobs and economic growth.

If you think this side of the debate needs more air time, please share.

I took a video of the drumming and dancing on my iphone (that doesn’t do it justice at all!) that you can check out here.

Falling in love with BC all over again.

kericoles — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:54:44 +0000

I have spent many moons traveling the globe and I regularly fall in love with different lands but BC will always be my first and strongest love. Nothing beats hanging out in an arbutus tree in a field full of camas, or laughing by a campfire on the edge of the ocean, or trekking for a spectacular view in the mountains, or swimming in a pristine lake miles down an old logging road. It is the natural, rugged, beauty of BC that makes it the incredible place that it is. I feel so fortunate to live and have access to such amazing landscapes. On my trip up to Prince Rupert for the rally I decided to go by land as I hadn’t spent much time up in that area. I took a bus up to Prince George and then the train up to Rupert. The train was amazing! In the winter VIA Rail puts the glass observation car on that route and you can ride in it for no extra charge (in the summer it is first class). It was like watching a live IMAX show for 12 hours! I saw moose and eagles and mountains and rivers and just the most spectacular vistas ever. I actually didn’t take many photos on the train as I was just soaking it all in. I was adamant about protecting BC wilderness before the trip but after the journey I began to understand the true impact that unchecked industry growth would have in those areas.

On the train trip up I was adopted by a group of friends that I loved immediately :) They were from the Hazelton area and it was great to hear their perspectives on industry growth in their neck of the woods where industry feeds many a mouth. Hazelton is pretty close to the Sacred Headwaters where Shell had begun drilling for coalbed methane before the local community got together and fought it, resulting in a temporary moratorium. The Sacred Headwaters is the birthplace of three major salmon bearing rivers (which are hugely significant to the livelihoods and economy of the whole area). I really appreciate Wade Davis’ perspective on the situation. He knows the importance of the energy industry and the fact that it is necessary however he believes that there needs to be more discussion and legislation around WHERE and HOW they happen. It is important not to develop in sensitive areas that will devastate cultures and other industries. I am not against development and growth, I just think we need to be smart and forward-thinking about it.

While I was up in Prince Rupert, the weather was uncharacteristically mild and gorgeous for that time of year and I got some spectacular sunsets :)

After the rally, my new adoptive family invited me to come to Hazelton where I spent a night sleeping next to the Skeena river. So blissful!

I ended up flying back from Smithers which was not my initial travel plan but in the end I was happy I did. The BC mountains are so gorgeous. I adore seeing the different formations and imagining how they were created. Seeing the landscape from that height puts interrelationships into a whole new perspective. Everything is connected. Work done on a mountainside is going to effect the valley. Development upstream is going to have extensive effects downstream. Nothing happens in isolation.

I’ll leave you with images from the trip up and back. I went a little overboard with the mountain shots but I couldn’t help it. Mountains are so cool!!

Haida Carver – Lyle Campbell

kericoles — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:50:34 +0000

When I was up in Prince Rupert for the rally, I spent Friday just wandering around. I came across Lyle Campbell’s carving studio and went in to check out his amazing work. I love spending time with artists and witnessing the process of creation. Lyle’s fiance Kim was there as well, painting. I was grateful for the opportunity to hang out and chat and capture them in action. They are such a lovely couple. Be sure to check out their studio if you are ever in the area! You can see Lyle talking about his art here.