Canvas Gallery Wraps - Family Portraits

For a limited time only, Order your family portraits and have them mounted on canvas for your feature wall. Approximately 6 feet across.  Prices starting at 1228.00 dollars.

Expires April 30th.

Easter Special Code.

National Aboriginal Achievement Awards 2011

Good day world:
I had an amazing weekend and give all glory to my Creator who made it possible. As I am a 60s scoop (History is that many Natives from the 60-70s were taken and placed in white foster homes for various reasons) With this came my years of identity crisis as I struggled with my Swiss citizenship but being brown and obviously native. Fortunately my town of Medicine hat had little natives so I was not prone to discrimination. I felt normal for the most part, except the times I scrubbed my skin hard to turn white like my 3 siblings.  As I grew older, I dated and didn't want to tell the girls I dated my nationality when they asked because of shame.  I attended Choices program by Thelma Box and this helped me to start my healing and love of my self.

This weekend I shot a wedding at the Fort Ed park and loved it. I don't normally advertise for weddings because I love my small summer weekends and hate shooting in them big crowds of other photographers and wedding parties. If I do them, I would prefer Friday and week day weddings, as this one was. It was also a smaller wedding with less attention, which I loved. So I was done by 5pm and was able to attend the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards.

I was looking at finding ways to attend this national award ceremony at the Jubilee Auditorium, but stopped when I learned the prices were 350 dollars a ticket.  I emailed Ontario and offered my services as an event photographer.  God works in funny ways, because that afternoon, my friend Leona Carter from the City of Edmonton asked me if I wanted to get some photos of the mayor and have a ticket. Well I said sure and was stunned to be attending. Well , in the end, I didn't have to take photos but got 2 tickets for my wife and I. I had a fun evening of capturing one of the most beautiful race of humble people I have seen. Remember, I have not been raised around natives until I moved to my place of birth  - Edmonton a few years ago. I was no longer ashamed as I seen so many beautiful native women and men. They were not the stereotypical type we see all the time. I held my head up high as I wanted to be like these.  Please see my photos in Facebook  under Trevor Boller Photography for the gallery for this evening.

Something happened this weekend as I attended church and was learning to forgive my birth mother who lost me as a child. I learned it was her that I was ashamed of and projected it towards all native people.  I go forward now with pride and a desire to work harder and sell harder. I am going to be fierce at my photography and lose any fears.  I am thankful for who I am - an original. After all, I'm probably one of the only treating carrying cards with Swiss nationality in the world? Should I call Guinness?

The photo with a model was in TVs Canada's top model one year.

Colors in Business

For those of you unfamiliar with colors, It is just a basic grouping of personality groups in 4 areas. We usually are strong in 1-2 of them. Without getting into detail, the orange are where excitement is at - Police, Ambulance, Entertainers, Thrill seeking, hate the office desk.  Gold - Administration people who go by rules and structure and thank God for them because your paycheck is always there because of them.  Blue are often caregivers and show empathy. Counsellors, nurses at times. They will cry at your long distance commercials.   The Green will take a long time to process what I just wrote. They can be engineers and wonder how something is built, rather than how it looks. Have fun in Ikea with them!

So in the world of hundreds of photographers, I need to market how I am different. Why does an event planner want to pick me out of the other hundreds of established companies. Well it involves some Sweet grass prayers I learned from the Native people, and some inspirational music by Martin Kloppers ( cello). So after picking up my traits from past training papers, I was able to find some defining points of who I am.  Very rough at this time, Boller Photography is uniquely capturing emotions from the heart, and  creating a group spirit during photo shoots.  I have underlined my strengths of my colors of BLUE and ORANGE. I know it needs work, but I need something for my new promo post cards!

By knowing colors, it will really help with your relationship with business people or your coworkers. You will understand why they are so anal in some areas and it drives you crazy. It will help you feel good about yourself with your traits, and that you are normal! I have names of people or organizations that do them if you are ever interested. Take care!

Family Portraits

Family Day weekend is spent in many ways in Alberta thanks to the Klein days.  Some of us attend movies, family visits, dinners, theatre, winter fun, or just relax.  This family from St Albert was celebrating an anniversary of their parents and had family come together from various parts of the province.  It can be nerve wracking but the music from my Blackberry kept me focused. I use music in my ear to help me stay creative when shooting, which is why I usually always have a wire coming from my one ear. I would rather look silly then have silly photos!  Homes by Audie Benson Estate Homes - St Albert

Padmanadi Restaurant

On February 14, I had the pleasure to be hired in Edmonton's best Vegan restaurant for the day of lovers.  Kassim gave the gift of photos to his customers and their special ones.  The Ambassador from Indonesia came to visit and eat with her entourage.  She was visiting businesses in the communities and was real pleased with the success of Padmanadi's restaurant.  Thank you Padmanadi's for your yummy food and they always makes you feel like family.

Valentines & Tim Hortons

If you go see my new gallery today, you would think Tim Horton's sponsored it.  Here is the story behind this gallery. I belong to a small group of friends who have decided to meet about once a month to create activities of significance.  Each person takes a turn and Shelly was up and did a Valentines theme. She always wanted to play Twister, so after this game we made up home made valentines cards.  The intent was to go downtown and hand them out to the inner city people.  Well we set up a table and the group bought some Timmies, muffins, cupcakes, water, gloves, and brought some coats. We even bought some roses for the women who came.  They came almost immediately and we soon became busy with handing out the treats. They really loved the cards and some took an extra for their girlfriend. It was truly a day of giving and humbling one self. I ended up giving away my down filled jacket to a very young humble man about my son's age. He did not feel worthy to accept gloves of one of the coats that didn't fit him. That was my favorite part of the day, and I only did it because I can go buy another coat, and this man could not. I look forward to doing this again soon. Thanks for all your support.

To view gallery of the events, go to www.trevorboller.com  Click on Boller Photography Arts and then click on Valentines. Enjoy!

Welcoming "Grandfather" ceremony - Edmonton Remand Centre New

If you have 20 mins or so, check out a new gallery on my website under Boller Photography Arts - Grandfather.  I did a photo shoot yesterday with the Solicitor General of Alberta.  The Elder Taz McGillis was facilitating the bringing in of a rock (Grandfather) that came from Colorado, USA.  This rock will be carved by artist - Leo Arcand, who will make this approx. 5 ft cube of stone into white carving altar.  The New Remand Centre shut down much of its work force for 4 hours to allow a Native Ceremony take place in bringing in of the rock. If you ever work with Aboriginal people, know that there is always protocols in doing what would seem a simple way. I commend the Stuart Olsen Construction for being respectful and accommodating to this process.  The slide shows shows invited guests walking with the rock through the corridors of the new remand centre. Prayers were always said along the way. If you see smoke from a shell, this is called smudging and is in laymen's terms - a prayer that goes up to heaven in the smoke. The smoke cleanses our mind body and spirit when smudged so we can pray with clarity. ( Its amazing)   It was one of the most amazing photos I have ever done in my life and was deeply moved. I am thankful for this opportunity. Although I was not raised in these ways, I am respectful for them and see how similar their ways are to the ones I learned. Enjoy!