#keithbiggins

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Gangster family portrait, Saskatoon. 

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Shannon Lyon's Lost Creek Cabin Studio. Vavenby, BC

I spent the night drinking a bottle of wine from the top of a cliff in Wells Gray Provincial Park lot while watching the river below and ensuring I didn't get attacked by a wild animal. The following morning I began driving north stopping an hour later in Vavenby, a small logging town sandwiched between the highway and the Thompson River. The Ye Olde Thrift Shoppe I'd been planning to visit was once again closed and so I pushed on, crossing the river and heading down a dirt road which meandered through the forest amongst ramshackle barns and Mennonite farm houses. 

Half an hour of meandering later, I came around a corner to discover an old refurbished log cabin with what appeared to be two hillbillies sitting out front sipping coffee and eating apricots. Pulling over for a chat, I sensed that these two were no ordinary Vavenby locals; their cabin far too funky, their clothes much too vintage-y, and their conversation being something about hard drives and mixing board technology. As I soon found out, the cabin was the new home, recording studio and secret hideaway of renowned Canadian musician / producer Shannon Lyon. He told me the how he'd found the cabin on Craigslist for $600 a month (outhouse and vegetable garden included), and moved in immediately, transforming it into a creative refuge where he could write music and make YouTube videos.  His new album The Lights Behind is out September 2nd and is so beautiful you might cry. Literally. 

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Pastor Tony Price. Cornerstone Mennonite Brethren Church. Prince Rupert, BC

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Kyle, Corey, John. 9th Ave. Prince Rupert, BC

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Alice & Angela. West End Chinese Restaurant. Prince Rupert, BC

It's not very often that I photograph high profile celebrities, so when I was asked to shoot Alice and Angela for "Extremely Friendly & Charming Asian-Canadian Waitress Magazine" I absolutely couldn't refuse. Housed in a 1950's - style diner and renowned for it's pancakes and Wonton soup, the West End Restaurant is now the first Michelin - starred restaurant in Northwestern British Columbia to feature a menu entirely under $20. Recently hailed as "The Momofuku of Prince Rupert", this formerly low key eatery has attracted exclusive international guests including Zack Morris, Oprah, The Queen of Puerto Rico, Pharell Williams, Fat Mike from NOFX, Willy Nelson and Penelope Cruz's uncle. 

The morning of the shoot was windy and cold and a thick fog creeped in off the coast settling over the downtown. Despite the weather and the early hour, a mob of crazed fans and paparazzi had gathered outside the restaurant in eager anticipation of the celebrity duo. I forced my way through the crowd and began setting up inside with the help of my nine assistants while enjoying my usual organic, non-fat, triple hot, handcrafted, goat's milk Cappuccino with gold flakes sprinkled on top. Shortly after, Alice and Angela arrived as the squawking of seagulls was drowned out by the screams of adoring fans outside. In a clever yet unsuccessful move by their PR team, instead of arriving by limousine, Angela discreetly showed up on foot while Alice was dropped off by her husband in a late 90's Jeep Grande Cherokee. 

Once inside, the ladies sipped Chinese tea while discussing their rise to superstardom, speaking occasionally between themselves in Mandarin when clarifying certain details and facts. The two humbly refused any styling, hair or makeup, suggesting they revert to their "old look" consisting simply of red polo shirts that matched the decor of the restaurant. Afterwards they offered me breakfast on the house and went about their usual routines, while every so often popping outside to sign an autograph or accept a massive bouquet of roses. 

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Darren the construction worker 

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Tim & Sam Schirmer and Zipline The Band! Whitehorse, YT

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