Kerr Photography - Victoria, BC, Professional Photographer » Action

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Matthew — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:59:03 +0000

As I stated on my Google + profile the other day, I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and Japanese Jiu Jitsu (JJJ). I’ve only been training for 5 months, however, I already have seen and felt the sense of community in the dojo. That is to say, when someone is testing for their next belt, it stands to reason that you go and support them. Above is one of the instructors, Dan, who is performing a helicopter sweep right in to an arm bar. If you don’t know what that means go check out Submissions 101. This is a technically challenging move that to my eyes, Dan pulled off flawlessly. After Dan passed his purple belt test the white belts who were testing for their blue belt lined up and began a rigorous warm up that was designed to wear them out.
Above is them demonstrating some moves to their sensei and the other blue belts during their test.
If you’d like to know more about Martial Arts, and you’re in the Victoria area, drop by Fierce Studio and watch a class. More pictures are available on the Facebook page (the link is in the side bar).

Olympic Sailing – Victoria, BC

Matthew — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:00:43 +0000

This morning I got the opportunity to photograph Canadian Olympic Hopefuls Hannah Meers (skipper) and Erin Flanagan (crew) as they practiced in the cold waters off Oak Bay. We started the morning by getting the boat ready (I drank my latte) at 7:45 and we were on the water by 8:20. The air was frigid, the clouds were dark and the sun wasn’t fully awake yet. It started to rain. Thankfully, the rain did hold off for the most part, but it was still way colder than it needed to be. I think we were on the water for about 2 hours in total while the girls trained (Hannah with bare feet). It’s been a while since I was on the water when it was this cold and photographically speaking, my hands were too numb to fully grab my lens. Not to mention that my knees are bruised from being bounced around the zodiac, I’ll remember to bring knee pads next time.
They sail the international 470 dinghy in the women’s division. The 470 first became an Olympic class in 1976, and is one of nine types of sailboats raced in the Olympics. Both Hannah and Erin grew up in southern Alberta and thus, their team name is Wild Rose Girls. You can find them and follow them on Facebook here or follow them on twitter with @Meers_Flanagan. The two are on their way to Miami in the following weeks to continue their training.

Is it Jujitsu or Jujutsu or Jiu Jitsu?

Matthew — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:29:01 +0000

In any case, I’ve starting taking some classes that a friend of mine has been going to for years. It’s at Fierce Studio where they do Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, Japanese Jiu Jitsu, 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu, Kick Boxing, Yoga and a bunch of others. The image below is from there old location where during a BJJ class you “roll” with a partner to try out your new moves that you learned.

The guy on the bottom here is Alan, my friend who is also featured here on my flickr photostream.

Sailing, Esquimalt Harbour

Matthew — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:58:19 +0000

One of the joys of my job is that I get to go sailing. Constantly. As in everyday I get to be on the water in a boat and enjoying the sea. The other day, I was out on a Sonar. It’s a 23 foot keel boat that is designed as the International Sailing Association Federation (ISAF) Paralympic class 3-person keel boat. I was out on it taking pictures for the Disabled Sailing Associations Martin 16. Shortly after (and before) these pictures, the mast on the martin 16 fell off of the boat and all pictures stopped as my boat rescue training came in to play and I (and the other staff of DSA) had to perform a rescue before the boat (and the sailors) drifted in to the rocks.

The people in the boat, Max and John, are also instructors of DSA. John, a new instructor to the program was learning the boat during this sail. In the picture below, he is hoisting the boats “turbo kit” asymmetrical spinnaker. Max is a returning instructor coming back for his second year at DSA.

Of course, I was turning around for a better angle on the boat when the mast fell off and I missed all of the action. It’s funny how a split second decision can cause you to miss the shot. Since the sails went swimming, we had to wash and dry them to get all of the salt off. Below is Lukas, another new instructor, and Head Instructor Evan having a laugh about the incident that just went down.

Disabled Sailing Association

Matthew — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:26:18 +0000

I have the pleasure to tell you today about an association in Victoria that has been a part of my life for 4 years. The Disabled Sailing Association is a non-profit organization out of Esquimalt harbour that gives lessons, cruise sails, and takes trips to the Easter Seals Camp in Shawnigan during the summer to those who are living with disabilities. The summer is coming up and they will be looking for volunteers. If you are interested, contact the Recreation Integration Victoria at (250)477-6314.

^{Martin 16 with Instructor Max Brown – Matthew Kerr}

The above picture, a Martin 16 keel boat, designed specifically to be adaptable for sailors with disabilities. The Disabled Sailing Association of B.C., Victoria Branch (DSABC) has two of these. They also have a few other boats including the Access dinghy and an olympic class Sonar keel boat. During the summer more than 200 sails will take place in Esquimalt harbour. For information on DSABC or the Recreation Integration Victoria visit www.rivonline.org. Volunteers are always needed for a nice summer day on the water.

Action!

Matthew — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:14:21 +0000

A couple of images that I’ve taken for my action class at school, I’ll be posting a few more of these soon as I do the last assignment.