Photobooth at Ross LeBlanc’s 80th Birthday

9 05 2016

On April 30th I provided a photobooth for Ross LeBlanc’s 80th birthday.

Ross, who plays guitar in a band, was told he had to be at the Estevan Royal Canadian Legion to play for an anniversary. The Legion was filled to capacity with friends and family, some who had come a very long way.

After the surprise I shot a few family photos before the party really got underway. Then I fired up the photobooth and got a lot of great photos. It was probably the longest line I’ve ever had, and we were burning through them quickly, too. I think nearly all the nearly 300 people went through in a couple hours.

This photobooth was my third use of a green screen and it worked well. Out of the seven scenes you could choose, I added two custom ones for this event – a canola field and the Torquay elevator. (Ross has lived all his life near Oungre, his grand-daughter tells me). Other choices included the Las Vegas strip, Banff, a pier by the ocean, two palm trees scenes. (Thanks to Jon Gillies, Images by Gillies, for the pier shot and one of the palm trees. He travels more than I do.)

The entire gallery can be found here.

Photobooth sessions like this are a lot of fun for parties, be it weddings, Christmas parties, anniversaries or birthdays, apparently. Each group that goes through gets a 4×6 print to take home, and you get the digital files so you can see all the fun.

Drop me a line if you’re interested.


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12 Rigs of Christmas: Day 12: 12 Different Rigs

15 12 2014

On the 12th day of Christmas, the toolpush gave to me, 12 different drilling rigs.

I had a hare time figuring out how to wrap this up with so I decided to pluck some from my travels, where I will stop on the side of the road and get a shot, as well as some other miscellaneous projects in various stages of completion. In this collection you will find:

One Alliance, one Panther, one Advance, one Stampede, one Savanna, three Nabors, three CanElson, and rig one we found in the foothills just as the sun was going to start going down. I have no recollection of what it was. It was orange, near Rocky Mountain House or Drayton Valley. Either way it had a nice fence.

See if you can figure out which is which, and put the company (and maybe rig number) in the comments under each picture.

Several of these pictures have found there way onto walls in the form of large canvases. Two are in Western Star Inns & Suites lobbies and one is in the mayor of Estevan’s office. If one of them catches your eye for a print, let me know via personal message or email brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net.

I hope everyone enjoyed this little project. I hope do do it again next year, but a little earlier, before the printing lab deadline.

If you haven’t had a chance to see all the 12 Rigs of Christmas, you can see them on the Brian Zinchuk Publishing Facebook page or my website at www.zinchuk.ca.

Merry Christmas to all the riggers, and to all the company men, a good night.


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12 Rigs of Christmas: Day 11: Crusader Rig 2

14 12 2014

Metro would do his big finish to his 11 Days of Christmas, singing about 11 pounds of chisneck (you know, garlic!) With that in mind, this rig is based in the perogy belt of Yorkton. I grew up in Yorkton, my family is still there, and I was surprised as hell that a drilling rig company would end up being based there.

So, for the 11th day of Christmas, my toolpush gave to me, Crusader Drilling Rig 2!

And in John Deere Green (and yellow) no less!

Crusader is a project I am in the midst of. I got some of these pictures last summer near Stoughton on my way back from news shoot. This rig spent a lot of time drowning in water that summer. They got enough water in June or so to make a duck happy, but not much else.

I never got so many ticks in my life as I did this evening standing beside the road for just a few minutes.

There are a few pictures of Crusader 2 here. I hope to get some shots of Rig 3 working in the foothills later this winter.

If anyone would like prints, please message me through Facebook.

I asked for requests for the last of the 12 Rigs of Christmas. It’s been a smashing success, and I hope to do it again next Christmas. We’ll hopefully see some services rigs. I am humbled by all the kind comments. Thank you.

So far I’ve had one request for Panther 2, but that’s it. (A loving mom hoped to see her son. If that’s you sonny, your mommy loves you!) If you haven’t seen your rig from Panther, Betts, Stampede or Red Dog, speak up in the comments on my Facebook page and put in a request.


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12 Rigs of Christmas: Day 10: Panther Drilling Rig 1

13 12 2014

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Panther Drilling Rig 1.

Panther Rig 1 was shot during the same frigid February week that Precision Drilling Rig 120 was. Indeed, they were operating within site of each other, about 4 miles apart, north of Macoun. This was my very first winter shoot of a rig, and man, was it cold. I have much better boots now in part as a result of this shoot.

This was also the first rig where I got the idea to catch a picture of the rig sign on the way in.

When I first came in Estevan in 2008, Panther was a 2-rig company. Now they are a four-rig company, as are Red Dog and Betts, with Stampede and Crusader at 3. I get the feeling 4 rigs is a comfortable place to be.

Panther Rig 1 can be found here.

The rest of my rigs can be found here.

My 12 Rigs of Christmas is winding to a close, only two more to go. If anyone has a request, now is the time to let me know in the comments on my Facebook page.

Merry Christmas!


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12 Rigs of Christmas: Day 9: Red Dog Drilling Rig 4

12 12 2014

On the ninth day of Christmas, the toolpush gave to me… Red Dog Drilling Rig 4.

This rig was shot on its first hole in July of 2013. It was nice and shiny. People often ask how I get pictures of rigs so shiny. Well, there’s the secret. I try to get them right out of the gate. I’ve been able to do that for Vortex 1, Panther 4 and Red Dog 4.

The day was, in a word, perfect. Remember those sunflowers along the north side of Highway 13 near Kisbey a few years ago? It was just north of there. The sky was blue, there were just a few clouds to give the sky some definition, and the sunset was awesome.

Getting shots of the sunset involved shooting from one angle, booting ‘er with the tripod to the other berm on the opposite side of the lease, then jumping in my wife’s truck and shooting several angles while using a tripod in the bed of the truck from the road just off the lease as the sky changed colour.

These pictures ended up getting noticed by the directional drillers, and led to a subsequent shoot for them in 2014.

The 360 panorama from the drill floor required about 130 pictures, of which about 36 were chosen and merged into one enormous image.

The Red Dog Rig 4 gallery can be found here.

If you’re looking for more rigs, check out the master drilling gallery here.

I’ve pretty running out of time to take additional canvas orders to have them ready for Christmas. However, I can still do paper prints up to 16×20 ($100+tax) easily enough.

With only three days left in my 12 days of Christmas, who should I do next? Put your requests in the comments below!


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12 Rigs of Christmas: Day 7: Betts Drilling Rig 2

10 12 2014

Betts Drilling Rig 2 is the Day 7 rig of the 12 Rigs of Christmas. It was a beautiful summer day shortly after the then-new rig first went to work. I got some of Betts Rig 3 a few days later.

This was also the first rig where I tried out some unique perspectives.

Photos of this rig can be found here and here.

My other drilling rigs can be found here.

The photo lab suggested that all orders to Canada should be in by Dec. 8, or Monday. So if you would like a print of one of these pictures, please contact me directly at brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net. With a giant Epson 9900 printer the size of a love seat and weighing 340 lbs., I have the ability to do paper prints up to 16×20 ($75, need to be framed) or 16×32 here in Estevan, or canvas prints from 18×24 ($240), 24×36 ($500) to 36×96 ($1900). Canvas prints cost about $80 per square foot. Canvas prints especially take a fair bit of work, so you need to order early.

I also may be able to order other sizes of prints from my Canadian lab, but those would need to be ordered quickly.

Merry Christmas!


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12 Rigs of Christmas: Day 6: Precision Drilling Rig 120

10 12 2014

A little late in the day posting this to the blog, but here goes: Precision Drilling Rig 120 is the Day 6 rig of the 12 Rigs of Christmas. It was photographed on an extremely cold February day north of Macoun. I was happy to have fingers when I was done.
This photo shoot was very unique. The mineral rights owners, originally from around here, now live in BC. But they were getting a few holes drilled on their land, and they really wanted one, just one, very large canvas for their wall to remind them where the royalty cheques were coming from. The first hole was drilled by CanElson 21 that October, but I was not able to make it work out. The second hole was drilled towards the end of the winter drilling season, and that did indeed come to pass.
As for the AT-ATs attacking the rig, well, I’ve posted it a few times, because some days it feels damned appropriate.
Photos of this rig can be found here.
My other drilling rigs can be found here.
The photo lab suggested that all orders to Canada should be in by Dec. 8, or yesterday. So if you would like a print of one of these pictures, please contact me directly at brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net. I have the ability to do paper prints up to 16×20 ($75, need to be framed) or 16×32 here in Estevan, or canvas prints from 18×24 ($240), 24×36 ($500) to 36×96 ($1900). Canvas prints cost about $80 per square foot. Canvas prints especially take a fair bit of work, so you need to order early.
I also may be able to order other sizes of prints from my Canadian lab, but those would need to be ordered quickly.
Merry Christmas!


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12 Rigs of Christmas: Day 4: Panther Rig 4

8 12 2014

The photo printing lab strongly recommends that orders be in by Dec. 8 in order to be sure they make it for Christmas, so I am accelerating my “12 Rigs of Christmas.”

What do you buy a guy who as all the toys and works in the patch?

How about a gorgeous wall print of their favorite rig? Over the past several years, I have photographed most of the locally owned rigs in southeast Saskatchewan, including rigs from Betts Drilling, Red Dog Drilling, Panther Drilling, Stampede Drilling and Vortex Drilling. There’s even an occasional Savannah, CanElson and Precision, too!

In that vein, I am presenting the 12 rigs of Christmas. Next up: Panther Drilling Rig 4, which was photographed just north of Estevan, on its first hole. It was nice and shiny as a result. To order find a picture just right for you, click here.

But don’t wait for your particular rig to come up. They can all be found here.

You can order any size, from tiny up to 40×60 inches, so there’s something for every budget.

Until Dec. 11, there is a 15% coupon on all Panther Drilling prints. This includes Rig 1, 2, 3 and 4. Enter coupon code: Panther

(HOWEVER, please noted orders should be in by Dec. 8 to be sure they will make it here by Christmas. There may be a rush delivery option, but I’m not sure.)

You can order prints off my website, perfect for delivery for Christmas. Just click on the green “Buy Photos” They can be printed as gallery wrap canvases, metal prints, or even on coffee cups. The turnaround for almost all these orders in 1-3 business days. Allow for shipping from California, where the lab is located.

Merry Christmas!


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12 Rigs of Christmas: Day 3: Red Dog 3

7 12 2014

Got a rig hand or someone else who works in the patch on your Christmas list and you have no clue what to buy them?

How about a gorgeous wall print of their favorite rig? Over the past several years, I have photographed most of the locally owned rigs in southeast Saskatchewan, including rigs from Betts Drilling, Red Dog Drilling, Panther Drilling, Stampede Drilling and Vortex Drilling. There’s even an occasional Savannah, CanElson and Precision, too!

I am presenting the 12 rigs of Christmas. Next up: Red Dog Drilling Rig 3, which was photographed near Northgate. To order find a picture just right for you, click here.

But don’t wait for your particular rig to come up. They can all be found here.
You can order any size, from tiny up to 40×60 inches, so there’s something for every budget.

My intention was to post these one day at a time, but due to shipping deadlines, I am pushing out the first 5 rigs on a quicker schedule. The lab recommends orders be submitted by Dec. 8.

Until Dec. 11, there is a 15% coupon on all Red Dog Drilling prints. This includes Rig 1, 2, 3 and 4. Enter coupon code: RedDog

You can indeed order prints off my website, perfect for delivery for Christmas. Just click on the green “Buy Photos” They can be printed as gallery wrap canvases, metal prints, or even on coffee cups. The turnaround for almost all these orders in 1-3 business days. Allow for shipping from California, where the lab is located, so I wouldn’t wait to order. I just checked and they recommended ordering by Dec. 8., otherwise you’re taking your chances. Otherwise you might have to do rush shipping, which costs a premium. If you have any questions, contact me directly.

Merry Christmas!


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12 Rigs of Christmas: Day 2: Stampede Drilling Rig 2

7 12 2014

Got a rig hand or someone else who works in the patch on your Christmas list and you have no clue what to buy them?

How about a gorgeous wall print of their favorite rig? Over the past several years, I have photographed most of the locally owned rigs in southeast Saskatchewan, including rigs from Betts Drilling, Red Dog Drilling, Panther Drilling, Stampede Drilling and Vortex Drilling. There’s even an occasional Savannah, CanElson and Precision, too!

Thus I am presenting the 12 rigs of Christmas. Next up: Stampede Drilling Rig 2, which was photographed near North Portal and Bienfait. To order find a picture just right for you, click here.

These pictures are very special, in that they are the closest you will likely ever see a dragline and a drilling rig working together just before spring breakup of 2014. They were directly across the road from each other. Knowing a person may never see that happen again in their lifetime, I went out two evenings and one morning and took 1400 pictures to get these shots. My fingers were pretty frozen as a result, but they truly do encapsulate Estevan as the Energy City.

You don’t have to wait for your particular rig to come up on the 12 days. They can all be found here.

You can order any size, from tiny up to 40×60 inches, so there’s something for every budget.

Until Dec. 9, there is a 15% coupon on all Stampede Drilling prints. This includes Rig 1, 2. Sorry, Rig 3 isn’t complete yet. Enter coupon code: Stampede

You can indeed order prints off my website, perfect for delivery for Christmas. Just click on the green “Buy Photos” They can be printed as gallery wrap canvases, metal prints, or even on coffee cups. The turnaround for almost all these orders in 1-3 business days. Allow for shipping from California, where the lab is located, so I wouldn’t wait to order after Dec. 16 or so, otherwise you’re taking your chances.

Merry Christmas!


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