The Polaris Prize, Canada's version of the UK Mercury Prize, is awarded to a Canadian album based on artistic merit, as supposed to commercial success.
This year, the nominess ranged from the radio regulars (Carly Rae Jepsen), to the indie favourites (Kaytranada), to artists that I will unashamedly say I had not heard of before the night of. Either way, every artist who performed that evening showcased their own brand of Canadian excellence, and proved just why each and every one of them, despite their differing genres and degrees of renown, deserved to be there that night.
For this shoot, we were stationed on the sides of The Carlu ballroom. As such, I borrowed a friend's Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6. Though the lens offered a well needed focal length boost over my own lenses, it made me better appreciate the speed and sharpness of my trusty 24-70 f/2.8.
Check out the full photo set from the 2016 Polaris Prize over at Live in Limbo
Andy Shauf
Basia Bulat
Black Mountain
Carly Rae Jepsen
Jessy Lanza
US Girls
White Lungs
The Polaris Prize 2015 winner, Buffy Saint Marie, awards the 2016 prize to Kaytranada
#concertphotography