Thursday, January 31, 2013

My Very Own


There is something special in the idea of a personal project. When school assignments get so heavy that the only time you pick up your camera is for someone else, it gets to be a chore. And an art like photography should never be a chore. Never only a chore, at least. So when I can, and when I feel inspired, I pick up my camera and do something just for me. these two are photos I created recently (the latter just last night) and are more related than it would look like at first.
The photos are titles Architecture and The Other (An Ode To R.L.Stevenson)
Architecture is a photoshop amalgam of two images. The first of a weird big steel structure and the second of two (yes, two) buildings at night and the skyline between them. The second photo is cut and mirrored so it looks like three pieces of skyline when there is really only one. I just keep looking at this photo and I can't decide if I like it.
The Other (An Ode to R.L.Stevenson) is something I am rather proud of. It's been sitting in my mind for a long while and it just took some time and effort to actualize it. The technique is pretty simple. It's a long exposure so I can more my head into the scream and hold it (half a second) but with a flash in the beginning so I can freeze my original expression. The title is two-fold: my original title and a shout out to the author of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, my inspiration for the photograph.
Archipelago

New York



Among the craziness of school and getting back into a new system of life, I've also been doing some travelling. I went to Paris (Ontario) and London (still Ontario) and New York. I'm also going to Ottawa tomorrow, crazy life. But this post is obviously about New York. I went with Ryerson's Image Arts department on their annual trip. Most of the trip was just sight-seeing and bro-ing it out with a few cool guys. I made a bout 950 images over the weekend and some of them turned out better than I had expected. These images are of Greenwich Village and the skyline from the top of the Rockefeller Centre. I'll even attach a link to the Facebook album, if you are inclined to see the rest.
Archipelago

2013



Hey guys. So, I'm still busy with shooting and school. But I'd like to get back to some posting so here are some new images since 2013 began. First is at YYZ at about 4am with my mom, sister and friend walking back to the car. If this turned out well, I'm fine to admit it wasn't consciously on purpose, I was pretty much asleep at the time.
The second image is in a bus stop in London. The circle is seeing through the glass, and everything else is reflected behind. It's kind of artsy and I like it.
The final image I made while waiting (nearly an hour!) for my friends to join me skating at Nathan Phillips Square (Toronto City Hall). I had a lot of fun with the cool lighting and the intense difference in tonality of the bright ice and the dark skyline. Took some fancy exposure work, but I'm rather happy with it.
Aside from basic RAW processing all images are un-edited, which is always a plus for me.
Archipelago