Da Bubble Boy by Small Time Visionary
Monday, June 3, 2013
Northern Maui Adventure
All great photographers have fascination with adventure. Street photographers explore cities in search of documenting life as it happens. Landscape photographers travel the world in search of unique angles and locations. Wildlife photographers use their animal instincts to capture dangerous species in their natural habitats. Without their desire for adventure a photographer is crippled.
Taking the easy and safe road is a desirable one for most but everyone has a youthful instinct for adventure that we eventually lose over time. Like learning to play a musical instrument, an individual's drive for adventure takes dedicated practice. With regular training ones skill for adventure becomes heightened; you learn to know when to take the appropriate risks and your instincts for impending danger becomes heightened so that it can be avoided. But the most disarming thing of any great adventure is a persons initial un-easyness of the unknown. We're often scared of getting hurt, lost or distressed and when we start to dwell too much into the intangibles we start to think that maybe this was not a good idea.
Everyone feels this fear but we must force ourselves outside of our comfort zone in order to experience something truly magical. On our recent trip to Maui we experienced just that. While trying to get back to the West side of the Northern tip of the island from the Iao Valley we decided to punch in the coordinates of D.T. Fleming Beach Park. The GPS prescribed a different route then the way we came and I was initially unsure about it. I read that there were roads along the North tip that car rental companies won't allow you to travel. I heard that if you took this said road and your car broke down that you would have to wait hours for help. I was told that the road around the Northern tip was not developed for vehicular travel and that it was extremely dangerous. This was the turning point; do I turn the Jeep around and find the multi-lane highway back the way we came or do I point the steering wheel in the direction I was told never to go. My nerves were jittery at first. My grip on the wheel was tight. Sweat formed on my brow but with an uneasy chuckle I resolved that we keep on and see where this road will take us.
The road quickly tightened on our wheels and the rugged terrain engulfed us into a landscape that was breath-takingly beautiful but obviously unforgiving. On the driver side was a jagged volcanic rock face and on the passenger side was a sheer drop down to the rugged shore; a safety barrier was deemed not important by the civil engineers who created this road. Two way traffic was constricted to a single lane and allowing for a vehicle to pass had to be choreographed like a grand waltz or else both vehicles will be left in peril. The first few hairpins were terrifying but soon I was loosening my grip on the wheel and releasing the tension in my jaw. I was quickly starting to enjoy this road and was taking in the striking vistas as we continued on, stopping when safe every now and again so I can take a quick photo or hike down from the road to get a better view of the waves breaking on the shore.
I wouldn't have known what I would have missed should I have decided to turn the car around. We still would have eventually arrived to our destination of D.T. Fleming Beach, which in itself was sublime but it's always said that it's not the destination but the journey that is more preserved. The experience was truly amazing and now stands as one of the greatest travel memories I have ever had and one of the most incredible drives I have had the pleasure of navigating. So just remember, when you feel the butterflies in your gut and your mind tells you to think again, follow your heart and let your instincts take over so you don't miss out on a great experience.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Monochrome Encounters: Lilac Festival 2013
It seems like the entire City heads central on the last Sunday of every May for the Lilac Festival. The first of many festivals of the year, the Lilac Festival indicates the official start of Spring for snow hardened Calgarians. Emerging from their dens after a prototypically harsh winter, much like our Punxsutawnian rodent friend, Suburbanites take over the city core in search of both their shadow and churros. The influx of pasty skinned bodies creates a furious frenzy of sun craving maniacs migrating slowly North and South on 4th Street SW. Birkenstocks afoot, strollers at the helm and toy dogs tucked tightly under arm the zombies weave in and out of the merchant stalls distracted by shiny beaded jewelry, bubble guns and foreign foods not commonly approved for sale or consumption in most suburban strip malls. Yes my friends, Spring has arrived to Calgary and the Lilac Festival is Mother Nature's red carpet.
Ok, I’m sorry for being so cynical! I’ve been watching a lot of Anthony Bourdain’s new series on CNN and his tongue–in-cheek brand of narration is quite engaging and strangely infectious. The truth is, 2013 was my first Lilac Festival in many years and I was not prepared for the throngs of people taking to the streets. I live downtown but I haven’t been the biggest fan of crowds these days. They are messy and confused and I find I have a hard time concentrating on composing good photos. I usually am quite social in most scenarios but Sunday’s Lilac Festival didn’t particularly inspire me. As a street photographer this is something I need to work on; crowds are an inevitable evil in this pursuit. It’s ones ability to work the crowd that makes them a successful street photographer. No disrespect the the Suburbanites; I've got mad love for ya'll!
Monday, May 27, 2013
Summer Is In The Air
Five signs that Summer has found Calgary:
1. Flowers bloom and the grass turns from turd brown to a vibrant green.
2. Winter beaters get parked and The Judge is loose on city streets.
3. Mechanics would rather work out in the sun then in the shop so they can work on their tan.
4. The Shells Angels are taking siestas after having too many beers or white wine spritzers or whatever.
5. The used bicycle market becomes over saturated and extremely competitive.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Film vs Digital
I thought it would be interesting to see a head to head shoot out for film and digital. In one corner I have the Canon A2 and loaded it with expired Fujicolor NPZ 800 film and in the other corner I had my Canon 5D Mark II DSLR. For the lenses, I gave film the advantage by equipping it with the faster EF 35mm f/1.4L whereas digital was fitted with the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L (V.1).
As with any test, consistency is the key so that the results are not skewed in any direction. However, this is not a scientific test and I don't really care about consistency here. What I was looking for is which camera can produce a better photo of the same subject. There may be discrepancies with shutter speeds and apertures but I tried to keep the ISO at 800 with the DSLR so it is at par with the film of choice. No digital enhancements have been performed on any of the below photos. The film files are straight from the scanner and the digital files are raw files converted to jpg in Aperture 3. Without further delay, enjoy the photos below and let me know what you think about the photographs!
Photo #1: Loading Dock of Doom
Thoughts: While I do enjoy the texture of the film photo, it is hard to deny the fact that the digital version looks much cleaner. The shadow details are much more defined and the white balance of the the digital image is much truer to the actual scene. This final critique I cannot fault against the film because it is a portrait film that shoots a little warmer then most types of films and with that being said I actually prefer the yellow tone to the film photograph. Verdict: Digital Wins
Photo #2: Underpass Light Streaker
Thoughts:This one is pretty easy. I have a hard time getting great results with film when doing long exposures and while there is a huge chance of it being due to user error it's hard to deny that the digital photo is the winner. The grain of the film photograph is extremely distracting and there is next to no definition. Big time fail for film. Verdict: Digital Wins
Photo #3: Body for Hire
Thoughts: This one is pretty tough. While again the digital photograph has much better definition and shadow detail I actually prefer the colour, grain and glow of the film photograph! I has an old school kind of charm to it that adds more depth to the photo that is otherwise missing in the digital version. This is a character of film that is desired and celebrated by film shooters. Digital tends to be sterile compared to film and above is a great example. Verdict: Film Wins
Photo #4: Hit the Ice
Thoughts: The film photograph is so terribly flawed. A major lack of sharpness is quite evident when comparing the film version to its digital competitor. It's really easy to see when you look at the buildings in the background. With all this being said, you are going to call me crazy when I say that I prefer the film version! Again, it comes down to that X-factor that film possesses, which is the unique character that it adds to an image that cannot be emulated by any digital process (yes, that even goes for you Instagram and VSCO). Verdict: Film Wins
Conclusion: Did you expect a draw? C'mon; you can't expect me to say that one format is better then the other when I obviously enjoy shooting both film and digital! All I can conclude on is that both have their time and place. Obviously, when it comes to shooting something for a client or for large fine art prints where characteristics like sharpness and detail matter, digital is the clear champion. But when it comes to adding some depth and uniqueness to my images film has the characteristics that digital can never truly possess. What do you think? Do you prefer one over the other? Do you think that my verdict of some of the images above are incorrect? Let me know! I'd love to hear your input!
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this post.
Monday, March 11, 2013
#latergram: Nuit Blanche
The following were taken September 15, 2012 at the ACAD sponsored Nuit Blanche Art Festival
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