Day 81- Sunday, May 31, 2009

Day 81:

I think one of the greatest joys of having a child is dressing them up all funny and taking face-meltingly cute photos. 

(Later in life, when said child is grown into a major pain in the butt, parents can also show said embarrassing photos to potential girlfriends.)

Anyways, credit where credit is due; styling by Jason Stinson, a.k.a Daddy. 

Goodnight my friends.

Day 80- Saturday, May 30, 2009

Day 80:

Welcome to Georgetown Em!

Day 79- Friday, May 29, 2009

Day 79:

Such an otherworldly sunset. It was rainy and glum all evening, and then, this!

Day 78- Thursday, May 28, 2009

Day 78:

Anyone remember Owl Magazine? Or Chickadee? 

Wanna venture a guess as to what this is? Either way, here's your daily photo. Enjoy!

Love love love

Day 77- Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Day 77:

Today was pretty cool - we got sent home early from work (boo reduced pay) but I got a chance to get a bunch of work done for the back cover of The Compound's CD design. As usual, all my other daily obligations got put off, but I managed to get this shot pretty quickly. It was nice too; I had Janice to keep me company on the phone while I shot!

Anyways, this is sort of a weird presentation. It appears almost three dimensional, floating on the black - an interesting effect I think. 

By the way, it's a sweet tie I got in Niagara Falls for 50 cents. If you're ever in The Falls, go check out the "Nearly New" store downtown - the ladies there are super nice!

Anyways, until tomorrow, 

Love love love

Day 76- Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Day 76:

Oh boy... what a little baller. My sister brought Andrew for a visit today; he's just started eating [semi] solids and it's pretty hilarious. I have to say though, if you'd smelled that green stuff [avacado], you'd want to get as much on your face and away from your mouth as possible. Yeesh! 

Sigh, what a little prince. 

Ps- I love photographing children. If you or anyone you know want children's portraits done, just gimme a holler!

That's all for tonight! 

Love

Day 75- Monday, May 25, 2009

Day 75:

Well, I got busy tonight with more cd design stuff and left shooting a photo too late. And, with all the photos from the weekend sitting on my computer, it's hard to resist the urge to post more. I wish I could post them all!

This is Em, taking a shot on her Diana as we cruise by the falls. I have to say that it's been super hard picking one photo for each of these last few days. Sigh...

Goodnight everyone. 

Love and Peace

Day 74- Sunday, May 24, 2009

Day 74:

So, perhaps you were wondering where the obligatory shot of The Falls was. Here it is!

This afternoon was actually the first time we went right to the falls for photos and stuff; we'd  just been so busy having other adventures. 

Yesterday we went down to some place called The Gorge - it's basically climbing down the cliffs on the Canadian side of the river, downstream from the falls. Gorsh, it was so pretty! We also did some shoppin' downtown in a few vintage and second hand stores. Woo goodies! Then, at night we went to St. Catherines because Brenden wanted a real pub in which to celebrate his birthday; Niagara apparently has no pubs... or something.

Yerg, I'm rambling! It's also past my bedtime... Hope you all had a wicked weekend!

LOVE!

Day 73- Saturday, May 23, 2009

Day 73:

Oh friends..... oh.... oh friends.

Niagara. "Nearly New" Store. Abandoned building parking lot. Being beautiful, being young... being silly. Forgetting tan leather hand bags in parking lots.... love...

I love them.

Chris

Day 72- Friday, May 22, 2009

Day 72:

Brenden, sitting on our ride; just arrived in Niagara Falls.

I'm exhausted, it's been such a good day. Hope you're all well, I'll write some more soon.

Day 71- Thursday, May 21, 2009

Day 71:

I think about you every single day.

"I have words that are just for you,

but they can't travel the distances

between us now,

until you let them."

Day 70- Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Day 70:

Well, tonight was... "different". Something special came up and I got sidetracked for almost two hours. Considering the lateness, I decided to dive into my hard drive for something interesting rather than try and shoot something real late-times.

This photograph was taken on a 3 (I think?) megapixel, HP Photosmart point-and-shoot camera. If the embedded date can be trusted, I took this photo on Boxing Day, 2004. That sounds right to me. I've actually loved this shot for a long time - just the image that was on the tv. The actual capture obviously could be nicer, but whatever.... I thought it'd be a nice little tidbit. 

Hope you're all doing well!

Love

Day 69- Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Day 69:

This one just goes out to Jimi.

You the man.

Love, everybody.

Day 68- Monday, May 18, 2009

Day 68:

I'll let Malvina Reynolds handle this one:

Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky-tacky, Little boxes, little boxes, Little boxes, all the same. There's a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one And they're all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same. And the people in the houses All go to the university, And they all get put in boxes, Little boxes, all the same. And there's doctors and there's lawyers And business executives, And they're all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same.  And they all play on the golf-course, And drink their Martini dry, And they all have pretty children, And the children go to school. And the children go to summer camp And then to the university, And they all get put in boxes And they all come out the same. And the boys go into business, And marry, and raise a family, And they all get put in boxes, Little boxes, all the same. There's a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one And they're all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same. End. Hope you're all super fly. The boys from The Compound came over  this evening and we finally made some headway with the cd design.  I'm actually excited now! Anyways, I'm really, really late for bed so, goodnight, sleep tight.  Remember to breathe. Love

Day 67- Sunday, May 17, 2009

Day 67:

I want to make one thing clear: 

Words are just reference points in the game of meaning. They are vague and fuzzy, sometimes even great big strings of words, like books or philosophies. If you see some words on that piece of paper that rub you the wrong way, or beg you to disagree with me, remember that words aren't themselves nearly as important as the big picture behind them. 

I wrote those particular words at a time when they'd be useful to me, to help remember a broad idea. The term "enlightened evolution" for example - don't get caught on it specifically. Just reflect on the idea of what comes between highly evolved complex life, and the beginning/end state of Oneness. 

Anyways, rather than respond to this idea, tuck it away and let it seed for a while. Think about it in terms and words that mean something to you, and most importantly, look around  you some day soon, and try to apply this idea to what you see. 

Remember that we came from the Sun (we did, read about it), something that we don't consider to be a living thing. A house, the Earth, the Universe, aren't commonly considered "living things" either, yet they're all connected at the deepest level- they're all made of the same stuff. Everything is alive, we just don't know how to see it. When you feel that life, in a peaceful, concentrated moment, it's like talking to Allah/God/Yaweh/...It...(remember that I don't put much stock in single words).

Let's call it "talking to Life".

A strange post maybe? Not something I usually explore...? Yup. 

Well, I don't know what else to say. I think I've said too much.

Just think about it.

Day 66- Saturday, May 16, 2009

Day 66:

Sorry for the lateness. Long story... a strange one. 

I miss Janice so much. One may wish for the summer to come - for long days of sun and sleepy mornings and green grass and bathing suits and beaches and beautiful clean air and late night kissing and all of that romantic, young-head-filling stuff....

But when summer comes, and everyone goes back home to their families, and all your friends are far away, it's kind of sad. It does however make the times that you get back together more special. I think. I hope.

That being said, Janice is a good friend and I miss her. 

Anyone notice I'm gettin' all sincere and blubbery?

 

Good. 

Enjoy, friends.

Day 65- Friday, May 15, 2009

Day 65:

Well, seeing as I've been posting a bunch of non [straight] photographic content lately, I figured I'd share this. 

This image came out of the design process for The Compound's cd package. It might make it into the final design still - it might not. We shall see how the cookie crumbles I suppose. Either way, I like it. Nice and simple, and nicely balanced.

Anyway, I've been working on this project all afternoon>evening>night so I'm out. Hope you all had a wild Friday night!

Happy May 24 Friday!

Love

Day 64- Thursday, May 14, 2009

Day 64:

Ugh, I fall asleep after work every day now! I've been napping for about an hour or two each day - NOT COOL!

Anyway, I forced myself to get up and cook a nice big meal. I've discovered that if you want your carefully timed  cooking to all go as planned, don't suddenly see something interesting and get your camera. That really goes for a lot of situations with photographers; you'll be in the middle of something important and suddenly decide it's a good photo op. I think it has the potential to be pretty annoying for those around us.... sigh, such is out nature. 

So yeah, here it is! Mmm, panfried asparagus - the only way to make it. Steamed is just... cruel.

Love

Day 63- Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Day 63:

Not quite photography right? Well, I could make up an elaborate story about falling into some alternate reality composed entirely of white space and fonts, and being lucky enough to have a camera.... but that's a bit too much lsd for me.

So, I'm designing a CD package for some friends of mine, The Compound, a three piece band from Georgetown. The whole project is a little behind schedule due to some software issues which are now all fixed. Anyways, tonight I downloaded somewhere near a bazillion (true story) fonts and went through them all, creating a sample image to send to the guys. I think I've decided on the font that I want to use for the project, but of course, it's up to them. What's your favorite?

So anyway, seeing as I'm already supposed to be in bed and I haven't touched my camera today, I figured I'd post this. It's refreshing to see some other kinds of work for a change. I love doing the stop motion videos and this will be a really fun side project too. Maybe next week, I'll show you some of my crocheting!...... heh heh

Goodnight!

Day 62- Tuesday, May 12, 2009

As promised, here's a special treat. I'm not done with it however. I think a second version will definitely be coming. 

CLICK ME!!!

Friends, here's your second stop motion video. It was shot over about 30 minutes. It's just over 2500 photos, condensed down to 4 minutes. And the music is fantastic (thanks Rizzo, and thanks Amon Tobin).

Hope you're all doing super fly. Reeeaal fly.

Love

Ps- I'm still trying to figure out image quality when it comes to getting the video on the web. It looks a lot better when iMovieHD is playing it full screen, compared to when it gets uploaded. If anyone has experience, or a wealth of knowledge on web quality video work etc, please msg me! 

Day 61- Monday, May 11, 2009

Day 61:

Well, I've been busting my butt all night on something special. Here's a little hint at what that might be. Hopefully I'll get it posted tomorrow. 

Enjoy!

Day 60- Sunday, May 10, 2009

Day 60:

Another look at Home. This weekend has been a strange one. Mother's Day has been, well, rough. I suppose these things happen.

Hope you're all well.

Day 59- Saturday, May 9, 2009

Day 59:

This is a note I found in my desk. I wrote it down a few months ago while watching Paul Stamets' TED Talk: 6 Ways That Mushrooms Can Save The World. My brain nearly exploded with awesomeness. Paul Stamets, you rule!

Anyway, if you're interested, check out the video HERE! It's about 20 minutes but it's very, very worth it!

I also have a small note I drew up after this, sort of a graphic illustration of my interpretation. Don't get excited though, it's not artsy. It's just... an idea. I think I'll post it in a few days.

Day 58- Friday, May 8, 2009

Day 58:

Well, aside from being a general film critic (snob), I'm quite the discerning Star Trek fan. I saw it on opening night which was totally unplanned and I'm still on the fence about the newest installment. Overall, it was pretty good; visually mind-boggling, decent casting and acting (except for Wynona Rider? WTF is that all about?), and a pretty okay story. Even the bad guy was okay.

There were a few moments where epicness bordered on cheesiness, and maybe a few too many comedic touches, but what the hell.

Bottom line, it wasn't Nemesis!

Day 57- Thursday, May 7, 2009

Day 57:

Woo, well say goodbye to week 8! 

A nice shot of home from behind the college. School home, though. Not HOME home. 

This is actually part of the arboretum though, my friends. This is where I work! This is the valley; it's where all the wilder stuff grows. The gardens and all that are way off to the left of the frame. Off to the right are a couple sports fields and some paths and stuff. It's a beautiful place!

Anyway, gotta get to bed again!

Yeesh, this is hard to keep up with a 10 pm bedtime!

Day 56- Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Day 56:

So, another beautiful day in the arboretum. Gosh, I think I should start a blog about that, just based on how much I could talk about it. We finished taking down all the deer fencing today which is awesome because I don't know if there's an inch of my body that isn't covered in scratches... I can't take much more! So yeah, tomorrow will be cool; we'll be onto some new project I guess. Who knows what....

Anyway, maybe you've all noticed a trend over the last week-ish - I talk a bunch about work and being tired but not really about the shots. Well, I'm cool with that for now. This week has been new and exciting and I feel like just putting the shots up and letting them be. I'm sure I'll get back into talking about them soon. Also, I just need some time to adjust to the new schedule and level of tiredness after work - when I start to get into the groove, I'll be a little more lively with the posts and the images etc. I'd like to get some more portraiture done soon too!

So anyways, that's it for now. I should be in bed asleep in.... 10 minutes so, yeah, good luck to me!

Night y'all!

Day 55- Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Day 55:

Okay, so day 2 of the new job! Today was so nice; we spent all morning taking deer fence down from around "the garden of the rising moon"... man, I love the intense nerdliness of the naming - so epic. In truth, one of these gardens should really be named "the garden of the drunken frat boy" seeing as it is the college arboretum. 

After lunch, I worked with this dude to build up the ground around a new-ish bridge. I spent most of the afternoon driving the Gator (one of these bad boys) back and forth, hauling loads of soil over, dumping it and packing it down, etc etc. 

So yeah, anyways, I'm really tired again. I'm already loving the new schedule I'm on. Passing out by 10 pm is amaaazing. I hope the weather is better later on this week [it's supposed to rain tomorrow] 'cause I want to do some shooting in my new place of employment. 

Anyways, that's all for now. See yah folks! <3

Day 54- Monday, May 4, 2009

Day 54:

So very tired... so very, very tired. Today was pretty awesome though - working outdoors in a beautiful setting. I can't wait till the flower gardens get all planted and perdy lookin'. 

Anyways, working in the arboretum has left me "bushed" (wink wink, heh heh) so I'm off to bed. Goodnight lovelies.

Day 53- Sunday, May 3, 2009

Day 53:

Ah, home sweet home. Unfortunately that's about all I can say for now. I need to get to bed asap - I start my new job in the morning. I'm pretty stoked!

Night y'all!

Day 52- Saturday, May 2, 2009

Day 52:

Yeesh - so I shot this without a tripod. I had to return my tripod to the school yesterday and now all I've got is a cheap piece of plastic/aluminum crap. I didn't even BRING my cheap plastic/aluminum crap tripod home with me too! Heh heh. So yeah, I had a couple of crappy light stands - no swivel or tilt thank you very much. I put the camera on one and had to hope that I could get something decent shooting completely straight. I suppose it worked out. 

Yeesh # 2 - I'm running out of steam! I want a change of scenery and some new inspiration. That'd be swell. And having to return equipment isn't exactly motivationally golden either - kind of a step back in the wrong direction, don'tcha think?.... Wow, complainy today much?

Well, that's the end of that. I think maybe I just need to get some sun, some exercise and some more veggies in my diet. That'd do me good. 

So that's it. That's all for now. Enjoy, hope you're all well. 

C'mon, git! Scram! Vamoose!

Love love love,

Chris 

Day 51- Friday, May 1, 2009

Day 51:

Well damnit man... Tonight was an exercise in beating one's head against a wall.

I had a vision and I felt completely comfortable and confident with it. I got a lot of shots for the idea, I was happy with it all, things looked great! However, when I got it on the computer, nothing would come out the way I wanted! I tried over and over to massage the shots into what I wanted and I got bubkis... well, I think failure is a healthy thing and we need some adversity sometimes. 

So anyways, it was kind of like the sculptor who sees the finished piece inside the rock, except, no matter how many times he tries, he can't get the vision to take shape. I'm pretty friggin frustrated... I'm super beat as well so I'm just posting a shot from last Sunday's show at the Roxy. It's lucky that I hadn't formatted the memory card because I got a loaner computer from the school today and it's completely empty of old work. 

A thing or two about this shot:

It's centered and it's blurry. I love it. My point is, sometimes you gotta break some rules. Just remember that there's a difference between someone who consciously breaks the rules to explore an artform and a no-talent assclown who thinks his dope is the mad goat....

Uuuh, yeah.

I'll let you all decide what category I fall under. I just take pictures......