Candle Floater

This is a cool little thing I got from Frances for my birthday. It's a glass bowl with water and floating candles in it! I absolutely love it.

My favourite TV Show

To keep with the 30 day challenge.... my fave TV show definetely Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Secondly...
Vampire Diaries (I have a vampire theme going don't I...) namely Damon. He is my soul mate. It's unhealthy how much I love him.

Person I have been closest with the longest

Ms. Frances

Taken at my 17th birthday party. We've been through....well, a lot. She's always my solid rock for comfort and laughter and I believe (hope) I'm the same to her. Honestly, don't know what or where I'd be without her.

Fifteen Facts

Will be doing a "30 day photo challenge." Every day (maybe some random photos in between) post a photo with a different meaning and I will explain! First, a photo of me with 15 facts.(photocred: Caitlynn Fairbarns, Summer 2010)

1. I adore photography - hence the start of this blog
2. I love to write - poetry, short stories. Many of them are random, maybe just a sentence or two but it really helps me get out what I need to. I write them to myself and don't plan for anyone to read them.
3. My favourite colour is and always has been purple though I am leaning more towards red recently.
4. I am majoring in Human Rights, minoring in Women & Gender Studies and I adore it.
5. My motto is everything happens for a reason.
6. I saw a psychic a couple years ago and she told me I was going to die when I am 84.
7. I often have a guard up, I find it hard to be honest with other people.
8. My sister is my soul mate and my best friend.
9. Current obsession: Vampire Diaries.
10. I feel the greatest need and desire to travel around the world helping people and taking photographs. It's not even really a question, it's going to happen and needs to happen.
11. I am very determined.
12. I am very reserved. To some I come off shy but I'm not really.
13. I drink on average 1.5 pots of tea (orange pekoe) a day.
14. I don't believe myself to be a great or even good photographer. I just love it so much that I can't stop. I won't lie, I do love hearing "oh, i like that" but thats not why I do it, I do it for the sole reason that I can't stop.
15. I believe in ghosts.

Ode to my grandfather

On Dalhousie, Ottawa, near the bridge to Hull.

OK, is it just me but I love this building.
I love architecture. I get it from my grandfather. My grandfather, Paul Sears, was an architect. He died four years ago. I don't know about you and your relationships with your grandparents, but I adored my grandfather. He was smart, reserved (but still added in his smark remark to the conversation), and so so talented with art and sculpture and architecture. Every time I'd be there he'd be working on a new project, sometimes several at once since he'd get distracted.
Once he had to make a cover for an outside outlet and made a tiny house for it. A house to cover an outlet. Amazing, yes.
What got me thinking of him was first this photo, and that I went into his workshop (attached to the house he built for my grandmother). I took this photo mostly because I love colour, I love the blue colour of the door and the yellow hydrant with the blue top at the right side of the frame.
Secondly when I was visiting my grandmother last week I went into his workshop. And really everything is exactly the same. I was overcome with love, appreciation, gratitude. For everything he had taught me, given me. The workshop is still, of course, a complete mess. Random scraps of wood on the ground, tools still in place as if they had been used yesterday. It really reminded me of a still photograph. I opened the door and its as if nothing had changed; still the old dusty air, cold pavement, tools well used. Honestly I started getting emotional. I don't want to say you don't know what you've got until its gone. Because I did know what I had, I just wasn't aware of his impact on my life.
I know that if he were here he'd love to see my photos, comment on the architecture in them (since I find I do take a lot of photos of buildings) and explain to me how they are made, structured. Then maybe he'd go into a quiet pensive mode, look out onto the field, and retreat to his workshop and create something cute and miniature. He loved miniatures.

Some Holiday love...

The Bay in the Rideau Center finally has up their christmas/holiday stuff. Lovin it!
So here are some pics to satisfy your holiday craving too...

Potential jointer

Update.... jointer on my wall now!

Allo! Long time no post...
This was taken outside an OttawaU building. I have more that go around this to make a mini jointer. Those of you who know me know I loove jointers. Jointers are a series of photos taken which when you put them all together make one big picture.
Jointers can be of still life or get a little more complicated like this. I discovered them in grade eleven from my photography teacher. I just really love them because they can add complication to what would be a simple photo (like the second one) and a chopped up version of life. It can add more life and movement to your photos without doing a longer exposure.
This type of photography originated from David Hockney.
Here are some examples of my favourite Hockney photos: this one, and this one, and this one.


And now for something completely different... (Monty Python reference...)

Buttons!

What I like about candids

They're random, fun, spontaneous.
Especially with film, you really never know what will come up until it does. The moments are real, you just captured and pin pointed a moment in your life that was random. Maybe boring, maybe not. But it's real.

Happy Belated Birthday!

We decoed our house for our halloween party. I was a flapper, Eilidh was Snooki, others included sexy ladybug, safari man, doctor, convict, peter pan, tourist and waldo.
On another note, it's NOVEMBER FIRST the countdown begins to my birthday (13 days) and christmas (55 days).
My lights are already up:
and my holiday music is playing!

Educate yourself.

It's that time of year....midterms, essays, projects, critical analysis, what have you.
Do you see the Ethiopia theme? Yes, writing an essay on political repression in Ethiopia. It's actually a very interesting topic, ask me anything about Ethiopia involving politics, economy and social issues from 1974 to present and I'm pretty sure I'll know the answer.
Fun fact: Ethiopia and Liberia are the only two countries in Africa that were uncolonized.
Anyway I just thought for those of you non-students I'd share my pain and for those of you students we can bond together at how we dislike essays and midterm and etc.
Then again, at least I'm getting an education, right? At least I live in a country where my gender isn't a complete disability (I say complete because in some cases it is), at I have the means and money to educate myself.
I think all of us who say, ew another paper or gross I don't want to get to class we still understand it really is a priveledge to be able to go to school and have a higher education.
I have an Amnesty International poster in my room title: Getting an education shouldn't be this tough. The picture is a man getting beaten by three police officers as he tries to keep schools in his country open.
Caption says:

"Let's face it. We've all hoped for a natural disaster to close school on the day of the big exam. While you were glued to the weather channel, this protester tried to
keep schools in his country open - and got beaten by police.
Kinda makes you wonder, eh?
THINK. JOIN. ACT."

So though we may complain or procrastinate, we know how lucky we are.
And this is my cue to leave and continue writing my paper

Autumn Baking

While baking... they are apple allspice sticky buns. Need I say more? No, I don't so here are some photos.

Christina Hendricks is so sexy.

Reasons why I love Christina Hendricks:
1. She's a red head - I'm not a red head but I love red.
2. She's not a size 0, or a size 2, or a size 5. - Apparently she's a size 10.
3. She has unbelievable confidence and oozes sex appeal.
4. She's charming.
5. She's smart!


Okay, I did not take this photo. I wish I had cause then I would have met Christina Hendricks, who plays Joan on Mad Men. But I couldn't help posting this because my next big project is pin-ups! No promises yet since I'm juggling the whole school thing, but hopefully soon.

Anyway, you can see more sexiness here: http://socialitelife.celebuzz.com/archive/2010/10/11/christina_hendricks_gets_pinned_up_.php?img=3&gfmt=m#alpha-inner

A day in the life

A grainy scanned in photo from my film camera.
Thought it was appropriate seeing as this post is about paparazzi.

Found this article today on my favourite feminist blog, Jezebel. It gives a view of what happens behind the camera as a paparazzi photographer. One of the writers of Jezebel accompanies the photographer through the city of New York as they bike, run, wait just to capture the couple shots that will make it on the internet or magazines.

One of the interesting points the writer makes and the commentors discuss is why we have such a hate for paparazzi. Many of the commentors go into their own personal experience and opinions. The link is at the bottom so I'll let you read as you please rather than me trying to summarize the whole thing.

But if you'd like my humble opinion, if theres a demand there will always be a supply. Magazines that run off paparazzi photos get their funding by consumers eating up all the new gossip. I won't lie and say I've never bought a gossip magazine, I think we all have. Once you create something like this - a celebrity and media dominated society - there is no turning back. You can't just stop what just happened.

Common opinion is that having your picture taken constantly comes with being a celebrity. Others think the paparazzi are crazy jerks and harass actors/actresses/models etc. Who's to say its a bit of both? Being in the public spotlight of course people want to see your picture, what you're wearing, who you're with. Does that really come with the job of actor/actress/model? Isn't the reason why you're famous because you started out as one of the above? With exceptions from certain heiresses whose names we know too well. If I were an actress or model and I entered the public sphere, I know that my private life would be breached and people would know or pry to get to know me. It's just something that, in modern world, is actually part of 'the job.'

At one point the photographer featured in the article says as he is trying to get a picture of Kourtney Kardashian "Wagner comes over to me, cursing. "Right after the guard moved us out of the way, they kissed," he fumes, referring to Scott and Kourtney. "I said, my friend, I know you are doing your job. But you have no idea how much you doing your job just cost me."
It's so interesting and weird. How obsessed we are with others lives. Photography wise, the photographer is amazing. I mean, I think it takes real raw talent to get very good photos, under pressure, in tight situations where people (celebrities) can potentially flip out at you.

Read more: http://jezebel.com/5660461/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-paparazzo?skyline=true&s=i#ixzz12BwTflHN

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey! I mean, that's all this weekend is about isn't it? Yummy warm turkey, stuffing, potatoes and sweet potatoes, gravy? Even better is the leftovers. Which I get to take home. Below is a picture of a happy turkey! Does this make you feel bad? Mmmm...I would, but it's too good.

Searching for books

In a used book store in the Glebe, Emma searches for Shakespeare.
Ever want to curl up on a compfy couch in your fleece pijamas and read your most loving book? Perfect for rainy, cold dreary days when all you want to do is escape reality and dive into a perfect novel. While book shopping today I realised I miss books. In the bustling life we live we hardly ever have time to sit down, read a book, escape from life. This is what I want to do. Now. But instead I'll research, write some papers, research some more, write some more papers and so on.

Happy Monday!
Morgs

Autumn and Sisters

Autumn a year ago

Fallen leaves, on sunnyside, Ottawa, Fall 2009.

Autumn (latin word: Autumnus) Marks the change from Summer into Winter.

Autumn being a transitional season we don't see very much of it, but we feel it. It sneaks up on us and we are brought into a cool crisp season. It's exciting, fresh, new and leads to the holidays. Fall is just so romantic! After a long hot summer it's nice to put on some boots, gloves, cute jacket and hat and stroll around the city with a cute friend. Autumn is just the suspense that brings us to snow and ornaments and shiny yummy things.
This won't be an every day blog, cause we all know how that turned out last time! I do hope to post every couple days though. Hopefully more than just leaves too :)

Again, I invite you all to comment and create discussion of photos and what it ignites in you. Here is something I found interesting:
http://jezebel.com/5650307/rare-photographs-reveal-the-ladies-who-hung-out-with-hells-angels/gallery/
They are photographs from the ladies who hung out with the hells angels motorcycle gang.
What would we do without photos? There would be so many things we wouldn't know, wouldn't see. This is what I love about photography. The artist gets to give someone a chance of seeing what they saw at that moment in time, the way they saw it. It's up to the viewers to understand and interpret how they want, to ask questions to why they took that photo. What was really so interesting about it, why did they take it that way? Maybe it's just me who thinks this way but it's the same thing you could say about a novel or a movie.

Well, cheers to a new season!
Morgs