CAPTURED

WalterFedy, a local architect and engineering firm has started to host art exhibits in their main foyer area as a way to engage with the art community here in Kitchener & Waterloo. Their first show is called CAPTURED and is a curated collection of the work of 11 local photographers. The show opened in late October and continues through the end of December.


I was invited to show a couple of my photographs. And in particular I was asked if I could/would produce something especially striking for display on a large red wall. I had just the image that would do very nicely. It is a scene of a local railway station taken from a bridge. During this past year's Contact photo show in Toronto I saw a number of very cool images printed on aluminum. It struck me that a scene of the railway station would look fabulous printed on aluminum. So, I did a bit of research and sent off a number of sample images to a couple of printers to see that my idea would work. It has turned out even better than I could have imagined.

Transportation, printed on 4' x 6' sheet of aluminum
(ignore the watermark, this photo taken by Jared Davidson (using my camera))

The photographers were given a chance to hold a reception for friends and family to view the show (access is normally somewhat restricted because it is a regular working environment). We put together a very nice reception and invited about 80-100 people. It was wonderful to see people's reaction to our work.

More images from that evening can be found on my Flickr CAPTURED set.

BOX-11

My installation

BOX-11 is an annual art show and sale that happens in the Kitchener/Waterloo region. This is its third year and it has become very large and influential. This year, there were at least 60 or more eligible entries but only about twenty three that were accepted by the curatorial jury. And only five of us were photographers.

It was quite an honour for me, my first art show. I was very excited. (I was also accepted to show some work in another art show at WalterFedy about this same time, I'll write about that in another posting).

Preparations

Preparations for this showing were extensive. First selecting the works that would define my body of work had to be done. I knew what, generally speaking, I wanted to show - my industrial images. But which ones? After a great deal of contemplation I had decided on the required four images for the initial jury review. If they liked my work I would be able to submit more images for a second review. Printing the images turned out to be a big problem. I was having serious problems with the ink in my printer and could not get a consistent black. Finally, after a lot of experimentation with ink and with papers, I found a combination I was happy with. Then getting the initial four images printed and still making the deadline was a challenge.

Sample of one display area

Setup

The show is always held in a local, derelict factory (with permission, of course). Getting the factory space cleaned up and prepared for the show is a huge challenge that I am fortunately shielded from. The week before the show starts all artists are expected to attend an initial reception where we are given directions on how the show will run. We get to see a lot of the preparations at this time. The lighting system is being installed as we listen to our directions. Cabling is being pulled by our heads, we duck and shuffle to miss being bumped (we're not in any real danger, it's more fun than anything).

Darren documenting the show

Friday night arrives and an invitation only reception is being held for local big wigs and mucky mucks and fancy "people of means". (I'm not dissing this, actually. I count myself as one of that group ;). Just before the doors are open, I walked about and took this image of Darren documenting the show. Everything looked great. And there was a huge turnout. I met many people who were very interested in my images. I was inspired by many of the comments I heard (and overheard). I was inspired by how I saw people studying my images. I was tickled pink that I sold a few that night too!

Saturday and Sunday were very busy days. Maybe a thousand people came through those two days. I had great fun talking to people about my photography, about art, about the historical significance of the factories I photographed, about so many other things. I was excited to sell a few more images. It was a wonderful event.

I am talking to two interested art collectors

Factory Update

Factories continue to fascinate me. I have an ongoing project with the Breithaupt Block factory, photographing its revitalization. There are, of course, still vestiges of its earlier days. The windows always capture my imagination. Sometimes it's the glass itself that provides an interesting colour or texture. But sometimes it is what is beyond the window, what is outside, that gives us something interesting.

There is, even after more than a year of work, much of the factory that is yet dirty. Much that is a mess. But it is in these very ugly places that I find interesting details. I was a little slow to react when I came into this room. The dust was thick and the sunlight streaming through the windows lit up the dust like laser beams. By the time I realized I had an amazing image right in front of me, the sun had started to fad behind a cloud and the dust was settling out. The transitions in a factory do not wait for anyone!


New areas are constantly arriving. One day I might see a room like above. And when I go back a few days later, I find there are walls popping up, plumbing being installed, wiring connected...

Portrait Update

Thoughout the summer I had the chance to do a number of portrait sessions. One with a family, a few with friends and a few nude shoots too.

I learned an incredible amount with each shoot. Mosty, that I have so much more to learn. Sometimes it was the little things that complicated life, such as during one shoot on a beach...

... I hardly noticed all the flies (except they were biting us!) till I got home and realized I had a lot of photoshopping to do.

Other things, not so small, cannot be so easily fixed. Is her hair still neat and tidy? What's in the background? ...

... It was not till I got home that I noticed her hair. There is little that can be done about wind blown hair after the shoot. The background was less work, but still a nuisance that could have been easily avoided.

But sometimes, everything just works. Sometimes I got exactly what I was after. The lighting, just right...

Or the background and environment perfectly suited to the clothing and style of the model ...

Or the weather cooperating giving me exactly the atmosphere I was after...

All in all, it was a wonderful summer to do photoshoots. But I am keen to continue trying to hone this dimension of my art. I look forward to working with many of these people again and with new people too.

American Standard

Over the past year, or more, I have been actively photographing local history industrial spaces. Most recently I was invited to join a group of photographers to shoot the interior of the now defunct American Standard factory in Hespler, Ontario. This factory has been purchased by Shawky Fahel in the hopes of converting it to a condo development targeted at the needs of our senior population.

The factory has been cleared of all the heavy equipment that was used during its manufacturing era. But what remains is a wonderful look into its history. Graffiti by long gone workers. Random bits of furniture laying awkwardly in unlikely places. Dirty bits of broken equipment. Odd bits of the forgotten past. Sometimes it can be heart wrenching seeing a twisted, broken lunch box and wondering where the owner is now.

Our group had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours here. Each of us lost in our own little world trying to discover some bit of beauty in all this decay and ugliness. Many of us have had a chance to compare our images. It has been interesting to see how differently we all see the same space. How one of us might notice a chair sitting near a wall. But another will notice that they back of that same chair against that same wall makes for an interesting contrast in textures.

More images are available on my Flickr photostream.

More portraits

Pensive Jalyssa

 I had another photoshoot with Jalyssa recently. Portrait sessions with this woman are a dream. She has a very good sense of her body, how to move it, how to effect the right look. She is very creative too, coming up with many good ideas for poses, settings, etc. For me, it was wonderful to have a model offering these ideas and between the two of us coming up with some excellent images.

We spent about three or more hours in the nearby village of Elora at the ruins of an old, early 19C stone mill. Jay brought a number of interesting outfits she could use to create different moods. We had easy access to the river and although the water was quite cold yet, she was very excited to get into the water for a number of images. But just to her knees. It was much too cold to consider getting right into the water!

Neck & Earring

We also had a couple of lengths of loose fabric she was able to drape around herself to create images with an ethereal, floating feeling to them.

Portrait sessions like this are a lot of fun. But they are exhausting too. By the time we'd decided to wrap up, we were both pretty tired. But I think it's not the last time I'll work Jay and I am hoping I'll find other models to work with in similar settings.

100 Strangers, continuing

I've not been very active with this project, mostly because I feel so awkward approaching strangers to ask them for their picture.

Today, I was walking about the Distillery District in Toronto and fought my anxiety and asked these young women if they would be a part of my project. They were happy to oblige, after an initial bit of skepticism. I had fun taking a few images. You can find the others on my Flickr site. 

It looks like I did another 100 Strangers image a couple of months back but forgot to say anything about it. Not a problem. I should be more careful! :)

Factory Girl

I have had a passion for old factories for years. I love the textures and colours and shapes found on the facade and in the decaying carcass of an old derelict factory. And every time I have the chance to wander about a factory taking pictures I cannot help but picture working with a model, contrasting his or her look with that of the factory.

Goddess

Jalyssa has a passion for photography. Whenever we have met, we've talked and talked and talked about photography. She has done modelling in the past, casually. And she loves doing it. I had asked her to model for me in an old factory setting when I next found one. I felt an old, worn out, derelict factory setting would contrast perfectly with her youthful, delicate, feminine features.

When I found this factory not far from where I live, as I wandered about getting a feel for the space, I just knew I'd have to bring Jalyssa for a photo shoot.

I have put only a few of the many pictures from that shoot on my web site. It is hard to pick only a few that give a good overview of the range of her styles. I hope my choices are appropriate. I hope you like what you see.

There are many more images on my Flickr account. Please have a look, if you have time.

I think Jalyssa and I will make more images together again.

Twelve

I have another project on the go. Ya, I need another project! But I think this is a good challenge. I am hopeful some good thinking and awareness will come of it.

The project is called Twelve. The idea is a theme and a colour are picked each month by the woman running this project. During the month, one should endeavour to take a few (three-six) images that represent this theme.

I have created my own Flickr Set for this project and I will try to create a few images each month that represent this theme.

January's theme is Wish and this month's colours are Violet and White.