a hodge podge blog of music, travel and news.
I guess I have no real idea what to expect when viewing Johannesburg, but this image is not what I expected. It looks right out of a sci-fi movie. Ships are destined to land of the flat straps of land any moment.
The image is from the September issue of National Geographic.[via binary bonsai]
I didn’t know to much about the film that won the 77th Academy Award for best Documentary this year, other then it’s title, and what I could infer from that; Born Into Brothels. I had a chance to view this documentary tonight and would recommend it to everyone.
Not one to ruin a good story, I will say I was surprised to discover that the film focused on photography, and how it was an escape for these children, and provided them with buckets and buckets of smiles.These children, who live in such trying and dire situations, still find time to laugh, to play, and be children. What really took my breath away was the quality of the photographs they took with simple, automatic, 35mm film cameras. No zoom, no manual focus, no long shutters. Just point and shot. I do concede that any photo that is of a place I am not familiar with is fascinating, and the images of Calcutta’s red light district fall into this category. That being said, the images they captured were spectacular, and can be seen at Kids with Cameras. Despite the digital age, nothing beats the richness, and detail that can be captured on film.
It got me to thinking about picking up a film camera. Digital is great and all, but my one main complaint is the delay between shutter press and actual image. I’m hoping someone can point me in the direction of a fun 35mm camera. Nothing fancy. Heck, I’d be happier with plain, and inexpensive. It is obvious the children in the film had a talent for photography. I would venture a guess and say it is because they are children and look at the world in a different way. I would also say it is because of the life and world they live in, and being able to capture images that show that, or not show as the case may be, is therapeutic.
I’m rooting for those kids. I hope they, and others like them the world over, make it.
Sometimes I have to laugh at myself. I live 20min from Toronto, yet I probably know London and Paris more intimately. So today I decided to fix that. I was downtown for some job opportunity stuff and grabbed my camera. What a day for it. Blue Skies and 1C weather. So here is my little walk around Toronto (from King and Spidina, down to Front St. then up Bay St.)
First stop was to reflect upon iPods continuing romp across the universe, to become the only meaningful brand. How does this ad not make you want to buy an iPod? Honestly.
Next, the perennial favourite, and everyone’s number one phallic symbol, the CN Tower. Just look how it dances above the buildings.
Just to provide some perspective, the thing really is huge. I’m still waiting for the day it rockets off into space — all 553.33 m of it.
In the pointy shadow of ‘The Tower’ sits the pudgy SkyDome. This is a picture of the figures that adorn the north end of the stadium. Look, the guy is taking a picture of me taking a picture of Him. As my buddy Tim would say, “Sure is a lot of camera filming camera going on here.”
A great example of the diverse theater one can attended in the City of Toronto. Forget about Phantoms, Lions and Cats. When you have Bats, you have it all. “Bat Boy Finds Love in TO”. Good job Bat Boy, good job.
The downtown core as seen from that street that runs between SkyDome and the ACC. Looks nice during the day, and stellar at night. It might be small, but it’s ours.
Coming back up Bay St. I dropped into BCE Place. This is a fantastic example of modern architecture in TO. They enclosed a city block, that was then renovated into office space.
This is a picture from the concourse beneath the picture above. I was grabbing a coffee and looked up to see peoples feet.
At Bay and Queen is a great example of one stop shopping. I don’t know how many times I’ve been doing my banking and had a sudden urge for a cup of java. From what I hear they can transfer funds while making a triple mocha latte, skim milk, extra mocha. This is a medicore rip-off of this photo. I blame the time of day for the differences in reflection and composition. I never pretended to be original.
I end my journey at Bell Trinity Square (directly east of Nathan Phillip’s Square). The vibrant colour of the building compared to its surrounds really caught my eye. I don’t know art, but I know what I like I suppose.
Well there you have it, my walking tour of a little slice of Toronto. Not being one to try and impart words of wisdom, I’ll just say, go take a walk and open your eyes. It really puts things in perspective. Everywhere has something unique to offer.
With the cold months of winter in full swing I went looking through some photos and found this beauty of the PEI coast. I always thought it looked like a postcard, and if I wasn’t so lazy maybe I’d make it happen, though I’m sure there are a million similar photos out there already. C’est la vie. It really was a great day. I had to fix the image up a bit, as the soil just didn’t look rich enough. A little work, and this dull image suddenly looked like a window to a great trip. If only PEI had the great party atmosphere that exists in Halifax. That would be a deadly combination. Who knows, it might, all I know is that I didn’t find it.
What a great island.
Walking to The Horseshoe Tavern.
Wil jams, and breaks strings.
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