I think for the next assignment Donna and I should shoot the same subject - maybe at the same time, maybe on our own excursion. It will be interesting to appreciate how we see and photograph the same space. Photography is an easy product of who you are as a person, and from that, moreso a product of what has informed on the who and how of you. I love listening to people talk about their images; images I love, images I don't understand, and images I don't particularly care for. And that is my favourite part of doing these assignments, talking about the images - what worked, what didn't, what you learned... From this last assignment I learned that I often don't look for really ornate detailing, the tiny elements. The result of this is that I found it difficult to identify and shoot the narrative in these finer details. Interesting.

When Donna gets back from The Homeland, I think we will fast track this assignment. On that note, I cannot wait to see what Donna brings back, photographically, from her trip. I have a feeling it will be a great amount of feeling the landscape while she is out in the wet.

There's lots to tell you, Paula!

First, I am off to the homeland next week! I can hardly wait. I have my 3 star cameras ready to go. I bet you can guess which ones. I'm thinking I'll bring the great wall too.

I told Erich today that this is happening so soon into my obsession with spinning. How great is spinning? Today my legs hurt walking down stairs, and squatting to pet Jack, but wow I would be in worse shape, if I ran that hard.

exciting!

Here is an image that I learned something from, Paula. I actually have a quite a few that I learned something from, and only because of that water bottle cap on the ground. See that white round dot to the left?

I've always been a leave as is kind of girl, and capture things the way I see them on first encounter. Don't arrange. There is no rule, but in my head there is.

I have a moment where that changed. Paula, you took me to the boardwalk and then single handedly removed a large tree propped up against another tree. Removing that tree changed the view for "the photo" for, I bet, a lot of photographers. Why I didn't pick up that cap and just put it in my pocket, is beyond me. My next walk, I will find that tree and take that damn piece of plastic.

I got to know this tree, and then strangely pointed to another tree when we were walking away, and said that's my tree. I did realize right after that I was wrong. They were clearly different.

I'm looking forward to the next challenge!

Donna and I had a wonderful brunch at The Delhi Street Bistro which we followed up with an equally wonderful walk through the trails of Riverside Park. We each did a '100 shots of one subject' assignment. I had done this assignment before, with film, which presented as a completely different exercise. Having such easy access to the image really changed the way I shot this tree. The first thing I noticed is that I wasn't paying enough respect to exposure as a communicative tool within in an image. I found I didn't have to consciously think as much about exposure because I could see and appreciate the results right away. I'm talking about 'perfect' exposure, and well, I neither believe in, nor subscribe to, a notion of 'perfect', however, the play and effect of exposure wasn't as acutely present with digital. I am going to repeat this with a covered viewfinder and see if I can commune with a more intuitive sense of exposure. Donna and I know how a brain folder full of ideas and I can't wait to get at them.

P

Thanks Paula, for a great challenge.

This one was a pleasant surprise for me. I normally try and keep my shadow out of shots, but look at me. Creepy!

It's been a long time since I've used the lensbaby, and what a difference when it's on a great camera.

Thank you, Paula!

Those are great questions and they've made me think about the photos I take. I had a look through on flickr, and came out of the pile and chose this one. I've always liked this photo. I like the artists, Coco Rosie, and this song is heartbreaking.

Usually the the "graffiti" catches my eye first, and after that the whole scene. I suppose I do call it graffiti, but I don't think of them that way.

I like the unexpected in an environment, and that could be a twisted branch or a message. And while I would never dream of painting up a wall, and think often why, sometimes that stab of colour on an otherwise gray slab world is welcome.

I am extremely happy this week is over ish. How about you, Paula? Coffee this weekend? Photo taking?

D

Donna and I are going to roll out a new feature - Chats, or Donna : Paula convos, clearly this feature needs a name and Scott we will be looking at you. We both blogged for BlogGuelph for a few years and as such we are struggling to find our own blogging voices. Maybe we just need to blog more, maybe we need to prepare more, but we do want to get things really rolling here. Donna came up with a great idea, one that we will germinate now and see how it grows, and that idea is that we use our posts as a conversation. It would probably be great to start with one of Donna's images, but this one of mine is already here and I've started this post three times. So this is what I'd like to ask Donna, What is it with you and graffiti? You have such an amazing way of presenting the graffiti as it is enmeshed in the surroundings? Do you see the graffiti first, then the environment, do you see it all at once? What is it that draws you to graffiti, would you even call it graffiti? And what is your most favourite graffiti image you've made?
This already feels better!
P

, a photo by PaulaRussell on Flickr.

Donna has been a blogging machine. There is such an emotive element to Donna's images, those abandoned plates at the breakfast table just take me right back to our breakfast. I feel like a Donna post is building! I too am conflicted with Flickr, it just seems it needs a refresh, or I do. Onward, friends. Three or four times a semester I find myself invigilating exams, which can be a mind numbing experience; 30-1000 students, seated, sweating, farting, and writing the same exam. And while there is little action beyond a bathroom break or a dropped pencil, there is an amazing opportunity to really feel an enclosed space. I made a few images during a midterm last week and I am returning to this same room later in the week. Also, I'm reading a really good photo book, and some interesting photography articles which I will blog about shortly.

a photo by PaulaRussell on Flickr.

I've been moving away from flickr these days. I don't know what it is. I can't put my finger on it, but I don't have those warm fuzzy feelings for it anymore.

It ebbs and it flows, I suppose.

I have had a spat of bad luck with a few cameras. I jammed up one, and the lens of another seems mucked up, and to top it all off my light meter exploded. The great news is the jammed is unjammed after less than a week at the repair, and the meter is all fixed up. The lens of the Kiev is useable but annoying.

So everything is ready for a trip that might be on hold. Booooo.

I've decided to get all the negatives I have hanging around the house scanned and encased in plastic sleeves before I go.

This time around it's going to be cold. Today I bought a new pair of smart wool socks.

Untitled, a photo by PaulaRussell on Flickr.

I love the Arboretum at the University of Guelph. It is the first place I go when I get a new camera, or the leaves fall, or the fog rolls in. I particularly love Fall in the Arboretum, it has a different feel than early Spring, and I prefer the trees without their finery and the superficial hope that floats on warming weather. The trees are my absolute favs - strangely ordered and controlled, without the cement and boulevards of the city proper. Now that some action plans have been initiated to address September's stresses, it is time to get back to shooting. This photograph was part of an exercise I did with a few friends, 1 location - 1 hour - 100 images, and it was a profound learning experience. I think I'll repeat this experience with the 5D MKII.

I have found the perfect meal, and when I get like this, I could eat the same thing for weeks. The bean salads of two years ago comes to mind. I ate a bean salad every day for weeks. These days it's a tofu burger with blue cheese and oven roasted potatoes. The ketchup has a mix of rooster sauce. MMM. Delicious. Wash all that down with home made kombucha, and you've got a winner. Google how to make your own kombucha, and don't be put off by the gruesome photos of rubbery discs.

I am looking forward to the winter.

I took my time getting home today.

I've been thinking about this photo. I remember seeing the negative and scanning, but never looking at it after the scan. I've been wondering for weeks how things looked and then would move on to other things when I got to the laptop. Tonight's the night, I suppose.

I remember it was foggy and it took me about an hour to get to work. I biked down the hill in complete fog with my flashing lights, hoping everyone saw me, before turning off to bike by the river. I want another day like this day. I want another hour long bike ride for a 20 minute tops ride.