Kiev 88 - Photowalk results from a few weeks ago

Sorry, no tales of neighbourly shenanigans for you tonight. I just wanted to post a few black and white shots from a photowalk I went on in Calgary a few weekends ago with a friend. I shoot way more pictures than I'll ever have time to scan and upload to flickr, so here are a collection of some that did make it, while the others were still languishing as unscanned negs on my floor. Move over, dust bunnies.

Random Photos from Portugal pt. 3

Third in this series of random images from Portugal. In this set, we have ceramics, tile, mini beer, manueline sculpted architecture, milk coffee, Taylor Fladgate's port cellar, remains of a Roman wall, storks circling overhead, and some interesting shadow play. Hope you enjoy.

Black and White Portugal

We're back from 18 days in Portugal, and I have thousands of photos to sort through, let alone 13 rolls of film to scan. Based on my current rate, we will likely have gone on another overseas trip before I get around to scanning all that film. In the meantime, I edited a few b&w shots that I liked from Lisbon.

It's been a busy couple weeks, and I've done little to no shooting in that time. Although I did get out to snap a few shots for that architecture magazine project I was asked to help out with. Sample photos of the new Calgary Board of Education Building below... yawwwwn, I know. Sorry. I'm feeling uber uninspired.

George Mach, Contributing Photographer?!

I should really be in bed, but I just got asked to contribute photos to an architecture magazine some students are doing at ACAD (Alberta College of Art and Design). Even if things don't pan out, I'm still super excited that I even got asked! EEEEEEEEEE!!!!

-G

Bridges of San Francisco

Shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge

Transmission Incomplete

I recently heard someone ask the question, "Why would anybody shoot film?!"... The irony of this was that he was deciding on which framed print to buy... from a photographer who shot film. It was hard to restrain my derisive snort at his idiotic comment.

I shot the following series using my Diana Mini on 35mm Fuji Provia 100 in Budapest, Hungary. The Mini has a loose switch for bulb and N modes, and often moves to bulb without me knowing it. I have blown out many a shot as a result, but occasionally, a few do turn out kinda interesting. And as more and more folks pick up dSLRs and similar larger sensor digi cams to produce noise free tack sharp images of blah, I find myself increasingly drawn to the allure of flawed lo-fi analog imagery. I especially love the scratches, dust, and imperfections in the first shot.

...from the Red Deer Lodge

Bored. In Red Deer. Me wants go home. But until that happens, here's some toy camera work for your viewing pleasure. Shot as multiple overlapping exposures with a Diana Mini somewhere in Prague. Film scanned, then converted to B&W in lightroom. Click on them to see the enlarged versions (worth it).





-G

The beauty of imperfection

As you can see, I've changed the colour scheme for the blog (unless of course, you're reading this as an imported note on Facebook). I was getting tired of the plain jane all black look, plus the white text on black background was hard on the eyes after a bit of reading. I'm actually contemplating migrating over to a tumblr photoblog, but not sure yet. I like what others are doing with their one photo a day type tumblr posts, and I think that would better suit me than trying to verbalize all the random idiotic thoughts in my head everytime I want to post a photo.

So without any rhyme or reason as to why I'm posting this, here it is. Some building in Budapest. Taken with the Holga on Kodak E100G slide film and cross processed. I like that it's totally blurry and poorly composed, and also has multiple massive light leaks as well as the splotchy yellow bits that I was too lazy to clean off the negative before scanning. For all my talk and scheming to eventually buy a D700 (or actually, whatever Nikon replaces that body with), I actually far prefer the flawed imperfections of this 30 dollar toy camera.


Anywho, I have to plug away at pp'ing another wedding shoot I did this past Monday, and so I might drop off the face of the Earth until I've finished it.

Prague, Part II

Sorry about the lack of stories or even an attempt at a creative title. I'm exhausted, and there are 2500 photos to go through so far...


The Dancing House Building, designed by Frank Gehry.








The very picturesque streets of the Old Jewish Quarter.


Thousands of unmarked tombstones in the Old Jewish Cemetery.


We think this was a concert hall... but aren't sure.


Another interesting looking performance art venue... the letters LIVE were embedded in the structure's interior, and would change colours.




Strange display of decaying figures on Petrin Hill. The figures closest to the bottom of the steps were fully intact, but became more 'decayed' the further up the stairs they were.


Church on top of Petrin Hill.


That same church, as viewed from the top of the tower on Petrin Hill.




This little girl was overly fascinated by this peeing statue.