Strangers in the City - Andreja

Have you ever wondered what the chemical structure of a caffeine molecule etched into your skin would look? Or how much hair it actually takes to turn into a man-bun? Yeah, me neither, but I'm going to show you anyways. Last Sunday, Tytus and I were out for 'a drink,' the events of which eventually lead to me snapping these photos before semi-passing out on the bus home (yeah, I was 'THAT GUY'). My cousin Vi was like, 'Who goes drinking before noon on Sunday?!'




Tytus the Beerbarian, sporting quite the mop.


You need at least that much hair to start a man-bun. FYI.


Keep Calm and Pour It On - an official shirt straight from the Sriracha factory in Irwindale.

It's been a long time since I've approached a stranger to ask to take their portrait, but I had the opportunity while we were out at National on 17th. I will admit to being completely smashed at this point, but I still nailed focus: this is Andreja, who sported some crazy painful looking scarification/ etching on the upper arm and thigh. I can't say I'll understand why someone would do this, but who am I to judge.




That's a caffeine molecule, etched (not tattooed) into the skin.

All photos taken with the Rolleiflex 2.8E on Kodak Tri-X, souped in Rodinal for 7:00 at 68 deg. F.

Strangers in the City - Tom from Ambacht Brewing

This is Tom, the brewmaster of Ambacht Brewing, a small craft brewery located in Hillsboro, Oregon. And by 'small' brewery, I mean Tom is also the accountant, shipper, bottle washer, and even toilet scrubber of the business. Tom was serving up free samples of delicious craft Belgian inspired ales at the Beaverton (Oregon) Farmer's Market, and we got chatting about beer styles and cameras. Just one more reason for you to visit Portland - you can get to Beaverton by a short 15min light rail ride, and a stroll through the 'liquid lunch' area of the market (free samples from local craft breweries, wineries, and distilleries) means you will be wasted in short order. And all for FREE!



Photo taken with the Kiev88 CM and Arsat 80mm f/2.8 on Kodak Portra 160.

Strangers in the City - Scott

I don't generally take photos of the homeless in our city - they're a vulnerable population, and photographing them to make gritty looking photos seems cheap and overly exploitative. However, as we were walking down 17th ave on a busy night of the 2nd Stampede weekend, we passed by Scott, a man down on his luck who was panhandling for spare change. While I normally would have just left him in peace, he and his friend inquired about our cameras (an assortment of Hasselblad/ Leica/ Rolleiflex film cams). Given their interest in our activities, we stopped to chat with them, and that's how I hypocritically ended up with this shot of a man, who despite struggling financially, was very friendly, cheerful, and gracious.



Shot with the Rolleiflex 2.8E on Ilford HP5+ 400, rated at 800. Developed in Ilfosol 3, 1+9 at 68 deg F for 13.5 minutes.

Strangers in the City - Aman

Welcome to another episode of Strangers in the City. This is Aman, our awesome waitress at Diner Deluxe yesterday. Aman rocked this perfect combination of timeless classic and elegant chic, even in a diner uniform. And she may have a midwives tale or two about how to determine the sex of your unborn child (no, Anita and I are NOT expecting a child - she was telling the tale to my pregnant cousin)... This portrait is a tad on the soft side, because my focussing skills are lacking, it was shot at 1/15, and I have the shakes at that speed.



For the camera nerds: Shot with a Rolleiflex 2.8 at 1/15s, on expired Fuji Neopan 400, rated at 200. Developed in Ilfosol 3, 1+9 at 68 deg. F for 5:15. This was my first time shooting with the Rollei, and also my attempt at pulling film, so despite being slightly soft, I'm very pleased this shot turned out at all...

Hope you all enjoyed your long weekend, and Happy B-day Canada!

Strangers in the City

More results from my Strangers in the City project, in which I am approaching random strangers I encounter to take their portraits on medium format film. I've had a couple more polite rejections from some folks, and I also pooched a couple shots of some strangers that agreed to sit (sorry dudes). But overall, the project is going well, and I may start a whole new site dedicated to it. Enjoy, and meet some of your local Calgarians.


Maisy, yard sale hunter extraordinaire. She found a sweet red sequinned hat and ceramic dog from a yard sale just a couple blocks from where I took this portrait (Blonde's Diner).


Lauren, the other half of the yard sale hunter duo. Lauren's hat is what actually caught my attention about this duo, as the hat is exactly the same as one I bought in Ha Long Bay, but failed to bring home cause I didn't want to crush it in my luggage.


Krista, a gal who was minding her business at the bus stop, reading and listening to tunes through her earbuds when I interrrupted to request a portrait. She was more than patient with me, as I first screwed up the shot, and then had to change to a new roll of film before finally getting this shot off.


Kiri was enjoying a coffee outside The Roasterie, when I interrupted to ask for a portrait. When pressed for some personal details, she stated that she was just a girl trying to find herself.


Dionne, budgie owner. Seriously, we passed by her in the Kensington area, where she was sitting with her pet budgie, Icky. You don't see bird owners take them out for walks very often, so this was kind of cool. Other interesting connection, I was wearing a Muse shirt from the concert earlier this year, and she had also gone and bought that same shirt.


Icky the budgie, who probably prefers to think that she was out taking her pet human for a walk.


Scott, analog camera junkie, not a stranger. But I had to finish off my roll before I could develop it. Scott likes cameras. Like, REALLY likes them. Probably moreso than me. That's saying something.


Andrew, also not a stranger. Although we only met today. Appears to own significantly more cameras than me (and I have 35). Was shooting a frankencamera of a Polaroid Land 100, with modded lens and finder. My new hero.


Georgette, Andrew's other half. TLR and SX-70 shooter. What more can you ask for in a girl?


Anita, my better half. Without her, none of the happy stuff in my life exists.

6x6 shots taken with a Kiev 88 on Ilford HP5+. 6x7 shots taken with a Pentax 6x7 on Fuji Neopan 400. Both rolls developed in Ilfosol 3, diluted 1:9.

Strangers in the City

I've started a new personal project that I'm tentatively calling Strangers in the City, in which I am approaching random people I encounter and asking them to sit for a portrait. The intent of this project is multi-fold. I want to break out of a personal comfort zone, while also breaking down isolating barriers that society has taught us throughout our lives about not talking to strangers. It can be strangely lonely in a city of a million plus. There is a huge void of intimacy and community as we all go about our daily lives - ignoring the people around us in favour of our smart phones. And out of 'politeness', we stare at our shoelaces rather than look at each other and perhaps establish some form of connection. Hopefully the people I meet as part of this project will feel more engaged and connected to this city, and maybe they will adopt a less distant demeanour towards the people around them as well.


This is Gabriela, a lovely lady originally from Mexico, but now a Calgarian. She liked that I was photographing strangers and building community. Photo taken inside Clive Burger on 17th Ave.


Say hello to Kate and Kelsey, who caught my attention when I saw them staring at my camera. Turns out one of their moms (or maybe both) is a photographer as well. Another interesting connection between us - they work at the Drop-In Centre, which I volunteered at for a year way back in the day. Photo taken at the streetside patio of Melrose on 17th Ave.


These three didn't want their real names used, but asked to be referred to by the faux gangsta names of Niqq, Kpop, and One-chain. Photo taken outside Reid's on 17th Ave.




I asked this gal if I could photograph her backpack cause I love the look of these Herschel Supply Co. bags. I wish I had also taken a portrait of her as well. Much regret!


This is Josh, a nice dude who was waiting for the bus on 4th street. I love the Pabst cap. Very rad!

In total, I approached 11 people today, and only had one person politely decline. Unfortunately, a photo of Drew and Darren (two Calgary firefighters) was ruined because I completely underexposed the shot, and got a big black frame. And one shot of Kristal is at the start of my next roll, which has yet to be developed. All photos taken with a Pentax 6x7, Takumar 105mm f/2.4, on Fuji Neopan 400. Developed at home in Ilfosol 3 diluted 1:9.