Iced in...Toronto is frozen..

So, it's a bit cold here in T.  Freezing rain and fallen trees means many without power and heat...I am defrosting and using power at a Darkhorse coffee and passing time on line...enjoy the frosty images!

Weihnachtsmarkts in Europa

 Christmas markets are filling the public spaces around Europe!

Medieval Christmas Market in Schwarzenberg, Germany

Erzgebirge Wooden Christmas Pyramids

Roast Pig at the Munchener Weihnactsmarkt

Christmas Food Market in Bratislava, Slovakia

Christmas Market in Slovakia

Shopper matches the booth in Vienna, Austria

Don't you love when your beverages are DELIGHTED?

Munich Surfers in December

Impressive surf action on a December morning in downtown Munich.  Brrr!

A few surfers arrive wearing wetsuits riding skateboards.  Amazing to watch!

November afternoon in Erzgebirge

A few days after November 11th, but never too late to REMEMBER

Gritty and Pretty

Do images of pretzels, lederhosen, huge beer steins and alpine meadows come to mind when you think of Germany?  Allow these Leipzig scenes to diversify your visual images of Germany.

Photographing Childhood

Curious about photographing childhood?  Look for the article Photographing Childhood in the November 2013 Close-Up Magazine.



http://www.victoriacameraclub.org/closeup/closeup-nov-13.pdf

When in Giverny--be an impressionist!

In the Claude Monet's gardens in Giverny, France hoards of visitors from around the world photograph and capture and paint the amazing haven Monet created so many years ago.  

Claude Monet's Garden

Here's an attempt at "Impressionist Photography" in honour of Monet's style.  It's all done in camera!

Ai Wei-Wei at the AGO

Last month I visited the Ai Wei-Wei exhibit at the AGO.  I was fascinated by the art pieces inspired by Ai Wei-Wei and built by his team of artists.  His passion for living, making ethical choices, and doing the right thing even if it puts his own life and well-being in danger is seen through each of his displays.

Man sits and listens to NAMES of children who died when public school buildings collapsed during an earthquake in China.  Ai Wei-Wei exposed these names previously hidden by the government on FB and Twitter.

Ai Wei-Wei's famous "self-portraits" in front of significant monuments

Respect Life, Never Forget

One rebar removed from collapsed public schools per child killed in an earthquake.  In the background people observe photos of Ai dropping an ancient vase in front of national building.

   

All patrons captured by Ai's works and messages. 

Close-Up Magazine Article

The Victoria Camera Club puts out an award winning bi-monthy online and print magazine called Close-Up.  Check out my article Plastic Toy Photography:Lo-fi Images in the September/October Issue for some more plastic camera geekery!



http://www.victoriacameraclub.org/closeup/closeup-sept-oct-13.pdf

Look, Touch, Wonder...

Yesterday, I went to the Riverdale Zoo and Park with my friend and her little ones!  It as lovely to watch them look, touch, play...and to hear all of the wonderful questions that only people under 5 seem to ask!

Toy Camera Photography ARTIST DEMO AT SOOKE FINE ARTS SHOW

Toy Camera Photography  ARTIST DEMO AT SOOKE FINE ARTS SHOW

Things I learned while doing a toy camera demo

1.  People like toys, cameras, and toy cameras.

2.  Many people miss film.

3.  People look at old cameras and become nostalgic and talk about pulling out their old

     cameras.

4.  Some people don't realize you can still buy film or use expired film.

Some cool Questions and Answers 

Q: Do you only shoot film?

A: No. I shoot mostly digital using a Canon 7d, a Canon s90, and a Blackberry mobile.

Q: Do you use other film cameras?

A: Yes.  I have a Canon EOS 300 SLR, a Yashica-D TLR, a Super Richo Flex TLR, and an Argus rangefinder sometimes known as "the brick".

Q: Can you still buy 120mm film?  Where do you get it?

A:  Yes.  Pro-labs like Prism or camera shops like Camera Traders, Lens and Shutter or 

Kerrisdale sell medium format film.  But honestly, most of my film is given to me by people who find old film that they don't use.  So be nice to your friends---they will share film with nice people!

Q: Can you use expired film?

A: Yes.  Since toy cameras are unpredictable, old film is a great choice.  You get what you get and expect the unexpected.

Q: Where can you buy toy cameras?

A: You can buy toy cameras on-line through lomography.ca or eBay.  If you are lucky, you can find some secondhand ones in great condition because some people give up on them too soon. Some retailers in Canada include: Camera Traders (Victoria), Vancouver Art Gallery, Gigi B's (Granville Island),  Lomography Gallery Shop (Toronto), Urban Outfitters (across N Amer).  Honestly, I don't work for any of these companies---I am just a geek that notices stores that sell toy cameras!

Toy Camera Geekery

Tomorrow I will be doing an "artist demo" at the Sooke Fine Arts Show on toy camera photography!  When purchasing items I generally avoid plastic products with the exception of plastic toy cameras.  A few years ago I thought it would be fun to shoot medium format film, so I looked for used medium format cameras only to find that they are uber-expensive---even old battered ones!  Somehow in my search I discovered the Diana and Holga cameras and learned that these cheap plastic cameras used medium format 120 film.  I ordered a Holga on ebay and watched a few youtube videos and right away learned how to modify the Holga.   I love clear, sharp focus, control, and playing with depth of field, but also I love how fun and amazing plastic film cameras are for creating the unexpected!

Here are a few pics of my Toy Camera Collection including the "modified Holga", the Diana, the Diana mini, the Fisheye 2, a "FUN" Reader's Digest gift camera, and a Crystar mini camera (given to me broken when I was little).

Monty the Superdog

Last week my friend asked if I could take pictures of her dog because she wanted to make an album for her husband's retirement called LIFES A BEACH!  So we went to the beach and she asked, "If I throw a ball can you take a picture of the dog running after it?"  Well here's the answer!

Monty the Superdog

The 27th Sooke Fine Arts will be from July 26 to August 5

I will be doing a demo-artist talk on Plastic Toy Camera photography on Friday, July 26 from 2-4.  Come by and check out my cool collection of toy cameras, see my images or just hello!  If you can't make it in person then check out my images in the biography from the show.

A little of this and little of that!

This is a place I would like to begin sharing a little bit of this and a little of that! Bits and pieces of photography, art, writing, and whimsy!

~Anne