All Ablaze

Keep tha fire burnin'. Shot during a mid January trip to the Sugar Shack, 2014. 

Good riddance F E B R U A R Y.
March never fails to inspire.

*Kiev 60/ Fujichrome 400

Beth & Tim

The beautiful couple, Beth and Tim. Just Married! Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/ Feb. 15, 2014

Within an Anglican church boasting striking bone structure akin to their own, this beautiful woman married this handsome man on a crisp Saturday in mid February. Stunning midday Saskatoon light poured in through high windows like buckets of magic paint. Though I missed my connection and was late arriving to their ceremony, the timing felt rather comedic as I blasted through a side door in simple street clothes just as Tim and Beth were pronounced husband and wife! As they made their way down the aisle for the first time as a married couple, I whipped out my Kiev and began shooting like a crazed woman. It was terribly exciting to witness. My heart was whirring, my eyes filled with tears and my hands shook uncontrollably. I have never felt so overcome by relief to behold a wedding! My dear friend Liza is married. Due to an internal frenzy, majority of my shots from their wedding day err on the blurry side but I have come to embrace these very vibrations as sure sign of pride, friendship and deep love for two people who found their match in the other. The couple hired ridiculously talented photographer James Moes to capture their day (be sure to peruse his portfolio; the quality and context of his work inspires the budding wedding photographer in me), but these are the photos I felt free to capture as a guest at their beautiful, beautiful wedding. 

I hope you can feel the love, there was plenty to go around. 

Congratulations dear ones. 

* Kiev 60/ Tmax 400

First shot was a blur. Gorgeous people!

I think this was the moment Liza realized I was in attendance! I love those mouths.

Kids on the run after a job well done. Little hands rejoice.

Happy parents.

Mrs Roth officially takes a load off.

The bride's stunning flowers were put together by her and a crew of her best women the night before the wedding. 

Highly radiant sister of the groom. 

A most gorgeous cake.

Liza's MOH hand painted these unreal table markers: creatives for the bride and athletics for the groom. Ondaatje for me!

Olivia and Beth's dad Rick working hard to set the mood of the loft space where the reception was held.

My friend the bride, Elizabeth Ashton Roth :)

Liza shot this of me. I desperately wanted to hold her bouquet. She kindly obliged.

Sharalee and Beth (MOH) talk shop.

Buncha' beauties shared my table.

Beth's ma and pa share some words. Cheryl's speech made me weep. 

Beth, the Maiden of Honor takes her turn at the podium. She made me howl!

All of these lovely folks were so warm to meet. Mr. Mustache was giving it away for free!

May young love live long and continue to grow like trees.

Long cool woman

A handsome Greek man enduring February in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I asked and this is what he gave. I noticed him because his stocky stature and slick combed 'do reminded me beautifully of my dad's pops, Frank KK. Rest you. 

This sums up the winter well. 

Bitter winter winds were carving lines in faces all around today. Sharp winds, long shadows. I do believe I age more rapidly in winter. Life is quite grand around these parts. I have been fighting off that sinking feeling of everlasting winter blues tooth and nail this week. In my last yoga class, the teacher guided us through a few different poses leading into a lengthy shoulder stand. As we steadied legs in midair and supported the smalls of backs with hands, she encouraged the class to remember our shoulders in the coming weeks. Square off, don't let 'em tuck up! That small lick of spring Winnipeg experienced earlier this week was delicious and lightening quick! All it took was one glorious day of sunshine to re-instill good old fashioned HOPE in the coming season. On that warm day I plunked the baby in a snowdrift and we each soaked up the sun at our own pace without any exchange of sound for a good amount of time. He was shocked at first, his usual grumpy and disgruntled face bare of bundles didn't know what to make of all that warmth. When he warmed up to it, JJ crawled happily on little mittened hands in the valley between two sheer cliffs of snow towering over the front walk. I sunned myself like a soggy mermaid, unmoving and totally content. Icicles melted on our heads and this made him laugh to no end. We walked together (the Jackal can now walk with two helping hands at 10 months!) the short distance to the park and he laughed in the swings. Baby laughter; soul food. Upon our return home, he slept like the dead. It did grow cold again but I say not for long! Spring is near. Now when I walk the familiar path from JJ's house to the bus stop I can easily imagine tearing around those same corners on my moped or cycling breezily through the park, laughing at the cold days bygone. For now the snow and cold lends itself well to contrast film. Blacks look blacker, whites whiter. Long cool shadows for a long cool woman in a black coat.

* Kiev 60/ Tmax 400

Dear Universe

And what a successful Saturday morning it has been! Craig and I left behind a clean house for the open road ahead and clear blue Manitoba sky above. One Kijiji mission completed, I decided to call upon the mysterious contact given to me after a simple request made at the local camera shop resulted in a phone number in my pocket. Ain't nothing to it but to DO IT. I called up Ron and we paid him a visit at Tech Voc. He gave us a hearty tour of the impressive and chaotic innards of his photo department and then led us back to the place where we came to call. There stood the biggest enlarger I have ever seen in my young years. From the floor it measures a mean four and a half feet tall! I will have to enlist my lover to build a low throne for this beast to roost upon. After we figure out how to assemble and manipulate it that is. This thing has a computerized color head. Say what??

Ron invited us to dig through many a box to fill the missing pieces and weak links of our own darkroom. We pocketed new to us grain finders from Japan, a working order contact sheet easel, two other nice easels for printing and so many lenses and boards to choose from I nearly peed my pants. Driving away with that truckload felt like highway robbery. I think he was just happy to see that sitting duck go to a good home. Coupla' kids we are. And just like that, my world cracked open! Endless possibilities.

One of my goals for 2014 is to print a collection of photographs from the fat stack of 100 year old large format negatives given to me by my grandpa Syd. Ode to Peter Jet Boots, here I come. With this new enlarger, that faraway dream exhibition is now a tangible possibility! Oh Universe, you're good.

Here are a few recent trippy double exposures off a single roll of expired Fujicolor 400. What a surprise this roll was to receive back. It was sitting in my Nikon F3 for so many moons that I forgot I had filled it up once already back in October on my little Olympus rangefinder. Initial layer: driving around in the old 'Yota, Thanksgiving with my mom's family, gentle Uncle Jim and his most recent grandbabe Ben, a quick end of Autumn trip to the Sugar Shack and a final photographic walk-about in Point Douglas etc. Top layer: Many, many photos of the Jackal in my arms, as well as in the sink where he likes to bathe on a daily basis while still small enough to fit and a few shots of the antique photo album compiled for Terry & Myrna. I spy an embossed horse. Enjoy!

Snail's pace

I asked and this is what she gave. Mismatched gloves and a face wide open.

I asked and this is what he gave. Baby Crosby giving it away for free.

I asked and this is what he gave. Warm cookies straight from the oven and a most regal face.

This girl was very excited to show program director Josh her finished quinzee masterpiece.

I think this is a good representation of what Josh is all about.

Quinzee talk.

Mouthful of teeth, that I like.

Josh and Toby, doing their thang.

Snoball shinny and a multi-armed creature.

The ever chic Chrystal and co.

Duncan oversees the sled washer at the foot of the Snoball obstacle course.

Duncan carves a gargoyle. 

Observing the luge run from afar.

I asked and this is what she gave. Snow cone beauty.

I went out walking last Saturday afternoon. Just myself and the Kiev. I shot around the West End under beautiful high sun filling up an oldie goldie roll of slide film and then working through a roll of contrast. My gut told me to head southeast and load my camera with color while I was at it, so I did. Ended up at Art City's annual West Broadway winter Snoball! Great fun was had. Great chili was eaten. Great faces aplenty were captured. I love being an observer at creative events of these sort. Happenstance! I love winter. It feels incredibly long-winded at times, but it has it's perks. This happy-go-lucky roll reminded me of all the magic to be found during the long season.

*This series was shot on a single roll of expired 220 Fujicolor NPC 160 (that I picked up for a dollar!) with the ever trusty Kiev 60-TTL/ 80mm. This was my first go at shooting 220 film. Medium format, same as 120 but double the film length! 24 exposures?!!? That is a hell of a length to expose when one is accustomed to only 14 exposures MAX. Despite the fact that I forgot to count exposures after the Kiev's counter hit 12, I was very pleased with the outcome. Next time I will be sure to count out 25 exposures to eliminate waste. It is obvious by the overlap on many of the shots that I was blasting. Rushing rarely pays off. Another lesson on slowing down the process and doing it right the first time! While the roll may have been a steal, the processing cost a small fortune! Enjoy.

Year of the Wooden Horse

Happy Chinese New Year! Handsome Grandpa Syd astride. Photo. Great Grandpa Reimer