#RTMF2014

Chelsea

Boreal

Jill

Andy

Chloe, Ben, Andrew

George

Reesa. This series was shot in the bush along the Roseau River near the town of St. Malo, MB. August 2014.

This past weekend spent at the Rainbow Trout Music Festival was a damn good treat for the soul.

The river, the river, the river.
The people, the people, the people.
The music, the music, the music.
The babies, the babies, the babies.
The food, the food, the food.

It was all good. Happy people all around. There were portraits to be found at every turn. Here are some portraits I asked for and some I didn't. This is what they gave.

Kiev 60 // Ektar 100

Grandpa

A moment between two strangers on a jobsite outside of Rosenort, MB.

Seeing as The Judd's song 'Grandpa' has been on loop in my head this week, I smiled long and hard when this photograph--shot two weeks ago on my dad's current jobsite--came back from the lab. Grandpa. I see my Grandpa Frank in my dad's hands. The hammer and pencil at ease in between thick fingers. Black nail of the builder. Co-op cap ringed with sweat. White T-shirt. Classic Cal.

Frank would never have been so liberal with his funny faces for the sake of a smile, but I see him in his son pictured here nonetheless. Frank's son, my dad. JJ looks concerned, determined and disgruntled by the hammer looking him in the eye. Typical look on that child. But little does he know how much love there is to had if only he got to know my dear ol' dad a little more.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words. This one speaks right to me. I love you dad. Can't wait to meet the Grandpa in you (no I am not pregnant). xo

* Olympus 35-SP // Kodak 400 vanilla

This Many

Meet Lissa. I asked for her portrait and this is what she gave. True self? Methinks so.

Re do. Her sister later corrected Lissa and kindly reminded her she is not three, but 4!

I love this little gremlin. Lissa is my neighbor to the north. I always ask before I capture any child's portrait (with parental consent when possible). I remember having my portrait taken as a little girl and feeling empowered when faced with the decision: Yes or No. Lissa said yes and gave her face wide open. She likes to come hang out in my porch while I carve away at the latest Arbus-inspired stencil crawling it's merry way across my glass topped table. She likes to water color paint or flip through the Maira Kalman art books I bring down for her. The other evening I introduced Lissa to the photography of Vivian Maier and she could barely wrap her brain around it. Too soon for street photography books? Her sister Tia (who is eleven) on the other hand, ate up the contrast images hungrily.

I can't wait to teach.

Kiev 60 // Portra 400 processed by Lab Works, scanned at Photo Central in Winnipeg. Support local.

Observation deck

I asked and this is what he gave. Forget his name now; should have written it in chalk on the board. What an amazing face of his. Young beauty.

Lo in the flesh in my porch. Can it be? It must be. 

My stars I love this creature. There she is, soft beauty.

Typical look of Lo making a weighty point, no less.

Bobbin' beside my flowers. Photo of me by Lo.

Riley with my witches broom and brew, off to paint new art over the old on the back shop. Summer tradition.

 * Kiev 60 // Delta 400 pro --- July 2014

Looking Glass

From time to time, I need to cry alongside the river. That old brown Red River is mighty swollen these high days of summer and last night it felt good to just let my woes go with the flow. No mask whatsoever. My oldest (not to be mistaken with eldest) friend in the book smoked a real skinny cigarette on a long log and nodded with those long black lashes leading the way wisely, while I just let 'er buck; heaving sorrow into that gurgling abyss as the sun set at our backs. Cheap whiskey out of a three day old Little Sister coffee cup, yup. Out of me, into the swollen river it went. Hi ho.

Below lies a very dear photo of my great grandfather. This is the man who taught me to wear hats. We have never met in physical form to my knowledge. He was long gone before my time. Though I have been getting to know him quite well through the lupe, diving deep into the grain of his negatives and seeing his world crack open in the dark of my basement. Family form / stepping back in time on a solo journey; this is how I like to party. Good eye Peter, good eye. And goddamn, what a hat!

PJB stands tall. Photographer unknown. Handprinted in my darkroom // 2013

The Iceman Cometh

This is Gaspar, Iceman of the Winnipeg Folk Fest. He asked me to title this photo "The Iceman Cometh".

Sun-filled sun porch.

Young Blue Eyes Serduletz looking sharp in a large hat.

Theodore and David ready for their portrait. I shot this from the open air kitchen I was working in.

A true blue Shit Eating smirk. 

Meet Timdian, my line cooking mentor. Order Here; we are team Diversity Foods.

JJ and myself. Photo by five year old Sloane.

Ladykilling grin.

Felix feeds.

Theodore and David, ready at last. 

Colorful fruit of July. The high arc of summer lends itself beautifully to color photography and I try not to take the easiness of the season for granted. I shot this aray colorful characters in and around July, weaving in and out of neighborhoods, on Victor observing scenes of home in different lights of day, whilst at work as a line cook in a hot and windy kitchen at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, in Charleswood working with my petit coucou JJ and entertaining his little family members from afar. July was bright and good. Thank you Ian of Shoppers Drugmart for doing such a bang up job my color film development. My bank account thanks you. 

As mentioned in the comment banter below with an old mentor (yes, you heard me Jer), while I appreciate the sure-shot qualities of the Canon EOS 3, it is TOO easy to use in actuality. Manual cameras are better for my brain, eye, heart. I prefer handling my heavy, mechanical, clunk-clacking Russian camera because it lends me a photo experience that that Canon cannot. As mentioned below, yesterday I shot a family series of some real damn fine dear ones in my life. I realized while walking around with my Kiev in the crook of my arm, rolls rolling in my pocket that I know that camera inside and out and was finally free of my handheld meter. I get it now, exposure. F'n A. Photo Professor Chih-Chen Wang of Concordia would nod in approval methinks. 

I need to go into the deep. What that means, I have yet to find out. 

Dear Universe, I am ready for the field camera when you are. The winds of change are howling. 

*Canon EOS 3 // Kodak 400 vanilla