I should also mention, since I asked a number of individuals to stay tuned to my blog for photography from my USA travels, that I’ll begin posting some of that in the next post. So maybe you will want to look at that.

That’s Frankie.

That’s Jenny.

That’s kind of esoteric.

At the Biltmore, waiting for the show.

That’s Bob Log the THIRD.

He’ll celebrate the end of every song with a fist raised.

Sometimes he wants to know how he did that.

Where was that scotch?

Already another scotch on offer.

His shit’s perfect.

Some days (especially when there’s a camera nearby) it’s a good idea to chase a dog in circles.

This story ends like that.

Backyard moments.

When you’re young, you’re not allowed to use the garden hose. But having been turned off recently there remained some lingering pressure to get excited about.

But it didn’t last long.

Time to fall down and feel depressed on the concrete.

Then again, there’s other things to get done.

Moody shots from upstairs inside the red barn.

It is necessary sometimes to employ a flash to capture the decisive moment.

One day we went to the Bloedel Conservatory. I wrote about that trip in a previous blog entry but I never developed this film until now.

Our Town. This little series reads like a dialog.

Yep.

Something about these tourists was not quite right.

Back for another visit.

The sun had just set. The Where’s Waldo of lovers in the landscape.

The desire to finish off that roll coincided with a nice afternoon view from my apartment.

This fella had a funky dance as he glued his posters up. I made this frame and then waited a long time for another, hoping he’d look my way but I left frustrated.

Dad’s giving my sister some make-up tips there.

My sister was enjoying a nice coffee.

Dom left.

Bye, Dom.

That’s Loscil performing at Red Cat Records.

I enjoyed that.

The Main for some brunch by the window.

She’s saying something.

Another day, and brunch at Habit.

You won’t hear it often, but that would be better in colour.

This is that photo that I wouldn’t normally make, but when you already have the camera at your face you sometimes decide ‘why not?’ and then it’s your favourite shot on the roll.

For anyone who doesn’t understand graduated licensing in BC, it’s required to display that L when one has a Learner’s Licence. I think this photo is special because it isn’t just a Porsche Cayenne, it isn’t even just a Porsche Cayenne S, or a Porsche Cayenne Turbo. It’s a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. It’s never a bad idea to learn to drive on a six figure 550 horsepower eurominivan, at least that’s what I’ve always said.

John didn’t have much to say about that.

But Randy was quite impressed.

Enjoying the rest of the evening sunlight.

And checking out what the neighbors are up to.

We were at the park another evening to throw a disc around.

I had lunch with Gil Grissom.

Just something that I saw.

Hmm, I wonder what’s next.

I just returned from a trip through DC and New York, a combination of work and vacation where I shot a lot of film. I’ve found a sizeable backlog of neglected photos to push while I scan and edit about 20 rolls.  But this is a photoblog and words are just more space to scroll past.

This was the result of faulty beer packaging. Quite disappointing. You can see Olympic hockey on the TV in the background that we are eager to get back to. But the situation was made right by a new case from the shop keeper.

Making sure the second one is not defective as well.

I went to Our Town with a nice lady, big surprise.

I’ve made this photo before, 4 years ago. It’s hopeless, I cannot find it.

This is a photo of Paul at the restaurant.

What’s that a photo of?

Canada won the gold in hockey that day.

With a 50mm it was difficult to capture the epic sprawl of coach buses lined up over the Cambie St bridge towards downtown. They were waiting for passengers who were at the closing ceremonies.

With our nations victory, spirits were high, so we ate some greasy cheeseburgers.

Those are chocolate chip cookies.

Winter light.

Coffee and reading.

Peaking out the window from the same seat.

This band is called The Lonely Forest. They were here to open for We Were Promised Jetpacks, a great band who came to town when it was March.

We Were Promised Jetpacks taking the stage.

I liked them so much, I bought a t-shirt.

A classic Vancouver view.

I think that is the washroom at Budgies Burritos?

I thought that sweater was impressive.

Some other time and place, awaiting the Hawkers Delight.

Outside my favourite book store in Vancouver. That day they had agreed to take on a truck load of used books. I wondered if there was much in there that was worth their time.

I was visiting this space over and over during those months. The site where my favourite breakfast spot, Slickity Jim’s, burned to the ground.

Transporting to happier times, a few of us took a trip to this parking lot. Stopping to get the head excavated.

Actually, we’d gone to the Aquarium.

Proving it with a fish.

And swaying little sand aliens, SO CUTE.

Pit stop for soft drinks and french fries.

Then we waited for dolphins to entertain us like the subservient slaves they are.

Wasn’t expecting to see chimps at the aquarium.

This guy was cool, but fast.

At the computer terminal, visitors could ask questions and also reply. I knew the answer to that question. Nice little frame to help date the film.

Blogging is hard work! As you can see there is still a ways to go before I get to July. But we’ll get through this together.

I guess every once in a while, some photography manages to speak for itself. Or, I manage to shut up.

Underneath a shopping mall in downtown Vancouver I was with Kevin.

Particle physics chatter from behind the coffee.

Pagans, pagans are awesome.

I think we all know what’s to become of this image.

Lou.

Zane is my favourite Our Town performer.

Tenant plays Pub 340.

With friends Cortez the Killer. Getting nice and drunk for this show which was a real treat.

Beard and I met up with JJ for some cheeseburgers.

While we waited for him to finish with the telephone there was an artistic flash of genius.

This portrait is in response to this campaign by Translink last year.

It was a high class dining experience.

Another evening at the Reef, a great Caribbean restaurant around the corner from my place.

He said he didn’t have time to pack a decent lunch that day. We didn’t let him get away with that without a photograph each.

My friends Sarah and Norm collected a group to celebrate and send them off to South East Asia for 2 months.

Technical note: this entry is entirely Arista Premium 400 +1 (@800).

One evening, some eating happened. Maybe too much in too short a time.

Wait for it…

Yep, too much.

To prevent death, you should go get a coffee after over eating. We went to the coffee shop and found a case of Granville Island Winter Ale under the chess board. For 10 minutes we debated taking it, but in the end we gave it to the staff.

Hey! Tractor!

Driving tractors is fun business.

But every tractor ride has it’s end.

I saw Mew play some rock n’ dream-prog-pop.

I was fortunate to capture a variety of angles on film.

We rode the train home.

And I took advantage of the opportunity to make sure my winder still works…

Test successful.

Elves drunk on motor oil?

When you meet someone new it is always important to get the awkward portraits out of the way so you can get something real.

Let’s go.

Realized I needed a shot of the mirror in Our Town. That does not mean you have permission to burn down.

It was my first Bo Kong experience.

Deserving a panorama.

The Bo Kong mirror earned her portrait too.

Slickity Jim’s used to be there. I remember sitting on the bench at the bar drinking coffee and staring back through the kitchen, down the hallway past the fridge, past the washroom and out the back door, seeing the sun glisten off those steps.

The day is December 25, 2009 and that’s my ride arriving at the train station.

Jingle Bells.

The day is December 26, 2009. I observed the creation of art.

I observed the consumption of art; the Wendy’s Baconator.

I am very confident in my winder, thank you for asking.

The day is December 27th, 2009. For some reason we still can’t pry ourselves from the malls.

Gosh, this swells and aches my heart.

In a pretty good way.

This is one roll of Kodak Tri-X, +1.

This is my first time blogging with a pro gamer mouse. Seems pretty much the same, really.

I was impressed by these mods. Maybe the auto experts can chime in, but I’d say that is good for 7 horsepower.

Randy returns to form.

Fair enough.

Birthday party, chocolate cake and beer.

It wasn’t that dark actually, the light was incredibly bright but I didn’t have time to adjust the exposure so I got it a few stops under. On the ground between us is one of those search lights aimed to the sky and rotating.

Hmm, how many interesting things are happening here?

You may have heard that the Bloedel Conservatory will close this year. Although this seems sad, because it is a beautiful place to visit, I do wonder if that place is really a good way to allocate resources. Maybe we could focus more on preserving existing natural environments than ruining them to create artificial environments?

If you’re a fan of Battlestar Galactica you might find that place somewhat familiar.

BLOG’D.

There is a film named Kodak HD 400. I shot a roll of it in my Nickelodeon Photoblaster.

Interestingly enough, the results from this expired roll that has been in my fridge (a number of fridges, really) for years are rather delicious.

Brother Entropy surprised us all in Vancouver with the weather throughout September but in October it began to rain at last. Quite convincingly I might add.

This cat convinced a number of individuals that being in a salad bowl on the floor really is not so bad.

Limits tested, but not met.

Quite content to be back on the floor again. I guess it is really nice to have a camera around for these situations.

Add another point in my decisive moment column.

I love that the film recorded the nature of the sky to some degree, polluted by the light of the city landscape.

I missed several cute/intimate moments between these two but I still wanted them anyway so I had to take them.

We were all in attendance to see a guy in a place.

Pretty sure that was 1/2.

Apparently that is what I looked like, proudly demonstrating my Nickelodeon Photoblaster back from the shop in tip-top shape.

Discovering mirrors is a bit of a strength, I would say.

Guy outside of a place.

Hm, and snapping to finish the roll off the next day. That place burned down on November 12th. That place where I spent so many days, taking oh, okay, maybe one more cup of coffee. Where the food always hit the spot. Where I truly loved the staff. Where.. I don’t know where to go any more.

Good thing, then, that we went inside that day. I guess this was the second to last time I was there. Kodak Tri-X.

I am going to weave in a roll of NPZ here and there and intend that I am slotting it in pseudo-chronologically. Again, different cameras and simultaneous rolls, so who really knows.

Kidnap Kids at Goonies.

Nadja at the Rickshaw.

They were great.

lol

I failed exposing that one, oops, was in a hurried commute. It is almost what I was going for though, to be fair.

That was Mono at the Biltmore, October 6. I only made that one shot on film. Actually, maybe I should include a few of the digital frames I made there…

Here’s Beard wondering if he’ll regret that face. Though he was happy to send me off with the 5d.

So Randy and I hopped in a cab.

The stage was set when we arrived.

The show was sensational, profoundly sensational.

To celebrate we visited 7-11.

On October 9th, 2009 the Centaur upper stage of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite impacted the crater Cabeus near the south pole of the Moon at a velocity of 10,000 km/h. I made a photograph for posterity.

We talked about something cool. Can’t remember what it was. Good story, right?

Waiting to get somewhere.

Quaint. It is always good to get involved with the community in pro-active ways.

Or to just sit and study.

Or sit and sip, discuss.

I am a little rusty.

So, something else that happened in October was my 10 year high school reunion, yep.

Eventually the photographers of the class converged a bit. Everybody loves to handle the Nickelodeon Photoblaster.

It was a weird event. Oh, no, not the reunion. Just the fact that someone almost managed to pull focus here.

That hat fell from the balcony above where a wedding reception was taking place. The hat was being used as a prop for photographs, unfortunately I ended up wearing it for a while before realizing what it looked like on me. Fortunately, it was legal for us all to drink this time we got together, and drinking definitely did occur.

I played with the photographer above who had by that time realized I was in possession of her hat. I was working my way up the stairs to deliver it back to her when I was intercepted by a friendly dude, the brother of the groom perhaps, who had come to retrieve the hat. I didn’t get any farther than that, which I regretted. I wanted to say thanks for playing with me.

Then it was time to celebrate a birthday.

And have a bit of a jam. I think Weston is going to be the family drummer.

That composition grows on me every time, more than last time. ;]

We drove to the supermarket. Careful not to get a parking ticket.

A portrait of a person; a portrait of quality time.

Completing the circle of life, queuing to pay. On the internet, at the cashier, on the internet.

Hallowe’en was approaching, and the last day at my old apartment. Still I had not found a new place to live.

Our Town had become a fairly regular spot to regroup.

And the packing was underway. I was fortunate to have amazing help from amazing friends. And a place to live was found.

As my apartment emptied I paused to make one last image in that place.

I moved on October 31st. The weather was incredible, as was the help I received. Hi, mom.

Later we returned to Command HQ and launched Operation: Destroy Brain Cells.

Other things also happened that night, as they usually do.

Although I dawned the horse to this party, the hot dog guy found an appreciation for my style. We traded hats and I wore his zombie Barack Obama mask which worked out nicely because I was dressed formally and it was possible to shoot through the eye holes in the Obama mask, unlike through the horses mouth.

Salacious!

November 1st deserved going out for breakfast.

R.I.P. Idle Thumbs <3 (that was being out for breakfast another day in fact). I was boycotting the price of razors for a bit. :/

We are at the Elbow Room.

The painting walls occurred. The consumption of Stiegl occured, occurs yet.

Leica eyes. You know’em or you don’t.

You’d think I might be near Our Town again.

Might be right…

It is happening on all sides of me.

Oh, this is unique. I brought to a show a flash device for my camera, then I used it.

I am impressed you’ve got this far, honestly.

But do not worry, we are almost there.

OK.

I think we’re good.

You know what, Internet? You’ve never looked at your watch, or crumpled your forehead, or quoted me the time, or inquired ‘Morning… ?’ and I love you for that. Your reward is this blog. We commit your mortal remains to the bosom of the MAE-West. That was a really funny joke I just made, it’s just unfortunate that you don’t get it.

I preferred this lot vacant but it is full of used cars again today. This first roll of b&w was shot during August through October in one of my infrequently used SLRs, the trusty Nikon FG.

Things happening on street corners.

This might be the masterpiece of the entry. I know I am getting started a little slow. We’ll see where this goes.

A subtle PBR cache.

This is a government of Canada building. Somehow in this country you don’t get guns pointed at you by private security contractors when you point a camera towards architecture.

Seeing a lot of these lately now that the new subway emerges right down the block from the office.

I was on a trip to buy some film that day. It was when I realized that the price of Tri-X has risen dramatically in the last few years. It was quite a while since I’ve bought any since I had a modest stash.

As an experiment I recently picked up some Arista Premium from Freestyle photo (google will tell you that many people consider this repackaged Tri-X or at least almost identical to Tri-X). I will talk about it in a future update when I get around to shooting some since some of the photographers reading might be interested (it is priced almost 1/3 the cost compared to a roll of Tri-X).

Since I’m down the path of wankery already, here is the Zeiss ZF 50/1.4 at 1.4 on Kodak TMAX 100 (the old version). This is the flower garden outside my old apartment on 14th. I often read when commuting and so when arriving at home I’d like to sit there for a while and finish off the current chapter. I guess that POV is a nice memory now.

Same thing, 1.4.

And finally, 2.8, probably my favourite aperture on that lens.

Seems this guy was wearing a hat.

I’m not quite sure why I did that. It was one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe I thought 1/4th made me a videographer too.

I was talking about how much character the shutter on the Nikon FG has. Naturally I had to demonstrate.

There was a rainbow. I promise.

In October I got my Leica back from service and put some trix in there. I guess I did not write about it here but in the summer my Summicron fell apart. Not many people know this, but on the third day, God’s Summicron fell apart also, and from his tears the oceans of the Earth were formed.

I said stand still I need to test the focus. I don’t know what’s more amazing, that my collimation is now corrected or that he didn’t make a face.

Let’s not.

His name is Rich Hope and he’s gonna whip it on ya.

But really I was there to see Grady.

And I had the pleasure of proximity permitting me to photograph the Gordie Johnson signature truss rod cover. It’s nice to look for the details like this when shooting live music. The stuff the other photographers will never get.

Then again it also helps being close enough to get knocked out by the headstock.

Rocking the epic double-neck.

And the Explorer, no less.

So that was the first roll through the reborn M6. This has been an intermediary update. More soon, kiddies.

But for now, more fancy colours.

I found this roll from 2007 somewhere inside a tube. It had never been cut. So I’m rewinding a bit to once again revisit moments that occurred when I first moved to Main street a couple days before I move again.

This circumstance will be familiar to some.

My buddy Maarten was in town to work with us for the summer. I was happy to see him again and still wish I made more time to spend together.

This is a series of JJ attempting to play Forza Motorsports.

He’s not getting much positive encouragement though.

Because somebody wants some candy, and somebody wants it really bad.

Desperate times…

Sometimes there’s nothing left to do but to move in for the kiss.

I got a kiss that night too but I did make $5 for it.

These things happen on the bus late at night.

Never met them before or again.

We’re waiting for the b-line.

That dinner felt like a parody.

All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again.

We’re getting some air outside. It is the second last Fake Jazz Wednesday at the Cobalt.

This week and the next, people were taking tiles or any piece that would remove as souvenirs before the end of The Cobalt. I just took some photographs.

In the ladies room the art was more ambitious.

Hello.

That was a random angry human yelling at me like many others have done. Their finger is sore and yes that’s a cigarette.

Hello.

Hello.

Man, I really wanted that shirt. I had trouble taking no for an answer. I’m sorry I was so persistent.

I really don’t remember much of that night but I did leave my phone on a bench near where we’re standing right there. There was a nice guy delivering papers early in the morning who found it and when I realized I’d lost it I got in contact with him and he drove up to me at the 7-11 payphone within 2 minutes. He leaned across and handed me my phone through the passenger window of his Honda Civic. His car smelled like a cigar and he had a nice moustache. He told me his karma must be doing good this week because he just found a wallet full of money the day before that he was able to return. I told him I didn’t know how to thank him but I gave him $20 which was all I had on me. He smiled and decided he’d take his wife out for breakfast. That would make me very happy I said. Later when I was looking at my call history I noticed he tried to call ‘Mom’ at 6am thinking that was a good person for him to call! Sorry, Mom! Haha.

Our Town = Our town.

Sitting by the window with coffee and a book.

So for Craig’s surprise birthday party the theme was being old. Everyone dressed up like we were triple our age. Well most of us did.

Naturally I brought the horse for some reason.

I wanted a photograph of her for years before this moment arrived.

Newlyweds Jon and Randie gave me a couch to sleep on that night after I had trouble getting home. In the morning Jon made me coffee and toast and we played video games. All the good ones are taken!!!!!

Fraction of a second too late.

Maybe that’s what the end of times will look like.

And then I discovered the Vancouver Ukelele Circle which gathers every month at Our Town Cafe.

They are led by this man.

He seems to take his role very seriously.

That night there happened to be a film crew from Japan visiting.

He’s no relation to the crew but seemed very interested to tag along either way. Just like me.

I thought their camera guy ruled actually.

A week later I was at the Cobalt again for the final Fake Jazz Wednesday and the final show ever at the Cobalt. Yeah that’s a paint brush.

I actually loved their set but didn’t learn their name.

Next was Anha.

Goodbye Cobalt. I hardly knew you.

This entry really was about the end of things and the passing of time. Good bye East 14th Avenue. I already know that it will be difficult to remember you fondly and that’s an injustice because you were the best place I’ve ever lived.