Reflections, Who? Friends!

Every person has a unique character that differs from everyone else. Yet we're all influenced by the people around us. Think of your best friends at this point in time. Are there certain tendencies or traits that the two of you share?
The People around us influence our character more than we know. For me it all started back in my childhood.

I'm on the far left, Wendy is just to my right. Her sister Kim, My sister Daylinn
and my brother Collin (I think) complete the picture

My first best friend was a girl named Wendy Doesburg. She was a part of the church I belonged to at the time and from what I can remember, we were inseparable. When I watch old family videos we were always seen together. I remember one time we even had a fake wedding, and eventually she became my first kiss. You know, that first kiss when you were something like four years old that you did because you seen older people doing it which meant that it's okay even though you get cooties.
Anyways, the two of us had the makings for that cliche Hollywood love story where the couple grows up together since birth and eventually that cute fake wedding turns into a real one quite a bit later in life. But no, that wasn't our fate. I think I was about nine when her family moved away, I was devastated, I'd lost my best friend during the pre-facebook era. Suffice to say, it wasn't until facebook came out that we were able to get in touch again.
I don't remember exactly how it was because it was a long time ago and I was young. From what I gather via family videos, photos and the memories that I do have, Wendy and I were two pees in a pod. It's kind of hard not to be influence by someone when you spend so much time together.

(from left to right) Andre Lodder, Ravi Kler, Kris Korol, Noah Koens,
Erik Christenson, Shawn Wagantall, Shawn Simpson and Parm Atwall.
Some of my greatest friends from highschool.

Things moved along in my life. Friends came, went and stayed. It wasn't until high school that I once again was blessed with a really good group of friends. Of course, this was when things changed drastically in my life. It was understandable though, coming from a small private school of 28 kids total and being home schooled for grade seven. It was overwhelming going to a public high school and things were bound to change.
That's when I was accepted into group of friends that I kept for most of my highschool years. Who have shaped the better part of my teen life. Meanwhile, I also had friends from the church, it was almost as if I was living a double life via my friends. (of course it's not as extreme as the whole church friends vs public school friends/Church vs devil)

Shawn Hoskins and myself posing seriously for fun.

Then grade ten hit, it was a sleepy french class and the new guy Shawn Hoskins was sitting in front of me. I don't entirely remember what it was, but I think Shawn was picking on me and my large nose. kind of a weird way to start a friendship but it developed and once again I had a best friend.
Though admittedly we were pretty immature, I developed a lot of tendencies and a lot of character from Shawn. He actually taught me the beginnings of a lot of the social skills I have today. We skipped class together, we did homework together (so it would take half the time). He helped me start to get in touch with my creative side (working on school projects) and my active side (playing ultimate, and rugby if only for one year).

After high school we even moved in together along with another good friend in Elias. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. Our interests started to differentiate, and with that came a move. That's when the time came to move out. Are friendship was all but over. We started to distance ourselves over the years, hanging out less and less.
Meanwhile I started hanging out with a few other friends that I only knew a little of from highschool but have become some of the biggest influencee in my life to date.

After moving out of the old house, I moved in with Drew Nylen and Ryan Haak two of the friends from this new group of friends. The contrast between houses was substantial, I knew this was a good thing. I remained in contact with Shawn but our friendship slowly deteriated although its still great to see him whenever I'm back in Vernon.

My new found group of friends were exactly what I needed. They played sports, read books, and were absolutely hilarious to hang out with. The only T.V. in the house was in Ry's room and we never really used it. Quite a comparison to the house with Shawn and Elias where videogames and movies were a major part of our lives.

Drew Nylen and myself laughing at the beach, one of the frequently
visited locations when we lived together.

When I lived with Drew and Ry, I was in what was quite possibly the best shape of my life, I was more active then I had ever been and I had been introduced to rock climbing, one of my growing passions.

Eventually I again moved out, I went to Hawaii for a month and half and couldn't afford the cost of rent on top of living in Hawaii.
Drew and I still kept in touch as both of us were going through similar trauma (though admittedly his was far greater than mine). When I got back to Canada, Drew and I were already in the midst of planning a larger trip for January and we bonded more than I think I have with anyone else in my life. Drew not only became a big part of my life, he became an inspiration and still remains one.

I've named a number of people who might have had the most influences on me at certain times, but of course I can't forget the people who have been there consistently. Such as my good friend Kris, who along with Drew are probably two of the more important people in my life.

Though there are hundreds of people who come into our lives and may have some influence, the ones we admire the most and usually the ones who influence us the most are the ones we can call our greatest friends. It's with our best friends in life that we decide on who we are. We share experiences with them, we share memories, all of which help shape us into who we are as a person.

Though I may have gained some friends, I have most certainly lost some. Its unfortunate that it happens. To all my fallen friends and also the ones not mentioned here, I hope you know that you've helped shape who I am today, if I'm ever in the area, maybe a coffee or a beer is in order.

Thanks,
Andre

Reflections, 5 W's, an H, and an A.N.D.R.E

What makes us who we are?
There are a number of answers to that question. I think we are who we are because of the experiences of our past.
All of these experiences can likely be summed up in the six most popular questions out there.
Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

How?
 

Photos are important. If it wasn't for photos,
I wouldn't have been able to show you this one.

Look at that cute lil' guy... (It's me)
For those of you who may not know the person behind this blog, my name is Andre Lodder.
There are so many different things that have made me the way I am, which is why I've chosen to do this in multiple posts on my blog. I'm continuing the title "Reflections" from my last post because it sums up best what I'm doing. For most, these few posts will sort of be my introduction, but for me, it will be a reflection. A reflection of who I am and how I got to where I am today.
At some point in the next few blog posts I hope to reflect on each of the six questions, Who, What, When, Where, Why and How in no particular order. I'm choosing 'How' for my first post because it'll really just be a summary of what you can hope to see in these posts.All of the five W's are important, but in answering 'how' you are getting the gist of all the other questions. After all, these posts will be  explanations of how I got to where I am today.

As you can see this photo may be few years old, and though a few things have changed since then (such as my preferred brand of beer) there's a lot that has remained the same. For instance, I still prefer eating with my hands. Up until just a few days ago I had a very similar hair cut. I'm still just as cute (if not cuter?) and yes, I probably should still be wearing a bib while I eat. Throw some peanut butter and jam on that sandwich and throw me in a Van and you'd think the picture was taken yesterday.
However, this photo alone doesn't do justice for who I am or how I got here.
There are so many different things that have gotten me to this point. I have my family and my friends; they are the 'who'.
The things I have come to learn which have grown into hobbies or activities and become as much a part of me as the hair on my head; they are the 'what'.
I've lived on this earth for nearly 23 years, in that time I have learnt so much.  In the future, I hope to keep learning about others and more importantly about myself; this is the 'when'.
Home, is where you make it, whether it be in Vernon, Squamish, Belleville, Canada, or the moon. That is the 'where'.
'Why'? Well that's how life goes.

My story isn't about how I was destined to be a photographer or a journalist ever since I was a kid.
You know when you were younger, and you were asked that cliche question, "what do you want to be when you grow up? "Pretty sure I've never said I wanted to be a photojournalist. In fact I didn't even know there was such thing until six months before I entered the program.
I came to the school without an ounce of knowledge on photojournalism. Well... I guess that isn't entirely true, I knew how to turn the dial to the green square (auto setting) and press the shutter. I also knew how to form words with a pen, yet I was never much of a story teller. So how did I end up here?
I didn't know any photographers by name until I came to this program, so I don't know who could have inspired me to come. I don't think I've done any activities in particular that would have helped me to know what I'm doing here. I bought my first camera only a few years ago but I still didn't use it much. So I don't even know when it first interested me. I didn't know where to start, or why I even wanted to in the first place...

Yet I'm still here. If you put the question 'How?' into a multiple choice answer, with the choices Who, What, When, Where, and Why. I'd have to answer both None of the above, but at the same time All of the above. There isn't one single event from my past that has led me to want to be here, yet absolutely every experience has molded me into the person I am. Since I'm here, and this is something I'm interested in, that means every one of my experiences has led to photojournalism.

How I got here, is the reason I'm here.


-Andre

Reflections - Stanley Cup Finals 2011

It's October, and you know what that means?

If you guess the summers over and fall is in full swing... well you'd be right but with that comes hockey season.



In wake of the Canucks season opener it's time to release my second edit and to reflect on the Vancouver riots which occurred only a few months ago. (unfortunately I'm having issues uploading the video but I Promise it is coming soon)

The city was disgusted with what happened that night and it was certainly felt soon after that night. It was only the morning after all the hooligans from the night before had left, only remorse remained. People could be seen cleaning up the final remains from a forgettable night while congratulating the occasional Bruins fan that still braved the streets of Vancouver. The only evidence of the riots the night before were the boarded up windows of which  some contained writing praising the work those who cleaned up the city, the police, and others who tried to stop it from happening in the first place.

I'm back in Ontario for school, I still get bugged about being from B.C. and people questioning the actions that occurred that night. It's pretty amazing some of the things people say, especially considering they weren't actually present.
I spent the summer in Squamish B.C. a mere 40 minutes north of Vancouver. It wasn't to difficult to keep track of what was going on. The disgust remained for weeks, if not months following that night. People started playing the blame game. Truth is, we're all guilty. If you blamed the politics that planned the screenings downtown, the police, the true Canucks fans, the media, or even the city in general, you are correct.

To the powers that put the screenings on in the first place. Shame on you for let the whole city come to show their pride and appreciation for this team. A fan base that has waited fourty years for this to happen. What were you thinking letting all those people who can't afford 2,000 dollar tickets, enjoy the atmosphere of being with fans with a similar appreciation for the Canucks.

The Police. Shame on you for taking your time to do things right, and making sure those who were'nt part of the riots could get out safe, but its okay, we all make mistakes.

Canucks fans. Shame on you for loving your team, shame on you for cheering when the bruins hosted the cup in rogers arena, shame on you for wearing your Canucks jerseys or shirts, making yourself blend in with those hooligans who started the riots. C'mon you know you shouldn't show your pride when its game 7!

Okay Media (including myself) we may have gotten a little out of hand putting ourselves in danger recording exactly what was happening, next time we should lay back and record it from the outskirts, that way no one is identifiable and no one knows exactly whats going on. Makes sense.


And Vancouver... You have got to be the worst city in the world to let something like this happen! There's no way other Canadian cities like Montreal or Toronto would ever riot for anything. Whats that? G20? No that doesn't count, it's not hockey. Sorry? Montreal 2 years ago? No that neither, it wasn't as bad, they only had a few places broken into and robbed, besides they didn't even make it to the finals, doesn't count.

But most off all the Vancouver Canucks, what were you guys thinking? Being so damn succesfull, coming so close and giving a city the hopes for a Stanley Cup, what did you think was going to happen? Next time take an early exit from the playoffs so the city of Vancouver doesn't have to deal with this.

Truth is we're all guilty... and though there's room for a little adjustments here and there. If the Canuck's make it to the Finals again this year, I hope that nothing changes in the organization of a proud city.

- Andre

Last June I made a rough edit of the footage i collected during the riots. Now, I have a re-release of the same footage but a better edited version, enjoy.

Vancouver Riots - Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals from Andre Lodder on Vimeo.

For more of my experience on the riots check back to my June 16th Blogpost.

Coming soon,
A multi post piece introducing myself or rather, revealing  a little bit more of myself.