Save it for a rainy day.

    You know when you get bored and you have nothing to do so you search you-tube for random things that will make you laugh thus easing the pain of boredom? Not me... I've had so much stuff to do and it's been exhausting. we just had the 3-4 busiest weeks thus far, every thing sort of came to a climax in each of our courses. And now the majority of the work load is finished and there's only two and a half weeks left in first year, but I feel like I'm done already... which is not good because I'm not... anyways enough about school...

    The fact that my bike chain was broken and I'm not exactly financially stable led to the decision that I was going to walk home after working in the labs at school. I wanted to take this time to reflect on my life as it has been recently known, and apply the findings to future plans... so it didn't happen exactly how imagined it but it was a success in its own right...

    Rather than ponder about the past 7-8 months/the upcoming summer/possibility of returning for next year, I found myself walking through a windy down-poor (luckily tailwind) for an hour picturing myself in various films or situations that coincided with the music I was listening to. At one point I pictured the falling rain as the tears falling in James Blunts "Cry"... that was dashed when I realized that the protagonist was crying on a shoulder and that shoulder would be absorbing the water rather than falling on my head... Other scenarios include walking down the rainy street next to Bob Marley with a "it's no big deal that its raining, cause life is great" attitude... and then there is what happened most... Acting as though various things (not all negative of course) that had brought me to the point where I was walking alone in a windy rain (though surprisingly not overly cold) to music by Matt Costa, Andrew Bird, Shad, K'naan, and others... And as I was approaching the street I lived on... I realized something... I just walked an hour without drawing a hint of my attention to what intended... that's when I realized... I just don't care...

    Yeah, that sounds a little harsh but its true, I don't care... Well I care that I have a good time and that I learn and grow as a person, because that's whats important to me. However the lack of caring occurs because I trust that whatever decisions I make and whatever I do will provide exactly what I need. So there's really nothing to worry about. So in conclusion, though I don't think I have a lot of regular readers, and not that you should be taking advice from me... BUT if you so happen to be contemplating a bunch of stuff in your life. Maybe you should just save your thoughts for the figurative "rainy day" because there's really nothing to worry about, Life goes on so enjoy it for the moment you are currently living in probably won't make you become a drug addict in the future... unless your high right now... then there's a chance...


Photos: I had the honour of shooting Adam Radziwinowski in the foot... Kidding, I did shoot him with my camera though, we had a fashion assignment due and Adam stepped up as the model for this project. I also had the always lovely Rachel Cohen as an assistant (Michelle Cochrane helped too, shes also lovely) helping me figure out what I wanted to do lighting wise. Thanks guys!!

Also, be sure to check out my photolog at http://andrelphotolog.blogspot.com/

Stressed?

    Alright so I'm gonna start off with a small note to readers:
I keep telling myself I'm gonna write more in this blog, I like sharing whats on my mind but it can  be tough sometimes. We're at a really busy juncture in the school year right now and I don't have a computer at home so I'm usually in the labs at school doing my work. The labs are great, but I don't like spending more time in them than I need to, hence the lack of posts ;)

    Anyways, we have a lot going on right now, All our classes seem to have nearly hit the peak as far as work load goes and nearly all of them at the same time. Throw in the fact that I'm writing this on the eve of Advisory Board and it equals a bit of stress. But sometimes I wonder if there's something wrong with me; I have numerous assignments coming up that are rather large and I don't feel a lot of pressure to get them done. Some people call it layed back, but I'm not sure what to call it.
See I understand the importance of school and learning. but isn't the process of learning supposed to add to your passion and not take away from it? See I love photography, I love looking at photos and taking photo's, this is why I got into the industry. But sometimes I feel like Belleville is taking away from that passion that I have for photography. I can't exactly pinpoint where the problem lies, but when I take photos here I'm just not into it, I catch a glimpse of why I love photography but i can't seem to grasp the whole picture. I seem to think that the reasoning for this is because I'm living in Belleville right now. The city seems to bring my mood down a little and maybe that drop in my mood is reflected in my photography? However, I do have another hypothesis. I'm not exactly enjoying the mind frame I'm in when I shoot. I like photography because it gives people a chance to express themselves through photos or let other people express themselves. But sometimes I think the industry is involves to much ego. Some people (emphasis on SOME) either A. Are trying to impress people to improve their self confidence, which isn't bad except when Mr.Ego is waiting behind the door. Or B. Some people are using their ego to judge other peoples work and the feeling of being a critigue gives Mr. Ego satisfaction. I'm not saying every photographer belongs in one of these categories, just that sometimes I myself categorise myself in one of those categories, and it leads me to think that I'm lilely not the only one... unless I am... then this whole little rant can be ignored. ;)
I guess all I'm really trying to say is I'm tired of taking photos of things/people in order to impress other people. That's where I've lost touch, but maybe that's the price of learning?

Okay so I think that's it for ranting posts.. I try to base my life on trying to Inspire people, not complain to them. As far as taking photos goes, I haven't shot a terribly large amount in the last while, but I shot my first hockey game and my cousin got married so there's a little bit to satisfy the visually oriented.

    I'm gonna take this chance to update people on whats happening in the near future.
First off we have like a month or something left of school and then first year is complete. Basically my plan for the summer is to Live in Squamish in a Van, tent, or car and take as many photos as I can while staying active... thats as far as plans go... guess it really depends on job opportunities...

    So we have a bunch of assignments due in upcoming weeks so stay posted, there will be lots of work to show!

Officially Published

When I came to this course back in September, I wasn’t incredibly interested in working for a Newspaper, ironic right? Someone joins a photojournalism course without the intention of working at a paper. I don’t believe I’m the only one who initially had this thought, but I know fellow students have had work previously published in local papers including the school paper.

Diane Burley, Carrie Allen, Rob Lloyd, and Esther Parry in Doubt

In the First semester I had no intention of being published in a paper, partly because I felt my photography didn’t belong in a paper and partly because I was avoiding it. One of the important things I’ve learned is that news doesn’t mean murders crimes and accidents. I always knew sports were part of the news, after all that used to be the only section of the newspaper I paid attention to. But news really entails so much more than just that. Most people come to this program with a wish to travel, as have I, we look for the documentary side of photojournalism as being something that we would want to do in the future. But now a’days most of what the newspaper is are small little documentary articles they’re just split up into different categories, Life, Sports, Arts and Entertainment, Business etc.  You see this more in smaller cities, where there isn’t a large amount predominate subject matter, you get smaller feature stories that can be interesting and intriguing.

Just like the way I shoot, I hope not to stray to far from my personal preferences when it comes to what I choose to write about. This is why I have chosen a bit of a Live Arts theme this semester, not just for writing but also for both my multimedia and multiple pictures classes. The first product of my labor was for writing, I chose to write about a play and try to get a photograph. I hadn’t had much experience with hands-on legitimate articles about people. I didn’t have a lot of time to photograph and interview the cast of the play but I’m proud of the outcome it was a great learning experience. The article ended up being my first published work, both the photo and the story.

No this hasn’t affected the lack of desire to work for a newspaper, it sure is a good feeling to have your work noticed and published, even if its just the school paper.

Check it out the full article  at http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=6850

The Journey of Photo Journalism

   Welcome to college, to the process of learning, the process of maturity. Some days I see it and some days I don’t. Some times I feel it and sometimes I don’t. At the beginning of the second semester I made a promise to myself, commit. To do so the first thing I felt I needed to do was get myself organized in every way possible. First I got myself a day planner… yes, a day planner. It works… when I remember I have it, which is becoming more and more often.

   And to improve my overall feeling and functionality I’ve re-organized my room… twice, the feng shui was a little off. Also I’m proud to say my room has been spotlessly clean for the longest consecutive period since my parents stopped cleaning it for me. I know this doesn’t seem like I’ve done much but I’ve noticed some improvement already. But still, I don’t feel good about everything. It’s odd, some days I don’t feel like going out and shooting, some weekends even.

   At first I didn’t know why, but it’s pretty simple; laziness and procrastination among other things. No one said this course was going to be easy. Sometimes I need to be reminded of that. I often question my commitment, my work ethic. I try not to make excuses because excuses are… well… exactly that; excuses. I thought I was a hard worker, but right now I certainly don’t feel that way.

   There’s a lot that goes on through my mind the more and more I get into the course. It’s true, some days I don’t feel I have what it takes and other days I feel on top of the photographic world. We learn a lot here and I have no doubt that I am a better photographer than when I started. But sometimes doubt can sneak its way in. I occasionally find myself wondering if I’m doing the right thing here. Whether I’m in the right place, both geographically and mentally.

   I feel as though I lose touch of what these courses are here for. I feel like when I go out I’m shooting for assignments, I lost sense of the reason I personally wish to be a photographer. But theses courses aren’t meant to force you to shoot one way or another. I don’t need to want to shoot an assignment; it’s the process of shooting an assignment that is gearing me to shoot what I want to shoot.

   Part of the reason I don’t always like shooting here is because I haven’t felt the greatest here. When it comes to photography and this program, Belleville comparable to a public washroom. They’re over used, people write on the walls, and leave their mark. It’s hard to write a line that hasn’t already been written on the wall.

   I’m not saying I don’t like it here; I do enjoy the course and the people. All I can say is that I might be looking forward to what’s coming after the program more so than what is happening during the program.

Notes: I’ve taken down the photo of the week blog because I’m busy enough trying to get things ready for assignments. Also I’m hoping to start a bit of a project soon, nothing spectacular but stay tuned.

Also for some of my recent photos be sure to check out my photo log at www.andrelphotolog.blogspot.com

Thanks,

Andre

Christmas break in Vernon

The Towne Cinema in downtown Vernon

         First semester is officially done as well as our winter break. Second semester is upon us here at Loyalist and with it, new photo ideas and writings to come. I hope to be a little more consistent with my blog postings. I am also hoping to add a Photo of the week separate to this blog, so watch out for that.
         I spent two and a half weeks in my hometown Vernon British Columbia Over the holiday break. Even though I had a bit of an illness while I was there, it was a great time. I spent most of my time with family and friends, very little time out shooting pictures. (I will get into that a little more later.) Winter break brought along a lot of questions I needed to ask myself. What are my plans for the upcoming summer? What about the entire year? I've yet to find my niche in photography so where do I stand from a school standpoint? These were just a few questions I asked myself and though I may not have answers to all of them, but I believe that no matter what happens this year will be a great one.
         I guess the biggest issue I ran into this break was whether or not I wanted to continue with photography. The way I see it if you wish to start a career there needs to be a passion for what you're doing, but do I have that passion? That was the biggest question I had to ask myself over winter break.
         I arrived in Vernon and the next day it snowed a lot. I was excited I asked my brother if I could use his vehicle to go out and take some pictures while it was snowing even though daylight was running thin. I got a few good pictures but nothing I was really thrilled about. After that day I went stale as far as photography goes. I enjoyed the company of friends and family but I didn't bring my camera out to much. This is where I started to doubt my passion for photography. I woke up each morning thinking "I should go shoot something today." and it just never happened. It went on like this for nearly the full two weeks. Either the weather wasn't good enough for the photos I wanted, or I just lacked motivation entirely.
        Then it happened, two days before I was to leave the snow hit again. I went out from noon till dusk, squeezing every ounce of daylight I could. I visited a few areas around town that I felt would look great with the fresh snow. I took pictures of anything and everything I felt was visually appealing and in the snow it wasn't hard to do.
        There is something magical about snow. It makes everything gorgeous. A fresh dump of snow makes a magical winter wonderland, and that is something I wanted to capture. And that was all I needed to realize that this is something I love and there is definitely a passion there.
I may not be able to pin point where in photography that passion may be, but its there somewhere. I know I love taking pictures and that's a start. I got a year and a half before this course is done and a life time after that. I'm sure I'll find it eventually, as well as maybe a few answers to some of the other questions I've been asking myself.

Kalamalka Lake in Vernon B.C.  01/05/11