Sunday, August 14, 2011

Strange Ways

Here's the next collection of photos that I've taken of strangers. Ordinary folks doing, somewhat ordinary things, but for different reasons, they've all captured my attention. A couple sharing a quiet moment together, though I have to admit, as much as I liked them, I also liked the repetition of the logs that led up to them! Then on busy Granville Street, I look up and spot the 'reading man', I loved how he looked up there, somehow he was going to do a little quiet reading on one of the busiest streets in Vancouver. Add to that, all the colours just seemed right....I even wondered if maybe he chose the yellow shirt on purpose to make for an even better vista. Not long after, still on Granville I spot the 'magician' making his way across the street - bit hot for a cape that day, but hey, to each his own. All I could think of when I looked at him was, 'No capes!'....my favourite line from The Incredibles movie. Taxi man wasn't a targeted hit, he was captured, purely by chance. I pulled my camera out of the bag, brought it to eye level and click - I was just testing my settings to see if I needed to adjust anything before wandering around the city taking photos - Mr. Taxi appeared right at that second, I liked the way the photo looked, hence he makes the cut. The man in the wheelchair was such a wonderful pop of colour that I just had to capture him! Onto the boy running past the fountain, for some reason it put me in the mind of the Sesame Street intro from way back in the day, kids playing in a city park...I don't even remember if that was in the intro, but in my mind it just fit! Next we have 2 females sort of playing opposite roles, we have a little girl wielding a sword - no princess lark for her, she's playing a much more grown up role of perhaps a dragon slayer - just my guess, and then we have a Harajuku girl, whose styles are often fairly child-like for their age - as we see with the stuffed animal tucked under her arm. Harajuku girls have been around for a long time, no Gwen Stefani didn't invent them, just made them more known to the general public. I think I first heard of them about thirty years ago while watching a travel show about Tokyo. The last two shots were both taken at Garry Point Park in Steveston. Once again, my favourite outdoor sculpture makes the cut. Wind Waves by Yvonne Domenge is such a stunning piece of artwork, it thrills me on so many levels and I love how inviting it is, making it the perfect resting spot for this group of people. I've just read that it was only to be a temporarily installed at the park until summer 2011!!! I was there on Canada Day, and it was still there - if it goes, I shall miss it terribly! The other photo of two people taking photos was just a reminder how different people see things different ways. I was sitting on a bench while they passed by, I heard one say to the other, 'let's stop a minute, I want to take a photo', 'me too' the other replied....and then they both turned in opposite directions. Both obviously shooting something completely different from the other, I guess it's true, opposites do attract!









Friday, August 12, 2011

Dr. Strangelove













Here we go with the latest installment of stranger photos....as I started to compile the photos that would make the cut for this post, I soon realized that I owed it to the man in the bonnet to give him his own feature. I mean I was lucky enough to be there to capture his entire hamming it up session, and he was good enough to provide me with more than one good photo, so fair dues, this one is for him. Taken a few days ago on a visit to Harrison Hotsprings. We were chillin' on the elevated 'viewing platform', OK it's actually the roof of the washrooms where they've added a few benches and a railing, but saying, 'I'm hanging out on the roof of the washrooms looking for strangers to photograph, makes it sound like I should be wearing a trench coat if you know what I'm sayin'!! Having said that, my fashion heart does feel a little saddened for the trench coats of the world, originally made as a garment for the military, and later associated with cool movie idols and as a standard piece of clothing that every businessman had to have in his wardrobe, it's now become a garment that you almost dread seeing a man start to remove in front of you - chances are, he's either going to flash you or try to sell you a 'Rolex' for 15 bucks!! Or perhaps that's just my experience! I digress, anyways, as I was saying....man in bonnet walks into my sight line, I'm thrilled and left with no choice but to photograph him. Newsflash here - I've always been a little quirky...shocking revelation I know! But really, how can you not love a man who is not only willing to sport a bonnet and carry a parasol, but who is also willing to amuse his wife with a little show at the same time....God knows what they get up to behind closed doors - just sayin'!! I thank you Dr. Strangelove for giving me a good dose of happy medicine that day. Now you can enjoy him too, by reliving his antics through my photographs, and remember, a little silly is always a good thing.
One thing to note....at first I thought it was cute that he wore his wife's hat to amuse her, it was only later when I got home and looked at the photos that I clued in, ummm, his wife already had a hat on, so perhaps this really is his hat!!