Final Portfolio

Yesterday I handed in my final portfolio which is one of the last steps in the completion of the Photography Program at Algonquin College. The past week has consisted of 12hr+ days at school, average 5hr or less of sleep at night, coffee, coffee, coffee followed by the occasional cup of coffee, poor diet, over heating computer, printing frustration and topped off with some of the funniest most memorable moments that I have had with the people in my program. 

When I handed in my portfolio I though I would have the "thank God that's over with" moment. But to my surprise I had mix feelings about the whole thing. I am proud of myself for my accomplishment but in a way I am also going to miss the mayhem along with the teachers who have provided help and encouragement over the past two years.

For friends (outside of the program) and family who have not seen or heard from me in the past few weeks. This is what I have been up to. And to fellow classmates who have endured the stress, craziness and all things wonderful in the past few years congratulations to you! Be proud of your work and what you have accomplished. 

My theme is Religion and Culture. The blog doesn't do the images justice. Come check out the real deal on May 2nd at the Exhibition at Algonquin College (details will follow soon).

self Portrait

Self Directed

Self Directed

Self Directed

Consumer Portrait

Environmental Portrait

Food Layout

Self Directed

Creative Ad

Movie Poster

Architecture Layout

*some images have been omitted due to agreements on model releases*

Mistakes Can Be Lovely

This weekend will be my first time booking models from an agency for shoots. I thought it was good for to challenge myself new people and new lighting schematics and out of my comfort zone. 

This evening I photographed Rose, a stunning individual with a fantastic sense of humour. I had a lot of fun with her and got some great images for my portfolio. 

Here is a shot that happened purely by mistake, one of the lights didn't go off and even though it is not technically correct there is just something about it that I like. 

Enjoy!

 

Smile

We all have those days where we just want to stay at home in the good old p.j's (my personal favourite are my plaid RGB set) but instead we have to get up and get ourselves together. Today was a slightly 'blah' day. But when I came home I saw this little gem from a person who knows me all to well. I thought I would share it and hopefully pass a smile along to you too... 

Enjoy and remember to take time out of your stressful day to laugh at something. 

I wish I knew who to give credit to for creating this. Thank you whoever you are!

Library and Archives Canada

This past week I completed the first half of my field placement at the preservation center for Library and Archives Canada. It was such a wonderful experience. I got to use some amazing equipment and got to spend my time with even more amazing people. I spent the week scanning negatives and photographs, taking images of books, scanning maps, completing work orders, touring the building and getting to know the employees. Maggie McDonald (a previous Algonquin grad) was our mentor for the week. She was such a positive and dedicated person. There was never a dull moment and she made sure that our time there was well spent. I am looking forward to returning for another week in April. For now here are some images from the past week. 

The exterior of the building is made of glass - makes for a beautiful view from the top floor

It is designed as a "building within a building" concept. With the exterior of glass on the interior is concrete. To the left of this image encase in cement is the vaults. This double enclosure helps maintain the proper temperature within the vaults.

The ventilation in the building is a work or art itself.

These stairs were originally designed purely for decorative purposes. The yellow beams were added later for support so that they could be used my employees.

On the fifth floor is where all the offices and studios are. There are many sections on the 5th that range from audio visual, book conservation/restoration, photography and restoration, art conservation/restoration. Each area has it own mini building on the 5th.

Maggie and Liz having some fun in the theater.

The lovely Liz and I :) (photo credit Maggie McDonald)

Lunch area complete with umbrellas to help block the sun.

A standard studio set up

One of the Hasselblads. We were pretty excited when we got to use this!

Old Habits Die Hard

Tomorrow I am beginning a week long co-op placement in Gatineau at Library and Archives Canada in the photography department. For the next week I will staying with some very thoughtful friends who are taking me in so the commute to my placement will be much easier.

Now I am a last minute packer...always have been and always be. But I will tell you this, I am damn good at it.

Click on the image to have a closer look to reveal the true organization and skill it took to pack this beast 30 minutes before I had to leave. (with time to spare to make this post!)

A. Towels, wash cloths, hair wrap
B. Fitted sheet for temporary bed, toiletries, lint brush
C. Belts, extra bags for laundry, my favorite scarves, and underneath the scarves there might be 4 pairs of shoes...
D. Pants and p.j’s
E. T-shirts and cardigans
F. Make-up, and jewelry
G.Underwear and sox

Flash, Css, and HTML...Oh My!

For an assignment in my multimedia class we need to design a fully functional website. This means venturing into the territory of Dreamweaver and Flash not to mention the coinciding code. At times when I am working on this assignment I feel like I have developed a form of temporary turrets where I randomly yell mild obscenities at my computer. But I must say that it is also a good test of patience, something that I could always use more of, and once you know what you are doing it can even be, dare I say it...fun. 

While on my website adventure I am going to be (well I am going to be making a solid effort anyway) to make subtle changes to the blog to make it flow nicely with my website and make this blog a bit more interesting/fun. 

In the mean time keep you eyes peeled for changes and new additions and wish me luck on this new adventure :)

A Secret Love Affair

Confession. I like cooking...but I LOVE baking!

Quick example. Right now I have 4 baking books in sight and I am not even in my kitchen. I'm in my bedroom. Seriously though recipes make for excellent bed time stories...

I find baking to be a great stress reliever, creative outlet and it makes for lovely gifts to boot! 

Here are a few images of some of my baking supplies and cookies I made recently for a bake sale at school. 

Happy Valentine's Day to you and whatever/whoever it is that you love.

sugar...or maybe it was salt

Nesting doll measuring cups

The secret ingredient is...magic

Mini ginger bread hearts