VanDusen Gardens

Two years ago I was commissioned by a friend to document a year in VanDusen Gardens. It was for the friend's mother who had once lived in Vancouver and missed VanDusen terribly. The cost of the commission was the price of an annual family pass to the gardens. It would take much longer for me to do it justice.

During that time I picked up Barry Thornton's "Edge Of Darkness".  His attention to detail has inspired me to think much harder about image quality. 

Trip To Nanaimo

We went to the Island last weekend to see a good friend, Andrew Brown, in an amateur production of Arthur Miller's 'All My Sons'. It was an adventurous weekend. I got very sick and missed the play. Before the worst of it hit, I managed to get out on deck for some air and took this shot. I seem to be drawn to take pictures of photographers. 

Couple In Fog

He was speaking to me with his hands and his expression. I didn't realize it until I got home and looked at the photo.

Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky is one of Canada's foremost photographers. His most famous works are shot with large format cameras and printed on a very large scale. He established a photo lab and digital imaging centre, Toronto Image Works, in 1985. His theme for a number of years has been our effect, especially through industry, on the world's landscape. I first became aware of him when he began chronicling the Three Gorges Dam Project in China. 'Manufactured Landscapes' is a film that shows him at work and some of the resulting prints. It is a fascinating documentary film both for its depiction of Mr. Burtynsky as an artist and, through his photographs, an instigator of social dialogue, and for the stunning photography itself. Mr. Burtynsky is donating a number of his recent prints to the Surrey Art Gallery and will be speaking  at the presentation to the gallery on February 12th, 2009. I phoned for my tickets to the event a few hours after it sold out, but I will go see the prints at least once, and hopefully a number of times. The image above is the spring 2003 cover of 'Canadian ART' magazine. 

Camosun Bog Woods

Late January and the snow is off the streets. But the woods retain a thin layer of winter.

And One Show I Missed

Vancouver is rich with world class photographers. On my blog list you'll notice Alex Waterhouse-Hayward. If you haven't explored his blog I would suggest you do so as soon as possible. He is not only an extraordinary photographer but also a gifted memoirist.  Visit his blog and discover for yourself.

I have mentioned Jeff Wall in other posts.  

Someone that I met briefly, in my other life as a recreation programmer in a downtown/east side long-term care facility, is another name on the list of world-class photographers. Lincoln Clarkes has been photographing Vancouver, especially the downtown east side and the people in it, for a long time. 

I got a chance to meet Mr. Clarkes when he came to our facility to ensure that his long-time friend, Richard (Dick)  Oulton, was properly situated. He also took the responsibility of making sure that Mr. Oulton's photos did not become lost and that they received the recognition they deserved. Last fall his efforts were rewarded when Presentation House included some of Dick Oulton's photos in 'Juliette & Friends' a show based on photos culled from local archives. They also co-published, along with Bywater Bros. Editions, a book of selected photographs entitled. "Lynn Valley #5  Meet Dick Oulton". 

I wasn't able to get up to Presentation House for the show but I did get to see a package that Mr. Clarkes (that's him above, under one of Dick Oulton's photos) dropped off at Central City Lodge, for the people who were lucky enough to spend the last couple of years of Dick Oulton's life with him. We appreciated it.

                                          

Mamiya C330

     During my Saturday walk on Main Street, which was mostly a trek to make sure my photos that were up at the Grind were not all knocked askew by reckless coffee drinkers, we stopped at the YMCA Thrift Store. Katherine found some hankies or tea towels, both of which she loves and collects, and I saw this camera. It is a Mamiya C330. There is something heartbreakingly beautiful about old cameras and I wanted it as soon as I saw it. If it was simply for sale I might have bought it right there, but it was part of an auction. The high bid at the time was $70. There were 5 days left in the auction. 

     I went back once before the end of the auction to study it as best I could. The mechanics seemed to be in order but I couldn't get the back open to see if there was any damage inside that wasn't obvious from the outside. Having lived from paycheck to paycheck all my adult life, while being at least partially responsible for 3 kids, I have learned to ignore the impulses of my spendthrift nature. And there are many things that are crying out for the few coins I have. But the idea of taking pictures with that camera was very tempting.

     I went back tonight to see if the price had risen. It was $120. I spoke to the man who had placed that bid. He was an artist who painted from photographs. I knew, after having done a little research, that the camera was suggested at around $150 and, if I stayed and bid, one of us, or someone else in the room, would probably get it at around that price. I didn't want to chance it, not knowing how much I might need to spend on repairs. I also didn't want to bump up the price for the artist by engaging in a bidding war. But it did firm my resolve to get a good medium format camera. It'll just take a little time. I did like that camera.