After scavenging the web for the industry of toy cameras' jewels such as the Holga or the Diana, I have finally found a loot of revamped lomography cams...at Urban Outfitters!
 |
| Diana Mini Half Frame |
The variety was astounding... I couldn't believe they actually had the Fuji instant photo cam; you know, the one that replaced the Polaroid. The display was a splash of colour and a blast from the 1980's. I felt like a kid again. I managed to snap out of it long enough to channel my shutterbug mind in long enough to start thinking logically. I wasn't quite sure whether I wanted the 1980s Holga, the 1960s Diana or the Lomo Fisheye... I ended up with the Holga 135 (35 mm) and the Fisheye (35 mm). The Diana Mini Half-Frame (35 mm) will be on my holiday wishlist... ;)
You may have noticed that these "toy cameras", which are perfectly functional, are in fact film cameras. Why, would a digital photography student want an old school tool? Because it's retro, because it's a challenge and because it's fun! Also, I dig the degree of cool it provides. I figured that Urban Outfitters is carrying them because they cater to trends and hipsters.
Yeah... I know what you're thinking. I can no longer afford to be dressed to the latest fashions, I don't wear fluos or retro clothes and my teens were marked by the Skater trend. I have never ridden a banana-seat bike with front-side basket (for look and convenience), I haven't chewed genuine Bubblicious or been 15 since the beginning of the decade... So the "hipster" attraction? Really?
Maybe it's because I lived the 80s mostly through my brother and sister (who are in their 30s now) and part of my childhood memories were molded by their hobbies and interests and our humble family home. We always had enough but my greatest joys rose from the simplest pleasures. My mother seems to recall I had a thing for the theatrics. I loved dance, arts & crafts and photographs... Big surprise. Perhaps that dreamy, overly-colourful, grainy aesthetic appeals to the artist that was always inside me. Or maybe it just pulls on my heart strings.
I may not fool anyone as a hipster-poser, but I am most certainly optimistic about the funky shots I shall be taking shortly with my new toys, so to speak.
This shutterbug is conquering the image world, one clic at a time. I'll share my stunning successes and surprising mistakes...stay tuned!
I've mentioned in previous blogs how much I value the luxury (yes, you read that right) of reading books for pleasure. Despite how busy life has been, I've allowed myself to get carried away by an interesting novel.
Deepak Chopra's Buddha sure caught my attention. I was in a speciality library a few weeks ago now - a thing I do whenever I need an escape from the mad rush of my not-so-easygoing routine - and along with a few references books, this image of a blue boy in orange monk robes bearing the title "Buddha" caught my eye. I picked it up thinking it was some book about his teachings. To my surprise, it was actually a novel... on Buddha's life?
Here I was thinking this spiritual master and prophet was, well, holy. In my mind, the enlightened are somewhat righteous and let's face it, uninteresting. That's a wrong assumption. One of the things you learn, when you start delving into spiritual teachings (note how I did not use the term "religious") and digging into these teachers' pasts, is that no one has a perfect life, no one has a spotless past and no one has it easy. Actually, one of Eckhart Tolle's teaching is that for many of us, it takes hardship (or a modern "way of the cross") to push us to seek enlightenment. Some of us have a natural tendency for spiritual quests, others need to be shaken out of our "comforts" (the French say "Confort et indifférence" or "comfort and indifference") to bother asking ourselves "why?" and wonder about the essence of life and being. In Buddha's case, it seems to have been an intuitive quest which ultimately, pushed him to assume a monk's life. None of it, however, is explained in a way that places Buddha on a "superior human" level. Siddartha Gautama was a man on a quest to find himself and the universal truth. When he understood the truth, the essence of life, he then saught to help others seek it also.
It is not the celestial element that kept my attention throughout this story, nor was it the battles of a bloody war, or drama at court or even the love stories... The page turner for me was the question: "How will he do it? How can Siddartha and Gautama shed their suffering and egos to become Buddha?" His path was not an easy one, but he did achieve this as a man, not as a God.
The beauty of this book is that by filling in the blanks of his legend with his humanity, we can see how to better our life situations ourselves.
Recently, a dance friend of mine posted this video of the Overtones on facebook. Since then, I've been playing this on loop and humming the song in the office, snapping my fingers like a jazz musician and adding a bounce to my "swagger". Basically, the dandy vibe is contagious. You'd think this would have more impact on men... but I think it's probably the dancer in me that can't resist the beat. My whole body moves to this song, it's beyond me!
Watching the video came after the melody crept into my veins. It certainly is easy on the eyes... It got me thinking about the musical industry, harmony bands and of course, men's image.
Disclosure: I am a hardcore fan of Michael Bublé and can certainly appreciate fellow contemporary crooners such as Matt Dusk. It's not that I swoon over these men, but their confidence, their charisma and presence have a way of getting me weak in the knees, getting me on a dance floor and singing along (witnesses of these symptoms are victims of my lack of singing ability).
The good ol' suave style, smooth singing and dorky dancing convey's a gentleman-like aura that constitutes a dying breed nowadays. Not that I want to brag about swing dancers (because you know I can!), but these guys have more of a tendency to clean up their look when socializing with women. The same applies to crooners... Why are they so successful in their album sales? Because women want to be serenaded to, treated with care and respect, no matter how modern we are... and men, well, should take a hint from these smart marketers.
Equality between the sexes is great. Much work remains to be done there... But, in this process of redefining proper social etiquette to be fair to everyone, let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater... Good manners, proper presentation and charm don't go unnoticed. That, of course, goes for both parties.
Guys, there's no need to have a singing voice to be appreciated by women or your female friends. Dress up when it matters, remember your manners and learn a few cute-dorky steps: if they don't seduce the object of your affection, they will disarm her with the comic relief. Most of us don't want a prince; we just want guys we're happy to talk to over dinner, who'll believe we're interesting, and who won't mind making a fool of themselves at our cousin's wedding when the catchy tunes spin.
Now... If only I could figure out how to buy "Good Ol' Fashioned Love" on iTunes, I'd have my fix!
I'm not more of an animal person than the next gal, but this cat just made my day. I are cute kitten
This Halloween week-end, Swing Dynamite was hosting its Trick or Treat party and Bootcamp performance. It was a night of fun, fright and fabulousness!
 |
| TNTeam 2010-2011 |
There was a costume contest, an abundance of dancing and of course... the moment of Truth for my equally insane fellow bootcampers! Yes, my friends, all the blood, bruises, sweat and tears have come to THIS epic night.
Swing Dynamite bombarded the crowd with the D-Boys, the Rhythm Blasters, the Westie Bombers, the Dynamite Girls, TNTeam (my possey) and the Jam Crew. Having trained intensively for 4 weeks, the bootcampers (of which I am a part) put it all on the line to wow the crowd. The performances were no less than explosive with crazy aerials and in sync musicality.
This was an opportunity for the dancers to show what they could do, but also, how they handled pressure. Geez, how else are you suppose to feel about costume fittings?!?
My Swing on the Bootcamp Performance
I had been nervous for most of the day leading up to this, wondering how I would do. I kept thinking, "after nearly 16 years of dance and performance, you should get over this!"
As usual, my pre-show jitters worked their magic: I danced and felt great about it! Thanks to my ama-swing partner, Bill Ewanick for his upscale leading. Couldn't have had more of a blast! The social dancing was so sweet afterwards, it was just like icing on the cake...
For the female & lindy readers: I wore a Sugarbum Design aubergine skirt and I performed a PANCAKE with height and might! Swing does sound yummy, doesn't it?
This week, the calls will be made to the bootcampers to determine who has made an impression, who will stay on board and who will keep dancing and show us all up next year!
Thanks again to Byron Alley and Natalia Rueda, our beloved coaches, for their support, encouragement and genuine butt-kicking. My abs thank you as well.
Twilight Zone
Aside from the freakishly creative costumes (I think here of the Bear-Mulled-Forest-Man and of the Baker and Bun-in-the-oven couple), there was as much social dancing as to be expected... and the floor was packed! Westies and Lindies put their stylish differences aside for this night only - where in the twilight zone, anything can happen - and shared the dance floor. I even flirted with the dark side: I was temporarily westified and liked it. Oh, how my keds lindy shoes were hating me then...
 |
| Strike a pose! |
There were so many eye popping outfits and generally impressive lines that it is a little difficult to wrap my head around everything I witnessed in those two evenings of runway shows.
Last Friday (Oct. 29, 2010) my main preoccupation was to soak up the environment, people watch (& photog watching too!) and evaluate how the caliber of the event. Not that I'm any kind of expert in Fashion or runway shows, for that matter... this was my first live fashion week of any kind!
Based on the amateur shows I've seen and on the many Fashion Weekly re-runs and Victoria Secret Christmas shows the tube has provided me, I would say that Ottawa Fashion Week has definitely delivered.
There were plenty of both accomplished and emerging canadian designers showcasing their spring collections. Adrian Wu's collection was a real crowd pleaser - except among the photographers. Wu's idea for ambiance meant terrible lighting conditions for the press. Fortunately, the media coordinator swept in and provided photo ops with Wu's models. Phew!
Naturally, I have my personal favourites. I especially enjoyed the Sugarbum Design, the Birds of North Amercia and Kania Couture collections. They were fun, they were fresh, they were colourful and elegant. Lastly, the show closed on Project Runway Canada winner Jessica Biffi. Her collection was delicious. Or were those the models? In any case, Ottawa showed Biffi lots of love.
The venue couldn't have been more suited for this event: The National Gallery of Canada is in fact, the host of Canada's most prestigious pieces and visual arts forms. Thus, it makes sense to host a fashion event (every day art) in this contemporary & artsy open space.
The logistics seemed to iron out nicely and many vendors were glad to be invited to such a high end shindig. On the final night, there was even a Kerastase sponsored red carpet studio for guests, designers, models and friends.
The floating hors-d'oeuvres and the flowing (but pricey) wine made the crowd friendly and gregarious. Hey, Gilda and I even made friends with other pro photogs!
 |
| Ottawa Fashion Week |
All I have to do now is look at those shots and see Caleb and I's lovechild: are there some breath taking photos? To be continued... !
