Pretty in pink

Pretty in pink, a photo by aylmerqc on Flickr.

I recently had supper with a couple of friends I hadn't seen for a very long time. Over the course of the meal, one of the two told me that she didn't "get" my pictures she had seen online. I asked her what she meant, but she just repeated that she didn't get them and didn't seem able to explain any further. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the comment and laughed it off.

The remark clearly stuck with me and I've thought a bit more about it. It seems to me that -- in the absence of a shared vocabulary or grammar -- that's about all we can do: say what we do or don't "get." I wasn't bothered that we had different taste in photography, but it was frustrating that we didn't have a common language to discuss our different tastes.

When I saw the elements of this scene, I knew immediately that I wanted to compose a picture. The idea wasn't fully formed, but I found the dress incongruous in its drab surroundings and wanted to highlight the relationship. Only later, when reviewing and processing the image, did I think more about meanings and choices.

And perhaps that's why we don't always "get" what others are doing. Our language skills are limited. Or we don't do the work needed for understanding. Or both.

They have arrived

They have arrived
Originally uploaded by aylmerqc

A rare shot of an alien craft landing in downtown Toronto. Or the underside of the expansion to the Ontario College of Art and Design. (But then, that's just what they would want you to think, isn't it?)

Cycling for Dummies

Cycling for Dummies
Originally uploaded by aylmerqc

This was a fun shot. I'd already decided to take the picture of the dummies, but wondered what to do with the empty frame of the mirror because the other side of the street was a bit bland. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this gentleman approaching on his bike and thought that he would do nicely for a background. I was pretty confident he would look over as he passed, to see what I was shooting... and he obliged. Human nosiness is usually a safe bet.

I also realized, over and over again on this trip to Toronto, that a part of me really misses the sheer variety of life and events available in a big city. Ottawa is a pale imitation and the semi-rural area in which we currently live is not even on the scale. Something for me to think about, I suppose, in terms of family, career and retirement interests.

Alley surveillance

Alley surveillance
Originally uploaded by aylmerqc

I had the chance to spend a day in Toronto with my camera a couple of weekends ago. I happened to hear of "Graffiti Alley," a back alley immediately south of Queen St. West between Spadina and Portland, so I went looking for it.

I wasn't disappointed and it was interesting to see some of the steps Toronto is taking to provide a "canvas" for graffiti artists in order to reduce the amount of ugly paint there is in the city.

Since the local business association seems to be ok with this, I guess it's a good thing. Otherwise, I think the rule should be quite simple: if you want to paint the outside of a building, start with the one you live in.

Dignity meets patience

I saw this gentleman at the rally for Egypt in Toronto's Dundas Square on January 29.

I wandered into the demonstration almost by accident and had a very interesting time in the company of an unusual collection of fellow-travellers: Iraqis, Tunisian pro-democracy types; a mix of pro-gay, Communist and broadly anti-regime Iranians; anti-mutilation feminists; a Welshman draped in his national flag; semi-pro malcontents; and the list goes on.

This gentlemen, a Tunisian-Canadian, stood out by reason of his calm demeanor and dignified appearance. He told me he'd been in Canada since the early '70s and was excited to see the changes that are taking place in his country of origin and those around it. I wished him well and said I hoped future governments would be able to offer their people freedom and prosperity.

That's not everything in life, but it's better than what many people enjoy now.

New York City!

We had the chance to visit New York a couple of months ago during my son's March break from school. This was my first trip to NYC, but it certainly won't be my last! Just a day's drive from our home, there's no reason not to come more often.

This shot is a vertical panorama of the main building at Rockefeller Center.

I had a lot of first impressions -- the realization that I could drive in New York during rush hour and not be involved in an accident (the pedestrians here are much more aggressive than the drivers); the overwhelming scale and vitality of the place; the awareness of just how much of our collective idea of what constitutes a modern city is tied up in New York; and the sense that there is something new around every corner.

To tell the truth, Ottawa-Gatineau seemed like pretty small beer when we returned from our trip.

What took me so long? Dunno, but I'll fix it.

Yukon Cinema

Time I got cracking and started posting here more regularly again. That will probably mean that I'll be putting up more of the pictures that I take on work-related trips around Canada -- this shot from Whitehorse, YT last fall is a prime example.