The June issue of Current has just been released. From what I understand, they’ve gone bi-weekly – this is Volume 9, Issue 4.

We shot Stephanie in studio one evening about 2 weeks ago for this story and I’m quite pleased with the outcome. The cover looks great as do the outtakes.

Even though studio shoots are usually boring, this one was far from it. The girls (Stephanie and Karla) were hilarious and we spent most of the shoot laughing our asses off – the nudity just fueled the comedy. This is not the first time shooting for James – more to come in future issues.

We took a run out to the New World Island area over the weekend. Here’s a few shots…

Adrienne’s session from Monday night is now online over on the sessions side. It was freezing (well, I was bundled up, so not so much for me…), but you’d never tell from the pictures – she did a great job.

I decided to go for something completely different with this modeling shoot. We were totally devoid of natural light – generally a photographers nightmare – but I love this type of challenge.

Adrienne is a model we often shoot with, and this concept came to me after deciding that I could surely reuse some favorite locations. However, I was looking for a way to transform the whole idea into something a little more original.

Night shoots are a bit of a challenge – you have to be intimately familiar with your camera and it’s settings. Also, you have to use a tripod, which I generally despise, as I prefer a free roaming approach.

More online from this one tomorrow.

For all those naysayers who still deny the effects of global warming, I present to you the weather in St. John’s this past weekend.

In Newfoundland, May 24th weekend is looked upon as winter’s last chance to bite us in the ass.

The tradition goes like this:

1. You take the tent out of the basement, dust it off, and pick up a case of beer.
2. Head to Butter Pot Provincial Park.
3. Get drunk, (insert stupid activity), go to sleep.
4. While you’re sleeping, a nasty mixture of wet snow and rain falls.
5. Wake up in your moldy tent, freezing cold and soaking wet, with a head pounding hang over.

But not this year. OK, so I didn’t actually go camping – haven’t for a few years now. Not even any beer for me. But I can tell you this – there was no snow. What? No snow?!

It was the most beautiful, warm May 24th that I can ever remember. Almost unnatural. I mean this is so out-of-the-ordinary that Al Gore could use it in his presentation – There was No Snow in Newfoundland on May 24th Weekend – he could wedge it in right between the bit about the hurricanes and the heat waves (volume warning on that link btw).

In fact, here is a case in point:

9:30pm Saturday Evening:
We drove up to signal hill, and, as I opened the car door, clinging on to the handle in anticipation of it being torn from my hand by the wind… nothing happened!

Not a breath of air. I cautiously stepped outside the vehicle, as if sneaking into a mine field. But the only thing to strike me was the warm moist air. There was no struggling against the current… no hair whipping into my eyes… no yelling and sign language to communicate with someone 3 feet away. What was going on?

I took the opportunity to use my tripod (which would normally jiggle in the wind, resulting in a mass blur) and got some interesting shots. You can see St. John’s in the background.

The second picture required me to dangle off the side of the Bowring Building – outside the safety rail – the minion clinging to the leg of my pants for fear that I may fall. Although I was more fearful of being striped of my pants while plummeting down onto Water Street.

Well, now that I think about it, a half naked semi-unconscious body on the sidewalk downtown is not that rare of an occurrence on the weekend. May have made a good shot too.

I’ve been reading about World War I and the Vimy Memorial site in France for the last few days. The memorial commemorates the World War I Battle of Vimy Ridge.

The history of the memorial is an interesting story. From the day is was unveiled in 1936 it had been slowly destroying itself. Part of the site has the names of soldiers who were never found inscribed into tiny individual blocks of limestone. The blocks interlock like pieces of a jig saw puzzle but, over the years, had been grinding upon each other as the seasons changed.

Julian Smith, head of the group that is restoring the memorial, explains…

” [They] didn’t leave enough space between [the blocks] to handle the expansion and shrinkage of the frost-thaw cycle. Grinding blocks are breaking off chunks of mortar. That allows water to course through the structure, depositing lime as it exits, and obscuring the names of the dead. The monument can’t cope with the pressure it’s created for itself.”

So in 2004 the Canadian Government, some say as an election ploy, put up 30 million dollars for a restoration. Three years and 11285 inscriptions later, and the Vimy Memorial was restored to the state intended by Walter Allward, the Canadian architect and sculptor from whom the design originated. It was re-opened to the public about a month ago – April 9th of this year.

So why was this monument allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair? When the restoration started, the site had been deteriorating for almost 80 years. Did it take an attempt on the part of the Liberal government to grab a few votes by causing a swell of patriotism to get this thing restored? I’m guessing that, on the surface, an expenditure of such proportions on a site that is not readily accessible to the electorate would seem like a bad move to a political animal.

But as the restoration started, the meaning behind the site was put into perspective for those working on the project. As it turns out, when the monument was built, it had been left up to Allward and his team to clear the field of the battle remains. As a result, when the restoration began, the bodies of German soldiers that died in the fighting were discovered – laying just under the surface – barely covered by 18 inches of soil.

Again, Julian Smith:

“You’re reminded that this is not only an example of early modernism but it is a sacred landscape [...] that still runs with the blood of these soldiers.”

So I’ve had this strong desire to visit the war memorial on Duckworth Street for the last week or so. That’s where these pictures are from – no, I’ve not been to France. I’d been to the one down town many dozen times though – still, last week was different. I had a greater appreciation – and a sudden disdain for those who skateboard across it’s facade.

I’m amazed by how little I know of Newfoundland’s contribution to the First World War. But comeon, I was nine years old during the first Gulf War! I guess that’s really no excuse though. Something tells me the World Wars were different from what we see now-a-days – I don’t think “the good guys” were fighting for financial control of a non-renewable resource back then.

Left unmaintained, memorials like these will leave generations who follow even less affected by these sacrifices. I guess then it will be up to each of us to remind ourselves in our own way.

PS. CBC News – The National did a great story on this a few weeks ago. This story includes snippets of an interview with Julian Smith (head of the restoration project, and he of the quotes above).

I just finished reading Michael Crummy’s novel River Thieves – for the second time.

My first time through was almost 3 years ago. I remember being at work – during the time of the 50 hour weeks – trying to sneak in a page here-and-there.

I enjoyed it even more the second time through. The freedom to read continuously for almost two days straight was a treat – I was completely wrapped up in the constantly twisting plot line and the rawness of the characters.

I’d forgotten how descriptive and crude it could be at times – who would have thought that a savage process such as skinning a fox could be so beautifully written? If he wanted to, I think this author could write about folding socks in a way that would bring you to tears.

For those unfamiliar with the plot, it’s centered around the extermination of the Beothuk people in Newfoundland and the attempts to bring the isolated natives into productive contact with the British Empire.

So as you read, and the tragic story unfolds as it did for so many other tribes, I’m reminded of a quote I hear on (far too) numerous an occasion: “It is a testament to the stupidity of man that history repeats itself”.

With the novel fresh in my mind I came across the image above on a wall downtown. I especially like the second shot – this is written right next to it.

A co-worker of the minion welcomed another member to their family late last week. Tyson was a week and a day old on Saturday when he dropped by for a few pics – just in time for Mother’s Day.

Friday was such a beautiful day in St. John’s that, by the time I had all my daily chores completed at noon, I decided to pop out to take a few pictures. I ended up at the Confederation Building shooting a rally.

It was a lively event, but I have to agree with reports that the number of people in attendance was likely exaggerated.

I don’t have a shot of the full crowd, but I’d estimate that (below) to be about 2/3 of them. The high-res files are linked from those images, so be careful where you put your pointer.

Since it’s coming up on that time of year, I thought I’d start talking a bit about weddings here again.

I’ve been noticing a whole lot of “tips” all over the ‘net for those planing a wedding lately. They all seem to say the same type of thing – you know, obvious stuff – “check with your vendors beforehand to make sure everything is on track” or “make sure everyone knows the schedule for the big day”.

The problem is, many of these tips are just common sense. I thought I’d pass on some stuff over the next few weeks that we’ve seen – and learned from – the hard way.

A good place to start is “wedding day stress” and dealing with the unexpected. I think the most common mistake is made, most often by brides, when they won’t just “let go”. Once the day begins, the planning should stop – the best thing to do is relax – even have a drink if that’s what it takes.

There’s a great article entitled “Weddings can be Chaos” in the current issue of Wedpix, the online wedding photography magazine of our member organization, the Wedding Photojournalist Association.

We’ve seen the opposite of “relax and have fun” happen many times. It’s simple really – in an effort to make the day “perfect” in one person’s view, a sour note is experienced by many others. Don’t know what I mean? Tune into the Life Network – there’s about a dozen shows on there that illustrate this perfectly.

So the usual reaction to prevent this from happening is curious – simply saddle someone else with the responsibility of making sure things go as planned. The problem is, things are just as likely to not go exactly as planned, but some poor bugger is now in a very awkward situation – and we’re no further ahead.

In fact, the wedding day is much more likely to be ambushed by either the bride or groom’s reaction to something not going as planned. In other words, the reaction to whatever happens is usually far worse than the happening itself.

Don’t get me wrong – co-ordination is a good thing. And, no doubt about it – the day is in celebration of the Bride and Groom and it’s all about them. But things have to be kept in perspective – shouldn’t everyone be allowed to enjoy themselves? Isn’t that what really matters?

Kim

A bit more about the WPJA’s Wedpix Magazine: The WPJA has an extraordinary wealth of information among it’s members – people that are at the forefront of their field and are willing share important insights. And you won’t see any regurgitated info here either. It’s simply great information complied by people that have a massive amount of knowledge on the subject. There’s more good, real, substantive info in one article here than there is on some other wedding sites in total.