The Last Sunset

 It is with heavy hearts we leave this dusty little city and the wonderful friends we've made here. Fortunately, we are headed for brighter futures, wherever we may end up. The next week will be full of adventure and happiness, as we start to come out of the dark rut that was Fort McMurray. I'm so excited just to have interesting things to photograph. My work is getting stale. How many sunset photos off my balcony do you  need to see, right? I've never really looked into travel photography, because I never thought I would really travel. Now I have located every single interesting, and major thing on our route, and I have quite the photo tour set up. This will be my last post, until we get on the road. I would love to update every night of the trip, but we'll see...

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.”-Helen Keller

Realism in Photography

 I had seen Dennis Hopper's work and knew he was an brilliant photographer, but hadn't really studied his work. After he died, I was intrigued to look into it more. As much as I love to work on, and edit photos, he has really inspired me to look more into the photo as it is, instead of what it can be in the end.  His sort of "realism" in photography shows the way things were and we have to trust photos of the past to do just that.

 So here is my collection of realism photos, inspired by Dennis Hopper. They in no way compare to his, but I tried anyways. All I've done to these photos, is add film filters, just to get the effect I wanted. I felt this had vintage written all over it, considering how fake everything is nowadays(including this! haha). So I wanted to use film. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

"I think of that with my photographs. I think of them as ‘found’ paintings because I don’t crop them, I don’t manipulate them or anything. So they’re like ‘found’ objects to me."-Dennis Hopper

Realism Photography

HDR

 Recently, I stumbled on a blog of a photographer that used HDR every time they took a picture. I wouldn't say I would use it every time, but it made me think about using it more. I never really got into it until this year, and today I spent all day looking for pictures around the house that would be more interesting using HDR. Sometimes, I really like the effect I get, and sometimes, I really don't...

 I guess I'm behind in times. Even though I'm a young photographer, I have a great love for anything vintage, and that would include photography. I don't use film, but I still try to produce the same effects. I also spend quite a bit of my time studying the history of photography.

 Now that I have learned that HDR is really worth studying more, that will be my next journey. Right now I'm going to stick with my current project, realism photography...more to come. For now, check out these shots from today. Nothing special... The ivy is my favorite.

"The Great War of the Sky" Photos

 Last night, the sky was absolutely gorgeous while the rain came in. The only thing I like about Fort Mac, are the beautifully intense skies. I've never seen anything like it! Every night is a different show. I once even decided to take a picture every hour one night, and the sky had changed so dramatically in just 4 hours. So anyway, last night I could feel the storm coming for miles. Did you ever get that feeling? Maybe it's because I'm a water sign, but I can definitely sense the rain coming. I get this weird sense of calm, and my hair on the back of my neck stands up. Oh and the smell! I love sunny days, but I prefer the rain...

 I made myself a cup of tea and went to watch from the balcony, and I was right. Shortly after, it started to rain, and the following photos are what I captured. I did two versions, because I can't decide which one correctly captured my feelings at that moment.

Cross Processing Treatment

 I love the color version, because the colors were really amazing. The greys of the rain were really strong against the still blue sky, and rays of sun still fighting off any darkness coming that way. So I do think this one is the strongest photo of the two, but let's take a look at the black and white one. You know what a sucker for black and white I am, plus b/w photos of nature are very rare these days.

Black and White Treatment

 See, I also like the black and white one, because it really, REALLY shows the darkness that was taking over. The pure black clouds are the focus of the photo here, as you can barely even notice the sun rays, and you can't see that the sky is still blue.

 So, any feedback is welcome, as long as it's not completely rude. I also invite you to visit my collection in my gallery called Northern Skies. It contains all of my skyscapes from Fort Mac and surrounding area.

My Evening with Our Lady Peace

Ya...so it's been awhile. I have been so busy with my photography and our big life change. We have decided it's time to leave, on to better places, and definitely brighter futures. My mind and I have been trapped for too long. Plus I've photographed the f*** out of Fort Mac. So anyways, I've decided to take this blog and turn it into a photo blog, where I also share other interesting things with you from my world. Yes, I live in my own world, and it's fun here. So if you're interested to find out more about me, how my mind works, and my photography, stick around.

First of all, I would like to start with the fact that I finally met my heroes. Not only that, but the whole concert was just epic. I never truly knew what to expect, and his voice absolutely floored me. It was almost eerie. I loved it. Car Crash was phenomenal! Watching him meditate on using his falsetto was spiritual in itself. It was by far the best experience of my life. Not everybody gets to meet their heroes, AND see the album that changed their lives played in it's entirety WITH Raine Maida using his falsetto live. Not only is he my hero because he has made music that shaped my life and got me through some pretty horrible times, but also because he's a really amazing person. All the work he does with War Child, Busking for Change, etc.

 Ok, I am neglecting the rest of the band. Watching Steve play those songs...wow. That's pretty much all I can say to that. Amazing job considering he had what, 4 months to learn two albums? Watching Steve and Duncan play the Naveed intro together...well that just one of those things that makes life worth the ride. I can't even explain it. Let's not forget Jeremy, what an amazing drummer! I could actually see him play this time and it was great. Most people write off OLP as a teeny bopper emo band, because of how they've been popularized on Much Music with songs such as Life and Innocent. I prefer their raw, unknown music that hasn't been around since at least 2000, where Raine uses the full capabilities of his voice. If you're interested, check out Denied or Happiness and the Fish. Either way, they put on intense, get in your bones and make you feel alive shows, that also happen to be a completely personal experience.

 After the show, we are standing there, waiting....waiting...waiting to meet the band, with NO idea what to expect. It's our turn all of a sudden and I'm freaking out. Shaking all over.We get in and it's just like we are meeting random people, not one of Canada's biggest bands. They were so friendly and chatted with us for a bit. I gushed to Raine how this is a dream come true blah blah blah. Made a complete ass of myself.  Unfortunately, it was time to leave, but as we are leaving, Raine grabs my hand and looks me right in the eyes(mesmerizing by the way) and says, "It was really nice to meet you Ashley". Right there. That is when my life should have ended and I would have died completely happy.