Starting Over

From time to time, I will get a surge of inspiration, a burst of 'get-up-and-go' if you will. A flow of new energy that runs through me telling me that I now have the know how, the gumption, the 'whatever-you-call-it' to actually get my photography career off the ground. To finally start all of those left behind projects that I've always wanted to get started, I can finally start them now, all of those ideas I have floating around in my head, they can finally land now. They finally have a place to call home.
Well, this new surge is hitting me once again.
I only hope that I can keep up with it's energy.
To tell the truth, I kind of like when this new being enters my life, when it shows up in my sphere.
It gives me hope, of which, there are way, too many days where I have very little.
With this new hope in my life, I can feel my soul come alive, come anew.
It feels like starting over, like getting a second chance, every time.
And, sometimes, no matter how small the nudge, that may be all that you need.
For me, for right now, this will do.

Line! Lines, I say!

I am obsessed with lines! I see them everywhere. They're in the park, they're in my apartment, they're on people's bodies- their faces, their torsos, their legs- they're on cars-I see them everywhere! I don't know how it started or, where it came from. One day it just occurred to me that lines were everywhere and that I was completely enamoured with them. It does my heart a great service to see a clean line somewhere. To look upon the face of someone and trace the lines of their impressive jawline with my eyes, to slowly drag my vision across their sharply cut bone structure, is to me the very personification of enjoying a thing of beauty, To tilt back my head and stare into the Heavens as an ascending line of a building, or the curvature of a flower, or the sleek dip of a car, draws me to it's apex in any manner it saw fit is an hour well spent. If you ask me, we don't do that as much anymore. We don't take the time to enjoy what we see around us. We always expect beauty to be obvious, to stand out, or stick out in a crowd. Well, some do but, others we have to look for (and hopefully not too hard). Like the lines in a person's face, how smooth they look... If seen at a different angle they could be other-worldly, like an alien from outer space, completely foreign to you. That is what I love about lines,They take you places! They show you a world that you've never seen, a world that's right in front of you. Along with your trusty camera they pull down the veil before your eyes and expose what you've been missing this whole time. If you follow any particular line it could take you anywhere.

Wading Through The Past

As is usual for this time of year, the time where I find I have too much time on my hands and not enough inspiration or get-up-and-go to get out of my house to take some photos, I putt around my old images and see what I can do to spice them up in Lightroom and Photoshop and post them on facebook and my blog for the world to see. So far, it's been a crackin' summer- well, late summer. The images I came up with are ones from many moons ago when I was more frequent in carrying my camera around and would shoot the bejeezus out of just about anything that wouldn't so much as budge, thereby keeping me in a state of staidness where my photos were concerned. Okay, this is turning into a pity party. I didn't mean for it to, I apologize. Now, back to the images I revamped, somewhat. The first one is from my trip to Washington D.C. a couple summers ago when I went to see my family. We went to the Martin Luther King memorial and it was glorious. The likeness of him is very striking. I'm not sure what outcome the artist wanted for this sculpture but, if they were going for stern, and, pensive, then they hit it spot on. He really looks like he's wearing the face that wrote the 'I Have a Dream' speech, Like the artist caught him just before he put pen to paper. The next images I shot on a city bus downtown during a particularly bad and, dreary day of rain. If I remember correctly, it got really dark, really quickly that day: two p.m. in the afternoon looked more like five p.m. in winter. I love days like these, they're so moody and full of character. Walking around the city on days like this often puts me in a mind set of a film noir kind of movie, or an independent film along the lines of Dark City with Rufus Sewell and Kiefer Sutherland. I was on the bus just waiting for it to take off when I saw this tableau in front of me. This was back when Iwas forcing myself to see differently, to step out of my comfort zone and expand my scope of view. Granted, this isn't THAT much out of my zone of comfort but still, at the time, this was something of a break through for me.

I love airports! If you've been following my blog then you already know this about me. I love to shoot in airports (if anyone from airport security is flagging this: I swear, my camera is not a weapon! I shoot with pixels (yes, they are real, not like Smurfs) and not bullets!). Another dark day found me at the Pierre Eliot Trudeau Airport walking around their new digs after a major renovation months before. I started out missing my favourite wall of glass where I used to watch the planes land and take off but soon found myself loving the open space of the place and marvelling at the segment that was attached/connected to the Marriott Hotel at the fare end of the building. It was a genius idea to make those two parts of the terminal come together, and, come together so well it did. The building blends together really well, so much so, that it has easily become one of my favourite places in Montreal to either shoot or just walk around. And, all that glass in the front really helps to make me forget my old wall of glass- almost. It brings in so much light that when inside, you're likely to think that you are still outside and on the pavement.

A Whole New Avenue

This year I was lucky enough to have my photo workshop extended to a course spread across a six week period. This was entirely new territory for me. Hosting a class in a four hour time slot was one thing but, hosting an actual class was another. So, to say that I was a nervous wreck before class even started was a complete understatement, one for the record books, I would say. Looking back I wished I'd done so many things different. Like, I wished I was so much more prepared. At the beginning of each class I thought I was but, soon after each class started it became very apparent that I had so much more work to do. I wished that I had spent some more time getting the right transparencies. I wish I had more so that they wouldn't have overlapped, and repeated themselves from time to time. I especially wished I had learned how to stand in front of a class and teach. That said, I really loved my class! The students I had were incredibly inquisitive and engaging! They asked all kinds of questions and always came back with some very creative homework! It was wonderful to see how their minds worked when tossed with a topic or subject to photograph. My hope for them is that they truly continue with their photography and have a great time exploring the many aspects of the art! After all of this, and after getting some great feedback from one of my students, I really hope that I get another opportunity to host a weekly workshop. Not just for the reason that it was such, great fun but also, because I desperately want to get better at this.

500px.com

It's amazing how many websites there are out there to sell your images. A few days ago I came across one called 500px.com. Truthfully, I had never heard of this site before but, upon closer inspection, I quickly got the idea that it's been around for quite some time. So, liking what I saw, I immediately opened an account with them. One of their best selling points is the fact that I don't have to deal with the details of shipping and handling. That is all them! This leaves me completely free and clear to wander outside my house, in whatever state of creative inebriation I find myself at the time, and completely concentrate on taking my images.On top of that, they always answer my questions in as timely a manner as possible. And, as all of who've ever waited on pointed tinder hooks for any kind of response from any website on which we've just posted a query,all of which are of the utmost, press the red button now!, importance, this is very much appreciated. So far, I'm very happy with them. If you would like to take a look, then, here are my images. http://500px.com/llongmore (having tried to attach a link to this blog before, I'm really hoping this works this time) But, if the link doesn't work then, just look up my name, Loretta Stephens, and see where that gets you. Alright, fingers crossed, heeere... weee..go!

Washington Bound!

I love visiting my uncle and cousins in Washington D.C. Not only because I don't get to see them as much as I'd like but because the city is such a wonder to me. Everything about it is so new and open to me, so welcoming. Okay, maybe that's just in the tourist area, but still, I felt invited there. Speaking of tourists, there is such an influx of tourists there that at times it's hard to tell the natives from the invaders. They pool around the famous buildings and open areas like ants at a picnic, each pushing and pulling their way to the next stone attraction before the sun goes down or anybody else gets there. I didn't mind them that much, really, I was with my cousin and we just flew through them to get to our own attraction, of which my favorite was The Newseum. It's located near the Capital building and right beside the Canadian Embassy. It was truly the most informative and the most surprising. Who knew that News could be so interesting or had such a profound history. And, I know how foolish that sounds, the news has been around for as long as we'ved had people on this earth but, still, it blew me away to see so many periodicals of newsworthy items on display in there. They had pages of newspapers from The Civil War depicting how the battle was going that week, they had an early printing press, a Klansman robe, including what was left of the car that the very first journalist was sitting in when he was assassinated. Not to mention a plethora of articles on Katrina. The place was an amusement park of information! I would definitely go back. At the very top of the building was a long promenade that gave you an almost 180 degree look at the streets below. From up there I could see the museums across the way and if I looked all the way down the street I could see The Capital Building. It made for such a stunning vista. The other museum I really liked was the Native American Museum. It was such a beautiful, curvaceous piece of work that housed a grand fountain on the outside. The inside was nothing to sneeze at either. It was another wellspring of information that completely took me by surprise. I can't wait to go back again. For, as with all things on vacation, there was so much to see and sadly, so little time to see it in. Maybe I'll see the zoo next time,or explore the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, either by kayak or canoe, or maybe I'll eat at one of the many food trucks that litter the city. Whatever I decide to do I know that my next time in the city will be just as good, if not better than the last.

All Aboard!

A little while back I went on a trip to Washington D.C.with my mother. We went to see some family members whom we hadn't seen in a very long while and, as with all of my other trips, and any trip I venture on, I took my camera. My preferable way of traveling is by train. Call me old fashion, or just plain romantic,but I love traveling by train. It's so much more comfortable, and leisurely than any other mode of transportation. C'mon, think back to the last time you traveled: do you remember feeling enough leg room to spread your feet out and stretch your toes without pissing off the person in front of you when your legs hit the underside of their seat? How about standing up? When was the last time that you got the opportunity to wander from plane to plane or bus to bus on any of your travels? And not to mention the view. What do you really see up there? Even the bus only gives you a driver's view of what's going on outside your window. Now, While I truly enjoy the view of the earth from the sky, there is just nothing like the scene outside your window that lingers along beside you on a train. It's like the country your in has finally gotten a chance to meet you and it doesn't want to miss the opportunity to wave and say hi! This is it's chance and it's going to take it. There is also no rushing on trains- to some extent. Although the train may be speeding along, you and your luggage are still going to get to your destination at least ten hours well past your compatriots in the air. But, you don't mind. You've come to fully accept this. It's all part of the train experience, the train mystique. I saw some great vistas on this trip. They ranged from lakes, oceans, to mountains and valley's. It was definitely a side of this land that I'd never seen before, even when I took this same trip years before. I didn't remember seeing the things I saw this time around. The voyage itself was also very different the first time, as well. For one thing, We had to take a bus from Montreal at some un-Godly hour of the morning to St Albans New York. Once there, my mother and I, and a scattering of other passengers, had to walk through some patches of bushes to a tiny, near minuscule, shack in the middle of nowhere. It was so tiny the only thing that fit inside was a ticket counter and a patch of space on the floor big enough for only, maybe, six people to pace around on.Then, to get on the train we had to step off of the postage stamp platform and walk the five or six feet across a swath of rocks and pebbles to a massive waiting train, on which we had to step up to to get on. Great adventure for me, not so much fun for my mother with arthritic knees. But, none of that on this trip. This time the train left from the Montreal Gare Central station, downtown.It was so much easier for my mother this way. Barely any up and down to go through. Okay, so on the train you have to buy your own food. Have you tasted airline food? Wouldn't you want to buy something better if you had the choice? Granted, it was a tad expensive, and if you are going on AmTrak you are already spending your American loot but, it was totally worth it, if not for the cold beer then for the walk from your seat to the dining car alone. To some extent, I've become very spoiled by this way of traveling. Barring the times when I couldn't afford to pay out the high price for a very long and winding train ride in the short time that was allotted to me during my break or vacation, this has always, and will always be my first choice of getting anywhere outside of my city, my province, or my country. God, help me if I have to go to overseas. Seriously, they can build a Chunnel from London to Paris but they can't build one across the Atlantic?! Where's their ambition?!

Workshop 2012

On March tenth of this year I hosted another successful photography workshop
for McGill University.
This time around I had eleven students ready to learn the basics of photography.
We met at the usual place on Mount Royal Park in front of the lower chalet facing
Beaver Lake.
Once again, we had a glorious day of sunshine and blue skies.
But, being that this was March there was still a bit of a chill in the air, which
picked up a bit as we ascended to the top of the mountain after the lecture part
of our class was over.
As with all of my workshops I took a group photo at the end of class, but, by the
time I took it this year some of my students had already departed, so, sadly, some
of them are not represented in the shot.

Thank you to all of my students that took my workshop! I had a great day with you all and
am truly proud to have met you!
Happy shooting!

At The Zoo...

This must be a stellar year for me and the United Photographers Of Montreal! Two outings in a row! I really hope this streak keeps up!

The next outing we went to was to the Eco Museum in Ste. Anne De Bellvieu.
Until that day I didn't even know we had an Eco Museum in Montreal. But, after that outing I was very glad we did. It was such a pleasnt surprise!
The place was bigger than I thought it would be, considering the area it was situated in. It wasn't too far from the highway and was practically surrounded by trees and all manner of foliage.
It looked like it could have been taken out of any adventure book you might have read as a child.
It was such a beautiful place!
We got to see it on a very sunny and chilly Saturday morning. Once through the main building we pushed through the back doors and the first creature we saw were a group of Snowy Owls. They were of a good size and so amazing to look at. As we wandered around the place we came upon a long man made bridge that traversed a body of water that could have been out of a Louisianna Bayou, green moss skimming across the surface and all.
There were a set of very playfull Sea Otters, a rather pungent porcupine, White Tailed Deers, at least three Black Bears, and so many opportunities for nature photography that my cup runeth over.
I particularly loved this aspect of the day. I shot so many images that I had to change cards!I was both surprised and dissapoint to find that the lake where the water fowls were to be was under construction. But,from what I hear it should be finished by next summer.
A real surprise was the basement of the main building. there they housed the anphibians, turtles, and snakes. I got a great shot of a turtle with his nose just barely poking out of the water's surface. I shot it without a tripod so, I was klucky it came out the way it did.

My other picture, albeit, a bit more shaky, was an abstract of the turtle's body, toes on their tips torso reaching up towards...what? Food, another turtle, maybe just to get some air...

I really enjoyed this place. The price wasn't too high to get in, from what I remembered, so it's a perfect place for families. It's somewhere I would definitely return to and highly reccommend to others.
Keep the activities coming UPM!

Abandoned

One weekend in October I got to do something I've always wanted to do.
I got to shoot inside an abandoned building.

It had been about a year since I took part in any activities with my photography group, The United Photographers Of Montreal. For one reason or another I found myself constantly waylaid by all kinds of outings or work related activities that kept me out of their reach and off of their radar. But when the outing to shoot in an abandoned factory came up I quickly checked my schedule and made a note to be there- come Hell or High water!
The factory in question was the abandoned sugar factory in St. Henri. It was a bit hard to get to but, oh, so, worth the trek.
First, we had to walk under an underpass, dotted with various size mud puddles, then, reaching our destination, scamper down a slightly steep hill before we entered the crag-like opening of the factory.
Victory!
It was as I had dreamed.
There was this great, and vast opening before you as you ventured inside. Watching your footsteps you could either take the tiny stone steps to your right or you could walk out onto the landing,the edge of which revealed the gaping maw of the center of the building.
I was in Hog heaven!
Sadly, I could stay as long as I wanted to. I had to meet a friend later that evening. But, I did make the most of my day while I was there.

The one thing noticed about the building was that it wasn't as lonely as I thought it would be.
The amount of people lurking in the shadows or galivanting in plain sight was astonishing to me! Here I thought I was doing something clandestine, something beneath the scope of the law when all the while the place was hopping like a club at two a.m.!
Among the other things I noticed was the artwork. Because, let's face it, that's what it was. Great murals lamenting the recent or not so recent passing of a loved one, friend or family, lavish stokes of bravado splashed all across the various walls of the buildings interior.

There was also refuse, debris left from someone's other life. saw this sad, dilapidated stuffed tiger drowning in a pool of fetid water.

At first, I thought it out of place in a setting like this but then I looked around me and saw all the stories of people's lives displayed all around me and I thought better if it- it probably fit in there more than I did.
The place was huge!You could probably walk through the whole place and still forget that there's a roof!
The roof was a real treat. Up there you could get a really good view of the overpass, and at the right time of day the lighting must be breathtaking.
I know that I couldn't stay there long that day but I was extremely happy to have gotten the chance to see the place and photograph it. I hope to go back real soon(I wonder what it looks like in the snow?)but not alone- it might have been crowded that day but, it may not be all time! I'm not crazy!

Workshop 2011

Back in October I hosted another workshop for the McGill Mini Courses.This time around my class containedcthree amazing students. Ateeya, Deveney, and Sarah. It was such a pleasure to have them in my group. They were so open and interested in the things that I said. I loved that they asked all mannor of questions of me, all of which I tried my very best to answer.
I hope they have a great holiday and continue shooting!

As always I took my class to Mount Royal Park- but this time we made a tiny detour and ventured into the Mount Royal Cemetery. As some of my group had never been in there before I was more than happy to give them the ten cent tour.
Inside, we passed by some of the oldest tombstones in the cemetery. Some so old that the names engraved upon them were barely ledgible, and others still had stones that were hardly able to stand upright any more. Of course there were the angles, some on high, some down below, some with all of their parts and, some missing quite a few. The cherubs, too, were on display, stioically watching guard over thier sole charge.
It all made for a very picturesque tableau.
We ended our workshop in front of the large chalet that over looked the city. If I am not mistaken, I walked down the other side of the mountain with Deveney (if this is wrong, I give you my humble appologies..). The view from, what I think is trhe steeper side of the mountain does have it's beauties. Like the Stream of water that poured out of a pipe in the side of a hill that I had never seen before.

As you walked down the wooden staircase you couldn't help but follow the path of the softly trickling water as it pooled into a tiny basin at the foot of the hill.
A truly beautiful sight, to be sure!
It is a wonderful thing not to be too complacent about your surrundings. Always leave room to be surprised from time to time.
My next workshop begins in March.
Happy shooting everyone!