2011 WEEK 41: 99% vs 1%

Got stuck behind the 8-ball of work deadlines this week but I was able to nip out for an hour and a half and catch a few snaps of the "Occupy Vancouver" protest in the park outside the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Apparently there were more than 4,000 people in attendance.

Yes, placement of "The Dark Tower of Sauron" in the frame aka the TD Bank building was entirely intentional! Call it subtle (AHEM!) commentary.

And there was a whole lot of commentary to be seen amongst the crowds with people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds making a statement in support of their various causes.

There were almost as many cameras in attendance as there were signs and placards. The media circus was in full swing with professionals, semi-pros and hobbyists all grabbing footage and photos from every angle.

Despite the presence of so many cameras, I still found myself feeling self conscious every time I took a picture. It still seems rude to capture someones image without asking especially given the possibility of sharing it with the world on this blog. This is something I'm trying to get over.

This was my most brazen of pictures. I walked right by him moments later and was half expecting to be   thrown down to the ground and have my camera confiscated but I got a nod and a smile instead.

In light of the horrible events that transpired a few months ago following the Vancouver Canucks' loss in the Stanley Cup final, not to mention certain past incidents involving large crowds and local law enforcement, it was nice to see everyone getting along on Saturday. "Peaceful Protest" was very much the order of the day and though there were significant numbers of Police around (including several undercover guys tucked away up high on the surrounding buildings) everyone seemed to be in good spirits all things considered.

I'm very curious to see how this worldwide movement advances and grows over the coming month. Hopefully the protests will at least inspire intelligent debate. Even better how significant positive change? Regardless of the outcome, I hope they remain peaceful.

There are far too many in this world who are suffering needlessly. There are also too many in this world who are unaware of just how lucky they are. For more on "The Power of Privilege" take a read of THIS BLOG by a very special friend of mine.

Until next time folks, peace and love.

2011 WEEK 37: Hey baby, check out my Lensbaby!

What, you ask, is a "lensbaby"?

It's my latest toy (and a cheap one thanks to Craigslist). As for what the purpose of it is, well, it's what the pros call a "selective focus" device. The principle is very simple - basically it's a stand alone lens with a focal length of around 50mm that is attached to a bellows which connects to the camera. The bellows allows the user to bend the lens (and thus the light passing through it) changing the focal plane with it.

"Focal what?" This is the area where the light hits the sensor of the camera and normally it is parallel with the subject - focus at 8' and everything on that axis in the range of 8' (depending on f-stop, depth of field etc. but that's a different subject!) will be in focus.

The Lensbaby allows the user to shift the plane of focus into different angles for various creative effects.

This is what it looks like:

And this is my first photo taken with it:

Pretty funky huh?! These are the stairs at the longest renovation/upgrade site in Vancouver - I swear they've been replacing shrubs, re-doing concrete etc. here for YEARS.

The Lensbaby is a tricky little thing to get the hang of. It's extremely sensitive and the first challenge is how to hold it and be able to move it while still being able to take the picture - Move it a millimeter too far in one direction and everything is out of focus. The fact that the bellows is free-moving and can be twisted into pretty much any direction and you can see where the challenge lies. This is one of those gadgets where one has to take many more pictures than normal just to get one that turns out.

Ah... Fall is definitely here. I love the colours in this one. It also gave me a false sense of confidence because I got this picture in just two attempts. Not so the rest... In two hours I took over 300 pictures and ended up with only 20 or so keepers.

A photo walk downtown wouldn't be complete without another entry in the "Vancouver's Weird & Wonderful Scupltures" series. Nor would it be complete without our infamous bike lanes...

This next one is one that only kind of works... I wish I'd been able to nail the focus on the flowers not the leaves.

I took many, many pictures of the fountains around the Art Gallery and this was the only one that had anything in focus. 

This next one was snapped in colour but as soon as I saw it I just knew it would be more effective with some high contrast black and white post-processing treatment. It has that dreamy New York period feel.

I don't know why Nelson Street is an enemy of God... Or is this a Simpsons reference?

The Lensbaby really focuses one's attention on the subject of the photo - It's a creative form of tunnel vision. Again, I took a lot of photos to get this one. I also got a lot of strange looks: "What the hell has that guy got on his camera?!"

Depending on where the light is and how it is hitting the Lensbaby, weird things happen. I brought out the funky in this next one with some post-processing warming and with the addition of a vignette.

No effect needed on this next one. Straight out of the camera as it was captured:

The same goes for this one too...

Something about this next one makes it my favourite. I love the colours and the dreamy softness.

All in all, for my first fumbling attempts, I think I achieved some moderate success. I'm looking forward  to experimenting a lot more with my new "baby".

FOR THE GEEKS: The Lensbaby product line has a whole bunch of different versions. I have the Lensbaby 2.0 which comes with an aperture adjustment kit and aperture tool (that's the odd looking gadget beside the lens in the top picture. The higher-end Lensbaby products come with Macro lenses, different shaped aperture kits and versions that allow the user to lock the focus in place which given my struggles I can imagine would be a very useful feature.

Until next time folks.