Flora Week (II) - Day Ten

I like this one. But, then, I also like all the photos I've posted here to some extent.. So I guess that's not really anything special. I still like it though. Moving on!

Flora Week (II) - Day Nine

This on sorta counts as Flora and sorta doesn't. It is a plant, it was just butchered then thrown into some water. Now all that's left of it is some symbol of lost romanticism.. or something. I dunknow. Still looks nice though, so there's that!

Flora Week (II) - Day Eight

Flowers and plant life! That's what we're having this week! Which I think is rather appropriate given the sudden heavy shift in Fall / Winter we're having in Saskatchewan. If we ever need a reminder of what colour plant life lends the atmosphere, it's during this grey time of year.

Women's Soccer Week (II) - Photo Phriday!

8x14

So I decided to fool around in photoshop a little for this photo (in case, for some reason, you couldn't tell...). I'm undecided as to whether I should make more tiny adjustments but, for now, I'll just leave this as is. Now the only question that remains is, what photos will go up next week??

Women's Soccer Week (II) - Day Thirteen

Women's Soccer Week (II) - Day Twelve

As one might expect, there isn't really a lot to be said about soccer photos. So, yeah, commentary may be lacking for these next two days. Somehow, I think you'll survive without it. If only just barely.

Women's Soccer Week (II) - Day Eleven

Some of you may recognize this as one of the first soccer photos I ever posted. Now soccer is one of the primary things I shoot.. well at least when I'm not shooting politics.. or random artsy stuff.. alright so it isn't THE primary thing I shoot but it definitely ranks up there are one of my main stays of photography right now. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is don't be surprised if you see this theme come up again!

Women's Soccer Week (II) - Day Ten

Ball control!

Yeah, these entries aren't going to be overly inspiring or humourous in terms of captions. They'll have something akin to captions thought and that's worth something, right?

That's what I'll keep telling myself anyweather...

Women's Soccer Week (II) - Day Nine

BAM! Ball blocked!

Women's Soccer Week (II) - Day Eight

I think it's time we went back to another week of Women's Soccer. "Why?" is the favourite question I imagine you asking though really I doubt you're asking any questions. The simple answer, in any case, is that this is the week Women's Soccer starts up again which means I will have plenty of opportunities to add to this collection. Woo hoo!

I also play soccer, coincidentally, though not on a women's team and I also find it very hard to take photos of myself while playing. So don't expect many of those.

Saskatchewan Week - Photo Phriday

OMG, right? I live in the province so you would expect sweeping landscapes, shots of the Queen City and everything that epitomizes what we know of Saskatchewan and instead we get planes? LAAAMME.

K, here me out! In fairness, I have given you a couple landscapes. They might not be what you expect of Saskatchewan but then, my photos aren't exactly what you would expect of anything, right? Plus, if you think about it these two planes do sort of epitomize Saskatchewan. They're after all the Snowbirds which are basically the pride of Saskatchewan given that they're based out of Moose Jaw. So I'm not completely off base by showing these.

Besides, do you know how hard it is to get a decent landscape photo when you rise just in time for work and finish just as the sun has finished setting? It's hard! I mean, I'm trying to not disturb my natural habits and waking up an hour earlier to get a decent photo.. why that just might be asking too much! Not painting the best picture of myself, am I? Well, let's stop typing and stop hurting my case then! See you tomorrow!

Saskatchewan Week - Day Six

There's one other thing worthy of photo posting - even if the photo itself isn't exactly special - when you're talking about Saskatchewan: Grain Elevators. These are still around but are more and more being replaced by large metal structures and are very much becoming a relic of the past. Once they littered the prairies at every city, town, hamlet and, occasionally, even at some hermits. Now, well not so much. Still, in terms of monolithic structures, none are quite so awesome to photograph on the prairies as these elevators are.

Saskatchewan Week - Day Five

If you ever decide to visit any of the major parks of Saskatchewan, you'll likely happen across a couple of these fellas. Particularly in the cities, they have a great deal worked out with their human counterparts: You feed them, keep your distance and never approach their young and they'll tolerate your presence to within a few feet. I'm not convinced humans are getting the better end of this deal (which is part of the reason why you shouldn't feed them. The other reason you shouldn't feed them is because YOU SHOULDN'T FEED THEM) but it does allow for some very nice photos now and again.

Saskatchewan Week - Day Four

Since I'm being very stereotypical in how I present most of these geographical photos, I would be somewhat remiss if I didn't include a nice one of an old rotting barn in the vast expanse of Saskatchewan. If you ever do decide to drive through Saskatchewan you're bound to see one of these.. or thirty.

Symbolic of a time gone by when the world was a better place, they're remniscent of some lost farmers dreams.. a land without jet planes, juke boxes, free thinking and all those other things which represented change! Yes, those were the days my friends. The structures are also old, rotting and probably not safe for kids to be around. Great to take photos of though!

Saskatchewan Week - Day Three

AND we have another lovely one from out near the Nicolle Flats, though the large difference with this guy is that I'm not convinced you could go shoot this one yourself anytime in the near future. Ignoring the fact that we're fast coming upon winter here in the prairies (and probably a few other places in the world) the path that me and a friend used to go out and take this photo I discovered not too long ago was completely washed out. Yep. One of those rare unspoken advantages of living in the prairies is you can occasionally find yourself in a flood plain and when you do, and there is a walking path on said flood plain, don't be surprised if that nice little walking path doesn't survive a good rain year.

Which brings me to my other complaint about farmers complaining when it rains and when it's sunny out...

Saskatchewan Week - Day Two

I took this photo out by Nicolle Flats near Buffalo Pound early one evening. I like the contrasting colours in the photo, which is why I took this photo, though I doubt it will win any prizes. Unless there's one for the most boring description of a photo. It might stand a chance in that category..

Saskatchewan Week - Day One

Here I am, over three months into this blog, and I realize that I've done a focal point on the NWT and Banff (two focal points in fact)! Yet I still have no done one on Saskatchewan. As the cow said to the farmer at the slaughterhouse: WTF?

So I have showcased more then a few Saskatchewan photos on here already, just not a week specifically dedicated to them. Ergo, its time you enjoyed some lovely Saskatchewan scenery like this marsh! In comparison to those boring mountains of Banff and majestic nights of the NWT, doesn't this marsh just make you wish you were here?

Random Inanimate Object Week - Photo Phriday!

This week's Photo Phriday comes to us all the way from Taiwan! Well, okay, it's actually a photo taken in Regina, SK but the Random Inanimate Object is from Taiwan. Julia and I got this as a tiny gift for our wedding from a couple friends of our who have made their way over to the Asian quarter. And, really, this little guy is just soooooooooo cute I HAD to take a photo of it. Literally. I had no choice in the matter, that's how cute this is. I almost wish it was animate, 'cept then it wouldn't belong here!

I'd suggest you get one of your own to marvel at but you may have to do some clever searching to find it over here 'cause I doubt you'll find them in any regular stores here. Maybe pokeballs though. K, enough nerdiness for now, bye! ~Until tomorrow!

Random Inanimate Object Week - Day Six

Fence! Yeah, I've got nothing witty to add to this. It's a fence. I took a picture of it. It's here now. There was much rejoicing. Woo.

Will there be something more exciting for Photo Phriday??? I wonder...

Random Inanimate Object Week - Day Five

Here's an interesting Random Inanimate Object that I'm posting as much for my desire to revisit it as it is my desire to have you marvel in its inanimate nature. You see, one of the main exercises of the blog, as well as (more directly) Photo Phriday, is to constantly keep my mind active and thinking about photography. More then that though, it's an attempt to keep improving my photography 'cause, I mean, old photos are nice an' all but you can't always live off of your old work. Photography is as much a live, fluid art form as is any other form of expression and the longer it's been since adding to your collection, the more stale your work gets.

Well, at least that's a good excuse to keep taking more photos anyweather!

That being said though, I've learned a fair bit since I took this photo originally and knowing now what I didn't know then, revisiting this could have some interesting results.. possibly even postable results! ..Though I promise I'll be adding new, original photography long before then.

Hmm.. this entry was less humourous and more informative.. that's no good! Let's end with a joke then!

One day there were three tomato's out walking: A mama tomato, a papa tomato and a baby tomato. As they were walking the baby tomato started to lag behind, so the papa tomato went back to the baby tomato and smushed the baby tomato into the ground saying "Ketchup".

Yeah, that's lame. Let's end this entry. now.

Random Inanimate Object Week - Day Four

The thing with random inanimate objects is, at least for me, a lot of them tend to be boring at least on the large scale. Ergo, as luck would have it, this is also practically a macro week except not quite as not all of these shots are macro. They're random after all. Well, even then not random because then I would have to be random and, let's face it, I'm pretty predictable. But the heart of the idea is there, even if it doesn't work in practice. And besides, who doesn't like looking at more macro photo anyweather?

Oh... just for clarification, yes at one point this wasn't inanimate but, judging by the rust on it, it is very much inanimate now. So YAY for technicalities!

Random Inanimate Object Week - Day Three

In terms of favourites this one, for me, doesn't rank anywhere in the range of my top ten but it really fits the category well. I mean, A chair sitting randomly in some long grass? Heck, if anything is going to save humanity (after a carbon rod) it's a random discarded chair. Of course, I don't have anything to back this up...

Random Inanimate Object Week - Day Two

You'd figure that random inanimate objects would be something littering my photo archives and readily accessible but not really. It turns out I really like taking photos of animate objects and, when they aren't animate, they aren't random either. Doesn't that just beat all. Why it almost looks like I'll have to take some different, exciting photos to entertain you then? Gawd, how annoying!

...That's also the problem with the internet and blogging, there is no easy way to confirm I was sarcastic in that last sentence without directly stating it in some manner. C'est la vie, eh?

Random Inanimate Object Week - Day One

That's right, it's time for everyone favourite type of inanimate objects: Random! Unfortunately I have no photos of carbon rods, so if you're expecting that you'll have to look elsewhere. Otherwise though, it's the perfect time for you to stare in awe and wonder at... NAILS. OOooo. So deep. So meaningful. So.. Inanimate.

Mission Accomplished!

(Yes, I pulled a Dubya, I said 'it' at the beginning, not the end..)

Banff Week (II) - Photo Phriday!

In these past two weeks of Banff photos we've seen plenty of mountains, forests and rivers. Like that famous Arrogant Worms song goes, we've got lots of rocks and trees and rocks and trees and rocks and water! And my photos are here to prove it (at least for Banff)! But do you know what I haven't shown you of Banff and area so far? Well, in case you haven't looked at the photo you had to scroll by to read this, I'll tell you: Strutting Ravens!

Yeah, who'd've thunk it?

Most birds you'll encounter are, justifiably, wary of humans. We have a bad tendency to hurt and kill things that aren't ourselves. And even then... *shakes head at humanity in general*

ANYWEATHER!

Not ravens though and certainly not this one. I did take a few more bird photos while in Banff but, for the most part, I was very careful to take whatever opportunity I had with the lens I had on at the time (usually my wide angle lens) to get a few really bad shots of the fauna. This was because if I made any sudden, questionable moves or sounds (ie reaching into my backpack, making weird noises switching lenses) most wildlife would flee like I was the hunter in Bambi. But, no not this bird. He just watched me, five to ten feet away as I would take two or three minutes to switch my lens, point the camera in his direction and shoot many many photos (of which only two aren't crap). The conclusion to draw from this? Ravens are either extremely dumb or just really enjoy looking down on us. Personally, given that strut, I'm guessing the latter.

Banff Week (II)- Day Thirteen

Are you tired of seeing so many mountains? Yeah, so am I. Which is why we're back to flowing streams and waterfalls. Honestly, the beauty of Banff and surrounding area is just how many of these darned things there are. Go for a short hike (well, okay, possibly an hour hike) and then BAM! Waterfall. Okay, again, you actually hear it from some distance off but the point remains the same: they're everywhere, it's just hard not to take a photo of them.

I honestly think it might be viral. You walk into Banff perfectly healthy and then you get this weird itch. NO, not that other itch you've had for a long time that the doctor says he can't do anything about. A different one. And this one just makes you want to walk up to the waterfall (or mountain for that matter) and snap thousands of photos of it, like you're the first one to ever discover it even though you're on a designated walking path waving to strangers every five minutes. Photowaterfallitis is what its called and you have it bad. Plus, it won't go away until you're in the mountains (and even then it's been known to persist..). No matter how many antibodies you've built up it's there, absorbing you very core, you're very being.

Wow, heavy. Just be glad it's usually non-fatal. Usually. O_O

Banff Week (II)- Day Twelve

Well, I think I've gone enough days in this blog without posting a photo of some mountains in Banff, don't you? It's been three whole days! Crazy, I know! I mean, it's Banff you can't turn around without having some Mountain accidentally crash into your photo. So, yeah. I resisted as long as I could but they're back.

Hopefully you find these mountain photos amusing but if not you can always click one of those "Labels" on the side to go find something else fun to look at.

Like..

I dunknow...

...

FIREWORKS!

Everyone loves fireworks! Yeah! Give it a try! It'll be amusing!!

..or not, fine. Just keep looking at mountains. See if I care that you're neglecting those poor innocent fireworks. hmph! *sniffle*

Banff Week (II)- Day Eleven

I've been trying, and not succeeding, for quite a while to capture the perfect forest path photo. Something that says creepy but not excessively contrasty. Something that says evil is ahead but you don't know what...

Of course in this photo I didn't get that at all! On the other hand, the colour is nice.. so there's that! Bah, back to the drawing board, as 'they' say.

Banff Week (II)- Day Ten

If there's one thing I can't get enough photos of (aside from flowers or the Saskatchewan Legislature) it's statues! Yes, Statues are just so fun to take photos of: from high angles, from low angles, from tiny details to the entire thing, you name it! So, of course, the first statue of any worth that I see in Banff I take a photo of. Who is he? That's a good question. I read the plaque and I nodded my head pretending he was important and worth remembering but I didn't. Oops. Regardless, as you can see he points very well and you can bet whoever he was pointing at was getting a good lecture at the time. Either that, or getting told which way they had to go in order to see the mountains. Either or.

Banff Week (II)- Day Nine

Here's another two photos that I couldn't decide which one looked better: B+W or just plain colour. Ah well, either way I'm happy with how the shot turned out. After all, it reminds me of those bonsai trees over in Asia, except this one's here! And only slightly less sparse looking!

Banff Week (II)- Day Eight

This is me, winding it back a week and adding to the Banff Week photos. "Why?" you may ask. Well, given that this is the most recent, most exciting thing I've done (that everyone knows about.. I could be a secret espionage master for all you know..) posting these photos now will likely garner more attention then say two months from now. Not that you won't want to see these photos two months or three years from now but, for the moment, I imagine your interest will be slightly higher given the more recent relevance. Anyweather, I'm getting into run-on sentences so stop reading and just enjoy the macro of a random flowering thing I found, for now!