Hairy t-shirts – plagiarism or coincidence?
There’s a cool band from the UK called Part Chimp who, in 2006, came out with a t-shirt design featuring a really hairy face on it as a means of promoting their album “I am come.”
Next, last spring, I saw that this clothing label called Brown Sound released a t-shirt called “Uncle Kyle” featuring an equally impressive amount of hair as a moustache/mouth/beard combo.
Now, I just found on Threadless, a t-shirt entitled “Lions Are Smarter Than I Am” designed by a dude named Keith Carter featuring a glasses-wearing lion with some serious mane action.
To me, there are neat similarities between these three but maybe you disagree. Kind of neat anyway.
Part Chimp “I am come” 2006.
Brown Sound “Uncle Kyle” 2008.
Keith Carter “Lions Are Smarter Than I Am” 2008.
Seven-year-old boy survives fall over the Niagara Falls
If your parents raised you on CBC Radio, you’ve probably heard Stuart McLean’s voice once or twice, particularly on his show, The Vinyl Cafe, whose official instrument is the yukelele and whose motto is “we might not be big but we’re small.”
Recently, before starting a new season after a summer break, he replayed some of his favourite stories from 2007/08. I heard this one night last week and was so glad to discover it was available online. You can listen to the entire broadcast (and you should – it’s really awesome) but what caught my attention most was the Roger Woodward Story.
I wont say much about it except for it’s a true story about a seven year old who fell over the Niagara Falls and survived. Stuart McLean, to me, is a sort of radio equivalent of Norman Rockwell and Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life. His stories rely on a lot of details to establish a sense of truth and honesty but within these details is a creative talent that aurally livens everyday life to a point where reality seems magical. Granted, falling over the Niagara Falls has a difficult time being classed in the category of “everyday life”
The story itself is great but it’s what happens after the story is told that really clinches the story. In a way, I’m sceptical of the spontaneity of the whole thing but overall, as a piece of creative radio journalism, it’s pretty brilliant.
Download it here 21.2mb / 18:29
I’ve never personally been to Niagara Falls but as it is one of the most photographed locations on the planet, we all sort of know what it looks like. I enjoy the Bird’s Eye View from Microsoft Maps.
In other waterfall news, the Victoria Falls, straddling Zambia and Zimbabwe seems to be another prime spot to check out. In September and December, you can friggin swim at the edge without falling over.
Someone buy this for me.
I haven’t read the DaVinci (or seen the movie) but I like the (idea of the) Golden Ratio. The shirt is a cotton-polyester-rayon blend too. I bet it’s super soft.
Get it at Brooklyn Industries. I didn’t really get excited about most of their other designs but I do like this anchor.
Found on t-critic.
Animation Festival sneak peak
After interning at the Ottawa International Animation Festival a few years ago, they asked me this year to cover a bunch of the events that have been going on since Wednesday. I’m sick sick sick now but it has been a good week and I’ve met a lot of interesting people. Tomorrow’s awards gala at the Museum of Civilization should be pretty amazing. The winning films will also be shown at Ottawa’s Bytowne Cinema at 8pm.
Here are three photos from the last few days.
Seth Green (Robot Chicken)
Animation party people.
Richard Williams (Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Seriously, the screenings at the Bytowne and at the Museum of Civilization tomorrow will be awesome.
EXHIBIT: Active Absence
From September 18 until October 31, my photos will be hanging on some walls in Sandy Hill.
It would be very nice if you were able to come to the vernissage this Thursday from 5 – 9 pm.
This will be taking place at Bodé Spa (17 Marlborough, Suite 100 – near Strathcona Park)
To see more details and RSVP, here’s a link to the Facebook event
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?
In related news, Festival X, the Ottawa Photography Festival is also kicking off this Thursday. Visit FestivalX.ca for more info. Between this, covering the Animation Festival and planning the exhibit of photos taken by Kenyan kids, things are really really busy these days!
Willy Joy at Disorrrrrg
Click this image to see photos I shot!
Willy Joy from Chicago came to Ottawa last week to party with us. His mixes were completely bananas. If you’ve never heard him before, I suggest you immediately check out the mix he did for Urb Magazine.
Icebreaker slideshows online
Sometimes I tell people I spent 17 days on an icebreaker and their first question is “What’s an icebreaker?”
This is a good question because it is pretty much an invitation to tell, in more detail, about my time on the CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent in the summer of 2007. Since 1969 and until 2017 (when it is decommissioned and replaced by the CCGS John G. Diefenbaker), it has been, and will be the largest icebreaker in Canada.
How does someone describe this massive ship?
“It’s the icebreaker that rescues other icebreakers.”
What happens when it gets stuck?
“You gotta call the Russians.”
I’ve had some photos I shot on the ship online here and at CBSNews.com for a while but I’m happy to announce that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have published some slideshows I produced in June (in addition to using some of the images in the Science division’s 2006-07 annual report).
My gratitude to have had the chance to spend time on the Louis is endless. Risking frostbite while sampling water is nothing compared to the sight of a polar bear and her cub chomping on a seal.
So few people get to experience something like this that I fail to see how anyone could refuse to appreciate the opportunity.
Seriously, I’m tempted to make a thank you list of all the people that continue to enrich my memory of those days but I hope they already know they are appreciated.
Without further ado, three slideshows.
Youth Anthems
Meet my friend Iain. I shot this photo of him in his parents’ apartment back in April. I hear that he’s succeeded in getting acting work in Ottawa thanks to photos shot that afternoon. Basically, this post is about him.
He’s an up and coming History MA, comedic sensation and basically an expert on everything that is good about hip hop and hardcore. This knowledge and appreciation of music is pretty much captured in his blog Youth Anthems, a blog which he describes to friends as what his TV show would be like if he had one.
I’ll never forget one of the first things he ever said to me back in 1999: “I heard you were atheist.”
From then on, I knew he’d be a solid dude. Earlier this year, we won an iPod Battle in Ottawa together and its mostly thanks to his honed ability to read a crowd and impeccable song selection. What what what what?
The hand that rocks the SATA cradle
About how many gigs do you shoot per month? I asked this to a few people yesterday and no one really had a straight answer?
It is difficult question to answer. Until recently, I’ve always managed to keep photos from the last two months saved on my my laptop before backing it up to external drives. I also save each shoot in folders organized like this YYYY > MM > YYYYMMDD_subject so things are always easy to get to. Savvy? But now, I’m lucky if I can keep a month’s worth of photos on my computer…There’s just no more room…
Until yesterday, I had been using external drives for backups but, as cheap as they’re getting and as nice as Neil Poulton can make them, knowing how cheap internal drives are too, it sucks to spend premium dollars on a fancy box. But, hard drive enclosures are made so ugly and user-UNfriendly…
What’s a photographer with growing terabyte requirements to do?
Get a SATA cradle!
I got this thing yesterday for $47 and so far, it mounts just like an external USB drive and is running just as fast. The Drobo also seems like a good way to quickly swap multiple drives but I’ve read it runs a bit slow. Definitely something to consider though.
If any of you want to share ideas on backing up, file organization or generally, digital asset management, feel free to comment! It’s a topic that probably interests me more than it should.
Ottawa music photography
So, I’m included in a feature Matt Harrison wrote about music photographers from Ottawa in the Summer edition of Dharma Arts. It’s neat to be part of this sort of thing and to also see that I’m in good company. This city’s got some talented people that know how to make guys holding microphones seem different every time.
I submitted a number of images. They ran this one of I Refuse that I shot in 2006.
Check out the rest of the article at dharmaarts.ca.
This weekend, I also went to a secret show at Sounds Unlikely record store on Arlington. From Brooklyn, Japanther made a quick afternoon stop in Ottawa before driving to Toronto to play Sneaky Dee’s. I’ve seen this band four times and it always gets me excited. I know for a fact that some people were so inspired by the show that they ran back to their apartments and started jamming out songs.
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