En tout cas, I’m back where I was in March. Progress is slow but good.

In the spirit of things I did in March, here are a few photos I took in and around an alley next to the Molson brewery in Montréal when I went to see some bands. I hung around there for a little over an hour between this big rehearsal space and the beer factory. A sensory experience if I ever had one. Guitars & yeast in quantities that exceed bar levels of each.

Next blog post will feature some highlights from the blog I edit for the News Photographers Association of Canada. Sometimes I post on Twitter about the blog but if you don’t follow that, the next post will be especially worthwhile. It’s a fun gig and I feel lucky to have gotten a great group of people to share a bit of themselves on it.

Wish I got to see Tonstartssbandht at my friends’ home but that show went on till 4am or something. No dice. Next time?

Last week, I made an epic salad for a knitter friend and I and we dined on the edge of the Ottawa Locks. While there, I snuck this photo.

Ended up being on Monday’s A Photo A Day on the News Photographers Association of Canada website. Ringing in the first day of summer!

Here’s another shot taken 22 seconds later.

Collectively, Nicola Kuperus, Ryan Foerster & James Cooper have been written about in People Weekly, Vice Magazine, XLR8R, Juxtapoz, Tiny Vices, ISO50, Apartment Therapy & Fecal Face.

Now, their work will be on the walls of Canteen Gallery in Ottawa for a few weeks.

The vernissage is this Friday, June 4 from 7-10pm. There will be cupcakes from Auntie Loo’s. Also, I have prepared a special mix on my iPod for the occasion. If Inaas fixes her speakers, expect to hear some Clipse, ADULT., Passions, Pissed Jeans, Goblin and Plastic Bertrand. Maybe even some J. Timby.

Plz come, eh.

I was on CHUO 89.1FM earlier today talking about it. Funny to be on da radio.

Here’s a poster I put up at a few choice spots today. Click on it to make it bigger.

PS: If you are on Twitter, y’all should follow me @championdumonde. I update that drastically more than I update this blog. This BP thing is bumming me out but I am generally probably a bit funnier on Twitter.

PPS: above is a photo I took at 2:08am some night a few weeks ago. I posted a few more on Flickr.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I’d be bringing photos from a few out of town photographers to Ottawa. It has been announced in a few places for about a week now so I am now sharing it with this blog.

NICOLA KUPERUS (Detroit)
member of ADULT. (Ersatz Audio), featured in XLR8R

JAMES COOPER (Bermuda)
featured in Juxtapoz & Tiny Vices

RYAN FOERSTER (Newmarket)
featured in Vice, Nylon & People

The show opens Friday June 4 at Canteen Gallery in Ottawa. Come between 7 & 10. Show up early if you want vegan gluten free cupcakes. The show runs till June 27.

All in all, I’m pretty pumped to be involved with these three and hope people reading this and people in Ottawa will appreciate the work.

I feel this is a rare event for Ottawa and I’m grateful each artist accepted to show their work at Canteen.

So yea, share this. Tweet it. Do whatever. It’s actually kind of important.

The view.

The Office.

The mixed items.

These next three were shot in Trinity Bellwoods through a high contrast orange filter.

Rebecca & Sarah.

Now for some cell phone shots…

A dog at the Berkeley Church

And some from Hot Docs…

Kimber rode a horse across Canada and made a movie about it. She is the first woman to do this since 1949.

Guess Who…it isn’t The Guess Who.

OTTAWA – May 31, 2009 – Lucy Chapman (left), her partner and their daughter remain locked in a group hug during Guerilla Freeze, an event meant to desensitize passers-by to the sight of same-sex displays of affection. (Paul Galipeau / Capital Xtra!)

This is rad because I’m up against two pretty big names and the photo was also shot for Capital Xtra! There’s a video of the event the photo was taken at on Xtra.ca where you get different angles of the moment. You can also see me in the video, I think. We’ll find out what happens in a few weeks. Get the full list of categories and nominees at NPAC.ca.

Until we find out, here’s a photo of me trying to get out of New Jersey yesterday (JK…mad love to the Garden State).

JE ME SOUVIENS MAINTENANT… Last year, I went to a small yet spirited party at one of my fave Ottawa restaurants, Oz Kafe (huuuge respect to my pals holding down the fort over there), and I had no camera. Others did, however, and I saw at least one mostly sitting on a table, left unused. “Blasphemy!”, I thought, so I picked up the tiny CoolPowerPixShot-whatever-it-was and got to work, thinking I’d never see any of these photos again.

Like a baby, which many people I know seem to be having these days, nine months later, the photos surfaced – apparently as much a surprise to the camera’s owner to me.

Looking at the photos, I actually feel kind of pleased with what I managed to capture with a small camera that had been so neglected.

I’m stoked about these photos because I kind of see them as the potential EVERYONE has to take interesting photos in regular environments if only they cared enough to try.

And you do need to try. You need to take photos every day and become familiar with your camera – whatever it may be. Make mistakes and learn from them. Share your photos and be open to feedback. Don’t be scared to take risk and don’t be bummed when something you like isn’t the same as what your neighbour likes. Be prepared to kill your idols too.

Then again, maybe people are wise to leave their cameras on tables for people like me to pick up and maybe they should do it more often.

Or, maybe “anyone can take these photos”!

Yes? No? Discuss…

PS: Shout outs to Victoire & Danny Deleto, members of which are seen in the above photos and help make this city a bit more interesting for me every day. Sincerely.

That changes tomorrow…

Tomorrow night (Tuesday) at Canteen in Ottawa, I’ll have some of those oldies selling at $1 a pop as part of Canteen’s Picturama. In my photos, you’ll catch glimpses of life in two different communities in Nunavut, a now-defunct hardcore music festival in Syracuse, New York as well as some photos of Montreal and Ottawa. Here’s a preview:

Not seen is a photo of seal blood on the streets of Iqaluit. For real.

The $1 price tag is cheap – maybe too cheap. But, if Picturama works, it should get people thinking about photography as a medium that indeed does have value and that it should be used, printed and displayed. Also, word is that I’ve already made a sale!

Hangin’ pictures on my wall
Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl
- Biggie

This second set actually doesn’t have a single photo taken by me. I hooked up a bunch of people with disposable cameras whose flashes I covered with coloured gels. None of these people are photographers and I gave them very little direction. The dark film confused the scanning machine at the lab too so some images in this set are actually halves of two images but, it is what it is. Get into it.

Thanks to Iain, Little Alex, Jif, Antonella, Zach, Cait & Rio for being awesome parts of this project!

Totally, an unforgettable night. I think the set will be released online around Valentine’s Day. Actually, if you are reading this and you have some of your own photos from the night that you’d like to share, we’re collecting them at final.disorg@gmail.com.

The fun’s going to continue at Babylon on Friday, February 5. Details to follow…

Besides all this, I’ve had a nutty week but it has been cool. Edward Burtynsky is speaking at Carleton University this Sunday as well which I’m pyched about. If you haven’t yet, check out his movie Manufactured Landscapes. Here’s the trailer.