At the end of November the gentleman and I trundled down to mrkt to celebrate our friend Dave's birthday. It just so happened that the birthday celebrations coincided with mrkt's first annual harvest dinner.



We were served a fixed 5 course menu paired with a selection of Italian wines. A sommelier on hand to describe all of the selections and answer any of our questions. The evening was a delight. I love multiple course fixed menu dinners. The whole experience is so relaxing and every dish is a surprise. I'm looking forward to another night out like this soon.

Two years ago Phil, Wade and I decided that we would give the 24 Hour Film Challenge a shot. Between the three of us we thought we'd make a pretty good team. And what a combination we were... Phil, a talented composer as well as skilled editor in FinalCut. Wade, also a bit of a video man as well as former thespian. And of course me, former preteen stage actress and child star of the indie-home movie circuit. I also possessed a certain love of cinematography. Naive but committed we set out to make our 5 minute masterpiece.

That first year it was just the three of us (with the exception of a brief appearance by the gentleman who served as our cook and narrator). We didn't really know what to expect so other than a few excited conversations we did almost no preparation for our 24 hours of film-making. In fact we did not even pick up the equipment we were going to use until after we had received the envelope that contained the instructions and the ever-important challenge including the genre of film (suspense) as well as the prop we needed to integrate into the film (golden coins).

Props are supposed to be shown onscreen at least four times. We could have taken the easy road out and just done a few gratuitous shots, but it's a bit more fun to make the prop a part of the film, which is how we ended up with our tragic tale of a mysterious woman (running in stilettos I might add), a suspicious death and poisoned chocolate. It was all very Hitchcock-inspired.



Our experience of 2009 was positive enough that we decided to try again last year. We had less equipment (which we had prepared the evening before) but increased the number of our cast, adding the talented Marsha and Kris as well as a few others who had a certain vegetable quality on camera (watch for Wade's brief appearance on screen. He's rather handy that one). Our genre was comedy and for a prop we had to spend an allocated sum on something from the Downtown Farmer's Market. We were at a bit of a loss at first but everything seemed to come together when we realized that one of our cast had a collection of googly eyes. Googly eyes always make vegetables more appealing. Once our leek and cauliflower had some personality it was an easy extension to film the story of the breakdown of a popular children's show.



I am selectively vague on the details of our film-making process since this is cut-throat business and we must protect our secrets. We were lucky before, as both years our films were selected in the top 10. You might even say we made some award-winners as Phil won for best score in 2009 and in 2010, Marsha, our lead won best actress. I have no idea if we can repeat the success this year, but we'll find out soon. We're preparing for another 24hour cinematic whirlwind this weekend. We're all looking forward to another fun and stressful 24 hours. I'm pretty excited to see what the other competitors come up with. There were some really great films last year. The top films are screened the following weekend on October 1st. Hopefully we finish our film on time.

On the very windy Saturday night the gentleman, younger sister and I headed to Red Star for a friend's birthday party. Thankfully the pub is only a short walk from our apartment and we didn't have to endure the blustery winds for more than a few blocks.




The birthday boy is a popular lad, so there was a good crowd gathered to help him celebrate his 27 years. After some careful beer selection there was much fraternization and harassment by camera.


It's been a while since I've made a video for anything other than work, but Sarah's recent little vids reminded me that I've missed my personal cinematic experimentation. So I made a point of getting video footage in addition to the photos from the party.

I'm going to write a day by day breakdown of my visit to San Francisco, but first, here's a little summary of my evening out at the Hotel MacDonald for another behind-the-scenes tour organized by ArtsScene Edmonton.

The gentleman is a bit of a hotel connoisseur (on account of his good breeding and his work travel schedule... anyone who has had to do some business traveling in the past knows the value of a good hotel) so as a little present I bought us both tickets, so that we could take the tour and learn a little of the history of this Edmonton landmark while fraternizing with the young professional crowd on the Hotel Mac patio. Unfortunately, on the day of the party Edmonton was enveloped in smoke from British Columbia forest fires. As a result socialization sur le patio were cut short by the horrid air quality. Instead, the majority of the activity took place inside the Wedgwood Room. A few of us did venture outside briefly for a glimpse of the river valley that looking alternatively romantic and apocalyptic in the smoky haze.

Cue the music...


behind the scenes at the fairmont

Unfortunately there was nothing really romantic about the air quality. Throughout the day smoke had seeped inside buildings leaving people smelling more than slightly reminiscent of the backwoods, eyes reddened and voices hoarse from the particulate matter in the air. Sort of a hilarious lead up to an evening of networking in one of Edmonton's classiest hotels.



Other than the few minutes that I spent on the patio admiring the silhouette of the river valley, the rest of the evening was spent inside in the prettily detailed Wedgwood Room (inspired by the intricate work on Wedgwood china) snacking on the assortment of hors d'oeuvres and savouring our beverage of choice (savouring as the drinks were expensive. I heard more than a few discontented rumblings that a free drink was not included in the ticket price of this event).



I had worked later at the office than usual and as a result I didn't get a chance to go home in between work and the event. Of course I was carrying my laptop and camera equipment, but the coat check was a bit too open for my taste so I had the annoyance of carting around a heavy bag for the entire night (or rather whining for the gentleman to carry it for me, which he did). I guess I sort of expected there to be spots to sit. Ordinarily having to stand around wouldn't have been a problem, except my feet were absolutely killing me following the walking marathon that was my trip to San Francisco. Poor footwear choice on my part. I hadn't taken into consideration the amount of walking I would be doing during the day running from meeting to meeting, nor did I consider the different weight distribution from carrying my belongings in my pannier (so classy) versus a shoulder bag, nor did I think about the inevitable end-of-day foot swelling (always go shoe shopping at the end of the day). I probably could have avoided a lot of trouble if I had just thought to shove a pair of flats in my bag.



So, boring trivialities of my carrying too much and making poor end of day footwear choices aside (typical problems for me), there was some animated conversation with friends and a few assorted strangers while we all waited anxiously for our designated tour of the hotel to begin.




Our tour groups were large and fairly boisterous, which made it difficult to hear our guides. They gave us some general history of the building, with a few anecdotes about the hotel ghost and celebrity visits to the hotel.





The tour took us through the various spaces of the hotel, starting with the empire ballroom, the drawing room (once ladies only), the jasper room (for the gents), then upstairs to one of the suites on the 8th floor (reclaimed attic space), followed by a wander through the confederation lounge to the outdoor patio. I had originally been scheduled to go on one of the first set of tours, but the gentleman was running late so I swapped our spot for one of the later groups. It was a wise decision. It was dusk by the time we had finished checking out the suite. Wade had wandered down the hallway while we waited for the elevator to head downstairs and discovered a window that overlooked one of rooftop spires. You could just make out some of the lights from across the river. The view from the patio was equally scenic. It was a real shame that the smoke had prevented us from really taking advantage of the space. If only it had been misty rather than smoky.





We left shortly after the tour (and our little bonus tour where we got to see the staff-only areas), but I heard that the party (and after party) continued into the night. I took my tired feet home.

My younger sister and I have just returned from a six day trip to San Francisco. There was a bit of a crazy seat sale when I first came back from my spring break trip to Washington and New York and the younger sister and I decided that we should plan a sisters trip (well, a fifty percent sisters trip since my two older sisters were unable to attend).

It was a busy six days and the Alessandra and I had a great time exploring the different neighbourhoods of the city. Our schedule went more or less like this... we woke up, took our turns getting ready, then headed out the door of the hotel, sometimes stopping for a danish at a nearby cafe and then we would walk to our neighbourhood of choice. We would check out the sights for a bit, then grab lunch (great recommendations of where to eat from my friends Tom and Lisa, as well as one of my coworkers). Then we would wander around some more, grab dinner and then head back to the hotel to recoup for the next day. Seems sort of tame but when you take into account that we averaged around 15km of walking a day (with a fair amount of San Francisco hills thrown in more good measure) we definitely needed time to rejuvenate our tired soles. We went out a couple nights, but mostly I used the downtime to download and edit some of the photos and video I shot during the day. Which meant I actually posted daily photo updates from our explorations. Which of course means that I'm sort of on top my vacation photos for once. And to top it all off, I've even edited my vacation video.

six days... seven minutes. Enjoy.



sisters in san francisco

Umm, I can't believe it's been a month since the Pride Parade and 104 Street Block Party. I had sort of promised some updates about that and never delivered. Better late than never, let's take a trip in the way back machine.



It seems like there is something going on every few days in the spring and summer. It's non-stop events throughout the summer, taking any sour feelings towards the city leftover from the winter, giving it a stinging slap across the face as if to shame you for ever having thought anything negative in the first place.

What do you mean there's nothing to do in Edmonton?

*slap

Why on Saturday (approx. a month ago) alone, (in a two block radius) there was the Farmer's Market, Pride Parade, Portuguese Festival, and the 2nd annual 104 street block party.

Sure there are plenty of outdoor events in the winter too, but I've never been to an event in the winter where I really felt like I was seeing the city differently (well, there was the Luminaria Festival at the Devonian Gardens, but that's not exactly Edmonton). There are never the same crowds of people dancing in the street or aromatic bbq smoke wafting above our heads. In the winter people's bodies are disguised in heavy woolen coats and their cheeks red with wind burn instead of warmed by the sun. Clearly my bias for the summer months is showing.

During the parade I met up with Lisa and we took turns holding Baby D so he could see his dad ride by with the other City Councillors and see the rest of the action of the pride parade (which seemed somehow shorter than last year).



My photos and video footage of the parade is lacking, since Baby D is a bit enamored with my camera and whenever I would take it out he would want to be right beside it. Meh. Not a big deal. It seemed like everyone and their dog had a camera out this year.

Following the parade Lisa and I wandered towards Churchill Square and City Hall, but the little guy was expiring (and so was I), so I made a brief return to the cool apartment so the baby could nap and I could recharge. Then reinforcements arrived. Sarah, Dave, and Don all appeared - and then together the five of us (four adults and baby made our way back to 104th Street).

I don't remember what I was doing last year during the first block party, but I remember wandering through by myself and the mood being entirely different. It wasn't nearly as lively or attended by so diverse a crowd. My favourite thing about the party though was just the ambiance provided by the light that streamed through the smoke coming from the Portuguese bbq. That alone made the event seem so much more festive. It filtered the light in such a way that it seemed like the event organizers had brought in smoke machines to add to the romanticism of it all.



How fitting then, that at one point a newly wedded couple made their way through the crowd, all dressed in their nuptial finery. I saw them a few minutes later, heading back in the opposite direction, iced coffees in hand. Clearly they were jonesing for some caffeine from Credo Coffee.

The gentleman and I had been planning for sometime to take a drive to the countryside for the express purpose of taking photographs. Now, while I had a daytime drive in mind, last weekend I was surprised when, nearing midnight, the gentleman asked if I wanted to drive out to Elk Island (a dark sky preserve) to take pictures of the stars.

Although I was already dressed in my pajamas and a little bit sleepy, the prospect of long exposure shots was too tempting. So I packed up all my photo equipment and we headed out of the city. Unfortunately for us, by the time we arrived at the park some clouds had rolled in and masked all signs of the stars and the moon. Still, the drive was a bit of a novelty and while I didn't get any photos of the sky I did shoot some footage of the transition from urban freeway to rural highway.


I was going to add a closing shot of the gentleman smiling through the windshield of the car, his face partly obscured in shadow... but somebody refused to comply. Oh well, I should have thought about it on the night, but that's what I get for making little movies at one o'clock in the morning with no pre-planning.

A coworker of mine has been in looking at buying a new camera and every now and then she and I talk about photography. Although I own primarily Canon equipment, I usually recommend that people buy what feels good in their hands and that once they have a camera that they practice and take lots of photos. So much of what I've learned when it comes to photography came from photographing constantly and then analyzing my shots, comparing my work against that of a photographer I admire. And I wasn't too afraid to experiment. Nor was I afraid to admit that my work would never be perfect.

Now that I have a camera that also shoots video, I'm trying to take that same approach. I've had a Vimeo account since 2006, but I've never had any video projects to share. Now, I do. There usually pointless little things (much like many of my photos), but they are my attempt to document bits and pieces of my life. And they're fun to create. With my camera almost always within reach, it's easy to record tiny snippets here and there to piece together into a longer form. Just like composition with my photographs, I'm learning how to compose for video. Although there are some similarities, video does require a slightly different way of thinking. It's also requiring a different way of dealing with my equipment. Video on the 5DMKII is testing my understanding of exposure as well as my manual focusing ability. And then there is the concept of sound, which I'm only just beginning to dabble with. It's really rather fun, although I forsee this new hobby becoming another expensive one.

Here are my latest three videos. When I first started shooting video I had the tendency to follow motion with the camera. Now I'm understanding to keep the camera still and let things move across the frame. None of these are of course perfect, but it will be interesting to look at them after a few months and see if I've made any progress.

Let's pretend that my Sunday went a little bit like this...

So there I was, lounging on the daybed doing my best to look peaceful and relaxed.

The phone rings. It's actually close enough for me to hear it and see who's calling.

I answer. It's one of my many friends inviting me out to socialize. An art show... in Millwoods! But of course, I'm always up for an adventure.



Of course that's not exactly how my Sunday morning unfolded (plans were actually hatched days before and sorted out via text and email... I almost never use my phone as a phone anymore, but I felt like constructing a bit of a false narrative so that I could post the series of pictures above), but I did end up in Millwoods at an art show. It's not all creative fiction.

Much like Saturday, the weather was spectacular. The sunny skies and warm temperatures meant it was definitely sundress time. I wasn't the only one with this idea. Most of the ladies in attendance were baring their legs in some form.



The artshow was totally casual and relaxed. The artist, Erin Hooper, is an old friend of Sarah and her sister Sable, and her parents had transformed their home into a makeshift gallery for her art. Erin's paintings, sketches,  and etchings were on display throughout the house. I actually preferred it to the last gallery showing I went to. I find that sometimes it can be hard to imagine what a piece of art would like in a room full of furniture and books, in between curios and whatnots, in rooms where you can't stand back 5-10 ft. to admire a piece. What does art look like in rooms where we live? It was interesting to see Erin's art in the context of a home, in some ways it made of the really huge pieces that she had created seem much more accessible. I think it would be interesting to see an independent gallery that was set up more like a house with art in it... I wonder if people would buy more? There was one piece that I would have loved to buy, but it just wasn't something I had budgeted for. Sigh.



I'd like to mix in a few original paintings and illustrations in with my photographs. It will happen, eventually.

The afternoon was particularly lovely. I got to meet new people, play with my very charming surrogate nephew, and drink lemonade. All-in-all, it was a good afternoon. The only thing that was missing was my sister Alessandra who was supposed to come along too so that we could have made it a trio of sisters... Sarah + Sable, Emma + Erin, and then of course me and Alessandra. She let us all down. Alessandra, if you're reading this... we were all very disappointed in you ;)



On my way back from the artshow, I stopped by Grandin station to photograph some of the blossoming flora along the street. Of course photographs weren't enough given my new recent obsession with pointless little films. But how could I resist?



The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.

While there are a few other farmer's markets that run during the week, Saturday has always been market day for me, especially once the downtown farmer's market (also known as the City Market) opens for the season. Although I could take the LRT there, it's maybe a ten minute walk from my apartment to 104th street. I was meeting up with my friends Wade and Phil for breakfast, but I was having trouble sleeping after waking up from a nightmare about stolen pizza. So while it wasn't quite the crack of dawn when I left the house, it was still early enough that some of the more 'responsible' nighttime revelers had not yet picked up their vehicles from the downtown parking lots along Jasper Avenue's 'entertainment' district. w00t! Clubbing at the ultralounge!



The downtown sidewalks were mostly deserted, with the exception of a few socially conscous seniors sporting raybans and t-shirts that read "Keep Alberta Nuclear Free!" the only other people I passed were a crew removing a tree from the mini parking lot across the street from RedStar (note the newly completed storefront facade above RedStar).


The city could use a bit more street level activity along Jasper on the weekend. It can be a bit apocalyptic at times. I half expect someone to call to me from behind a door and tell me that I'm crazy to be out wandering about and that soon I'll be consumed by the zombie army that lurks on the next block. Thankfully, the crowd that was gathering a few streets away was not interested in eating brains, rather local produce instead (uhh... so if you're wondering where all these zombie references are coming from I recently bought a book about preparing for a zombie attack for Sarah, I think I've been overly influenced by it).

And so... the market.



I had actually intended on doing more shopping at the market than shooting photos or video, but very quickly the camera took precedence and I didn't pick up a single thing. Next time I'll leave the camera at home, or better yet, leave the serious shopping to the gentleman while I happily take pictures.



The market felt a bit like set of My Fair Lady, with lots of plants and flowers for sale. I couldn't find anyone who resembled Eliza Doolittle though (despite there being flowers and girls aplenty), but more than a few dogs were large enough to be mistaken for small horses and one could have easily hitched them up to a hansom cab.


I might have left empty-handed, but most people didn't. I expect that on future Saturdays I'll look a lot like this lady below, with bags full of local fare. If I continue the trend of being at the market by 9am I might actually be early enough to get something from the Queen of Tarts.