July 1, 2010


Happy Canada Day!

There's no better way to celebrate Canada Day than to get out and enjoy what we have here. Another day in the mountains, hiking and climbing. I'm privileged to live an hour away from such an amazing place! It's just to bad it was so cloudy today. No pretty blue sky to really make it the perfect day. But damn close!

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/320 sec.
80 ISO


And here's one my g/f took of me, lead climbing near the end of the day. This is definitely the hard part. Once the rope is clipped in at the top, and run back down, it's definitely easier to just climb your way up, without having to worry about clipping in.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/400 sec.
80 ISO

Still Here and Clicking

Just a quick note for anyone keeping up with this blog.

I know I haven't posted in roughly a month, but I have been taking photos, and I will get caught up soon I hope. Unfortunately, I cleared off all my memory cards that the photos were on, and organized them all on my home computer, not thinking about how difficult it would be to remember which photos were for which days. Luckily, I've got them written down, but the list is at work...away from my home computer. I've finally gotten around to emailing the list to myself at home, so now I'll hopefully start posting from home and get caught up on here. There are a few days missing from the lists, so there may be a few days between some postings as I work my way through them to find the ones for the correct days. Once I'm caught up, I hopefully won't have this happen again.

Keep checking back every couple of days and eventually you'll be seeing photos from the last month.

June 30, 2010


It's new hiking/climbing gear day!! At lunch I went out and bought a new hiking pack (32 litres) and a climbing helmet (it can be dangerous working so close to MEC some days). Most of the climbs we do don't really require head protection, but it's one of those things I'd rather have and not need, than need and not have.

Later in the day, my g/f and I went and picked up some new hiking shoes for her, and we both got new hiking pants. Previously, all I had were shorts, or a pair of heavy canvas pants. Now I've got a lighter pair of pants, with zip off legs to convert into shorts. Much nicer than only having the option of heavy pants, or light shorts.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/60 sec.
250 ISO

June 29, 2010


Today, my g/f and I met up for lunch. Considering how close we work to each other, we don't do this nearly often enough. We found a nice place in a near by park to sit and eat, and people watch. Across from us, a group had gathered to play a game of soccer/football (depending on where you are in the world). I caught this just as the last goal was scored and they were all heading back to work.

Can't think of a better way to spend my lunch hour.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f8
1/160 sec.
80 ISO

June 28, 2010

New cleaning equipment for my camera. No more having to shop out little specs of dust that the air alone can't remove. A sensor loupe, magnifies and lights up the sensor of the camera, and has a space on the side to access the insides. The sensor cleaner is a small, gel tip that the dust/dirt sticks to, and is then pressed onto the sticky paper to get the offending debris off. Works quite well actually.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f4
1/25 sec.
500 ISO

June 27, 2010

So somehow I completely forgot to post the final version of my Smoke contribution for Tulip Tree Studios.

Although this isn't exactly a photo of the day, I've decided that it will be todays contribution to my project365. After all, it is a sunday, and sundays are pretty quiet and the photo's aren't always that interesting, so I'm hoping this this will be more of an interesting visual.

June 26, 2010

A beautiful (albeit a bit cloudy) saturday afternoon, so we decided to go for a hike. We went to the remains of an old mining town called Bankhead and checked out a bit of Alberta's history. This is only the lower area. We haven't done the upper yet.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f8
1/320 sec
200 ISO



Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f11
1/40 sec
200 ISO


Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f7.1
1/320 sec
200 ISO


Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f8
1/40 sec
200 ISO


Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f8
1/20 sec
200 ISO

After our time in Bankhead, we continued on to Lake Minnewanka for lunch. A popular and somewhat busy tourist spot, but we managed to scramble down some rocks into an area where we were mostly left alone and able to enjoy a quiet meal.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f11
1/200 sec
200 ISO

June 25, 2010

Ok, so I had to break the rules a little bit to get this, but it was just to cool not to. Body Worlds is in town, and they have a "no photography" policy. But I took this one anyways (there was an employee maybe 50 feet to my left, and didn't do anything to stop me). It's the circulatory system of a human head. Nothing more. How they managed to plastify it, and remove everything else is a mystery, but still amazing. I have my thoughts, after reading the process of plastification, but I won't get in to that here. I recommend everyone (who's not easily disturbed) check out Body Worlds if they get a chances. It's a very cool exhibit!

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.87
1/40 sec
200 ISO

June 24, 2010

Looks like we're going to have another storm roll through at some point tonight. It's nice when it happens in the evenings, as it's been pretty hot during the days, so it cools it down just in time for bed. It's terrible trying to sleep when it's to hot.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/400 sec.
80 ISO

June 23, 2010

Great storm just tore through the city, leaving a clean feeling in it's wake. The smell of fresh rain, the cool dampness of the air, and a beautiful sight to end the late afternoon, and welcome the evening.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f4.8
1/320 sec.
200 ISO


It's not often we get them this vibrant, or this big, so I'm glad I could get home, and get my camera fast enough to capture it before it faded away.


Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f5.6
1/320 sec.
200 ISO

June 22, 2010

Lei-ing tracks

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55 mm
f5.3
1/800 sec.
200 ISO

June 21, 2010

People are pigs.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f10
1/100 sec.
200 ISO

June 20, 2010

Last week I bought a new iPod, to replace my old 4G nano, which I fill without making a dent in my iTunes collection. Now that I've got 160gb to fill, I've started ripping all my cd's onto my computer...this is box 1 of 4. Such a long process, but eventually I'll have my whole cd collection with me everywhere I go. Currently, I'm at about 20gb.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/8 sec.
200 ISO

June 19, 2010

Along with her flowers, my g/f is growing her own herbs. Today we were finally able to find something the would allow us to hang our window box off our balcony. We've already taken advantage of the fresh herbs by adding our own basil and chives to last nights dinner. Brilliant!

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/60 sec.
125 ISO

June 18, 2010

Another day at the hospital. Thankfully, this was a scheduled visit, not an emergency one, and it was just to have some more tests run, and it only took about 2 hours or so. I took the day off to take care of my g/f, as the meds she was put on for these tests are pretty heavy duty. But at least this visit wasn't nearly as bad as our previous ones.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/40 sec.
200 ISO

June 17, 2010

We've had so much rain the past couple of weeks, that the ground is still soaked and no longer absorbing the water. A few sunny breaks haven't been enough to dry anything out.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/200 sec.
80 ISO

June 16, 2010

The city is being over run with dandelions, and nothing is being done about it. It looks trashy. Good to see my tax dollars going to keeping the city looking good.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f5.3
1/200 sec.
200 ISO

June 15, 2010

Some time last winter, a tarp appeared on my route to work. I wasn't sure what it was covering, and the city wasn't revealing it any time soon.  Recently, they finally removed the tarp and developed the grassy area around it into a small rock garden. This is what they were hiding....I have NO idea what it is, or what it's supposed to be. There's no signs explaining anything, not even who the creator of it is.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f5
1/400 sec
200 ISO

June 14, 2010

We bought (and by we, I mean my g/f) flowers on the weekend. This is her first attempt at potting her own and caring for them. A friend of hers gave us 2 pots and a window box we could use, as she no longer needs them, and today the flowers got a new home. She's pretty excited by this, and I can't help but laugh at how giddy she is.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/30 sec.
400 ISO

June 13, 2010

My g/f's parents are on holiday in Maui right now, we we agreed to stop by the house today to do a little work for them. I've been given the task of cutting the grass. I haven't cut grass in about 5 years (the advantage of living in an apartment building). I don't mind the chore, but my allergies hate it, and I forgot to take an antihistamine before heading over here. Ugh!

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/250 sec.
80 ISO

June 12, 2010

It's the first REAL nice day in a long time. And my first hike of the year. Sad that it took this long to get out, because the weather has been so terrible. Even on days when it's relatively nice in the city, it's raining or snowing in the mountains.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/604 sec.
80 ISO

We were fortunate enough to be out early enough that there wasn't much traffic on the trails when we got here. This trail is a rather easy one and fairly common. It connects to a small river that you hike along until the end of the canyon, where you can hear the falls, but unfortunately, it's around a bend in the rock that you can't quite see. However, there is a deer trail and a dried up river bed you can follow to get to the top of the fall. It's a little on the sketchy side, and there's some good scrambling on all fours in some places, but the payoff is worth it. However, today we're not doing that. We're staying in the canyon.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/400 sec.
80 ISO

There's not a cloud in the sky and it's about 25ÂșC in the sun, making it the perfect day to be in the mountains. The shade keeps it nice and cool once you get into the shadow of the mountain, or down into the canyon/valley that we're heading into. But it's not so cold that you need any extra layers.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f9
1/125 sec.
80 ISO

Today, this is our destination. All along the trail are areas for climbing. They're bolted and ready to go. Me and my climbing partner have never done an outdoor climb before, so we're both pretty excited. This will also be the first time since December that we've done a lead climb.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/400 sec.
80 ISO

A beautiful climb, and a great job at leading the rope. A few areas he was obviously getting nervous and really had to force himself to relax. Once he was able to clip into a bolt, he took a couple minutes to catch his breath and calm is nerves. He did the whole thing without a single fall which, I'm sure, made him feel much better. Now that the rope is clipped in to the top, it's just a matter of lowering him down and doing a standard top rope climb, same as at the gym.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/320 sec.
80 ISO

Now it's my turn. Outdoor climbing is a completely different beast than indoor. The footholds aren't anything near what the use in the gym, and you encounter real hazards, like wet rock, or mossy holds. But it is definitely a lot more fun! I love a challenge, and this is definitely a challenge. Not just the actual climb, but knowing that if you fall, it's going to hurt more than in a gym. There's no padding here, and the rock is a lot more aggressive. I tore up my ankle and my thigh a little, and absolutely loved it.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/640 sec.
80 ISO

From the top of my climb. There are more places to climb as you work you way further upstream (and downstream) through this valley. Next time we do this route, I think we'll work our way all the way down to the end and stop a few of the locations. But for now, we stuck with just this one wall, as my climbing partner had to be back in town by 3, so we had to cut our trek a little short.

This just means more for next time!

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/160 sec.
80 ISO

June 11, 2010

Remember yesterdays photo? These are what they were making. It's 3/16th steel, and they were handing them out. Not sure what I'm going to do with it now tho. Currently, I've got to grind the slag off the back side of it, then I'm thinking....paper weight.

Canon SD1200IS
f8
1/500 sec.
80 ISO

June 10, 2010

For the last 3 days, the Global Petroleum Show has been going on. It's the largest Oil and Gas tradeshow in Canada, and is only here every 2 years. Today was my first (and only) chance to look around, and get photos for the magazines. A friend of mine works at the grounds, and was able to get me up on the catwalks above the show for some shots. It's a good way to get out of the crowd, get some shots that others won't get, and to be able to capture interacting without posing for the camera. It's a lot more natural.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f5.6
1/15 sec.
800 ISO

June 9, 2010

It's another cold, rainy day. So far we haven't had much of a spring/summer.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f3.2
1/250 sec.
80 ISO

While waiting for my g/f to escape her office, I sat in the car, completely oblivious to what the rain was presenting me with. My attention was focused on my phone, and not on the sights around me.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f3.2
1/125
80 ISO


Fortunately, before she made it to the car, I looked up and started watching the rain on the windshield. I watched how it ran down, changing the shape of the leaves, contrasting against the sky and fence. I don't know how I almost let this view escape me.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f4.9
1/50 sec.
200 ISO

June 8, 2010

Thrice played a show in Calgary tonight. It was amazing! They are one of those bands that I found by accident years ago, and have been a huge fan of since. Their style has evolved over the years, and they are definitely defining their own style.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f4.9
1/13 sec.
1600 ISO


Before the show, my g/f and I attended a meet and greet with 5 other people. For about an hour we got to hang out with the band and just talk to them. It was pretty cool, and all the guys are super nice, and surprisingly soft spoken. I spent a majority of the time talking with the bass player (as I tend to do it seems) about surfing, climbing, and other such common topics. Just as the meet and greet was winding down, I had them sign their newest album for me, and we had our picture taken with them.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f3.2
1/10 sec.
1600 ISO


All in all, this whole experience was a great one. Hanging out with the band was a lot of fun, and the show was unbelievable. It was small, probably only about 250 - 300 people roughly, and non stop. I can't wait for them to come through town again.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f4.5
1/8 sec.
1600 ISO

June 7, 2010

Another cold, wet, dreary day in the city. A suitable day for this sad little house, the last of it's kind, to be found in the downtown core. Surrounded by towering offices and apartment buildings, it's clinging on the the past. To a time when it shared a fence with another family and the busy downtown lifestyle could only be seen in the distance from the backyard. Today, it has a public transit train run right beside it. The road in front is a major vein into the core, and it's nearest neighbour houses a hundred families. The backyard no longer separates it comfortably from the core, but instead, leads into a dirty alley of broken beer bottles, garbage bins and the constant clatter of delivery trucks.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f5.3
1/320 sec.
500 ISO

June 6, 2010

We received our first movies from Zip the other day. It's a brilliant service, I must say. There's always movies we want to see, but don't get out to theaters very often, nor do we go out to rent. Now, we can rent what we want, and they'll mail them to us. Little effort required on our part, and it's a lot cheaper.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/15
200 ISO

June 5, 2010

Painting. All day. Primer and the first coat. Main entrance, living room and kitchen. Took roughly 7 hours (including time to let the primer set).

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/60 sec.
160 ISO


10 foot ceilings meant we needed to use the extended roller. My neck and shoulders are tired and sore. But all in all, it was a good productive day.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/50 sec
200 ISO

June 4, 2010

I've had another idea for the ongoing "Smoke" collaborative project as put on by Tulip Tree Studios. I'll post the finished product on here, and be submitting it to her for her blog as well.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 18 - 55mm
f5.6
1/5 sec.
1600 ISO

June 3, 2010

Now to shoot this one at night, when it's lit up.

Nikon D80
Nikkor 55 - 200mm
f13
1/100 sec.
200 ISO

June 2, 2010

Sometimes, all you have to do is look up, and inspiration will find you.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/640
80 ISO

June 1, 2010

The building next to my g/f's office is being gutted. A pile of rubble stacked in the corner surrounds an office chair, and every day, I find myself looking at it, and loving it.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f4.9
1/100 sec.
200 ISO

May 31, 2010

Ever walk into a store and feel like you're being watched by a dozen beady  little eyes?

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS
f2.8
1/50 sec.
200 ISO