I was quite mesmarized by this band as many hispanic tourists gathered around what were very familiar songs. I imagined what it must feel like to find home when you visit another country. All the same, I had a stellar time and wished I could have stayed for much longer and join the dances. 

 

 

 

I decided to head out to the village one morning to photograph with my student. It was a pleasant morning and found this old woman sitting on the bench at a corner, not quite in tune with the rest of the scene here. She was simply curious about all the people passing by but little did she know that there were people equally curious about her. Only moments later, I caught her again and this time decided to take the shot as she walked away. 

 

 

 

I love this photograph. I often find Saint Denis street to have it's own moods and ambience as one goes through different parts of it. This being relatively close to my house, I traverse these directions almost daily and on such an occassion I found this gentleman walking up with his bicycle. I thought the mix was quite interesting - and represents quite well the mix of the artist and classy style together with the flexibility and low budget methods of travel by bicycle. I hadn't quite realized how strange but yet how normal and common this setup was, particularly to this city. 

 

 

 

This particular photograph was interesting because it had pockets of stories everywhere. The people that stand out the most are the men in suits, especially the man standing quite upright and rather disconnected from the overall lax nature of the rest of the image. Sitting we see office working women and then on the far corner on the left we see some tourists. It's a bit of a representation of the urban communities that are constantly being created and destroyed as people move from one instance to the next. The tourists will leave soon, to be replace by who, exactly? Nobody knows...

 

 

 

 

I thought these wokers were quite disconnected from the trendy and young setting that the store behind them makes out to be. I found this mix and contradiction in this particular image quite fascinating. 

 

 

 

 

I photographed Oxfam 'sales people' at the square as they carefully spoke to nearly anyone that could give them a hint of attention. It was rather interesting that as a photographer, they didn't really want to speak with you. In fact, I often find that I am seldom the target when I carry my camera around with me. I like  the geometric properties of this image. It has that question being asked. I never quite heard what she said but this being the start of the conversation, you can imagine it to be: "Do you know Oxfam?"

 

The fact that he is standing on the line and that the line really guides the eye to him was something that was quite interesting to observe. Everything converging together to that one spot in the photograph - the stage basically set so that the girl can ask the ultimate question: Do you know Oxfam? 

 

 

 

Being passionate is extremely important for the job. One is told several things during training and then on the streets, its a different game. People have questions of all sorts. I have no idea what this gentleman was saying but he spoke with true passion. 

 

I left the setting, having no been solicited for donations with an affliction. I wanted to donate but nobody came to me. Then I wondered whether they were playing mind games with me. 2 days later, I approached a young boy with an Oxfam jacket. He was rather in a state of shock to see someone sign up without any convincing to do. I'm sure he told a very different story to his peers that day...

 

 

 

The truth about this photograph is that it would have been rather boring had this man not been it. I've always loved these photos, an element of interaction - the true street photograph that people observe when they see the streets with their own eyes. They are fixated at something but the world continues to move on and in the midst of it all is this photographer that needs to calculate the immense variables, deciding what is worth and what is not. 

 

 

 

 

This is one of my favourite photogaphs and I often think about the variables, had his face turned either way this photograph would have been vastly different. There is a certain mystery to the person as his real identity is concealed but yet the photograph doesn't force the viewer to ask for more.

 

The perspective is one that reflects a sense of hope. Perhaps it's because he is a young man with his bicycle and helmet on the side. One has to wonder what the image would hold had it been someone substantially older. Perhaps a feeling of contempt and promise for future generations... As a documentary photographer, one has to think about the subtle things.

 

 

 

I had a photoshoot at Places D'armes but my client was running dreadfully late. I resorted instead to photograph this gentleman that was paving the road for a great deal of excitement among the children. They all ran and jumped and I will say that I was tempted to join but together with many other adults, we were somewhat constrained by societal expectations. It would incredible to have old men run after bubbles. 

 

In street photography, one seeks to capture some kind of story. Photographs can be extremely pale and boring if this isn't the case. Some times, you have to be very precise with timing and observe various geometric and compositional properties in a given situation. The photographer, much like predator, must anticipate the movement of his subjects and then, in that fraction of a second, capture the photograph that a hundredth of a second later was completely different. All the elements have to come to balance and this is where things get really challenging.

 

With today's technology, it is quite possible and in fact easy to take a photograph that is good but the amount of work required to push that boundary can put off many people. 

 

 

 

This is an incredible photograph that captures something quite unseen - the bursting of the bubble as this girl runs into it! I took about 3 photos at different instances in anticipation of the same and this happen to capture best. Again, I was shooting in film so I had to shoot sparingly. I hope that the gentleman at the back was able to capture something just as exciting for his travels. 

 

 

 

I find this photogrpah quite poetic. I wanted to really capture the smoke in the setting and while I don't think that was done effectively, I think the shadows and the way they've defined themselves are incredible, with the smoke gracing its presence to whatever capacity. There is a mystery about the shadows, once again, identity perfectly concealed and instread simply telling the story of the setting. 

This was an off chance shot during a shoot I was doing on a rooftop. Some of the people in the group were enjoying the view and I though this was a good chance for a snap. This photograph really screams capitalism! Some times I wonder how people can even visualize projects of building such monstrous structures. It must be the work of organization - of finances, of people and then of selling those slots at the right price - all seemingly complicated when you think about it. But it all just happens. The truth is, that's how everything happens... It just does - churned in and out a system - much like a silk worm.