The Urban Refugee

You can never have too many empty plastic ice cream pails lying around.

My daughter reminds me of myself when I was younger.

Unfortunately.

I’ve got this friend named Ray. He seems to spend a lot of time worrying that he’s not someone else when he’s behind the camera. I suppose all photographers go through that to a certain extent, but I notice it more with Ray than others.

Last week Ray gave a presentation at his local camera club that highlighted some of his favorite work. I nagged at him to give me a copy, and he did, although I sensed some reticence on his part. He did send me a copy of the slide show, however.

Well.

People who can get close to wild animals like Ray does are one in a thousand. People who can give animal images the subtle emotional appeal that Ray manages to are one in a million. I was gobsmacked over his slide show. I still am. After the hundredth or so time of going through it I can tell you that I’d like to be Raymond van der Woning when I’m standing behind a camera.

Ray will tell you that it’s no big deal and the animals he shoots are pretty tame. To a certain extent, perhaps, but I remember going on shoots at Hawrelak Park with him back when I lived in Edmonton. The same animals that sat and posed for Ray would flee in terror when I approached. The most important part of any image is the connection a photographer has with his subject. Ray has it. I don’t.

I won’t be surprised when I crack open a future issue of Audubon Magazine and find myself staring at Ray’s work. Take a look at his site (www.photographi.ca) for yourself and see if you don’t agree.

An online comic strip just described 75% of Flickr’s content in three panels.

No, really.

While I can’t say I’ve ever done something like having a homosexual affair with the underage son of my wife’s best friend, I think I’ve just performed the computer equivalent. That is to say that I’ve just befouled a strikingly gorgeous 24 inch iMac with Windows XP so that a customer can run AgExpert Analyst 2007 on it.

Man, do I ever feel dirty right now.

• Clouds Seen Through Spring Leaves
• Harried Momma
• Truck & Tumbleweed
• Clothes Pins
• The Mechanic
• Coveralls On Front Porch
• Drumheller’s Little Church: Exterior
• Drumheller’s Little Church: Interior
• Pear Blossoms (1 of 3)
• Pear Blossoms (2 of 3)
• Pear Blossoms (3 of 3)
• John’s Ford
• Tools of the Trade (1 of 2)
• Tools of the Trade (2 of 2)
• Horseshoe Canyon, Drumheller

• Branches Reflected In Sounding Creek At Dusk
• Springtime At The Slough
• Slough In The Mid Afternoon
• Cumulous Crown
• Cloud & Fence Line At Dusk
• Shrub Reflected In Sounding Creek
• Sounding Creek Looking East, South of Monitor on RR 5-0
• Sounding Creek Crossing Twp Rd 35-0 (1 of 3)
• Sounding Creek Crossing Twp Rd 35-0 (2 of 3)
• Sounding Creek Crossing Twp Rd 35-0 (3 of 3)

I’m off to a good start with the 5D, except that I’ve spent the last four years getting used to APC-sized sensors. The 5D has a much shallower depth of field than I’m accustomed to and I’ll have to remember to stop down further than I normally would to compensate.

The Canon EOS 5D and accompanying 24-70 L EF USM lens have arrived.

• Sunset, May 08, 2007
• Bursting Out With Green (1 of 3)
• Bursting Out With Green (2 of 3)
• Bursting Out With Green (3 of 3)

• Fence on the Saskatchewan/Alberta Divide
• Grass! (1 of 4)
• Grass! (2 of 4)
• Grass! (3 of 4)
• Grass! (4 of 4)
• On the Shore of Lake Kloberdanz
• Trees by the Stock Water
• Prowling ‘Round the Chicken Coop
• Tires in the Slough
• Horse Drawn Discs
• Horse Drawn Mower (1 of 2)
• Horse Drawn Mower (2 of 2)
• Bogged Down Truck (Funkified)
• Bogged Down Truck (Antiqued)
• Truck Grill Rising Out of Slough
• Got That Sinking Feeling

Perfunctory leftover:

• Our Door Is Always Open