Fortress

Under the ruins of a walled city
Crumbling towers in beams of yellow light
No flags of truce, no cries of pity
The siege guns had been pounding through the night
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the fields I'd known
I recognised the walls that I once made
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid
And if I've built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire

Then I went off to fight some battle
That I'd invented inside my head
Away so long for years and years
You probably thought, or even wished that I was dead
While the armies all are sleeping
Beneath the tattered flag we'd made
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid

And if I've built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire

This prison has now become your home
A sentence you seem prepared to pay
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the lands I'd known
I recognised the fields where I'd once played
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I'd laid

And if I've built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire

~Sting

Lest we forget

They shall not grow old,
As we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them,
Or the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning,
We shall remember them.

A Ghoul of a different nature

I happened upon this ghoulish Chinese character in Dundas Square on Halloween afternoon. I was curious
about the message on the paper taped over his face



























I took a few photos of him from different angles all the while
he remained in character, staring straight ahead, stalk still.



























He was getting plenty of curious stares. A couple
of young Asian women were able to tell me that
his sign warned not to remove the sign or risk attack.
They told me this had some meaning in Chinese culture.






















































I waited to see if someone would be brave enough
to remove the sign. Eventually a brave young man
dropped a toonie into his bowl and nipped the sign























The Ghoul came to life, chasing the young man
around the sidewalk


















until he finally replaced the sign on the ghoul's hat
and the ghoul returned to his inanimate state...



























I've since found out that he is a Jiang Shi or "walking dead man" not unlike our vampires/zombies in western culture. Removal of the yellow sign brings the zombie to life to feed upon the living.

It's interesting how archetypes and mythological creatures are represented across cultures. I wonder if China has their own version of the popular True Blood series on TV. More info about Jiang Shi here

Growing pains are worse. Please send chocolate

Today I ventured out to pick up my 1st roll of Ilford XP2 photos. I've shot virtually nothing but film all last week and was anxious to post to my 52 week project. While rewinding the film to drop off for development, I became concerned that perhaps the film hadn't caught when I loaded it initially. Today my suspicions were confirmed. The film was blank. There goes $8 to say nothing of the street shots that were on it. I'd worked so hard on exposure, experimenting with my light meter.
The staff at the shop felt terrible for me and suggested they use a dummy roll to show me some tricks to ensuring the film is loaded correctly. Without thinking I pop the back of the rangefinder totally forgetting that I'd loaded a colour film earlier today to see how colour film was with the Leica. I had taken about 20 shots including Stranger #50 and #51 for my 100 Strangers project. #50 may be ok but the last couple of shots I'd taken were of Stranger #51.

The growing pains seem to be worsening. When will this turn around? Will it? Am I just too dense to get the hang of film and this Leica? It's nowhere near being the end of the world I know. Nobody died. Just the same I'm going to drown my sorrows in a good old fashioned pity party. Anyone got some chocolate to donate???

Journey's End

A dear elderly Scottish lady with a fierce spirit and sharp wit, whom I've had the privledge to know, came to the end of her journey yesterday. One is not supposed to become attached to patients but sometimes there is a connection with a kindred spirit and for me, this woman was one.
It was a privledge. May the road rise to meet you.

What is your Secret Journey?

The best song from the best album that the best band ever recorded. Sting is a great lyricist and the melody conveys so well the mystic feeling of those lyrics. For me, this expresses the essence of life's journey inward to truly know one's self.



We all have our secret journey to follow. May yours have more joys than sorrows.

Growing Pains

It's been a few weeks and in that time I've shot two rolls of film with my brother's old Spotmatic, a colour and a B&W (photos 1 & 2). A few decent shots were salvaged. At least I could meter in camera.

Not long after that, my Leica M3 rangefinder arrived. I had picked up an Leitz tele-elmarit 90mm 2.8 (Canada) lens at my favourite local shop, partially paid for with a gift certificate thank goodness.

I've shot three rolls of B&W with my M3 but only one roll of Arista 400 has been developed at the lab.

The Arista 400 is pretty grainy when scanned which is what I had done. I shot the roll using the Sunny 16 rule. Overall, I found the shots a bit over exposed with insufficient contrast. A little tweaking of levels was needed in Lightroom. Truthfully, a lot of tweaking was needed to get sufficient contrast (photos 3 and on).

I have two rolls to drop off today, another of Arista 400 and a roll of Ilford HP5, both known for their grain. We'll see how I made out later this week. I've now loaded a roll of Neopan 400 which is what I used in photo #1 with my Spotmatic. I'll be interested to see what what I'm able to do with it in the M3. I also want to use the Sekonic light meter I picked up to see if that makes a difference. I like taking candid shots so using the light meter will inhibit that a bit.

Stay tuned and hold onto your seats. My learning curve may have some sharp turns.