I happen to think that there isn't much in this world more magnificent than a Monarch Butterfly. Since moving to the new Head Office two years ago, they have been teasing me by flying over our yard to visit the neighbours, but never stopping for a quick hello at our place. All of that changed the other day as one finally decided to stop for a snack in our patch of Sunflowers. I raced, well, walked quickly, to grab my camera an headed outside. Our royal visitor was very accommodating, posing for several photographs, despite having to swat away several of the bees who for some reason seemed less impressed with our guest. I was hoping to get a shot of him in flight, and finally managed to grab this one as he waved goodbye for the neighbours yard. The photograph was taken at f/7.1, 1/1600sec, ISO 400 at 115mm. I would have preferred that he had taken off from one of the Sunflowers that were facing me, but beggars can't be choosers, and after two years of waiting I was happy with the results. Hopefully he'll tell his friends about the friendly staff he encountered during his visit and there will be more in the years to come.
Sunday, 28 August 2022
Royal Visit
Friday, 26 August 2022
10th Anniversary
Where did the time go? I seem to be saying that an awful lot lately. Everywhere I look, it seems to be the anniversary of either some movie I've seen, some album I've bought or some moment in time. If you're like me and those little reminders do nothing but make you feel old, you may want to skip this update. If not, then come on down and join the celebration as The Old Blog turns 10 today! Yes, ten years have somehow managed to pass in the click of a shutter. Since opening this place up in August of 2012, there have been 1230 updates, countless memories and more photographs than I could possibly count. And that's only the photographs that have hit the page. The archives are still overflowing. It's hard to believe when I began that every new update was pretty much something I shot that day. We've been to exciting locations like weddings, concerts, sporting events and less exotic locations like my front and backyard flowerbeds. Photographs have been taken in + and - 40C weather, I'll let you guess which of the two I prefer. Fireworks and fire pits, the ecstasy of joy and the agony of defeat. There have been basement photo-shoots of toys and standing on the floor of the Centre Bell for shows, where this photograph was taken using a (gasp) cell phone. All that, and don't forget the many photographs of The Heir Apparent and The Crown Prince, which remain for family eyes only. It's been a wild ten years. Thanks to all of you out there who stop by to take a look at what my camera and I are up to. You're not a very vocal bunch, but I see that you visit, and I appreciate everyone who stops by. With that out of the way, lets see what will develop over the next ten years.
Thursday, 25 August 2022
Left For Dead
After all of that music, I decided to give my ears a little break and spend a little time in the yard with the flowers. I was looking around and noticed that one of our Brown Eyed Susan's had unfortunately been cut, probably by our rabbit friend who has been visiting or some other four legged friend. So, I thought it would be a fun little experiment to show that even a dead and cut flower could still look good from a certain angle. I held the flower in my left hand as I couldn't get it to sit properly in a glass. I then shot the flower at f/7.1, 1/160sec, ISO 100 at 70mm. The result was a nice clear shot of the center of the flower with some pollen still remaining around the cone and some small flakes on the petals. The petals still look nice and soft as well. All of this from a broken flower. As I have always said, just about anything can be photographed, you just need to take the time to find its beauty. Just to prove that I'm not pulling your legs, I included a shot of the flower being held in my hand so you can see it had really been pulled. Not that I think you fair readers would doubt Your Friendly Neighbourhood Photographer.
Monday, 22 August 2022
Daisy Day
Another August 22nd is upon us, so we take a moment to remember Grammie, my Grandmother on my Dad's side who passed away 11 years ago, with a little flower. It's hard to believe that it's been 11 years that she has been gone, but I'm sure all of you out there experience similar emotions to such anniversaries as well. This year, Mother Nature was a little more helpful as our own Daisies, the flower that I most associate with her thanks to childhood memories, ended up growing in abundance. To stick with the family theme, it was The Heir Apparent who sat down next to me as the photographs were being taken and pointing to which flower I should shoot. She found the fly to be rather funny while repeatedly saying 'tout petit, tout petit'. So, that's the one that we chose for this little memorial update. The photograph was take at f/7.1, 1/1000sec, ISO 100 at 70mm. We still miss you Grammie. Hope you've enjoyed this years photos.
Sunday, 21 August 2022
Sara Diamond At Bar Le Ritz PDB
Most people will probably remember Sara Diamond from her time as a National Anthem singer for the Canadiens de Montréal. I won't lie, that's how I first came to know her as well. I was always impressed by her voice and became only more so after discovering her music. An R&B and Pop fusion is what I guess you could call her style. Catchy tunes that you can dance to, and that's what the folks who showed up at the Bar Le Ritz PDB wanted to do. It was also a bit of a homecoming as she mentioned that she had recently moved to Los Angeles in a bid to further expand her creativity and sound. The move must be considered a success as she returned home with a new EP of songs, Sara X, which was released in June of this year. Judging from the crowd reactions, they really liked what they heard too. The first photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/125sec, ISO 8000 at 70mm. Here are several more photographs that I took of her performance.
Emma Beko At Bar Le Ritz PDB
It's always nice to see someone at a very early stage of their career. Such is the case with Emma Beko, who took the stage at Bar Le Ritz PDB on Friday night. She has just recently released a second album, Digital Damage and despite pain from a recently injured back, lit up the room with her smile. Which was a good thing since the only lighting for her set was a blue and then red wash of light. It was obvious for all to see that she was super excited to be there. Up on the stage with her DJ, DJ Coco, she soldiered through the pain and busted out some of the dance moves that she had sadly mentioned she wouldn't be able to share earlier in her set. A true testament to the healing power of music. The first photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/250sec, ISO 6400 at 39mm. Here are a few more photographs that I took of her performance.
Laurence Nerbonne At Parc de la Cité
They say that all good things must come to an end, and I have found that to be true. While I won't be lamenting the upcoming end of Summer, we here at the Head Office are a little sad that the Summer Concert series put on by the Ville de Longueuil and organized by Longueuil est Culture is wrapping up this weekend. There was one last show to be seen under a sweltering late August sky. Laurence Nerbonne was up on the stage with the difficult task of trying to get people to dance in near 40 Celcius heat. To her credit, despite a lack or people willing to take her up on her offer, she did manage to get a couple of people to boogie. Winner of a Juno in 201y for Best Francophone Album (XO) and of a SOCAN award in 2017 for her sone Réves d'Éte, the people who came out were treated to a show by a real pro. Her latest album, OMG, was released in February of last year and she recently came back from a huge Eurpoean tour. The first photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/1000sec, ISO 100 at 70mm. Here are several more photographs of her performance.
Saturday, 20 August 2022
Greta Van Fleet At Centre Bell
It has been a little more than three years since I have been able to photograph a show at the Centre Bell. Sure, 'The Plague' may have had a lot to do with that, but as a photographer unattached to any media other than The Old Blog, my odd of getting in to the place are slim. I still keep plugging away and asking though, and I managed to get myself back into the building. Greta Van Fleet were in town and headlining the show, and their management crew were kind enough to grant me a pass to shot the concert. Greta Van Fleet burst upon the world stage a few years ago. The group consist of three brothers (Josh, Jake & Sam Kiska) and their drum playing friend Danny Wagner. Their sound is very mid-60s rock and several comparisons have been made, for better and for worse, between their sound and that of legendary band
Led Zeppelin. Without getting carried away in comparisons, I have very much enjoyed their discography, which includes their latest album, The Battle At Garden's Gate, which was released last year. I'm not the only one who enjoys their music either, and there was a story in the local media about a group of girls who made their way up for the concert and ended up camping out in front of the Centre Bell so that they could get to the very front of the General Admission section in front of the stage. With dedication like that, and some good songs already on record the band is sure to continue their successful run. The first photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/2000sec, ISO 3200 at 55mm and the second photograph was taken at f/3.2, 1/1000sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm. Here are several more photographs that I took of their performance.
