#Vancouver grad photographer

[eranjayne]

Hannah's Grad Session | Tsawwassen Photographer

This dress was absolutely meant to be photographed at sunset!

If there was ever a dress that was absolutely meant to be photographed in a sunset grad session, it’s Hannah’s gorgeous, pale yellow gown. Set against the golden sunset and shimmering fields of Centennial Beach, Hannah and her perfect dress lucked out with an incredible evening for this session. Clear blue skies, a bit of a cool breeze and a playful, “let’s go for it” attitude from Hannah…

[wolfcursd]

[ logan lerman, twenty nine, cis man ]. you’ll never guess who i saw in stanley park. that’s right, it was [ isaac brenner ]. [ he/him ] is a [ photographer at vancouver sun ] and they’re apparently a [ werewolf ]. did you hear they are [ humorous & adaptable ] but also [ distant & pessimistic ]? no wonder, anyone who reminds me of [ never knowing how to be on time, always warm to the touch, a soft voice never knowing what quite to say ] is sure to give that impression.

first.

full name: isaac samuel brenner.

age: twenty nine.

gender + pronouns: cis man + he/him.

orientation: bisexual.

occupation: photographer at vancouver sun.

species: werewolf.

character inspos: oz from buffy, shaggy rogers from scooby doo, & peter parker from spiderman.

second.

grew up in michigan with his parents and two siblings. parents got divorced while isaac was in high school but he has never particularly been close with either of them so it didn't impact him much. he always wanted to be closer to his family but isaac has never been good at sharing his feelings.

has been living in vancouver for a few years now. he moved to the area after dropping out of grad school and the desire to start fresh somewhere he couldn't possibly know anyone. with a bachelors in history under his belt, a couple hundred dollars to his name and nothing to lose, he went north. it was the federally regulated weed that really swayed his choice.

was bitten a few months ago and is unaware of his species status. has woken up in some pretty strange places, but as someone familiar with alcoholic benders, he never really thought much into it. while isaac isn't aware of every single supernatural detail, he's not quite at the "believing" part but he's certainly at the "something not normal is going on" part. wants to be left out of it altogether if possible but his job usually puts him in the right place at the wrong time. it's how he'd gotten bitten, been somewhere for work and some guy he was trying to help just bit him.

pretty chill and has a good heart but tries to avoid being someone with responsibilities or expectations. isaac doesn't like to rock the boat and when things get tough, he usually just leaves the situation for someone else to deal with. spends a lot of his time practicing his drums ( his apartment neighbors want him dead ), going on errands for the newspaper, and not being sober. really used to love the idea of leaving the us but now he wonders if he should leave again because there's just too much going on for his taste.

third.

desired plots: ( feel free to toss ideas my way )

roommate. taken by bowie . isaac has been living in apartments ever since moving to vancouver - it's possible this is someone he's been roommates with for years or someone he's moved in with recently. as much as he likes being alone, he also likes having a savings account.

ex partner. maybe they were dating soon after isaac moved to canada or maybe they broke up more recently. could have been mutual, could have been on isaac's part, could have been on their's. just fun ex drama.

one night stand, friends, acquaintances, etc.

[ofwrxth]

NYLA DARLING is a MEMORY ARTIST and 29 years old. Originally from TORONTO, they have been with the circus for 5 YEARS. They look like VICTORIA PEDRETTI and possess the ability of MEMORY ABSORPTION. They are known to be GENEROUS, CREATIVE, and INSIGHTFUL, but can also be GUARDED, MISCHIEVOUS, and PARTICULAR.  

CHARACTER THEMES: authenticity, self-expression, resonance, compassion, self-sacrifice, altruism

SUMMARY OF ABILITY: Nyla can absorb memories of another person through physical contact of their skin. She can sometimes project memories to others through touch as well. If given prolonged intentional exposure to someone, they can sometimes feel like they have vertigo. She's since learned to control her abilities.

BIO

Nyla Darling grew up all over, her parents always a bit flighty, taking them where the wind led. Her father was a wildlife photographer and her mother was a painter who did portraits and murals as they traveled. 

Some of the work she did was in hospitals and she'd bring Nyla along with her. It was there that Nyla got her first glimpse of what people did to help others in a tangible way.

When she was 12/13, Nyla’s abilities manifested. It was hard to control it and her mom was the first person to give her a pair of gloves to prevent unwanted memories. 

She turned to art during this time, sketching out memories she’d absorbed as a catharsis of sorts, like she was emptying her mind onto the blank page. It helped her adjust to her newfound abilities and refocus on her goals as the years went on.

Nyla ended up becoming a travel nurse, taking a page out of her parents nomadic lifestyle but also doing something she’s wanted to do since she was a girl, seeing nurses work as her mother painted murals on hospital walls.

With her abilities more under control the older she got, she was able to mostly execute her work without issue. But there were instances where she’d slip and work became harder. Sometimes she’d see someone with broken bones and bruises who claimed to fall down the stairs, but when she brushed their hands or took their temperature, she could see their memories of abuse come flooding through. Or she’d see the memories of people who hated hospitals because of their loss. The emotions that came with the memories could give her a headache sometimes too.

She would move to different hospitals over a few years post grad, traveling around Canada but her exhaustion grew. Nyla wanted to help people in a tangible way, but her abilities meant that she couldn’t fully be herself in doing so. She always had to come up with an excuse for knowing something she shouldn’t. Or for always knowing what questions to ask a potential victim. Nyla found the pressure of keeping her secret to be too much and after three years she took time off, trying to find a renewed sense of purpose.   

Enter the Night Circus. One night outside of Vancouver, Nyla found herself in the black and white tents. They were there for five nights. A rare stretch of performances and Nyla went to everyone. She was captivated by the wonder of the place and that was something noticed by a scout. While they didn’t know Nyla’s exact gift to start with, they knew she was one of them and invited her to stick around and see what the Night Circus was really about.

She joined five years ago and works as a memory artist. Rather than trying to describe an effervescent, intangible memory in hopes of someone capturing it, people can share their memories with Nyla and she does quick but detailed sketches of said memory. Just like she’d done to help herself when these abilities first manifested.

People leave her tent with a tangible memory in their hands, drawn with expert precision, details picked up from the now shared memory.

And while her official nursing days are behind her, Nyla still seeks opportunities to help where she can, offering her medical experience to help around the circus as well. The Night Circus isn’t what she’d expected five years ago, but it’s the first time she feels like she can still help people in different ways, all while being who she really is. 

[worklabournewsresearch]

Virtual Onboarding Guides Easing New Graduates into the Remote Workforce of the Pandemic

"The coronavirus pandemic upended what starting a new job looks like, with office-wide introductions and water cooler conversations replaced by virtual onboarding guides and Zoom or Slack check-ins. But for many new grads in Canada, the process has an additional challenge: starting their first career-track job, they may not know what to expect."

"Ms. D’Abreu suggests employers and managers clearly outline company policies and practices around time off, working hours, the dress code for virtual meetings and even smaller things that they might take for granted, such as email etiquette, managing calendars and professional conduct in meetings. Managers should also encourage young hires to ask any questions they have, she added. 'These are things that someone new to the workforce is likely to learn organically in an in-person setting with way more ease. … We have to be more intentional about it when working remotely,' she said."

"Back at Riipen, Ms. Sameshima – who now works remotely from Vancouver – said her own experience has informed her work onboarding other new employees remotely. She helped to make Riipen’s introductory presentation more tailored to the remote experience with videos that emphasize the company’s culture and values. She and her manager also developed a user manual to help new employees navigate communicating with their managers and receiving feedback remotely. 'We were remote when I joined, but we’ve definitely learned to do the onboarding process a bit better.'"

The Globe and Mail, May 14, 2021: "Virtual onboarding guides easing new graduates into the remote workforce of the pandemic," by Kelsey Rolfe

Willis Towers Watson, March 26, 2021: "How employee onboarding will change in a post-pandemic hybrid workplace," by Jason Stewart, John Jones and Sara Vallas

Willis Towers Watson, February 5, 2021: "2020 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey"

Photo Source: Montgomery, Chris. (2020). Zoom call with coffee [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/smgTvepind4

[windwrinkle]

a few months ago, struggling with the same anxiety and depression I am assuming most of us have at the moment, I started the goal of going on a walk every evening. I can’t go every day because of my chronic fatigue and increasing issues with an underlying illness that spun out of control, but I go as much as I can. I usually do about a mile, the same path, and towards the same park. I sit on a bench, watch the sun get low, and go home. In my grad program, we talk often about research, and what it means, and how it greets our practice. For a while it felt secondary and forced, and I’ve been reading tons of theory that feels beyond me. working out of my home isn’t feasible to the scale or shape I was at before the pandemic, so it took me a while to realize how my walks and photographs of hyper zoomed flowers were my summer research project; they’re my companion on my walks, they ebb and flow, die and bloom, replace and cycle. It surprises me how many pictures I have in the same spot, months apart. A lot of my recent, personal work has been trying to come to terms with my anxieties around death, and this feels like an unconscious continuation of that, in daily repetition. Anyway blah blah blah blah flowers (at Vancouver, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCsLJKQnAcZ/?igshid=1ssi494prz03r

[narcissasdaffodil]

Tag

the lovely @ravena-dottir tagged me so doing this for my first MC Alecto, who’s very close to my heart. She’s taken from Harry Potter and developed further, she’s not a full OC but there’s not much canon information for her.

Full name: Alecto Delyth Carrow

Hometown: Cardiff

Age: 24

About MC’s family (any parents, siblings, childhood, etc.): she was separated from her birth parents when she was two, but got reunited with them when she was 11. She has no contact with her adoptive parents or adoptive brother. She’s very family oriented and loves her two sisters Skye and Isla a lot. She only has contact with her mum, her parents divorced when she was very young and she has no contact with her dad.

What’s her nationality/race/ethnicity: she’s Welsh

Any languages: English, Welsh and French

Her celebrity crush(es): Elle Fanning, Jodie Comer, Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet

Occupation: finished a medicine degree at Cardiff University, currently taking a post grad foundation course. Her end goal is to become a doctor. She had a gap year in between her A Levels and her first year of uni.

Any hidden talents: she’s a talented photographer and artist. She’s got multiple sketchbooks and photo albums filled with her work. If she cares about people she frequently uses them as inspiration for her art. She’s also a talented cook and definitely enjoys cooking when she has the time. She has her own YouTube channel too, and also enjoys graphic design. She’s also learning guitar which is taking a while.

Favourite drink (alcoholic & non-alcoholic): Pina Colada and Coke

Zodiac sign: Scorpio, her birthday is 24th October

Favourite movie and/or tv show: Santa Clarita Diet, HTGAWM

Who’s her Love Interest: Marisol

Update of your MC and LI after the Villa: Living together and married. Got two cats as she loves cats and is scared of dogs, so Marisol agreed to have cats instead.

Sexuality: Bisexual

Favourite vacation spot: New York, Canada (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver), Paris. She enjoys travelling and it’s a good inspiration for her art. She can only do it during breaks from uni though.

What’s her ideal date: a homemade meal in and a film/TV show. She doesn’t get much time to relax.

Who is her inspiration: Sofia Coppola, Annie Leibovitz, Ayla Tesler-Mabe

What’s her favourite dish: spaghetti bolognese

Ideal outfit: jumper, jeans and Doc Martens. She’s only 5’0 and is able to look intimidating despite her height.

Picture of your MC & faceclaim:

Faceclaim is Sophie Skelton. She’s a natural brunette but dyes her hair auburn.

[christinepanas]

One Hour from Saskatoon

Until that car wash in Vermillion, I would never have believed that a magpie, for its own entertainment, would sit on a telephone pole and take deliberate aim at the hood of a just washed and waxed rental car. Just for the cackles. It was funny. And I admit that I laughed. The splat was hilarious. It was also infuriating because we had to wash the car again. I guess the bird just needed to weigh in.  

The splat inspired me, somehow. So, while we were standing there, admiring the volume and precision of the splat, I said “we should take that detour to Redberry Lake.”

He agreed, but only after some back and forth as I explained that this saline lake is a protected biosphere. And I probably stomped a foot or two, and reminded him that so far on this trip, we had only taken one diversion and that diversions always yield the best material. He could only agree.

For me, the exciting thing about traveling is making unplanned stops along the way. We usually get fired up by the off-agenda. But now headed east on the Yellowhead, staring at the passing landscape, we are silent. Prairie land can do that to a person, dragging you along into golden complacency, as if this moment in time will last forever, unchanged.

I shake off the feeling and realize that right now I’m hungry and thirsty and in need of a stretch, so I say, “let’s pull over for a minute.” He doesn’t hear me because he is lost in amber waves of thought.

I assume he’s thinking about the travelogue. He hates my writing style, by the way, because, as he says, I don’t pay attention to detail. And I infer and imply rather than refer and reply, which is unforgivable. He is a close reader of texts, parsing everything down to the gerundive that should be a supine - the two are not mutually interchangeable and I am prone to gerunderiving (his word). I find this grammar shredding deadly for creativity. He finds my hyperbole equally story-killing. And we both know that a travelogue is neither a scholarly article, nor a piece of fiction. It’s really marketing disguised as honesty and genuine interest. So, we meet in the middle and make it work.

Like a good scholar, he takes copious notes wherever we are. Altitude. Weather. Population. Topography. Grid pattern, or no grid pattern. I take photographs. And notes about people. And I listen to conversations.

We work well together and have been successful (for what we do and how we do it). It’s not a bad life for failed academics, forced to teach the unwanted to the unwilling high schoolers of today. Not what we imagined during the heady days of grad school, when we reveled in the arcane and chuckled at uber-esoteric jokes. Grad school. A private province of cerebral nerds, a safe kingdom in which the geeks rule. Ah, those were the days.

Now, we’re very different. The esoteric geek jokes and nerd chuckles don’t sell magazines. And when we compare notes, he never remembers what I remember: The child in the blue T-shirt and red hat who bolted from his parents and nearly tumbled over a barrier at Glacier Lake, or the woman having a breakdown in Vancouver because the street grid made no sense, or the guy by the side of the road in Medicine Hat selling rocks.

I love rocks. I collect them. It drives him crazy. I drive him crazy. My mind is, he says, a place of pure chaos. I bought some great specimens while he rolled his eyes.

But he likes my photos, which recently won an award in a travel magazine. The author said that my work is “dynamic and clear and communicative.” It was a great honor that came with a check for a thousand dollars. We celebrated by ordering rack of lamb at the Carillon in Austin. It was delicious. Perfectly cooked.

My stomach growls in agreement.

“I’m hungry,” I say in a loud, intrusive way.

“We’re not going to live forever,” he replies.

“I never said we were,” I reply.

“No, I mean, how much longer can we go on?”

“We’re a little over an hour from Saskatoon,” I reply. “We can decide when we get to the lake.”

I always put things off if I can, especially destinations. Getting there should be the fun thing. Like Christmas. The lead up to Christmas is magical, filled with aromas and sounds and possibilities. And then, all at once, the thunderous package-opening and empty boxes strewn everywhere! What a letdown.

 We are almost two months into this year’s travel season. We started in Las Cruces, New Mexico, mostly because a writer I admire is from there, but really because it’s not Santa Fe, where last year we spent an entire week doing the gallery thing for an upcoming article.

Las Cruces was, in his words, not that bad, and not the worst diversion we’ve had. In fact, I found the place revealing. As a man in a golf cap at the Big Bar and Billiards said, “Las Cruces reminds you that Mother Nature doesn’t need you, or even like you.”

We had fun there, that night. But he complained that we lost a day in Las Cruces that we could have spent in Ouray, a beautiful and weird village that pops up as the Colorado Rockies calm down, easing towards Grand Junction.

We still have three weeks to go, final destination to be decided. And yes, we could have stayed a night in Ouray. But it rained. Hard. Still, I did have a really good slice of pie there. The thought of pie gets my stomach growling again.

“Seriously, I’m hungry,” I say, louder this time.

He sighs with full-body heaviness, then agrees that Hafford is a good place to stop. He needs aspirin and a beer. The village has a pharmacy, so the sign at the turnoff leads us to believe. We have learned, however, that roadside signage is always updated last, if at all.

 It’s almost a mirage, this sleepy village of wholesomeness. I imagine that even Tennessee Williams would have a difficult time finding the peculiar or tragic here.

My stomach is really growling now. Roaring, even. He gives me the side-eye as he maneuvers the car into the parking lot of the local cafe and rec hall. I make a note that the sign says, “family games room”, and decide to bring my camera.

“You should have eaten breakfast,” he says as he unbuckles himself. “You always do this.”

He mumbles about my inability to properly feed and direct myself.

I ignore him and we step into the sunny summer day.

 It’s cool inside the cafe and we take seats at the counter. I find myself eavesdropping on the owner, who is busy on the phone planning some kind of event. She has a retro eggplant colored hairdo with bangs, but she looks so very happy.

“How many birthday candles?” she asks and then says, “Oh, no, I don’t think that’ll be a fire hazard.”

I’m trying to imagine how many candles constitute a fire hazard and am about to say something when three dust covered farmers belly up to the counter.

“I’ll have the Whatever club,” one of them says to no one in particular, “and an egg.”

The owner waves at them as she talks on the phone, taking notes as she goes.

“Okay then,” she says as she puts down the phone and looks at us. “What can I get you?”

My idea is burger and beer, but he reminds me that we have a cooler full of sandwiches, yogurt, and crudités. We are on both a budget and a diet. The owner smiles as she waves again at the farmers, who are patient but hungry.

And I am hungry, and I want a burger. So I order one. And fries. And a beer.

He hems and haws and finally orders the Whatever club because, and I’m not making this up, it has ham, cheese and whatever else she feels like putting on it. She’s beginning to grow on me, Eggplant Bangs.

The beers arrive in an instant, and I am so happy. I don’t know why this beer is such a relief. It’s not like I’ve done much besides sit in a car and look out a window, thinking about nothing. Except gerundives and supines and how some overachiever way back in the day tried to kit out the English language as if it were Latin. It is not. It’s a hodgepodge. Anything goes. A Whatever Language.

The food arrives, mine a heaping pile of salt and fat, his somewhat more restrained, except for the whatever in the club, which turns out to be liverwurst and pickles. He loves it. And he loves the side of potato salad, which features cocktail olives and radishes. I am a little wary but dive right in anyway and try to like it.

“One day,” he says, “you’ll regret all these burgers. You’ll be fat as a house with blood pressure so high they won’t be able to cork you.”

“It’s the fries that kill us,” I reply.

“Yes,” he says, “now fork some of them over.”

 Our plans have changed, and now the new plan is to eat lunch, stroll the village, then head to Redberry Lake. We will take photos, speak to a local, visit the lakeside rentals, then head south to Saskatoon to stay at a Marriott that features Jacuzzis and a salon. He rolls his eyes. I know he thinks I am frivolous, with money and adjectives and gerundives. I think he thinks too much and executes too little.

We begin to bicker a little because I am riding the dragon on this particular day, and my skin is oily, my mood changeable, my breasts tender. And I know from the way that he parses my sentences that he is reading between no lines and doesn’t get it at all.

“Just don’t forget to charge the batteries,” he says.

“Jesus, man, I forget like, what, once, and you have to remind me every single freaking time?”

“You’ve been snippy all day. What’s the problem? Lack of fries? Here, eat them all,” he says with a push of the plate.

“Can I borrow your pen for a second?” I ask Eggplant Bangs. She hands it to me with a smile and steps away discreetly as I jot down three letters on a napkin. But I use the Greek alphabet, which I know will get his attention. He likes puzzles.

“Pi... Mu.... Sigma....,” he mutters. “That’s not a word. Is it an Indo-European root?”

“No, it’s not,” I say. “Stop overthinking everything.”

“I don’t overthink,” he says.

“You always overthink. To overthink is your thing.”

By now the farmers are watching us as if we are a television set locked on cable news. I don’t care. He’s still puzzling.

“It’s an acronym,” I say.

He stares for a few long seconds, then says, “pre marital sin?”

“What’re you, a priest?” I snap as I snatch the napkin and crumple it up. “Pre-marital sin? Is that part of the canon law penal code?”

He blinks at me a few times before he figures it out, then blushes, and orders more beer.

Twice.

 And so, here we are, in this village, midday, well, late afternoon by now, three beers in, and I know we’re not driving anywhere, so I ask the room, which seems to have filled up, if there is lodging available anywhere in town.

Everyone chimes in. Control of this whole day is now out of our hands. And for some reason I am as content as I have been in a long time, and I think, “this is great. I am loving this.”

Now, we are three farmers and one owner deep into a discussion of where to stay, with one farmer certain there’s a converted barn loft that would do us fine. He is shouted down by the just-arrived mayor and the local surveyor, who, and I quote, “has measured everything and everyone within a one-hundred-kilometer radius”.

By beer four, the consensus is that the village inn is a good one and it’s a landmark. And, according to a recently arrived skateboarder wearing a tent-sized T-shirt, it’s haunted.

Good enough for me. I am eager to photograph ghosts. I can photograph anything and make it look worthy of a magazine cover. I can’t wait.

So far, the food has been good, the beer better, and now we moved out of the dining room and into the games room. And we are playing pinball and darts and air hockey, and we are laughing and joking and completely unconcerned that we are in no way headed to Saskatoon. And I am loving it. We haven’t laughed this much since our PhDs.

I look across the room and see him all animated at the air hockey table, chatting up a big-eyed brunette with a swan-like neck. He is smiling so big. It’s the happiest smile I’ve seen in months. Okay, maybe many months. A year. A long time.

And now I’m hanging out with farmers, different farmers, also dusty, who are telling tall tales about ice fishing on Redberry Lake, all of them eager to tell me that this or that thing would “make a good picture.” So, I’m listening to the chatter and hearing about the village doings and the nostalgia that flavors everything around us. And they encourage me to regale them with my own trivial facts.

“So you’re a Texan,” one of them says. “Into oil, ay.”

I explain that we are from Austin, an Island of sanity in an otherwise insane dichotomous land.

“Well, I hear it’s big,” one of them says. “Dichotomies or not. Bigger than here, which is plenty big, if you go for that empty kind of thing.”

They have a way, these farmers, of simultaneously praising and insulting the place. I understand how the place feels.

It’s not so different, I think, from other small villages we’ve visited, except for the flatness. But all such places seem to share an ongoing concern about depopulation. They worry that their fledglings will prefer Regina, or even Toronto. They’ll be out of fledglings soon. It worries them. What is the world coming to?

They wonder: Does everyone want a desk job? A computer rather than a colleague? Verticality?

I wonder: How do people choose a place? Why is it so hard to leave, or to stay? Suburbs give me heartburn. Owning things gives me heartburn. I think that the potato salad is giving me heartburn.

One of them, for reasons known only to him, looks at me and says, “you don’t appear to have any nesting instincts.”

I tilt my head, really tilt it in a cartoon shock of a way. I’ve heard this before.

“That’s what my father says,” I reply in surprise. In fact, my father told me that on my birthday. When I turned twenty-one.

“He’s a good one,” the farmer replies, like he knows this man he’s never met.

“Yep,” I reply, feeding coins into the pinball machine. “He knows me well.”

“Good news!”, someone shouts from the air hockey table. I look up and can see my partner waving at me as he announces, “we got a room at the inn!”

He says it with enthusiasm, as if we have done the impossible. He’s grinning ear to ear. The brunette swan is grinning. Everyone is grinning. It’s a lot of grinning.

 Next thing I know, we’re all paid up and half the cafe patrons are escorting us to the inn. It is a landmark. It has all the symptoms of one. I love it, right down to the old paint and titling angles.

Inside, the tented skateboarder and what appears to be his crew are hanging out in front of the fireplace where a video monitor sits. They’re playing a video game. They are animated.

The inn feels much larger than it appears from the street, and it has a western feel. I glance around then I see the bar. There’s a bar here. The offerings are fat on the whiskey and vodka, a little thin on everything else, but it’s a bar. And it’s past five.

The owner, it turns out, is Eggplant Bangs, and she also owns the café, so it’s like nothing has changed, except now there’s a bar.

“Get you something?” she asks.

“Just a club soda for now,” I say. And for a second, I wonder who is running the café, but then realize it’s not my problem.

“I’ll just put a little splash of gin in it,” she says with a wink.

“Oh, what the hell,” I say.

Then I see him, at the other end of the bar, the brunette swan’s hand resting on his shoulder as she throws her head back in a laugh, her neck long and porcelain. They look like a couple in a travel magazine. They look happy.

And he is right, I know it now. We can’t go on like this. I’ll never stop moving, never be satisfied with where I am. I will never build a nest. And he needs a nest. Maybe a swan’s nest.

We’re still an hour from Saskatoon. It’s almost time to decide.

[fattonyrap]

“Fat Tony is good for your health” out now on @thefader https://www.thefader.com/2018/10/10/fat-tony-10000-hours-album-intervew thank you @pxthompson for the conversation and thank you @keithoshiro for photographing me at home. —— September 14 - Houston, TX - Satellite Bar September 23 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram September 25 - Paris, France - Carmen September 27 - London, ON - London Music Hall September 28 – Kingston, ON – Grad Club September 29 – Ottawa, ON – The 27 Club October 2 – Regina, SK – The Exchange October 3 – Calgary, AB – Commonwealth October 4 – Edmonton, AB – Buckingham October 5 – Kelowna, BC – Fernando’s  October 6 – Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound Club October 10 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s October 11 - Winnipeg, MB - The Good Will October 13 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club (daytime) October 13 – Chicago, IL – Sleeping Village October 18 – Fredericton, NB – The Capital October 20 – Halifax, NS – Halifax Pop Explosion  October 24 - Washington, DC - Songbyrd October 25 – Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero Balcony October 26 – Richmond, VA – Strange Matter October 27 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook October 28 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory October 30 – Boston, MA – Middle East Upstairs November 1 – Montreal, QC – La Vitrola November 2 - Hamilton, ON - Mills Hardware November 3 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground November 23 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa December 1 - Austin, TX - Empire Control Room https://www.instagram.com/p/BoyUT5ahZEt/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xbvpmres7dui

[2251bluewhales]

Week 4

It’s been ...

Three days ...

Since I’ve last successfully matched a whale ...

It's a very normal experience to photograph whales that are not listed in our identification catalogs. We see new animals come and go every year, and the ocean is a massive space. That being said, it’s next to impossible to identify every single blue whale in the eastern Pacific (although we surely do try). Even though I’m starting to feel my self worth rotting away with every animal I’m unable to identify, I have to remember a number of factors that play into why it can be difficult to find matches. Photo quality is, personally, my biggest setback. Sometimes the images we have for reference are incredibly grainy, or glare from sunlight reflecting off the animal’s skin or the ocean’s surface ruins the shot, distorting colors and patterns on the whale. Maybe we only have a photograph in our catalogs that display one side of the whale, but not the other (for example, I may only have a right side photo of the whale to work with, but the matching animal may only have a left photograph in the catalog). Times like these become daunting, if anything simply because I have a  compulsive desire to succeed and produce quality work, especially now that I’m beginning to wade deeper and deeper into the more professional realms of marine biology.

As I write this, I have a few things on my plate to begin working on today. Yesterday, our stranding coordinator introduced us to the stranding database as well as the metric ton of documents that need processing. Put lightly, I get to take the information in these necropsy reports and sort them into their respective locations in the archives of the database, noting parasites, viral/bacterial/fungal infections, and various other diagnoses listed in the reports, case by case. Lots of data input, but it’s imperative we get this information processed quickly for use within the institution, and for others to refer to for, say, grad school projects.

I also mentioned last week that I intend to start my research synthesis of a 2017 study on three distinct populations of short-finned pilot whales in Hawaiian waters. Today I’ll begin the process of outlining said paper, collecting scientific literature to help elaborate certain points, and reflecting upon how population monitoring and photo identification spearheaded my fascination of the field of marine biology.

I remember watching an old VHS documentary as a kid called The Island of Whales, which featured a group of renowned researchers who specialized in three species of whales (orcas, humpbacks, and grey whales) in the waters surrounding Vancouver Island in British Columbia. At the time, my love for orcas had already bloomed and started to flourish, so one could imagine the wonder that 8-year-old me experienced when I found out that:

1) You can tell individual whales apart by distinct patterns in their coloration, scars, the shape and size of the dorsal fin, etc.

2) Populations of whales sometimes have distinct vocal dialects that can be used to identify a group of animals (and down to the individual in some cases!)

3) Orcas (and some other whales) have distinct communities of animals within their range that specialize in hunting different prey items and utilizing different habitats to avoid competition among each other

4) There are people out there who get paid to study all of the above and more

So I suppose this all really brings me full circle. The orca communities of the Pacific Northwest, specifically the endangered Southern Residents of the Washington coast, are easily among the most thoroughly studied populations of animals in the world. While contributing more to the understanding of their biology is no doubt a goal of mine, I’m tickled by the number of opportunities to broaden my horizons to other species (such as the pilot whales and blue whales I’ve been working with) and gain a better insight on the mysterious lives of marine mammals, accomplishing exactly what I wanted to do as a child.

It’s just all so surreal. I can’t believe I’m actually here paving the way to my dream.

[arvin-shah]

Something glorious happened today and no I'm not talking about the callback that I think I botched .😭😂. After a long waiting process and being stressed about it, I finally got my post grad work permit to stay here in Canada. This country has done so much for me personally and professionally and all I'm saying is today has been a blessed day. (Not including the callback though. Still very confused and sad about that.) #photography #photographer #photooftheday #actorslife #toronto #vancouver #entertainment #model #emergingartists #fashion #vlogger#upandcomingartist #theatre #actor (at Vancouver, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B535LUnF2C1/?igshid=1buaypxsztx73

[jcinstitute-blog]

Vibrant Glam to start off the week💙 Makeup by our #JCInstitute Grad Meaghan MacRae - @paragonmakeup // #MakeYourPassionYourPaycheck . Model: @sade.official Photographer: @ellagracebell . . #makeuplooks #muainspo #makeupschool (at Vancouver, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzHQhWABOrI/?igshid=atunnmnttodb

[eranjayne]

Kayla's Sunset Grad Session | Tsawwassen Photographer

A golden field, a gorgeous red gown and a graduate - stunning combination!

It’s been four years since I first started offering sunset grad sessions (hello, Covid19!), and every year, I’m still so excited to meet up with each and every excited, talented and intelligent graduate. Most of the grads I photograph have already had one opportunity to wear their gorgeous dress at their prom/formal dinner, but I love that they get another opportunity to get all dolled up again,…

[iondate]

22oon

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thirteen. Seth becomes a model for the international nude modellingagency in SD with a 13inchbbc plus 4inchesofred for a total of 17inches sometimes 14inches(10black with 4red)found in Vancouver Brittish Columbia, was prior known for having 9,10or12inches of (alienthick)bbc in Wolfeville Nova Scotia Acadia while wearing #9#12 for the Axemen basketball club studiedbizdev. +red was discovered in Vancouver 2015.

...17. introducing the aA! MusicVideoalbum topsthe 1%ateam

8teen,(photographer) 9teen. Gainsspiritualedgeof nature promotes IonDate app APK just because of the iondating potential of anactive19electricVIinporntoday! Sells the show throughthe xyzrapvideoalbum aA!

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[portfolio-class]

Final Blog Post

School’s Out Forever!

I cannot believe that in one short week school will be over. Life will begin and the job search will be on. I am excited, terrified, and sad. I had a really great time here at VIU and I will miss my school routine, all my cohort friends, and learning about such a fun topic in school. Of course, learning about graphic design will never stop, but I definitely enjoyed taking the classes.

The course of Portfolio Studio proved to be very productive and practical. After completing it, I have built myself a personal brand and created the materials I need to help me get hired. The website is especially vital. I also am still incredibly stoked on my business cards. I definitely have enough to last me until a re-brand. I am also grateful to have the professional looking photographs to use, even though I hate the haircut I have in them.

Looking at my branding I love it! I think it is visually striking, attractive, fun and appealing. Above all, I think it represents me, my personality, and style very well. I am grateful for all the lead up we had. The surveys were particularly helpful in developing my visual identity. I do unfortunately have some problems with my logo. They are purely technical. Firstly is the fact that I think it really shines against the dark background, but in many applications, it will have to be placed against white, which in my opinion lessens its impact. The second being the outer glow. Although I think it adds a lot, I realize it complicates the application of the logo a lot. Luckily the business cards that use the effect came out really well, so I am holding on to it for now.

I really appreciated the structure of the course. The “work at your own pace, but get this stuff all finished” approach works really well for me. It made the pressure less intense. The blog posts provided good motivation to get work done every week. Overall I am pleased with what I produced in this course. I still don’t know if I should put my photo on my resumé. I would have to redesign it at this point to fit it in. But looking at other students resumés with photos, I think it looks really good.

I also am extremely grateful we got to dedicate so much of class to planning the best grad show we could. I can tell its going to be a fabulous event that will blow all the past ones out of the water. So thank you for giving us that exciting opportunity.

The next steps for me are to find work. I have already seen job postings on LinkedIn and Dribbble. Could you please send me a legit invite to Dribbble? As far I can tell I’m only a partial member or something. My plan is to travel to Asia for at least a month, and when I return go hard looking for jobs in Vancouver. Freelance for sure, but my goal is to be hired by a design firm. I would also settle for a company’s in house designer. My goal, for now, is to live in the city and work as a graphic designer and illustrator. Until I go on my trip after convocation I am going to soak up these last months with my friends in Nanaimo and just enjoy it all before it’s over forever. Looking back I can’t think of how this degree could've been better. I would recommend the VIU Graphic Design Program to anyone. It rocks! Thanks for being a large part of my Education Sebastian, you are a great instructor.

[rebeccahpedersen]

More MLS Musings!

TorontoRealtyBlog

New year, same unbelievable MLS photos and captions.

It took me all of three weeks to save up these little ditties, and then some!

Let’s take a look at a few of both today: some ridiculous things written in the “remarks” sections, and some comical photos that make you shake your head.  I assure you, the last photo today will keep you guessing all weekend…

“A picture paints a thousand words.”

Very true, in the context of MLS photos.

But what about the actual words themselves?  What kind of story can they tell?

Some of the most amusing finds in MLS listings are in the notes themselves.  Here are a few doozies…

This listing was for a commercial unit inside a hotel/condo, which already tells me I want no part of it.

But what I found interesting was that the unit, inside the hotel, is being sub-leased to the hotel, by the current lessor!

Then they just throw “your clients will be impressed” in there randomly.

It’s like showing an ad for a guy eating a hamburger at McDonald’s, ands saying, “Your friends will be impressed.”

Not so sure about that 990 year lease assignment.

With the amount of stress I have in my life, I know there’s no way I’ll live past age-970…

–

I know what you’re going to say, “It’s a language barrier,” I know.

But it’s too funny to pass up:

Personally, I wouldn’t want to move into a “demanding neighbourhood.”

My job is demanding.

My family life is demanding.

I don’t need a demanding neighbourhood too…

–

This one has no red underlines because I hate the whole thing.

I hate when agents write BS “slices of life” in the MLS remarks, rather than talking about the property:

“It’s been a long day at work?”  Really?  That is your opening?

Tired toes, bottles of wine, favourite TV shows…

Sorry, but I think describing the house is a better use of the exactly 463 characters that the CLIENT REMARKS section provides.

–

Sometimes, I think I’m oh-so fortunate to have not one, but two bathrooms, so I don’t have to share one with my wife.

But then when I lay eyes on a standard, ten-bathroom condo, I realize how real Torontonians are living…

–

Sometimes when listing agents get really desperate, they’ll offer a 2.5% commission, plus $3,000 “if sold by February 15th.”

This agent is either really cheap, or he’s overvaluing our city’s love of bread, cheese, and sauce…

–

I always tell my sellers, “You can not restrict showings.”  Any buyer who would have seen the property, but didn’t, is a lost chance at a sale.

If you’ve got a tenant in the property, you meet with them for coffee, sit them down, and come to an agreement.

This is no way to list real estate in Toronto:

–

Oh, and they want you to assume the tenant too.  The very tenant that will only allow showings for two hours per month?

Sign me up!

–

Why is it that most photographers don’t know how to shoot bathrooms?

I know bathrooms can be angular, and you want to avoid the classic toilet-shot.

But what the hell is this?

Or this?

It’s like a photo from the security camera in the top corner of the room…

I don’t know how I feel about this angle.

It’s either way better, or way worse:

And this one, well, I don’t even know to make of it.

It’s as though the photographer was laying on the shower floor.

I’m thinking somebody was knocked unconscious, woke up, and took a picture when calling for help…

–

I find this to be a very strange way to market a condo kitchen.

There’s just something really creepy about it.

It reminds me of….

Reminds me of…

Something…….

….ah, right!

This:

–

“Renovated kitchen,” you say?

Yes, there are new cabinets, new appliances…..

…..and a new floor…

–

You know the property is garbage, as is the agent selling it, when somebody used Paint to draw a red box around the house and the garbage in the front yard:

I don’t know what makes this property less appealing – the giant red box drawn around the house, or the condo under construction in the backyard that’s just dwarfing this rowhouse!

–

I’m no home inspector, but I’d say the addition on the back of this might not meet Mike Holmes’ standards…

–

This property has a “water view,” according to the listing.

Yep.

If you look out the window, over the billboard, and under the giant crane (which is building a condo that will obstruct the view by next year), you can see some water…..in between two buildings…

–

  And last, but oh God – oh most certainly not least, we have a screenshot from Google Street View as the feature photo on an MLS listing, rather than, you know – the listing agent actually going to the property with a camera.

But I can’t help but wonder in this picture: which is the house for sale?

Have a great weekend, everybody!

The post More MLS Musings! appeared first on Toronto Real Estate Property Sales & Investments | Toronto Realty Blog by David Fleming.

Originated from http://ift.tt/2BNRkUx

[bknodel]

Knodel’s 2017 in Pictures . . .

Decided to start with our classic, annual “Bowser Family Picture”.  Enjoy the pictures and comments.  (Disclaimer: all comments are from Brad and do not necessarily reflect the feelings and/or opinions of the other family members.)

January was a bit crazy with close to a meter of snow falling and almost a week off school for all of us - one of the perks of a being a 2-teacher family.

Just because we couldn’t drive 10 minutes on the treacherous roads to go to school it didn’t mean we couldn’t drive 2 hours to Whistler to go skiing! :) 

(Note: the road to Whistler from our house goes right past our school)

Few things make you feel as old as getting together with friends from your “young married” days and seeing how your toddlers have changed.

Adam has really enjoyed being part of the MEI drumline. It has provided him some neat opportunities like playing downtown for the BC Lions’ awards banquet.

Applying for scholarships seemed to take up much of our Spring. This was part of a project Lynden put together for a Dogwood Scholarship . . . which he got!

Who’s the best mouse catcher in the our house? (insert comment here about the garbage disposal in the background)

Lynden spent the first half of his Spring Break in Mexico with a service team from MEI. He really enjoyed his experience and it helped to reaffirm his love for other cultures.

The rest of the family met him in San Diego where we boarded a ship for a week-long cruise down the west coast of Mexico.

Getting on the ship was interesting . . . We did the honest thing by checking the box admitting that Adam had been up puking the night prior, only to be told to fill out the form again; this time checking the box stating that no one in our party has been sick in the previous 24 hours.

First stop . . . Cabo San Lucas!

We would have been ok if the ship would have remained moored in the Cabo Bay for the whole 7 days . . . Amazing scenery and weather.

We ended up enjoying the ports much more than we were expecting.  It was fun introducing Adam to a culture very different than ours.

Although I took this picture, Lynden gets the credit for setting it up and handing me his camera and showing me which button to push.

We spent Easter in Portland.  Hard to believe I grew up there and had never been to Voodoo doughnuts. Although it was our first time there, I don’t think the same can be said for the lady next to Jodi ;)

I was thankful to have Lynden as my assistant coach for my 14U club team this year. As you can see, he took his role very seriously!

It amazes me that I get to live so close to beauty like this! (If you think I am referring to the fields of flowers, you’d be wrong) 

I was asked to drive the bus for Lynden’s club volleyball team on a trip to Spokane Washington. And while it is obvious why I pulled the bus over for a photo here . . .

. . . this stop is a little harder to explain!

I was thankful for the opportunity to watch Lynden play his last volleyball match of his high school career . . . and possibly his last game ever. It was actually more emotional for both of us than we thought it would be.

Meanwhile, Jodi and her mom went over to Victoria to watch Adam perform in the Victoria Day parade. 

The real reason our family separated on this weekend was so Lynden wouldn’t make fun of Adam in this outfit . . .

Jodi was able to connect with a few of her best friends from high school at her reunion. I always wondered what girls did when they went to the washroom in groups. Now I know - they take selfies!

This picture is to show that I am thankful that at least one member of my family likes to fish with me :)

In May, we said goodbye to Jodi’s grandma . . . 

While it was sad, it was nice to celebrate a life well lived with Jodi’s family. 

In June, I had the opportunity to attend a volleyball conference with other MEI coaches in Las Vegas.  While I can’t think of a much worse place to live, we had a blast and learned a lot about a sport we all love.  I wish I could tell you more about our trip but what happens in Vegas . . . 

Having a son graduate was a new adventure for us - One that included surprises like early morning kidnappings by girls!

We are very proud of the young man Lynden has become in spite of our imperfect parenting. We are very thankful to all those who have helped us guide him through his teenage years.

He has a great group of friends and it was very fun to watch him thoroughly enjoy his grade 12 year. 

He even found someone willing to be his date for the prom! :)

I love this picture . . . perhaps because it reminds me so much of my high school experience . . . except for all the girls. 

Our grad gift to Lynden was a new camera. Photography has become a real passion of his and we have enjoyed seeing him enjoy a much nicer camera than what he had.

For sure, one of the highlights this year was watching Planet of the Apes on opening night with one of the stars of the film - the one and only Rick Ball! I’m sure the other folks in the theatre were wondering why we all were cheering every time he came on the screen. (That’s him on the far right.)

Adam wanted to have a girl-boy party for his 13th birthday.  We said ok as long as they stay on this web tower the entire time . . .

Jodi decided to join 2 other moms for a 3-day road trip with all the kids (which I thought was a fantastic idea!)  Unfortunately, for everyone, the stomach flu started making its way through the gang and Jodi was back home the next morning.

As mentioned, it has been fun watching Lynden become proficient with his new camera.  This is him up Mt. Baker in early July. 

I’m telling you . . . It is very impressive what he can do with his new camera! ;)

Lynden and I were prevented from completing that hike in July because of snow so we went back later in the summer with the whole family.  Adam might look like he is happy in this picture but, I assure you, he is not!

Me: “I need a haircut. Adam, want to cut my hair?”

Adam: “Of course I do!”

Couldn’t resist the photo-op on our way to Oregon.

Always a good time to be had at Detroit Lake with my family. My dad may be the only captain who wears holeys.

Lynden was working and was not able to come . . . so, we adopted adam’s friend Sam for the week :)

Although I insisted on taking a hiking selfie with Jodi on every hike we did, this was the only one she let me put in this year - likely because she likes how grey my beard looks in this shot. 

We even dragged Sam up the mountain behind the lake (actually I think we were holding him back. This was nothing compared to Everest - which he actually did last year.)

We finally got Adam all set up with his own watercraft . . .

Adam spent a week of his summer picking berries and he was able to save enough money to buy his phone.

Then it was off to Vancouver Island.

Different year . . . different vehicle . . . same sick packing job! 

My highlight of the trip was bass fishing one night from a kayak.  Lynden came along as my personal photographer.

It was nice to get away as a family and really connect with each other ;)

Adam: Dad, can Lynden and I use the kayaks for a bit?

Me: Sure

Lynden (on his phone after 2.5 hours): Hi Dad. We are at the lighthouse (seen in the top left of the photo!) but it’s ok . . . there is a nice lady who lives here and she is giving us food and water.”  

It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission I guess . . .

Nice of me to let Adam hold my fish! (The truth is that my brother-in-law @marklafleche caught this “pig” just after dark as we were rowing back to the truck.) 

We found this hike a short drive from where we have been staying on the Island for years. Very cool hike - at least when the water level is very low.

A “pig” in “mud”

We then drove across the Island to the West Coast to stay in “our” beehive cabin.

Here we are all tucked in the hive. 

It looks like we don’t eat much ;)

On our way from the east side to the west side, we stopped at one of our favourite places on the Island. Adam was all about the Parkour . . . which gave his mother a heart attack.

While Lynden gave his mom nightmares by leaning off the sides of rocks in order to get that perfect waterfall pic.

Hiking the rugged West Coast!

Taking the rugged selfie!

I like to include one artistic shot each year taken on my iPhone. . . 

Our boys are never happier than when they are on a beach.

Don’t let Lynden know that this is not actually surfing . . .

I just had to include this picture of Lynden because he looks so happy and we are going to really miss him when we put him on a plane in a few days . . . 

I took this picture of our boys in the back of an ambulance to send to Jodi just after they had both eaten almond chicken at a Chinese restaurant that contained peanuts :(

Only one son to send to school this September . . .

The other one was off to work at a chicken farm! He worked 4 days with the chickens and 1 day doing odd jobs like this.

Once again this year, I went with the boys volleyball teams to work at a camp in Hope for the weekend.

It was awesome to hear some of the volleyball alumni speak into the lives of the younger players.  We had to pretend we were around a campfire because of the fire ban.

Adam was in grade 8 this year which meant he got to go to grade 8 camp! At the last minute, they realized they were short male leaders and I was asked to go along. Which was a good thing as I was able to teach them some valuable life lessons like . . . you should never stand in a canoe ;)

We now officially have 3 adults in our home as Lynden turned 18 this Fall. As nice as it is to get a new laptop for school, he was also given 2 books that Jodi has been faithfully writing in each month since he was born. He is very lucky to have a mom who took the time to document the first 18 years of his life!

In October, I was able to experience my first true “redneck” weekend. All the male staff at my school (all 4 of us) headed north for several hours to enjoy a couple days of camo, quads, guns and grunting.

I took a break from coaching at the high school and coached my first team at our middle school.  It was a lot of fun to be able to coach Adam and his friends to several podium finishes.

We spent a week of the Christmas break in Oregon with my family. Lynden and I spent the better part of 2 days chasing waterfalls and taking selfies with our tongues out.

We decided to drive to the coast one day with my parents.  Not only did we find sunshine, we also found a super cool beach with a waterfall!

The beach is called “hug point” so I used it as a excuse to get this gorgeous lady to hug me.

. . . meanwhile, Lynden practiced his levitation skills.

And here is one more picture of Lynden . . . Did I mention that we are going to miss him?

Thanks for looking through our Year in Pictures - We wish you all the best in 2018.

Here are some of our best videos from our year . . .

This is what happened in Vegas after finding out we were at the wrong venue for the David Copperfield show and it was about to start in a casino down the street.

Back by popular demand - Another Rick Ball fishing video! (You may recognize him from such films as, “Planet of the Apes”.)

I find this hilarious! 

The craziest thing we saw in Mexico . . .

This is Lynden and his friends being led in the grad parade by Adam and his friends.