Archive for the ‘Portrait’ Category
April 18, 2009
Meet Liza, my eleven year old friend. Today we went on a photo adventure exploring the alleys in our neighbourhood.
POSTED BY Alyssa AT 9:28 pm ||
POSTED IN Portrait
April 14, 2009
This is my brother Curt. When we were kids we fancied ourselves ninjas. We ran around with black t-shirts pulled over our heads and spied on unsuspecting family members. Once I jumped off the lazy-boy and karate kicked him right in the stomach. It knocked the wind out of him pretty good, but he was gracious about it. He’s also pretty gracious about being in photos. I shot the above photo on Easter in my parent’s backyard while he was having a smoke.
This is the first photo I can ever remember taking. I took it of Curt on the night of his 8th birthday party. I remember telling him to pretend he was drowning in the wrapping paper. I think he did a pretty good job.
POSTED BY Alyssa AT 10:26 pm ||
POSTED IN Personal, Portrait
March 24, 2009
1967 - age 14: That’s my Mum in the middle. Now you can see where I get my big hair from.
(left) Check out those ringlets!/ (right) Look at that collar - look familiar?
My Mum grew up in Guyana and moved to Winnipeg (Canada) with my father when she was 19 years old. She was the first in her family to get married, and by the time she was my age (26) she had two sons and was a successful banker. She’s a smart woman with a huge heart. She also is the only member of my family who can beat me at Monopoly…
I’ve recently realized that whenever I get into trouble it’s because I’ve forgotten half or all of my Mum’s wisdom, “Remember who you are, and whose you are.” She has sent me off on many an adventure with those words echoing in my ears. My Mum is perceptive, she knew I wanted to be a photographer long before I did. She bought me my first camera years before I would admit to anyone that I loved photography, and has supported me non-stop since this whole journey began.
Happy Birthday Mum. I love you.
POSTED BY Alyssa AT 4:33 am ||
POSTED IN Personal, Portrait
March 22, 2009
The first photo is a recent of Emily. The second one I took last August in Bramps while I was walking home through the fields and farms near my parent’s house. The letterboxes around them are inspired by the loads of widescreen cinema I’ve been consuming of late. The other day I was watching Everything is Illuminated, a film which gives me the same feelings of nostalgia as the above photographs. In it a character played by Eugene Hutz says,
“I have reflected many times upon our rigid search. It has shown me that everything is illuminated in the light of the past. It is always along the side of us, on the inside, looking out. Like you say, inside out. Jonathan, in this way, I will always be along the side of your life. And you will always be along the side of mine.”
Frankly, I couldn’t have put it better myself. This is the reason I love photography. Every frame an opportunity to document, to remember, to remind, to live along side! To return home and to move forward all at once.
POSTED BY Alyssa AT 2:58 am ||
POSTED IN Personal, Portrait
March 20, 2009
I promise that I can take photos that are completely in focus. Honest! But for now I am having too much fun experimenting. These are more photos from my spring walk on Tuesday. The garages behind my house remind me of New York in the 80’s… not sure why. The old man in the photo caught Emily’s eyes. There was a gentleness in the way he stood on his porch that suggested he may have just wandered out of a story book. When I called out and asked if I could take his photo he walked down to the sidewalk out of curiosity. He asked why, and I told him I liked his face, and he LAUGHED! He stood proud while I took the photo, and when I showed it to him he gently grasped my arm and smiled with such WARMTH. It was a really lovely city moment.
POSTED BY Alyssa AT 4:02 am ||
POSTED IN Personal, Portrait
March 18, 2009
So long the silent winter,
I breathed as you said,
You missed my mind,
My mind, I was waiting,
Patiently,
For my shoes to sink,
gracefully into the ground.
And when they did,
I knew that I would find the words,
Words long retreated into my chest.
Emma and I took a brilliant walk down to Queen West this afternoon. I haven’t posted in a while, but I was waiting for exactly this… the emotion/motion of spring.
POSTED IN Personal, Portrait
February 10, 2009
happy birthday dar!
POSTED BY Alyssa AT 7:51 pm ||
POSTED IN Personal, Portrait
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