Oh, The Places You'll Go!

   One of my favourite and unexpected things about PrairieView so far, has to be the field trips that we have gone on. So I thought I’d share some of my experiences with you. 


  FORE!!!!! Our first official field trip was to Grand Prix. It was a chance to get to know my competition a bit better ;) . Just kidding. But seriously, since then I have learned just how incredibly talented my fellow students are! (You'll be blown away as they continue blogging throughout the year).

  It was a wonderful day that we spent hanging out, getting to meet people we hadn’t had a chance to meet yet, and in general act like a bunch of big kids! It was totally awesome!!!!! We played mini golf in the morning (I won) and in the afternoon we got to do some go-karting (I lost). Even tough I lost at the go-karting I did appreciate all my adoring fans and their support. 


  We also got some pretty fun pics in the meantime.

 One man's trash, is another man's treasure, or so I've been told. On this specific outing, we went to a junk yard. It was cold, dirty, wide open, maze-like, confusing and challenging. We went with specific shots that we had to get, and I found that to be the most challenging part for me. I was so concerned about the shots that I needed to get, that I forgot to relax and have fun. I would love to go back and try it again, to just let go and have fun. 


  I'm slowly learning that you don't always get to do what you want to (even when you are doing what you want to) and that I need to let go of my pre-existing Christina-isms when it comes to, what I consider, "my style" of photography and try something different and have fun. Realizing that "but the ground was sopping wet" is not an acceptable reason for not getting the shot I wanted is incredibly hard for me! I hate getting wet and dirty, and I hate bugs and creepy crawly things! But I will "suck it up princess" as people have told me to do, and do what needs to be done in order to get the shot. Even if that means I need to be thigh-high in mud w/ snakes. Ok, that will NEVER happen! The mud ok, I can deal with that, but NO snakes, EVER!


 Here are my treasures from the Junk Yard.

  It's a bird...It's a plane...It's...Oh! Ya, it is a plane! So guess where we went for this trip. That's right, the Western Canada Aviation Museum. I kinda wandered around for a while, snuck onto a plane (didn't realize I wasn't allowed on it) and off it w/ out getting caught by the grumpy worker, taking pics all the while. Then said grumpy worker was quite generous and offered to take me into the workshop in the back where they restore the planes. It smelled...well like a workshop. It didn't seem like much to me, half restored planes, with spare parts here and there and plans spread out over the work benches.


 I learned some really neat things. Planes take 20-25 years to restore, I feel sorry for those people who spend their entire careers restoring one plane and, in most cases, don't even get to see the culmination of their work. These old, wrecked, dilapidated planes that are brought in to be restored are worth in the millions. And sadly, restoring planes is becoming something of a lost art form. 


  Here is my view of the museum.

  We have also had some unofficial field trips. Places that we got to choose to go to for some of our assignments. Some of the places I've gone have included the Assiniboine Zoo, the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden and a cemetery.


  The Zoo was a BLAST!!!! I can't remember the last time I went to a Zoo. I'd say I was probably 6 or 7. I have never been to the Zoo here in Winnipeg, so it was great experience. I spent almost the entire 4 hours I was there talking to animals in that voice that everyone reserves for babies. I got some pretty funny looks from some of the construction workers (from the  bear pavillion), but that's ok cause it worked! The animals would look my way and SNAP I'd get the shot. Ok well maybe it wasn't completely that easy, after all they are animals and have minds of their own. The thing I loved the most, was how peacocks have free run of the Zoo, it was awesome.

  The Leo Mol Sculpture Garden was kind of awkward at first. I didn't realize that there were going to be LOTS of naked statues. It took a bit, but I mostly got over it. It probably won't be my favourite place to take pictures, but it is really beautiful. I went in the late fall, just after the snow had started, so the gardens were mostly bare, so I am planning on going back in the summer when the gardens are in full bloom. Here is what I found.

  

  My new favourite place to take pictures is the cemetery. I went to shoot with one assignment in mind, but ended up going back a number of times to shoot different assignments. It might sound creepy, morbid or disturbed, but I really enjoy it. It is beautiful, peaceful, emotional and full of history and there is so much you can learn about people you never knew. I used to hate cemeteries for most of the same reasons mentioned above, but not any more. It is a wonderful place to go and think. I find it very relaxing. This is my favourite picture from the cemetery.

  
So those are my trips so far this year. I'm looking forward to what the rest of the year holds.

Annie Liebovitz

So, today I watched a documentary on Annie Liebovitz. What an amazingly talented woman. I spent some time googling her work, and I absolutely love her dream/fantasy portraits. The one that I connected to the most was "Where You Never Have to Grow Up", her version of Peter Pan.

  What I loved about this picture is how it is a perfect combination of Disney's Peter Pan and Cathy Rigby's  Peter Pan. Real people with an animated feel.  It's where reality and fantasy collide. Annie Liebovitz likes to recreate and give people what they want, but they don't always realize that that is what they want.

  The lighting is wonderful. Peter Pan, Wendy and Tink are all perfectly lit. The darker backgrounds help to bring out the 3 characters. The picture has a wonderful asymmetrical balance to it. I love how the flowing curtain divides the frame into two parts, Peter Pan and the window leading to Never Land, and Wendy and the room that leads no where. The curtain definitely gives  the picture a  feeling of movement. You can almost feel the wind that "blew" the window open and Peter Pan into Wendy's bedroom. Annie has done a fabulous job of creating multiple emotions within the picture. Peter Pan's half of the frame is blue which evokes feelings of it being cold, dangerous and inviting. Wendy's half is red which creates feelings of it being warm, cozy, safe, familiar and inviting as well.

  I hope that one day I will be as accomplished as Annie Liebovitz. Where I can walk into a set/stuido, take 3 pictures and say "Ok, got it. We're done!" and leave. I can only hope that I can develop her vision, her understanding of her subjects and models.  It'll take years...but maybe, just maybe.