It's nice to be home in Nova Scotia and what better way to celebrate then heading out to the Seahorse Tavern for 'New Music Tuesday'. Enjoying an awesome performance by 'Take Part' and a rowdy dance party fueled by a little too much alcohol- the night was a success.. I think!? Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos from the party, but that might be for the best.
Spending yesterday recovering from a self inflicted headache; I did manage to take the below potd.
With the focus on creating 365 photo memories this image really captures the transition I've experienced from the hot desert to dreary spring weather.That being said though; I'm glad to be home and excited for the summer, which is just on the horizon.
After two long days of traveling, Brian and I are finally home- safe and sound in beautiful Nova Scotia. Lacking internet and being too broke to pay for airport wireless, I have two photos to post today.
Day 126 - April 26
With an over night layover in New York, we spent the better part of 10 hours sleeping on the hard tile floor.
Easter in the Ukraine is a huge celebration. From homemade easter bread to traditional dance in the streets; it was a lot of fun to spend easter abroad. I took some photos of the festivities throughout the day, but none of the images seemed to speak to me or be a potd. Walking the market in the late afternoon this guitar caught my eye. The vintage look on the old cobble stone street really captured the vibe I felt in the busy market place.
Living in a floating hotel for the last couple days, we've been treated to awesome sunsets and great cultural experiences. Watching the locals fish and enjoy the Dnieper River I decided to include this image as the potd.
Having only one training session before dragon boat racing starts tomorrow, we again had a chance to explore Kiev. Enjoying the fresh air and warm spring temperatures we checked out some of the cultural sites the city has to offer. The highlight of the day had to be the man in the above potd. Serenading our team with heartfelt traditional music; it was definitely a site to behold.
Arriving in Kiev yesterday after a long morning of traveling; we set out on an adventure through the historical city. Finding this great vantage point of our accommodations for the next couple days- The Bakkara Floatel, you'll now have some idea of the 'luxury' we're enjoying. With a busy schedule of racing and excursions planned for the weekend I'll spend my down time taking photos and updating the blog.
Trying to make my blog more about the people who inspire me in my daily life; what better way to do so then to include a photography teacher.
Learning that the high school Brian has been substituting at has a photography program, I had the opportunity this morning to meet with Bob Jarmson- the department head. Hailing from beautiful British Colombia, his laid back style and relaxed personality was very welcoming. He showed me around the studio and taught me about something I know very little about- Film. Being back in the classroom definitely inspired me to look into taking some photography courses and is a big step in the right direction.
On a separate note, today was our last day in Dubai. With a early flight to the Ukraine tomorrow morning, a new adventure will begin. Dragon boat race preparation has been going well and I'm excited to start competing.
While out on a short bike adventure last night I decided to stop and take some photos along the Marina. This carousel struck me as being intriguing and some what mysterious, as it seemed out of place in the giant metropolis.
I got of my bike and walked around the merry-go-round looking for the perfect angle and lighting, but before I could take the photo I heard a shout. A security guard appeared exclaiming that it was forbidden to take pictures in this area and that I was to leave immediately. Not wanting to miss out on this strange opportunity I quickly composed this image and snapped a couple photos. Leaping back on to my bike and cycling away as fast as I could; I felt a sense of excitement to see what I had captured.
For those of you that have been following along religiously, I want to send out a big thank you. Again, I apologize for the late posts and hopefully I won't have anymore internet woes. Being frustrated with the recent outcome and starting to get irritated with this project I was in a really negative space over the last couple days. Feeling that my photos were nothing more than boring snapshots and the added pressure of flakey internet also didn't help. That was until I saw this:
[Before you continue watch this video.]
If you really want to understand why I've been doing this project, simply watch this video. The reasoning behind this blog is so clear now. I've been worried about altering photos recently; trying to make artwork with everyday snapshots. Now, I realize that instead I should be documenting my life, focusing on the people, places, and things that define me. Once I finish this blog I should be able to look back and recall events and moments- not abstract things. I want to send a huge thank you to Susan for sharing the above video with me and inspiring the rest of my 365 project.
Below are the previous three POTDs.
Day 108 - April 18
Making the trip between the major cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai is a common occurrence here. The 90 minute drive usually goes by fairly quickly, as we transport dragon boats or make the trip to the training venue at the Shangri-La hotel. I took this out of the window as the sun set on over the vast desert skies.
Day 107 - April 17
Part of our training routine here includes a swim after our long runs in the hot sun. Bringing my camera down to the pool after a refreshing swim, I took this picture of my feet in the mirror.
Day 106 - April 16
I took this photo because I wanted to clarify some common misconceptions about Dubai. Many people ask me what the food is like in the 'Middle East' and if I eat a lot of curry or spicy foods- I often reply with "well I had corn flakes for breakfast." The truth is you can get just about anything from the convenience store, which is just down the street.
As some of you may know, the internet here is really slow. It hasn't been letting me upload my photo's, so I'm going to try again tonight and hopefully have all of you caught up by tomorrow morning.
Last night we had the opportunity to check out the red bull x-fighters tour. Showing up late to the sold out show, (without tickets), it took some stealthy skills to sneak in undetected. After making our way past two security checks, we managed to work our way to the front of the crowd; where I ended up capturing this series of photos. I've always been a huge fan of Red Bull and witnessing the performance of these extreme athletes last night was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen.To check out the highlights of the event click here.
Prior to checking out the x-fighters competition, we had the pleasure of coaching Australia's under 19 national cricket team in dragon boat. Having the chance to hang out with these world class athletes and learn more about them and their sport was a great experience. Below is a group photo of the guys before our team building session.
A little late in posting this photo, but nevertheless, here it is.
Day 104 - April 14
After grabbing some lunch today with Joey, we stopped by an empty lot where these two guys were working. Asking if I could take a couple photos, I felt this one in particular really captured their true emotion.
Time for some honest truth; I've been slacking lately on this blog and it's definitely starting to show. I feel like my recent photo's have been half assed and trying to get last minute potd's has been the theme over the last week. It's better for me to be upfront now and address this issue so hopefully over the next few days my photos start to improve. It's time to look for more inspiration and start using my camera more. I appreciate constructive criticism or any advice from all of you as well! Feel free to send some feed back, because it all helps.
As always though, I want to end on a positive note. I found the following quote today and hopefully it will motivate me to make the rest of this project a huge success.
"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them."
'Just Do It'- The slogan made famous over 20 years ago by nike; and also the thought that crossed through my head yesterday at the Nike Outlet as I purchased this pair of red canvas nike shoes:
Day 101 - April 11
Prior to spending a little bit of money that I don't have, I managed to have a fairly productive day. Starting on a new training cycle, Joey and I hit the pavement for a nice 8km run. It feels good to be back running and starting with a light run definitely helps in trying to manage a bummed knee. For those of you that don't know, I injured my knee snowboarding in January and have been nursing it back to full health over the last few months.
Keeping with the healthy theme, I was introduced to an amazing book today titled 'Rawvolution', a gourmet cooking book by Matt Amsden. Being a vegetarian, this book gives awesome alternatives to many popular foods, as well as following a raw food diet. For more information check out the website here: http://www.rawvolution.com/why-raw
Before I go, I want to leave you with my favorite motivation nike quote to go with the potd:
“All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you’re not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you’re the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. They will tell you no, a thousand times no, until all the no’s become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. And you will tell them yes.”
"Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump; you may be freeing him from being a camel."
-G. K. Chesterton
Day 100 - April 10
People often ask me- "What's the middle-east like?"
To be honest, I have very little experience with the local culture here. Spending the majority of my time in the futuristic city of Dubai; there isn't much of a difference between here and home. That being said, I had the opportunity to head out into the desert yesterday and check out a camel farm. Doing a little 'dune bashing' along the way we stopped to check out group of four camels spotted just before the farms. The above camel lagged behind and as it grazed on some tasty looking vegetation I snapped a couple photos. This was my favorite from the series as I found it captured the camels awkward body proportions and gangly legs.
Yesterday was the final day of our dragon boat festival. Wrapping up the competition means I no longer have to coach other crews and can focus on training for our upcoming races in the Ukraine. It also marked the end of a stressful, but fun filled weekend; which was capped by an exciting victory in the 1000m mixed crew event!
After cleaning up the racing venue we decided to check out a movie at a near by theatre. Opting for the action packed thriller, 'Limitless', I was extremely impressed with the suspenseful story-line. If you haven't heard of it, check out the trailer here:
Sorry for the late blog post, things have been extremely busy over here. I won't spend a lot of time going over day one of our dragon boat festival; but it was tonnes of fun and everyone had a blast. After a long day of racing, coaching and organizing; It was nice to finally unwind and enjoy a night out with the competitors.With races ending Saturday, I'm going to have more time to spend taking photos and updating the blog.
As for the above POTD- finding time to snap this photo at dinner and resorting to photoshop for a little help; I came up with another cutout style creation.
Spending another long day preparing for the dragon boat competition tomorrow; I'll leave you with the following quote and potd below:
Age shouldn't affect you. It's just like the size of your shoes - they don't determine how you live your life! You're either marvellous or you're boring, regardless of your age.
After spending over 9 hours in dragon boats today, coaching and training, I thought it would be fitting to include these photos for the potd. Preparation for the festival is going well and we have one more long day of work before the racing commences on Friday.
(continued below)
As for the photo project itself. I have been leaning towards black and white images over the last couple days because of a sand storm passing through the city. Leaving everything with a film of sandy dust, the boring shades of beige and grey dominate the horizon. Hopefully things will clear up soon and as always, thanks again for following along!
Before I post my photo of the day, I want to quickly apologize for the late blog post. The following entry was written yesterday in my journal:
'A couple hectic days are on the horizon so I thought I would give you an update on my plans for the next couple weeks. We now have two days until the Dragon Boat festival, which I have a large part in organizing and running, (mostly coaching). After this event the serious preparation for our competition in the Ukraine begins. Having just over two weeks until we head north, the anticipation is starting to build! The intense training will get underway in the next couple days and I should have more time to work on my photos!'
For now, I will leave you with this photo-
Day 95 - April 5
The Burj Al Arab, (Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the second tallest hotel in the world. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure whose shape mimics the sail of a ship. - wikipedia
This morning I was thrusted into a situation where I had to be alert and on my toes before I had a chance to rub the sleep out of my eyes. Waking up only minutes before training started it was a mad dash out the door. Lagging back, Jason and Brian left the keys to one of two vehicles behind. Unfortunately for me, I was in charge of driving the SUV to practice, which is a standard. Having virtually no experience with a manual it was my job to navigate Sheikh Zayed Road a seven lane super highway and one of the deadliest roads in the world. Against all odds I ended up making it and everything worked out fine- thanks to a little PMA (positive mental attitude).
As for the 365 project, I was feeling a little disappointed with my photo of the day today so I decided to reflect on my project thus far. I thought it was fitting to quote one of my first blog posts titled 'Lessons Learned'.
'Posting a photo everyday is not only difficult in practice, but also tough mentally. As I continue to learn about photography I've become more and more critical of my work. One thing I have learned over the last couple months is I won't always take an amazing photo, however that isn't the idea behind this project. The idea is to enforce the fact that as a photographer I always need to be ready for the next opportunity. Since January I try to never leave home without my camera and that in itself is a personal victory.'
Leaving you with those thoughts, check back tomorrow and thanks again for following along!
'I see nothing in space as promising as the view from a Ferris wheel'
-E.B. White
Day 93 - April 3
Today I have two photos to post. The photo of the day, (above), was taken at our training venue appropriately named 'Festival City'. This fair lights up the waters edge at night and makes for an awesome backdrop during our evening workouts.
Below, is a montage I threw together after being inspired by one of my most recent follower's blog- seen here: http://onthebubble-tiia.blogspot.com/. I'm a huge fan of her creativity and style, which has made me explore a more artistic side of my photography.
'Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and the eighth largest mosque in the world. It is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and the first President of the United Arab Emirates, who is also buried next to the mosque(outer left side). The mosque was opened for worship since Eid Al Adha December 2007.' - Wikipedia.
After an early morning of coaching we made our way to the emirate of Abu Dhabi for a pre festival training simulation. Inviting some of the top dragon boat crews from across the country, It was an awesome chance to prepare for the upcoming races next week. The venue for these practice simulations was the Shangri-La hotel, a beautiful hotel situated on a salt-water inlet. Backdropped by the above 'Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque' it was a picturesque afternoon of competition. Unfortunately, being busy with the organizing side of things I only had a second to snap this photo from across the water.
Wow. It's hard to believe that I've been in Dubai for a week already. It seems like yesterday that I was boarding the plane for this desert oasis. I'm finally starting to settle into a routine and things have been going fairly smooth over here- knock on wood.
We had an early start this morning, which consisted of a training session followed by coaching. With Friday being the first day of the weekend here the plan was to soak up the sun afterwards and enjoy an afternoon full of beach volleyball. Unfortunately my presence was required back at our competition venue for another coaching session in the evening. After inspiring an awesome corporate team it was time to wined down the weekend and enjoy the rest of the evening with fellow team members.
Enjoying a barbeque and some drinks, (unfortunately I was the designated driver) the night was capped by an intense game of what we called 'fingers'. The low lighting prevented me from capturing a crisp photo of the game, so I decided to opt for the 'wannabe-artist' cutout version.
