Photography is like a sport..
Sometimes you need to warm up those muscles before you hit the basketball court or football field; it’s a common approach to reassure your timing and mental state. A method required to feel confident physically and pyschologically before the game. My approach to photography is quite similar; I need to warm myself up. I need to walk and feel my surroundings, eye possible points of interest, experiment with the light situation, circle the vicinity, and jump on whatever sparks my eye.
All these factors help get the blood flowing and preps the brain for the possible zone factor. Once you reach zone-like conditions nobody can touch you. You’ll be firing on all cylinders, seeing things you never saw, shooting angles that you never thought possible, and doing things you never thought you would do.
Reminds me of my basketball days when I once made an unbelievable dish to that beast of a swinging forward in Tache Hall, even I was shocked. Suddenly a split second decision felt like 5 seconds of slow motion, and that my friends in any sport, is an eternity.
Unfortunately for me, my basketball days are over and that zone like state is not attainable with a flick of a switch. With practice you build consistency, but what I like to call “zone-like photographing” happens only…well…when it happens.
Lest we forget…
..the people who have inspired us throughout our lives…Today I remember an old friend of mine; a fellow photographer, traveller and activist, Gabian Devin James. He was an inspiration to me and influenced the direction of my life greatly. While I was stuck behind classroom walls, he was out in the world trying to make a difference.
We grew up in the same neighbourhood, went to the same elementary school and high school, and attended the same university. Although we didn’t truly cross paths till the summer of 2003 in Montréal, it was only then, I realized how much we had in common.
Obituary
GIBRAN DEVIN JAMES (published on September 12, 2006)
GIBRAN DEVIN JAMES May 24, 1979 – September 8, 2006 It is with great sadness we announce the passing of our loving son and brother, Devin James. He leaves to mourn his beloved mother Bebi; father Jagat (Charles); brother Tony; sister-in-law Shanta; and nephew Rashad. Devin will be sadly missed by his grandma Gourie (Duxin) and numerous aunts and uncles in Canada, USA, and the Caribbean including Budzo (Laila), Sally (Crown), Shireen (Leslie), Salim (Zally), Roy (Zebbie), Leila (Matt), Buddy (Gale), Anand (Joan), Rohini (Henry), Indira (Nigel), Prem (Data), Rohan (Lata), Naren (Hannah), Gayatri, Sattie (Richard), and Seeta (Baney). His many cousins, especially those nearest to him, will forever cherish his pleasant company.
Devin was predeceased by his maternal grandmother and grandfather, Zaroon and Latiff Jabar; aunt Dolly; and his paternal grandfather Reuben James. Our loving Devin graduated from Red River College (Diploma in Information Systems Technology with Honours) and the University of Manitoba (Bachelor of Commerce Honours).
Though his life was short, he touched many lives. He volunteered his services in Vietnam and Bangladesh, providing IT expertise to uplift the lives of those less fortunate. His heart was pure and his body was strong. With his quiet, reserved demeanour, our thoughtful, caring and compassionate son and brother looked at the world as a global family. Race, religion ethnicity and social status never influenced nor diminished his desire to give of himself.
Sincere thanks to all our friends, relatives and neighbours who provided us their unwavering love and support during these difficult times. Devin, we will forever love you and will miss you tremendously. You will always be in our thoughts, hearts and prayers. May Allah bless your soul and give you a peaceful resting place in Jannat-ul-Firdaus. INNAA LILLAAHI WA INNAA ILAYHI-RAAJI- UUN Verily from Allah (ST) we came and to Him we are returning
Tamils in Canada
I was suprised to learn today that Canada has the largest Tamil population outside Sri Lanka; up to 400,000 Tamil people as of 2009. This mere fact has helped me understand why the Tamil Canadian community has turned to our government for help. But as Canadians, do we have a role in this dilemma? We definitely should be defending our fellow Canadians, but is it our duty to act on behalf of our citizens in their native countries during a human crisis, especially when the crimes being committed are claimed to be genocide? So far our current government has put the issue aside. These are some tough questions that need to be addressed, and further analysis will be required to figure out where we should draw the line.
People like Vijayannmar and Kalpana have been tirelessly trying to get the government to intervene in Sri Lanka.
Hockey
I took this photo a couple days ago while out for an evening walk and was amused by it afterwards. It reminds me of my street hockey days in Winnipeg suburbia. Playing street hockey with the neighbourhood kids was always good fun. Oh if everything was as easy as playing hockey with your buddies; now wouldn’t that be fantastic?!
It’s great to see this sport spread throughout the whole country, and like all sports it brings people together. Signs of Canadianism are all over this city and I’m sure the political hard-liners in this province wouldn’t be too happy about my observation.
Regardless of what view you have, both country and province are heavily connected to each other. We can admit that much right? Ahem, go blow in your hanky now if you must. And to the ney-sayers out there you are definitely entitled to your soveriegnty as a province, but don’t forget that we still all live under one gigantic cultural mosaic called Canada.
Just an observation from your friendly neighbourhood pro-canadian, pro-federalist, and pro-quebec resident 
BBQ at R2P2’s
The photography profs at Dawson have been amazing. Mr. Russell Proulx (R2P2 ) was even kind enough to invite us to his beautiful home for a good old traditional BBQ. To all those who didn’t come, shame on you! We had a nice time and the burgers were delicious. MMmmmmm!
Shooting
After being bogged down with assignments and work, I finally squeezed some time while waiting at the laundry mat. I usually try to go out for walks and take photos for the sake of taking photos, even if they turn out to be meaningless. Sometimes I have an idea and and sometimes I don’t, but that’s not the point. I just think that if you plan to make a living in photography (photojournalism in my case) then you need to find a way to shoot around your work and keep your flow going.
For myself it serves as an outlet, a way of relaxing, and motivating myself for future projects. For the most part, it’s the sheer joy of making a photo and not just taking it that counts. Whether it sees the light of day or not, it has served its purpose and then you can move on to the next.
Wedding Shoot
I’ll be the third shooter at a huge wedding tomorrow in Westmount. There will be 3 photographers and 2 videographers catching all the action. It will be my first wedding and it’s a big one, one of the biggest ones of the year. Heard that they’re spending about $300,000. Small potatoes you say, maybe, but for everyday folk like me, that’s a lot of money for a wedding. Hopefully all goes well : )
Yowser!
It has been awhile since I even touched my blog. That’s 2 months and counting of photograher’s block, yes you read it right, writers block’s ugly sister has decided to pull me into its arms and hold on for dear life ;P
On the positive note, school is nearly out for summer which means more time to work on independant projects that have been happily floating around in my head.
Let the travelling plans unfold before me. MUuuhhhaaaaaw!
