Drumheller May 30 09 0009

Drumheller May 30 09 0009, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Photo from a recent trip to Calgary to visit my in-laws. We spent a couple of days spinning around the fields. I didn't know that red barns even existed any more... This one was pretty run down but extremely cool... I added a bit of Alien Skin Exposure love to get it to look this way.

Margot at Wedding 2

Margot at Wedding 2, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Margot, posing for me at a friend's wedding in Vancouver recently. She (and her sister) were flower girls. I have another shot around here that I like more than this one, though...

Garibaldi Open House03

Garibaldi Open House03, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Elise, unsure how to pose. Actually, I think she was eyeing the playground and was just humoring her father. It'll happen again, I'm sure.

Palm_Springs

Palm_Springs_10, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

During the wind storm in Palm Springs the pool filled up pretty quickly. They tried to keep it clean but gave up after a short while.

Palm_Springs

Palm_Springs_06, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot from the Salton Sea - shot on film with my Hasselblad 203. and the 110f2 lens. I have no idea why the colour went the way it did, but I do like the look...

Palm_Springs_02

Palm_Springs_02, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

...sort of the quintessential view of Palm Springs - palm trees and the hills behind.

Korakia_02

Korakia_02, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

...another shot from Palm Springs - just a quick grab, as you can see by the horizon...

Palm_Springs_03

Palm_Springs_03, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I studied Art History in University - and one thing I spent a lot of time working on was modern architecture - you know, Le Corbusier, Mies Van Der Rohe, Johnson, etc. We looked at all kinds of houses and buildings and I was always taken at how beautiful they looked, especially the ones from Southern California.

Palm Springs, if you can look between the Mesa and the stucco-look buildings, has all kinds of amazing mid-century architecture. This is the facade of one of the (unfortunately, but hardly surprisingly) empty bank buildings on Palm Canyon Drive.

Palm Springs Trees

Palm Trees_02, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

When we were in Palm Springs there was this EPIC wind storm - it must have been blowing 50 or 60 knots - high winds - The palm trees took it surprisingly well, with the exception of the old fronds that blew off - otherwise I don't think I saw a single palm tree blow over. Saw lots of other things blow over, though - trees, awnings, nose cones off of windmills...

Korakia Fountain

Korakia Fountain, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

The fountain at the front of the Korakia Hotel in Palm Springs. It was pretty bright, and I love how the water drops are frozen in time - 1/2000 of a second, I think - pretty amazing from my old Hasselblad 203fe...

Windmills 0029

PS - Windmills 0029, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

...another few windmills.

Windmills 0028

PS - Windmills 0028, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Some of the many windmills around Palm Springs. I wonder how much energy they generate...

Salton Sea 0073

Salton Sea 0073, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another view of the Salton Sea - just at sunset. There is the most amazing light in Southern California...

Salton Sea 0007

Salton Sea 0007, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This was on the Beach of the Salton Sea - well, I use the term 'beach' advisedly. The shore is covered in barnacle shells, with a few fish bones here and there.

It's a strange place, the Salton Sea - I had an idea in my mind that it was going to be some sort of a series of ruins in a most romantic mid-20th century sort of a way. Full of old motels and tumble-down places... It is - in order to get to the beach in Salton City we had to meander down a number of roads, all of which obviously were laid out for the coming real estate boom that never happened... Beach Vista Road; Beach View Road; Beach View Crescent - you get the idea.

...but it's not entirely deserted. There are some newer houses there, some old ones, too. Many of the houses, new and old are deserted, with foreclosure notices in the front windows, and George, who was traveling with us pointed out that most of the people who live around here probably have a gun for protection. It was much more a statement of fact than a commentary on the area - we were a LONG way from any sort of police station or any help whatsoever.

Beautiful place in its decay, but much more sobering and real than I had envisioned...

Museum of Flight 02_09 0025

Museum of Flight 02_09 0025, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

The interior of a DC-3 at the Canadian Museum of Flight.. I love the old fabric - straight out of the 60s. It was actually surprisingly roomy in there. I always thought they were more cramped.

Museum of Flight 02_09 0041

Museum of Flight 02_09 0041, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I was wondering how to shoot this plane - it's a Handley Page Hampden from the The Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley, BC. It was dredged out of 600 feet of water many years ago and then rebuilt.


However, a snowfall in December snapped the wing on the left side and damaged it quite significantly. I think it'll take a while to put it back together, but at least they're not starting at square one again...

Margot Jan_09 027

Margot Jan_09 027, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Final one - my favorite. I love the expression in her eyes.

Margot Jan_09 004

Margot Jan_09 004, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another - all shot with the Hasselblad CF-39 and on an old 503CW.

Margot Jan_09 048

Margot Jan_09 048, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I was on a hat kick. This is Margot, of course, with a borrowed hat - one of three we took last week that I thought worked pretty well...

Colour_Film_Scan_19.jpg

Colour_Film_Scan_19.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Film, same wall - I have to thank Evaan Kheraj for painting this wall for a shoot he had - we share a studio. The colour is great.

Colour_Film_Scan_04.jpg

Colour_Film_Scan_04.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot from last week's shoot. Large format film.

Polaroid_Scan_03

Polaroid_Scan_03, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I did some testing last week - something to keep me sharp, I suppose. I wanted to shoot of the last of my Polaroid Type-55 black and white film but it was all kaput - I only managed one frame out of about 8 or 9.

However, I did have some old Fuji Instant film - it's a bit magenta because of the age, but it looks pretty cool. I just scanned in the print. Of course, there is the small matter of dust and scratches and some very prominent thumb prints, but I still think the shot is nice...

Rasberries

Rasberries, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Old shot - I took this years ago of my sister-in-law's hands and my Mother-in-Law's garden. The berries were fantastic. I shot this just after sunset - one of my favorite times of the day from a light point of view. You only get a couple of minutes but that strange blue hue you get from a bright summer sky is pretty cool...

T55-Molly-1.jpg

T55-Molly-1.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot from the Summer on Polaroid Type-55 and the Linhof. I love the dropoff of focus in this image.

Monique_Testing_05

Monique_Testing_05, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot of Monique, on grey seamless. Little vignette for effect...

Monique1

Monique1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Some testing last week. Monique is a good sport...

Christina_Lake_06

Christina_Lake_06, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Margot, in Gill Creek at Christina Lake. Her aunt bought her this dress - I love it against the green of the trees.

Christina_Lake_05

Christina_Lake_05, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Elise, standing still just long enough for me to get a single frame off. Shot on 4x5 neg film with the Technikardin.

T55 George

T55 George1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

My Nephew, George. On the dock - Type 55 Polaroid and the Linhof again... It's funny, he's not much of a pose-for-the-camera kind of kid, but I was really blown away by his pose for this shot. Lucky, I guess...

T55 Elise

T55 Elise 1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Elise on the dock - another Type 55 Polaroid photo.

T55 Margot

T55 Margot 1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

On the dock at Lake Simcoe. Margot, trying to stand still in the high wind. Shot on 4x5 with Type 55 Polaroid film.

CH Shoes

CH Shoes, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

My niece's shoes, left on the dock.

Margot sitting

400NC Margot 1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

She's pretty patient, for a 5-year-old. Well, for any age, really. At any rate, this is Margot, only too happy (although you wouldn't know it from the photo) to pose for her dad. Shot on a 4x5 camera with neg film of some sort or other. I used that Xenotar 150mm lens again - my favorite.

SunYatSen Pond

SunYatSen Pond, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This is the pond at Dr Sun Yat Sen Gardens in Vancouver. I was out shooting early(ish) in the morning a while ago, and got this shot. It was taken with film and my Hasselblad - I just got around to scanning it last week.

New York

New York, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Bedroom in the Metropolitan Museum. I took this shot for reference, just in case I think about getting an inlaid headboard or gilt wallpaper... Amazing, but not to my taste...

Knife on Plate

Knife on Plate, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This is my homage to one of my most favorite photos, La Fourchette, by Andre Kertesz This is another old image, scanned in and among some other images I recently found.

Organic Beets

Organic Beets, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I Just re-found this transparency after quite a long time thinking it was lost. It's actually Agfa Scala (sorry, best link I could find to it) film, a black-and-white transparency film that came out in the 80s. It was really nice film but it had to be sent off for processing, a la Kodachrome, so I don't think it really did that well. Interesting stuff, tho...

Battery

Battery, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another tidbit from the house. I love the black-and-white stripes on this battery.

Golf Ball

Golf Ball, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

A Gatke golf ball. According to the box it came in, it was made by Zippo, the same people as the lighters. Also according to the box, it's guaranteed for 18 rounds. I'm lucky if I get 2 or 3 holes out of a golf ball before it gets, uh, lost.

Telephone

Telephone, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Mrs. A's Telephone (for those of you wondering what all this old stuff is, well, about 7 or 8 years ago I did a promo called '(some) things from my grandmother's house' These are some of the things - I'm working on a show in late July and I'm scanning all my old film.

At any rate, this phone was actually in service until just a little while ago. I could never remember which way to spin the dial when I made a call. My kids had no idea how to use it...

Turmeric

Turmeric, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Old, old shot. I must have done this close to 10 years ago - maybe not quite that long... At any rate, it's from my grandmother-in-law's house - she wasn't using it any more. Love the design...

Real Weddings Cover

Real Weddings Cover, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Well, they did go with that shot for the cover of Real Weddings. I think it looks smashing, glad I took the extra few minutes to get this shot...

Ginger Box

Ginger Box 1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Ah, the old Choy Heung Candied Ginger. You have to wonder about any food product put on a ship and sailed half-way around the planet. I bet it didn't taste too good... The box was pretty cool. Shot on hand-made paper from Paper Ya.

Satin

Satin 1, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Shot for a client who needed a background like this. It was an interesting exercise in lighting shiny things - the fabric is a lot harder to handle (both with placement and with light) than I had anticipated. But we managed to get some interesting shots...

Blowtorch

Blowtorch, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Morey Backun at Backun Musical lit up a clarinet key (is it called a 'key'?) for me while I was shooting out there. The blowtorch looked great and I love how it sort of resembles a spotlight.

Mug on Table

Mug on Table2, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

quick shot in one of the very few sunny days Vancouver has had this year. It's supposed to get sunny tomorrow, but we've had two days of unrelenting rain. No wonder I'm drinking so much coffee...

Real Weddings Prada Shoe

Real Weddings Shoe Film.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot from the Real Weddings Magazine shoot we did a little while ago. The Prada Shoe is from Holt Renfrew here in Vancouver. It's pretty amazing, and I'm not really much of a shoe person. Styled again by Luisa Rino and shot on 4x5 film.

Elise in Kitchen BW2.jpg

Elise in Kitchen BW2.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

The one thing about 4x5 is that it is somewhat cumbersome... Takes a bit of time to get set up...

Tin Cup

Tin Cup2, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This is a tin cup I found at the Antiques Mall in Fort Langley. It's made of tin, appropriately beat up and I really like it. I shot it on 4x5 with Kodak 160 NC film, and it works for me.

Elise Close BW 2.jpg

Elise Close BW 2.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

A quick photo of Elise, my younger daughter. I managed to catch her in a quick moment of repose before she shot off again. Large format, black and white film... The focus is way off but I still like it...

Olive Oil

Olive Oil, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

We shot this for an article on alternate fuels - it was olive oil in a tank and we sloshed it around a bit. Worked pretty well...

Bouquet V.jpg

Bouquet V.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This is one of a few different shots I did for an editorial spread in Real Weddings Magazine. Wonderfully styled by Luisa Rino.

Megalomaniac

Megalomaniac, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I've been shooting some wine bottles recently - this one is from John Howard Cellars of Distinction in Niagara, Ontario. I haven't had any yet but I love the label...

Bowl 1.jpg

Bowl 1.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I wonder if the super-soft-focus thing is getting a bit stale? I mean, I love it, but that doesn't really mean that I should shoot everything that I can with my 4x5 wide open, does it? At any rate, another shot of another bowl in the cold Vancouver early-spring light. Daylight with a bit of fill, not sure what the exposure was. Shot on Kodak 160NC film and scanned on a Microtek M1 scanner, which does a really nice job, even if there is only about 1/4 inch of the bowl in focus...

Real Weddings

Real Weddings Cover Opt I, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I was shooting with Luisa Rino. on Thursday for Real Weddings Magazine.. This was one of the bouquets we shot - it was for our 'beach' shot - much less formal and glitzy than the other bouquets we shot. In fact, it's right in front of me on my dining room table. Still alarmingly pretty, three days later.

I shot it on the 4x5 with transparency film - scanned on a Microtek M1 scanner. Takes a long time to get a 4x5 scanned, but it does a really nice job, especially with the Silverfast software.

Bowls 4x5 018

Bowls 4x5 018, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another shot with the 4x5 and the Xenotar. I wasn't really expecting this much flatness, but I suppose one should be prepared to not have a lot of contrast with a white bowl on a white surface under diffuse light...

BW Jug

BW Jug, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I saw a full-page ad in the New Yorker last week (or was it the week before? I can never keep the issues straight) for a show of some of Paul Strand's work. The shot they showed was alarmingly beautiful - it was a detail of a chipped up stoneware pitcher.
I wanted to sort of emulate that, but there were no chipped stoneware or enameled pitchers to be found at my usual antique haunt out in Fort Langley. I was thinking there might be a dumpster outside I could root around in, but then I thought I might draw too much attention to myself.
At any rate, I found this, which is nice - clean, minimal...
Shot on Tri-x 4x5 with the old standby Xenotar 150 F2.8 (thanks Cameron) on a Linhof Technikardin.

Martin Mars

Martin Mars 008.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

I've always heard about these planes - and I've seen them at Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island when I was en-route to Tofino a while back. However, I've never seen one in action until last week. They had a demonstration at Canada Place in Vancouver. It was great - the Mars took off, circled, came in and I thought for sure it was going to clip the Westin Bayshore; scooped up its 7200 gallons of water, circled again, dumped it over the harbour - right in front of us.

Darn cool, especially from a plane built during WWII

Central Motor Policies

Tools 027_prv.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Card from the toolbox. I haven't the faintest what Central Motor Policies does, insurance, I guess...

Old Stuff I

Tools 009_prv.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Just digging through my Flickr account - this is actually a square that my grandfather, Walter, used when he was working, possibly from during the War. It actually still has its original box - it's been sitting, unused in a case for years. I recently found it again.

Type 55 016 Pos.jpg

Type 55 016 Pos.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Another test shot - The Technikardan with Polaroid Type 55. This is Hector Johnson.

Type 55 034 Pos.jpg

Type 55 034 Pos.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Mya's Tatoos. Gotta love them. Taken with a Linhof Technikardan and an ancient Xenotar lens, on to Polaroid Type 55. Really, a magical combination. I'll have to shoot more. Mojo galore.

Girls May 07 007.jpg

Girls May 07 007.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

One of Elise, when she was sitting still for about 5 seconds at the studio. In one of her more pensive moments.

Shot from last Friday I

4x5 Neg 011 1000 px.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Last Friday. This is Mya, whom I found on Craigslist. Great place, that for getting great talent. At any rate, she was one of the models I chose, and I was really happy with the results we got. Everyone did a great job (hair and makeup, styling, talent, etc) pulling this off. Best work I've done in years.

Oh, shot on 4x5 film Kodak 400NC with a Xenotar 150mm f2.8. One of my very few mojo lenses. There is no reason to shoot anything other than wide open, but when you do, it's amazing. Just don't sleep with it - it has radioactive glass.

View from the place

View from the place, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This is the view from the front of our cabin at The Pacific Sands. Not a bad way to start the day. Of course, the day before was biblical rain - rain they way it can only rain on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. But, thankfully, it cleared up.

Soooo, that's a surfboard, huh?

B 0217_prv.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This was the only time this kid (mine, so I can call her that - try chasing after a 16-month old EVERY time you get anywhere near the water, day in, day out) stood still. I think she was somewhat overwhelmed by what was in front of her. I bet you the next time we go up there she'll be surfing.

On the Ferry

On the Ferry, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Test with the lovely Elise, on the ferry to Vancouver Island...

Shells at the Beach

B 0301_prv.jpg, originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

Ok, so it's a bit overexposed, but otherwise pretty good. We ended up in this small cove which was just covered in shells.

Hmmm. Try this

Family Photo - Another Test

Another test of the baby

And here she is, little Miss Smiley herself.

Margot-in-Toronto

Margot-in-Toronto-1
Originally uploaded by Alastair Bird.

This is a photo of the lovely Margotgo.