Thanks to The Camera Store (The largest camera store in Calgary, Alberta, Canada)  for sponsoring the Photography.ca podcast.

Click the player at the end of this post to listen to (or download) the 11ish minute podcast.

Tens of thousands of cyclists lining up to start the Tour de L’isle. All it took was me waving my hand, and cyclists did the same. There is much more engagement than if I had not waved my hand and all the cyclists were looking in random directions. I was not an official photographer for the event. I had the same access as everyone else.

I shot Raphael Aubry from the band Waiting Game at the Montreal Jazzfest. I had the same access as everyone else. I just waited patiently for this moment of eye contact while I was framing the scene.

Every Sunday in Montreal, thousands of people gather at Mont-Royale for drumming, dancing etc. This image has no eye contact, but a strong gesture which for me, carries the image.

Just as a test for a group of adults i was giving a course to, I asked 5–6 people walking down the street if I could take their portrait. 100% of them said yes. Take a deep breath if you feel shy about this, people are flattered and tend to agree over 90% of the time when I simply ask them for permission.

The boy in this image never knew he was being photographed. The second I saw him engage in this behaviour I saw a story. (click to enlarge this image)

Links /resources mentioned in this podcast:

Photography forum assignments

If you liked this podcast and want to review it on Itunes, this link gets you to the main page

If you are interested in writing for our blog please contact me photography.ca ( A T ) G m ail Dot co m (using standard email formatting)

Please join the Photography.ca fan page on Facebook

My Facebook profile — Feel free to “friend” me — please just mention Photography.ca
My Twitter page — I will follow you if you follow me — Let’s connect — PLEASE email me and tell me who you are in case I don’t reciprocate because I think you are a spammer.

If you are still lurking on our forum,
feel free to join our friendly  Photography forum

Although ALL comments are appreciated, commenting directly in this blog is preferred. Many thanks to Nuno C., Barefoot and Christopher Steven B. for their comments from the last podcast. Thanks as well for the emails and welcome to all the new members of the bulletin board.

If you are looking at this material on any other site except Photography.ca — Please hop on over to the Photography.ca blog and podcast and get this and other photography info directly from the source. |Subscribe with iTunes|Subscribe via RSS feed |Subscribe for free to the Photography podcast — Photography.ca and get all the posts/podcasts by Email

You can download this photography podcast directly by clicking the preceding link or listen to it almost immediately with the embedded player.

Thanks for listening and keep on shooting!

For our next podcast I set up a photography experiment with complete strangers and I’ll share it (and other tips for photographing complete strangers) with you within a week. I give tips for cases when the subject is aware of you, and tips for when subjects are unaware that they are being photographed.

For now, if you are feeling brave try breaking your comfort level; approach complete strangers and photograph them. Tips and the actual podcast to follow next week.

Stranger meditating in Parc La Fontaine in Montreal, QC.

One of my greatest pet peeves on planet earth is waiting in line. Give me the best restaurant in Paris, New York or Montreal and if I have to wait more than a few minutes, I’d rather pick up a falafel or pizza slice and eat it on the go. Don’t get me wrong, I love good food, but my hate for line-waiting wins over nearly 100% of the time. Needless to say, when I went to the museum last week and saw a line of about forty people I was not happy.  My wife and I surveyed the line. She knows me (and my bad whiny behavior) with lines…so she quickly told me that it was ‘my call’ and that we could leave immediately without consequence. As we (mostly me) were making this decision, the line suddenly started to move rather quickly and a forty person wait turned to a thirty person wait. I bitched a bit but we sucked it up and waited in line.

Here’s my review. Words or pictures can’t do this show justice and I only stayed at the show 60 min. It’s a 10/10 masterpiece that needs to be experienced. Period. So long as you are not colour blind, all I can say is go see it. It’s worth a 30 minute wait. It’s worth a one hour wait which is my max for waiting for absolutely anything non life-threatening. If you are a patient person though, it’s worth waiting all day.

Take your camera because photography is 100% permitted and encouraged. This modern aspect of the exhibition also impressed me because plenty of exhibitions are still in the dark ages with regard to photography. Expect crowds but expect that the wait and bustle will be worth it. Expect to see the work of a Master.

This year the theme of the festival is Drone — The automated image and it is guest curated by Paul Wombell. I’ve been going to this festival pretty much since it started and the exhibitions are almost always laden with experimental (less conventional) photography and themes that require reflection. If you’re looking for more conventional photography (beautiful landscapes, still lifes, street photography) you normally won’t find it at this festival.

Although Le mois de la photo is a photography festival, many exhibitions will be video based and some will feature installations. I always find a few exhibitions that I really like and will report back on my faves.  Feel free to check out the exhibitions here.

Last night I saw Propaganda at Usine C and they were less than wholesome. It’s an eccentric 2 person acrobatic-theatrical show with female acrobat Jo-Ann Lancaster being topless for about half the show. There’s skits, tits, trapeze, rope swinging, themes of servitude along with some cool fetishy outfits, all served up in a dimly lit set with harsh lighting. The audience enjoyed it big time but I didn’t get it or find it very exciting. This week S Circa seems to be getting lots of buzz; I didn’t get to see them yet but Montreal Cuture guy Zeke reviewed them here.

Free outdoor shows are a great way to soak up the circusy zeitgeist and I got to see TOUR DE PISTE AU QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES: BABEL last week at the corner of St. Hubert and Ste. Catherine. About 25 acrobatic performers jump, dance, strut, swing, balance, trampoline, unicycle, and flip all around a few stories of scaffolding in Place Emilie Gamelin. Fun stuff for the whole family and still going on for the rest of the week.

Babel — Place Emilie Gamelin– Montréal Complètement Cirque

Smashed Gandini Juggling — Montréal Complètement Cirque

Smashed Gandini Juggling — Montréal Complètement Cirque

I’ve added a new category to the blog called Montreal art, photography and culture and I’ll use it to cover some of the cooler events in this festival city that I call home. Even if you can’t make it to Montreal’s world class festivals, hopefully this new photography blog category can turn you on to something new.

This week the world famous Montreal International Jazz festival is in town and it features hundreds of world class musical acts and street performances. The Jazz festival is one of the best festivals in our city and I attend almost every year. This year a friend of mine, Montreal Culture Guy Chris ‘Zeke’ hand, invited me to see a 30 piece Chicago Hipster marching band called Mucca Pazza. They were so fab that I saw them twice. Had I had more time I would have gone again.

This band INSTANTLY makes you smile and makes your brain release endorphins. Just try not to smile when you see them, I dare you!  Instead of taking Prozac, just watch Mucca Pazza.

The music is a jazz-based fusion to my ear and is performed extremely well —  in  ‘we do not take ourselves seriously for even a nanosecond’ disco meets the civil war costuming. The choreography is crazy fun as well with cheerleaders literally thrown into the mix. Did I say this is the most fun I’ve had at the  Montreal Jazz fest in years? Well it is!

Mucca Pazza at the Montreal Jazz fest

Mucca Pazza at the Montreal Jazz fest

Mucca Pazza at the Montreal Jazz fest

Mucca Pazza at the Montreal Jazz fest

Mucca Pazza at the Montreal Jazz fest