#485 - Yellow, Black, Red

I sat on a bus for twelve out of twenty-four hours to get this shot.

Gotta love the road trips.

Bank street, Ottawa

City of Monuments

Monuments, Galleries, and Centres for the Somethings are everywhere in Ottawa - or at least all around the Parliament Buildings.

(952) Quick Like a Bunny

All year I've been saying "I can't believe it's __________ already."

Now I can't believe it's 2010 already.

Santa Sends His Best (II)

Four years - and one day - ago, I posted a photo that included the back of the album "Santa Sends His Best". Inexplicably, it's currently the first hit on Google for that search, and that photo got a lot of traffic a few weeks ago.

Yesterday, I spotted this in the window display of a clothing store, so naturally I needed a photo. Four years later, I used the same camera as the first time.

(951) Eleven Months Later

Almost exactly eleven months ago, I posted another version of this sign. It's turned into one of my standard shots for playing with gear. Like the last time, this photo was shot on film with a wide-standard lens. A different camera and lens, naturally, but still film.

I'm actually disappointed that they painted over the bald spot, but the last time I cloned in a bit to stop the frame from cropping it off at the bottom.

(But like the last time, the white streaky things is snow.)

Closed / Fermé

I may have photographed some signs while I was in Ottawa. These have nothing in common except that they're some of my favourites, and aren't from the Royal Canadian Mint.

(950) This Was Important Once

Cleaning out the paper shredder, I saw the opportunity to grab the camera.

Camera, white bristol board, 180mm macro lens, 85mm macro lens, extension tube, flash, two more extension tubes, a couple more flashes, foamcore boards, a little softbox, and finally a ringflash adapter on my SB900.

I'd say that I wonder why I get so little housework done, but I don't, really.

Reconciliation

Reconciliation is the monument dedicated to Canadian peacekeepers.

The third photo is of a quotation from Lester B Pearson, delivered during the Suez Canal crisis. "We need action not only to end the fighting but to make the peace. My own government would be glad to recommend Canadian participation in such a United Nations force, a truly international peace and police force." Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957, having "saved the world"; UN Peackeepers were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.

Ambivalent Robot

I walked around the Parliament Building at three different times, and this is my favourite photo of it.

(949) Welcome to Ottawa

The Ottawa bus terminal.

I don't know which set of numbers is more amazing - that this was shot at iso6400, 1/60, f/4, or that it was shot at a quarter after five in the morning.

Meeting #16

This is #16, painted by Mark Rothko in 1957, and part of the National Gallery's permanent collection. Originally shown as Two Whites, Two Reds, it was lost - safely in storage and in excellent condition - for 30 years. It was bought by the Gallery in 1992, at a bargain price of 6.35 cents per Canadian.

I know that not everyone, possibly even a fewer than half, will 'get' this sort of thing. But when I look at #16, or its neighbours - Barnett Newman's 'Voice of Fire' and 'Yellow Edge' - I see perfection.

For what it's worth, this photo is a product of extensive time in Photoshop. If you travel to Ottawa, the gallery space won't look quite the way it does here, but the photo looks the way I want it to. There's a much larger image of the artwork on the CyberMuse website, and while its reproduction quality is reasonably good, it misses the colour and subtlety of the original painting. You'll also have to imagine it being too big to fit in your living room: #16 is over eight feet tall.

#814

I'll be in Ottawa for a few hours on Friday.

The National Gallery has a Rothko.