uEYe-Urban Photography

Pinky Shop: Judging a Shop from Outside?? Not a Good Idea!!!

2009-04-09T02:38:00.003-04:00

I saw this ad of "Le Marché Mtl" on Des Pins O Avenue and I decided why not check the shop. So I went and this is what I found.

Because of the pink colour of the shop, I thought it looked pretty funny from outside and I was like I'm not going in after all. But then I thought "don't judge a shop by its exterior colour!!!" It turned out the stuff they have is not bad at all.

More Aliens in Montreal

2009-04-08T02:24:00.002-04:00

For those of you who liked the post Aliens in Montreal, here is another extraterrestrial post from a street which name I have forgotten (sorry for that).

More Graffiti and Street Painting on the wall and door of an auto repair shop.

Smile! You Are Being Shot

2009-04-07T02:28:00.002-04:00

This is a funny sign outside of a restaurant on Saint-Dominique Street.

Aliens in Montreal

2009-04-06T02:18:00.000-04:00

This is a funny painting on a wall on Saint-Dominique Street. It is so awesome it looks extraterrestrial hahaha. I like how the two figures are at the corner, it gave me a great angle to shoot.

Colour in the City

2009-04-05T02:12:00.001-04:00

These colourful balconies are so awesome. It is not usual to find something like that in the city. I apologize for not remembering the name of the actual street where I saw this.

Red Blinders/Green Blinders

2009-04-04T02:08:00.000-04:00

I was passing by and I saw these cute green and red blinders in on the window of this little shop. I found them amusing.

Graffiti Exhibition

2009-04-03T01:52:00.005-04:00

Once I was in a car and we passed by Duluth street at St-Laurent and I saw these amazing painting-like graffities on the walls. My friend couldn't stop so I decided I would come back another time and I am glad I did. The streets around there are like a Graffiti exhibition. So awesome!!! You have to go and see for yourself!

Funny!!! There is the shadow of a Stop sign on this one.

Glassy

2009-04-02T00:58:00.014-04:00

I was walking in Place des Arts and I looked up and I saw this tube of glass and the light coming throught it and I just thought to my self "what a great shot!"

I just looked through a window there and saw these sculptures of metal surrounded by these windows of glass and that reminded me of a book about how people in modern life are like robots living in a glass cage.

This picture I took in Complexe Des Jardins where I was walking and looking at the ceiling and I was just captured by the combination of natural and artificial light.

Check out this previous post for more about Light and structure

Seems Like an Old Movie

2009-04-01T02:19:00.003-04:00

This is the Saint-Denis Theatre on St-Denis street. I just felt it would be a nice black and white picture.

This is still on St-Denis Street.

8 pm: Montreal from 17th Floor

2009-03-31T12:37:00.008-04:00

These two pictures I took from the balcony of a friend's apartment on the 17th floor of a big building in downtown Montreal. The city just looked so alive.

This last picture has the same view as the second one above but I was playing with the setting of the shutter speed to give it a funny look and that is the outcome.

Check out more posts about buildings and skyscrapers

Sticky Pole

2009-03-30T12:46:00.003-04:00

I was taking a walk in downtown Montreal and I came across this pole with all these ads on it. We sure do come across a bunch of them in the streets of Montreal!

Archy: Light & Structure

2009-03-29T01:41:00.006-04:00

A lot of my fellow classmates will probably recognize this building. It is the Saint Ignatius of Loyola Parish on the Loyola Campus of Concordia University (Montreal, QC). I was waiting for the bus and it was the first time I was this building at night. The lights just looked amazing and, together with the arches, gave it an extraordinary look.

Crowd...

2009-03-28T01:32:00.004-04:00

I took this picture in Complexe Des Jardins. That day I was writing a post on crowdsourcing and when I saw the crowd in the hall, I just felt like taking the picture.

The Escalator

2009-03-27T01:13:00.006-04:00

Escalators are part of our everyday urban life (they are part of mine at least) so I thought they had to be part of this Urban Photography blog as well.

P.S: The blurring is intentional.

Do You See What I See?!

2009-03-26T02:17:00.001-04:00

When I looked at those buildings, they looked kind of not straight to me which is silly because if they weren't they would have crumbled a long time ago. They look a bit curvy at the top though.

Little Mosque in the City

2009-03-25T00:42:00.003-04:00

I was walking on Sainte-Catherine street in the UQAM neighbourhood and I saw this mosque which I was noticing for the first time though I passed by it many times. I am a fan of the Canadian show "Little Mosque in the Prarie" which is broadcasted on CBC so I thought this is the "Little Mosque in the City".

People: Find Out the Odd!

2009-03-24T02:03:00.002-04:00

Truly, there is no odd in this picture. I just thought it was funny that both actual people and sculptures of people are on the same picture.

Check out more posts about urban sculpture

Crossroad

2009-03-23T12:31:00.003-04:00

I just took this picture randomly when I was taking a walk downtown. When I was home uploading my pictures of the day on my computer, I just thought it would fit perfectly in the blog.

Reaching to the Sky...

2009-03-22T02:09:00.002-04:00

When you are in a big city and you are amidst all those skyscrapers, you look up and your head just spins because you have the impression that those buildings are infinite and actually piercing the sky.

Check out more posts about architecture, buildings and skyscrapers

When Urban Sculpture Meets Graffiti...

2009-03-21T00:02:00.003-04:00

In this dead-end street that branches off St-Denis street, these sculptures with the graffiti and the Pizza place sign on the wall behind it looked like a king size collage.

If you are interested in other forms of Urban Art you can check this previous post about Street Painting and graffiti

Street Perforamance

2009-03-20T15:34:00.001-04:00

This is a street performance in Berri-UQAM metro station that I shot as a motion photography piece. Street performers are in every corner in town and they are part of the urban scene. Sometimes a street performer would make my day! Well other times it happens that one of them just strikes a nerve.

Town Street

2009-03-19T02:26:00.001-04:00

This is St-Denis street on a nice sunny day. I was just walking around with my camera as usual and taking pictures. I remember taking around 300 pictures that day. Crazy!!! Right?!!!

The City's Getting a Make-Over

2009-03-18T15:27:00.006-04:00

K.B

This is the site of the construction work that has been for like forever in downtown Montreal on De Maisonneuve Ouest street between Guy street and Bishop street.

Golden Light

2009-03-13T00:33:00.003-04:00

I was in Ottawa and I usually go to the Parliament Hill a lot because the view from there is just amazing and just waiting for me to take dozens of pictures. It was sunset and the rays of light coming from behind that building were just so captivating, they looked just like pure gold flowing in the air.

Interview with an Urban Photographer

2009-03-12T22:18:00.001-04:00

For fans and people of the city, here is an interview with Jean Blais, a Montreal-based urban photographer. The image business runs in his family since his father Roger Blais was a painter who later worked for the NFB as a film-maker and his brother Pascal Blais is an Oscar winner for one of his animated feature films.

Interview with Jean Blais

For people who are interested to know more about his work visit his website www.jeanblais.com

Subway...

2009-03-11T22:24:00.001-04:00

The metro is the primary means of transportation of almost every Montrealer. I know it is mine! While I was waiting in the subway that day at Guy-Concordia station, I was picturing in my mind a black & white picture of the metro station on which only the metro wagons would be in their original blue & white colours. I think the result is pretty great.

Street Painting

2009-03-08T16:00:00.005-04:00

I was walking on St-Denis street and I saw these awesome pieces of Steet Painting. The first one is painted a door. The second one is a painted on a wall. How great is that!!!

A Walk in Westmount

2009-03-07T19:18:00.005-05:00

I was taking a walk in Westmount on the first spring-like day of this spring, which is never really spring in Montreal. The light was perfect on that red house and I had a really great angle so I hit the button and took the picture that later came to look like it is now.

Highway 514 at 5:00 am

2009-03-05T22:18:00.003-05:00

I was waiting for bus 17 at 4 something because I was moving in to a new apartment in March and I was going back and forth between the new and the old place to move the little stuff. It was a cold day and I was there in the dark waiting on St-Jacques street in St-Henri. My camera was among the stuff I was moving so I thought why not use it while it is there and I took a picture of the highway (I think 20).

City "Archimix"

2009-02-21T21:24:00.001-05:00

versus

It is amazing to see the different architectural styles that can coexist in the city. They are different indeed but they do not interfere with each other though. I think on the contrary they kind of blend.

*archimix=architecture mix

The City's On Fire...

2009-02-19T22:22:00.002-05:00

This is my favourite part of the Parliament Hill in Ottawa. It gives some life to the city which always seems kind of dead to me compared to the liveliness and energy of Montreal(no offense to people from Ottawa!).

Wintery City Sunset

2009-02-12T21:41:00.004-05:00

Just an amazing wintery sunset in Ottawa with a view of the famous Alexandra Bridge and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Nothing more to say I think.

When The Sun Goes Down, Lights Go On

2009-02-09T23:25:00.002-05:00

I was walking in downtown Ottawa and the lights came on. It was so awesome to see all the lights turn on at the same time and the streets lighted up. I thought now that the sun is down, the lights gotta kick in!

Going Down... May Be Up the Canal...Or Not at All...

2009-02-08T23:22:00.002-05:00

This is the Rideau Canal in Ottawa which has amazing natural and historic features.

Water Under Bridge...

2009-02-07T22:37:00.001-05:00

I was in Ottawa looking at the river. I was quite absent minded because something was troubling me but then, looking at the water flowing, I thought what the hell it is all "water under bridge".

Urban Photography

2009-02-06T03:42:00.000-05:00

In my previous post, as an opening to the blog, I discussed the issue of photography being an art but in this post I will be focusing on the theme of this blog: Urban Photography. As you can guess, Urban Photography is a subdivision of photography that focuses on the various aspects of urban life. These aspects are many and include buildings, architecture, streets, traffic, transportation, people, art...

For an idea about urban photographs you can watch the following video or the following pictures from different photographers with access to their portfolios:

Courtesy of Felix Lupa

courtesy of Leeds Photography Group

courtesy of BB Rogers Photography

courtesy of Kirk Davis

As you can see it in these pictures, Urban Photography gives the city another dimension and through the lens of a camera we see it differently: the city becomes an object of art.

What makes photography an art?

2009-02-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Cengage Education

Photography: art vs not art

The debate about photography being an art, though old, is still on. Honestly, I don't see why people object to the art of photography with ideas that from a technical point of view, a photograph on the wall or in an album is just a gelatinous surface containing dyes and on a computer screen it is just a series of digits (0 or 1) collected in a specific way to create a visual image.
What makes photography an art then?

Creativity

Photography is not just about grabbing a camera and doing shots. It is true that anybody do that. However, not all of the pictures can be considered as an object of art. In fact, photography as any art goes through a creative process and this is what makes it an art. Art photographs are just full of inspiration and creativity: photography generates new association between the mind and existing objects that is it bring a common object into a new light. It also requires knowledge of cameras and the use of photographic lenses. When you look at great art photographs they just "speak" to you as the scene or the object on it "spoke" to the photographer who took it. So, yes photography is truly an art.