Timeless

I was out tonight shooting a little stock of the downtown and the Parliament Buildings and I was again reminded just how beautiful Ottawa is, and also how timeless much of it is.




© Dwayne Brown

Weekend Free Download - Brand

I did this shot this afternoon in the parking lot of a Stittsville flea market - and got thinking that even though this can of coke had been run over by a car (perhaps sometime early today), it's brand was still working hard and making us feel good about their product. I guess that's the sign of a good logo and brand. :)


© Dwayne Brown

Please use this 'link to download the file'. Feel free to print and frame it, just please don't use it for any commercial applications. (unless you're a Pepsi fan)

Roadside

Today was a fun day scootering west of town and trying out a new camera. I gave myself the quest of putting together a study with images made from things I found roadside. Organic and inorganic. The imagery you can find is endless, and exploring with the scooter lets me see so much more than if I was in a car.
















© Dwayne Brown

Welcome Signs

I was working on a 'roadside' study today and couldn't resist these two signs. Not too welcoming, but fun. :)




© Dwayne Brown

An unexpected evening of music.......

Maybe unexpected evenings of music are the best kind. I almost bailed on my buddy Rob's invite out to see some music tonight, but super glad I ventured out. The band (not sure of the exact name.....oops!) was a cool eclectic mix of folks, including Cindy Kennedy - one of our clients from the Mint. (great voice and raw stage presence......and killer boots!)

A great unexpected night, thanks Rob!


© Dwayne Brown

Crossing the river to another place

Since the first week I moved to Ottawa from Alberta I noticed and loved that just crossing 'the river' took you to such a different place. Obviously most everyone speaks French, but it's more than that. It feels different as well. More European I guess. I love this bridge in Gatineau on Montcalm, just beside Les Brasseurs du Temps, the coolest little on-premise brew pub. (go and have a beer with Denis the owner!)

Across the river is definitely different than Ottawa - not drastically different but definitely a different place! :)


© Dwayne Brown

Rainy Departure - NYC

Our last day in NYC was graced by a blustery thunder storm, although we still ventured down to Times Square for one last New York hot dog before we left town. It was another great visit to the big city and to also see it with wet streets and umbrellas was so perfect!


© Dwayne Brown

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

We spent the afternoon at The Metropolitan Museum of Art - it was a rainy day, so it was a perfect day for the visit. It's a massive place, overwhelmingly massive! We only saw a fraction of the exhibits. You'd need several days to go through it all. More if you want to look at the Museum's architecture too, of which I got a little caught up in. (even the elevator interior seemed cool and worthy of a photo)








© Dwayne Brown

Big City Small Town Diner

One of the observations I always share about New York City is, it's like spending time in a really big small town. No wonder there's so many of these cool small town diners, like the one we ate breakfast in this morning. Local New Yorkers are so friendly and so helpful - sometimes you forget you're in such a massive city.


© Dwayne Brown

NYC Tribeca

We discovered a lovely part of New York yesterday - Tribeca. A quiet neighborhood that is full of restaurants and cafes, and cool warehouse loft spaces.




© Dwayne Brown

Weekend Free Download - Ground Zero Caution

I shot this Weekend's Free Download yesterday at Ground Zero. Just some simple safety pylons, but interesting non the less. It's such a busy city - so many people, so it's sometimes nice to point the camera away from the crowds and away from the obvious.


© Dwayne Brown

Please use this 'link to download the file'. Feel free to print and frame it, just please don't use it for any commercial applications. And don't trip!

NYC Mobile Favs - day 2.

It was a bit more of an architectural detail day today - spent mostly at the south end of the island in the Financial District and Tribeca. All of these images were captured with my Blackberry. I love the immediacy and also the imperfectness of the phone as a camera. (Cool flaring and muted colors)

I of course also did a lot of capturing with a real camera too. (Did I just say that!? They're all real cameras!)












© Dwayne Brown

Central Park Architecture.

We spent most of our day in Central Park yesterday, discovering the massive world within the city. I always knew it was a place of natural beauty, but I was pleasantly surprised to find so much historical architecture.




© Dwayne Brown

Alex

This shot captures the reason I made the trip here to New York. To spend time with my son Alex, and to hopefully witness that fleeting moment between the innocence of childhood and the evolving maturity of adolescence. This shot seems to capture it so well. Alex is still a goofy funny 11yr old, but he's also such a pensive and thoughtful young man. I'm so lucky to have this time with him. :)


© Dwayne Brown

NYC Mobile Favs.

It's been a full first day for Alex and I! Here's a few of my favorite mobile uploads. :)


Taking a Central Park Break.


A 5th Avenue Afternoon Snack.


Sliding and grinding on Columbus Circle.


The Most Photographed Stairs in Manhattan.


Times Square.
© Dwayne Brown

Good morning Manhattan. :)

We're so lucky to be staying in this awesome boutique hotel, The Hudson. A photographer and designer's dream hotel. Oh yeah and the rooftop terrace is pretty cool first thing in the morning too. :)


© Dwayne Brown

He starts......

Alex and I arrived in NYC tonight, and he's already so excited to shoot a few photos. It really is his city. I love these two shots he took already. The top one is so nice because of it's bright vibrant abstract quality, but also because of Alex' excitement to take in the view. And the bottom one is such an interesting contrast - soft, muted and sad in a way.



© Alex Brown

......on our way.

We're nicely on our way, heading to the big city. American's sure do like their flags!


© Dwayne Brown

Welcome Back!

When uOttawa welcomes it's new and returning students back for the new year, they go all out, they even bring out the horse. GG the horse that is. :)

As always, we're super impressed with the students we get to shoot for the university's imagery. Great kids with great energy, not to mention a horse that just doesn't stop smiling!


© Dwayne Brown

Weekend Free Download - Falling Sun

This Weekend's Free Download was taking earlier this week while I was location scouting in the Gatineaus. We're oh so lucky to have such a playground in our backyard!

The image is from a series I'm working on using my camera phone and then working with multiple layers to help the imagery feel a bit more painterly.


© Dwayne Brown

Please use this 'link to download the file'. Feel free to print and frame it, just please don't use it for any commercial applications. Thank you/Merci!

Expérience Explosive

Tonight marked the beginning of a project I'm super excited about! Over the next month we'll be shooting a collection of images for Tourisme Outaouais illustrating the touristic experience of the region.

I always tell people that the best part of being a photographer is the opportunity to go places or to have experiences others might not normally have. Yes tonight I was one of thousands of others watching the International Fireworks Competition (Casino du Lac-Leamy Sound of Light), but I was also given the freedom
to wander where I wanted so I could capture the experience of watching the event. Très amusement!


© Dwayne Brown for Tourisme Outaouais

Top of The World in The Gatineaus.

I found an awesome location while doing a little scouting tonight for a very cool new project for the folks at Tourisme Outaouais. It was a fun scooter ride up Black Mountain also known as Mont-King, with a stunning breath taking vista as a reward! I'll be sharing more as we get our teeth into the project. :)

Growth

Yes, I've still been poking around some Ottawa flower beds with my macro!

These images are a bit different than some of my early ones though, because I feel they somehow capture a sense of optimism, hope and rebirth - Growth.

Something that's been super fun about this macro shooting is the considering not just what's in focus, but just as importantly what's not in focus.






© Dwayne Brown

The Simple Yet Great Unveiling.

Yesterday while photographing some flowers I noticed some flowers still in the opening phase. They almost looked animal-like with an array of arms protecting a gift inside - slowly opening and unveiling life. I admit I've been like most people, appreciating flowers at a distance. But over the last couple of days I've got a new appreciation and a curious fascination with the 'flower' - it's a much more complex system of life and the sustainability of life than I thought.


© Dwayne Brown