Photo of the day

Robert advises customer, Camera Traders, Victoria, BC, 2018

Here we are, on the penultimate day of my self-assigned 30 Day Photo Challenge. Yesterday, I explored the natural world of stinking fish (not the art show of the same name visited on Sunday) so today, as a counterpoint, I decided to head downtown, an exploration that led to an environmental portrait.

Victoria, BC, is no New York, but it does boast some excellent architecture and interesting people. I don’t consider myself a “street photographer” and I’m not really a fan, as such. But I do occasionally document a street scene I think worthy of the genre.

I began wandering around by the new Johnson Street Bridge, finding nothing that attracted my eye. I entered Market Square, perhaps because the English muffin I had for breakfast was wearing off. I hadn’t poked around Camera Traders for a few months and noticed a vintage Hasselblad in the window (Why did I sell mine, 20-years-ago?).

Soon, rather than focussing on getting a photo of the day, I was regaling retail assistant Robert with tales of my adventures in the photo trade and bear encounters in the wild.

He was probably relieved when a prospective customer interrupted my story of bicycling bravado on the Telegraph Creek Road. I bade him and his colleague Katia Lubchenko good day and headed back out into the square, when it occurred to me that I might do less blathering and more photography … I was abandoning a good subject. I headed back inside.

Today’s photo is the result.

Since this is the last day but one of this adventure — time flies when you’re having fun — I’m adding a bonus picture. As I was leaving, I noticed another medium format camera a couple over from the Hasselblad: a Mamiyaflex C nearly identical to the one I used to create my Eighties Vancouver collection as well as many more photos, both commercial and personal, in the 1980s.

Bonus photo of the day

Self Portrait with Mamiyaflex

So that’s it. One more day to go. Then I’ll likely take a short rest … from the blog, that is. Because I have a busy schedule awaiting more of my attention. Be sure to come back tomorrow, though, for the final instalment. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride.