Monthly Archives: December 2011

2012 – What’s Up and Coming for Alex Luyckx | Photography

Well we’re coming up to the end of 2011, and what a year it has been, with the Project:52 winding down, the the last rolls sitting here on my desk waiting to be taken into the lab on Monday.

2012, big things for this year including 2 special projects. Sorry no Project:52 for 2012 (it may return for 2013), but 2012, big year indeed. The first project is about the War of 1812, 200 years ago between the United States of America and the British Empire. Titled “Everything Changes,” it will cover as much about the war of 1812 as I can possible get for you, my faithful readers. The project will be covered like many of my projects entirely on film, again using multiple cameras and film stocks. I’ll go and visit the various forts around Ontario and up-state New York and even Ohio (if I can). With my involvement with the 60th Royal American Regiment of Foot, I’ll have a front line seat (often fighting) in the reenactment battles such as the Seige of Fort Erie and new for 2012, the Battle of Queenston Heights…even a visit to Washington DC in in the plans for the project.

The Second Project for 2012 is about Doors Open events through Ontario, where I’ll take you on a tour of locations that often are closed to the public, again working with film, mostly medium format to give you a fresh look on places you may have never had a chance to see before!

Onwards we go!

Project:52 – Week 51

I just had to bring it back before the end, something abandoned. In this case I am dragging you to one of my personal favourite locations, the Barber Mill in Georgetown Ontario, but unlike many of my trips, I took a chance and went at night. The Mill was built in 1823 but abandoned for several decades now. The ruins are beautiful at any time of day and in any weather. Dangerous…yes, but worth the risk.

Project:52 - Week 51

Project:52 - Week 51

Project:52 - Week 51

Project:52 - Week 51

Project:52 - Week 51

Project:52 - Week 51

Project:52 - Week 51

Pentax 645 – SMC Pentax A 645 35mm 1:3.5 – Kodak Tri-X Pan (TXP, ISO-320)

Project:52 – Week 50

Finding myself back in Ohio I took a break from the long drive home to stop off in the city of Findlay, home of the university where we had a day earlier gone to a Polaroid Party. I had seen the downtown from the photos taken during the FPP mid-west meetup a meetup I sadly was unable to attend, so I made a point to stop off this time. Spent some time at Imagine That, and even ran into a friend and inspiration Mat Marash while enjoying lunch at a local pub.

Project:52 - Week 50

Project:52 - Week 50

Project:52 - Week 50

Project:52 - Week 50

Project:52 - Week 50

Project:52 - Week 50

Project:52 - Week 50

Nikon F4 – AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D – Kodak Portra 160

Railed

The year was 1994, March. An electrical failure causes one of hte trains on Toronto Zoo’s Domain Ride to roll backwards hitting a second vehicle injuring thirty people, and forcing the Zoo to shut down the Domain Ride, ending 30 years of the ride giving tours through some of the more remote areas of the Toronto Zoo which streached well out and along the Rouge River, which visitors could not walk to. But on this cold December Saturday we were forced to. The six of us crept down the steep grade to the river banks and made our way along looking for the concrete guideway. The Domain Zoo ride, although called a monorail (probably because of hte electrified rail) was actually closer to the Montreal Subway (Metro) with rubber tyred trams that passangers sat in during the trip. We eventually were able to get access to the abandoned guideway and move along it. Mostly over grown (and terminating where the zoo-mobile now runs) with long streaches through areas that could easily be found in Northern Ontario, even abandoned animal shelters for the exhibits that once roamed ‘free’.

Guide My Path

Winter Skies

Dead foliage.

The River

The Shelter

Project:52 – Week 49

Having moved back up the Hill to the main Trafaglar Road campus of Sheridan, I decided to let one of the more photogenic of the four campuses be the subject for Week 49 (only fair since STC got to be the subject for Week 1). So to add some flare, I used polaroid cameras to capture the campus. Of course the Auto 250 got the most attention.

Project:52 - Week 49

Project:52 - Week 49

Project:52 - Week 49

Project:52 - Week 49

Project:52 - Week 49

Project:52 - Week 49

Project:52 - Week 49

Polaroid Spectra – Impossible Project PZ680 Color Shade
Polaroid Automatic 250 Land Camera – FP-100c, FP-3000b

It’s a Polaroid Party!

This past Sunday at the University of Findlay there was something different going on party wise for a university. It was a party to celebrate instant photography and it’s continued life in the photographic world. Organized by Mat (From the Film Photography Project, and Alumni of UoF), and UoF professor Jeff, the idea was the allow anyone to get out and make use of a wide variaty of Polaroid Cameras and films. From Automatic Land Cameras, to Instant Integral ‘roids from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Films all over the board, Fuji FP-100c, 3000b, even some old Polaroid Stock was out ot play and new Impossible Films.

But you’re probably thinking….Alex, you’re nowhere near Ohio…what were you doing in Findlay, OH? I was lucky, and happened to be in the area on the date of the party so I hauled myself up to Findlay to participate.

It was an awesome day, getting to meet new people new contacts, share my own polaroids, and of course hang with friends!

Setting Up

The Group

Folder

Lauren

Kas ^_^

The rest can be found in my Polaroid Party set on Flickr!

Project:52 – Week 48

For the past ten years Milton churches have been putting on a living christmas pagent I have been several times, and even volunteered to be a person in the pagent. So for the tenth year I decided to take my Bible Study group along and a film camera for Week 48! So let’s take the journey to tell the story of the birth of Jesus.

Project:52 - Week 48

Project:52 - Week 48

Project:52 - Week 48

Project:52 - Week 48

Project:52 - Week 48

Project:52 - Week 48

Project:52 - Week 48

Nikon F4 – AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D – Kodak Portra 400

Project:52 – Week 47

I love backroads and sunday afternoon drives and taking the senic route. Sure it may take you a little bit longer to get there, but sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. So coming home from a party I decided to load up the newest member of my camera family with some film and took the long, stupid, and conviluted route home, just to see what I could see.

Project:52 - Week 37

Project:52 - Week 37

Project:52 - Week 37

Project:52 - Week 37

Project:52 - Week 37

Project:52 - Week 37

Project:52 - Week 37

Bronica SQ-Am – Zenzanon-PS 150mm 1:4 – Kodak Tri-X 400 (400TX)

Milton Help-Portrait – Event 2

This was my second year at the Darling House for Kids in Milton for Help-Portrait. This home in the rural areas of Milton is designed for families with children who have medical conditions as a space for them to be a family. This year I wanted to try something different (in addition to doing the portraits), I wanted to give them something but without using a computer and printer. Something unique, one of a kind, something that they may not have even seen before, or if they had, hadn’t seen in years.

Milton Help Portrait - Nov 26th, 2011

Yep, that’s a Polaroid, an Automatic Land camera from the late 1960s. I loaded it up with some new Fuji FP-100c film and went to town. It was a gimmic, something that would draw their attention and give them that print. Working outside made using it much easier to work with the people and the camera. I would pose the family, shoot the polaroid and give the pack to some of the members to keep warm while we did the digital images, and then I’d ask for it back and peel off the freshly cooked print. Their smiles kept me warm working outside in the slightly chilly air.

Milton Help Portrait - Nov 26th, 2011

Brent (above) put together an awesome video of the event which you can find on Facebook.