Do you need a piece of art for your wall at home, but you are beyond generic IKEA art. Perhaps you should get one of your own photographs enlarged to hang above your sofa. That’s where the guys at posterjack.ca come into play. They are in the business of printing your photographs on all sorts of mediums and this year, they have brought metal prints to Canada.

Posterjack.ca is a local print house in Toronto, found in Toronto’s eastend, Riverdale/Leslieville area. The shop was started by brothers Tim and Kevin Faught and they do all sorts of traditional and non traditional printing. They are capable of doing your standard glossy and matte prints, but what sets them apart is that they are also able to do canvas prints, Peel n’ Stick (which is great for events) mounted prints, framed prints and most recently amazing Metal Prints.

I’ve had the opportunity to use posterjack in the past and they do an incredible job of making your work look great and ready to be hung right out of the box. So it was exciting to hear that they were doing Metal Prints for the Canadian market. I had first seen Metal prints earlier this year at CONTACT, but they were printed in the US and shipped cross border into Canada. Now it can all be done locally.

Right now, Posterjack.ca is having a Posterjack Paparazzi Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) CONTEST. To enter you simply need to snap a photo of a celeb, great red carpet moment or crowd shot and post the picture on the posterjack.ca facebook wall by SEPT. 18TH, 2011. Be sure to include the caption “Posterjack Paparazzi contest submission.” One lucky winner will get a 24 x 36 Metal Print valued at $200.00.

Of course you can also follow them on twitter, @PosterjackDotCa to get the latest updates on special deals.

NXNE is a great time to discover new artists, new sounds, and new venues; for several days Toronto sleeplessly enjoys ecclectic variety of music.  In the spirit of ‘discovery’, I recently stumbled upon a gem of a gallery:  Analogue Gallery–an intimate space that houses an impressive collection of authentic candid photographs of artists/bands and iconic signed vinyls.

Entering into Analogue Gallery is like entering into several decades at once–the grainy, black & white photographs and slick vinyls fill the walls with ‘cool’. Analogue houses photographs of The Beatles, Blondie, Arcade Fire, Madonna, Bob Marley,  Neil Young, Frank Sinatra, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.  They also hosts parties–just recently throwing a huge bash on their back patio with live music, adult refreshments, and oodles of fun–to celebrate NXNE, of course. The Creative Director of Analogue, Lucia Graca, is hip, resourceful, and passionate–full of information and eager to help.

Analogue Gallery is the perfect space to escape and re-connect with your inner music lover.

Analogue Gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday from noon to 7PM and Sunday from noon to 5PM, it’s located at 637 Queen Street W.

On Wednesday night, The Yelp party had a Snapz photobooth. Above are a few samples featuring Jason, Rayanne, Rochelle and I, with a special appearance by Affan.

Over at Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place, Alain Palement had a public installation titled, over here over there. The 12 murals installed on the floor bring an unusual and impossible perspective on various day to day rooms and locations. Spanning across the large galleria, hundreds of people walk across these pieces over the month of May.

It was interesting to see people’s reactions to the work, many walked by without skipping a beat, some skirted around the murals, making an effort not to step on them, and others viewed and interacted with the piece both viewing for different angles and actually looking at the work while they stood in the middle of it. The unique birds eye view to these everyday rooms definitely brought a different dynamic to the space and how one should view photography.

This afternoon, I caught an Inside Out screening at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. As I was waiting in line, I found myself standing outside of the inaugural Contrast Canadian Photographic Works exhibit. Of course I had to go in and check it out. Inside I was greeted by Fabrice Strippoli who was one of the ten featured photographers and curator of the group show.

Strippoli explained to me how CCPW is a boutique photo agency that specializes in commercial projects and fine art photography. Unlike your regular gallery show, the work was staggered and grouped all over the bare concrete brick walls, in various sizes and framing. But even in this no frills fashion, the work was strong enough to pop off the walls and hold their own. CCPW features the work of Shawna Eberle, Alex Filotti, Mark Hesselink, Jean-François Bouchard, Justin Kingsley, Paul Labonté, Richard Marazzi, Martin Mraz, Nicolette Potter and Fabrice Strippoli.

With CONTACT coming to a close in a couple of days, it’s not to late to go down to the King street location to check out the work. The gallery will be open on Sunday from Noon to 8pm and on Tuesday from 11am to 7pm. While you are there, make sure you take a moment to check out their camera obscura which is setup to show you a view of the bustling King Street view in a away you have never seen before.

Contrast Canadian Photographic Works (CCPW)
May 1–31
356 King St W

For some, the Junction may seem off the beaten track, but the neighbourhood is full of amazing eateries, wonderful antique shops and even has a Starbucks now, so you know it’s one of those up and coming areas. This historic strip along Dundas Street West, just north of High Park, between Quebec Ave and Keele St. is the home of over 20 CONTACT exhibits this year. Every year the Junction BIA does a wonderful job of showcasing photography in a partnership with many of the local businesses in the area. What I find most impressive is that the BIA actually has these prominent red CONTACT signs outside of all the participating venues, making it super easy to find each exhibit.

Metal Prints by Tammy Hoy

Being the last weekend in the month and with lots of sun in the forecast, it’s a wonderful opportunity to take a stroll in this beautiful area of the city and take in some photography. The theme in the Junction this year seemed to be a lot of black and white photography, which is always classy, but there were also some colourful and interesting pieces going on as well. Below is a list of a few of my favourites, but really you should make an afternoon of it and check out the entire strip.

Lost and Found, lost photograph found in books at Pandemonium Books

Code Revolt
Upset on Set, Chiara Caprese
May 7–31
3067 Dundas St W

Delight Chocolate / Junction Fromagerie
Light Bends, Stephen J. Edgar
May 1–31
3040 Dundas St W

Latitude 44 Gallery Framing Decor
Temporal Perspectives, Brian Anderson, Tammy Hoy, Matthew Marigold, Moira McElhinney, Mia Weinberg
May 1–31
2900 Dundas St W

Pandemonium Books & Discs
The People’s Photos (Lost & Found)
May 1–31
2862 Dundas St W

Picture it Framed
India: the Kingdom of Colour, Rina Singh

West Toronto Paint and Wallpaper
Alghero at Night, Jim Blomfield
May 1–31
2975 Dundas St W

Earlier this month, I wandered to the east end of the city to check out some CONTACT shows. Among them was the Dieter Hessel show, Structure and Symmetry at Heliographics.

Upon initial view, you are presented with a wonderful series of architectural and landscape images from Toronto and Chicago. But what you don’t realize is that you are looking at HDR images, High Dynamic Range. HDR is a technique were you merge a number of differently exposed shots, to create a shot that has greater and equal luminance between the lighter and darker areas of an image.

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of HDR photography, and usually I’m not a big fan, because often it is not done very well. When I first visited this exhibit, I wasn’t actually aware that the images were HDR, it wasn’t until a week later, when I had brunch with a couple of friend’s did I realize that the show was HDR, when they tipped me off to that fact. Hessel does an masterful job with merging his images, which results in a natural and pleasing look. If you are in the market for a shot of Toronto to hang in your home, I’d highly suggest checking out his work.

Hessel’s exhibit Structure and Symmetry is showing at Heliographics until May 31st. While you are in the east end of the city, may I also suggest checking out Vision & Voices at Brayham Contemporary Art. The exhibit which runs until June 5th is a group showcase of photographs from 11 women in the sex industry in Portland OR. It gives the viewer a personal glimpse into the lives of these interesting women.

Heliographics
Structure and Symmetry
May 1–31
1238 Queen St E Unit H
Toronto, M4L 1C3
Wed, Thu, Sat & Sun 12 – 5pm
Fri 12 – 7pm
(416) 466 2685

Brayham Contemporary Art
Vision and Voices
April 30–June 5
1318 Queen St E
Toronto, M4L 1C5
Fri 2 – 7pm
Sat & Sun 12 – 5pm
(647) 435 7367

NOTE: I’ve been corrected, none of the work in this exhibit were HDR

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see the film, The Bang Bang Club, a film about four photojournalists in South Africa in the 90′s during apartheid. The film is an intense journey between four peers, who’s friendship grow in the brutal battlefield of the South African landscape. Putting their own lives on the line to get the shot, this film is definitely not for the faint of heart.

The film does bring up morality questions in terms of a person’s role, especially a photojournalists role in war torn situations and personally I don’t think it’s something I could ever possibly stomach. The film itself is a riveting, emotional and personal journey of these four photographers which was captured in such a real way, that it felt like you were actually there with them.

I’m not such how long this film will last in the theatres, but if you get a chance to see it, I’d definitely recommend it.

Last night I was invited to the launch event for a new line of camera bags from Manfrotto. The company is known for their quality tripods, so it’s interesting to see that they are expanding their brand to include other photographic accessories.

Thought I’d dig up this video from last year’s CONTACT launch party. Sadly, I won’t be able to make it to tonight’s event but maybe you can share a picture or two, if you end up going.

What Isn't There, Elle Flanders & Tamira Sawatzky, MOCCA Courtyard mural.

Tonight, celebrate the official Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival Launch Party at MOCCA. While you are there you can enjoy, Dynamic Landscape, Fred Herzog: Vancouver and the Public Installation in What Isn’t There in the MOCCA Courtyard.

Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
952 Queen St W
Toronto, M6J 1G8

IX Gallery : McLuhan's Shadow opening

Last night, I went to my first opening of the season for CONTACT at the IX Gallery. Tonight however there are 8 openings in the city and 1 artist talk. Here is the run down. I’ve added Foursquare Tips, if you want to add it to your to-do lists.

Artist Talk
Giorgio Barrera
The Italian Cultural Institute
April 28, 6:30 pm
496 Huron St
Toronto, M5R 2R3

Peak Gallery
Coronae | Andrew Wright
April 28–May 28. OPENING April 28, 4:00–8:00 pm
23 Morrow Ave
Toronto, M6R 2H9
Tue – Sat 11am – 6pm

Olga Korpper Gallery
Unititled Work | Lynne Cohen
April 28–June 1. OPENING April 28, 6:00–9:00 pm
17 Morrow Ave
Toronto, M6R 2H9
Tue – Sat 10am – 6pm

Arneau Blax
Jacqueline’s Portrait | Kevin Ballantine
April 28–May 29. OPENING April 28, 6:00–9:00 pm
10 Abell St
Toronto, M6J 0A9
Wed – Fri 4 – 8pm
Sat 11am – 6pm
Sun 12 – 5pm

Lakeview Restuarant
Coney Island | Adam Shax
April 28–June 26. OPENING April 28, 6:00–11:00 pm
1132 Dundas St W
Toronto, M6J 1X2
Daily 24 hours

Alison Milne Gallery
Artifact | Claudette Abrams, Anthea Baxter-Page, Cara Cole, Leonard Schlichting, Harley Valentine, George Whiteside, Paula Wilson
April 28–May 29. OPENING April 28, 7:00–10:00 pm
49 Ossington Ave 201
Toronto, M6J 2Y9
Sat & Sun 12 – 6pm

Gallery 1313
Raw Memory | Nelly Akerman Singer, Marvin Antonio, Randi Apple, Christian Badanjak, Linda Briskin, Alex Coley, Peter Dewdney, Larry Glazer, Deborah Kanfer, Kelly Lamorie, Richard Lush, Kye Marshall, Christine Marshall-Smith, Paulette Michayluk, Judy Ruzylo
April 27–May 8. OPENING April 28, 7:00–10:00 pm
1313 Queen St W
Toronto, M6K 1L8
Wed– Sun 1 – 6pm

Gladstone Hotel – Second Floor
Maximum Exposure | Ryerson’s School of Image Arts
April 28–May 1. OPENING April 28, 7:00–10:00 pm
1214 Queen St W
Toronto, M6J 3K6
Daily 12 – 5pm

El Almacen Yerba Mate Cafe + Gallery
Dan Abramovici
May 1–31. OPENING April 28, 7:00–11:00 pm
1078 Queen St W
Toronto, M6J 1H8
Daily 9am – 10pm

Chris Frampton from Flyweightfilms created this promo video for Pikto. I used them all the time, so I have no qualms sharing this here with you.

Fellow photographers Sean Galbraith and Mathew Merrett from the DK photo group appeared on Bravo’s Behind the Camera. In the clip they talk about photography and urban exploration.

The question which remains is what can I use on my Mac Powerbook to do some basic photo editing, supports RAW formats and won’t take up a lot of room on my hard drive?

Bonus points if it’s free or inexpensive. And I’m hoping to find a solution before the end of next week, so I can have it loaded on the Powerbook for my trip to SXSW in Austin.

One Image – 17 Amazing Interpretations – It just goes to show that different people see different things, even in post processing.

Flash: Polaroid waves good-bye to instant film – It’s a sad day when polaroid says they aren’t making instant films anymore. Start stock piling now.

The DIY Gorilla Pod – Clever, but seriously, a real gorillapod is not that expensive.

Blockposters – Print big on the cheap. It’s basically like the rasterbator, but not obviously pixelized.

Police views on Street Photography – Yet another story about getting harassed by police for taking photos.

Why the Web Still Lacks as a Method to Display, Evaluate, or Enjoy Detailed Photographs… – An interesting piece regarding the lack of details.

Canon Repair Estimates:What to Expect – This sounds like your “textbook” experience. I’ve had better, but I’ve also heard of worse.

Photowalking Tips – I’ve been doing this for longer than I remember. The tips are fine and dandy, but most of all have fun, keep your eyes open and even backtrack, because streets look different depending on which way you are walking them.

Street Tips – While we are on the topic, here are some more awesome tips.

9 Pet Photography Tips – Because we all love our pets, but often don’t know how to shoot them.

Back in October, I visited San Francisco for the very first time. Of course, one of the things I wanted to see was the Golden Gate Bridge, but specifically from Baker Beach.

I think this was my second last day in SF and it was raining on and off through the day. Despite that, the view was wonderful and the sun was peaking through the clouds and hitting the bridge while I was at the beach.

This is the little video clip I shot while on the beach. I posted it up on Vimeo, which I totally love more than YouTube. For four reasons; 1) you don’t lose as much quality of picture on Vimeo, 2) you can customize the size of your embedded video, 3) the controls and tracking bar disappears when watching videos, 4) you can add photos from flickr to each individual Vimeo video. That being said, expect more video on here this year.

Growing up on film cameras, you always have a special place in your heart for them. So coming across a digital product like this Pocket Camera Classic, you can’t help but hold a romantic notion. Apitek USA has designed this miniature digital camera with this awesome retro design for a mere $9.99.

Despite not being able to use this on my Mac, I’d gladly use it as a decorative paperweight.

This past week I was on assignment in Keswick, Ontario, which is about an hour north of Toronto. I had to take pictures of a gas station owner and his son, but took the opportunity to take some other shots around the station including this one.

Sure it simply looks like a modern Shell station, nothing terribly outstanding, but just imagine how this will look to us in 50 years when I’m 83. Below is a shot of a Shell Station from the 1950′s

photo by B. Dockrell (source)

Take a moment and think about how much visual history we have recorded in the last 5 years, and how much more we will create in the coming years.

More importantly, do you think we will still be using gasoline in 50 years?

I’m subscribed to a Nintendo emailed newsletter and recently I got this one regarding the new game Endless Ocean for the Nintendo Wii. I suppose what peaked my interest was the romanticized notion that I could become a freelance photographer for travel and science magazines, as noted in the screenshot above. Personally, I think it sounds pretty amazing, as I doubt I would ever find myself doing this in real life.

Check out the hands on review over at gamespot, which gives you a mellow breakdown on the gameplay. It’s in stores now, and is value priced at around $29.99. I think I may pick this one up.

Crossposted to ButtonMashThis.