PHOTOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE: MAY

Jumping On Board Full Frame’s Photographic Challenge

Finally!

I’ve procrastinated offering my take on Rodrigo S-C’s topics each month since the birth of Full Frame. Yes, I love to take photos, and some of them are good, but I honestly didn’t feel my work was worthy of this more prestigious publication.

I felt exposed.

I’m a point-and-click photographer; I love snapping shots, and by a stroke of luck and a teeny bit of ‘an eye’ developed over the years, I’ve captured some cool images at times. I don’t have fancy equipment — although I envy those who do — and have no clue how to process or manipulate a photo other than cropping!

But here I am, offering my first — and hopefully not the last — piece to Full Frame. Given I have little time to write, I genuinely appreciate the prompts that Rod is offering every month. It’s fun to try new things, take my amateur skills up a notch, or find photos in my huge digital album that suit a variety of themes.

Drive by Shooting

No, it’s not the Arc de Triomphe, but the Porte Saint-Denis, the oldest of four magnificent triumphal arches in Paris. Situated in the 10th arrondissement, it was commissioned by Louis XIV — the longest-serving King of France — in 1672 to honour the victories of the Dutch War four years earlier.

While I was in Paris recently, we were on our way out for supper and took an Uber as we were running late. The traffic was vile, so we were going at a snail’s pace when this gorgeous site appeared.

I reached for my iPhone, wound down the back seat window and snapped this shot. I have not added any filters; it was dusk, so the sky was truly that colour, and the street lights illuminated the structure beautifully.

Power to the people

Last weekend, while running some errands in my neighbourhood, I noticed a swarm of police about, and the traffic was unusually nasty. I had no idea why so I stopped and asked an officer.

The local Sikh Temple was celebrating Vaisakhi, the birth of Sikhism in 1669 and the Nagar Kirtan parade was about to kick off, the first in three years because of the Pandemic.

‘Nagar’ means town, and ‘Kirtan’ means singing hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Sikh holy book. Source

Realizing I was about to get completely stranded for hours, I high-tailed back home and walked back to see the parade. As a rule, I’m not fond of parades, but my curiosity was tweaked after seeing hundreds of people walking to the temple in their colourful Indian attire as I made my way home.

I was right. Witnessing community members of all ages proudly walking the route was marvellous. Despite the heavens sprinkling us all with rain, the mood was festive. There was dancing, chanting, scripture readings, and a vibrant display of turbans and beautiful saris.

I’m glad I made the effort to experience this cultural celebration.

Build it up

Although some may see this abandoned old Malting Mill as an eyesore, it is an artist's dream. Graffiti is smattered over the rusty, dilapidated walls, and photographers are eager to capture its raw beauty, especially on a glorious cloud-free day.

The house has been atop for as long as I can remember, but only recently did it have a pink facelift. Complete with shutters and flower window boxes, the sight is the talk of St. Henri, the up-and-coming suburb where the abandoned building is. No one knows who did it or if there is someone secretly living up there. Given the curtains are often seen fluttering in a breeze, I’d imagine it’s a bit drafty!

Technically, the area is off-limits to the public, mainly because it is unsafe. However, the chain-link fence has a convenient hole that even I jumped through a few weeks ago to get some close-up shots.

The dark side

I am fortunate to have scenes like this play out from the comfort of my apartment several nights a month. I have taken scores of photos of our ‘Newman sunsets’ — named by the street I live on — but I simply can’t stop myself from grabbing my camera and snapping more.

Save the gross parking lot in the foreground, the contrast between the angry, dark clouds and the vibrant setting sun is breathtaking. I particularly love the hints of pink being slowly shrouded by the swirling, gloomy ones.

Toy story

My son’s cat Booboo is fixated with this toy mouse. Actually, he has four of them, but this one seems to be his favourite.

Each night, he puts the mouse in his mouth and wanders around the house yowling. If I’m not already in bed, it’s my cue to get moving! Religiously, he jumps on my bed, and while kneading the covers, he goes around and around in circles, purring loudly all the while.

I wrote a poem about his antics when I first joined Medium if you want to read more about his strange, ritualistic behaviour.

Thanks to Rodrigo for inspiring this story. Although I am only jumping in now, I hope to tackle some of the earlier prompts in due course.