case in point:  our christmas tree. this evening i took some photos of last christmas’ tree, which still stands in our living room. it’s decorated, orange, dried to a crisp, and yet, no needles have fallen. could it somehow know that we don’t have time to vacuum?  :)

it’s now closer to christmas 2010 than 2009. keep it or replace it?

-amina

it’s a pretty diverse city. some buildings are gorgeous, ornate, and well taken care of, some are quite simply run down and in need of some attention, and a few really unique ones were obviously beautiful at one point with attention to detail and decoration, but have started to crack and fade. it’s these buildings that make me feel like st. louis, and these buildings, have a rich history.

here are some images i took while walking with amanda.

-amina

i loved how the light reflected off the building behind me and hit this facade.

the arch from less “touristy” angles.

st. louis from under the arch.

a more touristy shot.  :)

more amazing light. i have to start shooting more portraits downtown.

the cardinals were playing. and it seems as though everyone in the crowd was red.

the first time i’ve ever seen a federal reserve. shot with a 35, with distortion corrected in post. i wanted my lines to be as parallel as possible to reflect the strength and impact this bank has on the world.

but if we’re in missouri, why is this arch on the federal reserve walkway?

my favourite: the fact that the bridesmaids walked down the aisle with balloons instead of flowers. but it’s not only that. each balloon signified a loved one who was unable to attend the wedding but was there in spirit.

but i think pickles, taters, and olives were the biggest part. no, not the foods. the dogs. a+a have three, quite eccentric jack russell terriers who HAD to be at the wedding. you see, these dogs (aka the kids) are the ones who wear the pants. not anthony, not angela… the dogs rule the family. so it was only natural for olives to be the flower girl, and pickles and taters to walk ange down the aisle.

only problem: if they’re not tired out, they’re gonna cause a ruckus at the ceremony.

solution: well… you’ll just have to see.

here’s their sde together with my favourite photos of the day. big shouts go out to amanda for an awesome job shooting with me! And a huge thank you to Amy Seeley for providing us with a brand new song!

-amina

kudos to amanda for this series. she returned every 3 minutes or so to grab the same angle of the polaroid developing. i then went ahead and designed the layout. good teamwork!

olives, the smallest of the pack (and the girl i might add) leads the games.

one of many small things…

cuff links to commemorate loved ones on one wrist, and daily worn pearls on the other. i love that she wore jewelry that’s an everyday piece. now when she wears them again, they’ll have so many memories.

instead of guests sitting on “angela’s side” or “anthony’s side” at the ceremony, they simply wore pins.

the boys tug at ange as she walks through hand made pinwheels lining the aisle.

one of my faves from the whole day.

the old mac vs pc game. vows written on electronic devices… and speeches too. fitting, since anthony works for a cell carrier just north of toronto.

[click to enlarge] i couldn’t decide if angela was a tad cruel to make the guys wear green heart glasses at first. until i saw them wearing them every chance they got!

by this time hunger was kicking in. and this was sounding really amazing.

guests assemble polaroid cards with marital advice and personal notes.

the parents’ dances went from sentimental to hip hop in no time.

why exactly?

well, this weekend, the saints are actually heading up north to shake hands with sort of a significant figure. so, in a few hours, the recent superbowl winners and patrick (who is the ONLY camera person accompanying them) board a privately chartered plane, and head to washington dc to hang at the white house.

mr. obama plans on meeting the saints and personally congratulating them on their amazing victory.

mr. moreau plans on following the action and updating us via the caravan blog, the stillmotionblog, and via twitter about the experience.

he’ll be meeting us all in san fran in time to host the last workshop and filling us in on all the little details when we’re all together again.

-amina

just announced:  canon cinema caravan city #6!
and we still have a few spots left!

where? san francisco
when? august 10th and 11th
why? come on now. i think by now we’ve all realized that it’s the most FUN THING EVER!

to register, click here.
to see what our trip has been like so far, click here.
to see some behind the scenes awesomeness, keep reading.

-amina

behind the scenes:  day one.

the bus arrives! we get our first glimpse after waiting 1.5 hours for jose, our driver, to make it through manhattan during rush hour.

steadicam training in portland. who ever said people couldn’t fly?

we had an amazing time and met all kinds of inspiring people. we’re a little sad it’s coming to an end.  :(

here are some photos from the last few days of the trip.

-amina

On the way towards Mendocino. Shot through the bus window.

A 9-shot panorama stitched in PS. On the right, you see the road we took as we continued on. [Please click to enlarge]

I can only imagine the sound this tree made as it came crashing down.

P and Jordan wait for me just outside the Ace as I photograph my journey to the front door.

This is a little sign by the sink in our hotel room.

As we waited for appetizers, I grabbed some shots inside the brewery. Got the low down on the process too. This compilation reflects how I felt in there. Where do I look first!? I only had about 60 seconds to get these shots, so I was hurrying, seeing, feeling, thinking, all at the same time!

I love how the perspective of the wider lens gives this photo so much more attitude, while the open aperture gives me the opportunity to focus the viewer to the strongest part of the image.

Gina, our buddy from Canon munches on a sweet bacon treat. Shot with the 24 to really make her hand pop out of the image, but cropped in to really draw you into the yum.

The pen marks the spot for when the shot is redone (a few times). Spring, our model, was superb.

This is one of the bridges I jogged across. The G9 shoots a little more square than DSLRs. In this case, I think it works well, since there wasn’t much happening on the right side of the landscape.

Dave from Derby gets vocal at the dinner table. Shot with the 24 on a 7D. Brought this for it’s performance in low light.

Time to go home.

today we’re planning on stopping for a speedy lunch in san francisco, then heading up the 101 along the coast towards mendocino where we hope to stop for a walk, and then we’ll be going towards redwood national park to see the amazing forests we’ve heard so much about.

given that we have wifi on the bus, i thought that as i gaze out the window, i could post some photos of our trip thus far. in a previous post, i shared pictures from day 1 through 4, so now, here are some from days 5 through 19.

for those of you who haven’t visited the caravan blog, and want to see what we’re up to in a bit more detail, please visit canoncaravan.stillmotionblog.com.

-amina

our D.C. hotel. At least the A/C works.

we ate at an asian fusion restaurant tonight. Tat loved the cutlery there and made several jokes with the waiter about swiping a few sets on her way out. Low and behold, he comes out at the end of dinner with our doggy bags, and Tat’s has a few sets of very stylish forks and knives in it.

a set of legs we found at the smithsonian.

selena’s processional shot through a set of binoculars (see next photo).

being a little goofy during their photo session.

anything to get the shot.

during the chicago workshop, the girls were getting some work done. uniformly.

we had so much fun with our chicago attendees.

illustrating shooting techniques to the class.

some weird stuff happened during the shooting exercises.

at the big bean. patrick’s group “cheats” to balance the light in the background with the light on the model.

ohh the intensity.

media access at wrigley field for the phillies x cubs game!

multitasking. doing laundry and a shooting a tutorial at the same time.

at the grand canyon  – sight seeing and shooting tutorial #2.

everyone in the team had a role. the girls took turns holding the flag (a mounted poster) to block the sun.

on the way to las vegas.

desert approaching and crazy skies.

we went to a cirque du soleil show for justin’s birthday. the lighting was out of this world.

and of course, so were the acrobatics.

during the shooting exercise in LV, one of our attendees makes a custom cut cookie.

while another group heads to the strip for their visuals.

prepping the camera for  a bit of an aerial shot.

once again, anything for the shot…

in LA, the view from our dinner table

wha?

LA shooting exercise. low mode steadicam tracking superstar model, angie.

LA class listening to justin intently. 4-shot panorama stitched in PS.

given that today was our last day in the windy city, we decided to spend it with some flare. with help from some of our friends at canon, we got to go to the cubs x phillies game at wrigley field. but not only that… we got press passes. AND got to shoot in the media box, right off the field!

we gave our photos and footage a miniaturized feel via several tilt-shift lenses. i love how by making everything feel tiny, it reminds me of how large-scale the stadium is. it also gives the photos the feeling of viewing from afar – even if you’re physically close. no matter how close we get to the players, we’re really only getting a small glimpse.

-amina

right at the beginning of the game. we had just gotten down to the pit and were so excited to be there!

a 2-in-1 shot. above, is a photo of a broadcast camera man capturing the action, and below is a plasma by the concession stands airing the footage this man was capturing.

with press passes, we got to go pretty much anywhere.

although it was hard to get around with ALL THESE PEOPLE!!

and as the sun set further and further, the lights on the field became more prominent. here you see a cub just about to make it to 1st.

we’ve been posting on the cinema caravan blog daily with photo teasers, behind the scnenes clips, info about our adventures, and cinematography tips. for those of you who haven’t visited the caravan blog, and want to see what we’re up to, please visit canoncaravan.stillmotionblog.com.

but for now, here are are a few highlight from our trip thus far.

-amina

departing a little late. 2 hours late to be exact.

liberty and the city.

finally arriving at the ace hotel. such a cool place. more photos to come.

precise assembly required.

mounds of gear. i don’t think a table has ever looked so good.

we had so many good questions and discussions today. no question is off limits.

p introducing the crowd to various stabilization systems.

explorer of light, clay blackmore, debating whether to switch over to the bright side.  :)

shooting positions got a little bit suspect…

some shot close to the ground and some way up in the air.

our last steps in NYC.

amanda helps Jess climb into her top bunk.

manda pulls down her own private “in-bunk” tv…

but alas, good things come to those who wait. and those who wait get teasers.   :)

so here’s a little something for now.

-amina

we share in the things our significant others love. even if it’s a little foreign.

between shots. while they wait for me, they remember why this wall has so much significance for them.

purchased before the engagement, mel knew she would marry joel in these shoes.

we’ll leave this one just between us.