A year of endings...
My career as a Software Developer comes to and end
After a 19 year career as a Software Developer (Computer Programmer), I finally threw in the towel. To those close to me, it was likely not a surprise. I had become very vocal about my displeasure with the ways technology, specifically so called "smart phones" and their addictive anti-social media apps, has warped the minds of an entire generation, caused division never before seen, and can be blamed for the rise of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. This was not what I signed up for back in 2005. With each passing day, it became more evident that people like me, Software Developers, were a large part of the problem. On top of smart phones, it seems like the never-ending blade of technological "progress" has made life much more difficult in some ways. Subscription services milking us for every penny possible, a million different user accounts and portals for services instead of real people, and useless gadgets reinventing the wheel with touch screens and "smart" features.
There's a quote I'm sure we've all heard, "just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should." I had fallen out of love with computer programming. I hated what it was doing to society. It was making me angrier with each passing day. I hated my job - I hated my career. Ironically, I was exceptionally talented at my craft, one of the best my last boss commented.
A person can only tolerate such conditions for so long before something cracks. And this past July when life at home started to unravel, I finally broke. I simply couldn't bring myself to sit at a desk any longer, doing a job that brought me no satisfaction, and living a contradiction to my views of technology. So after 19 years, it was finally the end.
I must admit, it's a strange place to be in. I've noticed that most conversations typically involve a question about your career or how work is going - now I don't have an answer! I'm not working, and I've turned my back on my career.
The future is not completely bleak though. I have a clear vision of the next chapter of my life, and new beginnings are always exciting. I've always been a very hands on kinda person, so I've decided to pursue a career in a skilled trade. I'm deciding between an Electrician, Welder, or maybe a Millwright. Whatever I decide, it will be something that gets me out of a chair and away from a computer monitor!
SDRO is no more
After working with Snowmobile Drag Racing Ontario for four years, the business was scuttled, and under unfortunate conditions. In the wake of the collapse, we never received payment for our last calendar. It was a bitter way to end a friendship, and after so many years of photography and videos, a sad realization that some of our best times had come to an end.
The three calendars we created was the highlight of my time working for SDRO. It was a huge stretch out of my comfort zone. At the time, portrait photography was still something I hadn't really perfected. There's a lot of moving parts involved to get a nice shot. First, I had to control the settings of two flashes in a dark environment, one as the key light, and one with a colored gel to light up the background. These two flashes needed to be perfectly balanced and the camera exposure dialed in. Next I needed to find a good orientation of the snowmobile and then figure out which pose would work the best. I'm not the best at posing models, so that was something I needed to figure out on the fly. I was always so happy when we found models that knew how to pose - it made my job so much easier! Then there was the issue of nailing focus in a dimly lit garage. Sometimes you wouldn't notice a slightly out of focus image until it was viewed on a computer screen. So with all this going on, shooting the calendar photos was certainly an involved process. But when everything lined up, the pictures turned out so beautiful. It was a great 3 years making these calendars, and I ended up making a few good friends along the way and we still get together sometimes for photoshoots just for fun.
We also created a documentary video that focused on the behind the scenes of running a drag race and what it takes to run a race team. It has performed very well on YouTube and was awarded semi-finalist at a local film festival. We premiered the video at a party in someone's garage (a racer who's name escapes me) and it was very well received. Good times, and good memories.
My Balaclava video is complete!
After the success of my last short film, The Lost Timber Slide of Chats Falls, I turned my attention to the old Balaclava Sawmill. I wrote a full blog post about this video here. Since it's completion, it has already won Best Documentary in the AltFF Film Festival! It's submitted to 3 more film festivals, so fingers crossed it brings continued success!
Two short cinematic films
I'm always looking for reasons to crack out my Canon C200 Cinema Camera. I had a song kicking around in my head and a few glimpses of imagery that went with the song. Summer time, boating, lazy days down at the beach, and camp fires are my happy place, and I tried my best to combine all these elements into a video. I shot everything on my vintage Helios 44-2 lens for a dreamy look with plenty of lens flares. For color grading, I pushed everything to the warmer side and added some green tint for a nostalgic feel. The results were everything I had hoped for!
The second video was more of a spur of the moment creation. The fair was in town, the sky was clear, and the golden sunset was right where it needed to be. Our family headed to the Carp fair and I dragged along my video camera and my Helios lens. The colors this camera produces are simply spectacular! I color graded this video with Davinci's Kodak film lut and found a perfect sound track on YouTube's Audio Library. This will remain one of my favorite videos for a long time. It evokes such strong emotions and takes you right back to youthful nights at the local fair.
Portraits with the wife and friends
I know I've said it many times here, but portraits have become my favorite type of photography. I'm so lucky to have a photogenic wife and some friends that love getting in front of the camera. The year started off with a "skater-girl" concept me and Emilie had discussed in the past. The look was styled to be very similar to the snowmobile calendar photos, very dark and gritty.
Brianna and I ended up getting together 3 times over the summer and fall to capture some beautiful images. We kicked the year off with some beach photos and ended it with pics of her Jeep, newly modified with a lift kit and 40" tires!
Emmy momentarily popped back into our life, and we took the opportunity to capture some amazing photos of her at the local waterfall and down at the beach.
Katarina and I had briefly worked together for the 2024 SRDO sled calendar. When I reached out to see if she was interested in a beach photoshoot, I was delighted to discover she lived right beside the beach! Seems like it was meant to be. The pictures turned out so light and airy, with beautiful golden warmth from the sunset.
After following the Ottawa Photography Meetup club for years, I finally managed to make it out to their fall photoshoot at Hogsback park. I was so nervous at first! We had to pair off with a model, find a good location, and then work through a few poses. After the first few photos, things started to flow and I found myself in a good rhythm. The sunset was bright and golden, and I was able to capture some beautiful portraits. I can't wait to attend the next event!
Well, that's pretty much it for 2024. GLASSGLOWZ Media has pretty much transitioned back into a fun hobby instead of a business venture, and I'm really enjoying the freedom that brings. I hope 2024 was a great year for you, and all the best in 2025!
Comments