Edmonton Vote Mob

Edmonton, trying so hard to be like the big boys and have a vote mob. It was organized by students at my old university, U of A, and the crowd was small but vocal.

EDMONTON, Alta. (30/04/11) - Organizer Navneet Khinda, 18, leads a vote mob in Edmonton on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Attended by around 100 young adults, the mob organizers were hoping to remind young voters to cast their ballots on Monday's federal election. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

EDMONTON, Alta. (30/04/11) - Angela Redding participates in a vote mob in Edmonton on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Attended by around 100 young adults, the mob organizers were hoping to remind young voters to cast their ballots on Monday's federal election. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

EDMONTON, Alta. (30/04/11) - Young voter Jessica Bresler draws a maple leaf on the cheek of a fellow vote mob participant at the start of a vote mob in Edmonton on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Attended by around 100 young adults, the mob organizers were hoping to remind young voters to cast their ballots on Monday's federal election. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

EDMONTON, Alta. (30/04/11) - New Democrat incumbent for Edmonton-Strathcona Linda Duncan speaks to young voters at the start of a vote mob in Edmonton on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Attended by around 100 young adults, the mob organizers were hoping to remind young voters to cast their ballots on Monday's federal election. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

EDMONTON, Alta. (30/04/11) - New Democrat incumbent for Edmonton-Strathcona Linda Duncan poses with young voters Rychele Wright, Michael Thomas, and Braeden Wright at the start of a vote mob in Edmonton on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Attended by around 100 young adults, the mob organizers were hoping to remind young voters to cast their ballots on Monday's federal election. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

And of course, Linda showed up. It's exactly her sort of event.

Goodbye Belleville

A Bell Belleville phonebox, some late night drive in January.

Like many other photoj students, I'm leaving Belleville tomorrow. I'll be back in four months, that's for sure. But for the next four days, I'll be Alberta-bound in my minivan. I think I'll miss school more than I know. Mostly assignments, and how they make me get out there and shoot things I might otherwise miss. And also the people. I've made a lot of friends and lasting relationships this year that I am so glad for.

See you in September, Belleville.

Blue(ish) Collar Worker

For our final lighting assignment of the year, we had to set up a lit environmental portrait of a blue-collar worker or a hobbyist. I was immediately drawn to blue-collar worker, because it is so diverse, and so many of these people are genuine, salt-of-the-earth types.

I had some ideas: there's a facility not far from school that sells dry ice and fills oxygen and other tanks. These look really cool. I will shoot that someday. I also tried to get into the area behind the glass at Reid's Dairy to shoot a guy on the milk production line. Still tied up in red tape on that, but I have big plans for that shoot.

For now, it's Gerry at The Home Depot.

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (06/04/11) - Gerry (last name withheld), an employee at The Home Depot in Belleville, poses for a portrait in between unpacking boxes in the cabinet department of the store on Wednesday, April 6, 2011. Gerry has worked at the store for several years and likes the physical work of making the store organized and helping customers. Photo by Rachel Psutka.