Perfect Imperfection

There are a few photo-blogs that I follow, but most of them are digital photo-blogs. I very much appreciate the abilities and the unique perspectives in each of these blogs, but at times, I think that some digital photos look almost unreal and take away the warmth and candidness of the photo. I mean they are impressive, but somehow they feel sterile.
Recently, I stumbled across Dream Camera via another blog I follow (Let's go ride a bike) both of which are written by the same author - Dottie. One thing that makes Dottie's photo-blog different is her love and appreciation of vintage film cameras (yay!). One thing that is inspirational about her blog is her acceptance and fondness for the imperfections that come from film (she also, like me, appreciates the anticipation of getting film developed).
So in honour of this wonderful new (to me) blog and in knowing that others share my love of the old, here are a few of my favourite Perfect Imperfect photos.

Boy in Fountain - Taken with Olympus Pen F

Airplane ride - Taken with Olympus Pen F

Portland Garden Gate - Taken with Pentax K-1000

P.S. I am not as brave as Dottie to leave my film photos completely unedited. Since I don't have a scanner at home, I get them developed directly to cd at the local drug store photo lab (it only costs approx $3!), the computer is (as my friend Mandy once described it) my "digital dark room". I will eventually take them to an expert to get developed to test whether it is really worth it, for now I enjoy being able to manipulate photos slightly (my favourite tool is "revive colours").

The Gift of Wonderment

One of the things that I most love about photography is how it develops your eye. Since I have begun taking pictures, I have noticed that I pay more attention to the world around me. I notice that strange bird perched high on the roof top, or that piece of concrete that is a different colour than the others, or the strange light that is coming from an unknown source. It has given me the gift of taking the time to be an active part of my surroundings, so much so, that I do it even when I don't have a camera in my hand (and usually in those moments I wish that I did).
I have been immersed for the last two weeks in inspirational discussions about teaching and learning. One of the main points that so many of us seemed to echo, was that children often lose (or get trained out of) that sense of wonderment and discovery as they get older. What a sad thought as a teacher. But, I have been pleasantly surprised in myself, that I still hold a small piece of this in my curiosity and observations of the world, especially when I am taking pictures.
So here are a few of my favourite shots that show ordinary objects through a slightly less ordinary perspective.

Tutus

Tree bark

Seeds

Twisted Fallen Tree

P.S. As a side note, all the inspirational discussion I have been privileged to be a part of over the last two weeks has actually inspired me to start another blog (well, the thought is there anyway, cause we all know how good I am at keeping up on postings). I will keep you posted if it ever comes to life.