Le champion du Canada

Trains in Alberta

After 24 years of never setting foot in any of the prairie provinces, I finally got to see Winnipeg! What's next? My options were somewhat limited, but I decided to check out a college campus in Calgary, so after a friend in Edmonton connected me with someone I could stay with, I was off!

The trip was somewhat short, but I was still able to do quite a bit. Luckily, and coincidentally, I took this trip in February, during Calgary & Banff's Exposure photography festival. I can't say if it's directly caused by the nearby Rocky Mountains or what, but almost immediately, I sensed that this rather small city had a strong photography community. Perhaps the fact that I was staying with a former Camera Store employee who has a friggin Rollei tattooed to his arm influenced my EXPOSURE to the Exposure festival and greater photographic community in Calgary. Perhaps the fact that I was looking into a photojournalism program also had something to do with it.

Anyway, we were able to go to a few galleries in Calgary and Banff but the show that impressed me most was the David Burdeny exhibit at the Herringer Kiss Gallery. Check out the online gallery for unique photos both in colour and in black and white.

I ate pretty well when I was there but I was right to assume that vegetarian restaurants would be lacking in the Canadian province known for its beef. Still, my host was able to bring me to two different ones that were both enjoyable in their own way! We even stopped at a local tattoo shop where I was able to say hi to this little guy:

hi, little guy!