figure 9.

figure 9: picture 1 (Calgary, AB)

When I captured this picture I honestly felt judged because a runner had just come blasting up the stairs on which I was taking pictures, and they saw that I was very blatantly taking photos of people. I wanted to capture the contrasts between nature and the people here: The green rolling trees and grass, and then the man smoking and the lady inhaling his cigarette air amidst the oxygen-abundant nature surrounding her.

I will be honest, I was judging the man a little bit for smoking so close to other human beings because I started to smell of smoke as well. But as a part of that experience, I felt quite weathered. I felt a sort of tension between the two humans on the steps below me, and I do not know why. They seemed to be shaking their heads quite vigorously and my brain immediately assumed that they were fighting. This is a part of the "spectacularization" of love, especially in the media. The great big fights and the scenes where one partner throws some glass at the other and it all ultimately escalates into tears and blood and screaming. But what surprised me when I was taking the pictures and observing them, was that they seemed to be arguing (or conversing) in a very quiet and private manner. It was the opposite of how stereotypical fights between partners were portrayed in media. Was this reality? Was this a direct opposition to the illusions created by the spectacle?