The Union of JOMAR!

The year is wrapping up, and why not end with new beginnings??? It was almost a year to this day that 40 people got on several planes to be part of the union of Jenny and Omar, who would later be called JOMAR…well, at least in my mind.

I have to admit, this was the first wedding I shot, and I was excited!!! Considering they wanted me onboard as their photographer… having only seen pictures on my site. What an honour, nes pas? After I was asked, it took me less than a minute to make a decision in my mind, but a few hours to make a well thought out decision…and it was yes in both cases, I was going to be their wedding photographer in sunny Mexico!

Never having shot a wedding before, it took a fair bit of research… and an investment in a new lens and a new camera. And the bonus? My laptop broke 2 weeks prior to leaving. Nice, eh! I think you can imagine where my Christmas bonus went. Even when we got there this trip had a few tricks up its sleeve. Like what you ask? Within a couple of days of arriving, both Jen and I ended up becoming ill. Did that have an impact on the wedding you ask? Well, while we were both sick on the day of the wedding, it just added a little zest to the day… but what’s a shoot without a little challenge? Fortunately, while it was supposed to storm that day, the sun kept coming through at the right moments during the shoot, to make for some great dramatic lighting effects! Were there tears? Yes! Was there Joy? Yes! Was there Rasputin? But of course! And lots and lots of smiles… and cutting a rug with Grandma.

Koray (Core-EYE) Salih

Steph G - Your Friendly Neighbourhood Baker/Nutritionist

Finally, shooting on a day when it’s nice.. almost too nice. One of the first really hot days of summer… and yes, it came to us on the Labour Day weekend. September.

While most were fulfilling their civic duty to have fun in the sun... we were hard at work on our photo shoot.

On this project I had the pleasure of working with an outstanding team. Makeup by Heather Snowie, Hair Styling by Natalya Vynnyk and the fine handy work of John Dranski, to help set up/breakdown sets....and provide creative input! And, of course, our model Steph G of Sweet Revenge Inc.

The objective of the shoot was to have a little fun styling up our friend Steph, but also secure a shots that would be featured on the new online web magazine www.20-something.ca. A new publication launched by Dayna Boyer.

We wanted to shoot these photos in the 1950’s pinup girl style, a cross between June Cleaver and Betty Page. The look, the expression, and clothing. With hard work, team effort and team input, we ended up with a series of photos found below.

Koray (Core-EYE) Salih 

"..."

Title: “…”
(Expressions Series)
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Siz800e: 3' x 2'

This is the first in the expression series. A series of paintings that are to capture emotions, yes, I am going to go after that thing I love. Emotion.

Does it look like me? I hope so. Initially this painting was not supposed to be me at all. I wanted to work with a friend of a friend, but that seemed to be too complicated… so I decided to use my face as a starter… and to go from there. As I learned from some very important people in my life, start with what you’ve got, and go from there. So, that’s exactly what I’ve done here.

I wish I had words to explain the exact emotion expressed in this painting, it’s definitely subtle. I don’t want to tell you the exact thought “the subject” has in mind. But I will give you a hint, the emotion is a by product of “V for Vendetta… or Valentines”… think about it.

Think about it.

Koray (Core-EYE) Salih

"You'll never know dear... how much I love you..."

 

Title: "You'll never know dear... how much I love you..."
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 3' x 5'

“If I could only tell you what I feel as I fill this painting out, it comes to life with each brush stroke. I know what it must have been like for DaVinci to paint the picture of the Mona Lisa ( I do not claim to make any comparisons to his painting, I merely only claim to sense what he must have felt). Today (Feb 8) I spent 20 minutes staring at the painting, wondering who she would be if she were alive, what her soul would say, would she be pure of heart, not even the essence of malice. For this is the beauty of capturing an expression, a face a person... caught in a moment. I am breathless, for I am not sure I have taken breath while I sit here typing this (Truly, I may be impacted by some of the more dramatic symphony music I listen to while I sit here, but it brings me back to my element). A purer moment a purer thought. Far too long have I slumbered in artistic coma, each nerve ending comes alive with each bristle that comes in contact with the acrylic coated canvas. I am not awake, nor asleep, I am awaking.”

Something I had written several weeks ago while completing my new painting. Friends look at me, look at this painting… they look at me… and make assumptions about it, about why I painted it. I can honestly say, it had to be done. This painting is simple… as you have guessed, it is about love… and talks to the purest form of love. A mother’s love for their child… undying.

I would and could write so much about this painting, but as always I will leave it up to you to interpret. The greatest joy will be to hang it on my wall and know it will be there to give off it’s positive energy. You put love into your work, it will return that love.

Stylistically… Stylistically speaking, my goal was never to have the painting in proportion. When I began, my true intention was to continue moving in a more stylized direction, but with each brush stroke, the natural beauty of this character began to shine through. I mean, before we paint, sometimes we must ask the canvas, “show me what you want to be”… and if you listen with your heart, it will tell you.

Impressions… One of my friends say, “what I like about your paintings is that you are honest with your paintings.“ I truly respect that compliment, and I’ll tell you why… because my life long interest is and has always been expression… and when I create something, I want there to be an expression… and I want that expression, that painting to tell the story, without me having to say a word.

I hope you enjoy looking at this painting as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Oh... the name of the painting... comes from that little song you use to sing.... "You are my sunshine... my only sunshine..."

Love

Koray (Core-EYE) Salih

At the Rearview Mirror

In the past month I ended up heading to the Rearview Mirror, in Kensington Market, to check out several performances. Did I take my camera? Yup, and I took many pics. Some of artists I had a chance to see and photograph were Chris Eakins, Star Map Caravan and the crew from Soundcity Underground including Evren and the DJ’s from Wax Nostalgic… I hope you enjoy!

Koray (Core-EYE) Salih 

It’s cold, the snow’s fallen the night before, and after about 10 minutes outdoors, I can’t feel my fingers and toes. Yup, perfect conditions for making a video. Don’t ask my why, but these are the conditions that set the stage for our videos shoots, it’s fate.

Almost a year to the date of “Life of the Troubadour,” and Sterling and I were back at it, working on the video for T-West “T-Dot State of Mind.” However, this time the inspiration for making the video was kicked off by a discussion that Sterling and I had after returning from Paris and London (ha ha ha, actually, that’s my last posting). Paris, a city dripping with art, creativity and passion. The difference? They have artists...we have artists...they have talented performers...we have talented performers…you can’t help but make the comparisons. Are Canadians not as talent as Parisians or any other artists from around the world? Of course not, but we don’t have as much push, support and encouragement. A few weeks after this discussion, it became clear that our goal with the next video we made was to push and support the talent of our own country/nation, or shall we say the united nations of Canada. We are in a city, a country where talent is bountiful, yet not celebrated to it’s full extent. Not in the least.

Here We Go
So, for this video, through a little work, determination and many e-mails (thanks to Sterling!) we were able to collaborate with T-West, to create a video for his song “T-Dot State of Mind,”

“The song title “T Dot State of Mind” was inspired from the Nas song “N.Y. State of Mind”, which was in turn taken from the original Billy Joel song “New York State of Mind”. The Nas song rests as a classic hip hop anthem that an entire generation of hip hop enthusiasts can relate to.”

While the song may be unfamiliar to some, it is familiar to fans of Flow 93.5 where it had climbed to the top of the charts in 2008. To read more on this please see the Romantic Child Studios press release.

Style…Style…Style
Style, image and essence were very important when developing this video, as we wanted to portray to the viewer the true experience of what it is like going through the “day in the life of.” Of course with a camera, the senses are limited to seeing and hearing, that’s why it was very important to incorporate many sensory cues, images of the ceilings, lights, buildings to give the viewer a richer experience of what it is like being in this lyricists shoes.

As for visual style, both Sterling and I both are drawn to darker art, constantly looking to bring all it’s beauty to light. So the overall mood of the video was easy to decide upon, a grittier/darker Toronto.

You will notice, that what we challenged ourselves with this video as we wanted to ensure we avoided any icons shots of Toronto, as again it was a “day in the life of” video.

Locations…
Did this video keep us busy?
Yes. Our ‘kicks’ kept us running around the city.

Where did we go?
Well, you may recognize some of the train stations, as we hit up 4+ stations… and the Queens Quay Community Centre, the surrounds of my apartment building, plus 2 parking lots, and several other spots in Toronto. I know…So why so many locations? Well, we wanted to capture as many elements of the city as possible.

What’s next?
Well, at this point, I leave it up to view and enjoy. What you will see below are pictures from behind the scenes, a behind the scenes video, and finally the video itself.

For more information on T-West, go to http://www.thisiswestmusic.com/

Artist: T-West
Photos by: Koray Salih
Video Directors: Koray Salih and Sterling Pache
Studio: Romantic Child Studios

Beyond Toronto: A Journey into Art

So why am I telling you about my vacation on this site? Well, the purpose of my vacation was ART, it was solely based around art. A few months ago, when work started to get a little busy, I thought to myself, “I want to spend 3 days in the Louvre…” so I decided to do it! I would spend 3 days in the Louvre, and whatever happened after that was a bonus.

Two days after the busiest season at my job, I got on a plane and went to Paris. I booked a spot at a hostel for three days, and aside from that, I had nothing else booked. It wasn’t until the day I was leaving that I thought to myself…”um, what exactly are we doing?”… seriously, I booked a hostel for three days, and that was it?!?!? But as a good friend said before I left, you need nothing more than a toothbrush. It put my mind at ease, and the rest did work itself out.

So the trip had me traveling to two major cities Paris and London… 

Paris was destination one, and I have to tell you, the couple I sat beside on the plane ride over must have thought that I was nuts, as every few moments they would ask what hotel I was staying at, and what sites I had planned to see. When I told them I was not sure, a look of confusion would come over their faces, followed by suggestions of places I should see. The lady was rather funny, as she was the planning type, and was trying to figure out what they were going to do when they landed.

So Paris, what were the sites I saw?

-The Louvre
-Musee D’orsay
-Centre Pompidou
-Notre Dame

As you can tell, I didn’t hit up everything during this first real trip because I wanted to save a lot for next time. So, let me start with the Louvre. WOW! Just the sheer size of it... I have never seen it’s equal. In three days I could barely do the collection and it’s artists justice. Consider this, I didn’t take an audio tour, so I was checking out the gallery without the obstacle of slowing down to appreciate the history of the painting and the artists, and I still missed two major sections.

Tourism. I was there one week ago, so it was mid October, and the place was packed. Tourism apparently never slows down in Paris, even in the winter. Everywhere you looked people were photographing, so I did what I had to do...“When in Rome…” however, the thing is, I wasn’t photographing and video taping for the same reason as everyone else. My purpose was more for study the building, as I don’t think I really photographed more than two paintings. I was more shocked by the size of the rooms, paintings, the building.

So what did I do at the Louvre? After I picked my jaw off the ground, I spent a fair bit of time studying styles and sketching. I have always wanted to be a part of the culture of the Louvre, I wanted to sketch statues/paintings and be amongst the many artists which have partaken in this practice over the years. At first, sketching was rather intimidating, consider 50% of the people who would pass by would peek over your should to see exactly what you were sketching. I think it’s just human nature, heck I caught myself doing it several times. If it weren’t for my music, I don’t think I would have gotten through a single picture, you need the audio distraction to ignore all the human distractions around you. The time I did spend sketching was focused on this collection of statues that I believe was from an old fountain, the subject was of four prisoners sitting. I sat down and sketched a couple of them from different angles, which can be found in the photos from this trip. All in all, the Louvre rocked.

What about the Muse D’Orsay? It was solid. A lot of impressionist’s work that took a bit of time to get through. The really cool part about the museum was that it was a train station in it’s previous life. I thought the best exhibit was Picasso’s artistic commentary on Manet’s “Lunch on the Grass.” You could just sense Picasso’s humor shining through the whole exhibit.

Oh, and of course, I got a chance to drop in for a little service at the Notre Dame cathedral. Really neat, I took a lot of video of it, but not too many photos. Overall, Paris was solid, art was oozing out of every corner of the city, and the people and culture were ever present. The one thing I never got? Why people in the city walk so fast, faster than any other city I have been too. Anyway, I finally understand why an artist would want to live in Paris.

London, London, London a city that I have been in love with for years on end… and it was just as good as always. Got to hang out with my sister and friend, hung out with a couple of my friends, and saw some great graffiti thanks to Laura P. What did I see in London?

-Oxford
-Leake Street (…the graffiti alley)
-National Gallery
-Tate Modern Museum

I think I have been to London three times in four years, so this leg of the trip was more about hanging out with friends/family rather than site seeing… just kicking about. I think the craziest site I got to see was Leake Street. Solid little hideout by Waterloo Station. When Laura took me there, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect… but after a few seconds, I think I fell in love with all the work. You’ll see why in the pictures I took. For graffiti fans I highly recommend this street. The day we were there, we were lucky enough to see some artists in action too.

See, I am not sure what else to write here, because this part was all about chilling and eating… I really don’t have much more to say. All I can say is take a through the pictures and let me know what you think, note all pictures were taken on a point and shoot camera.

Koray (Core-EYE) Salih