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Happy New Year 2010!

I wish everyone much happiness, health, and prosperity. Many people found last year, 2009, difficult and challenging. So I hope that 2010 is a much better year, one filled with more joy and optimism.

I further wish our NATO troops well and hope we can make substantial progress toward resolving conflicts. Too many people are suffering.

On Thursday, 10 September 2009, I photographed Calgary model Anya near Bow Falls in Banff National Park. If you click on my Flickr profile link, you will be taken to Flickr where you can see more of my pictures.

On 14 November 2009, The New York Times published an article Water Found on Moon, Researchers Say (free registration might be required). I found that interesting because wherever there is water here on earth, there is life. Even in the most inhospitable places on earth, where there is water, there is usually life. So now that we have found water on our own nearby moon, is water found with abundance throughout our universe?

As a kid, I was never satisfied with the notion that life only exists on earth. Other stars and planets are so far away for us to understand them well. How could scientists and others possibly have concluded that life does not exist elsewhere? I wonder if our educational system still teaches students that earth is the only planet that supports life. I hope not, because I have confidence that someday we will find life existing elsewhere within our universe.

Late last week, over at the Edge.org, I viewed an interesting video presentation on Why Does The Universe Look The Way It Does. I particularly enjoyed his discussion on why there might be more than one universe.

Why do we find ourselves so close to the aftermath of this very strange event, this Big Bang, that has such low entropy? The answer is, we just don't know. The anthropic principle is just not enough to explain this. We really need to think deeply about what could have happened both at the Big Bang and even before the Big Bang. My favorite guess at the answer is that the reason why the universe started out at such a low entropy is the same reason that an egg starts out at low entropy. The classic example of entropy is that you can take an egg and make an omelette. You cannot take an omlette and turn it into an egg. That is because the entropy increases when you mix up the egg to make it into an omelette. Why did the egg start with such a low entropy in the first place? The answer is that it is not alone in the universe. The universe consists of more than just an egg. The egg came from a chicken. It was created by something that had a very low entropy that was part of a bigger system. The point is that our universe is part of a bigger system. Then you can start to try to understand why it had such a low entropy to begin with. I actually think that the fact that we can observe the early universe having such a low entropy is the best evidence we currently have that we live in a multiverse, that the universe we observe is not all that there is, that we are actually embedded in some much larger structure.

If this science material interests you at all, I encourage you to read The New York Times article and watch Sean Carroll's video. It's fun to ponder where we came from and why are we here.

On Thursday, 4 June 2009, I photographed Ana Avramovic at Heritage Park in Calgary Alberta. If you click on my Flickr profile link, you will be taken to Flickr where you can see more of my pictures.

On Thursday, 10 September 2009, I worked with Calgary professional model Anya on a photo shoot in Banff National Park. We left Calgary at about 11 am and returned at about 11:30 pm. It was a long, but fun day.

Our first location was at Lake Minnewanka. When we arrived, it was windy and cool, at about 18C or low 60sF. We took several shots for about an hour or so before taking a lunch break.

For lunch, we went to into Banff townsite and ate a quick meal. Afterward, we enjoyed a brief tour of the Cascade Gardens beside the Administration Building. I wanted Anya to have some time to enjoy Banff.

Please note that the previous links to the Cascade Gardens and to the Administration Building were from a prior visit to Banff.

After our brief tour, we settled upon a location near the Administration Building but across the Bow River. These shots have Mount Rundle in the background. Because it was direct and strong, the sun forced Anya to keep her eyes closed except for brief periods when I took the photographs. A scrim or other device would have been helpful.

In the early evening, I took our last series of photographs near Bow Falls (link from prior visit to Bow Falls). In these shots, Anya looks as though she is lit by the setting sun. In fact, were it not for my Canon 580 EXII speedlights, she would have been a complete silhouette. At this particular location, there were mountains behind us that shielded us from the sunlight. The foreground, however, was still brightly lit. With the setting sun came cooler temperatures. We worked until about 7 pm.

After our last location at Bow Falls, we packed up our things and then went for supper. And we finally arrived back in Calgary at about 11:30 pm.

Working with Anya was a positive and rewarding experience. While serious about her professional modeling career, she was relaxed, enthusiastic, confident, energetic, and fun. She incorporated new ideas and suggestions easily as well as utilized many of her own creative ideas. Knowing that I am still experimenting as I continue to grow and develop my photography skills, she was patient, encouraging, and enthusiastic. In summary, Anya is a genuinely beautiful person, in all respects, who is a pleasure to work with.

I highly recommend Anya as a professional model, and she can be contacted through her modeling agency I Model Management.

On Thursday, 10 September 2009, I photographed Anya at Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. You can view a Flickr slideshow of my photographs of Anya from our Banff photo shoot. And, if you click on my Flickr profile link, you will be taken to Flickr where you can see more of my pictures.

Last Saturday and today, I went for long bike rides. Each time, I rode for about 75 kms (~50 mi) through Edworthy Park, Glenmore Park, across Fish Creek Park, Carburn Park, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, parts of downtown, Calgary Zoo and back to Edworthy Park.

For both rides, the weather was great with temperature in the mid 30s C, (~95F). For the most part, the bike and pedestrian paths were not busy. The busiest locations were in the downtown core and at Edworthy Park.

The circuit takes between four to five hours, depending on how fast you want to go as well as how often and how long you want to break. I am not a speed demon and go at moderate speeds, though I tend to take few breaks.

As mentioned, the route is not busy, except for a few locations. Even then, it is great to people watch. It is a large circular route, so I don’t double back on any paths and I get to see a large portion of the city. And, for a large portion of the circuit, I am traveling through various scenic parks, especially through Glenmore and Fish Creek parks. It is a fun, reasonably quiet, and scenic ride.

If you decide to travel this route, I encourage you to stop frequently in Fish Creek Park to check the maps. It is a large park and it is easy to lose your way. You can always ask people nearby for directions. Last week I took a few wrong turns and explored more of Calgary than I anticipated. That, however, is part of the fun.

Also, make sure you have a bell on your bike and use it. Unless the person ahead of you signals that he or she has heard you, you should assume that the person is wearing an iPod. Slow down and provide lots of room. Watch for dogs, as they often move in an unpredictable fashion. Furthermore, wear sufficient sunscreen to protect yourself.

Even though it was hot both Saturdays, I didn’t drink a lot of water. I brought one water bottle with me and refilled at Fish Creek and Edworthy parks.

A great resource for those who enjoy biking is the Calgary Pathway and Bikeway Map - 2006. The map can be purchased online for two dollars plus an additional dollar for delivery. If this link is broken in future years, try going to the City of Calgary website and then finding the online store. From there, search for paper maps. For the pathway and bike map, according to the website, you can contact Guy Beavers by email or by phone at 403.537.7560.

You can also view the maps online at Calgary eMaps. In addition, I encourage using Google Maps to get a sense of your route. I like having a visual idea of various markers before heading out.

The photograph above of Pretty Woman With Orange Pants And A Big Black Dog was taken while leaving the downtown core and on my way to Edworthy Park. I have stopped at this particular location a few times because it offers a great view of downtown. The pictures are hosted on Flickr, and if you click on the top picture, you will be taken to Flickr where you can see more pictures.

Ana Avramovic is a full-time finance professional and part-time model—that is, she models as a creative hobby. We had an opportunity to meet in advance of our photoshoot. If it is convenient, I like to meet potential models for coffee in advance of a photoshoot. This provides an opportunity for us to meet each other and confirm that we want to go ahead with the photoshoot. During our coffee meeting, we discussed our backgrounds briefly. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Ana and learned that we shared some similarities in our backgrounds but also some vast differences. Our similarities were interesting because they allowed us to form common understandings and shared experiences. However, I found our vast differences more interesting because I was able to ask questions and learn more about her character. If you ever have an opportunity to meet Ana, I am confident that she will impress you with her intelligence and friendliness.

On Thursday, 4 June 2009 we met at Heritage Park for our photoshoot. Unbeknownst to us, this was the same day that the park was hosting seven thousand children as part of the AMA school patrol. The first sign that things were different was there were lots of police in the parking lots directing traffic and there were lots of school buses.

Once we arrived at the park and got set-up, we were notified that we would not be allowed to shoot. There were too many children wondering about. Ana had already changed and we were getting ready to leave when a senior manager approached us. He asked a few questions, with two important questions: First, Were we professionals or shooting for a magazine or something similar? And second, Didn't we know about the kids' day at the park?

We replied, "No, we are just amateurs looking to have some fun modeling and photographing. And we were surprised by all the children that were present." Luckily, he reversed the prior decision requiring us to abandon our photoshoot, and Ana changed once again. We then began our photoshoot.

I am grateful to the manager at Heritage Park who allowed us to stay. I can understand the Heritage Park's dilemma: on one hand, they want to ensure the privacy and safety of the children; and on the other hand, the park should be accessible and open to all. Sometimes these two objectives collide as they did on fourth of June. Ana and I did our reasonable best to avoid the children. In the early part of the shoot, the kids were listening out on the lawn to the grownups drone on. And after the lawn meeting ended and the kids dispersed around the park, we generally tried to find areas where it was quieter.

In the photograph above, we found that just as we set up, the kids and accompanying adults started filling the area around Wainwright Hotel. So we didn't stay and photograph here as long as we would have liked. So we just moved from location to location.

Heritage Park is a great location for kids to enjoy themselves. Even though we had make allowances by working around the kids, we enjoyed ourselves and had a productive day. And again, I am grateful to the manager who trusted us and allowed us to stay.

My picture of Ana is hosted at Flickr. If you click on the picture, you will be taken to Flickr where you can see more pictures.