Hiatus

As you may have gathered by lack of posts, May being the last time, I'm taking a bit of a break. :o

School is kicking my ass and so as not to seem like i've just dropped of the face of the map. I wanted to tell you that I will return. I'm in exam mode right now, soon to be done. Meaning lots more time for posts and the return of photos. I'll let you know.

Hope you are all well. Thanks for caring (those that do).

-jaj

Closed Expressway

The Gardiner Expressway is Closed this May 24 weekend.

RELIC

So I don't normally post other peoples stuff or link to other blogs or tumblrs. Although, every now and then something comes up though that I just feel the need to share.

My friend Tom sent a link my way of this tumblr called RELIC and it is a goldmine of timeless photos and and images of all sorts of people places and things. Similar stuff to what you would see on Yimmy's, FFFFOUND!, Ilk Flottante or JJJJound. Except it has this fine art, DIY kinda feel to it but still being beautifully finished. They do these really cool mail outs and stickers that they make in house using stamps and typewriters. So check it out. I've attached some favorites of mine that a selected while perusing through.

Sebastian Faust

Sebastian Faust is the son of the evil magician Felix Faust. His soul was sold by his father to a demon named Nebiros in exchange for power, but the demon cheats and grants the power to Sebastian instead of his father.

Faust possesses magical powers of an unclear nature. In addition to his vast magical power, he is also able to steal the souls of others, granting him their abilities and powers, as well as recharging his magical powers. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

He also makes and mixes music for fun in his spare time.

If your looking for a dancey, a little hip hopy, bass heavy mixtape to bop your head to. Give this one a try. QuickMIXtape

For more head to:

http://soundcloud.com/j-a-j

http://www.myspace.com/563366220

Shred Mission - Spot # 4

Adam Carmichael - Front board over punji sticks.

Shred Mission - Spot #3 Sequence

A sequence from the third spot we hit.

BS Noseslide

Shred Mission - Spot #2

Double Indy or Indy-Mute Grab?

Adam over the Retaining Wall.

Higher Res Flickr Version Here.

B Roll

Couple of shots I took of the guys inspecting the post after the shoot.

Shred Mission - Spot #1

Adam Carmichael - Tail tap to fakie over the fence

Up in Owen Sound as we speak on a shred/photo mission to hit some street spots and shoot them with Spencer and Adam. Here is the a shot from our first spot.

Blue Mountain & Denim Shoot

Sonia and I spent a weekend up at Blue Mountain recently snowboarding, walking, chilling, eating, fireside sitting. Andrew and Patrick joined us a couple nights and we all had a great time. First picture is Sonia on our chilly walk in the snow, second one she caught of me on our final night at the condo.

The last picture is one I used to for a off figure fashion shoot for school. It is a really easy set up, but I still need to take it further, get a bit more creative with it. If you want see the final result of the shoot, as well as another shot, click here to see it on my flickr.

M1xin x Australia Day

Enter into my head for 38mins, with this new mixtape I recorded last night in celebration of Australia Day that's up on my SoundCloud.

A broad mix of lengthy dutty dubstep. *Keep in mind this is not a fast mixtape, I even let some songs play out*

I was running way to many programs when I recorded it so there are a couple lag hiccups, as well as a lame voice-over on the Modestep track but I really like it so I used it anyway. It's also kind of where the mix falls apart, but whatever. And yes, I know there is 3 SBTRKT songs, but their just too good to leave out.

Sebastian Faust (aka DJ jaj) - M1xin

Tracklist:

SBTRKT - Colonise
Shy Fx/UK Apachi - Original Nuttah (The Tek-One Remix)
SBTRKT - Timeless
Skream Ft. Example - Shot Yourself In The Foot Again
SBTRKT - Just Gets Better (Sbtrkt Gutter Mix)
Chase & Status - Blind Faith (Feat Liam Bailey)
Modestep - Feel Good
High Rankin - The Things You Do
Subscape - Just Coz

Stairwell Redux - Salt Print

I made a salt print on watercolour paper yesterday. It was my first time in a dark room other than loading and unloading film. I thought it was a very cool experience, my program is so commercial driven and digital that it was refreshing to do something tactile. As we used these timeless processes that haven't changed it brought you back to the art form of photography. It was like the next step in the creative process, rather than emailing a file to a printer with all these icc profiles, embedded colours and other restraints. Although you obviously don't get the detail and the colour range of a digital print with a salt print, there is an aspect of freedom to experiment and continue to build the image beyond shooting and processing a photograph.

I printed another one that turned out better, but it's just for me.

Post X am Mixtape

I finished my Photo exam today around 1pm. Drove home in the intense snow storm. Got inside and immediately made a random, impromptu mix-tape, without any planning, playlist, cues or anything. I threw this 28 min mix together with some dubstep, some dancey stuff and some things in between. There's something dark and grimy and something bright and bouncy for everyone. It isn't perfect as you can imagine, but considering, it's not that bad either. Check it out on my SoundCloud and let me know what you think.

DJ jaj - Post X am Mixtape

Tracklist:

Modestep - Exile
DatsiK & Excision - Calypso
Borgore - Sunset Feat Diplo
Cassius - I Love You So (Krusha Remix)
Excision - Darkness
Solid Groove - This Is Sick
Subscape - Nothing's Wrong
Rob Sparx - Arcade
Emalkay - Angie Got Stoned
Felix Da House Cat - Thee Anthem (Eric Pryds Remix)
Example - Two Lives (Wez Clarke Remix)
Afrojack - Take Over Control Feat Eva Simons (Adam F Remix)

PS. Still looking for that DJ name.....

upwards

I went to the Don Valley Brickworks a few weeks back and took some photos, I'll post at a later date. But, after I went for a walk outside around and up to the decommissioned Don Valley Railway and bridge that overlooks the Brickworks. At the top of the hill is this big electrical pylon and I thought it would be cool to see what it looked like straight up. I'm almost done school for the semester, one more class Monday and 2 exams and I have three weeks off... to work, it is what is.

Andy Irons RIP

Photo: Peter 'Joli' Wilson

Sadly there is another person to add to the infamous died at age 32 list. Pro surfer Andy Irons was found dead in his hotel room yesterday. He was said to have been battling dengue fever, a fly-borne virus common in Brazil. Major bummer is that he leaves behind a 7 month pregnant wife. Check this video of his epic skills as a moment for him.

Thanksgiving

I know Thanksgiving was almost 3 weeks ago now, but here are a few pics from the weekend I spent up in Muskoka with Sonia's family. We had so much, just relaxing, canoeing, campfireing, drinking, playing guitar, eating, hanging. Used my telescope one night which was fun and I took some long exposures of the night sky . We went on a walk and randomly stumbled upon a old family burial plot in the woods. We then continued only to leave the woods to a field filled with horses, without a house or farm around for miles. It was rather mysterious and kind of exciting. Lastly, on our way home we took a detour to visit a hippie-artist farm sudo-commune with all these huge concrete sculptures of screaming heads all over the place, pretty cool. Took lots of photos but here are some key ones.

Maclean's Cover

So I had a practical photo test today. I had to shoot a photo using bounce flash to be used somewhere in a Maclean's Magazine. I went in early to compose my things and my thoughts, feeling quite unprepared. But, after a little bit I began to get a couple ideas and was feeling a lot more comfortable. Once I had my shot, I still had a few ideas that went beyond just taking a photo, so went for it and made this tentative cover.

Morning Brew

Morning themed shoot in the studio.

Mixtape

Photo: Troy McCullough

I made this short little Mixtape the other night while I was bored. I enjoy it, so I'm posting it. Track list below. Also, I need a better dj name if anyone has any suggestions.

DJ jaj - Sept 21st Mixtape

Noob And Brodinski - Peanuts Club (Zeds Dead Remix)
Michael Jackson - Beat It (The Blisters Boyz Remix)
Deadmau5 - Strobe
Tensanke - Coma Cat (Round Table Knights Remix)
Claire Maguire - Ain't Nobody (Breakage Remix)

Le Studiooo

Close crop product shoot in the studio.

FinePix X100

Fufifilm unveils the new FinePix X100, Classic styled 12.3 megapixel camera.

Read more about it here.

He's Still Here

Joaquin Phoenix is still kicking it. Who knows what his mental state is but he is continuing to make waves as the film called I'm Still Here, showcasing his transition from actor to rapper directed by Casey Affleck, drops on the Sept 24th. It had a couple of screenings at this years TIFF with most people coming out still just as confused as to whether it was a hoax or not, as they were before seeing the film. They have this sick design team from LA called Keller House working on it which is almost cooler than the movie itself. Check out the trailer for I'm Still Here, and visit the design studio here.

Magnetic Man

I've been sitting on this for awhile, but seeing as I cannot stop listening to and wanted to share it.

Three of the biggest names in Dubstep, Skream, Benga & Artwork joined forces to create Dub Super group Magnetic Man. With their first album coming out soon on Oct 1st they have been doing big things all across the UK in anticipation. So until it drops I've been listening to this essential mix they did back in July and as we begin into September I am still pumping it on my drives to and from work. So enjoy this 2 hour mix, some hot spots are:
00:08:40
00:29:00
00:32:00
00:45:00
00:54:00

The whole thing is great and you should take it all in but if you're impatient listen for a couple mins at those points and you'll get a good feel for it.

Magnetic Man - Essential Mix

So I've Been To Scotland With My Bonnie Lass

Much time has passed since my last post. I haven't been lazy, just the usual... busy, but even more so.

Anyway, Sonia and I said enough is enough we are taking a holiday! Booked a flight to Scotland 2 weeks in advance, called up our friends and told them we were on our way. 11 days in Edinburgh, Sterling, Glasgow and an amazing road trip into the highlands to a small fishing village across from the Isle of Skye. Castles, thistles, whiskey, road side lunches of wine, bread and cheese, great friends, great night life (some places), great beer, some bad and some interesting and some great food (depending on where you were), beaches, mountains, lochs, rivers, overall a wonderful trip.

Here are some photos to give you a taste of our venture.

They look better on flickr