areyouamodel?
I still haven't gotten around to that e-mail. That's the way I am... but I figure I'll sit back, have a beer, and write up that adventure that I've been promising for so long.
There will be plenty more this summer, so keep your eyes peeled.\
Keep in mind most of these pictures were taken with my camera dangling at my hips, to avoid people noticing I was taking photos so I could get around the buildings.
The adventure begins in the Yamaha Music School (the one across from Mel Lastman Square). I look down, and I've got my camera, and I think... damn... it's too nice a day to be sitting here waiting for my little brother's cello competition. S'much as I like music and all, I hear my little brother play all the time. He's not that good.
So I go down to the street. At first, I really have no idea where I want to go. So I wander, experimenting with camera options. I go over to the Performing Arts Centre, look around, go into the School Board building, all sorts of places. I even go inside the office buildings I would later go and explore, but I'm just snapping off pictures. Here are a few...
Twas' fun. A lot of shots (like the one with the cop and the road workers) were taken with the camera at the hip or just with the camera held in my hand as my arm dangled at my side. Of course, none of these people gave me model releases, but since I'm not making money off any of this and it's quite possibly under the whole freedom of press thing anyway... neh.
If I were to sell prints... *laughs* then I'd be in trouble.
Anyway, after buying a book from the sale at the public library, I go back to the Yamaha school... only to find out my little brother's gone in already for his competition thing and I'd have more time to explore. Quite awesome, in my opinion, so I went back down.
I looked up at the office buildings I had already walked through the bottom floors of, and thought... "Hmm, lets get to the top and take some wide-angles from up there..."
Of course, I realized that people might not be so happy with that, but hey, what's photography without a little bit of fun?
First building I went up, I could only find the elevator that got up the the 8th floor. Total suck. The doors to the offices were also all passcard locked. Well... not exactly, I'll explain in a sec. Here's a photo of the 8th floor:
Yeah, that's the office for L'Oreal Canada... at least in Toronto. I was curious, and the office right across from the main door was empty. I tugged on the door handle just to see if it was actually locked...
... it wasn't. There must've been a shoot going on, because I could hear people around the corner... and it definately sounded like a shoot. I was tempted to go back to the van, grab my tripod and my manual, and pretend to belong... but I probably would've been caught with my pants down pretty quick.
Anyway, thinking to come back to the office later if I couldn't get any higher, I walked out and started looking for the stairs. Good thing too, since as soon as the door closed behind me, the occupant of the office I *would've* snuck into came back from the bathroom. Pretty yuppie boy, at that. He looked at me oddly, then pretended to swipe his card before he went in. He didn't even put his card fully in the swipe-machine...
As if I wouldn't have to just try the door... heh.
Anyway, so I found the stairs. They were right next to the men's room... same place the guy had just come from. Whoopie. Someone up above really likes me.
However, as I went up the stairs, every floor above this one was locked. Quite depressing, actually... I guess they must've been all one corporation with their own private elevator or something. The doors probably only opened from the inside. I eventually left the building...
On my way down on the elevator, someone got on the next floor down. Awkward elevator silences are nothing new to me, so I just fiddled with my camera. Imagine my surprise when he tried to start conversation with: "Are you a model?"
Flabberghasted, I was like, "uh... what?" I mean... I'm not that good looking, and I'm skinnier than a fencepost. If that's what qualifies for beauty nowadays... wow. That, and I had a camera in my hand... Do most models carry a camera?
"L'Oreal upstairs... youamodel?"
How else was I supposed to answer? "No... just exploring." "Oh."
Awkward silence resumed. I was just rolling it over in my head... me... a model... riiiiiight...
I checked back, and I still had time. Abnormally long performance, I thought, but no worries, I went off to another building. 5000 Yonge. Fancy place, really. They've got tellies in the elevator. Bloody fast elevators, at that. I was up on the 21st floor in no time.
Of course, first thing I did when I got out was hide my camera behind my back. No use... the receptionist (for Cadbury, by the way) asked, "Can I help you?"
Heh the perfect answer to land me in a spot of trouble would've been... "Nooo, I'm just taking photos, eff' off." Or maybe... "Yes, my name is Agent Smith, I'm with the RCMP. I'm looking for Mister Anderson. I don't have an appointment." Riiiiight... I just said "Oops, wrong floor..." and split.
Sucked, cause it would've been a pretty decent view. Such is life, I suppose. I snapped another shot from the hip of the reception desk on the ground floor... and just went back to the school to find my little brother done with his contest.
There were a lot of other pictures, but they weren't all too exceptional. I still can't believe the guy thought I was a model.
A model. Yeah... right.