The Blackbird's photostream

Loaded Gun

Stop

This is the last photo I'll upload to The Blackbird's photostream. My pro account expires today and I won't renew it. I've moved away from the photojournalistic documentary style this account has served as a vehicle for since 2007. 3100+ shots will be cut down to 200.

I've donated all of my 2010 Olympic Games and Downtown Eastside related work to the City of Vancouver Archives where it will be made available through a Creative Commons license. Those interested in accessing my work may visit the Archives' website, though a digital archivist informed me it will be a year before it becomes available. I've downloaded my entire photostream with Bulkr, as individual shots with all meta (titles, descriptions, tags) embedded in EXIF so let me know if you need a photo in the meantime.

Big thanks to everyone who left a kind comment on, favourited, blogged or otherwise published a photo over the last four years. A final check of my stats shows 1.5 million views. Not bad for a safe stream. :)

My older photos have been hidden by Flickr. Now begins the task of deleting all but my favourite 200.

Please add Blackbird Portraiture as a contact if you'd like to keep tabs.

Chirp!

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Caption for my original Flickr upload of this photo in September 2009 ...

Poor Quatchi has lost his way in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. He's been walking for kilometers and kilometers and is hungry and exhausted, but he has no money. His handlers with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games provide him with food and shelter so he's had no need for a wallet and now he's stuck. Deep down, he wishes he was still gamboling about in the Kootenay forest with mama and papa sasquatch instead of being enslaved by VANOC, like any other circus animal.

Making matters worse, he can't reach the spoiled salmon sandwiches at the bottom of the bin. This Gastown bistro's garbage looks like heaven to him but he knows if he drops in, he might never get out alive. Life in the big city for a young sasquatch can be rough without adequate support services tailored to meet his or her species-specific needs.

Animal spirit and Official Mascot of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Sumi tramples across the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

An American diplomat's perceptions of anti-Olympic Games protest in Vancouver

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A number of "situation reports" concerning Vancouver's recent Olympic Games comprise a portion of a cache of more than 2200 American diplomatic cables regarding Canada released by anti-secrecy publisher WikiLeaks. The reports focus on protest activity and legal challenges to the city's Olympic By-law. Read the cables.

I've re-uploaded this photo of 2010 Olympic mascot Miga not only to illustrate the current story, but to inform contacts that I've recently donated 50GB of documentary photography taken in the years leading up to the Games to the City of Vancouver Archives where they will eventually be available for use under a Creative Commons (attribution only) license. Only a few representative photos will remain on my photostream after my pro account expires in one month. The same goes for all of my Downtown Eastside related photographs. The donation was made a day before the first of the city's 125th anniversary celebrations were held. Happy birthday, Vancouver!

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