Friday morning I woke feeling equal parts nervous and excited, My name is Raelene Dziedzic and I am a 3rd year graphic design student at Red River College. The reason for my excitement Friday morning is because I was about to sit in on my first ever professional photo shoot. I was going to get to see for myself how it all comes together. The morning was so exciting that Roberta (a friend and classmate) and I ended up at the wrong location. After a confused email and some guidance from Charity we soon found ourselves at Honest’s office. The place where all the prep work was about to begin.

Walking into the office excitement was in the air, it seems that I was not the only one who woke up feeling that way Friday morning. Erin was hard at work on her first masterpiece while her first model sat patiently. Kerri was making sure everything was going smoothly while taking cinnamon buns out of the oven, The boardroom was full of snacks and friendly faces. All in all everyone was in a great mood. As the day progressed, Roberta and I took pictures and observed the paint markers being put to use. Nearing the end of the prep morning, Kerri got started on prepping me. I had known the night before that this might happen but was a little nervous all the same, I am not used to being a “model” and having my picture taken.

Not long after, we were on our way to Jerry’s studio, just a short hop skip and a jump away across Main Street. Once we were there the shoot went by fairly quickly. All in all everyone was really friendly and excited about the concepts for this years campaign. My only complaint of the day is that the paint was much harder to get off then I first anticipated. Thanks guys for including me in this day, I had a great time and learned that with the Honest staff, work is not work because you are having fun while doing it.

I just came across some super fantastic street installations by an artist from the UK that goes by Slinkachu. He's been creating these 'little' scenes since 2006. I don't know how I have never seen these before. These are just a couple of them I found most amusing but, there's more on his website which you'd be silly not to check out. http://slinkachu.com/little-people

As LOST draws to a close, we Losties are left struggling to find a purpose. I mean, what will I do with myself? Ok, I'm being (a tad) dramatic. But anyone who has devoted hundreds of hours over the past 6 years to LOST as we Neuhausians have can relate to the forthcoming feeling of loss. Here is a great little video and subsequent photoshoot with some of our favourite LOST characters from the past 6 seasons who met their demise along the way. We have a feeling that after Sunday's series finale this list will be a wee bit longer.

I don't, actually, but ilovedust's work and new blog which they just launched this month are something worth bookmarking. I especially like their graphics and product sections. And their slight obsession with gold foil.

Until today I'd never heard of Siggeir M. Hafsteinsson, AKA Sig Vicious. Sig combines pop culture icons, among other subjects, with wild and sometimes unpredictable colour combinations and a somewhat disturbing compositional style. His work gave me an immediate longing for my seemingly more idealistic college days and reminded me a lot of my own stylistic leanings in what seems like a lifetime ago. The following images are part of his incredibly vivid Halftone Series.

Well, perhaps it hasn't sprung just yet, but it certainly feels like it's about to. As our weather continues it's unseasonably warm trend I think it's appropriate to divulge a sneak peek at our about-to-launch Garden City Shopping Centre spring campaign. Not all of the photoshoots for this campaign had the same characteristics. Some items were large, and some items were very small. Some had challenges in maintaining light quality, others with positioning, and of course – photoshopping. In the end, we certainly had a lot of fun completing the final design, and we're very pleased to make them public. If you're in Winnipeg, be sure to look up to blue skies in the warm days ahead and you're sure to spot these fun billboards.

I recently came back from a vacation in beautiful Barbados and while I was there I took some pictures with both my DSLR and my iphone. I have to admit, I was intrigued by my co-worker Ashley's iphone holiday photos in Mexico where she used the shakeitphoto app to add a little vintage flavour to her shots. So, I went digging around the app store and came across hipstamatic, a fun, if not sometimes frustrating, app that allows you to experiment with different digital "films", "flashes", and "lenses" for your iphone. I say it was a bit frustrating because you have to wait a bit of time between taking shots for the pictures to "process". I'm assuming this is done to make the experience feel a bit more vintage as well. Mission accomplished. However, that frustrating little wait aside, I found this app to be super fun, and in most cases, more rewarding than using my DSLR. Being a fan of Holga, Polaroid and other low tech photography, this app provides a satisfying amount of uncertainty in the results of each photo while giving you an opportunity to imagine what it would be like to use different types of film and lenses. And a big thanks to my friends Tom and Cheryl for having us at their humble abode during our stay. They were fantastic hosts and great tour guides.

I've been working up to this post for some time now. As an avid (or maybe rabid) Olympics supporter and a general sports enthusiast, I've been exceptionally proud of the way Canada has embraced these Olympics and the way our athletes have performed under pressure. I've been even more impressed, however, with the way Vancouver has branded itself for these games. Perhaps our success over the past two days (3 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) has put a little extra glow in my heart, but I can't help but tip my hat to those responsible for executing the vision for these Winter Games. At first I was only moderately excited at the Vancouver 2010 brand. I perceived it's vector illustration style as less-than-original. Seeing it's full execution, however, I'm extremely appreciative of the attention to detail. Look no further than the green-and-blue coloured houses of the curling rinks, Canada Hockey Place with it's green and blue painted stairs, or the halfpipe's green and blue markings. The placement of the cameras has been addressed with extreme attention to detail as well. The gates of the downhill events have been carefully planned for impact with the home audience, likewise with the Bobsled track placement of "Vancouver 2010" on prominent turns and Canada Hockey Place displaying the Olympic rings on top of the net for the camera to broadcast to the public. On top of this, I've found the typography to be excellent as well. The type chosen has been clean and clear, with one of the best examples being the numbers on Speed Skater's helmets. Here are a few examples of branding done well, courtesy of Boston.com.

I'm trying really hard to get used to the lack of sun, beaches, flip flops and strawberry margaritas here in Winnipeg... needless to say, it's not going so well. My friend and I went to the Mayan Riviera and stayed at the beautiful Catalonia Yucatan. It was about 20 minutes outside of Playa Del Carmen and close to many historical and touristy destinations. I would definitely recommend a trip to Tulum to experience a bit of the Mayan culture and to see the gorgeous beaches that surround the village. Xel-Ha is a natural park that offers outdoor activites like snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, hiking through the jungle, cliff jumping and the best Mexican food.  One more thing I would recommend - bring a strong sunscreen and a hat. I learned the hard way. Adios!

Note- All of these photos were taking using the ShakeItPhoto app for the iPhone

I had the privilege of attending a show last night at the West End Cultural Centre for The Wooden Sky and headliners Rural Alberta Advantage. If you haven't listened to The Wooden Sky before, you're missing out. Great live, great vocals, great songs. Simply put, I like them and I enjoy their cover art.