Machinery at Medalta Potteries

One year ago today I kicked off my Around the Hat photo series, highlighting some of the most iconic locations in my hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta. The very first photo set I posted was this one of Medalta Potteries, and the popularity of that post really got things moving. In the last year there hasn't been much of the historic clay district that I haven't explored, but I thought it would be a fun challenge to return to Medalta after the year I've had to capture the location with a renewed and more stylistic approach.

The old machinery outside of Medalta was my muse for this set. It isn't exactly prominent at the site, but using the rusting machinery as a focal point forced me to look at the old pottery factory differently. The worn gears, chains, and belts created strong patterns and textures, and ultimately I couldn't resist the small industrial graveyard that I was playing in. I ended up surprising myself. Even after a year of snapping thousands of images in this small city, a brief moment of inspiration had me looking at Medalta like I'd never seen it before.

Downtown and Around

In shooting Around the Hat, I've captured a lot of Medicine Hat that didn't necessarily fit with my other photo sets. Upon review, I think more of these random captures will probably be exactly what I'll be after as I round out my series this year. Here are a few shots from my various downtown shoots that I thought were worth sharing. 

An Epic Spring Clean

Generally speaking I'm a pretty organized guy. I'd like to think that it's the editor in me that makes me compartmentalize things so efficiently, but then again maybe I'm just a bit obsessive. Unfortunately, this obsessiveness hasn't extended to my cleaning habits, which are fairly hit and miss. But then that's okay, because it's exactly the kind of thing that you can find yourself sucked into doing by accident on a day off.

Despite not planning to spend an entire day cleaning my apartment, once I started I couldn't seem to stop. I was looking for a book in my collection and started cleaning a shelf, then I was cleaning off the entire bookcase, and then shortly after the vacuum was out. Before I knew it I'd swept and dusted the entire apartment on the back of rediscovering a bunch of my stuff. Funny how much stuff you forget about isn't it?

There's something quite cathartic about cleaning like that. It's like my space is brand new again, and I feel surprisingly proud for doing little more than not being a slob. It must have something to do with the awesome weather we've been having too, as I can't help but stay busy to shake off some of the humdrum of winter. With so many big projects on the go, it's also just nice to finish something in a day and be able to enjoy the outcome.

The point is, my spring clean was a success and a surprisingly effective way to mellow out. With my birthday celebrations this evening, I look forward to waking up hungover tomorrow (on my actual birthday) in a spotless apartment. The timer starts again however to see how long I can actually keep it this way.