Capturing Life's Moments

UDC Lacrosse #22  Victoria Shamrocks #6

[tylerdmace]

As my third year is coming quickly to an end, it has made me begin to reflect on my third year in Washington, D.C.  Coming into this past year, I can say that I had never been more excited to be back at school.  I was now a junior in class standings as well as in lacrosse also.  This meant that it was time for me to start conducting myself as a leader both on and off the field for my teammates and coaches.  I really wanted to focus on developing myself as the person I wanted to be.  Being so far away from home, my maturation process had already started much earlier but I wanted to be able to help my younger teammates make the transition to the college level.  School this past year has been stressful at points but never to the point I felt completely overwhelmed.  As for lacrosse, we had our best season yet and set many program records.  While this year continues to quickly wind down, I reflect back on how great everything has been.  Washington, D.C. is no longer just a destination where I go to school but rather a place I call home.  My heart is with this city that has done so much for me and continues to do so much for me. Although this year is coming quickly to an end, I can’t wait to see what the next year of schooling and lacrosse has in store for me.  Bring it on, D.C.  

[lvndscpe]

Sydney, Australia | by Christopher Burns

[wanderlog]

Thailand. Photo: @ravivora #thailand #wanderlog #nature #landscape #scenery #explore #travel #adventure #photography

[lvndscpe]

Inverness, United States | by Ivana Cajina

[lvndscpe]

Iceland | by Luke Stackpoole

[tylerdmace]

One of the best things that I see clothing brands do in today’s fashion world is collaborations with other brands.  For example, Supreme a skateboarding company collaborating with Louis Vuitton.  Or Nike a sneaker and athletic wear company collaborating with Off-White a high-profile streetwear brand.  By companies and brands doing this it allows for two creative minds to collaborate and make the best of both worlds.  In many cases, this can be seen as some brands best and most sought-after work. Collaboration is a great way to not only express ideas you have but to learn as well.  This applies to everyday life, not just fashion or style.  By collaborating with family, friends, and peers you are able to look at things differently and gain an appreciation for different outlooks as well.  Take what you learn and appreciate it.  Apply it with the knowledge.  As a creative, your ideas are your strongest form of currency.

[tylerdmace]

Fall cannot be thought of without leaves turning from green to orange, yellow red, gold and brown. It cannot be thought of without pumpkins turning orange, gourds finding their color and acorns, hazelnuts and chestnuts falling from the trees that had once held them for so long.  Halloween was nearby and kids were beginning to prep their costumes that was getting closer by the day.  As a photographer, Fall was one of the best seasons of the year in British Columbia to photograph.  There was so much to see and so many remote locations that provided great beauty in its own respect.  I wandered through the mid-length grass field of my orchard, between the fruit trees that’s leaves were changing slowly.  As I made my way through the field, I walked by my grandma’s home, where inside of a cage sat a pumpkin with several gourds.  I positioned myself beneath the cage and photographed with the great contrast of the bright blue sky.  It left me with a photograph of an everlasting image of what fall was for me. Something so simple but yet said so much.  

[lvndscpe]

Lincoln Beach, United States | by Paul Matheson

[breathtakingdestinations]

Arashiyama - Japan (by Ludovic Lubeigt) 

[tylerdmace]

Clothing is a unique way to express who one might be my first appearance.  What is more unique is the way that the creator of this clothing decides to design what so many people go on to wear.  What material will they go ahead and use? Where will the seams be made? Will embroidery be made or patches added? Is there going to be distressing or rips made? Do they decide to make the clothing limited or a mass release? How expensive will these items be? There are so many questions that designers (or what I like to call creators or innovators) go through when they are making a new piece or article of clothing.  This is what makes clothing so unique.  Each piece has a different story and process, a new way of a person expressing an image that they put on paper before bringing to life and making it a creation.  With creating comes trial and error on a mass scale.  Of course, there are one hit wonder pieces where everything falls into place instantly but there comes a lot of hard work and perseverance in creating anything.  With an idea comes an image.  With that image comes alterations until you get a picture you like and want to turn into something with material.  Finally, with material comes changes to make something that a final product that comes to life.  When everything is set, you have an article of clothing to be sold.  The amount of quantity and expense can often affect the desire of interest also.  Behind each piece of clothing is a journey from idea to image to create.  How that piece comes to a final product is what makes it unique in its own sense.  

[tylerdmace]

For as long as I can remember, a dog has been referenced as man’s best friend.  From a young age, I have always had a pet dog in my life.  Although it was never my families, my grandma lived on the same property as us and I would see the dogs daily.  As I got older, there were three dogs we had owned: Bud, Bailey, and Kona. They were two yellow labs and a golden retriever.  In my grade 10 year, my grandma decided to get another puppy which was also a yellow lab. Since the last two were so great, we had decided to combine the name and name him Budley.  This was the first dog I could say I really felt an attachment to. From early on as he was a puppy, I was able to see him grow, learn and teach him along the way.  It helped me really begin to understand why a dog was widely regarded as man’s best friend.  A dog was always by your side and cared as much for you as you did for it. When no one else was there, you could count on this dog being there.  Although animals can’t speak, you can always count on them being by your side.

[lvndscpe]

Morro Bay, United States | by Russell Fillerup

[tylerdmace]

Each and every person has a spot that they can go to where it feels like an escape or getaway.  There is a spot that they can get away with that helps them forget everything that is on their mind.  This spot can be anywhere, someone’s bed, the beach, a car driving a certain road.  For myself, it is Mount Douglas.  This is a mountain that is about five minutes from my house.  When I think back and wonder as to why this place is so special to me, it is a location that I can recall being the first hike I ever went on.  For so many years, taking the different trails and pathways, seeing the different animals and the great variety of plants, flowers, and trees. Mount Douglas as I knew it was my escape.  I felt a certain comfortability when I was there.  When I wanted to get away and think, I could gather my thoughts best isolated at the mountain peak.  The hundreds of sunrises and sunsets I had seen, I couldn’t keep track if I tried. This place has helped me get through when times were tough and enjoy and appreciate when times were good.  For as long as I live on Vancouver Island, my escape will always be there.  

[lvndscpe]

Untitled | by Knut Troim

[lvndscpe]

United States | by Jeff Finley

[tylerdmace]

The World War II Memorial is always one that hits a little closer to home for me.  As I made my way through the arches of one side, overlooking the fountains with pillars representing each state or country that served under the United States during the war, it made me think back to the stories I knew of my great grandpa. He was born and raised in Germany. When Hitler came to power and began to attempt to make drastic changes to how things were being done, he fled the country with my great grandma to move to the west coast of Canada.  From here, he began to work constructing naval ships and submarines at the dockyard for the Canadian navy, in hopes of a helping effort to bring an end to the war.  Looking on through the memorial, my mind flashed back, trying to imagine just what it would have been like to have lived through this time.  Trying to plan a flee, starting an entirely new life and then helping take down the country you had once called yours.  It hit me heavily, the hundreds of thousands of American soldiers and the millions of other lives that were taken during this time. I felt very fortunate for everything that my great grandpa had done to help get me to where I am today.  

[tylerdmace]

As lacrosse season came to a close, I found myself with quite a bit of free time and with so much going on in a major city like that of D.C. my roommates and I decided to venture out.  One of the things on my bucket list was to catch an MLB baseball game.  It was something I had never done since the season always conflicted with box lacrosse during my summers.  This opportunity came up and we decided on a date that worked for us all.  It was a beautiful sunny day, blue skies mixed with cloud and twenty degrees Celsius.  We ordered an uber to the game and the atmosphere was unbelievable.  As we walked through the entrance gate, the fresh cut grass filled the air and we made our way to our seats.  The anthems were played and the game began.  For a game midweek and during work and school hours, I was amazed at how busy the stadium was but it just showed how dedicated these fans were.  We got peanuts and had hot dogs, everything that I thought made a baseball game what it really was.  As the game progressed it was dominated by the pitching as each team only had two runs through 8 innings.  As the Nationals knocked off the three Cardinal batters, the atmosphere seemingly changed.  You could almost feel that this was going to be their game to win.  Bryce Harper came to the plate, the star for the Washington Nationals and one of the best in the league.  He watched the first pitch come just outside of the plate and he swung with great force as he sent the ball back, back, back and it left the park for a walk-off home run.  An ending only seemingly fit for a first game.  It had left me in deep thought of when I would see my next game.