The other end of the consumerism spectrum

After spending a few evenings patrolling the posh part of downtown Montreal where all the nice boutiques and high-end retail spaces are located, I went Eastward to visit a small flea market often described as the jankiest in the city. The place does not disappoint. There is stuff piled upon stuff from floor to ceiling in this rather small and confined space. And most of the stuff does not look like very desirable antiques either. Since I know nothing about that market, there might still be some treasures waiting to be unearthed.

While I was touring the place, it occurred to me that if somebody is offering those products, there must be buyers out there. That, in turn, made me wonder whether people might be shopping for Christmas gifts in this flea market. I thought that the contrast with the brand shiny new products on display in the shopping district was quite stark.

I added a vignette and played with curves from all three channels separately to try to give the images a darker, grittier, lo-fi feel compared to what comes out of the camera to capture the ambiance of the place.

Equipment: Canon DSLR 5D Mk II, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens