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THIS IS EAST VAN 2 - Some insight from Erin Sinclair and Rob Forbes

So by now you've probably heard about THIS IS EAST VAN 2 - the second volume of the popular book that celebrates all that is awesome east of Ontario Street through 275 images taken by 117 local photographers, curated by Erin Sinclair and Rob Forbes.

So by now you've probably heard about THIS IS EAST VAN 2 - the second volume of the popular book that celebrates all that is awesome east of Ontario Street through 275 images taken by 117 local photographers, curated by Erin Sinclair and Rob Forbes. A labour of love for the two editors, proceeds from the book will go to a non-profit organization that is determined by a vote of participating photographers (the beneficiary of the first volume's proceeds was Reel Youth).

With much fanfare, the book launched on July 7th with a very well-attended exhibition of 85 images from the book at the Interurban Gallery on East Hastings, and VANCOUVER IS AWESOME caught up with the busy duo of Erin and Rob and asked them to share a few of the images that they simply can't shake from their brains.

Here are 5 such photographs, with their insight below each one:

Gary at the Sunrise - Andy K. Bond

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Erin: "The first time I saw this image I knew it would be one of my favorites. It is taken by Andy K. Bond who took the cover image of the first TIEV book. As with a lot of Andy's images, "Gary at the Sunrise" captures a moment that is a bit odd and almost surreal because of it. I love that Gary is in mid sentence, that he is looking straight down the barrel of the lens, and that you feel as tho you could in fact be the one having the conversation with him. I also love the setting of the image. It is taken in Gary's home, and each piece of it tells a little story. Every time I look at it, I find something else that leads me to ponder another aspect of his life. I find the horseshoe on the table the most intriguing...."

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Untitled - Andy Soloman

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Erin: "Cherry Blossoms, bikes and an impossible angle - This is East Van.

I moved to Vancouver ( and into East Van) when I was 18 years old and incredibly in awe of all the big city novelties suddenly at my finger tips. It was Spring, and amongst my first city bus rides, my first tastes of Pho, and my first days of film school, were these AMAZING East Van streets lined with cherry blossoms. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. Each year the cherry blossoms remind me of coming to Vancouver and all the newness that came with it."

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Sandra & Sandra's Altar - Grant Harder

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Rob: "Sometimes we get photo crushes. When we first saw Grant's work we loved it right off the bat and immediately fired up google and went down the rabbit hole in search of more of his work. On his website, we saw that his photo 'Sandra' was paired with a photo of her altar. Grant didn't submit the photo of the altar to the project but we told him we wanted to feature both photo's together and luckily he obliged. When I look at the photos paired together, I'm overcome with awe and curiosity."

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Neighbours 1.0 - Janis Brass

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Rob: "This image is one of my favorites because my Grandma had a great love affair with my cousin's pitbull named Root. At the time, the breed was getting a lot of bad press and my grandma would go on at length on what terrible, vicious animals they were- but she obviously had no idea what they looked like because she would spend hours at family gatherings loving on the animal. Nobody ever had the heart to tell her that Root was a pitbull. This photo reminds me of the amazing rapport my Grandma had with Root. I also miss my Grandma very much."

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7 Minutes at Sunset

- Ian Beer

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Rob: "We got this photo pretty early on in the submission process. After getting home from work, Erin and I would pour a glass of wine, download the latest submissions and check them out. I remember seeing this photo very clearly because when the image popped up on the computer screen, I exclaimed something like "Whoa Mamma!" and promptly spilled my glass of wine on my keyboard. I love that this photo is abstract and straightforward at the same time. I love its sense of movement. Ian Beer, you owe me a keyboard."

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The show at the Interurban Gallery runs until July 28th (gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 1-5pm), and books are available for sale there as well as on the THIS IS EAST VAN website. All photographs in the exhibition are available for sale at the amazing price of $160 dollars each, but as its first-come-first-served, head on down right quick and find the one that speaks to you, and pick up a copy of the book. As someone who has been fortunate enough to be included in both volumes, I am honoured to be a part of this amazing project, and find myself humbled by the photographers whose images are rubbing shoulders with mine. It truly is a beautiful look at the diverse communities that make up East Vancouver.

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