Elm Café Gallery

 

Seen Here

 

Seen Here is a collection of stills captured on 35mm film, where everyday moments are held long enough to be noticed. In an effort to combat the constant temptation to scroll a feed, these photographs attempt to slow things down, asking for your time to stop and notice our community.

Camera shutters 30 or more years old capturing moments in our own streets, sidewalks, and shared spaces. My work is an attempt to freeze everyday moments we don't always appreciate. I approach my work with the philosophy that everyone is a main character, and I have the opportunity to portray them as that.

Using film forces me to predict moments before they happen, being ready to snag the moment before it leaves, as there's often no time to advance the roll and try again. The texture and imperfections help me appreciate the frames for what they are, leaving less room to tinker, nitpick, or change the moment from what it originally was.

I invite you to look again at moments in our community. To find comfort in fleeting moments and perhaps to see yourself and others as main characters.

Alexander Blair is a Kingston, Ontario based photographer whose practice focuses on street and documentary photography. His work explores the human experience within modern society, capturing unguarded, authentic moments that reveal the quiet beauty of everyday life. Alex hopes that his photographs will lend insight for future generations as they look to the past.
Raised in a military family and having lived across multiple provinces, Alex developed an early connection to photography while documenting his travels on film. This formative experience continues to shape his approach, grounding his work in observation, movement, and place.
Alex is the self-published author of Mostly Street, Sometimes Film, a photo book featuring black-and-white photography from
Kingston. In addition to his independent work, he collaborates with local artists, musicians, and brands, including Good Co.,
Uncle Orange and more. His work reflects an ongoing effort to document everyday life as it happens, creating a visual record over time.
Seen Here (March- June 2026)
The Elm Cafe, Open 7 days a week
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
303 Montreal Street
@theelmcafe

 

Submit an application

If you're interested in exhibiting your artwork at the Elm Café, please fill out this exhibition application form

Previous Exhibitions

Winter 2026: Grids by Zack Hawes

Fall 2025: Odds / Ends by Bill Penner 

Summer 2025: "Picture Perfect Pastimes" by Edwin Simha Webster

Spring 2025: "Brewing Reflections" by Sumera Khan 

Winter 2025: Still Waters, celebrating the Legacy of Ivan Soudek

Fall 2024:  Every Chip Stand by Chantal Bennett and Joel Kimmel 

Summer 2024: Trough the Lens of Youth, by students from Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School

Spring 2024: Strange Beautiful Things,  by Sasha Jimenez French

Winter 2024: Worlds take a shape before me [and I find meaning within them] by Amelia Glancy

Fall 2023: The Make-a-Mural project

Summer 2023:  Central Public School student art

Spring 2023: Savannah Shea, "Summer Bodies"

Winter 2022: Jill Glatt

Summer 2022: Francisco Corbett

Spring 2022: Kingston Hidden Artist Collective, "Through the Looking Glass"

Winter 2021: Tracy Olan, "Back to Nature"

Fall 2021: Virginia Maria Meeks + Kingston Punk Productions, KPP AT 20

Summer 2020: Vince Perez / Everlovin' Press, The Canadianist 

Spring 2020: Julie Davidson Smith

Winter 2020: Chantal Rousseau

Fall 2019: Claire Grady-Smith

Summer 2019: Kingston Poets - Letterpress Editions by Everlovin' Press

Summer 2017: Morris Blanchard

2016-2017: Benjamin Nelson: Decade of Distraction