Weekly Highlights – November 20th to 26th

I’ve been getting out quite a bit taking personal photos the past month or so. Since I get way behind on posting them to my personal blog, I figured I would just start doing weekly highlights, so it at least forces me to share some of my favourites. This past week I got out to Boulevard Lake, Centennial Park in the snow, Downtown Port Arthur and Vanderwees Home and Garden. If I have time, perhaps I’ll post a few weekly highlights from earlier this month too. For now, enjoy these highlights. :)

An old but a goodie - Canon EOS M

I have too many cameras. There, I said it. I’m sure there many of you out there with the same addiction as me. Actually, I’m probably not that bad compared to some. With that being said, I actually sold two of my older main cameras today. Sadly, it probably means I will use that as an excuse to buy a new secondary camera, which I do need. Regardless … owning more cameras then you need usually means some cameras collect dust. Case in point, my beloved Canon EOS M. The original one. The one and only.

This camera was the one that got me addicted to Canon. Specifically the colour science. From there, I would go on to buy the Canon 5D Classic which I also fell in love with. Then I did the unthinkable, I sold my Nikon gear (I still own my DF which I will not be getting rid of), and converted to Canon. I’m glad I did. The Canon R is my current workhorse. It is the perfect camera for me. I use it for all of my events, weddings, portraits b-roll (and some main) videos. I just love it.

So with that, there is little reason to pick up the Canon EOS M these days. It’s the same with my Ricoh GRII. Another awesomely capable camera that produces stunning images. Well, I chose to shoot my usual random photos with the M today and was once again reminded just how fun it is to use. I’m not hung up on fast autofocus or all that other fancy stuff. Hell, I’ve just recently rediscovered film, and shot and processed over 30 rolls in the past 3 months. Specifically, the Hasselblad 500, which you have to meter, manual focus and just downright take your time. So, going from that to the M feels like I’m driving a Ferrari.

My main lens for the Canon EOS M is the 22mm. Man, what a wicked lens. I’m a sucker for shallow depth of field. Combine that with the super close focusing of this lens and it’s a match made in heaven. Oh, and of course, the beautiful colours that come out of this sensor. I swear, they seem to pop even more then my 50 1.2 on the R. No joking.

Anyway, it’s been a while since I wrote a personal blog post and I thought it was time to give this camera it’s proper recognition amongst my collection. Remember you don’t need the most expensive or latest gear to create good images. You just need a good eye for composition and the motivation to get out and shoot!

Morning Walk in Fort William - Canon EOS R

Knowing that winter can hit at any moment, I have been trying to get out on photo walks a few times during the week after I drop my wife off at work. It helps wake me up and also gets my creative juices flowing, and prepares me to sit in front of a computer. Well, almost. I decided to venture down to Fort William and make my way through some of the side streets. I had no route planned or even a final destination.

I did know that I wanted to check out some of old McKellar Hospital and perhaps the old FWCI building too. I managed to make it to both. These are areas I have photographed many times before so I do challenge myself to come up with different compositions. It’s not always easy, but sometimes all you need to do is turn around or even get lower to the ground.

I even made my way down some back alleys, which I absolutely love doing. I know it sounds strange, but some of my best photos have resulted from treks down alleyways. I’m not talking seedy dangerous ones, just neighbourhood ones.

There were some keepers from the walk. Some were better than others, but I figured I would share some of them here, for anyone interested in seeing a little peice of Thunder Bay from a different perspective.

Walk to the Marina - Ricoh GRII

After my workout at the gym, I decided to enjoy some of the remaining days of summer by walking to the Marina. Since I just had my gym bag with me, I packed my Ricoh GRII in it. Little did I know, the battery inside of it was almost dead, and the extra one, was also quite low too. Regardless, I just made sure to conserve power as much as I could.

I don’t use this camera enough, because each time I do, I’m amazed (not surprised) by the pure fun and image quality it produces. Admittedly, the focal length of 28mm isn’t my favourite, but it forces me out of my comfort zone. Actually, I just invested in a used medium format camera and the first lens I got is around a 28mm equivalent in 35mm so there you go.

Overall, it was a great walk, and I just took my time and captured whatever caught me eye. I ended up at the Marina just before sunset. There was some beautiful lighting and even after the sun set, I came away with a few keepers. I’m very much looking forward to using this little powerhouse of a camera more soon.

Kam River Park - Last Days of Summer

I’ve been trying to get out more and more first thing in the morning when the sun is low. The one thing about Fall that is great for photography is that the days are shorter, which means you don’t have to get up as early to get potentially good light. When living in a place like Thunder Bay, it’s easy to get bored of taking photos because it is a smaller city and there are only so many things to photograph. That has never stopped me from going to the same location many, many times over.

The time of day, the camera you use, the way you walk a scene; all can change the way you shoot a place you have been to before. Honestly, this was probably my 20th time taking photos at Kam River Park. I just had my Canon EOS R and 50mm 1.2. One camera and one lens. When doing personal photography, that’s all I ever bring, 90 percent of the time. I do try to switch up lenses every now and again. But, 50mm has always been my favourite focal length.

It was an over cast day down at Kam Park which is my favourite type of weather. As always, I didn’t really have a goal in mind. I just walked around and captured things that looked interesting to me. I worked different angles and looked for interesting light, even though it was cloudy. There were a ton of seagulls out that day and I tried to get some photos of them in flight. I think I ended up getting a couple keepers.

I’m sure I’ll be back again before winter hits us, and even then, it’s a totally different look and feel in winter as well. Happy shooting!

Backyard + Canon EOS R + 50mm 1.2

I decided to challenge myself this evening to see how many interesting photos I could come away with in my brother-in-laws backyard. I created a short video/slideshow with some behind the scenes which was filmed with my GoPro. I’m kind of excited to hopefully do more of these, so at the very least, it my inspire people to just get out and shoot!

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This a new kind of video for me and I'm really thinking of doing more of them. I'm sure they will eventually evolve into something else. We will see. I challenged myself to spend 30 minutes photographing the backyard, to see how many interesting photos I could come away with.

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Simpson Street in the Early Hours

I ended up going to bed super really early last night, which meant I got up fairly early this morning. So it was a good excuse to get out and take some photos before cars were parked on the street and the sun was too high. Even though I always hope for clouds, I’ve been pushing myself to work with sun and shadows. That was the case this morning as the sun was low, but shining for the most part. Once again, I brought my Canon EOS R and the 50mm 1.2. It’s a great combination.

I like photographing in the streets before businesses open because it means there aren’t a lot of cars parked. That way, if I see interesting store fronts or buildings, I can much more easily create sim simple scenes. As with most of my personal walks, I don’t really have a plan in place. I just follow what my eyes see. A lot of times if I see something interesting down an alleyway or a street, I go that way and end up on a totally different route. I’m not against working my way back through the same area as well, because I’ll see the scene completely different going in the opposite direction. Plus, the sun and light is constantly changing.

Another thing I often utilize in my street photography are reflections. Whether I’m shooting into a window or using puddles to create interesting scenes, there are always opportunities to try something different. The time just flies by when I go on these walks. I narrowed it down to these favourites but after about 1.5 hours of shooting, I ended up with approximately 250 photos. I’m trying to get out as much as I can while the cold winter comes.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Admittedly I have been doing a lot of video lately, both paid and practice, so my personal photography has taken a bit of back seat. I find it a little hard to do both at the same time, unless of course it’s a paid gig. The thing with video is that it’s a completely different way of thinking, at least for me. Well, I finally got outside and walked around, with no goal other than to photograph whatever caught my eye.

My camera of choice was my beloved Canon EOS R. Man, what a fantastic camera. I do not understand the initial hate that camera got. Especially for my professional work, the ability to quickly switch from photos to videos has been priceless. For this walk, I paired it with my favourite Canon lens, the 50mm 1.2. I am sucker for almost always shooting wide open so you can guess what aperture I’m using 90 percent of the time. That, and it renders beautifully. I can only imagine what the RF mount version looks like. But I digress.

Up until this past spring I worked around my Mazda dealership and used to always go for walks around the area on my lunch break. Seeing as how I have been fully home-based for the past 4 months, it had been a while since I did my route. So, after dropping off my car for a check up, I went off exploring. The first stop was the garden area right beside the police station. I had driven past it various times over the last few weeks and noticed how tall all the plants were so it was the perfect opportunity to go there and see how it looks.

It would have been nice to have a macro lens but I still managed to get some nice flower photos and other interesting shots as well. The grass was wet so my feet were kind of water logged after a while but it was worth it. From there I started to make my way through Lakehead University. Instead of the paved path I took the side dirt trail that runs along the river. I brought my ND filter with me just in case and I’m super happy I did as I got a couple long exposure photos of the stream.

Since I didn’t want to carry my coffee with me when I left the house, I made my way to the Starbucks in the University and treated myself to a flat white. Super tasty. I soon got the phone call that the car was ready, so I made my way back and that was that. It felt really good to be out walking again. I truly do find it therapeutic.

Night Photography in Port Arthur - Canon EOS R

I have been wanting to get out at night to take some street photos for quite some time. Finally, I got the chance to do so, and it was with my wife Anne, which made it 10x better. With rain forecast for later in the evening we headed to downtown Port Arthur and started our walk. The camera and lens I brought with me was my awesome Canon EOS R paired with the 35mm F2. I contemplated bringing the 50mm 1.2 but opted for the stabilized 35mm. I think it ended up being a good choice.

It was great having Anne come along with me, obviously because I love the company. But also, because I had a model! I didn’t know how many keepers I would come away with but it ended up being a fairly successful 45 minute adventure. By far, my favourite photo of the the walk was in the parkade. On one level, there were no cars and extremely dramatic lighting. I got Anne to look up and exposed for the light and I knew it was going to be epic even before reviewing the image.

We eventually left the parkade and continued walking around the downtown area. The EOS R performed great and I’m glad I brought the 35mm lens. I use the 50 the most and it was good switching it up a bit.

Once we were done our walk we headed to the local grocery store to get a few things. I, of course, documented that as well. Surprisingly, I came away with some good shots there too. Then again, I have shot a lot of photos of Anne in grocery stores over the years so ….

I’m already looking forward to our next walk at night. I think we might venture down to Fort William.

County Fair

Over the past couple weeks, we made the trip to County Fair on two different occasions. Both times I had my ‘new’ Canon EOS R camera with me. The first time around it was paired with the 50mm f1.8 and the second time, I had the glorious 135mm f2. I didn’t get around to posting the first batch so I figured I would just combine the two shoots together as one.

The first time I went it was just before dawn and very overcast. The second time was in the evening as well, but there was a little bit more sun out. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the area, County Fair is simply a shopping area. It’s not an actual fair. There is a Walmart, Liquor Store, Dollar Store and a No Frills. There is also a mall but it is a mere shadow of what it once was. I think there is only the Library left inside a few other small stores.

I focused my attention on both occasions on the outside and around the back. It’s essentially an empty parking lot and a large abandoned (unused) building that once housed a Canadian Tire. I spent a many days a child biking across town to go that Canadian Tire to buy tennis balls and other sport equipment. It has been closed for quite a while. Regardless, I love wandering around empty parking lots and photographing the details. Plus it gives me a chance to talk to the birds. No joking.

While it’s said to see a once thriving mall now an empty building, that’s not to say there isn’t an opportunity for unique photos. At least, that’s how I see it. The Canon EOS R is the most fun I have had using a camera. The flip out screen, the touch screen, colours and over all feel of the camera make want to continue to pick it up and use it. It also doesn’t help that I recently purchased the 135mm f2 and 50mm 1.2mm. I can’t say enough about the rendering and capabilities of those two lenses. They are simply a pleasure to use.

I’m not saying you have to spend a ton of money on lenses to take good photographs by any means. I have thousands upon thousands of photos taken with my nifty fifty and other cheap primes that have served me well for over 100 weddings and portrait sessions. But, good glass, if you can afford it, can elevate your photography. I’m also always shooting wide open when I can so having those kind of apertures are the perfect fit for me.

For those curious, the photos up to the one where I’m looking up to the lights was shot with the 50mm 1.8 and the rest with the 135mm. Thanks for stopping by!

Where I Used To Play Ball

I played a lot of baseball growing up, and in my early years, those games took place at George Bourke Park. So there are a lot of memories attached it. I have been back there many times over the past 5 years or so, but it was always to watch baseball. Today I decided to explore the area a little with my camera in hand. I thought it would be fitting to use an older camera of mine as well, the Canon 5D Classic.

I put my newly bought, and favourite lens, the 50mm 1.2. Paired with the 5D it’s definitely not the lightest combo, but I’m used to carrying cameras around all day so it didn’t bother me.

I didn’t really have any particular route planned, I just wandered around. On my photo walks, I don’t really spend too much time on one spot. I usually photograph what captures my eye, and move on. This walk was no different. All in all, I walked fir about 40 minutes.

Not only did I walk around the diamonds, I also navigated the trails in behind, which I hadn’t been to in a long long time. It was great to revisit my old stomping grounds, especially now that I’m much more into photography. If only I took photos when I was 12.

Chippewa Park with the Canon EOS R

I woke up this morning, looked out the window, and saw fog. Lots and lots of fog. I then proceeded to get dressed and washed up as fast as I could and catch it before it went away. I really wish I got up earlier but what can you do. As a photographer, I don’t think I’m alone in saying that foggy weather is among the best types of days to get out and explore. So I grabbed my somewhat new Canon EOS R and 85mm 1.8 along with a little Manfrotto tripod and nifty 50 lens and set off for the day.

I have actually been meaning to do a review of the Canon R but I just haven’t had time to do so. I already have at least 5 or 6 blog posts in queue prior to today, so hopefully I can catch up on those soon. Regardless, I’ll just say that it is such an extremely fun camera to use. Not just for personal photography like you see here, but also professional work which I will be sharing in the coming weeks.

The challenge with foggy days is actually deciding where to go, and rather quickly. Fog can go away at any moment so I didn’t know how much time I had. My first destination was obviously Starbucks to get some nourishment and coffee. Then it was off to Kam Park, which will follow this post. The second stop was Chippewa Park. I was just going there to see how the lake looked and maybe walk out to the boardwalk and some of the trails. I was so happy to see that all the rides were set up, although not functioning yet. That included the merry go round which is still looking for community support to keep going.

I spent about 20 minutes just walking around the very small amusement park capturing some of the details . The Canon R and it’s lovely flipout screen are just so perfect to use. I was able to get angles that I just simply couldn’t get before. My Nikon D750 has one, but it’s a bit slow and only goes up and down. Luckily, it was still extremely foggy there so the lighting was absolutely perfect.

For the entire day I actually used the 85mm lens which is one of my all time favourites. It’s relatively compact and beautifully separates the background. Unless doing landscapes, I’m always between 1.8 and 2.2 aperture. Once I was done in the amusement park, I headed down towards the lake and along the trail that goes out to the lookout point. At the end of the path there are a bunch of rocks which I have walked out onto many times. Well, today, I slipped and fell through two rocks and banged up my shin. It all happened an instant and what amazed me was that I held my camera high up above me and only managed to slightly bang it on the rock. I was embarrassed that I fell but proud that I managed to save the camera!

As I stumbled back down the path in quite a bit of pain I continued to take photos as the pain slightly went away. If anyone was listening to me they would have laughed. In between swear words and audible grunts, I was still commenting on compositions as I photographed.

As I saw the fog dissipating, I made my way towards the cabins and managed to capture a few more photos. It was such a fun and spontaneous day and I’m glad I was able to take some photos in my favourite type of weather. Thanks for stopping by!

Too Cold Out + Fuji X100F

This past month has been a real struggle to get out and take photos outside. It’s just been so frigging cold, that it’s simply not enjoyable. So any excuse to capture some photos are very welcome. I have been taking my son out driving in preparation for his driving test. So with my Fuji X100F in hand we spent a couple hours driving around in the city. I of course was in the passenger seat and I actually managed to capture some photos while Noah was driving. Of course it would have been great to stop and walk around but there just wasn’t anytime to do so, and as I mentioned, it was cold out.

For anyone who has read my previous blog posts, I tend to shoot with a few different cameras. The Fuji has been neglected over the past couple months. I tend to stick with a camera for a while before switching it up. That camera has actually been my Sony A6300. It is a great walk around camera and although I initially got it for video, I have been using it a lot lately for my personal photography. With that being said, the Fuji X100F is still my favourite ‘walk around camera’. The colours that come out of it and of course the overall feel are second to none. So for the past few days I have shooting with it and I realized how much I missed doing so.

The second batch of photos below were actually taken today and truly reflect my title I chose for this article. I always try and get out on my lunch breaks for about 40 minutes to take photos in the neighbourhood. My wife how is a teacher, told me it was quite cold out … -25 degrees Celsius. I was very tempted to just stay inside but I bundled up and trekked outside with the Fuji in hand. At first it wasn’t too bad, or so I told myself, but I soon realized about 20 minutes in that it was indeed very cold out. I honestly thought I was getting frostbite.

Regardless, I still got some keepers. They aren’t my best work but It was a very rushed walk and one where I didn’t really want to stop for more then a few seconds for fear of freezing in place. I do miss the warmer months were I could literally spend 20 minutes in one spot and work a scene. Not now. But that’s how it goes I guess. If warmer weather does come soon, I want to get out and get some good landscape photos of all the snow. Until then, my cold power walks will have to do.

Everyday Happenings + Sony a6300

The more I shoot with the Sony a6300 the more I enjoy it, a lot. I only have two lenses (not including the horrible kit lens which has been collecting dust for a year now) - the Sigma 16mm 1.4 and Sony 35mm 1.8. They both have completely different characteristics but are equally enjoyable to shoot with. As I mentioned in my a previous post, wide angles are not my first choice but the Sigma lens is just special. I almost always get in close to my subjects and rarely have the aperture set above 2.0, at least for my personal stuff. The same goes for the Sony lens. That’s not to say that I don’t know how to use other apertures, especially for my professional work, but I tend to go more abstract for my personal stuff, unless I’m doing straight up street photography.

I am very much tempted to buy the Sigma 56mm 1.4 but I’m holding off some how. Seeing as how I have all primes for my full frame Nikons, it’s hard to justify the purchase. We will see. It’s just such a compact package. For the photos below, the first bunch up to the coffee cup were shot with the 35mm and the rest with the 16mm. I always process the RAW files in Lightroom. Sometimes if I am on the go I download from Lightroom on my phone and slightly tweak in the VSCO app on iOS. To be honest, I don’t really do much with the files other then give them a very minor film feel.

I find the white balance and exposure (I mainly shoot in aperture priority) are almost always spot on. I’d even go as far as saying it’s more consistent than my Fuji X100F, which is also immensely fun to shoot with. But nothing beats an extremely compact system with great primes. Nothing against my Nikons, specifically my Df, which is my all time favourite camera, and one that I still carry around with me for personal photography.

Sorry for the rambling post, I just wanted to share some recent photos. Hell, I’m not even sure if anyone reads these posts! If anything, it’s a visual diary for myself. Right? (…crickets…)

Macro of Coffee + Guinness with the Nikon Df

This is going to be a short post, but I did want to share some initial photos I took with the newly acquired Nikon Df paired with the also recently purchased Nikon 55m 3.5 lens. One word. ‘WOW. There, that about sums it up. Seriously though, this combination is ridiculous. Combine the wicked sensor of the Nikon Df with the macro ability and sharpness of the 55mm and it’s hard not to come away with epic photos. Below I’ll describe my process for these initial photos.

My wife got me a coffee press for Christmas and I love it. I’ll admit that I’m not grounding my own beans .. yet. I have to purchase a grinder first. So, Peter McKinnon I am not. Still, it’s extremely fun to use, and of course photograph. Funny story for anyone interested. As my wife sat on the couch, I set up the press and the whole scene on the living room table. She played on her phone while I snapped photo after photo, arranging things differently, adding in, taking out. After about 15 minutes, I finally poor the coffee, add some sugar and finally the cream. As I took my last photography before actually drinking the coffee, I realized I used expired cream, which ruined the coffee. She just shook her head at me. So I had to start the process all over again. But, it just meant that I had another opportunity to take even more photos. It all depends on how you look at things.

In any case, the coffee photos were all shoot with natural light. It was side light from the window. That’s it. I set my Nikon to manual mode, the lens to it’s lowest aperture (3.5) and snapped away. For focusing I simply used the green confirmation dot on the Nikon Df. Easy peezy. Actually, some of the times I just eyeballed out. I find viewfinder on the Df to be pretty good for manual focusing. I still have to learn and practice with the lens but it’s been fun so far. For instance, may have gotten carried always having it wide open but what do you expect!

Next up was some Guinness. For this shoot had a soft box set up to camera left using one speed light. I placed the beer on a couple sheets 11x17 printer paper and used a piece of foam coat as a reflector on the right. This was all done on my kitchen table. Again, super easy set up. I used the same process for focusing as I did for the coffee press. Green confirmation dot. Super simple.

I have been doing photography for almost 10 years now, and I enjoy shooting still life the most, especially getting in close. I still can’t believe this is my first macro lens. Go figure. Up until now have always been using my 35mm prime or even 24mm and just getting as close as I can to subjects. I’m looking forward to shooting much much more macro with this super cheap yet extremely capable lens.

Winter Walk around Lakehead University - Sony a6300

It was my second day in a row being able to actually walk outside on my lunch break and take photos, without freezing to death. Sadly, the cold weather is back tomorrow so it’s unlikely I’ll make it out. Who knows though, it’s all about ‘layers’ they say right. I once again took my Sony a6300 with me, this time paired with the 16mm 1.4 lens. Yesterday it was the 35mm 1.8 (50mm equivalent) which is one of my favourite focal lengths, next to 35mm. The Sigma 16mm is an awesome lens, but being 24mm is definitely not my strongest focal length. With that being said, I always try to push myself out of my comfort zone.

Admittedly, some of my favourite photos have been shot at 24mm so I’m not sure why I don’t use it more often. I had a great time shooting with it today and I really tried to approach different angles, that you just can’t really do with long focal lengths like 50mm. The other benefit of the Sigma is that it focuses pretty close, which I very much enjoy doing.

The area I work in isn’t the most scenic, which I have mentioned in previous posts. The nicest place to go is by fare the University which is great, but when you walk through there a hundred times it can be hard to find new photo opportunities. Somehow I manage and I simply see it as a challenge. It helped that I had the Sigma today because it gave me a completely different perspective then my usual 35mm and 50mm lenses.

I have photographed the architecture at Lakehead University a few times before, but this time around I got in close and took advantage of the tilt screen of the a6300. It’s extremely fun to use. My Nikons have them but they are nowhere near as responsive. Combine that with the awesome focusing of the Sony and it’s a great mix. It also helps that the Sigma is extremely sharp, but I’m not actually that hung up on sharpness.

One of the things I had to do with the Sigma today, especially shooting wide open was to pop on a variable ND filter. One thing I have to remember to watch is accidentally switching the ISO from auto to 6400 with my big winter gloves. A few of the photos below ended up being noisy for no reason, but I loved they way they turned out. I have never been afraid of grain, and it actually benefited the few photos in this case. At least in my eyes. It gives them a more film type look. I even accidentally shot a photo while messing with my settings, which I kept in this post as well. It’s the blurry one but I actually liked how it turned out as well.

Winter can be hard for photographers, especially in colder climates. For anyone out there hesitant to go outside and take photos, my advise is to just dress warm and do it. Once I’m outside and walking around I’m so glad I did it. Plus, it’s great exercise walking in the snow. Of course I never pack enough Kleenex and my finger tips always feel like they are going to fall off but it’s a small price to pay.

Thanks for stopping by!

Reacquainting myself with the A6300

​I’ll start with a little bit of a back story in regards to my A6300. I’m almost coming up on a year since purchasing it. The main reason I got it was to use as an introduction to film video. I wanted to start teaching myself video and learning the ins and outs and just overall experimenting and having fun.

After reading tons of reviews on various cameras, the A6300 was the one I went with. From that point I delved into video, making short films around the city. Mostly personal stuff. But after a while I got some paying gigs (small ones), which mainly included B-roll. Which is actually what I had been doing all along.

I never really bought the A6300 for photos as I had and still have my full frame Nikon’s for my pro work. I decided to bring my A6300 to one of my portrait sessions and ended up using it because for the first time ever I forgot to charge my batteries for the Nikon. Duh.

I was amazed at the results and the ease of use. I’m at a point in my career where I can pretty much pick up any camera and create good photos, but the Sony was also a lot of fun to use.

That was last summer. I still continued to use it for my video projects and I also brought it out here and there for some walk around photos. I decided to pick it up a lot more recently for photos and I must say, I am enjoying the photos and more importantly the process of taking them.

The auto focus is wicked fast, just as good as my Nikon D750 and older Nikon DF (my favourite camera that I own). I’m actually contemplating trying it out again for some paid shoots. I currently have the Sigma 16mm and Sony 35mm. I’m very tempted to get the new Sigma 55mm. Seeing as how most of my weddings are shot at 35, 50 and 85mm focal lengths, it works be a good start as a backup camera.

Here are some photos from recent walk I did around my area. It was still pretty cold out but I had no issues. I used the 35mm 1.8 for all these. I love that lens.

Stay tuned for more photos. For anyone interested in seeing my videos I have a bunch posted in YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/user/chondonphotography

Laundry Night + Nikon DF

Winter is here. Up north in Thunder Bay where I live it gets quite cold which means it’s not always fun going outside to take photos. Instead, I look to challenge myself with the everyday environment I’m surrounded with. What better challenge then documenting my wife do laundry in an 8 x 8 room.

What I find fun about photographing the mundane is looking for angles and compositions that others might not see. To the average person looking in, it’s simply a laundry room. To me, I see the attention in the details. The camera I chose was the Nikon Df. It’s my favourite camera that I own and I’m amazed by the low light abilities.

So for anyone stuck inside, challenge yourself to see things differently and with a fresh perspective, no matter which camera you own.

Victoria Street with the Nikon DF

I have been forcing myself to take the weekends off from the gym. It’s hard for me to not be active so I still try to go for a walk to get some exercise. Yesterday was actually a nice day out and a reprieve from the very cold weather we have been having. I asked my wife Anne if she wanted to join me for a photo walk but she decided to just stay in. 

I almost left the house with my Nikon F4 and my last roll of black and film. I decided to save that for another day and instead grabbed my Nikon DF and the 35mm 1.8. What can I say, it was calling out to me.  

Because it’s winter and I like to shoot wide open, I put an ND filter on the lens as well. All I had to decide on now was the destination. I decided to go walk around Downtown Fort William. It an older part of Thunder Bay, and it’s also where my studio is. It’s one of my favourite places to take photos.  

I didn’t have an a planned route or objective other then to capture whatever I see. I should probably start setting goals or projects for myself in the New Year but for now I just wanted to take photos.  

As you can see from the photos below, I shoot randomly. I look for angles and colours. I’m always framing in my mind. I don’t stay in one place to long, I simply move on to the next location. If I had all day to shoot and there were actually people out, I would probably hang around spots longer.  

Without chalking it up to just being my ‘latest camera’, the Nikon DF is a pleasure to shoot with. The sound and feel of the shutter make me want to press it over and over again. I’ve also mentioned this before, and I’m sure many people will say it’s simply not true, but the image quality and tones and colours have a unique feel. Better then my X100F and D750. It reminds me of when I used to shoot with the D700. But this sensor is much, much better.  

I think I ended up walking around for about 90 minutes. The whole time I was in the zone. Everything flowed naturally. I wasn’t really thinking about the photos, I was just taking them. It’s supposed to be warm st lunch today so I’m already looking forward to taking the DF out again.  

Downtown with the Fuji X100F

This afternoon I decided to head downtown for an espresso at my favourite coffee shop in town. For the second week in a row, it was closed early. I even went earlier this time. I wasn’t planning on walking around and taking photos but I did bring my Fuji X100F with me so I decided to spend about an hour walking around.

Luckily I brought my hat and gloves because it was quite chilly. I’ve taken photos downtown many many times so it’s always a challenge looking for different ideas and compositions. In the cold weather I tend to just keep moving and photographing what ever catches my eye.

I did have a bit of a scare halfway through my walk. As I was crossing the overpass I stopped to give a couple people some spare change. Up taking off my gloves I forgot that my hand strap was on top of it. Bam. My camera fell about 3 feet to the ground. Luckily I have a pretty sturdy hand grip which took the brunt of the impact. After I quick inspection everything worked well. Although I did lose my shutter release button. But I learned my lesson this time around and ordered a 3 pack.

I continued on my way to the marina which was very cold. I didn’t stay there too long. Once I got back to my car it took me 5 minutes to open due to a failing battery in my keys, which I have been meaning to fix for quite a while now.

I still wanted a coffee so I stopped at another great coffee shop which is always open. Photographing with the Fuji is just a pleasure. It honestly feels like an extension of myself. All the photos here were shot in the chrome setting and I uploaded them directly to my phone and tweaked them in the VSCO app. I realized after the fact that I had grain set to high so I apologize for the grainy photos. I don’t mind grain though personally.