Over the past few months I have been teaching myself video and exploring different areas with a completely different point of view, seeing as how it's different then photography. One of the areas in town I always wanted to make a short film about was FWCI. Even though it's getting pretty run down these days I still think it has so much character and potential to be beautiful again. You can view the resulting video below, but while I was there I also managed to take some photos as well.
Read MoreMount McKay and Abandoned Cars
I have been spending a lot of time lately trying to hone my 'video skills' and my personal photo walks have taken a backseat. Well, this morning I decided to take my X100F into the rain, even though it's not waterproof, and see if I remembered how to take photos. ;)
I joke about taken photos, as I have been doing a lot of professional work, but I have missed just walking around aimlessly and capturing still images. My first destination was the Mount McKay lookout, at the base of Mountdale Road. I'm not sure if I a lot of people know about this spot, because there is rarely anyone there, but it is quite beautiful. As soon as I got out of my car, I saw a cute little chubby rabbit hopping around. I swear it looked like a household rabbit. I did manage to get fairly close before it hopped off into the gloomy forest. As I do with almost any cat, dog, horse or bird I see in my travels, I had a short conversation with it. Sometimes I worry that I'm a bit crazy. I can't be the only person that talks to random animals though right?
Read MoreYonge Street with the X100F
Last week I was hired to photograph a 3 day conference in downtown Toronto and I was pretty excited to do so, for a couple reasons. The main one being that I got to be a part of an amazing conference for ONWA, which you can read about on my professional blog here. The second reason was that I could not wait to get out and do some street photography. Lastly, I was very anxious to try out my new X100F. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to do very much street photography. However, I still managed to go for a quick walk around the block one evening, and managed to get some keepers and test out the new camera.
Read MoreThe Prince Arthur in Black and White
I was tasked to go in an capture some photos of The Prince Arthur Hotel the February Issue of The Walleye. I had been in the hotel a few times before, mainly for weddings and also a couple events. Each time I was inside, I just loved the overall feel and the history that excludes from the architecture. So, when The Walleye asked me to take some architectural photos for a spread they were doing, I jump at the chance.
Read MoreWalking around with the Nikon D850
I continue to be impressed with my Nikon D810. It's like my Nikon D750 on steroids. Don't get me wrong, my 750 is still a fantastic camera, but there is just something about the files that come out of the 850, that I just can't put my finger on. One of a recent shoots I had was downtown, so after I was done it I decided to walk around downtown for about 20 minutes. These are the resulting photos.
Read MoreSilver Creek Cliff
Anne and I decided to go see Arcade Fire perform in St. Paul, Minnesota this past weekend. The concert was their best yet that I have been to, and I almost want to see them again in another city. In any case, each time we do the drive to Duluth or Minneapolis, I always want to stop along the way to take photos at various spots. The problem is that we are always pressed for time and either want to get to where we are going, or on the way home, get back before it gets dark.
Read MoreA Long Time Coming
I say in the title it has been a long time coming because it feels like ages since I just got outside and walked around to take personal photos, not something I'm paid to do. Don't get me wrong, I love paid work and I hope it only gets busier, but everyone now and again I need to get out and shoot for myself. That is exactly what I did this evening.
Read MoreTo the Marina and Beyond
I managed to actually get out yesterday morning and take some photos for myself. It had been a long time since I have had the chance to do so and it felt really good. My camera of choice was actually the Nikon D700. It's a camera I purchased recently as a backup and one that I owned before. It's an 'older' camera and has long since been replaced but to be honest, it is still one of my favourite cameras to date, which is why I ended up buying it again for photography.
Read MoreSunday Evening Walk
It was an overcast day and somewhat warm out, so I decided to grab my Nikon D750 and 35mm lens and venture over to Hillcrest Park. Admittedly, it's hard sometimes to find new things to photograph, especially when I tend to walk in the same areas. So, what I try to do, is go down a different back alley, or walk from a different direction. Often times, just looking behind you or walking the opposite direction can give you a completely fresh perspective.
Read MoreDowntown Fort William
Last week I decided to wander around good old Fort William. Each time I go there, I always find new spots and different angles. This time around I brought my Nikon D750 and 35mm 1.8. I think it's the perfect walk around lens. It allows me to get in really close but it's also perfect for capturing authentic street photography, that loos natural to the eye.
The following photos are simply a collection of things that caught me eye. Enjoy!
Read MoreLooking for Deers at Mission Marsh
I decided to make a trip down to one of my favourite places to take photos, the Mission Marsh. My ultimate goal was to try and get some photos of the deers that frequent the area. I did end up getting a couple keepers but I also had the chance to explore and capture some other great images as well.
Read MoreAlgoma Street Walk
It was one of those days that I just didn't want to sit behind my computer and stare at a screen, so I figured I would get and enjoy some of the nice weather, and take some photos in the process. This time around, I took my Nikon D750 paired with the 35mm 1.8. I always go on about the tones and colours that come out of my Fuji cameras, but the Nikon is right there as well, and if anything, the colours are just as good. For the longest time I would always just carry around the 50mm lens but I think the 35mm on the Nikon is my new favourite. It's a nice balance and it has amazing close focusing abilities. I'm able to blur out the background easily and the bokeh produced is actually quite pleasing.
Read MoreIt was an overcast kind of day
It was finally and overcast and gloomy day, and I was so thankful for it. Don't get me wrong, I like sun as next as the next person, but my absolute type of weather for walking around taking photos it definitely cloudy, overcast days. I just love the lighting and the tones.
The next step was to decide where to take photos. My first destination was Hillcrest Park. It's usually a good starting point. After I dropped of Anne at work, I parked there and ate my breakfast sandwich and sipping on my coffee. Once I was fed, I walked around the park for about 15 minutes. Obviously, I have photographed this location many many times, so I always challenge myself to find new angles and perspectives. Even though, I got a few good shots of the view, I don't really post those any more unless it's something spectacular.
Read MoreCounty Fair
The weather just keeps getting a bit warmer by the day, and since I had to work most of it, I knew I had to get out for at least a short while in the evening. That's just what I did. I grabbed my X-Pro2 and 35mm 1.4 lens and took a stroll through County Park. It only ended be being about a 30 minute walk, but I came away with some decent photos.
Read MoreAfternoon Stroll with the X-Pro2
I recently traded in my Fuji X-T1 and a couple lenses I don't use any more for a Fuji X-Pro2. Even though it's been out for quite a awhile now, I was simply looking for it to come down in a price a bit possibly get a bit of deal. Luckily for me, Greg at the local camera store, is always willing to barter and I was able to pry his X-Pro2 from him. I have been using it non stop for about a week since I got it. Below are some of my thoughts on how it has performed so far.
Read MoreWeekend Fun
This weekend was very busy but it was also packed with a lot of fun. We ended up playing some cards, some dice and Anne cooked some amazing meals. We even had Willow over for the weekend, and as you can tell from the cover image, she was looking for some love (and food). Jasmine and Emma slept over, as did Anne's mom, Cathy. I would have preferred to actually win's some game of dice against her, but she was ruthless.
Read MoreCumberland Street Walk
I had the afternoon off and it was a decently warm day so I grabbed my camera and headed down to Cumberland Street. It had been a while since I had the chance to walk around this area to take photos so I figured it was as good a time as any. As I usually do, I parked the car and wandered in and out of the back alleys looking for anything the caught my me.
Read MoreA Visit With The Horses
The snow decided to come down most of the day today so I figured it was as good a time as any to get Willow some fresh air. So I packed up my Nikon D750 and the 85mm 1.8 and me and Willow headed out to Centennial Park. Since it had been snowing for a while, I had a feeling Centennial Park would have a fair amount of accumulation of snow.
Read MoreHammarskjold High School with Willow
I've been meaning to post these photos from a walk I did last week but it's just been super busy. As much as I'd love to spend time on my personal photography, they don't really pay the bills now do they. :) With that being said, I decided to take Willow for yet another walk last weekend seeing as how it was fairly warm out. When I walk Willow I always try and think of a location where I can just let her run (walk) free and I decided on Hammarskjold. They have the super big field there and plenty of snow for her to roll around in. That is exactly what she did.
Read MoreQuick Visit to Westfort
My last photo walk of the day in the fog took place in Westfort. I knew I had to at least go to one more location before I called it a day so I headed on over to the Westfort overpass. The bridge itself is just an awesome location but it also overlooks the entire train yard which I knew might look pretty cool in the fog. I actually spent a good 30 minutes photographing on the overpass, but I decided to only show a select few, my favourites if you will.
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