Looking back through my personal journal, I see that we are about to start our 8th week of self-isolation. Immediately before we began this regimen, I purchased a 100-400mm lens thinking I would use it to photograph the springtime return of life to the Don Valley. I took it out once at the beginning of March when life was still largely dormant. That’s it.
I hate the thought of spending good money on a new lens and not using it. So, instead of stalking wildlife in Toronto’s ravines, I’ve played Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window, propping my gear on a tripod and waiting to see what happens in neighbouring buildings. To date, thankfully, I haven’t witnessed any horrible crimes. Here are a few of my Jimmy Stewart shots:
The first shot is of a window washer on the east face of the National Post building on Bloor Street East. I shot it through 2 panes of glass which gave it a green cast and an inordinate granularity. The curious thing about this shot is that the window washer is cleaning a window that no one will use. I have watched these windows every day since the government of Ontario first declared a state of emergency and the only person I’ve seen on the other side of the glass is a cleaner running a duster along the sill. One person. None of the usual office workers. And yet their windows are pristine.
Like the first shot, the second is at a focal length of 400mm. A man stands in the window of his condominium and looks out towards me. I have no idea if he can see me. Even if he can, a 400mm lens places me so far away, I’m just an ant from his point of view.
These days, evening shots of the Toronto skyline are unusual. Normally, a long exposure is littered with blinking lights and contrails. Now, the sky is clear. To date, I haven’t taken a single shot with an airplane in it. Maybe one evening I’ll get lucky and capture one of these magical machines. Here, the two tallest buildings are the Heathview Apartments near Bathurst and St. Clair.
Finally, a rainy day shot with Rosedale in the foreground. Mist rises from the various ravines that run vein-like through the city and drain into Lake Ontario. This shot looks to the northeast, to Don Mills, famed as North America’s first planned suburban community. You can also see in the distance the vague outline of hydro towers which run along a corridor through the north end of the city. I shot this photo with a 70-200mm lens at 185mm. It’s a 6 second exposure at 100 ISO. I slowed it down 8 stops with a neutral density filter.
