Writings, Reviews, Cultural Criticism
This is Richard. I was climbing the stairs from Ted Rogers Way to Huntley Street and he was sitting on the top step so I stopped and we chatted. The conversation was rambling, driven by a free-association game that Richard seemed to be playing with himself.
I don’t regard myself as a nature or wildlife photographer. For one thing, I don’t have the proper equipment for it, namely a fast long lens. For another thing, I live in downtown Toronto and so most of my photo opportunities (and my love) belong to urban spaces. Nevertheless, one kind of photography doesn’t preclude the other.
One of the easiest targets for street photography is other photographers. We get so wrapped up in what we’re shooting that we ignore everything that’s going on around us–including the presence of other photographers.
Shot some kids shooting video of themselves skateboarding by the University Ave. court house. Part of the reason they were skateboarding there is that it has some of the city’s last remaining benches that don’t have slats to keep skateboarders from doing grinds on them.
The photo gurus tell you that, as a rule, you get better outdoor shots the further you get from high noon. The reason is that shadows get longer and contrast gets higher.
This weekend was, at least for Toronto, the first real weekend of spring. The sun was bright, the sky was clear, the temperature was comfortable, and people poured into public spaces to enjoy the change. Their happiness was palpable and I was fortunate to capture some of that with my camera.
I shot this in the morning as people were going to work. I’m looking south from Front St. beside Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market. They’ve recently replaced the pavement with brick and when it’s a little wet, it produces a lovely reflection.
This is (I hope) my farewell to winter for this year. I took these shots a couple weeks ago, but haven’t got around to posting them until now when the snow and ice are thoroughly melted. I took these shots early one morning in East Riverdale. I liked the way the colours of the play…
Is abstract photography pointless? If so, does that matter? Personally, I feel some ambivalence around the production of abstract photographs. Images that we describe as abstract can be pleasing to the eye.
The so-called Luminous Veil is, for me, a symbol-laden structure. The Luminous Veil is a late addition to the half kilometre length of Toronto’s Prince Edward Viaduct. It was designed to end the viaduct’s reputation as one of North America’s premiere suicide destinations.
First up is classic great blue. He (she?) just stands there doing nothing. Classic great blue is vaguely narcissistic, hoping passers-by will say “Ooo, awww, isn’t he (she?) beautiful?” Next up is reflective great blue. This is a little bit like classic great blue in that he (she?) is doing that narcissistic posing thing. But…
So Saturday we’re driving down Highway 27 from Haines City towards the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at the corner of Thompson Nursery Rd. It’s 32 degrees Celsius which is a far cry from the sub-freezing temperatures we left behind in Toronto. We pass a sign advertising a gun show this weekend.
Another gear mishap. The last time was a lens dropped on gravel with a scratch that rendered it unusable. This time, it was a broken tripod. On Monday, I was up to my wazoo in snow as I tramped through the sugar bush at Williams Farm (see yesterday’s photos).
The sap is running at Williams Farm in Wyebridge, ON. March offers a sweet spot (so to speak) when the temperature rises above freezing during the day and dips below freezing at night.
Some images from Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade here in Toronto. I didn’t mean to take these photos. It’s just that I had to go through the parade to get home and happened to have a camera in my pocket. Incidentally, the parade taught me a valuable lesson. In an attempt to get interesting angles…