Elegance

You can click on the image to enlarge.

The Intersection

The Master, the Dog, and the Car

Hide and Seek

The Spy

Winter in TO

Yes, the ice and snow and freezing cold are coming to Toronto. Don't worry though, the nightmare will be all over in nine or ten months.

Ladies

Getting Used to Tyranny at a Young Age

Everyone Wants To Mail Their First Letter

Looking Forward, Looking Back

Marta Live at The Press Club

Just a shot of Marta and her band performing at The Press Club last week. Be sure to click on the image to enlarge and get the full effect.

This Coming Weekend...

I'll be taking pics and generally soaking up the atmosphere at the Green Living Show. It's being held at the Direct Energy Centre, April 23-25; tickets are $12 and it's easy to get to by public transit.

Be sure to definitely check it out. Look for me mostly around the organic wine booths....

Staring at Condiments

Heck, I took this picture and I'm not even sure what this person is doing. Is she actually staring at the condiments, unsure which to get? Is she cold and leeching off the hot dog vendor's warmth? Is he refusing to serve her? Is she just shy?

Maternal Protection in a Cold, Cruel World

I hate when people start a presentation by reading a definition from the dictionary. As in, "Webster's dictionary defines productivity as the art or act of being productive." Not very helpful, is it? No. But today I'm going to start with a definition. Call me a hypocrite if you must.

I think we can all agree that a portrait is a picture of somebody. Right? Well, I thought I'd start posting some pictures of people that I've taken which aren't standard 'portraits', but are portraits because they're pictures of people.

You follow? Man I have a way with words.

Recycling Sports Apparel in Toronto to Make Some Very Cool Stuff

I don't do tons of commercial photography but I did shoot the merchandise that's made by my friends Mutsumi and Lisa for their new venture Sureman36. What does Sureman36 do? They take old and used items like hockey jerseys, soccer jerseys and socks to make stuff that's cool and must-have. The pillows you see above are their specialty but they make lots of other items too, like skate guards and those all-important tush cushions for cold hockey auditorium seats. Check out their site to see what two entrepreneurial moms can do.

If you want to see the goods in person they're also available at the Leaside Arena Hockey Shop which is open weekends 8am-8pm and evenings Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Let me also say on a personal note that during the photo shoot all the merchandise was very well behaved and highly professional. I'd be happy to work with any of it again.

Yes, Even More Toronto Concert Photography...

Canadian Indie band Low Level Flight is normally five men strong, but they recently played a small acoustic gig in Toronto and yours truly was on hand to capture the (mostly) non-electrified action. And in case you doubt lead singer Ryan Malcolm is intense, both of these shots were taken while he sang a ballad.



Low Level Flight's second album is due some time later this year.

Backstage at the El Mocambo

Here's a very different but classic look at singer-songwriter Marta after a performance. She's just pretending to look mean here (at least I think she's pretending) but when the light falls just the right way, a great shot is a great shot.


Don't forget to check her site.

Marta Live, Part II

Here's another shot of Marta during a performance at the Balmy Beach Club on the lakeshore. Her music has a distinct country feel and I tried to give the shots a sort of Johnny Cash playing a honky-tonk vibe.


Marta will be playing again on Canada Day Eve, Tuesday June 30, at the world-famous El Mocambo.

Australian Recording Artist Marta

Here's Marta during a performance at the Balmy Beach Club on the east side of Toronto.

The set was great, and while it wasn't a straight Aussie evening, Mark Seymour, formerly of Hunters & Collectors, performed as well and more or less brought the house down.

A Little Note About Style

It's true that though I like environmental portraits I also like pretty tight closeups.


The reason I guess is there's nothing more interesting and compelling than a human face, and also nothing more unique to each individual. A closeup can be quiet, intimate and personal like the one above, but also sometimes in your face (pun intended).