Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Herring. Not red.

Which fish?
Thornhill, ON
April 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On a grand grocery-getting adventure to the Big City to the East with my most favourite human ever, I come across a stranger selecting the perfect jar of herring.

I’m mesmerized by the scene as he slowly zeroes in on the display case and carefully scans his options.

I’m not much of a herring fan, but I appreciate that my tastes are far from universal. This is a serious choice for him, and he’s taking his time.

I quietly watch from afar as he settles on one, places it in his cart, and moves on. He never knew I was there, never knew I was watching, will likely never know his story is being told here.

The anonymity is deliberate. Because he could be any one of us, looking for whatever it is that touches our taste buds. Or souls.

Most of the time, we do so without an audience. Sometimes, though, I like to imagine that exceptions can be made.

Either way, I hope he enjoyed his find. I hope everyone here found what they were looking for.

#toronto #ontario #canada #grocery #store #sobeys #fish #shopping #retail #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Subway shooting, September 2023
A moment at Staples, October 2022
Double-double-drinking, February 2012

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Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Publish Day - AI, political theatre, and you

It's #budget day in Canada - and I've got some thoughts re. the federal government's announcement of $2.4 billion in funding for AI.

My latest #ThoughtLeadership piece breaks it down:

Canada’s $2.4b AI bet is merely political theatre


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What Po saw

What can you see up there?
London, ON
April 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Here’s what Po was staring at on Sunday night. I’m guessing the flaring light from the sun slipping beneath the horizon jumped out at her.

I get it: logic dictates that a stuffed animal can’t appreciate a sunset. Or anything else, for that matter.

But no one ever said every moment needed to be dictated by logic. Perhaps it’s just as reasonable to stand quietly and feel the wonder of starlight brilliantly piercing the late-evening atmosphere. Perhaps moments like this should be felt rather than explained.

So I’ll continue to tote this tattered stuffie with me whenever I head out on random adventures. I’ll continue to imagine that she has a semblance of a soul. I’ll continue to seek moments of wonder through a tiny icon of our children’s childhood, a faded red relic of their upbringing that stays with me to this day.

Maybe Po can’t appreciate all of this. But I most certainly can.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #po #teletubby #sunset #cloudspotting #weather #wx #silhouette #optimist #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded



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Monday, April 15, 2024

Taking a stuffie to watch the sunset

Finding comfort in the light
London, ON
April 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Po the Teletubby wanted to see the sunset last night, so who was I to say no?

Off we went to the park to see what we could see.

The angles when we got there weren’t working in our favour. A cloud bank had moved in, with only a tiny sliver of glowing colour peeking out from behind the thickest part of the treeline.

So we walked to the other side of the park, and just like that we were back in business.

Soon enough the skies began to fade, but not before I snagged this test shot of my favourite stuffie taking in the scene.

While I’ve always appreciated the profound power of a simple change in perspective, I truly felt it last night as I realized the moment just wasn’t working out, so we went for a little walk.

I suppose I should listen to the smallest Teletubby more often.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #po #red #teletubby #optimist #park #goldenhour #metaphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded


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Sunday, April 14, 2024

Just go with the flow

Water, time, and light
London, ON
November 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

If Planet Earth seems a little turbulent these days, you’re not alone.

The skies overhead have been rain-filled, tinged with violent thunder and lightning, whipped by raging winds.

All this has fed the watershed below. The waters are now higher than they’ve been in recent memory, and they make a heck of a lot of noise as they rush chaotically downstream toward destinations often unknown.

At least that’s how it seems as I stand along the banks of that now-dangerous river.

But I’m guessing if I stand here long enough, a number of things might happen.

The storms will gradually fade into the distance. The skies will slowly clear. The sun will emerge once more. The winds will ease off. The waters will slow down and drop, eventually receding to a gentle burble. The birds will resume singing their songs.

It’ll remind us that everything is cyclical, that no turbulence lasts forever, that brighter skies are always out there, somewhere.

We just have to be a little patient. We just have to be a little hopeful.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #theowback #medway #valley #heritage #forest #thames #river #water #longexposure #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Swish... January 2024

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Saturday, April 13, 2024

Be the light, squared

Scene from a restaurant
London, ON
April 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

If one source of light is good, then two sources of light are even better.

That is all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #lightbulb #light #led #led #design #art #electric #abstract #stilllife #jackastors #restaurant #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded


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Friday, April 12, 2024

Boys (and girls) of summer

Postgame
Toronto, ON
September 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The Boys of Summer are back.

Why just boys, though?

#toronto #yyz #ontario #canada #throwback #bluejays #rogers #centre #stadium #skydome #baseball #sports #sportsing #photography #photooftheday #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
No fans here, January 2021
Expensive blue seats, October 2017
Done deal, September 2004
'Spos - almost done, September 2004

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Thursday, April 11, 2024

Homeless in the core

Scene from a sidewalk
Montreal, QC
September 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Some have. Some don’t.

#montreal #quebec #yul #canada #urban #downtown #city #throwback #homelessness #streetphotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Homeless in New York, November 2020
Caption This 82, August 2008
Haunted, April 2007

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Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Stories through glass

Someone used a ruler
Montreal, QC
September 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Behind every window lurks a story, which means there are a lot of stories happening here.

What are they? Who tells them? Are they happy? Sad? Somewhere in between?

From the sidewalk across the street, peering through glass, none of these questions can be answered. From the outside looking in, we’ll never really know.

Which is perhaps as it should be. Not every question needs an answer. Not every mystery needs to be solved. Not every story needs an audience wider than those whose lives it touches.

#montreal #quebec #yul #canada #throwback #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #urban #downtown #city #geometry #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

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Tuesday, April 09, 2024

Back to our regular programming

The sailors should be delighted
London, ON
February 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There will be no eclipse today.

The crowds have all gone home, and I’ll once again be standing under an ordinary sky.

Alone. Looking for the other wonders that no longer seem to matter to everyone else.

Yet wonders they are.

Every day.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #pink #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #silhouette #forest #tree #trees #optimist #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Difficult sunset, June 2019
Pink morning sky redux, November 2017

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Monday, April 08, 2024

Brick, meet sky

Not a curve in sight
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When our nearest star isn’t being blocked by our even nearer satellite, it’s busy bathing the rest of the planet in soothing light.

I found this particularly fetching tone during a walkabout that took me behind an otherwise unassuming strip mall. I was in between appointments, and at the time I thought the clean lines of the drawn-with-a-ruler architecture offset nicely against the late-afternoon blue sky.

Or something. I guess I just liked it.

Come to think of it, I like a lot of things like it. Ordinary things in unassuming places. Everyday moments that never seem to attract our attention.

But part of me thinks they should. That we should maybe spend a little more time looking for them.

Because while everyone’s pursuing the obvious things, the non-obvious things live just as vibrantly in the shadows. And shadows happen every day, not just today.

There won’t be an eclipse tomorrow. But there will be lots of ordinary things and moments.

You know where I’ll be.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #brick #blue #sky #geometry #southdale #wonderland #street #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Old City Hall, December 2023

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Sunday, April 07, 2024

Always ride with your shadow

Me, myself, and my machine
London, ON
April 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It was a good day to go for a ride. So I did.

I admit I had been remiss in getting on the bike. Mild winter notwithstanding, I just wasn’t feeling it. The roads here have become overrun with street racers, and the near-constant cacophony of screaming engines and fartcan exhausts reflects the almost total absence of enforcement.

To be frank, it scares the daylights out of me. And I’m ashamed that I allowed the fear to keep me off the bike.

But a few weeks ago, I agreed to join a community ride. And that ride is today. So fear or not, I needed to take the bike - and my body - for a shakedown ride to ensure everything still worked.

Not 2 kms from the house, I had angry, naughty words for a motorist who blindly turned through an intersection into my path. I saw it coming - too busy with her phone - but still.

Regardless, it didn’t rattle me so much as it galvanized me to keep riding. We may indeed be surrounded by distracted, indifferent, and reckless drivers. But I’m not going anywhere.

The rest of the ride was lovely. The bike - an orange gravel bike that a friend suggested I name Tangerine Dream - performed beautifully, smooth and responsive and oh so freaking quick. I couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off of my face, and I reminded myself, after too much time on the sidelines, why I’ve always loved this sport as much as I do.

Soon enough I reached my turnaround point and stopped for some spontaneous shadowy selfie photography. I’ll often send my wife little photo-notes from the road, just to let her know I’m okay. Today I also needed to thank her for quietly pushing me to get back out there.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #cycling #cyclist #cycle #bicycle #bike #cyclinglife #bikelife #instabike #highbury #shadow #selfie #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
On-the-road selfie, October 2022
Back in the saddle, April 2022
The corn grows tall here, September 2021
Wheel meets grass, August 2021
And we ride... April 2021
Back to 2 wheels, March 2020
The first ride, April 2019
Cranked, July 2006

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Saturday, April 06, 2024

A simple map on a frozen street

Frozen, not the movie
London, ON
March 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It only looks simple.

Maybe we’re talking about the ice beneath our feet.

Maybe we’re not.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #water #gutter #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #actofdog #nature #naturephotography #abstract #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded


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Friday, April 05, 2024

Everyday miracles above us

No crowds here
London, ON
April 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

With three days to go until millions of people gather to take in a possibly-once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse, I find myself questioning whether it’s worth the hype.

Don’t get me wrong: the Moon blocking out the Sun is rare enough that it’s worth noticing. Millions of people will form core memories that will last a lifetime, and it’s hard to argue against being part of something so universally understood. We remember where we are when history happens, and that’s an important part of being human.

But in all the hype around this one-time event, I fear we’re forgetting that great things can also happen on any other day, at any other moment, in any other place.

To wit, the park near my house, where I’ll sometimes go to take in the sun before it winks out for the day. It happens often enough that it isn’t remotely special - at least not special enough to generate a headline or entice millions of people to travel huge distances and stand among the crowds.

As I was watching the clouds from home and debating whether or not to make the walk at all, my wife told me the worst outcome would be an extra kilometre or so of walking. I followed her advice, and the clouds had largely cleared by the time I got there.

It ended up being a particularly memorable sunset. Not the only one. Not a headline-grabbing one. Not something millions of other people were doing at the same time.

But uniquely special all the same. To me, at least.

So please don’t mind if, in the decades between the big ticket eclipses and other major events that pull in the crowds, I fill the quiet evenings by standing alone and making memories no less valuable in my own admittedly lower-profile life.

Indeed, what are we all up to when the rest of the world isn’t paying attention? Perhaps that’s where we might want to be pointing our lenses.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #silhouette #forest #tree #trees #optimist #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded


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Thursday, April 04, 2024

Hope comes from the sky

Just wait it out
London, ON
April 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It had been cloudy all day, with intermittent rain spitting from the steel-grey sky, whipped up by winds that whistled through even the most tightly drawn coat.

So I wasn’t hopeful we’d see much of a sunset.

Yet as evening approached, the skies began to clear just enough to make it interesting. Or at least worth a short wander to the nearby park. Just in case.

I asked my wife if she thought I should give it a try, and it wasn’t so much her yes that convinced me, but her tone, almost willing me to pick up the camera and go, simply with her voice. She gets me.

So soon enough I was on my way, not getting my hopes up, but still glad to be giving it a shot.

From the first photo as I arrived, I could feel it was the right call. There were just enough puffy clouds backdropped against a slowly clearing sky that it was hard to know where to look. Wide-open compositions to take it all in? Or tightly framed pics to zero in on the optical fire that seemed to backlight the treeline?

Maybe a bit of both.

I happily enjoyed the moment through glass, and shared a couple with her back home via text. Because I’m never alone, no matter where I might be.

Today’s photo is a quick test shot off of the smartphone. I’ll share more as I process them through my usual workflow.

Last night’s shoot taught me - or at least reinforced - a few key lessons:
  1. Always listen to your wife. She is wise in ways words cannot describe. And she gets me in ways no one else ever has or will.
  2. Special moments take many forms. Everyone’s talking about the upcoming eclipse because in some ways it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. But sunrises and sunsets happen constantly. So do countless other everyday moments that don’t seem to merit global headlines. Doesn’t make them any less worthy, though.
  3. Never give up hope. The skies may look grey right now, but that can all change in a blink. Somehow, this doesn’t just apply to photography.
#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #silhouette #forest #tree #trees #optimist #park #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded


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