When fire touches your family

Our son, Zach, and daughter-in-law, Michaela, were woken up early yesterday morning by 3-year-old Lilly: Claira’s room was on fire.

The good news, if there is any, is everyone is OK. Zach ran through the flames, and snatched her from her crib. They were out of the house by the time the fire trucks and EMS rolled up.

They were taken by ambulance to the hospital, and despite some smoke inhalation, seem to be fine.

The bad news: the damage is extensive and the house is uninhabitable. Rebuilding will be a long road of dealing with insurance companies and contractors. It is a nightmare come to life.

We often say it’s just stuff, that it can be replaced, while life cannot be. And that is indeed true here. But, still, that’s our family. We’d wish this on no one.

The word, hero, keeps bouncing through my head. A three-year-old who had the fortitude to alert her parents before the smoke alarm even went off. A dad who didn’t even think about himself as he ran straight into a burning room and grabbed an almost-14-month-old from her crib. A mom who keeps it together for her traumatized family after the unthinkable has happened. The universe is testing them all.

Whenever anyone asks us about them, we tell them what great kids they are. What incredible parents they have become. We talk about the remarkably sweet and insightful kids they’re raising. The home they’ve built around them.

It hurts to imagine the what-ifs, to think about the heartbreak of everything you’ve worked for being put in such peril. But we’re thankful they have the support of family, friends, and community to rebuild. We’re thankful we have them, period.

Off with her coat!

Believe it or not, this is her happy look
London, ON
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

For close to a month, the temperature here stayed well below freezing. Most days, it was so cold that Calli the Wonderschnauzer ran under the dining room table when it was time to go outside.

We insisted on putting on her coat, which only added to her misery. It’s hard to explain to a dog that we’re doing all of this to keep her safe and warm.

Well, the temperature finally climbed above freezing, so the coat stayed on the hook as we prepared to head out. She didn’t run under the dining table, instead planting herself at the door when she realized the hated purple coat was staying in the vestibule.

She had an extra bounce in her step as we closed the door behind us, almost as if she knew something had changed. I don’t profess to speak dog, but she seemed happier than she had been in a while.

I can’t control the weather, and her much despised coat might yet be needed before this ridiculous winter finally gives way to spring. So we’ll use extra treats to coax her out from under the dining room table, and we’ll offer extra pets and hugs for a girl who deserves happy moments as much as anyone.

It’s a dog thing, I think.

Good girl.

#ldnont #canada #callithewonderschnauzer #actofdog

Don't cry over spilled pasta

Geometry on the floor
London, ON
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Don’t be sad that it fell on the floor and made a mess.

Be glad that we were there to witness it at all.

That we had the freedom and the time to capture it in all its mundane glory.

That this qualified as the most challenging obstacle we had to face on this - or any - given day.

Pasta as perspective. Who knew?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #nofrills #shopping #pasta #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Salt, pepper, and life in general

Give them a shake
London, ON
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On a bitterly cold winter’s morning, the sun reaches through the window and floods the table with enough light to banish the season - for at least as long as breakfast lasts.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #morningbites #salt #pepper #stilllife #shadow #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Not quite the Himalayas

Craggy peaks
London, ON
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Winter is cold, uncomfortable, and even dangerous.

But it can also be stunningly beautiful, particularly in the corners of everyday life where we rarely venture.

This chilly dichotomy dawned on me the other night as the dog and I set out on a walk. It had been snowing for days, leaving everything in sight covered in a thick layer of white.

At the end of our block, a plow had left a massive pile of jumbled snow behind, jagged blocks casting sharp shadows under the brilliant streetlights, the colour naturally drained from the icy facets.

It reminded me of those drone overflights of majestic peaks, a mundane suburban snow mountain masquerading as something much more substantial. And if you squinted just so, you might be tricked into believing this was indeed something more.

But that’s the thing about the theatre of the mind. What we see within it is substantial if we believe it to be so. Imagination is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #snow #weather #wx #onstorm #texture #streetphotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Lola Granola would be proud

Packaged
London, ON
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Life is filled with what I like to call in-between moments, scenes of utter ordinariness that would otherwise fade into nothingness if we allowed them.

Yet sometimes we get a nudge from the universe to remember them, anyway, to snapshot them as a way of journaling the simple moments of what many might deem simple lives.

This latest example is the box of granola bars we brought home from the Costco in the midst of a blizzard, the winds blowing so strongly at one point that the box almost launched itself out of the cart and across the parking lot.

We probably shouldn’t have been out, but with the weather warnings suggesting things would get even worse, we made the very Canadian decision to dig out the car and forage for enough groceries to see us through the storm. It’s one of the ways we batten down the hatches when things get rough.

After getting home and thawing ourselves out, I stopped in my tracks after opening the box and noticing the weird spectacle that lay inside. The patterns and colours strangely spoke to me. So I played dining room table photographer for a few minutes to freeze that particularly dark Friday evening in time.

Because lives are complex things. And some of us are lucky enough to live them out alongside partners who understand the secret language of blizzards and granola bars, and will carefully watch over you as you try to keep boxes from flying away into apocalyptic snow storms.

Because ordinary isn’t really ordinary, nor is simple really simple. And in the end, the stories of the everyday turn out to be the stories of us.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #granola #foodporn #random #kitchen #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

As day gives way to night

One last blast
London, ON
March 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At the end of the day, the skies come alive with reflected fire that burns brilliantly for just a few fleeting moments before darkness wins the daily, epic battle.

A message from the universe, perhaps, to look up while we still can.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sunset #cloudspotting #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Leaving land behind

Destination unknown
Port Stanley, ON
August 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I like to do this thing in winter: pull up pics from the summer to remind myself that the cold and the darkness won’t last forever.

Which explains today’s photo taken from a beach, as a single sea gull headed out into the limitless skies over Lake Erie.

I remember what it felt like to stand in one place, my feet sinking slowly into the warm sand, watching this solitary bird disappear from view. While I logically knew she was a masterful flyer, I still found myself wishing her safe flight and an equally safe return.

I’ll never know if my wish was fulfilled, or where she ended up. But I’d like to think she, too, found light and warmth, and she’s safely weathering the current winter weather.

Part of me also wonders if I’ll see her again on my next visit to the shore. I’ll never know that, either, but life well lived doesn’t always involve getting every last answer to every last question. It’s perfectly acceptable for birds like this one to leave a little mystery in their wake.

#portstanley #beach #ldnont #ontario #canada #lakeerie #bird #seagull #flight #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

The two sides of a foggy morning

Focus harder
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

What the fog takes away in visibility it returns to us in sheer clarity.

It removes extraneous detail from the scene so that we can instead focus on the things that truly matter.

It even silences the overwhelming noise that pollutes our senses so the quiet voices have a chance to finally be heard.

What originally started out as a simple photo of a tree at the edge of a foggy park seems to have turned into something else entirely.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #fog #winter #weather #wx #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #silhouette #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Praying in a different kind of cathedral

Reverent
London, ON
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Not all cathedrals were built by humans.

Some of them were carved, drop by drop, out of the very ground at our feet.

Or planted by unseen forces long before we arrived.

Or shaped by the winds that carried life in from distant lands.

Or maybe it’s all of the above.

However this place was formed, it’s a place worthy of worship.

Because belief takes many forms.

And standing in silence in this reverent place feels like the right way to connect with the things that matter.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #winter #cathedral #forest #trees #thames #river #reflective #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Deep in an all-too-quiet valley

Hushed season
London, ON
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Weeks of significant snowfall and historic cold have transformed the river valley, thick layers of snow covering every tree, an equally thick layer of ice now hiding the flowing waters.

It’s eerily quiet here, as if winter has switched off the mic and shushed all who visit this place.

The late afternoon sun is quickly sinking into the western sky, the last remaining light fading from the surface of the snow, lengthening shadows turning ever deeper shades of blue.

A tiny stretch of remaining open water reflects an equally tiny sliver of residual light, one last act of defiance against the forces that continue to dominate this ever changing landscape.

Spring will come soon enough, but for now it is the cold that owns the narrative, that pushes all others aside. Power may only be temporary, but in the moment, it’s the only thing most of us see and hear.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #winter #forest #trees #thames #river #reflective #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Toothy frozen fish

Please shoot my good side
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The local grocery store has a fully stocked fish section tucked way in the back, usually staffed by a fishmonger who knows more about things that swim than just about anyone.

And as much mad respect as I have for the fish experts among us, I don’t want to have to explain to them why I would like to shoot still-life photographs of their frozen, departed friends.

I don’t eat things that are remotely recognizable, after all, and fish heads on ice very much qualify as things I’ll never add to my cart. So I’d hate to waste the staff’s time in conversation, knowing full well I wouldn’t be buying their wares.

So when the counter was unstaffed during yesterday’s grocery run, I seized the moment and quickly composed a few images through the dirty glass.

Every photo has a back story, a narrative unique to the person who takes it, a chain of logic that’s been taking shape in the shooter’s head for years, or even decades.

So we shoot the fish and tell the stories. Even if we have to bend the rules a little.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #sobeys #shopping #frozen #fish #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Rusty freighter at rest

She's been places
Toronto, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The CSL Welland bulk freighter sits dockside in Toronto as her crew busily unloads her in advance of her next trip.

Her burnt-orange sides betray years of abuse from being squeezed through locks barely wider than her beam, yet still she sails, quietly powering the industrial economy most of us never bother to think about.

Why am I shooting mournful photos of a rusty boat?

Maybe not everything needs a reason. Maybe I just want to remember what it feels like to stand beside the chilled lake and watch the barely perceptible breeze trace gentle ripples in its waters.

#toronto #canada #lakeontario #reflective #shipspotting

The ice storm comes for my car

Shellacked
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We’re having ourselves quite the Canadian winter, so scenes like this have become more common than they typically have been.

My inclination is usually to clean the car off so we can get going before we freeze to death, but the visuals are often so arresting - and temporary - that it’s worth a frozen-shut eyelid so we can get the shot.

Because the ice and snow won’t stick around for much longer. But the Canadian in me wants to freeze it in time so eventually we’ll be able to remember what it all felt like.

Maybe that’s a very Canadian trait, too. Or maybe I’ve just been spending too much time in the freezing cold.

#ldnont #ontario #canada #icicleworks #red

Staring out the window

Love me
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Today needs more dog in it.

Who’s with me?

#ldnont #canada #callithewonderschnauzer #actofdog

Shocking hotel room scene

Plugged in
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
May 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There’s no logical reason for a grown man to get on the hotel room floor for a spontaneous photo shoot involving an electrical outlet and a floor lamp power cable.

It isn’t something that shows up on a shot list or gets included in a vacation trip slide show. No one ever asks to see pics of the floor or any other abstract still-life from an otherwise forgettable hotel room.

Yet it’s this one image that I remember from that time we passed through a distant town in the middle of a long drive to reconnect with family. The fatigue weighed on us as we got ready to continue the journey in the gloom of an early morning in northern Ontario. And amid the rushed preparations to get out and get going, I plunked myself down and took a moment with the camera.

Photography as refuge is a thing. Or at least it should be. Where we get to time-out from life for as long as it takes to freeze the moment before we move on.

The result isn’t remotely conventional or even normal. But no one ever said anyone’s life - or the stories we tell along the way - had to be conventional.

#saultstemarie #ontario #canada #throwback #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #hotel #power #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

Where I talk about social media trials on CBC Radio

With a groundbreaking trial now underway in LA, the future of social media companies like Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Snap hangs in the balance amid a torrent of lawsuits alleging their platforms are harming kids' mental health.

I'll be speaking with CBC Radio stations across the country tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. The mic's red light goes on at 5:30 a.m. ET: hope you can tune in.

(The strange-looking link below leads to CBC's main Listen page. Shhh, no one tell Meta it's a sneaky way to get Canadian media content posted here.)

CBC Listen

Where wingtips scrape the sky

Last light
Toronto, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Chase the fading sun through the winter sky.

As it points the way toward wherever we’re headed.

Before finally giving way to the night.

#toronto #canada #yyz #flight

What I really think of TikTok

Now that #TikTok has survived to fight another day in both the U.S. and Canada, let's take a closer look at the supposed national security concerns that touched it all off. My latest article takes a sobering look at where we are, and how we got here.

TikTok is saved. What does that really mean to us?

#thoughtleadership

Against the brilliant night sky

Protection from above
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At 10:53 p.m., the cloudy sky glows brightly off of light pollution reflected from below, a refusal of sorts to give in to the night.

A bare tree stands tall against the eerie scene above, a quiet protector against unseen threats.

I’m sure it’s just little more than a spooky-looking tree against a weirdly-lit sky, but it never hurts to stand in silent respect for all that keeps us from harm.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #sky #silhouette #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Clearing a path

What accessibility looks like
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Small things aren’t all that small after all.

For example, the paved path that winds through the nearby woods. For years, it wasn’t maintained during the winter, so as soon as the snow began to accumulate, it became an icy no-go zone for most.

Which was a little sad, because the path is a popular route for families walking to the nearby school, as well as anyone else just trying to get away from traffic.

Well, this year, saner heads seem to have prevailed, and a city tractor has been doing an admirable job keeping things fairly walkable despite this being a winter for the ages.

It seems ridiculously trivial to call this out, because certainly there are more important things in the world than whether or not a walking path has been plowed.

But on a day when fascist brownshirts murder another protester in the streets and fascist leaders shamelessly craft their own twisted narrative, I need to put the blinders on and focus on gentler moments closer to home.

We all find our own ways to cope. Some of us need to go for walks in the woods.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #snow #weather #wx #onstorm #texture #streetphotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Follow me, Dad

In her happy place
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It doesn’t take much to make her happy. Just hook up her leash, head out into the snow, and let her do the rest.

Out here, nothing matters to her beyond spending time together. Headlines are irrelevant, and she doesn’t spend her time responding like Pavlov’s pup to notifications.

She simply follows her nose to the places that bring her joy. Then she plays relentlessly until she decides it’s time to head back.

It’s a pretty inspiring way to live.

#ldnont #medway #canada #callithewonderschnauzer #actofdog

Defiant flowing water

Still moving
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Even in deepest winter, the water finds a way to keep flowing.

Maybe it’s basic physics, chemistry, and geography.

Or maybe it’s a bigger lesson for those who stand on the snowbound riverbank and watch.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #winter #forest #trees #thames #river #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Looking back, reflectively

Remember the fallen
London, ON
October 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every once in a while, I like to dig into the archives and pull out a photo from another time.

Because there’s no rule that says photos need to be shared in real-time. And the past can often be a comforting place to visit for a bit.

So today we’re travelling back to last October, when autumn’s colours were beginning to fade, but were still worth a last look or three. So I wandered back into the woods and stared at the water for a while, hoping it would inspire me somewhat.

I don’t think it did, but I certainly enjoyed listening to the sound of the water as it flowed gently past - or through? - the fallen branch. The muted colours of the canopy above bounced off of the mirror-like surface, one last blast of the season before they, too, faded to grey.

As I write this today, that scene is gone forever. But it strangely lives on in the mind’s eye of anyone who chooses to look back. Funny how this all works.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #throwback #autumn #forest #trees #thames #river #reflective #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

2016 is more dangerous than we think

Our social media feeds are clogged with 2016-themed throwbacks - yet we seem to be misunderstanding the risks inherent in a seemingly innocuous online trend. My latest article explains.

As the 2016 trend rages, is digital nostalgia getting us into trouble?

TIkTok Canada saved. Sort of.

Huge news for Canadian TikTokkers: POLITICO reporting federal court has overturned a government order for TikTok Canada to shut down its #Toronto & #Vancouver offices, and has sent the file back to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for another look.

Court rules TikTok Canada can continue to operate — for now

Finding peace in the snow-covered woods

Look more closely
London, ON
December 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Planet Earth has become particularly noisy. Some might say overwhelmingly so.

So we look for the quiet. In places where the fallen snow gently turns down the volume.

If only it could last longer.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #winter #forest #trees #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #canon

Crosswalker

Someone to watch over me
Toronto, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I guess I’ve always been a bit of a people watcher, making simple observations of random folks when I’ve otherwise got time to kill.

I believe it all started when I was a hospitalized kid. And since I had lots of time to kill, I’d often find my way down to the lobby where I’d just watch strangers come and go. I paid attention to what they wore, how they walked - or didn’t walk - as well as the looks on their faces and the sounds in their voices. Some seemed happy, but most did not.

I was still too young to appreciate that hospitals aren’t always happy places. Or maybe I suspected as much, but I refused to believe that life and death played out there.

I learned that everyone had a story, and while sometimes I could figure that story out by observing, not everyone was so easily read. Trippy stuff for a kid with messed up legs.

So fast forward to a busy downtown Toronto intersection on a warm September afternoon, and there I was staring at strangers again. Except the hospital was a thankfully distant memory, and everyone now walked around with screens in their hands.

This guy looked pretty pleased with life, doubtless because whatever was on that screen must have appealed to him. And the drivers of the cars waiting at the red light were graciously looking out for him.

Humanity works better, apparently, when we look out for each other. Anywhere, anytime, no matter how old or young we might be.

#toronto #ontario #canada #throwback #streetphotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

Brutalism in the sky

Where's my ruler?
Toronto, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As a child, I stared up at tall buildings reaching for the sky more than was likely healthy.

I don’t think much has changed now that I’m an adult.

Probably just as well.

#toronto #ontario #canada #architecturephotography #architectureporn #downtown #geometry #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Finding inspiration in a frozen valley

When detours go right
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It was supposed to be a short walk. Our dog had other plans.

As we approached the river valley, Calli the Wonderschnauzer followed her nose down the hill and didn’t stop until we were deep into the woods.

The flowing water burbled gently to our right as she continued to pull her leash, the thick blanket of snow swallowing any other sounds in this deserted place.

Eventually she stopped at a clearing by the water, as if this was where she wanted us to be all along. She dug into the snow with her snout, then sat herself down facing the opposite shore.

We stayed there in silence for what seemed like an age as snowflakes continued to fall, tiny flecks of floating ice barely rippling the mirror-like surface.

I brushed the snow from Calli’s fur and thanked her for bringing us here today. This has been a favourite spot of ours for her entire life, but never before had we seen it quite like this. I should let her lead the way more often.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #actofdog #winter #forest #trees #thames #river #reflective #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Related:

Listen to the quiet waters, November 2025

Riverbank reflections, October 2025

The river always wins, May 2025

The river runneth over, April 2025

Deep in the green boggy woods, September 2024

Where the trees frame the water, May 2024

Epic fog battle on an autumn morning, February 2024

Shadows across the river, January 2024

Reflections in the woods, January 2024

All signs point to winter

The icicle works
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Winter can be beautiful.

That is all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #icestorm #icicleworks #winter #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:

Freshly frozen, December 2025

Icicles melt in only one direction, March 2025

When water has nowhere to go, March 2025

Winter meets the downspout, February 2022

Returning to the icy scene of the crime, February 2021

Icicles writ large, December 2017

By all means, don't fall in, December 2017

Water frozen from above, January 2017 

Here today, April 2007

More icy goodness, February 2007

Touch tone memories

More than mere numbers
Toronto, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This is how we once kept in touch.

Loose change in our pockets and familiar, time-worn buttons under our fingers.

They were everywhere, then.

Always at the ready if we needed a lift home. Or some help. Or just wanted to hear a friendly voice on a dark night.

Now, the buttons are virtual, and the entire phone, reduced to a sliver of glass, has replaced the change in our pockets.

Yet every once in a while, the past whispers to us from a dusty payphone lingering in a shadowy, forgotten corner.

An echo, perhaps, of the indelible connections we once made.

And still do, if we’re lucky.

#toronto #ontario #canada #payphone #streetphotography #texture #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Related:

The vanishing pay phone, August 2024

Electrical indifference, August 2024

The analog information age ends, March 2024

Retrotech in a hotel lobby, November 2019

Calling up the past, July 2019

Payphones still exist! February 2018

Payphone against a concrete wall, August 2017

Two birds, one sidewalk

I've got you
Toronto, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On a garbage-strewn stretch of downtown Toronto sidewalk, two birds stand still and silent, ignored by the endless knots of city dwellers rushing to whatever it is that fills the day.

The birds haven’t shifted positions in what seems like an age, their only movements an occasional flinch of the head. I’m no expert in avian body language, but they seem to be staring into each other’s souls.

I want to imagine that they’re both okay, but my gut is telling me bird on the left isn’t, and bird on the right is playing protector. Again, I have no advanced knowledge beyond simple observation, but I still find myself hoping I’m wrong, and willing them both to soon be able to return to the skies where they belong.

Standing on dusty concrete ruminating over the fate of a couple of common birds may feel a little ridiculous amid the usual ins and outs of everyday life. But as I walk away I can’t stop thinking about the lives of others, and how there really is no such thing as common.

It matters to them. It should matter to us, as well. That empathy thing again. Even for birds.

#toronto #ontario #canada #black #bird #wildlifephotography #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Related:

An eagle watches over Eagle Lake, December 2025

Staring stage left, October 2025

Goose searches the surf, August 2025

Lessons from a resting bird, April 2025

Stared down by a white goose, March 2025

Always be my wingman, April 2023

Get your ducks in a row, January 2022

When grass is anything but simple

Frozen growth
Dryden, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It only looks simple, a straight-on view of grasses and trees, a two-dimensional scene that could have been captured just about anywhere.

But the longer we look, the more we see. The ghost-like hoar frost betraying the bitter cold, the thinly curved blades of grass defying the elements, the thick branches underneath the canopy, supporting it all. It’s a flash frozen landscape with the colour seemingly sucked out of it.

Yet there’s a delicate dance playing out here, a story of life playing out in a place seemingly hostile to it. A story visible only to those who choose to observe it.

So we stand in the biting cold, the winds singing songs in our ears and slapping us in the face, and we do just that.

Because life, apparently, is less simple than it first appears. And our stories often take their sweet time to be told.

#dryden #ontario #canada #throwback #naturephotography #landscapephotography #winter #weather #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

Related:

Winter in Dryden, February 2024

The trees that protect us, February 2024

Road trip hoar frost, January 2024

Bambi drops in for a visit, June 2023

A moment at the Town & Country Motel, January 2024

Vacancy at the Kowality Motor Inn, November 2022

Broken window theory, October 2022

Staring at trees beside the Walmart parking lot, September 2019

Coming up: Iran goes dark

As Iran tightens the electronic noose around its citizens to shield itself from global view, the full extent of this unprecedented digital blockade is becoming terrifyingly apparent. I'll be joining CBC Radio stations across the country starting at 3:00 p.m. Eastern to discuss what this all means, and the lessons we might want to apply closer to home.

Related:

• Tech Check: Iran’s chilling internet blackout, The Vassy Kapelos Show, Bell Media
• Why you should care about a regime change in Iran, The Ben Mulroney Show, Corus
• Tech Tuesdays: Iran’s internet shutdown is chillingly precise and may last some time, Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal, CFRA

Mountains in the snow

Shaped...
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The winds have been busy this week, carving abstract scenes in the snows at our feet.

The low-angled light has been busy, too, carving soft shadows behind the ridges, highlighting the textures of the tenuously anchored snowflakes in deepening shades of grey and blue.

Even now, the surface is reshaping itself, the soft sounds of the shifting snows barely detectable under the rush of the steady late afternoon breeze.

None of this will last. Between warm temperatures, sniffing dogs, and playing children, it’s only a matter of time before all this disappears.

I wonder who will remember it. And whether they’ll smile when they do.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #snow #winter #weather #wx #onstorm #abstract #stilllife #texture #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Snow kidding, February 2022

Textured snow across the street, February 2022

Reflective Airbus

Landscape photography, sort of
Winnipeg, MB
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Feeling reflective at the gate.

#winnipeg #manitoba #canada #throwback #airport #ywg #aircanada #airbus #a320 #aviationphotography #planespotting #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

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When Airbus met Embraer, February 2024

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When giant planes disappear forever, November 2020

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Hey, that's my plane! July 2007

Pretty plane, January 2007

Sun pillars for the win

Focused light
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At the exact moment the sun slips below the horizon, it shines a single pillar of light high into the fiery sky.

I believe it’s called a sun pillar, where light reflects off of clouds in the upper atmosphere. And as much as science can explain the light show playing out in front of me, I’d rather imagine there’s a little bit of magic involved, as well.

Because how else can we explain that tingly feeling we get down our spines - or the butterflies we feel in our stomachs?

I guess the answer lies somewhere in the fact that seeing and understanding aren’t quite the same as feeling. That a scientifically explainable phenomenon in the sky doesn’t amount to much until we layer a healthy dose of human emotion on top of it.

Which explains why we stand at the edge of day and night and look for things that might make us feel something.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #sunset #orange #cloudspotting #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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The sun sets on another... December 2010

Look up in the sky, June 2007

One frozen berry

Well preserved
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A single berry clings desperately to a single branch. What normally reaches for the sky is now weighed down to the vertical by a thick coat of ice.

Within hours, the temperature will soar, the ice will melt, and the entire assembly seen here will bounce back to its rightful position high above.

Nothing lasts. The ice flashes brilliantly before it disappears. The scene freezes for what seems like a blink before external forces decide it’s time to change yet again.

So we capture it while we can, making memories that may not last the forever we might have wished for. But will at least linger long enough to appreciate.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #icestorm #winter #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Frozen in the fading light, December 2025

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Watching ghosts in the forest, February 2021

The things we see in wintry parking lots, December 2020

On ice and life by the river's edge, January 2019

Branches in the cold, April 2018

By all means, don't fall in, December 2017

The icicle works, redux, January 2017

Frozen lights in the sky, January 2007

Defiant, icy bush, December 2004

CN Tower peekaboo

Clusters in the sky
Toronto, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As the sky’s light fades one last time, the city’s lights come alive. A nightly dance that never gets old.

#toronto #ontario #canada #yyz #riverdalepark #sunset #cntower #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #skyline #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

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The CN Tower, kinda, June 2015

I am the eye in the sky, May 2011

Big buildings, September 2009

Orange light through empty branches

Unimpeded
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Long after the last leaf of the season has fallen to the ground, the sun’s dying rays move unimpeded through the bare canopy.

What seems empty to some is merely a new opportunity to see the previously unseen.

It’s a lesson in perspective for a planet dearly in need of it, courtesy of some random trees that, on reflection, maybe aren’t so random after all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #sunset #orange #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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The fire just outside my front porch, December 2018

Pink morning sky redux, November 2017

Cycling through the sky

Don't look down
Toronto, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We’re all on some kind of journey. May as well enjoy the ride.

#toronto #ontario #canada #throwback #humberbay #arch #bridge #cycling #instabike #monochrome #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

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Main span, September 2006

The tree that fell in the forest

Shattered in the snow
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A tree fell in the forest nearby, and I’m sharing this photo to confirm that it was indeed heard.

The dog and I came across this rather sad scene as we headed home from a longish walk. The tree so completely blocked the path and the entire valley that there was just no way around it. So we turned around and took the long way home.

This isn’t the first tree that’s fallen here, and given the age of some of the giants that still shape the canopy above, more will soon fall victim to gravity.

Of course this is how nature works, but it still felt respectful to stand by its fallen form for a bit and take it in. Calli sniffed at the snow-covered branches while I appreciated its sheer size. Somehow, they seem larger when they lay shattered across the ground.

The long walk home gave us ample time to ponder the cycles that govern life here. They’re never as neat and clean as modern humans might like. But they’ve been playing out for far longer than any of this built suburban infrastructure has been around. And they’ll be a thing long after those houses at the top of the hill decay back into nothingness.

We’ll mourn the trees. The other stuff not so much.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #forest #tree #winter #weather #wx #onstorm #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Fallen trees aren't really dead, October 2023

Back to green, May 2022

If a tree falls in the forest... March 2022

The giving tree, September 20202

Rotting in plain sight, March 2012

Windows 2025

Frozen in place
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We call it a good shellacking, when an ice storm leaves so much ice on the windows that it’s impossible to see anything outside.

Even better is when the winds are so strong that the frozen streaks on the kitchen windows are angled a few degrees off the vertical. Mother Nature is quite the artist when she wants to be.

As I reach for the camera, my mind races with possibility. As much as I’d like to tote my equipment outside, shooting indoors feels like the safest option. It’s an ice rink out there and I have no intention of tempting both gravity and fate.

So I compose from the inside out, looking for ways to see through an otherwise impenetrable display. The dog lies in her bed and watches me shoot. She’s used to these spontaneous photography sessions, and will often follow me around the room as I play with the possibilities. Such a curious girl.

Today’s results capture a scene that disappears almost as quickly as it was created. Before long, the temperatures rise and the windows gradually clear back up, leaving us with a few pictures to remember what it felt like to be frozen inside.

Sometimes it feels like all we can do to hold onto time before it melts away.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #onstorm #ice #abstract #kitchen #stilllife #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Wordless Wednesday - Snowflake nation, March 2009