Sunday, December 08, 2024

Peanut, bokeh, and date night

Spontaneous takeout photo sesh
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Date night last night meant picking up dinner for a living room picnic.

And while I waited for the order to be ready, I played with the peanuts the restaurant so graciously made available for customers in line.

I never said it was fine dining. And they had me at peanuts.

So I found a table off to the side and started to compose the shot. I do this sometimes, play with light and composition and angles. It brings me a strange degree of joy, even in the middle of a public space that normally doesn’t host spontaneous photo shoots.

I hope I brought some unexpected joy to a few strangers. I hope I inspired them to step out of the normal every once in a while. I hope a single photo of a peanut somehow turns into a ripple of something a little more tangible.

That’s what photography does for me. No one ever said it had to follow a script.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #restaurant #fiveguys #bokeh #stilllife #photography #fruitography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Nuts to that, March 2018
That's just nuts, March 2016
Nuts, November 2005
Another edible photo, December 2004

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Saturday, December 07, 2024

Walking through the snow at night

Stay in the tracks
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It snowed again. Lots. Which left the neighbourhood streets looking like this.

It didn’t last long, mind you, because soon enough the plows came along and opened them back up.

And as much as we need passable roads, there’s something to be said for those fleeting moments when the snows run deep and everyone hunkers down inside. Or grabs a sled and heads for the hill. Or simply sits inside a frosty window and enjoys the muted silence.

There are plenty of reasons for the connective tissues of a modern city to operate cleanly and efficiently.

But there’s also merit in the occasional snow day where everything stops so kids can stay home from school and play in the snow.

It won’t be here forever, after all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #snow #weather #wx #onstorm #street #streetphotography #leadinglines #night #nightphotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

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Friday, December 06, 2024

The olive fixation continues

Seeing red
London, ON
September 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

During an ordinary visit to an ordinary grocery store to pick up ordinary - and overpriced - groceries, I find my eyes and my mind drifting somewhat.

I do this all the time, stare into the corners of the everyday in search of something, anything even, that might grab my eye or squeeze my soul just a little.

I never really know what I’m looking for, but I like to tell myself I’ll know it when I see it.

And so we have the olive jar display at the local Sobeys, a tiny slash of red in the middle of an otherwise ordinary place.

I use that word, ordinary, a lot. Maybe nothing is truly ordinary. Maybe we’re meant to keep looking into corners for inspiration.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #sobeys #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #fruitography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

Related:
Olives, not the oil, October 2024
Tres saucy encore, September 2021
Peppers under glass, November 2020

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Thursday, December 05, 2024

Dirty tracks in the snow

Evidence, for now
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We’re all on some kind of journey.

Where we begin and end them isn’t always apparent.

Often we’ll cross paths, usually in silence.

We’ll leave some form of evidence along the way.

But it’ll be temporary, soon to be erased by time or circumstance or whatever random forces happen to roll in.

Each story either destined to live on as a memory in those who leave these tracks behind, and those closest to them.

Or simply fade away.

#ldnont #london ##oldnorth #ontario #canada #winter #snow #weather #wx #onstorm #street #streetphotography #night #nightphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Chasing snow at night, November 2021
Winter's return, November 2020
Trackmarks, February 2007

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Wednesday, December 04, 2024

Red drapes in a crowded mall

Hanging around
Toronto, ON
November 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Texture matters.

Because everything can be virtualized.

Sometimes we just have to be there, and see and feel it for ourselves.

#toronto #ontario #canada #yyz #throwback #red #drape #eatoncentre #abstract #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Swirling, March 2022
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Tuesday, December 03, 2024

Why does our dog hate her coat?

I'm wearing it under protest
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Some days dawn darker, and this Monday was one of them.

Yet dark day or not, the dog still needed her walk. So on went her snazzy coat - that she despises - and off we went.

Coat-hatred notwithstanding, it didn’t take her long to bury her nose in the season’s first snow. She jumped over - and occasionally into - snowbanks taller than her, and broke through fresh powder as she fruitlessly chased a squirrel who mocked her from atop the backyard fence.

The morning was still dark, an echo of a world that left fairness and kindness behind long before she was a puppy. But for reasons known only to her, all that mattered was the snow.

So she played. And I watched. And smiled at the blinkered innocence and joy of a happy dog.

And while it didn’t fix the planet, the temporary, admittedly trivial light in the darkness was a welcome change.

On the way home, I resolved to be more like her. I quietly wished we could all be more like her.

If only.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #snow #weather #wx #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #actofdog #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Canine sphinx, November 2024
Our dog the photo model, September 2024
That Schnauzer stare, December 2023
Boop the snoot, October 2023
Sleepy puppy stare, November 2022
The king at rest, December 2014

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Monday, December 02, 2024

One last fire before night

Orange-painted sky
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I stand alone in the deepening cold of an autumn evening and watch the sky light itself on fire one last time before extinguishing itself for the night.

I wonder how many times I’ve stood here, or in places much like it, and watched the heavens in awe.

I wonder if I’ve done this too many times, but just as quickly banish the thought.

Instead I wonder how many more of these I’m going to get. Because sunsets, like the days they mark, aren’t infinite, at least for mere mortals who stand alone in the chill and wait for the show.

Everything in front of us is a limited-time offer. As are we.

So we get out there and enjoy it while we can.

Makes sense, doesn’t it?

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

Related:
One jet in a big sky, September 2024

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Sunday, December 01, 2024

Painted line of trees

At the park's edge
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Nature’s brightest paint is also its most temporary.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #optimistpark #trees #gameoftones #autumn #colour #leaves #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
Shades of orangeish, October 2011

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Saturday, November 30, 2024

Where pink banishes grey

Seek vibrancy
London, ON
November 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It isn’t even winter yet in the Great White North, but already the landscape is shifting into its annual near-monochrome mode, where muted tones replace vibrant colours as everything around us seems to sleep amid the relentless cold.

So we look for whatever colours remain, wherever they may be. And when we come across them in the forlorn corners of a parking lot, bathed in harsh security lights that splatter themselves over the bare, cracked pavement, we take a few moments for a closer look - and maybe a spontaneous photo shoot - before real life summons us back.

This particular example is a vibrant pink-painted shipping container that’s been repurposed as a beloved neighbourhood ice cream shop. They make a mean cherry milkshake, by the way.

Sadly, Canadians don’t make milkshakes in winter, cherry or otherwise, so the brilliant pink container stands empty and locked, ignored amid the biting winds and drifting flurries.

And as we count the days until life returns here, we stand and take in the welcome shot of colour and shape and texture, itself a reminder that hope can be found in the most surprising corners of the everyday.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada @celsiusicecreamshop #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #pink #geometry #photography #apple #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
A ship on the horizon, December 2020
Rust in peace, September 2012
Full of ship, April 2011
Ocean ranger, November 2009

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Friday, November 29, 2024

Talking about the Australian social media ban with the CBC

I joined chief anchor Ian Hanomansingh on CBC's flagship newscast, The National, to walk through the new Australian under-16 social media law.!

The video of the segment is available here:


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One colourful tree. One not.

Opposites attract
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Those who have and those who don’t can often be found side-by-side.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #autumn #colour #trees #leaves gameoftones #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
A tale of two trees, October 2022

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Thursday, November 28, 2024

It feels like a Bluesky moment

I'll add myself to the growing legions of folks jumping on the #Bluesky bandwagon.

FWIW, I wouldn't know what a bandwagon is if I bumped into one in real life.

Come on over and say hi. Then stick around a while. We'll make it fun. Promise.


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Reflecting over a bunch of glasses

Drink up
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The pandemic took so much away from us - but in some ways it also changed us for the better.

Exhibit A: these glasses.

They were sitting in the kitchen of our friends’ home. As we all gathered around the central island and caught up since our last gathering, I stepped back a bit and found myself listening to the warm buzz of the room.

I do that often, and my friends get the why. If I pull a camera out to remember the moment, they smile that understanding smile that only true friends can. I’m a lucky human, indeed.

Since we all began reconnecting after COVID started to slip into the past, I found myself appreciating these moments even more than I might have previously.

Maybe being stuck connecting to each other exclusively via videoconference made us appreciate these in-person get-togethers a little more after the lockdowns ended.

I know it’s changed me, and I no longer take simple moments like these for granted. They matter to us far more than we once thought.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #glass #kitchen #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Cool glass of water, August 2021
Raise your glass(es). November 2017
Goblets and light, March 2007

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Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Leafy chaos

So much going on
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Admittedly, this photo of a leaf-covered forest floor is a chaotically random mess. But that’s entirely the point.

Every year, my photo roll seems to overflow with images like this one. While the canopy overhead gets everyone else’s attention, I’m the weirdo pointing the lens straight down and trying to keep my feet out of the frame.

I’m perpetually intrigued by the riot of colours and textures, the sheer complexity of scenes I’d otherwise miss if I chose to be a little more like everyone else.

But I’m not. I look in the shadowy nooks and crannies that surround us. Or the wonky stuff everyone else would just trample on their way to something else.

Because the forest floor isn’t the only thing that’s chaotically and randomly messy. So is life.

Which, to me, is beautiful and worth a closer look.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #floor #fallen #leaf #leaves #autumn #colour #stilllife #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Canine sphinx

I'll just be over here, looking pretty
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Days with dogs > days without dogs.

Calli the Wonderschnauzer agrees, and hopes she’s prompted some smiles on an otherwise grey day.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #actofdog #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Our dog the photo model, September 2024
That Schnauzer stare, December 2023
Boop the snoot, October 2023
Sleepy puppy stare, November 2022
The king at rest, December 2014

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Monday, November 25, 2024

Praying at the altar of red

Leftovers
London, ON
November 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every other tree around here has been bare for weeks, empty branches swaying in the cold late-November wind.

Yet this young maple sapling stands defiantly against the season, its few remaining leaves of red calling out from clear across the street, almost begging to be seen one last time.

The winds toss them around, yet they still hold fast, tenaciously refusing to slip easily into memory.

But remember them we will, for defiance plays well in those forgotten spaces beside the woods - and everywhere else, too.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #trees #gameoftones #autumn #colour #red #leaves #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone
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