Play with the dying light

Shadows at the corner of Southdale and Wonderland
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Some people take selfies. Others travel a somewhat different road.

Road trip dinner

Forgotten
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Somewhere, a litterbug goes to bed without dinner.

Stared down by an angry bird

Feeling reflective
Port Stanley, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Another day, another bird. If I didn't know better, I'd swear this one dared me to take the shot.

The best beach restaurant ever

Feeding generations of beachgoers
Port Stanley, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Institutions come in many shapes and sizes. This one, Mackie’s, has been on the Port Stanley beach for 106 years and counting.

When people talk about why local businesses matter, it's places like this that immediately come to mind. Because it's hard to imagine this town and this beach without this place as a timeless anchor to both.

4 birds. One direction.

Strength in numbers
Port Stanley, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I bumped into these tiny birds at the beach, and was inspired by the way they stuck together no matter what washed over them. Wind, water, errant beach-goers: They were there for each other regardless of the chaos that surrounded them.

Perhaps there's a lesson in that for the rest of us.

Thematic Photographic 422 - Lights On

Civic Nation, at rest
London, ON
August 2018

I've been staring at lights a lot lately. Like so many habits of mine, I'm not entirely certain why I do so, but the rapid shift in lighting technology - incandescents, halogens, and fluorescents are rapidly giving way to LEDs that are far more energy efficient, significantly more flexible, and way cooler-looking - is literally changing the way we see buildings, infrastructure, vehicles, and anything else that needs to be lit up. Maybe that's why.

Whatever the reason, I had one of these moments with my car a few weeks ago. As I drove home from dropping my lovely wife off at the train station on a quiet Saturday morning, I caught a glimpse of a cool building and thought I should shoot it. When I was done, I figured the car was as clean as it had been in ages, so more photos were called for. I have a thing for Hondas. The lights remind me of parentheses: Perfect for a writer-type like me.

Your turn: Thematic is all about taking a weekly theme - this week's is Lights On - and coming up with cool, creative ways to reflect it in your own photography. Take a light-themed photo and share it on your website, blog or social media account. Leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it. Visit other participants to spread the photographic joy. And don't be shy: If you know anyone who loves photography, drag 'em over here encourage them to participate. For more on how Thematic Photographic works, head here. Have fun, and thank you!

QWERTY madness

Touch me
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At first glance, it's just a keyboard. Qwerty layout, Lenovo ThinkPad, backlit, with the little red nubbin. Like millions just like it.

To a writer, though, it's a tool, the channel through which you get to create. Just put your fingers there, close your eyes, and wait for the magic to happen. Before long, letters get shaped into words, sentences, paragraphs, whatever. Do your job right and people can be moved. Lives changed, even

Most of us take it for granted that we'll be able to use these mundane tools of digital life, but accessibility challenges mean some of us simply can't. I'm one of the lucky ones: I got that ability back. And not a day goes by that I'm not thankful.

Your turn: What are YOU thankful for?

How puppies make the ordinary extraordinary

May I please have my treat now?
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On an ordinary Sunday morning, an ordinary guy badly in need of coffee dons a pair of sandals, hooks up the leash and heads out into an ordinary neighborhood for an ordinary walk with an ordinary-looking puppy. The scene probably repeats itself countless times in countless neighborhoods near and far.

I do this walk with her every morning - and if we're being absolutely precise, every afternoon, evening and late-night, as well. As we approach each intersection, we've trained her to stop, sit, and stay until we clear her to cross. Again, a seemingly ordinary thing in the life of an ordinary guy and his ordinary dog.

But here's the thing: It isn't ordinary. Although countless other ordinary folks walk countless other ordinary dogs in countless other ordinary-looking neighborhoods, this one is special. To me and to her. And if I could hover over all the walking dogs and their owners in all those other places, I'm pretty sure those moments would be special to them, as well.

I don't know what Calli is thinking as she's looking up at me and waiting for the "cross" command. I hope she's as happy to have this seemingly ordinary moment as I am. I hope she appreciates the Zen of a quiet stroll through the hood, the blessing of alone time, the break from the chaos of the planet around us. I know she doesn't think about endings, but I do. That we only get so many of these walks together. That we've got to try a little harder to hold onto moments like these before we no longer have them. That the most ordinary moments can create the most extraordinary memories.

A few seconds after I took this, she got her treat and we crossed the street on our way back home. I needed a photo to remind me why I cherish the ordinary as much as I do. Because there really is no such thing as ordinary.

Golden hour from the 12th floor

The day ends
Laval, QC
July 2011
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The balcony of my father-in-law's condo is on the 12th floor, and it has an unobstructed view west of the town where both my wife and I grew up. It's perfect for sunsets, assuming we're there to capture them.

Years ago, I'd often jump up from dinner and grab my camera when the sky put on a compelling show. My now-late mother-in-law would wait patiently till I returned before asking to see the results on the camera's rear screen. I took this particular shot in 2011, and I can still remember the conversation with her when I got back inside. She called it a painting.

These days, we're there less often, and dinners don't happen here anymore. I'm not sure how much longer we'll have access to this specific spot in the sky, in the universe. Which makes photos like this so special to me. Because what at first glance presents as a lovely pic of a painted-sky sunset is actually, to me, a portrait of a now-vanished time in my family's history, and a reminder to us all to take the time to remember places and moments like these.

Because they disappear sooner than any of us would like to imagine.

Corvette summer

Reflectively at rest
Delray Beach, FL
December 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Take one step to the left or the right and the view changes entirely.

Physics = awesome.

Thanks, universe!

Where nature takes your breath away

Nature's Majesty
Old Woman Bay, Lake Superior Provincial Park, ON
July 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Ever look at a piece of the planet and have absolutely no words to describe what it looks like or how it makes you feel?

Awestruck wonder is an amazing thing, isn't it?

#old #woman #bay #great #lake #superior #provincial #park #beach #blue #water #epic #road #trip #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #dryden #family #is #everything #ontario #canada

The day begins reflectively

Painting the sky with light
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

One London Place is the (for now, at least) the tallest tower in London. Torontonians probably laugh at the prospect of a 30-storey building being the tallest anything, but London's never had to align itself with anyone else's scale.

What matters to me isn't the number, anyway. It's the way this building endlessly captures and reflects the light around it. Whatever we're doing downtown, at any time, we always know to look toward this icon of the skyline, because it'll always be putting on some kind of show.

Which is why, as it silently did its thing on this quiet Saturday morning, I couldn't resist the urge to record the moment. This building will never get old for me.

Dirty Apple, lost to time

Get a Mac
New York, NY
November 2009
This photo originally shared on Instagram

They don't make Macs like this anymore. The iconic Apple logo on the back of the screen of MacBook computers has been slowly devolving over the past few years. Once upon a time, the logo was backlit, with a friendly-white-LED glow that clearly stood out in the sea of Dells, Lenovos and HPs at the local Starbucks.

One model line at a time, however, Apple has been replacing the lit-up logo with a silvery-looking thing. It's still an Apple apple, but it's lost its light. As computers have gotten thinner, it's understandable that Apple would ultimately want to get rid of this seemingly superfluous gimmick. But it's one of those icons of design that I'll somewhat miss when it's gone.

I shot this years ago, at a pre-wedding dinner in a New York City restaurant. Members of the wedding party were giving their speeches, and one of them had brought a MacBook Pro to run the various slide shows. I trained my long lens on the lid from clear across the room and shot it. The depth of the image has always captivated me, and takes me right back to the moment I captured it.

If the same scene repeated itself today, with a so-called "modern" Mac, sans lit-up logo, I'd probably keep my camera in its bag. Design isn't what it used to be.

#logo #mac #design #grey #lit #obsolete #missed #apple #computer #tech #technology

Thematic Photographic 421 - Many, many things

Hungry yet?
London, ON
August 2018
Photo originally shared on Instagram

There's a certain hypnotic quality to staring at large amounts of the same thing. Looking into the repetitive abyss can overwhelm the senses, play games with your mind, and generally make you a little bit woozy. Or, in this case, hungry.

Chocolate covered raisins - called Glosettes here in Canada - take me right back to my childhood, when my grandparents would bring us boxes of them whenever they visited. Here's an earlier view through my lens. Sure, any kid would love a sweet treat, but what really fused my brain to this particular confection is that fact that my grandparents knew we liked them, and took the time to pick them up for us. It was an early example of unfettered kindness, and it always made me feel warm and fuzzy.

In adulthood, I've found it cathartic to shoot them - quickly, of course - in the bulk barrel at the grocery store. It's the cheapest form of nostalgia imaginable, especially when I manage to avoid tipping off the in-store security team.

Your turn: Take a photo containing many examples of the same thing. Celebrate repetition in any form, and share it on your blog, website or social media account. Leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it, and feel free to visit other participants through the week. There's no right or wrong: The whole idea of #ThematicPhotographic is to expand our photographic horizons a bit and have some fun in the process. If you're new to Thematic, click here for more background. Enjoy!

Trainspotting

The view from here
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Life flies by in a blur. So sit by the window, look outside and drink it all in.

Because the journey always seems to end before we expect it to.

#ldnont #via #viarail #train #75 #rail #london #yxu #toronto #yyz #the6ix #travel #travelphotography #green #forest #trees #google #pixel2 #teampixel #dorchester #ontario #canada

Only in a Jeep

JK love
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I suspect we'd all be a little happier if everyone drove purple Jeeps with the tops down.

#ldnont #purple #paint #auto #automotive #automobile #car #cars #carsofinstagram #carporn #jeep #wrangler #unlimited #itsajeepthing #straight #lines #design #shape #texture #adelaide #street #walkabout #nikon #nikon_photography #dslr #photography #london #ontario #canada

Flash of red

Change is a constant
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Early seasonal defiance at the edge of a downtown parking lot.

#ldnont #red #green #leaf #leaves #color #colors #downtown #nature #everywhere #season #autumn #summer #google #pixel2 #teampixel #london #ontario #canada

Staring into a Huron Lake infinity

The view from here
Grand Bend, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Geometry is real, even at the end of a windswept pier.

#grand #bend #grandbend #beach #great #lake #huron #waves #water #wind #weather #wx #straight #lines #color #blue #green #summer #sky #random #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #zoom #ontario #canada

8-bit art in a downtown alley

You gotta eat here
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Someone found a primo parking spot.

In all seriousness, I love living in a city where spontaneous street art is a thing.

#ldnont #urban #wall #art #not #graffiti #random #street #photography #digital #8bit #flat #brick #truck #downtown #google #pixel2 #teampixel #london #ontario #canada

The clock ticks down

Never enough time
London, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

You've got 8 seconds. What will you do with them?

#ldnont #Saturday #morning #walkabout #urban #city #street #photography #adelaide #north #huron #traffic #light #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #telephoto #bokeh #nofilter #nofilterneeded #photooftheday #instagood #london #ontario #canada