Reach for the sky, little one

Fly...
Dryden, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Some kids keep their feet on the ground. Others beg to be pushed.

“Higher,” she screams, her tiny feet arcing toward the big blue sky, her hands pulling on the chains, willing them for more energy.

She’ll swing with abandon until adulthood if we let her.

Maybe we should.

Maybe we can all learn from her.

#dryden #canada #family #everything

A perfect way to end the day

Therapeutic, even
London, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dear sky,

Despite the fact that most folks don’t like Mondays, you found a way to end the day with a show that somehow made everything right again.

I know it was just clouds and light and wind, but it was the perfect way to end the day.

Already looking forward to next time. I’ll be the guy on the ground, looking up.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #jayceepark #sunset #cloudspotting #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

You're this far from home

The signs are all there
Vermilion Bay, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Roadside. Trans-Canada Highway. Vermillion Bay, Ontario.

This isn’t a place for pedestrians, but I can’t resist the urge to take a closer look.

My feet sink into the soft, gritty dirt on the shoulder as the pressure waves from passing semis threaten to knock me into the grassy ditch.

The sun beats down on the cracked asphalt, a weathered sign highlighting just how far from home we are.

They call it the spine of the country, the highway that connects this massive, sparsely populated country. As highways go, it isn’t much. Two lanes that twist and turn through the spectacular Canadian landscape. A white-knuckle drive for anyone who doesn’t do this for a living. A sad comment on how little attention governments pay to safe travel infrastructure.

But standing here in the brilliant sun, I realize it isn’t a problem that’ll be solved today. Or anytime soon. Or maybe even at all.

Sometimes the current state is all we have. So we stand in an imperfect spot and appreciate the fact that we can get out here at all.

#dryden #ontario #canada #roadtrip #travelphotography #transcanada #highway #sign #photography

Where I talk about Alberta separatism and foreign influencer meddling

Why are influencers halfway around the world meddling in the Alberta separation debate? And why is Facebook just letting it happen? Why should Canadians be concerned? And what should they do next?

The answers might surprise you. I’ll explain Tuesday morning as I join CBC Radio stations across Canada.

#medialife #morningradio

Company town

Feeling reflective
Dryden, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This old mill.

#dryden #ontario #canada #sunset #reflective

We'll cross that bridge...

Cable stayed
Nipigon, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

So I’ve got this little thing for bridges. I think they’re awesome examples of public infrastructure. Ask my friends from childhood: once upon a time, bridges were all I talked about, and thankfully they stayed friends with me despite my singular, annoying obsession.

It’s an obsession that never really went away.

Bridges usually have remarkable back-stories that span years or even decades, and often involve the colourful lives of the people who designed and built them.

Then they spend their lives quietly serving the community, often ignored by those who use them.

The Nipigon River Bridge is no exception. It’s a relatively newish addition to the Trans-Canada Highway just east of the surprisingly named town of Nipigon. It literally connects the country.

It uses a cable-stayed design, its ultra-modern silhouette standing in stark contrast to its admittedly rural surroundings. If bridges had a cool factor - and let’s be clear, I believe they should - this one would be riding the float at the prom.

So when our road-tripping family recently had occasion to drive across it, I had about 8 seconds to get ready. I was sitting in the front passenger seat of a minivan with a hideously insect-splattered windshield. The Nikon was packed away, so my iPhone would have to do.

I panic-guesstimated a dramatic angle that would highlight the freaky-looking cables and towers, aligned the lens between the insect remnants, and timed the shutter release as best I could. In reality, I prayed whatever prayer photographers say when they’re hoping against hope - and shooting essentially blind - and stabbed the virtual shutter repeatedly as we zoomed across the span at triple-digit speeds.

The result was…a pleasant surprise. Decent angles and composition. No bugs. A lovely sky as backdrop. Kind of a miracle, frankly.

I guess the prayers worked. Either that or I’m slowly learning to stop overthinking things and just shoot in the moment.

Let’s go with that, then.

#nipigon #ontario #canada #bridge #roadtrip #travelphotography #transcanada #geometry #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

Beleaf you me

Feeling green
London, ON
August 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In one sense it’s a single leaf among trillions, an ordinary, forgettable bit player in the lives of countless people too busy to note its existence.

In another sense, none of those people would exist without it.

So maybe not so ordinary after all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #springbank #leaf #green #colour #shadow #stilllife #naturephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Not quite Abbey Road

Journeys...
Toronto, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s 8:38 on a Wednesday morning in a busy Toronto intersection, and dozens of lives are randomly crossing paths with each other.

The only attention being paid is incidental: keep moving, watch the clock, avoid being flattened by two-ton monsters being piloted by smartphone-distracted drivers.

No one will remember the who or the why. Nobody cares about these in-between moments of commutes and crossings and journeys. Pity that.

Because the city holds so many stories within its frenetic ebbs and flows, most of which will never be told beyond fleeting snapshots of moments never to be repeated.

#toronto #canada #throwback #streetphotography

Riding toward the sun

Destination known
Lucan, ON
April 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Yesterday was apparently #WorldBicycleDay, and in typical fashion I managed to miss it entirely.

In my ideal world, we’d celebrate these miraculous machines more than once a year, but I suppose one day is better than none.

But we don’t have to wait for a specific day to throw a leg over the frame and head for the horizon. Today seems like as worthy a day as any other to start some kind of adventure.

The question is: where will we go? And what stories will we tell along the way?

Whatever the answers may be, please ride safely, friends.

#ldnont #london #lucan #ontario #canada #cycling #orange #TangerineDream #bicycle #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

One tree hill

Reach for the sky
London, ON
April 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Last month the dog and I happened across a single tree as we walked through a local park just after sunset.

I had the camera-camera with me, so I took it out for some spontaneous photographic fun before we lost the light. I sprawled out in the damp grass to get the low-angle shot while Calli the Wonderschnauzer happily grazed. I also snagged some test shots on the smartphone because I like to see if an iPhone can hold its own against a Nikon.

The short answer is there is no short answer: in my mind’s eye I can always tell the difference. But for just about everyone else, it’s a wash. I rather enjoy the unique experiences that both devices bring to the table, so this weird test shot methodology won’t be retired anytime soon.

That lonely tree high on a hill likely has more leaves by now. Which means I’m just about due for a return trip. Calli remembers where it is, so she’ll lead the way.

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

4 years of Lilly

Princess grows up
Dryden, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dearest Lilly,

It was just yesterday that we first met you.

Just yesterday we looked into your eyes and fell in love.

Just yesterday we held your squirming form and felt the promise of limitless potential.

On your fourth birthday, both everything and nothing has changed.

You are a force of nature, a bright, sweet, kind girl who lights up every room.

A fierce protector of your little sister and your entire family.

An infinitely curious soul who never stops exploring, questioning, and learning.

Yet just as we did when you were born, we fall in love every time we see you. And we revel in watching you turn all that limitless potential into an unforgettably extraordinary life.

We are so proud of the remarkable person you are becoming, and we love you to the Moon and back.

Happy birthday, little one.

#family #everything

A single branch

Late evening bokeh
London, ON
April 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On a cold evening early in April, a tiny branch soaks in the last rays of the day’s sun.

Even tinier buds reach for the light, waiting for the moment when they’ll finally break free.

If the circle of life ever had a starting point, I’d like to imagine it would look a little like this.

#ldnont #canada #sunset #silhouette #naturephotography

Watching trains come and go

Journey's end
Toronto, ON
May 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Never miss an opportunity to stop and smell the flowers.

If there are no flowers to be had, stare at the trains.

Or whatever else feels resonant in the moment.

Thank you for attending my TED Talk(™).

#toronto #canada #rail #throwback #leadinglines

You say tomato...

Red and green
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’ve been somewhat remiss in sharing weird images from the grocery store, so let’s resolve this untenable oversight.

Perhaps the humble tomato isn’t as deserving as the more celebrated of the vegetables, like the cucumber or the radish.

Perhaps there’s a pecking order among the veggies that humans won’t be privy to until they learn to be kinder to each other.

Or perhaps we’re not doing enough to appreciate the tiny miracles of biology that happen right under our noses.

Let’s go with that last one, then. Because miracles are always worth a second look. Maybe even a third.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #sobeys #stilllife #photography #fruitography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

Where the tracks begin and end

No one's waiting
Toronto, ON
May 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Train stations do the straight line thing rather well, don’t ya think?

Makes me wish I lived in a country that truly values its rail system.

#toronto #canada #union #throwback