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?