Dancing light over the ocean sky

Let the day begin
Sunny Isles Beach, FL
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When the rising sun dances between banks of clouds clinging stubbornly to the horizon, the only choice we have is to take it in quietly, thoughtfully, thankfully.

Because we won’t ever see another sunrise quite like this one.

#sunnyislesbeach #florida #sunrise #landscapephotography #throwback #nikon

Remembering the ride

Wheels stop
London, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The day’s ride started out just after sunrise with fog so thick I had to keep stopping to clean my glasses.

It only got worse as I pushed deeper into the countryside.

It was glorious. I was alone on empty roads, my only companion the occasional cow having breakfast on the other side of the fence.

Eventually the sun began to burn through as it rose higher in the sky. I cast shadows on the pavement that shrank as the morning wore on. I passed still more cows, who had by then moved onto the bovine equivalent of brunch.

After turning for home, I crossed a bridge on the bike path and decided this would be an ideal spot to reflect for a few minutes.

To anyone else it might have seemed like any other ride on any other day. But to me it was its own unique journey, one worth holding onto with a story and an image.

Because every ride is worth remembering somehow.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tvp #cycling #bicycle #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

One lakeside tree

To infinity and beyond
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A single tree grows in the grass beside the lake.

Today the sun is shining, the sky a perfect shade of blue, reflected just as idylically on the gentle waves below.

But I imagine not every day is like this. That some days the skies are grey and threatening. And that same tree would still stand, alone against the elements.

We can’t control whatever may roll in from beyond the horizon. We can, however, dig our roots in and stand tall against whatever may come our way.

And here I thought this was a simple photo of a simple tree.

#niagara #notl #canada #lakeontario #landscapephotography #nikon

Green leaf after the rain

Soaked
London, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Monday dawned rainy in our corner of the Great White North, a damp, miserable stamp on a day no one ever liked to begin with.

Thanks for nothing, Bob Geldof.

Be that as it may, there’s something to be said for the way rains repaint the landscape. And if we look closely enough, we just might see something worth remembering.

Our dog did indeed look closely enough, and in doing so found this dewy leaf just across the street, then stood quietly off to the side while I grabbed a quick photo.

I should follow her lead more often.

#ldnont #canada #streetphotography #stilllife #droplet

Dog vs. storm

Stand firm
London, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The storm is moving in fast. The winds are picking up. Thunder rumbles in the distance. My phone is screaming with weather warnings. And I’m pretty sure I just saw “funnel clouds” on my smart watch.

Yet for reasons clear only to a dog, Calli the Wonderschnauzer has her nose buried in the grass of a neighbourhood park. Despite my gentle tugs on her leash, she digs in and keeps sniffing.

As the first drops begin to fall, she finally relents and we sprint the few blocks back to the house. Just as we get inside, the skies open up with hail and winds that sound like a freight train.

The dog jumps onto the top of the couch and assumes her usual neighbourhood watch pose by the window. Weirdly for her, she shows no fear amid the chaos.

What I wouldn’t give to know what’s going on inside her head.

#ldnont #canada #schnauzer #onstorm #actofdog

Small town life

Mass transit
Bruce Mines, ON
May 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The Trans-Canada Highway isn’t so much a highway as it is a really long, largely two-lane road that connects tiny communities across this rather great land.

Unlike superhighways that bypass small towns in the interest of maximum speed, this one winds its way through the middle of them. You know it when the speed limit drops and traffic lights suddenly appear out of the fog. It’s a glorious reminder that speed is oversold.

Bruce Mines is one of those countless burgs along the way, and I was sitting in the passenger seat watching it slip past when I thought it might be fun to shoot with a camera.

Most of the images were pitiful - blurred messes of random composition and roadside grit. But this one feels like it could only happen here, where life slows down just enough to enjoy the view.

#brucemines #canada #roadtrip #antiques #shotoniphone

Wind farm

Bucolic
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

If you’re ever given the opportunity to walk through the countryside and watch tall grasses blow in the wind beside a brilliantly yellow farmer’s field, take it.

Because life is too short to miss out on moments that take our breath away.

And grasses don’t live forever.

#niagara #notl #canada #naturephotography

The great big city across the water

In the distance...
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

49 kilometres across the water, the great big city rises through the haze, its murky skyline concealing countless lives frenetically, invisibly, playing themselves out.

Sometimes we have to get ourselves far away to truly appreciate all that makes something as special as it is.

Even if we can’t see it all, our imaginations can fill in the gaps while the winds shape the waves and mess our hair.

Perspective is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

#niagara #notl #toronto #canada #skyline #canon

Geometric supermarket

Simple
Dryden, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Where the supermarket meets the sky.

Where we look at the ordinary and realize nothing is truly ordinary.

Where we stop the day for a moment so we can just look up.

Where we remind ourselves that life is filled with colour.

#dryden #ontario #canada #architecture #geometry

Water holding on for dear life

Water cycle, in red
London, ON
May 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

After the rains have gone, the leaves hold onto the remaining droplets, seemingly for dear life.

Or maybe it’s the other way around, the water clinging to the surface of the leaves, perhaps in the hope of delaying its inevitable absorption or evaporation.

Maybe that’s why they call it the circle of life. Maybe that’s why we run outside as the skies clear for a fleeting glimpse at a seemingly simple scene.

Because nothing is ever as simple as it first seems, especially out here.

#ldnont #canada #streetphotography #stilllife

Otherwise engaged...

Asking the question
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every parent wants their child to be happy.

She is indeed.

Which, when you agree to spend a lifetime with your best friend, is as it should be.

Our hearts are full.

#engaged #family #everything

No ice cream to be found

What used to be
Port Stanley, ON
July 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s been ages since the very last submarine sandwiches and ice cream cones were made here, just steps from a usually crowded beach.

Time is slowly reclaiming the brightly painted structure, weeds growing through the sun-baked sidewalk, cracks spiderwebbing themselves through the once-vibrant stucco.

If we close our eyes just so, we can still hear the sounds of parents and kids bantering over promised treats before slipping back into the sun-drenched sand.

But there is no sun today, and gauzy days filled with moments where happiness was as close as a waffle cone are promised only to some.

#portstanley #beach #lakeerie #ldnont #streetphotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Frozen flashback to a lost season

Water in many forms
London, ON
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Summer is knocking on the door, with temperatures rising and humidity sticking to the backs of our necks like an unwelcome sticky blanket.

And since I’m not terribly fond of the season, I like to cruise through my photo archives in search of wintry scenes. I guess it’s my way of cooling off. Or coping.

Today I settled on this photo from the nearby valley. The river was mostly frozen over, looking like a misplaced shot from either a Hallmark movie or that lost episode of The Littlest Hobo where the dog decides to quit the show for good and hang out in the snowy woods.

I remember what it felt like as I took it, the cold seeping through my gloves, the snow creaking underfoot. I remember standing there and just feeling the fresh chill. It was glorious.

The valley must look a lot different now that the snow is gone, so I’ll have to return soon to feel what it’s like to stand under the thick green canopy. I’m expecting more gloriousness, just differently shaded.

#ldnont #medway #winter #landscapephotography #throwback #nikon

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