Where the lights are always on

White, not green
Toronto, ON, December 2009

About this photo: We're sharing "after dark" photos for another day - new theme launches Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern - so you've still got a snippet of time to share your own. Here's where the fun begins.

I had been in the big city for the day because while most of my work as a journalist is somewhat virtual - television hits done from remote studios, stories emailed to editors, and even pyjama-clad radio interviews phoned in from my driveway and - sometimes you need to be front-and-centre. This particularly clear and cold December day was one of them, with a corporate video shoot that I definitely couldn't do from my home office. Or in my jams.

After the session was done, I had a bit of a walk back to my car. So I slowed my pace down a bit, held my camera in my hand and waited for ideas to present themselves. It didn't take long for this abstract-looking building to grab my attention. I couldn't stop thinking about the psychology of modern living that treats empty, fully-lit office buildings as entirely normal elements of the nighttime sky. Owners claim it's in the interest of security, but it still strikes me as a typically arrogant disconnect from respectful use of often-non-renewable resources.

Still, there's an abstractness to this scene that stopped me in my tracks on the sidewalk. I can rail about eco-unfriendliness until the cows come home, but on this night, it meant getting a shot that wouldn't have otherwise been possible. That would have to be good enough as I tucked my camera back away, buried my near-frozen hands deeply in my pockets and headed for home.

Your turn: Who works here?