Life on Kipps Lane

Breathe deeply, but not too deeply
London, ON
January 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I was wandering the neighborhood when I came across this scene. I shot it from way down the street - one of the advantages of a long lens.

Yes, it's a risk. Yes, it pushes the bounds of public street photography. No, I have no intention of stopping. If you're outside, you're fair game.

#ldnont #kipps #lane #walkabout #urban #street #photography #shooting #strangers #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #zoom #telephoto #long #lens #paparazzi #dslr #london #ontario #canada

Pastels. Pastoral. Perfect.

Turn toward the light
Jensen Beach, FL
December 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There's something so soothing about these homes. No words: I just like how this spot feels in the South Florida sun, and wish I could stay longer.

#jensen #beach #jensenbeach #florida #fl #Fla #Atlantic #ocean #sunset #water #waterfront #waves #blue #architecture #architectureporn #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography #dslr #nofilter #nofilterneeded #photooftheday #instagood #throwback #vacation #travel #travelphotography

Blue ocean under a blue sky

Where the horizon bends
Delray Beach, FL
December 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Breathe deeply. The planet - especially the parts where land runs into water - is a staggeringly beautiful place, and we're blessed to experience it.

#delray #beach #delraybeach #Florida #fl #Fla #Atlantic #ocean #surf #waves #water #never #gets #old #blue #sky #clouds #weather #wx #vacation #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #landscape #photography #dslr #nofilter #nofilterneeded #photooftheday #instagood

Climbing the walls

Let me in, please
London, ON
January 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The world needs more ivy. That is all.

#ldnont #kipps #lane #ivy #building #home #architecture #walk #walkabout #texture #yellow #brick #color #window #nature #life #everywhere #london #ontario #canada

Scene from a diner

Formica fantastic
Coral Springs, FL
December 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There's a certain beauty in a place that hasn't changed in decades, that wears its years with not a hint of shame. Indeed, when your style is timeless, the years almost don't seem to matter.

#coral #springs #florida #fl #Fla #diner #restaurant #stilllife #food #foodporn #eat #ketchup #travel #travelphotography #canon #canonphotography #photography #vacation #empty #table

Does she look happy?

Go on, touch my nose
London, ON
March 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

She seems real impressed that it's #InternationalPuppyDay.

Or #NationalPuppyDay.

Or something.

#ldnont #Calli #CalliTheSchnauzer #LittleMissCalli #519ldn #puppy #pup #puppylove #puppiesofinstagram #instapuppy #dog #actofdog #miniatureschnauzer #schnauzer #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzer_planet #schnauzerlove #followforfollow #pet #doglover #petstagram #instadog #ilovemydog #doglovegram #london #Ontario #canada

Dinner for one

Oasis of light
Toronto, ON
February 2014
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: Yonge Street, Toronto. It's a bitterly cold winter's night, and I'm here for a work conference. I've already checked into the hotel, and the rest of my crew hasn't yet arrived, so a little wandering the streets outside is called for.

It doesn't take long before I spot this scene. My long lens helps, as does the darkness - it's a fairly straightforward process to capture the scene from way across the street without being busted in the process.

I guess I'm not the only person flying solo in this massive city tonight. I guess being alone isn't always such a bad thing.

#yonge #st #Toronto #yyz #walkabout #urban #street #smartphone #photography #texture #stranger #canon #canonphotography #night #nighttime #nofilter #nofilterneeded #photooftheday #travel #travelphotography #Ontario #canada

They shoot water into the sky here

Please don't drink this
London, ON
March 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Bike commute benefit #674: You get to stop along the way and drink in the sights.

#ldnont #jet #jetdeau #fountain #Thames #river #forks #tvp #bike #bicycle #commuting #commuter #cycling #cyclist #life #takethetime #water #london #ontario #canada

A new cycling season begins

Dirty, glorious rubber
London, ON
March 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It was time to swap 4 wheels for 2, and goodness did it feel wonderful to be back out there.

#ldnont #cycling #bicycle #tire #tires #rubber #hits #road #traction #tread #knobby #mountain #wheel #wheels #cycling #is #life #just #ride #commute #commuter #cyclist #nofilter #nofilterneeded #instagood #tvp #london #ontario #canada

Thematic Photographic 417 - Dirty

Please wash me
London, ON
February 2018
Photo originally posted to Instagram

Canadian winters are notoriously hard on cars. Road grime makes them relentlessly icky, while road salt tries to return them to dust from whence they came.

And yet, dirt can make for a fun photo - but only if you take the time to shoot it in the first place. Which on this cold February day in the middle of my snowy, messy driveway, I did. Now it's your turn.

Your turn: Take a photo that celebrates, evokes or otherwise reflects this week's Thematic theme, Dirty. Post it to your blog, website, or social media presence, then leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it. Visit other participants to share the photographic joy. Head here if you're new to this - and all will be explained. Most of all, have fun with it.

Shooting strangers...again

Doing just fine
Okeechobee, FL
December 2017

The scene: The Fort Drum Plaza in the middle of Florida's Turnpike. We've stopped here en route to our final destination a few hours south of here. We've been on the road for the better part of two days, and I've been trying to fast-shoot the fleeting moments of the journey when I'm not at the wheel.

I'm admittedly punchy as we finish our last meal of the trip and exit the building on our way back to the car. It's our final stop before we arrive, and we're all feeling pretty good about how easy it's been so far. I spot a lone woman ahead of us, and before my inner filter tells me to leave her be, I'm reaching for my smartphone and stabbing at the camera app icon. I've been doing this ever since we left home, stealing visual snippets of strangers without them even knowing I was there.

I realize I'm probably stretching the line of what is/is not photographically acceptable in this day and age. Sure, it's a public space, so anything should go. But still, I figure most folks would feel a little off if they knew they were on the receiving end of a spontaneous photo shoot from afar.

But still I take the shot. Because it's always been who I am and what I do. Because this moment is part of the story, and will become another memory among many that we're trying to lay down on this much-needed time away from life back home.

As I tuck the phone back in my pocket, I wonder who she is, where she's going, and how much gumption it takes to take on life when your body doesn't want to cooperate. I silently wish her a safe journey and a good life as we leave this place behind and continue on our own way. I hope her story, too, is a happy one.

Your turn: Do you take photos of strangers in public places? Why/why not?

When it all ends

Lost (almost) forever
London, ON
March 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In a world littered with countless trillions (or more, most likely) of fallen leaves, a snapshot of one particular leaf on a London street that magically survived the winter isn't particularly noteworthy.

But I take the shot, anyway, because photography - and storytelling - need not always be about the noteworthy ones. Sometimes, the ordinary ones deserve some attention, too.

Recycling Day on Kipps Lane

Lives being lived
London, ON
January 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There's nothing like a walkabout in an East London neighborhood to reconnect you with the fabric of the city. Walking past people's homes, you realize very quickly that every home, every neighborhood, every life, is ever so slightly different. And taking those differences in while strolling down a street you normally wouldn't stroll down is one of those little luxuries of life I hope I never lose.

#ldnont #kipps #lane #walkabout #urban #street #photography #building #architecture #blue #box #special #perspective #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #london #ontario #canada

On ignorance and stupidity

Every once in a while, I like to share a quote that inspires me. I do so because I hope it'll inspire you, too. Yes, I'm just naive enough to believe that words can still change the world.

I find today's quote particularly resonant given the generally sad state of the planet. In light of the passing of Stephen Hawking, it's rather timely. And Dr. King, as he always did, nailed it.

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
Martin Luther King Jr.

Your turn: Got a quote you'd like to share? Let's start a QOTD collection!

Nuts to that

Endless protein
London, ON
August 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There's a burger place near the house - Five Guys - that the kids absolutely love. The menu is ever so slightly removed from fast food, and there's a stack of free grab-your-own peanuts as soon as you walk in the door.

It isn't healthy, and it isn't kosher. But as an occasional treat that makes my family smile and gives us an excuse to hang around the kitchen table a little longer, I'm in.

Whenever I drop by to pick up an order, I feel a compulsion to take advantage of the free peanuts. I think it's the texture, or the amusement of shooting artsy pictures while other customers look on with furrowed brows. Being able to ripple some happiness out into the universe in this way is indescribably fun.

#ldnont #peanut #peanuts #nuts #texture #random #food #foodporn #just #eat #me #desktop #stilllife #everyday #photography #london #ontario #canada

11 years on...

We brought this little guy, Frasier, home 11 years ago tonight. I've missed him every day since we lost him just over a year ago, and every time a milestone date rolls around, I ask myself if it's appropriate to keep bringing it up.

And almost as soon as I ask the question, I answer it. Indeed, it is appropriate. Because memory isn't merely appropriate; it's actually a fundamental basis of life. Because if we don't take the time to remember the stuff - and the people, and the moments, and , yes, the pets - that mattered, then what exactly was our purpose in being here, anyway?

I'm glad we had him. He was my first dog, and while I'll probably be accused of dog-owner bias on this one, he was a wonderful pup. He had a kind heart, always looking out for us, and he added a layer to our family that we'll always feel even though he's no longer here. And despite the fact that we now have Calli in our lives, I still often find myself looking at her through the Frasier lens, because everything I learned about a good dog's life I learned from Frasier.

Miss you, buddy.

What's left after the wave crashes

Turbulence
Delray Beach, FL
December 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Wavy goodness. And all you need to do is look down.

#delray #beach #delraybeach #florida #fl #Fla #Atlantic #ocean #surf #waves #water #splash #never #gets #old #vacation #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #high #speed #photography #dslr #nofilter #nofilterneeded #photooftheday #instagood

Thematic Photographic 416 - Water

Frozen in time and space
Jensen Beach, FL
December 2017
Originally posted to Instagram

I have a bit of a thing for water, especially when it's in an ocean and it rolls onto a sandy beach as a wave. Bonus points if it's especially windy, or around golden hour, or both.

If you're shooting water through a lens, you never quite know what you're going to come up with. And every shot is absolutely unique, never to be repeated. So you stand there with your feet dug solidly into the soft sand, planted just enough apart to fight off the wind as you scan through the viewfinder for the next wave, the next moment that'll present itself, then disappear, in less time than it takes to blink away the spray from your eyes.

If I lived here, I'd be here every day with a fully charged battery and an empty memory card. But I don't, and am only here for a blink before I have to rejoin the fam. So I shoot fast and try to remember as much as I can from this abbreviated experience. Because the sound of the pounding surf, the feel of the spray on my face and even the faintly salty smell of the crashing waves will have to live in my memories until I can return to this hallowed spot.

For this week's Thematic theme, water, my wish is that you can find that similarly special spot from which to shoot, and think about the stuff we don't always have time to think about. But should.

Your turn: Take a picture that evokes, suggests or supports this week's theme, water. Post it to your blog or social media account, then leave a comment here letting folks know where to find it. Visit other participants to further spread the photographic joy. If this is your first Thematic experience, head here to learn more about our weekly photo sharing insanity. Otherwise, grab your camera and enjoy.

Tea time in (the other) London

Take a bite. Or three.
London, ON
March 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Where we look more closely at things we'd otherwise ignore.

#ldnont #social #tea #crackers #snack #hungry #food #foodporn #geometry #texture #stilllife #london #ontario #canada

A sudden burst of at-work photography

Please take oneices
Toronto, ON
February 2018

The scene: I'm attending a work conference, surrounded by hundreds of colleagues from the eastern half of the country. The company has arranged a buffet-style lunch in the lobby outside the auditorium, and we're all lined up, plates in hand, waiting for the teeming, hungry masses ahead of us to load up and move on.

As you might expect when colleagues from near and far reconnect with each other, the noise level is off the charts. The line is moving slowly, which means lots of spontaneous discussions between strangers and friends alike. The line I'm in grinds to a halt near the drink section, and I find myself suddenly inspired to pull my phone from my pocket and line up a shot of the cans.

It doesn't take long for smiles to be cracked as good-natured questions and comments get tossed my way:

"Where's that shot going to turn up?"
"How do I find you on Instagram?|
"Want me to take the picture so you can get into the shot?"
"What are you doing?"

The discussion flows animatedly as I snag three fast frames and then tuck the phone back away. Almost as soon as the moment materialized, it recedes as the line begins to move again and everyone moves in to finish the original task at hand. I pick up the rest of my lunch and melt back into the crowd. I'm pretty sure more than one of my newfound friends thought I was more than a little weird.

I'm perfectly fine with that. Because if a hastily taken photo manages to make others smile, then it's totally worth it.

Your turn: How can photography connect people?

Fenced in, for now

300 feet
London, ON
August 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

If you build it, he will come. Until the developers show up, that is.

#ldnont #baseball #diamond #dreamers #field #dreams #outfield #boys #summer #sport #sports #green #throwback #endings #sold #london #ontario #canada

Lizard without a name

Finding warmth
Laval, QC
August 2016
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Someone needs a name. Suggestions welcome.

#ldnont #lizard #cold #blooded #yet #friendly #pet #store #friend #not #food #london #ontario #canada

10 months on this planet

Love me
London, ON
March 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

She's 10 months-old today. Of course, she doesn't know that, because to a dog, every day is special.

Hmm, perhaps there's a lesson there.

#ldnont #Calli #CalliTheSchnauzer #LittleMissCalli #519ldn #puppy #pup #puppylove #puppiesofinstagram #instapuppy #dog #actofdog #dogsofinstagram #chocolateparti #miniatureschnauzer #schnauzer #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzer_planet #schnauzerlove #followforfollow #pet #doglover #petstagram #instadog #ilovemydog #doglovegram #london #Ontario #canada

Tadpole in motion. Kind of.

Don't blink
Delray Beach, FL
December 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Fountains aren't as commonplace as they once were. Most malls seem to have removed them, as have airports, community centres, and other public spaces. Maybe it's a money thing. Or an optics/conservation/green thing. Whatever kind of thing it is, I miss them.

So whenever we're over at my aunt's and uncle's place, I like to spend some time near the fountain at the front of their development. There's something about flying water that makes me giddy, especially if I have a DSLR with a long lens in my hand.

#delray #beach #delraybeach #water #fountain #frozen #freeze #frame #light #contrast #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #nofilter #high #speed #photography #nofilterneeded #photooftheday #instagood #vacation #Florida #FL #Fla #travel #travelphotography

Bokeh and color

Dreamy lights in Victoria Park
London, ON
December 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It isn't always necessary to focus. Try it sometime.

#ldnont #throwback #downtown #Vic #Victoria #park #Christmas #holiday #lights #light #color #colorful #tree #trees #abstract #art #blur #london #ontario #canada

Fleeting joy in a hotel lobby

Curved light(s)
Toronto, ON
February 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

To some, a couple of ordinary hotel-lobby light fixtures. To others, something else entirely.

#Toronto #yyz #Marriott #hotel #playing #with #light #travel #work #business #canon #canonphotography #photography #unintentionally #monochrome #circle #ontario #canada

Thematic Photographic 415 - Junk Food

That's so twisted
London, ON
February 2018

I may have been silent here on Written Inc. these last few months, but I was out there almost every day with a camera. And as has long been my habit - or obsession, I'm not entirely sure which - I took many weird photos along the way. Like this pretzel at a London Lightning game at Budweiser Gardens. It was the last one they had, and for reasons I still do not understand I felt compelled to remember how it looked before I brought it back to our seat.

Yes, it had too much salt on it. No, I didn't feel guilty. Some days, you just have to enjoy the moment.

And speaking of moments, this photo kicks off this week's Thematic Photographic theme, Junk Food. What's Thematic? Only the most fun you can have with a camera and an Internet connection this side of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Thematic is our weekly photographic sharing and learning activity. Read on for instructions. Or head here for background.

Oh, and the good guys won the game. Must have been a lucky pretzel.

Your turn: Every Monday, I share a theme (this week's...Junk Food.) Then you take a pic and share it online somewhere (blog, Facebook, Instagram, wherever) and leave a comment here telling people where to find it. Visit other participants to share the photographic joy. Repeat as often as you wish throughout the week. Use the #ThematicPhotographic hashtag and don't be shy. The only rule? There are no rules. Just enjoy.

Where we contemplate playing ball

You gonna throw that thing?
London, ON
March 2018

When we last posted, Calli Finnegan was barely a puppy, and she was just figuring out the subtleties of not peeing on the floor or chewing on furniture or waking up in the middle of the night. Thankfully, she's sleeping better, and she's pretty much house-trained. She wasn't the worst dog in our puppy training classes, and she's gotten pretty good with the sit, stay, come-when-I-call, give-paw thing - when she isn't distracted, mind you, which is often. But the furniture chewing and general mayhem-causing nature of a miniature schnauzer puppy are, shall we say, works in progress.

And yet. I find myself saying those words often. And yet. Also, "But still." And for good measure, "She's so damn cute." She's lucky she's so damn cute. And we're even luckier to have her.

The world can be a challenging, frustrating place sometimes. Working in media, some days it seems I spend much of my day witnessing more than the recommended daily allowance of unkindness. But then I come home to a puppy who doesn't know any better, doesn't know any different, just wants to play and slobber on and lie half-on, half-off her favorite people, her family.

Somehow puts things back in balance, doesn't it?

Your turn: What's she thinking?

Please Note: Thematic Photographic will return Monday evening, 7pm Eastern.

Staring out a window

Building Toronto's future, one project at a time.
Toronto, ON
February 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: I've been sitting in this downtown Toronto conference room all day long, drinking from a Kool Aid (tm)-filled firehose filled with lots of PowerPoint decks, videos, and discussions. It's been an intense and productive day with my team of digital strategists who've come in from across the country, but as the sun sets through windows nobody notices, I decide I need a bit of an optical break. While everyone else heads for the coffee-and-donut table, I grab my camera and walk toward the light.

The sky is glowing a delightful shade of gold. I probably have seconds to capture it before it's over. Because Golden Hour in these parts is more like Golden Seconds, and you either move now or miss it entirely.

No one else asks what I'm up to - they're pretty good donuts, I hear - which is as it should be. The beat I'm marching to today isn't really the same one as everyone else, and I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps there isn't something else out there that I should be spending my time on.

I suspect something's changed in me this week, and the glorious scene that spills out before me could be a harbinger of better things to come.

#Toronto #yyz #John #street #st #urban #street #photography #building #architecture #construction #zone #rush #hour #traffic #west #weather #wx #sunset #orange #sky #canon #canonphotography #travel #travelphotography #ontario #canada

Is this thing still on?

Speak here
London, ON
June 2017

I haven't written here in a while. Come to think of it, I haven't written anywhere in a while. Sure, I still write. Largely at work. Mostly stuff that gets emailed to large groups of people. Or spoken on-air. Then forgotten.

That kind of writing is all well and good, but it isn't writing. This blog was always supposed to be that space where I could take a timeout from the work world and write whatever came to mind, whatever I was feeling at that moment. Until, sometime last year for reasons I still can't understand, it wasn't.

Sometimes the voice in your head goes silent, and I'm guessing that's what happened to me. I was still shooting pictures, still sharing them on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, largely). But it wasn't the same. I've always been a writer, yet for much of the past year, after checking all the creative boxes at work, then maybe dashing a pic or two into my Insta feed, I couldn't motivate myself to sit in front of a keyboard and write. Life gets in the way, I suppose.

The stark reality of blog-as-writing-space is that things have changed. Virtual spaces that were hugely active in 2004 when Written Inc. first went live have largely fallen silent as bloggers shifted their attention, energy, and time toward burgeoning social media platforms. As audiences drifted, then stampeded, into Facebookistan and Instagramville, blog posts, and the communities that sprouted up around them, became the digital era equivalent of ghost towns, complete with virtual tumbleweed rolling erratically down the main drag.

If the audience moved to another platform, I figured, I'd follow them there. And let's be honest, it's a heck of a lot easier to throw together a photo post on your smartphone with a snarkily-written graf or two, plus some well-chosen hashtags, than it is to sit down at a real keyboard and compose something thoughtful here. I guess I got caught in the world of low-friction creativity and chasing likes.

Yet here's the thing: I still kinda like the idea of a blog. As retro as it now may seem, it still feels like the only tool that lets me do what I've always loved to do, namely write, share, and just be.

I won't abandon my social channels - everyone is now there, after all - but it's time to reclaim my writer's voice. And the best place to do it is here. I hope you agree.

Your turn: Do you still blog? Why? Why not?

Shooting cars at night

Walk on the green
Toronto, ON
February 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Intersections have texture. Who knew?

#yonge #st #Toronto #yyz #walkabout #urban #street #smartphone #photography #texture #canon #canonphotography #night #nighttime #nofilter #nofilterneeded #photooftheday #travel #travelphotography #Ontario #canada

Looking to the trees for guidance

Soft trees
London, ON
January 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The world isn't always as clear as it could be. But if you peer through the murk, your path eventually becomes clear.

Or so I'd like to believe.

#ldnont #naturephoto #nature #naturephotography #landscape #photography #fog #foggy #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #medway #valley #forest #trees #nofilter #nofilterneeded #photooftheday #instagood #monochrome #grey #tone #toneitup #agameoftones #london #ontario #canada

Happy girl in the snow

Surveying her surroundings
London, ON
March 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Our dog loves the snow. Like, seriously loves it. Bounces out of the house after a snowfall and rolls in it, sticks her nose in it, jumps through it with a joy that makes us glad she's in our life.

As I watch her frolic with unmitigated joy, I find myself wishing I could somehow tap into that energy, that innate ability to just be, to enjoy the moment, any moment, for what it is. Nothing more, nothing less. In so many ways, I believe this little one is rubbing off on me.

#Calli #CalliTheSchnauzer #LittleMissCalli #ldnont #519ldn #puppy #pup #puppylove #puppiesofinstagram #instapuppy #dog #actofdog #dogsofinstagram #chocolateparti #miniatureschnauzer #schnauzer #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzer_planet #schnauzerlove #followforfollow #pet #doglover #petstagram #instadog #ilovemydog #doglovegram #london #Ontario #canada