Atlantis in the abstract

Orbiter up-close
Merritt Island, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Even a retired Space Shuttle orbiter deserves to be fawned over with pixels and glass.

She's earned it.

#kennedy #space #center #ksc #kennedyspacecenter #florida #fla #spaceshuttle #shuttle #atlantis #ov104 #rocket #science #aviation #avgeek #spaceflight #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Dirty old leaf

Not quite done yet
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The first thing that comes to mind when you see a tattered old leaf just barely clinging to a branch is a single word: "Why?"

Why bother shooting it? Why would anyone want to spend their free time looking at it? Isn't it long past its best-by date?

By the conventional standards of beauty, the answer should be fairly simple. It's tired, worn out, done. And consequently not worthy of further attention. It had its time.

But here's the thing about conventional standards of beauty: They make no sense to those of us who bristle at the prospect of conventionality.

Think about it: Who defines those supposed conventional standards in the first place? What qualifications do they have? And why are we so content to follow their lead like so many sheep?

From the things we wear, watch, listen to, and buy to the things we choose to record, talk about, and spend time with, we've allowed ourselves to let others dictate our path. We've allowed others to tell us what is and is not beautiful instead of figuring it out for ourselves. We've become followers. And in doing so, we've allowed our stories to look and sound a lot like theirs.

Pity that.

So on this sunny autumn day, my path took me into the woods around Westminster Ponds where I found a ratty leaf just before it fell one last time. No one told me where to go or what to do. I followed my own path.

I humbly suggest you do the same. You might be pleasantly surprised by the unconventional beauty - your beauty - that you find along the way.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #leaf #leaves #forest #fall #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #stilllife #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #findthelight #family #everything

Leafy patterns in nature

One last blast on Wonderland Road
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

They say there are no patterns in nature. I'm inclined to disagree. But politely, because I’m Canadian.

Canuck geniality aside, I must ask, yet again, who are "they", anyway? And why are "they" always raining on our parade?

And why am I overusing quotation marks again? Perhaps I should stick to shooting leaves. It's better for my blood pressure.

Hope you enjoy this. The colors may have to hold us for a while. #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #red #orange #leaf #leaves #tree #trees #medway #forest #nature #naturephotography #light #texture #gameoftones #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Pet picture time!

Looking at you looking at me
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm calling it: We need more dog (or cat, or any other animal) photos, so start sharing yours, please.

Because pets can only be forces for good, and our lives are enriched by theirs.

You're probably wondering where this is coming from. Simple: Work. In our environment, we use the Microsoft Teams collaboration platform for pretty much everything, and from my home office it has become, quite literally, my window on the working world, and my only means of real connection to my colleagues.

And as the remote work marathon continues, I'm sensing a slight shift in demeanor among the folks I speak to. At the beginning of most meetings, there's a bit more chit-chat than usual. We've always been a friendly bunch, but this is different. We talk more about home, family, and pets. There's an inevitable beat of personal-time before someone transitions us into the meeting agenda.

And I like it. Because it reminds me that we're all experiencing this together. And we're all looking for ways to just get through it.

I'm not afraid to share that some days are harder than others. Much harder. And I've found great comfort in distracting myself with the antics of a rather deranged puppy. And from my chats with colleagues, I don't think I'm alone in this.

So as we lean ever more heavily - and, to be clear, figuratively - on the pets that hopefully surround us, I invite you to share photos and stories from your own bubble.

And if you don't have a pet of your own, please revel in the stories of others. Because animals never judge. Just don't take her blanket away while she's napping.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Peering into the woods

Soon they'll all be empty
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Photography is essentially a two-dimensional medium that struggles to tell the story of a three-dimensional world.

This photo drives that home for me. On one plane, the craggy, grey textures of trees and branches that have already lost their leaves. On another plane, seemingly just behind, the few colorful remnants cling to life before their inevitable fall. I'm reasonably certain most of them were gone by the time I got back home.

There are countless layers in this rich valley, yet all I can do is capture them on a flat sensor, then display them on an equally flat screen.

It's all woefully inadequate to explain, with anything approaching proper fidelity, what it feels like to be in this place. But given the limitations of technology, it'll have to do for now.

I guess I'll just have to keep coming back here. Some stories, after all, never really have an ending.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #fall #tree #trees #autumn #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Memories of B-52s and parking lots

Historic
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Days with B-52s are better than days without. Discuss.

I grew up in Montreal, not far from Plattsburgh, New York. That small, upstate town wasn't just a border shopping mecca for beleaguered Canadians deprived of Count Chocula, Moon Pies, and Peanut Butter & Jelly Oreos. It was also home to Plattsburgh Air Force Base, which served as a Strategic Air Command Base.

SAC no longer exists, but back when I was a munchkin, it was responsible for protecting U.S. airspace from the bad guys (aka, communists), and for launching nuclear bombers and missiles toward the Soviet Union if the Cold War ever got hot.

I remember standing in the parking lot of the old Pyramid Mall (ah, Montgomery Ward) watching B-52 strategic bombers and KC-135 tankers trace inky black smoke trails through the sky as they screamed overhead, so close I could almost touch their wingtips. If you were inside the mall at the time, you could feel the rumbling through the floor. If you were outside, you either held your ears tightly or you went temporarily deaf. It was glorious.

So when the B-52 was added to the list of participants in this year's drive-by air show in London, it sealed the deal. We saw one on static display a couple of years ago, but nothing quite comes close to one of these eight-engined monsters in flight.

By the time they finally retire these planes, they'll be pushing close to a century of service. Think about that for a second. Mad respect to the engineers whose timeless design has survived through the ages, outlasting at least two of the aircraft - the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit - that were supposed to render the BUFF obsolete.

What is "obsolete", anyway? Most certainly not this master of the timeless skies.

#ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #boeing #b52 #stratofortress #strategic #bomber #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The partnering trees

Together we stand
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

These days, we're rightfully encouraged to keep our distance from others. When proximity could result in infection, our base instinct is to back away.

Forests, of course, follow a much different script, and the sight of more trees than I could count huddled closely together was just what I needed to see on a quiet Sunday afternoon. On any afternoon, frankly.

In this simple shot, I see community, empathy, and teamwork. I see individualism taking a back seat to the collective good. I see something we don't always see in the human world that surrounds this hushed valley.

Maybe I'll just return here more often for timely reminders of the need to stay connected despite the current state of the planet. Maybe we can learn from nature. Maybe trees are good for us in more ways than we originally thought.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #fall #tree #trees #autumn #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Creeping along in silence

Final gradient of the year
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'd like to think that ivy is the very definition of tenacity, the kind of plant whose resilience serves as a lesson to anyone who takes the time to appreciate it.

Like this single strand, clinging tightly to the abutment that holds four lanes of traffic high above the valley below. Somehow, it finds a way to survive and thrive despite everything that gets thrown at it. No one cares for it, yet here it is.

I've made a note to keep an occasional eye on it through the winter and into next spring. It doesn't need my help, of course, but it never hurts to have someone looking out for you.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #snake #creek #medway #valley #forest #red #leaf #leaves #ivy #nature #naturephotography #light #texture #gameoftones #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

One last flash of red

Look over here
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The colors outside are fading into an inevitable grey murk. So as I set out for a fast photowalk through the neighborhood, I'm not expecting to find much.

My, am I in for a surprise.

Just down the hill from us, beside the house where a sweet Jack Russell Terrier often barks at the fence in a futile attempt to befriend our dog, a single maple tree stands. And on a breezy Sunday afternoon under a flat grey sky, it decides to put on one final show before shedding its leafy coat for the winter.

In all the years walking past this house, I doubt I've ever noticed this particular tree. But I suppose every tree has its moment. The red almost begs to be remembered, and I am, of course, happy to oblige.

It's a reminder that the whole timing-is-everything mindset is as valid in the suburban forest as it is in life. And we owe it to ourselves to slow things down every once in a while so we can take in the things we've been missing all along.

Because pleasant surprises await, in any color, on any street, on any day. And when the red fades into a grey monotone in the days ahead, there will be equally compelling stories to tell.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #red #leaf #leaves #maple #tree #trees #forest #city #nature #naturephotography #light #texture #gameoftones #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Making 26 his own...

Everything that matters
Dryden, ON
September 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This is what 26 looks like.

A wife who's also your best friend.

Siblings who adore you.

In-laws who have welcomed you into the family.

Work you love, in an environment where you excel.

It's a long way from the tiny little guy who fought his way into the world, but you've always taken the long view, and always found ways to get where you wanted, and needed, to be.

We couldn't be more proud of the man you've become.

Happiest of birthdays, Zach. We know you'll keep making every day count - not to mention more charmed for everyone lucky enough to call you their own.

#parenthood #life #birthday #celebrate #moments #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

A dozen eggs fall in a parking lot...

The chickens will not be pleased
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

They say we shouldn't cry over spilled milk. I'm reasonably sure the same logic applies to eggs in the Costco parking lot, as well.

I'm also reasonably sure "they" have entirely too much free time on their hands if they spend their days spouting time-worn platitudes about gravitationally-challenged food products.

We'll never know the story behind this particular scene, as the folks now doomed to breakfast without omelettes were long gone by the time we happened upon what was left.

But I did enjoy the rapid-fire experience of sizing up the scene, composing the low-angled shot, stealing a few frames, and surreptitiously watching curious shoppers take in the spectacle of a weirdo chasing Instagram moments with his iPhone. I hope they were smiling beneath their masks.

I hope they realize monotony is our common enemy, and anything that breaks it, even for a fleeting moment, is worth the effort.

Waste is never a happy thing, but finding a smile in an unusual place feels like a reasonable means of salvaging a stranger's moment of admittedly minor loss.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #costco #parking #lot #eggs #broken #remember #fallen #food #foodporn #store #retail #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Our award-winning daughter

So focused...
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Not a day goes by when my wife and I don’t reflect on how proud we are of our children. Of the people they’re becoming. Of the impact they have on those around them.

We let them know as best we can, because every kid deserves to know mom and dad think the world of them. We may not always have all the answers, but imperfection is fine as long as your heart is in the right place.

While they’re worthy of pride just by being who they are, some days come with a little extra reason for recognizing them. Tonight is Dahlia’s turn, as she’s being honoured with the London Jewish community’s Young Leadership Award.

For as long as she's been able, she's stepped up. She designs and leads after-school, weekend, and summer camp programming, she teaches, she shows up. She balances this all with a heavy load at Western.

And that juggling act has an impact: Countless kids in our community have had a better start - and stronger connections - because of her.

Just like her mom, it isn't something she does so much as who she is. We speak often of having the right spirit, of being a good person. She does and she is, and it's gratifying that we aren't the only ones who see it in her.

Way to go, Peanut Girl. We are so proud of all you've accomplished, and all that lies ahead. Future's so bright... #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #parenthood #dahlia #JewishLondon #leadership #award #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Paint the blue morning sky

Lines to anywhere
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Saw lots of lines in the sky this morning, so it felt right to point the lens straight up and freeze the moment.

Because while we’ll probably see brilliant contrails against wispy high-altitude clouds against an impossibly blue sky again, I’m reasonably sure they won’t look exactly like this this scene did at 8:37 a.m. from our spot in North London.

And that’s the thing: Each of us is granted a finite number of unique moments and experiences. The choice is ours whether we take the time to remember and share them.

Please choose wisely.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sky #clouds #contrails #blue #sky #weather #wx #aviation #photography #apple #iPhone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Finding corn by the side of the road

Soaking up the late afternoon sun
St. Thomas, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We live in the middle of some of the most productive agricultural land on the planet. So we're never that far from fields and farms teeming with life.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon spent looking for fall colors and our favorite milkshakes, we come across this corn field not far from St. Thomas. It sits beside the regional road that leads to Lake Erie, just across from Shaw's, where we coincidentally find those aforementioned shakes.

Lots of traffic flies by at near-highway speeds, but no one else stops to stare at the corn swaying in the strong autumn breeze.

Except for me, shooting across the road toward the edge of the field, trying to avoid getting too close to the edge lest I distract a speeding motorist. The things we do to get the shot.

The things we do to remember texture-filled afternoons in the unimaginably beautiful countryside that feeds us all.

#stthomas #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #shaws #icecream #milkshake #food #foodie #foodporn #landscape #autumn #photography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The sky before the storm

4 is a magic number
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When Mother Nature threatens to send us thunderstorms and tornadoes - or even when she doesn't - a fast lesson in aerial geometry from a nearly empty mall parking lot is called for.

Find the wonder whenever it presents itself. Even if at first glance it doesn't look like it's worthy of your attention.

I guarantee you it is. Just use your imagination.

And if you close your eyes while composing to feel the rising winds howl in your ears, so much the better.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #masonville #mall #parking #lot #store #retail #photography #blue #sky #cloud #weather #wx #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #nightphotography #nightmode #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Debating the merits of chocolate

The colors of spring - and every other season
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm betting you watched the final presidential debate, and I'm betting you've got the same sick feeling in your tummy that I do. Humanity's ugliness on stark display? Check.

So here's a photo of Smarties*. I share it here for no other reason than the colors are pretty, and pretty things always prevail over human-caused ugliness.

Whatever you do next, please never forget that the world still offers up limitless supplies of color.

And light.

And kindness.

And hope.

* It's a Canadian thing. Think chocolate M&Ms, but better. For the record, peanut butter M&Ms are yummier than all others.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #smarties #chocolate #junkfood #foodphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Presidential portrait, 2020 version.

No dinner invitation for you. Ever.
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Twitter

I rarely get political here, but I'll make an exception tonight.

As we watch the final U.S. presidential debate, I find myself closing my eyes so I can listen not only to the words of the candidates, but their tone. It's a journalist thing: When you interview people, you're not only trying to record what they're saying, but the context of what they're saying, where it comes from, what they mean beyond what they say.

Along the way, you learn a few things about the people behind the words. And the more I listen to Donald Trump, the more I realize how full of shit* this guy truly is.

Let's be honest here, folks: How can anyone listen to him for any appreciable amount of time and actually believe that he's telling the truth?

I'm reminded of the bullies who crossed my path during elementary and high school (and beyond, come to think of it.) They all shared his tone, that twang in their voice that spoke directly to my gut, that warned me to keep my antennae pointed in their direction even as they slowly faded into the distance behind me. I simply don't understand how anyone can lack that basic sense in adulthood.

And four years into this shitshow, I can't understand how after all this time anyone can still lack that ability. Now I know how 1930s Germany happened.

The photo may be a funny grab off our screen. The story behind it is anything but.

So get your shit together, America. Four years should be long enough for you to wake up to the fact that you've been conned.

* Sorry for the profanity. I never swear here. I'm making an exception this time because extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.

The grocery store at night - Part 3

Just another brick in the wall
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The final entry in our east-end-supermarket-parking-lot series is up close and personal, an in-your-face angled perspective of the exterior brickwork.

My word choice makes it sound like a cherished heritage property, but the sad reality is somewhat less glamorous. For this is the corner of a run-down strip mall in a part of town often derisively called EOA, or East of Adelaide. A place whose commercial/industrial roots are never far from the surface.

There’s nothing fair about how EOA is perceived, but civic geography, here and anywhere, was never about fairness, anyway.

As I line up the shot, I brace my hand against the cool, textured bricks and imagine I must be the only person in, well, ever, to be doing this. Because no one takes the time to appreciate the supermarket, here or anywhere.

But maybe they should. Maybe we’ve all been looking for beauty, or inspiration, in the wrong place. Maybe our very definitions need to change.

Staring at the time-worn surface of an overlooked yet vital corner of this community, I decide we’ve been getting it wrong. As I walk back into the darkness, I realize I need to find more places like this to explore.

Hopefully I’ll see you, soon, in another eerily lit parking lot.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #night #grocery #store #retail #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #nightphotography #nightmode #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The grocery store at night - Part 2

Come closer, will you?
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In photography as in life, everything is a tradeoff.

Zoom lenses, for example, give you lots of flexibility to go in close or pull way back - all with a twist of your wrist. The cost, though, is reduced image quality. Because a lens that tries to be all things to all people often ends up being a master of none.

Prime lenses, with fixed focal lengths, are the ultimate photographic weapon. Image quality is typically higher - sharper, fewer distortions and aberrations, even tougher because they're mechanically simpler. They may force you to zoom with your feet, but in doing so, they open up entirely new ways to tell a story.

For the most part, that's the blessing of smartphone photography. While some newer phones add telephoto and zoom capabilities, they are, for the most part, zoom-with-your-feet propositions.

So on this cold night in a darkened parking lot, I used my feet to change composition. To see the same scene from different positions. To wander around and feel the echoes of the space first-hand instead of reaching in from afar. To appreciate it in different ways.

You've already seen the wide shot. Now we're moving in a bit. To the point where lines and geometries dominate. Where textures begin to present themselves. Where the overwhelming loneliness of this place, at any time of day, comes into focus.

We'll have more in our next post. But I hope what you've seen thus far gives you pause when you're telling your own stories.

Because the stories we tell can shift depending on where we are when we tell them. And yet again, this is just as true in everyday life as it is in photography.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #night #grocery #store #retail #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #nightphotography #nightmode #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The grocery store at night - Part 1

Hyperbole by the fluorescent light
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Pools of pure white light spill into the darkness of an otherwise deserted strip mall parking lot. It’s an oasis, of sorts, standing beacon-like on this desolate corner in east London.

I've been making mental notes for months to stop here. But every time I drive by, I'm rushing somewhere else. The list in my head grows longer by the day, as there's never enough time to capture the things that catch my eye and settle in my mind.

Tonight I decide to make the time, because five minutes one way or another won't throw the planet into another orbit. Tonight I pull over and park in the darkened corner of an empty lot, a bright, typically ignored beacon asking for a fleeting moment of attention.

It's just a supermarket, I tell myself. Hardly worthy of our attention, by the standards of most.

But you already know I follow different drummers. And what merits attention in my world doesn't necessarily align with what's popular. Or even normal.

We'll be hanging out at the corner of Oxford and Highbury for the next few days. Part of me hopes you'll join us.

Another part of me hopes, even more fervently, that you'll find your own desolate street corner, or ignored corner of the world, and find a way to tell its story, as well.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #night #grocery #store #retail #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #nightphotography #nightmode #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Fire on the water

All elements accounted for
Westminster Ponds, London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Earth, air, water.

And fire.

I'll miss these colors when they're gone. But the coming winter will offer up its own palette of colors, even if they won't look much like these.

I'll be out there then, too, and I hope I won't be the only one seeking joy from the light. Whatever form it may take.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #fall #autumn #color #colors #red #orange #green #blue #water #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

When birds dance in the sky

Where do we go next?
St. Thomas, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When birds decide to put on an impromptu dance in the sky, you shoot quickly and hope something comes out.

My wife saw them as we walked across the giant rail trestle/awesome linear park that dominates the landscape. I barely had time to react, my settings were way off, and I had a whale of a good time trying to lock in on these tiny, fast-movers in challenging light.

So, on balance, not my best work. But it's a moment I won't soon forget. With her. Which matters way more than some mere pixels.

#stthomas #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #elevated #park #railway #train #bridge #landscape #autumn #fall #color #colors #bird #birds #blur #flight #photography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

A single leaf of consequence

The surprising things that matter
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A single leaf among billions, or trillions, or even more. Inconsequential to the rest of us.

It lives for but a few seasons, then disappears on the forest floor, never seen or known by the countless other leaves in the forest around it, let alone all the forests beyond.

It's easy to forget something you've never seen. Easy to dismiss as unimportant the one among many.

But zoom the lens in a little closer and things snap into focus. For inside this single leaf's world, there's an entire ecosystem - a community, if you will - that lives, vibrantly.

It may be gone in a blink. But within that blink, it matters.

Even beyond that blink. Because it contributes to the forest around it, even if there's no one there to appreciate it.

We all leave ripples in the universe. We all matter. We all deserve at least a little light.

Just like this leaf.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #leaf #leaves #forest #fall #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #stilllife #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #findthelight #family #everything

Road trip scene from a dashboard

Visions of grey
Troy, OH
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Do you divide your pictures into "befores" and "afters"? I'm starting to.

A before picture is anything taken before we all went into quarantine, before the pandemic rewrote the rules of day-to-day life, before we took the unlimited for granted.

An after picture is, as you can imagine, anything taken since.

I don't rank them against each other. I don't pine for the befores. They weren't categorically better than the afters. I simply perceive them differently now, as if my personal lens has shifted a little bit, and everything now takes on a slightly different tone.

Like this unassuming dashboard scene I captured in Troy, Ohio last January. We were on our way home, day 2 of a trip that took us from warm beaches to flannel and snow. At the time, it was simply a placeholder shot, one of countless scenes I snagged along the way in a clumsy attempt to tell the story of the road.

I never have time to think through these road trip pics, or to compose them with much care. Just grab them fast so we can get back to driving.

The flat grey tone reflected my mood that day, a little sad that our vacation was drawing to a close, but still happy to be together for a while in the car.

Looking back at it now, as a "before" shot, I appreciate moments like this even more, and look forward to making more of them as soon as we are able.

#troy #dayton #ohio #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #throwback #random #stranger #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Twisting in the wind

The things we find in the woods
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The winds may blow them every which way. But they do not break.

Seems like a relevant lesson to hold onto, tightly, as we greet a new day, similarly buffeted by winds, both literal and figurative, that threaten to break us.

They can't. This fleeting scene on the edge of the woods proves it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #fall #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #findthelight #family #everything

Getting the stinkeye in an IHOP

Someone didn't enjoy her pancakes
Delray Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm pretty sure the woman on the left is on to me. On reflection, I'm glad all I got was an evil stare.

This isn't a good picture by any stretch of the imagination - just a fast-grab from my smartphone while we waited to be seated at an International House of Pancakes restaurant in south Florida on a bright Saturday morning last December.

Yet the more I take it in, the more I see. Because places like this don't just serve food. They're the backdrop of the tiny life stories we all too often fail to record or remember.

So while we waited in line and bantered with strangers - because that's what you do at IHOPs no matter where they're located - I thought a photo would be in order.

Just behind my glaring new friend on the left, an older gentleman in red flannel sits with his freshly-coiffed wife, the walker a reminder that she's overcome her own challenges just to be here. Behind them, a man in a black baseball cap eats alone as he reads the paper. I smile at the quaintness. In the adjacent booth, a friendly argument seems to rage, with three old friends speaking animatedly with their hands, their voices drifting all the way to the entrance. I'm sure they'll settle down once the pancake stacks arrive.

I could go on. I think about the countless stories unfolding in this one scene, and how fascinating it would be to know them all.

Before long, we get to the front of the line, and soon enough we're seated, our own story ready to be told, perhaps in full view of someone else at the front looking for ways to connect with strangers.

This lousy picture turns out to be one of the most important ones I take this day, a reminder to look for the stories around us, to hold onto those moments that, at first glance, don't seem to be worthy of memory.

In the end, though, every moment is worthy of memory, even if you have to tick off a woman waiting for her pancakes.

#delray #beach #delraybeach #florida #fla #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #ihop #restaurant #food #foodporn #throwback #random #stranger #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related:

Scene from a restaurant in another lifetime, April 2020

Watching a stranger wait for his wife, May 2018

Dead trees against a blue sky

Still reaching
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We came to the woods in search of brilliant fall colors, but it was a barren stand of dead trees that caught my attention first.

Because grey is a color, too.

And beauty often comes from the things we cannot see.

Or the things we may remember from a distant past.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #fall #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #blue #sky #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Master the globe. Master the skies.

One bus, two bus...
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I like big planes and I cannot lie.

No, really. Size matters when you're delivering critical supplies to the edge of the planet, when peoples' survival depends on this plane getting where it needs to go. When everyone else is fleeing in the other direction, this is the plane that heads into harm's way, loaded to the gills.

Capability matters, too. And if you've never watched the whale-like C-17 Globemaster III get thrown around like a much smaller plane, or land on a ridiculous excuse for a runway, then back itself up and take off again, you're missing the aviation equivalent of a cargo dance party.

Thanks to COVID, we didn't get to meet the flight crew this time out. I hope they know how special they are.

#ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #McDonnellDouglas #Boeing #C17 #Globemaster #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #photography #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Help others find their color

The rainbow connection
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Do you find it ironic that some leaves erupt in unimaginably bright color just before they shrivel up and fall to the forest floor? Does it strike you as poetic that a leaf's very last act is to literally go out in a blaze of glory?

More directly, as the new work week begins, perhaps we may want to take the humble leaf's lesson to heart.

No, I'm not saying we should all burn supernova-bright before disappearing for good. But I do think the world around us could use a little more color from us right about now.

Only unlike the leaves, we won't be forgotten on a forest floor. Rather, we'll help others around us find their color, too.

The question, then, is simple: What will YOU do to help those around you find their color?

In other words, #FindTheColor. Or #FindTheLight. Or, ideally, both.

Go.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #fall #autumn #color #colors #red #orange #green #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

They put dolphins on Chevys

Through the magic of vinyl wrap...
London, ON
June 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Coming soon to a dealership near you, the all-new Chevrolet Dolphin.

Seriously, I've seen some weird things in parking lots, and I'm sure you have, too. I'm always torn over whether or not I should chance the shot. Who realistically wants strangers taking spontaneous pictures of their vehicles, after all?

But who can say no to dolphins? On the trunk lid of a Malibu, no less.

I know. I need to find a new hobby.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #car #cars #carsofinstagram #carporn #chevrolet #malibu #dolphin #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Finding peace amid the yellow trees

Feel the light
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Took a walk in a new-to-us trail network today. The scenery was lovely. But to be frank, getting to wander through the woods with our daughter was a much greater reward.

Enjoy this #FindTheLight test shot from my phone. I'll share pics off the camera-camera as I offload them. 

And if you can get out there, wherever "there" may be, please do. Life is short.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #westminster #ponds #forest #fall #autumn #color #colors #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

#FindTheLight, Part 2

Colorful morning at Snake Creek
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Another day. Another early-morning walk through the neighborhood with the puppy. Another explosion of color around us. Another #FindTheLight* photo captured.

Your turn:

1 - Take photo that captures the light, makes you smile, makes others smile, reinforces the reality that small moments of beauty will always prevail over the headlines of ugliness.

2 - Share it on your favorite social media app/platform, using the #FindTheLight hashtag so anyone and everyone can find it.

Because life can be challenging, so let's #FindTheLight and rebalance the scales a bit.

Are you in?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #fall #autumn #color #colors #nature #naturephotography #andscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

*What's #FindTheLight? Click here and all will be explained.

#FindTheLight, Part 1

It's time to start something worthwhile
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s #WorldMentalHealthDay today. So I’m going to start sharing random shots of colour, light, texture, and anything else that makes folks smile.

We’ll call them #FindTheLight photos, and I’m launching this simply because too many among us - including me - are struggling to find safe haven amid the turbulence that now defines day-to-day life. And I’m just naive enough to believe that the process of seeking, shooting, and sharing scenes that bring us joy can help us find peace.

Because we help each other’s mental health via tangible action, with small acts that can potentially make a huge difference. And, in my world, I feel better when I’m being creative, and when I’m sharing it with my community.

Please consider this my invitation to you to do the same. Find joy. Post it using the #FindTheLight hashtag. Let’s start something good, shall we?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #forest #fall #autumn #color #colors #nature #naturephotography #andscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Once there was life here

Everything comes to an end
Williamsbug, KY
January 2009
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I'm sure this old gas station beside an even older cemetery would tell countless stories.

Alas, it's been years since I shot this forgotten relic deep in the rolling Kentucky hills, and it has since been demolished.

Someday, perhaps soon, we won't need gas pumps at all. Maybe when we're all plugging in at home or ordering automated ride shares from apps that hang in 3D augmented reality space just beyond our noses, the concept of filling the car with dinosaur juice at a rusty old place like this will seem awfully quaint.

And perhaps it's just as well that we put every facet of the fossil fuel economy behind us. Gauzy memories from the golden age of autos notwithstanding, the planet deserves better.

But all of that could wait on the cold, windy, grey day just over a decade ago when I walked through a forgotten piece of local history and tried to remember it in two dimensions for the last time.

The simple truth was stark: There was life here once. But no longer.

The cemetery beside it stood, and still stands, witness to once was, to lives that echoed through the nearby town and hills. To stories written and told. Some remembered in monuments. Some removed from our midst, never to be seen or spoken of again.

#williamsburg #kentucky #ky #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #cemetery #i75 #stilllife #throwback #landscape #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - On Sandy Hook

#IfYouReadOneThingToday, make it this stunningly written, enormously sad-yet-hopeful Washington Post piece.

Only one of their children survived Sandy Hook.

Now school posed a new threat: The virus.

By John Woodrow Cox

The Washington Post

October 7, 2020

#longreads

Don't stand so close to me

Red leaf in a strong wind
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A single leaf stands vertically in the tall grass, defiant against the stiff evening wind trying to sweep it into oblivion. I kneel down beside it, hoping to somehow capture it in the last dying moments of sunlight.

As I set up the shot, a grey-haired man wearing purple sweatpants approaches me on the adjacent sidewalk. Pandemic culture being what it is, I stop what I’m doing to ensure he doesn’t get too close.

Sure enough, he makes a beeline for me. As he approaches, he cheerfully asks me what I’m doing. Normally I’m all too happy to share the moment, to spread the simple joy of telling stories through glass. But this isn’t a normal time, and I feel guilty that my first inclination is to will him away.

I tersely answer, "Taking some autumn pictures," as I give him a quick smile, then just as quickly pick the camera up and step back. He smiles and continues on his way.

I am at once relieved he got the message and didn't wander closer, and saddened that this is the way we live now. Because any other time, it probably would have led to a delightful chat about the random beauty of autumn leaves and the simple joy of taking pictures whenever creativity strikes.

But this isn't any other time. Either way, I hope he understands the why. That I wasn't being deliberately rude. Just careful.

Seconds later, the light fades for good and I'll have to settle for whatever imperfection I was able to capture before a stranger crossed my path.

But as I walk back to the house and wish for an end to the antisocial-first facade we must now present to strangers whenever we're among them, I realize every photo has a context, and it's up to us to remember the accompanying stories just as powerfully as the pixels that spawn them in the first place.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #red #leaf #leaves #green #grass #stilllife #nature #naturephotography #sun #light #texture #gameoftones #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Staring into the telescreen

Always watching...
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Someone is always watching us, but unlike George Orwell's literary masterpiece, 1984, that compelled its citizens to cower in fear of the telescreen, we have choices. And control.

That phone in your hand is orders of magnitude more intrusive than anything Orwell ever wrote about. But a little time and attention to your app and security settings can put a serious dent in Big Tech's ability to sell you novelty socks you don't need.

Which partly explains why I felt the need to shoot this dystopian-looking scene outside the hospital after the docs inside had finished fixing up my smashed finger. I was looking for a little photographic therapy to distract myself when I came across this scene. At first I wasn't going to shoot it, because I felt the security camera messed up what would have otherwise been a compelling slice of upward-facing architectural geometry.

But something kept me standing there for a beat longer, smartphone in hand. Maybe the security camera WAS the story. Maybe the very act of standing beneath it was part of the moment. Perhaps somewhere deep inside the building, a security guard was hunched over a console of screens, watching me stare into the all-seeing lens. Maybe said security officer wasn't alone. What were they thinking? Would they send someone out to ask why I was taking pictures of a security camera?

So I shot hastily and left before I got into any more trouble than I was already in.

Next time I break my finger, I'm wearing a hat. It's a control thing.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #hospital #health #life #architecture #design #architecturephotography #building #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #health #everything

Red leaf down

Remnants
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I stare at my feet a lot. For two reasons.

First, it's a partial nod to gravity, for I respect the basic laws of physics, and I really hate what happens when gravity messes with my upright-ness.

Second, a lot of really neat stuff happens down by our feet. Yes, much of it is dirty and messy, but it's also ever-changing and rather fun to stare at when nothing else will do. You can tell I took mass transit a lot as a kid. Waiting was my jam.

Today I guess I'd just rage-tweet on my iPhone while waiting for the good old #44 bus that smelled like stale cigarette smoke and sweat, but it was a different time pre-smartphone.

Which brings us to adult-Carmi, who would be only too happy to return to the city bus as a convenient means of commuting, but won't do so till there's a vaccine.

So instead, I stare down at my feet in other venues. Like the woods, where the ground is now covered with leaves. And since that old fear of gravity isn't disappearing anytime soon, I'm looking down to prevent the ground from accelerating toward my face. And while I do so, I figure I should point my lens there, as well. 

We still have a bunch of autumn-color-themed wanders ahead of us before the fiery reds and oranges fade to a winter-long grey. But for now, this is my new favorite photo of the season, the one that reminds me why I started staring at my feet all those years ago.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #leaf #leaves #nature #naturephotography #sun #light #texture #gameoftones #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Bench by the water

No one to watch the waves
Port Burwell, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Come. Sit.

Because we all need to take a load off.

Because everyone deserves moments of quiet reflection.

Because large bodies of water are magnets for the soul.

Because not everything needs a deadline.

Because getting away is crucial to our mental health - now more than ever.

And if you decide to grab a photo while you're there, wherever "there" may be, then so much the better.

#port #burwell #ontario #canada #beach #wood #bench #pier #landscape #great #lake #erie #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #explore #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Visiting the Wart Tree

Sculpture in bark
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Just off the path that traces a graceful line through the woods alongside the river, a single tree stands out from the rest.

We jokingly call it the Wart Tree, because its trunk isn’t just covered with countless protrusions and complex shapes. It is, quite literally, defined by them.

I don’t know enough about trees to understand how this particular one came to grow in this bizarre-looking manner. But it stops me dead in my tracks and invites me in for a closer look every time I come this way.

Because it is unique. Because it has a story. Or many stories. Because it offers up something new every time we see it.

On this day, I think I see something I’ve never seen before, and set out to capture it somehow. Whether I have succeeded, or not, is up to you. What do YOU see? And when should I return?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #thames #valley #parkway #tvp #river #springbank #park #tree #trees #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Related: More warts. More wonder, November 2020