One reflective duck

Every bird has two sides
Boynton Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Even ducks can have their reflective moments.

Maybe we should follow their lead.

#boynton #beach #florida #greencay #wetlands #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #bird #birds #duck #flight #flying #color #reflection #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Green heron at rest

Sure, I'll pose for you
Boynton Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dear photographers,

If you’re going to come to my wetlands and take photos of me, please make sure you get me from my good side.

Thank you,

Pretty Bird
Green Cay Wetlands
Boynton Beach, FL

#boynton #beach #florida #greencay #wetlands #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #bird #birds #flight #flying #color #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Surf's no longer up

After the final set
Boca Raton, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As the evening shadows deepen and the waves subside, two surfers find their way home across the well-travelled sand.

The moment may seem inconsequential. But to those who cherish life here on this thin edge of the planet, it is rich with meaning and tone.

#bocaraton #beach #florida #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #atlantic #ocean #surf #surfer #sand #nature #naturephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Shadowy handholding selfie

Connected
Boca Raton, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m in a handholding mood. Thanks for bearing with me.

This shadowy selfie of me and my lovely wife is a common sight wherever we go. We’re handholders, and her hand always seems to silently find mine. Or mine hers.

It may seem like a trivial detail to some, but in reality it’s anything but trivial. I can’t quite put words around it, but I wish more people could appreciate the comfort of an outstretched hand, and the wordless conversations that flow between us when we connect.

Planet Earth might be a kinder place if everyone had the chance.

For now, though, I’ll count myself lucky.

#bocaraton #florida #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #walkabout #shadow #selfie #sunset #random #spontaneous #street #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Not-so-newlyweds. Still holding hands. February 2023

Not-so-newlyweds. Still holding hands.

Together forever
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A few years back, I was walking this very same beachside sidewalk when I came across a newlywed couple.

They kindly consented to a fast picture before the tuxedoed groom and magazine-worthy bride disappeared around the corner. To this day I still think of them, and hope this moment was just the foundation of a happy life for them.

The resulting photo has become not only one of my favourite images, but also a warmly remembered photographic moment, and a reminder to me of why I so enjoy street photography.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when I noticed another lovely couple strolling along the sand-flecked pavers. It was the hand-holding that grabbed my attention. Such a simple thing on one level, and such a profound gesture on another.

These two are clearly on the opposite end of the relationship spectrum, and the tux and wedding dress are probably stored in dusty boxes in their attic. Yet the poignancy of their intertwined hands is no less profound.

Because we all deserve to find someone who will hold our hand.

At any age.

Anytime.

Anywhere.

Wordlessly.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #walkabout #strangers #random #spontaneous #street #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Where we leave the Nikon at home

Game of tones
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I did a once-unthinkable thing before our recent trip south: I left the so-called “good” camera at home.

As much as I love shooting with it, I’m tired of trips being dominated by the equipment I carry. Or of worrying about it while we’re at the beach. Or of the pain I feel after dragging it everywhere all day because it’s too valuable to leave back in the hotel.

So the Nikon stayed home. In its place, I had my smartphone and a small point-and-shoot.

Were there moments when I wished I had the full-on kit with me? Sure. Chasing birds around the beach and tracking waves, for example, were, um, a lot different with the pared down equipment. Not gonna lie: a DSLR would have been a much more flexible photographic tool.

But vacations should be about rest, not schlepping your stuff around in a giant bag. And I regret taking all these years to figure that out. Probably should apologize to my wife right about now.

Long ago, I learned - but perhaps didn’t fully appreciate - that the best camera is the one you have with you. So I shifted my brain a bit and embraced the moment. The smartphone lacks the reach, while the point-and-shoot lacks the speed. But I grew up using cameras with fractions of their capabilities, so it was time to focus on the craft and not on the hardware.

I think this shift made me a better photographer. No longer was I bludgeoning the scene with a massive piece of photographic technology. I was simply telling a simple story with what I happened to have.

More importantly, though, I think - hope? - this shift made me a better travel partner. I was far more in tune with the memories we made along the way. I stopped focusing on capturing moments, and simply enjoyed them. Photography became a sideline to the experience instead of its centrepiece.

There was one point during a visit to a nearby wetland preserve that I felt a little outgunned. I walked past these pros with massive camouflage-covered lenses probably worth more than my car. Suddenly my smartphone and point-and-shoot felt…small.

But photography isn’t about what’s in your hand - or how your specs measure up. It’s about the stories you tell, and the memories you make along the way. I wish I had learned this lesson earlier.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #atlantic #ocean #green #blue #gameoftones #waves #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

The five-tern staredown

Why, hello there
Deerfield Beach. FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m pretty sure they were telling me to get lost.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #atlantic #ocean #bird #birds #tern #terns #flight #flying #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Henrietta on ice

Chilling
London, ON
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

News flash: winter is back with a bit of a vengeance.

Another news flash: this is Canada. Why is this a surprise to anyone?

Enjoy it if you can. And please stay safe.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #water #ice #frozen #winter #henrietta #honda #red #car #carporn #automotive #driveway #photography #nature #naturephotography #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Icy duality

Tiny, temporary world
London, ON
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Not a happy day in Canadastan, as an incoming ice storm dominates the agenda and threatens the lives of millions.

Yet this tiny frozen scene, discovered this past Monday, betrays the duality of nature. Ice can shut down a country and endanger its people - or it can put on a show of benign miniaturized wonder before disappearing under a rising sun.

Two ways to look at ice. Two - or I’m guessing more - ways to look at just about anything else.

Perhaps something to keep in mind as the storm moves in.

Either way, wherever you are, please stay safe.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #abstract #stilllife #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Icy universe in the gutter, February 2023

Driveway icicle works, February 2023

Pretty frozen, February 2022

When icicles melt... February 2022

Winter meets the downspout, February 2022

Ice cubed, January 2022

The ice person cometh, January 2022

The lonely icicle, January 2022

Returning to the icy scene of the crime, February 2021

Beware of dripping water, January 2021

Frozen solid to the ground, December 2019

The icicle works, revisited, February 2019

Icicles writ large, December 2017

Water frozen from above, January 2017

Icicles - and everything else - are temporary, December 2016

Thematic Photographic 86 - Water in any form, January 2010

Thematic Photographic 28 - Bright, December 2008

Here today... April 2007

More icy goodness, February 2007

Icy spine, February 2007

Ice and sun, February 2007

A tern turns into the wind

Where to next?
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On a windy day at the edge of the planet, a single tern wheels in the roiled air.

Despite Mother Nature’s efforts to swat her out of the sky, she stretches out her sinuous wings and turns the threatening atmosphere into life-sustaining lift.

I could watch this all day. Not just the flying, but the display of tenacity amid tension, the instinctive need to stay aloft amid overwhelming adversity.

Smart bird. We could learn from her.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #atlantic #ocean #bird #birds #tern #gull #seagull #flight #flying #azure #blue #sky #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Birds of a together feather

Formation flight
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s Family Day in Ontario, where the government gives us the day off so we can hang with our favourite peeps.

It’s made me reflect on the definition of family, and whether we appreciate its significance as much as we should.

A few days back, I stood on a beach and watched these half-dozen birds float overhead. A few things occurred to me as I took in the starkly beautiful scene:

• They work together, even amid strong, shifting winds.
• They help each other, reducing resistance for those behind, and watching out for those ahead.
• They move only as fast as their slowest member.
• They may be genetically related. Or not. Family takes many forms. Family can be those you choose to be - or fly - with.
• They may bicker here and there over a random potato chip in the sand, but soon enough they figure it out and get back to the business of surviving and thriving.

As my feet sank into the wet sand underneath the pounding surf, I saw these gulls not as bird brains to be dismissed, but as examples we’d do well to follow.

They’ve already figured it out. So can we.

Happy Family Day wherever you are. Because we all need family in some form, and our lives are enriched because of it.

#deerfield #beach #florida #familyday #vacation #offgrid #travel #atlantic #ocean #bird #birds #gull #seagull #flight #flying #azure #blue #sky #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Reflecting pool, fading light

Mirror, mirror...
Boca Raton, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Just before the sun disappears for the night, Mother Nature pulls out a special palette of oranges and salmons and paints the planet in shades that are more felt than seen.

Sadly, nobody here seems to want to go for a swim at dusk, so the place is deserted.

Which, on reflection, makes it infinitely easier to have a little fun with the camera before the light fades for good. Silence is indeed golden. Or whatever other colors Planet Earth decides to pull out for this fleeting show.

Soon it’ll be dark, but no one ever said wow moments lasted forever.

So we move fast before this is just a memory.

#bocaraton #florida #vacation #offgrid #travel #swim #swimming #hotel #pool #reflective #sunset #geometry #abstract #blue #water #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

When infinity...isn't

Geometry under a southern sun
Boca Raton, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The bad news: infinity pools don’t actually go to infinity. As we can see here, they eventually reach a definitive limit.

The good news: the geometry is rather fun to play with.

Lesson learned: ignore the marketing. Then roll up your sleeves and make the story work for you. There are no rules.

#bocaraton #florida #vacation #offgrid #travel #swim #swimming #hotel #pool #geometry #abstract #blue #water #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

In the shallow end of the ocean...

Another world, just below
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In the shallow end of the ocean, sunlight scatters in ways that create colors and textures and tones that don’t exist anywhere else.

In the shallow end of the ocean, the winds shape the water’s surface, endlessly creating new lenses through which we can get a glimpse.

In the shallow end of the ocean, waves end their journey of thousands of miles by crashing into the beach. Whether that’s a glorious or inglorious ending is up for debate.

In the shallow end of the ocean, life is created and lost in a cycle we call never-ending, but isn’t really.

In the shallow end of the ocean, we get to visit on occasion, but it’s clear we don’t belong here.

Still, in the shallow end of the ocean, we’re welcome to peer in from well above and wonder about all the things we can only imagine are playing out beneath the mysterious waves.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #offgrid #travel #atlantic #ocean #pier #abstract #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #green #teal #blue #water #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

One London Place greets the day

Reflecting the morning sky
London, ON
January 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

My brain often thinks about trivial things, like the weird realities of mirrored glass.

It has no stories of its own to tell. Instead, it reflects the stories of whatever and whoever is around it.

Precisely how it looks or what we see in it is entirely dependent on where we happen to be standing, what time of day it is, and what may or may not be floating nearby.

It has no control over any of this. Its fate depends on the random actions of everything around it.

Its appearance can be brilliantly spectacular, boring to the point of invisibility, or anything in between. It can tell a wide spectrum of stories, some of which will hold our rapt attention, and others which will never be heard.

During the day, outsiders can’t see in, but insiders can see out. Turn the lights on at night and all bets are off.

I could probably stand on the sidewalk and stare at these straight-cut staples of modern architecture all day - and night - but eventually I’ve got to move along and get on with my day.

I can always come back at another time, on another day, and this otherwise featureless surface will have another story to tell. I’m sure the silent neighbors around it won’t let it down.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onelondonplace #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #urban #downtown #city #streetphotography #glass #mirror #reflective #sunrise #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Looking up. Looking back.

Old meets new
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I have this weird habit that involves walking around neighborhoods and staring up at the architecture.

I’m not terribly tall, so I’m usually looking up at stuff, anyway.

Anyway, over the years it’s become a bit of a recurring theme with me, a touchstone in my photographic archives that reminds me of where I’ve been and what I’ve seen along the way.

It also freezes specific days in memory. Like this one from last September, where I had dropped our daughter off, as parents do, and was just far enough away from home that it made sense to stay out while I waited for her.

So I explored Dundas Street, London’s onetime retail mecca that is now in the throes of too many decades of decline and neglect. In between the homeless camps and discarded needles, old buildings - some restored, most awaiting their next chapter - stood, historically defiant, against the brilliant blue sky.

High overhead, fighter jets performing at the airshow flew efficient orbits through the wispy clouds as they waited their turn at show centre. On the sidewalk, the occasional pedestrian stared into the sky to see what was causing all that racket.

In other words, an ordinary day in an ordinary place. But still one worth holding onto in some way.

They all are, really. We just have to look up.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #blue #sky #weather #wx #cloud #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #urban #city #dundas #street #walkabout #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

My forever Valentine

Her
Delray Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

She finishes my sentences.

She remembers details about me that even I may have forgotten.

She watches over me.

She tolerates my ridiculous sense of humor.

She and I can sit quietly in a room for hours on end, yet still feel connected.

She is proof that sometimes good things happen to guys like me.

She looks at me like you see here.

She is my Valentine - for the 39th time today.

She is, more importantly, my best friend. Since the first day we met as teens beside a swimming pool on a brilliantly sunny morning.

The sun was shining on us then. It still is. Even more so.

#LiveLaughLevy #life #family #everything #lovethisgirl

Stairway to not-heaven

Level up
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In the shadowy light behind the giant hardware store at the edge of town, a rusty staircase climbs upward from the crumbling pavement.

It leads to a single steel door, but I decide to leave it out of the frame.

Part of it is practicality: I’m standing across a narrow laneway, and behind me is a ditch, a wavy chain link fence, and a thickly overgrown woodlot.

Part of it lies in the story bouncing around my head as I try to finish shooting before I lose the last of the late afternoon light.

See, this is a melancholy stretch where almost nobody willingly goes. If I include the door, there’s nothing left to tell, no unseen destinations to dream about.

Cutting it out leaves room to imagine what might be, what we might find if we take that first step, then the second.

The destination might be different for each of us. It might be something of a relief. A challenge overcome. A disappointment. Whatever.

What we share, though, is the journey upward. To move toward the unknown and embrace whatever we find when we get there.

I’d like to think this forgettable piece of engineering is a metaphor for what might be. For possibility.

Soon enough the grey sky turns black and it’s time to leave this empty stretch bordered by an empty staircase that no one ever seems to climb.

So many journeys not taken. So many stories not written after the topmost step.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #urban #city #hydepark #canadiantire #retail #streetphotography #monochrome #geometry #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

When shaggy dogs sleep

Her favorite spot
London, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Before she was shorn.

(Say it ten times fast.)

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #actofdog #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #ınstagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Inspiration on an airport wall

Sorry, crowds
Hamilton, ON
December 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Disraeli was right: blaze your own trail.

And while we’re at it, let’s just go ahead and ignore the naysayers. They don’t get to dictate the path we take.

#hamilton #international #airport #ontario #canada #yhm #throwback #road #trip #roadtrip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #quote #quotation #flight #flying #aviation #avgeek #plane #planes #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Icy universe in the gutter

Keep looking
London, ON
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Calli the Wonderschnauzer and I weren’t looking for wonder when we stepped outside the other morning. But wonder found us, anyway.

It was in a rather unassuming place: the gutter in front of a neighbor’s driveway, just a couple of doors down. Our pup decided this was where her nose would first explore, and the impossibly tiny patch of ice pulled her in.

I don’t know what goes on inside her schnu head - goodness, what I’d give to find out - but it must be a happy place where tiny bits of ice on dirty pavement represent her best experience of the day.

Of course the moment called for some spontaneous macro photography before we continued on our way.

Of course I’m thankful I get to follow her around as she discovers new wonders by simply following her nose.

Of course any day that starts like this is destined to be one worth remembering.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #nature #naturephotography #abstract #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

One branch beside them all

Brushed
London, ON
February 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

One branch always seems to stand out from the rest.

Today, let’s be that branch.

Tomorrow, too.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #forest #tree #trees #winter #walkabout #throwback #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Icy trapeze artist

Just hanging around
London, ON
January 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

They’re never around for as long as we’d like.

They exist because of a very narrow set of circumstances.

They show up in all sorts of unexpected places.

They look different depending on where we may stand.

Or when we choose to look at them.

Perhaps we’re talking about icicles.

Or perhaps we’re talking about each other.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #ice #icicle #works #winter #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #doorstep #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Driveway icicle works, February 2023

Pretty frozen, February 2022

When icicles melt... February 2022

Winter meets the downspout, February 2022

Ice cubed, January 2022

The ice person cometh, January 2022

The lonely icicle, January 2022

Returning to the icy scene of the crime, February 2021

Beware of dripping water, January 2021

Frozen solid to the ground, December 2019

The icicle works, revisited, February 2019

Icicles writ large, December 2017

Water frozen from above, January 2017

Icicles - and everything else - are temporary, December 2016

Thematic Photographic 86 - Water in any form, January 2010

Thematic Photographic 28 - Bright, December 2008

Here today... April 2007

More icy goodness, February 2007

Icy spine, February 2007

Ice and sun, February 2007

Bearskin under a dying sun

Prairie reflection
Winnipeg, MB
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Aviation in Canada is a mess these days. Overcrowded airports. Incompetent airlines. Indifferent governments. No light at the end of the tunnel.

Anyone who flies does so with breath firmly held and fingers tightly crossed.

And yet, at the very end of the terminal on one of the coldest days of the year, a golden sun bathes the scene in stunning light in the dying minutes before nightfall.

Outside, a Fairchild Metroliner belonging to Bearskin Airlines waits quietly on the starkly frozen apron, its glowing fuselage putting on a reflective show that no one else seems to notice.

Soon enough this legendary plane will take to the darkening sky, a not-so-silent connector of lives and communities in a part of the world where this is often the only connection at all.

This industry gets a lot of deservedly awful headlines, but if you look more closely, there are still brighter stories being told, still magic to be found.

#winnipeg #manitoba #mb #canada #throwback #airport #ywg #bearskinairlines #aviationphotography #avgeek #aviation #aviationgeek #instagramaviation #planespotting #travel #travelphotography #reflection #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:

Fat Albert reflects the Sun, January 2023

Where I touch airplane skin, August 2022

Fat Albert from another angle, July 2022

When giant planes disappear forever, November 2020

Before she takes flight, December 2013

Light dancing on a winglet, June 2012

Caption This 46, November 2007

Waiting at the gate, August 2007

The journey begins, June 2007

Pretty plane (Boeing 757 at the gate), January 2007

Brilliant light at a dark intersection

Abstract in the middle of the night
London, ON
December 2011
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s 53 minutes after midnight and the late autumn rains have finally eased off.

I’m wandering the empty streets for reasons that made sense to me when I first pulled my shoes on, but now seem patently idiotic. It’s cold and wet and I really should be safely tucked in for the night.

I come across an intersection at the edge of our neighborhood and can’t stop staring at the reflections of the traffic lights coming off of the drenched pavement. It may be a dark, miserable night above, but this stretch of crumbling asphalt at my feet is alive with brilliant color for anyone who may still be awake.

I walk carefully along the sidewalk as the light follows me, its shapes and intensities changing with each step. Eventually I’m happy with what I see, and just as carefully lift the camera up and adjust the controls entirely by feel.

I have no tripod, so I lean against a conveniently located utility pole and get into my best Zen-like mode. A couple of early risers - or is it late nighters? - drive past. They look at me like I’m insane, and I pause until their lights fade from view.

I snag a few frames before I feel the first drop on the back of my hand. Time to head back in and call it a night.

As I look back at the pixels I brought home this evening, I think about the why of this particular experience.

About the brilliant light that presented itself in an unexpected place.

About the myriad reasons we use to convince ourselves to stay inside.

And the one reason that pushes us to get out there in the first place.

It’s a new week for most of us. I hope we all hold onto that one reason. And act on it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #walkabout #abstract #color #street #streetphotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Raptor 1, Chinese Balloon 0

Now you see it...
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dear China,

We’re really sorry about your spy balloon.

You don’t seriously think anyone believes it was for weather research, do you?

Still, we feel a little bad it had to end with one of our F-22s taking it out with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile, and initially thought about offering to take you to Party City to pick up a replacement.

They have quite the selection, apparently, and they even let you play with their helium tanks if you ask really nicely.

Unfortunately we don’t think the parking lot is long enough to handle an F-22 landing or subsequent takeoff.

Maybe you’ll find a pretty new balloon on Amazon. We think the purple mylar one with the unicorn on it is rather fetching, but we understand if you’re partial to red.

Sincerely yours,

1st Fighter Wing
United States Air Force
Langley Air Force Base, Virginia

@airshowlondon @f22demoteam #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #throwback #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #lockheedmartin #usaf #f22 #raptor #fighter #aim9x #sidewinder #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Reflecting beside the jetway

Frozen mirror image
Winnipeg, MB
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s just a jetway, a steel and glass corridor that hundreds of people walk through daily on their way to and from this planet’s wherevers.

No one gives these things a second look. Or even a first thought. They’re just…there. Little more than mundane parts of the airport landscape that keep the masses flowing.

But when you sit yourself down beside a picture window overlooking a deeply frozen tarmac, you see things that might have remained hidden. Like the way the glass reflects the landscape and turns a delayed flight into a memorable moment.

At least that’s what I tell myself as I happily play with my camera amid the stares of strangers. They’re always welcome to join in, but sadly they never do.

#winnipeg #manitoba #mb #canada #throwback #airport #ywg #aviationphotography #avgeek #aviation #aviationgeek #instagramaviation #planespotting #travel #travelphotography #glass #reflection #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Shelter from the storm

From the inside out
London, ON
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s a batten-down-the-hatches kind of day, where we stay indoors and stare out the window at the raging storm outside.

Bonus points if we have something warm and comforting in our hands as the snow redraws the landscape.

Those two words stick stubbornly in my mind: warm and comforting. I have the luxury of both, of pulling on another layer of flannel and pausing to take in the frameworthy scene playing out on the other side of the glass.

Not everyone shares such luxury. Not everyone is able to separate themselves from the weather with a pane of glass. Not everyone has a home. Not everyone gets to choose how to weather the storm.

I’m not going to solve any of it with a mug in one hand and a camera in the other. There are no easy answers to a crisis that’s been playing out since the beginning of time, and is worsening in this era of plenty because society doesn’t deem it important enough to try harder to solve.

But I’ll start by at least recognizing my privilege. And acknowledging those who navigate all that life throws at them without the benefit of shelter.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #snow #onstorm #frozen #winter #nature #naturephotography #kitchen #window #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Raptor, landing

Power on display
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Eventually, even Raptors have to return to Earth.

Reluctantly, of course.

@airshowlondon @f22demoteam #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #throwback #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #lockheedmartin #usaf #f22 #raptor #fighter #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photography

Columbia+20

We remember them
Merritt Island, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

20 years ago today, Space Shuttle Columbia broke up on re-entry over Texas, 16 days after a piece of insulation detached from the external tank on ascent and punched a hole in the leading edge of the left wing.

As we learned in the wake of the Apollo 1 fire in 1967 and the loss of Columbia’s sister ship, Challenger, in 1986, it wasn’t just engineering that killed the crew.

Human factors, specifically the normalization of foam loss following earlier flights and the suppression of risk as flight after flight suffered hits, yet returned safely, turned what should have been a manageable design challenge into a death sentence for those who flew her.

Just over three years ago, I stood quietly beside the pieces of wreckage from both Challenger and Columbia on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center. I sadly realized the lessons from the earlier losses were clearly not learned or applied prior to the later ones. We failed to learn from history.

I have no doubt Columbia’s story weighs heavily on the managers designing the flying today’s SpaceX, Artemis, and (soon) Starliner missions. But humans have a funny habit of being imperfect, and I reluctantly accept that future missions will end in tragedy, as well.

It is the price we pay for pushing the state-of-the-art, for striving for more. Because the price of staying on the ground is far higher.

May their memories forever be a blessing and an inspiration.

Ad astra per aspera.

#kennedy #space #center #ksc #kennedyspacecenter #florida #fla #throwback #spaceshuttle #shuttle #columbia #ov101 #sts107 #challenger #ov099 #sts51l #rocket #science #aviation #avgeek #spaceflight #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Driveway icicle works

Frozen, not the movie
London, ON
December 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Canadians who commute to work know well enough to leave extra time to clean off the car on winter mornings.

Snow is always cause for a sigh or two. A coating of ice is decidedly more involved, often worthy of a few choice NSFW words before the scraping begins.

But sometimes you just have to put the scraper down and enjoy the sight of a good shellacking.

You’ll probably get to work a minute or two later. But you’ll do so with a memory you might not have made.

Maybe it’s just ice on a car in the driveway. Maybe it’s more than that.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #water #ice #icicles #frozen #winter #nature #naturephotography #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

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