Thursday, October 31, 2024

Three birds in the distance

Follow me...maybe
London, ON
May 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Birds of a feather don’t always fly together.

Some of them stare from side to side while everyone else is staring ahead. Maybe they’ll strike off in their own direction. Or fly through their very own cloud.

Because we’re all some kind of journey, even if our paths occasionally diverge a bit.

#ldnont #ontario #canada #bird #gulls #flight #optimistpark #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Olives, not the oil

Part of a healthy Mediterranean diet
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I will always love olive you, my dear.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #loblaws #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #fruitography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Deli meat under glass, January 2024
You say tomato... November 2021
(Tomato) juiced, October 2007

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Rainbow in chalk

Feel the spectrum
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Rainbows don’t just form in the sky. They also take shape in the limitless imaginations of children.

So when the chalky results of some kids’ creativity show up on a neighbourhood sidewalk, the only choice is to pause for a fast photo before nature slowly erases the brilliance from view.

Beauty is only temporary. Inspiration from complete strangers is forever.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sidewalk #chalk #rainbow #signs #stilllife #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Chalk it up to art, August 2023
Little boy at play, March 2010
Chalk circle, May 2007

Monday, October 28, 2024

The unexpected late night light show

Always wait it out
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The skies sometimes do interesting things after the sun has officially slipped beneath the horizon.

Like blazing with unexpected brilliance, even when thick clouds threaten to end the show before it has a chance to begin.

On reflection, it feels like an analogy, of sorts, where the things that happen high above echo the way we live down here.

Like having the patience to wait things out, to stay in the game long after the light was supposed to fade.

Because even in the darkness, light always seems to find a way to shine brightly. We just have to allow ourselves to stick around long enough to witness it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sunset #orange #cloudspotting #weather #wx #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
One jet in a big sky, September 2024

Sunday, October 27, 2024

My shadowy sidekick

She patiently waits
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


We all deserve to walk through life surrounded by people - and not-people - who will periodically stop dead in their tracks and just look at us.

A life well lived is a connected one, after all.

At least that’s what Calli the Wonderschnauzer seemed to be suggesting as we walked under the final rays of sun on an otherwise ordinary day.

Because nothing is ordinary when we’re blessed with connection. In any form.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #actofdog #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #shadow #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Shadowy cyclist, October 2024
Mugged, December 2008

Saturday, October 26, 2024

30 years as parents...

30 years ago today, this little guy fought his way into the world and into our hearts.

That it seems like yesterday only reinforces just how quickly time can pass, and how much Zach has crammed into a life now entering its fourth decade.

He made us parents, and taught us what it’s like to love someone more than life itself. He grew into the best big brother and protector of Dahlia and Noah - and their best friend above all. He married his own best friend, and has blossomed into an incredible husband to Michaela and father to Lilly.
He works relentlessly hard, laughs from his belly, and defines kindness for anyone lucky enough to know him. Indeed, whoever knows him loves him. He makes it easy.

He was a dream baby, and in adulthood he’s carved out his own dreams in his own inimitable style.

In the months to come, his family of 3 will become 4, and he’ll find new ways to add to his story. Happiest of birthdays, sweet boy. Never stop being you.

Love,

Dad

#family #everything

Related:
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4 decades of us, August 2024
32 years... July 2024
On fatherhood, June 2023

Friday, October 25, 2024

Wet, fallen leaf

Circle of life on the forest floor
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Gone. Not forgotten.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #floor #fallen #maple #leaf #leaves #stilllife #droplet #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone


Thursday, October 24, 2024

Red Roof Inn

It all depends how we frame it
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


They’ve protected us for months, shading the ground against the relentless sun, offering safe haven from the wind and the rain.

It was only right to say goodbye one last time before they drift away.

And maybe whisper a quiet thank you.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #trees #gameoftones #autumn #red #colour #leaves #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Starting to change, October 2005

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Before the colours fade

The big stretch
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


We’re going to miss this when it’s gone.

Then again, white and grey are colours, too.

And reminders that every season has its virtues.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #trees #gameoftones #autumn #colour #leaves #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
When colors fade, October 2022

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Protected by a yellow canopy

One last blast
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Sunset was approaching as I walked further into the woods, the only sound of consequence that of the wind whispering loudly in the trees.

A constant rain of leaves floated from the canopy to the forest floor, adding to the gentle cacophony as they landed on the thick carpet below. Squirrels preparing for the season ahead jumped from one tree to the next. I closed my eyes and listened to sounds more felt than heard.

The light was fading, but as I approached my turnaround point the very top of the canopy caught the fading sun and glowed an almost iridescent yellow. I stopped amid the surreal light and looked up, the skeletal branches high above seemingly holding up the brilliant canopy, protecting everything below.

I’ve been walking these woods a lot lately, partly to find colours before they fade, but in reality I keep returning here because it is a space of peace and reflection. I’ll often zero in on the sound my feet make as the leaves crunch softly under my soles, the soundtrack changing by the season - or even the day.

It may seem like the same walks in the same places mean the same experiences. But every moment out here has its own signature, and they all make me feel, if not whole, then somewhat better than I did when I first set out.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #forest #trees #gameoftones #yellow #cathedral #canopy #texture #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Sun-kissed cathedral, October 2023
Back to the woods, October 2021

Monday, October 21, 2024

Shadows beside an abandoned field of dreams

Autumn light and texture
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


At the edge of a baseball diamond in a park not far from home, the chain link fence behind home plate casts long shadows on the time-worn wood that frames it.

It’s the light that brings me here - the golden hour light on the tired wood, broken up only by the shadows of twisted steel wire.

The games are all finished for the year, the only soundtrack the gentle swish of the wind through the fence.

Soon, the colours will fade. Then, winter, the shadowy backstop standing sentinel over the emptiness where children once played.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #stilllife #geometry #autumn #goldenhour #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Chain link dichotomy, February 2024
Fenced in, for now, March 2018

Sunday, October 20, 2024

An extraordinarily ordinary sky

The things we see when we look up
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


There was nothing special about this evening. At least there wasn’t supposed to be.

Auroras weren’t lighting up the atmosphere. Comets weren’t screaming past the sun. No meteors were falling from the heavens.

So I wasn’t carrying a camera bag. Or looking for anything out of the ordinary.

It was just me, the dog, and 3,700 steps until I met my daily goal. Just another night in suburbia. Nothing remotely special.

Yet as we rounded the corner, the skies seemed to be having other ideas. The dog stopped first, standing in the shaggy grass and staring at her shadow. I soon followed - it’s not a very long leash - and we both took in the scene.

In the end I snapped off a few quick images with my smartphone, largely because I was intrigued by the notion of our dog noticing a photo op before I did. And by the fact that what is or is not special or unique or worthy isn’t something that can or should be crowdsourced.

Tonight, we got to choose.

On further reflection, there was indeed something special about this evening.

And every other one, too.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sunset #cloudspotting #weather #wx #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Autumn colour in the sky

Contrail photobomb
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Colour is never far away.

Just look up.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #forest #trees #gameoftones #autumn #colour #leaves #blue #sky #contrail #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:

Friday, October 18, 2024

Once every 80,000 years...

A visitor from the Oort Cloud
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It isn’t often that a comet appears in our skies, so I told myself I needed to see it for myself.

Not because the resulting photo would be somehow epic. With everyone else on Planet Earth pointing their lenses toward the darkened sky, it’s not as if my pic would somehow stand out.

But that wasn’t the goal at all.

The only thing that mattered was taking time out from life to go looking for it. To turn to the heavens in wonder and ponder the life cycle of something that won’t return this way for 80,000 years - assuming it doesn’t get kicked out of the solar system for good after it turns away from the Sun.

Ultimately it’s a ball of dirty ice flying through deep space. We walk right on past dirty ice discarded out the back of local arenas, so maybe it’s a context thing. Indeed, the rarity of these celestial visitors makes them the stuff of dreams for those of us stuck on Earth.

We all need things to wonder about, moments of joy, inflection points we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.

Lying in the wet grass under a darkened sky, it was easy to understand why I was out there.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #comet #tsuchinshan #atlas #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Comet hunting with Po, October 2024

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Comet hunting with Po

Stargazer
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I went comet hunting in the park tonight. Po the Teletubby tagged along, as she often does, and helped prop up the camera for the long exposures.

Did we find anything?

More than we imagined.

To be continued…

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #comet #tsuchinshan #atlas #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:

My spidey sense is tingling

Home, for some
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I pull the car into the darkened parking lot of our son’s building, ostensibly to drop him off. But soon enough we notice a rather fascinating sight.

Brilliant LED lamps cast intense pools of light here and there, beacons amid the murk. We notice the spiders have been busy customizing these otherwise mundane fixtures into elaborate homes for themselves.

It’s a moment that seems to beg for an unplanned abstract photo session, and Noah is totally game for it before heading inside.

Now, how the spiders (apparently from Earth, not Mars) manage to sleep under the brilliant white light may be a story for another day, but for now we’re content to take in the spectacle without having all the answers.

It’s a tiny bit of spontaneous mystery, and I get to experience it with my no-longer-a-kid kid who as it turns out is just as curious about the odd corners of everyday life as I am.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #naturephotography #monochrome #stilllife #night #flare #photography #spider #web #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

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Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Random dog photo time

I could go for some coffee
London, ON
August 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I share this random pic of Calli the Wonderschnauzer for no reason other than the fact that days with dogs are better than days without.

And today needs more dog, so here’s ours.

Agree?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #actofdog #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

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Shotgun Schnauzer, September 2024
Helper dog, August 2024
Doggo sunset, August 2024
Bambi returns, July 2022
Happiness is... January 2021
Lick this, January 2005

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

PandaCam alert!

In a world filled with hurt, we look for things that bring us comfort. From where I sit, nothing says comfort more than pandas*.

And the blessed folks at the San Diego Zoo have a live PandaCam. Here:

https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/giant-panda-cam

You're welcome.

*Maybe manatees. Dolphins, too.

Finding inspiration at our feet

Look down
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


No one goes looking for the leaves on the forest floor.

After they’ve fallen from the trees.

Lost their luminosity.

Shrivelled into a terminal brown.

And crumbled back into the ragged earth.

Soon enough, even the colour-seekers will be gone.

Soon enough, snow will descend over what’s left, an imperfect blanket above the decaying grey mess covering the valley floor.

Yet even amid the silence, there are stories deserving to be told.

Maybe they’re not brilliantly coloured.

Maybe they’re mere shadows of their former selves.

Maybe they’re not even recognizable.

Still, even the things not brilliantly coloured are worthy of a moment or a look or a thought.

So before autumn loses its grip to winter, we crouch down on the forest floor and shine the light where it deserves to be shone.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #forest #trees #leaves #shadows #sun #flare #gameoftones #texture #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
When leaves end, October 2021

Monday, October 14, 2024

It only looks like a mid-air collision

Timing...
London, ON
September 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


This is what it looks like when all 9 members of the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows aerobatics display team fly the 5/4 Cross maneuver.

There aren’t many things in this increasingly digital world that can stun you into a childlike wow moment.

This still can.

Seriously, the Brits got some insane flying game, and I was lucky enough to see them fly at this year’s #AirshowLondon as part of their Maple Hawk tour. Mad respect to them.

More to come…

@airshowlondon @rafredarrows #RedArrowsMapleHawk #ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #skydrive #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #aviation #flight #aircraft #avgeek #aviationphotography #photography #planespotting #instaplane

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Saturday, October 12, 2024

Cocoa Beach wave

How the day begins here
Cocoa Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram


On the last day of the last decade, I sat in the sand at the edge of the continent not far from where astronauts leave the planet and watched the waves roll in under the rising sun.

I think the ocean was showing off a little.

#cocoabeach #florida #throwback #atlantic #ocean #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #sunrise #waves #water #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography @floridaspacecoast

Related:
A new day dawns... January 2021

Friday, October 11, 2024

The skies light up once more

Fireworks, sort of
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I’m not sharing this image of the Aurora Borealis above London because it’s somehow unique.

It isn’t. Not even close. The interwebs are filled with images tonight of folks all around the world who were lucky enough to witness another historic celestial event, and I’m not so arrogant as to believe that this iPhone-captured snap will rate.

Besides, I’m not a me-too kind of photographer, and when everyone points in one direction, I usually wander far far away in the other.

Actually, the significance of this particular photo has nothing to do with optics or photographic craft.

I share it simply to remind myself of another adventure with my lovely wife, who ever since I’ve known her has always been willing to leave the cozy confines of home with me in search of the unknown in the darkness.

We took a short walk to a nearby park and allowed our cameras to see more than our eyes initially could. We stood quietly amid the damp, cool grass and watched the glowing wisps high above shift ever so gently as they danced with our planet’s magnetic field. We walked home holding hands, excitedly debriefing on the wonder we had just seen.

Being entranced just wouldn’t be the same without her, and I couldn’t not remember what that felt like. So pixels will have to hold us over for now.

At least until the next celestial event. Or whatever other adventures we happen to find ourselves on before the sun decides to have another party in the heavens.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #aurora #borealis #solar #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone


Thursday, October 10, 2024

The green protects us. For now.

Look up
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Cathedrals weren’t only built by humans.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #forest #trees #gameoftones #texture #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone


Wednesday, October 09, 2024

Casting leafy shadows late at night

In transition
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Walk through the neighbourhood at night and listen to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees as they gradually shed their leaves before winter.

Look for the shadows amid the pools of light that split the darkness between where you are and where you want to be.

Stand transfixed as they paint stark patterns on the rough concrete.

Thank you for attending my TEDtalk.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #street #streetphotography #night #nightphotography #shadow #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
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Where shadow covers rock, September 2022
Smoke and light, July 2022
Ladders and shadows, September 2018

Tuesday, October 08, 2024

Godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton wins the Nobel Prize in Physics

Huge news out of Sweden this morning as British-Canadian Godfather of AI Dr. Geoffrey Hinton wins the Nobel Prize in Physics. But what does all of this have to do with Canada, Canadians, and the future of AI? You’d be pleasantly surprised where this might lead us.

I’ll be joining CBC Radio stations across the country between 3 and 7:30 p.m. Eastern to walk through the 5Ws of this groundbreaking announcement.

#AnalystLife

Throwing long shadows in the woods

Those leading lines, though
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It was a good day to go for a walk in the woods with my kid.

We looked for colour and found more green than anything else - but we concluded that green is also a colour, and it’s lovely in its own right.

We looked for light, and found it wrapped in shadows and textures.

We looked for quiet and found it in abundance. Though the longer we stood perfectly still, the more we heard.

We looked for scenes that triggered our imagination, and we weren’t disappointed.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #forest #trees #shadows #gameoftones #texture #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:

Monday, October 07, 2024

October 7th + 1

Never again?
Laval, QC
June 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram


A year ago today, the Jewish people added another date, October 7th, to a history filled with dates we’d rather forget, but can’t.

The butchery of the Hamas attack is almost too heartbreaking to watch, but watch we must so that the world will understand the real story that’s been playing out in the Middle East and the world since long before there was a State of Israel.

Hamas issued an interesting statement in the wake of an attack so barbaric it makes animals look civilized in comparison. They said they’d keep repeating these attacks until the entire country was wiped off the face of the Earth.

This from an organization whose schools teach kids as soon as they can walk to fire a gun and kill Jews, from a terrorist group whose Jihadist goals include wiping out any non-believers, anywhere, who militarize civilian infrastructure as a matter of policy, whose entire raison-d’être is killing Jews, then celebrating their butchery.

I’m not naive. I’m well aware of how Jew-hatred works in the social media age. I’m also well aware of the lovely double-standards that anti-Semites conveniently use to shield themselves from accusations of Jew-hatred.

It’s a fight we’ll likely never win, because peace is not, and never has been, the goal of proxy terrorists like Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Houthis. Nor is it, and never has been, on Iran’s agenda, either. Instead, an evil regime that brutally suppresses its own people has become the world’s foremost sponsor of Islamist terrorism - and the western world happily buys into Iran’s game plan.

So it isn’t something we argue, because even once-moderate voices who preached a form of detente and tolerance now ride the wave of populist hate. This will never end.

So if I disappear into the woods every once in a while to escape from the insanity, now you’ll know why. Do remember, though: after they come for the Jews, they’ll be setting their targets on whoever’s left.

#ldnont #October7 #EndJewHatred #NeverAgain

Celebrating murder, March 2008

Bright light. Dark planet.

Shine on
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Be the light. Today. Every day.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #light #led #bulb #stilllife #macro #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:

Sunday, October 06, 2024

The big blurry bus

Journeys...
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It’s 10:44 p.m., and the city bus cruises through the neighbourhood on one of its final trips of the night.

The dog’s nose is deeply buried in the overgrown grass beside the boulevard, and she can barely be bothered to look up as the diesel-powered engine briefly breaks the silence before fading away into the inky darkness.

I shoot a single frame as the people-mover floats past us, its fluorescent lights spilling out onto the cracked asphalt below.

There’s no way to know who’s on board or where they’re headed, but it still feels right to wish them all safe passage before I tug gently on the pup’s leash and turn for home.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #street #streetphotography #night #ltc #transit #nightphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone #photography

Related:

Saturday, October 05, 2024

Hoping for light in the new year

Watercolours
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


According to the skies, 5785 began much like 5784 ended - with light from above casting hope to those below.

That word: hope. Sounds lovely in theory, but it doesn’t always translate into real change on the ground.

The hatred will be just as real in the coming year as it was in the last. Children will still be raised to vilify the so-called “others”. Ugliness will show up unchecked in our communities, forcing its targets to pull the covers on ever more tightly. And the cycle will continue anew.

It is for this reason that I don’t share generic happy new year messages on my feed.

Because nothing ever really changes. And it seems futile to cut-and-paste the same empty words year after year, only to realize nothing in return.

Instead I’ll continue to look to the skies and hope its light will eventually begin to shine on those who preach darkness.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #roshhashana #jewish #newyear #sunset #cloudspotting #weather #wx #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone #photography

Related:
Random straw poll, August 2023
Sunset test shot, July 2023

Wednesday, October 02, 2024

Wood, texture, and light

Shine on
London, ON
September 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


When a shaft of morning sunlight bounces off the gently aged wooden dresser, the only choice is to reach for a camera.

The light won’t be around for long, after all.

Makes me wonder if this might be an analogy of some sort.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #wood #stilllife #macro #light #sunlight #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone #photography

Related:
A kiss in the washroom, February 2018

Tuesday, October 01, 2024

Shadowy cyclist

Ride while we still can
London, ON
September 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


One ride: good.

Two rides: better.

So a shadowy selfie is called for. Because every journey, no matter how seemingly trivial it may seem, deserves an accompanying memory.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #cycling #orange #bicycle #instabike #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone #photography