Thursday, February 13, 2025

Winter storm, alternative view

Blanketed
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Large swaths of Ontario and Quebec are feeling winter’s wrath this morning as a major storm dumps near-record amounts of snow and freezing rain across the region.

It’s easy to see why this is a source of stress for so many. Any kind of travel in this weather is equal parts cold, miserable, inconvenient, and dangerous. There’s no minimizing it, even if Canadians wrote the book on winter survival.

Yet no other season announces itself quite like this one, or paints the landscape with such a delicate palette.

So as we round the corner in the woods and come face to face with this, it feels appropriate to stop for a moment to appreciate it.

The walk home will still be annoying and treacherous. But for just one moment, we immerse ourselves in the hushed magic of this remarkable place.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #forest #tree #snow #winter #weather #wx #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
Snow dusted, January 2022

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

The sheltered forest

We've got you
London, ON
February 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The trees gather together high overhead, protecting everything and everyone below.

If they can work together against the threatening skies, so can we.

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

Related:

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Every sunset is deserving

Welcome, night
London, ON
February 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


A half-hour after the sun last showed itself here, I walk past the nearby park with our well bundled dog and wait by the tree while she buries her nose in the fresh snow.

Thanks to a clear sky, it isn’t a terribly spectacular scene, but I’m captivated by it, anyway, and decide to take a single photo before we continue on our way.

I toss it around in my mind all the way home, about the fact that I had decided to shoot a decidedly meh moment.

But the more I ponder, the more I realize it was never meh at all. Even the most plain skies, after all, are still worthy of attention, still worthy, period.

And we remember them not because they may have met some arbitrarily subjective metric of beauty. But because we get to experience them at all.

Because we miss a lot more than we gain by dismissing skies that don’t somehow qualify.

Because the number of skies in our lives isn’t limitless.

Because this isn’t just about skies.

Thank you for attending my TED Talk. I’ll be hanging out with the dog under the maple tree at the edge of the park all week.

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

Related:
Her first sunset, January 2025

Monday, February 10, 2025

Striking her dog show pose

Make sure you get my best side, please
London, ON
February 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Our #TikkunOlam photography project continues.

If you’re just joining us, it’s our seemingly trivial attempt to use photography to repair the world.

Participation is simple: share a photo, any photo. Tag it with the #TikkunOlam hashtag. And if you want to tag me - @carmilevy - along the way, have at it.

I’m just naive enough to believe that pretty pictures can soothe the sting of a world gone mad. Or, if not mad, then perhaps depressingly chaotic. Whatever we call it, now is the time to seek refuge in tiny acts of kindness and inspiration.

Photography has always been a kind and inspiring place to me, and I’m reasonably certain I’m not alone.

And since y’all liked our last photo of our beloved pup, Calli the Wonderschnauzer, she’s back for another moment of canine joy. This time, she decided to pose for her Westminster Dog Show application photo beside the dining room table.

No, that’s not exactly true. Or at all. She’ll never qualify for this or any dog show given her extreme lack of manners or sanity. She’ll never be a dog show dog, yet we love her to bits and pieces all the same because she has a heart of literal gold. Or maybe it’s figurative. Whatever. We like her and she likes us, even if none of us is remotely conventional.

Okay, your turn. A picture that brings you joy. Go.

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

Related:

Sunday, February 09, 2025

A sunny afternoon on Cabell Street

Linear history
London, ON
February 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


On a bitterly cold, brilliantly sunny afternoon, I find myself walking the deserted streets of an industrial neighbourhood.

I had brought my camera, but thanks to the sun-polished ice I’m too afraid to take it out of its cushy bag lest I take a tumble. So I’m shooting with a smartphone.

The only sound at first is that of the wind whistling through the electrical wires overhead. Yet the longer I stand perfectly still in the deep blue shadows, the more the soundtrack emerges.

Somewhere in the deep blue shadows, a loosely bolted street sign taps out a gentle rhythm. A single Canada Goose honks angrily above the brickwork before disappearing into a speck in the deep azure sky.

I imagine this neighbourhood once bustled with activity, fuelled by the energy of those living in the perfectly aligned rows of Victorian-style brick homes built hard up against the time-worn factories and warehouses. Zoning sure was different back then.

Soon enough the clock beckons me back to the everyday. I could stand in the middle of these hushed streets forever, but life on the outside doesn’t stop, especially for idyllic visits to a vanished past.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #brick #industrial #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #downtown #doors #cabell #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
The big blue door, December 2024
Sunny ruinporn, April 2022

Saturday, February 08, 2025

Evidence that we were here

Visualized traction
London, ON
February 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


After the snow falls, trips still get taken, and lives still get lived.

And as we move from here to there or there to here, we leave tracks in our wake, tangible evidence, however tenuous, that we were here, that we mattered.

Soon enough, though, those tracks will be gone.

And then what?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #snow #weather #wx #onstorm #streetphotography #abstract #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
The tracks we leave, October 2023
Snow kidding, February 2022
Chasing snow at night, November 2021
Winter's return, November 2020

Friday, February 07, 2025

With gratitude

A simple message
Toronto, ON
September 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Following yesterday’s entry about my late brother, I simply wanted to express my profound gratitude to everyone who took the time to respond.

Originally I wasn’t sure if I should say anything, but thanks to your collectively overwhelming support and kindness, I now know it was the right call.

Let’s keep shining the light, then. It’s what good people do - and you’re all good people.

And what about this photo? Taken in a McDonald’s drive-through, which my brother - who had also been bitten by the photography bug - would have found hilarious.

Related:
Kindness rocks, always, November 2021

Thursday, February 06, 2025

Older brothers don't leave, do they?

My older brother, Ari, would have been 60 today. He was 53 when we lost him, and I am now older than he will ever be.

I share this as a reminder that lives are finite, time is precious, and family, in any form, matters more than we might have imagined. It’s also a reminder that life can be dark for some of us, that it never seems to play out as we had planned, nor does it have a reset or a rewind button.

Yet we owe it to those around us - and to ourselves - to find whatever light we can amid that darkness, and shine it where it needs to be shone. Even if it hurts to do so.

Perhaps this is TMI, but we grew up in a family that never “got” mental health. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and other professionals were called “shrinks”. Relatives who had the misfortune of mental health afflictions were ridiculed - sometimes gently, sometimes not - and eventually shunned.

To this day, no one in my extended family discusses the how. As if it’s fallen into a dark hole, never to be revisited again. The stigma is deep-rooted, and I struggle with how to express myself amid its molasses-like hold.

I wonder if his life might have followed another path if our environment had been different. I wonder if I had known what lay ahead, if I could have done anything differently, or better. I wonder a lot of things, and the answers never seem to present themselves. I will ask those questions for the rest of my life.

I’m comforted that in his abbreviated life, he accomplished much, and left a trail of achievement for others to follow. And his memory is indeed, in classic Jewish lore, a blessing. And an example for us all to keep following.

Yet I’m still haunted. Those left behind are forever haunted by the not knowing.

If you do one thing today, please reach out. To someone, anyone who matters to you. Be the one. Be the light. End the stigma. Show those who matter to you that there is always another path.

Related:
A milestone no one wants, September 2022

Frozen miracles in unexpected places

Here for now
London, ON
February 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


There’s a spot near the rusting sewer grate where paper-thin ice meets gritty asphalt, where the forces of nature shape and reshape the landscape seemingly by the minute.

So we stop what we’re doing and stare intently at the seemingly unremarkable scene halfway between the dog’s sniffling nose and our slush-covered boots.

There’s no big reason to do so. In fact, almost nobody does. Stop, that is. Too busy chasing the remarkable to pay much attention to the mundane.

But this is just one scene, and the planet is filled with countless battles between unseen forces of nature, between the dog’s nose and the tips of our boots, wherever we happen to be.

We’d know that if we looked down. We’d know that if we took the time to look for ephemeral miracles in unexpected places.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #TikkunOlam #water #gutter #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #weather #wx #onstorm #abstract #street #stilllife #streetphotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Wednesday, February 05, 2025

Protective trees in a foggy park

Sentinels
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Wow! The little #TikkunOlam photography project that we launched yesterday seems to have struck a delightfully bright nerve. So let’s continue, shall we?

I took a walk in the fog, and as I stood at the edge of an empty park and prepared to walk through it, I paused to take in the sight of countless giant trees protecting all who pass under them.

I probably hang around trees more than I should - particularly on foggy days - but I rather enjoy how it feels to stand face-to-face with them, to feel the gentle sounds that gradually present themselves to anyone who takes the time to listen.

We need mental health now more than ever. Mother Nature is ready for us.

Your turn. Go.

#ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #tree #fog #winter #weather #wx #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #silhouette #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
The community of trees, February 2024
Highbury Avenue in fog, November 2022

Deepseek's deep problem - live on Medium

I've been staring at the ceiling at night worrying about #DeepSeek's deeper issues, and I know I'm not alone. I dig into it in my latest article. Enjoy the read!

Deepseek's deep problem

#ai #cybersecurity #thoughtleadership

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

#TikkunOlam Photography begins

Bringing joy, by default
London, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Because the world feels a little darker than it probably needs to be, I hope you all don’t mind if I engage in a little photographic therapy for the next while.

It’s quite simple, really: I’m going to share photos that make me happy. And if I play my cards right, they’ll make you happy, as well.

I can’t make politicians less corrupt or damaged. Nor can I wave a wand and fix the economy, find folks a family doctor, or end homelessness.

But I’m able to conjure up words and images from nothing, and I understand that can be a handy skill to have when the going gets tough. Maybe it’ll even inspire us.

Our launch photo will be one of our dog, better known as Calli the Wonderschnauzer. And I’ll forewarn you: animals may be over-represented in this series. That’s because they know nothing of trade wars, tragedies, and unkindness.

Calli is just as ready to wake me with a sniffling nose on a quiet news day as she is on an insane one. She loves unconditionally, and never fails to stand between me and whatever she deems threatening.

I’m guessing the world would be a better place if humans could be more like her, so she gets to kick things off. Good girl.

And because everything has to have a hashtag these days, I’m going to use #TikkunOlam. That’s Hebrew for repair the world, and it’s a theme that’s resonated with me my entire life. I profoundly believe in art’s ability to repair the world and those within it, so here we are.

You’re absolutely welcome join in the fun and share your own #TikkunOlam contribution. Use the hashtag and tag me at @carmilevy. Let’s start something, shall we? The world needs it.

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

Related:
Caption This 140, December 2009
Canada Day, eh? July 2007

Monday, February 03, 2025

Sorry, Canada isn't for sale. To anyone.

The maple leaf, forever
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram



NOTE: This entry has been posted in more developed form to my Medium channel. Head here to read it - and feel free to sign up for my newsletter.

Today, one day before the U.S. imposes 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, one thing is absolutely clear: this is what happens when misinformation and disinformation are left unchecked.

Donald Trump has blithely used the excuse that Canada is allowing fentanyl and immigrants to pour into the U.S., yet the data paints a very different story.

Consider this: in Fiscal Year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol seized 21,148 pounds of fentanyl coming in from Mexico. From Canada? 43 pounds. That’s 0.2% for those keeping score.

Same deal on the people side. over 1.5 million people were detained in FY24 crossing from Mexico into the U.S. On the northern border, 23,721 - less than 1.6% of the total - people crossed illegally.

Yet President Felon repeatedly insists Canada is a leaking cauldron of debauchery as he also claims they’re “subsidizing” us to the tune of inflated figures that have no basis in reality, and change with every rage-post to his failing social media platform.

In reality, trade imbalances are not subsidies, and Trump’s warped reasoning suggests a pathetic lack of basic economic theory.

Yet his base, trained by years of being fed a torrent of lies so intense that every word is now accepted as fact, applauds. Making matters worse, American media, cowed by frivolous lawsuits from a guy who wrote the book on predatory litigation, now pays Trump off as they pressure their own journalists into backing off from critical coverage.

No, the Jim Acosta case was not isolated, and there will be more.

Society does indeed die in darkness, and imagine where we’d be if a society now content to live in darkness had had the wherewithal to recognize the lies for what they were, and push back.

As a higher-tech rerun of the Nazi party’s 1930s playbook, we’d think Americans would know enough to recognize the signs that they’re being lied to.

Sadly, we’d think wrong.

I’m hoping Canadians have what it takes to finally appreciate mis/disinformation for the democracy-killing disease that it is.

I suspect my hope is misplaced. This, ultimately, is how empires end.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #forest #red #maple #leaf #autumn #stilllife


Sunday, February 02, 2025

An icy, successful failure

Blur!
London, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Question: what happens when you don’t check the camera’s settings before stepping out onto the front porch to shoot the icicles?

Answer: an unplanned 8-second handheld exposure in all its blurry glory. In other words, an abject failure of a shot.

But is it really?

I was fully prepared to delete this one, just another of the countless photos that understandably never see the light of day. For all the precision of modern cameras, where even in manual mode it’s hard to mess up an exposure, leave it to me to find new ways to screw up a pic.

But the longer I hovered over the image after I imported it into Lightroom, the more I decided I liked it.

It screamed abstract to me, a chaotic mess of light and texture that could only exist in that singular, imperfect few seconds. Or a reminder that not all plans are meant to work out, and it’s perfectly fine to end up far away from your original destination.

So let’s call it a happy accident, then. Or an unplanned failure. Or maybe something I should deliberately shoot for the next time I pick up a camera.

Maybe there’s something to this failure thing after all. Maybe the very word, failure, needs a new definition.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #ice #icicle #drip #abstract #blur #winter #weather #wx #night #naturephotography #landscapephotography #doorstep #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
Transit in monochrome, November 2024
More fast water, November 2021
Life is a blur, August 2020

Saturday, February 01, 2025

Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Deep into twilight
London, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It’s been 32 minutes since the sun disappeared beneath the cloud-covered horizon, so I’ve hung around the frozen park just in case the grey skies decide to allow the light to break through one last time.

It’s called hopeless optimism, and apparently I suffer from a severe case of it.

I hold the camera in my hand, my fingers aching from the cold, and while my mind says it’s time to pack it in and head home, my feet decide otherwise, and stay planted in the hard-packed snow.

Suddenly the clouds shift just enough to expose a gentle orange glow in a tiny speck of sky just down by the treeline. It isn’t much, but I raise the camera and snap off a few frames before it winks out for good.

The barely-there light show is over in around 30 seconds, but it turns out to be the only 30 seconds I need.

On the slow walk home, I think about the notion of patience and time. Because if time is the only true gift we’ve all been given, it might make sense to consider spending it with more care. With or without a camera in our hands.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sunset #cloudspotting #weather #wx #silhouette #bokeh #dof #optimistpark #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
Swimmer in the sky, August 2022
Do not go gentle... November 2021

Friday, January 31, 2025

Trampled

After the fall, before the melt
London, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Snow isn’t always pristine.

Not long after it falls, it’ll get walked on, thrown, even trampled, its once-perfect surface transformed into something imperfect.

Yet as my boots sink into the chaotic white and not-quite-white mess, I find myself fascinated by the stories being told in the seeming imperfection. Of kids being kids, dogs being dogs, of life being lived in the now before it all melts.

I decide the after is even more worthy of our attention than the before. And stories should be crafted and told before they disappear forever.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #snow #frozen #winter #weather #wx #onstorm #abstract #street #stilllife #streetphotography #texture #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Brake for snow, January 2023
Honda snow sculpture, December 2022
After the fall, February 2022
Snow kidding, February 2022

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Actual photos on an actual studio wall

On display...
London, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I’ve been sharing my photos for so long on a screen that I almost forgot how viscerally rewarding it can be to see them on a wall.

Well, I’ve got some good news on that front: the gracious folks at ArtVenture Art Studio here in London have granted me the privilege of displaying my work in their studio.

19 of my favourite scenes - still-life, street, abstract, and more - will be on display there for a bit, and if you’re in the area I’d be tickled if you dropped by and had a look.

Please say hi to Erica and Hugo while you’re there, and thank them for creating a community hub of artistic excellence that feels like an oasis of creativity in an often turbulent world. I’m humbled to be a part of it.

https://www.artventure.ca/

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Artist in Residence, December 2014
Incomplete... April 2010
Caption This 59, February 2008
Caption This 50, December 2007

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

American Airlines jet collides mid-air with Black Hawk

BREAKING: American Airlines Flight 5342 on final approach to Reagan National Airport collides mid-air with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter. Airline confirms 60 passengers and 4 crew were on-board the aircraft, a CRJ-700. This is bad.

Talking DeepSeek on CBC Radio

#DeepSeek seems to have come out of nowhere, and is rocking the #AI world to its core. What is it? What does it mean for the very future of #tech? Is the app a bigger security risk than #TikTok?

I’ll join CBC Radio stations across the country Thursday morning - starting with @CBCOntMorning at 5:30 a.m. ET - to walk through one of the most consequential tech milestones of our time.

Related:

Icy finger

Pointed
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Some of us are just a little different than the norm.

Doesn’t make us any less beautiful or compelling, though.

What is “the norm”, anyway? And who decides?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #ice #icicle #drip #winter #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #doorstep #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
Gravity always wins, January 2025
Icy trapeze artist, February 2023 
Driveway icicle works, February 2023
Pretty frozen, February 2022
When icicles melt... February 2022
Ice cubed, January 2022

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Together into the unknown

Partners
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Walk with me forever, together into the unknown.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #fog #weather #wx #gameoftones #naturephotography #landscapephotography #streetphotography #strangers #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
Scene from a sidewalk, December 2024
Not remotely disabled, January 2019

Monday, January 27, 2025

It, perversely, took a village

No simple sign
Toronto, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


80 years ago today, the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp was liberated.

The world stood by and did nothing - until it was too late. Even cheered those fuelling the hatred.

History is now repeating itself, and we’d be naive for thinking the roots aren’t being laid today, using the very same playbook crafted by the Nazis.

Clearly humanity has learned nothing.

Maybe humanity simply never wants to learn at all.

#toronto #ontario #canada #rom #holocaust #jewish #life #stilllife #photography #apple #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Tilt shift at the home show

Life under glass
London, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Not everything is as it seems.

What we think we see at first glance often turns out to be something completely different.

But that only becomes apparent after we spend some time to really dig into the details.

It’s just as applicable within the confines of an architectural model as it is in real life.

So we take the time.

Simple, really.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada @londonhba #lifestylehomeshow #stilllife #tiltshift #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Little yellow taxi, January 2012
Sealed under glass, April 2011

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Screened in

Meshy
London, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I call this one, “Scene from suburbia”.

More precisely, it describes what we get when we choose to focus on the things that are less obvious.

I’ve got to play with screens and lines more often.

Maybe I just have to play. Maybe we all do.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #window #glass #screen #focus #geometry #abstract #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Shelter from the storm, February 2023

Friday, January 24, 2025

The prettiest sunsets in the world

93 million miles of light
Grand Bend, ON
July 2017
This photo originally shared on Instagram


They say this place has some of the loveliest sunsets on Planet Earth.

I still don’t know who these “they” people are, but standing just at the water’s edge, my bare toes sinking slowly into the cooling sand, and my eyes watching the sun’s reflections march across the calming waves, it’s difficult to disagree with them.

#grandbend #beach #ontario #canada #throwback #greatlake #huron #sunset #cloudspotting #weather #wx #sky #water #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Resolving to get out here more often

The winding woods
London, ON
November 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I didn’t make any resolutions before the new year, but if I ever decide to start making promises to myself around major calendar milestones, taking walks in the woods will likely be high on the list.

There’s a peace to these places that can’t be captured in words or images - try as I may. And since there’s ample demand for peace these days, places like this seem to offer up a bit of a refuge from all that stresses us in the big bad world.

There are no headlines here. No deadlines, either. No one spewing hatred. Or intolerance. Or any of the countless other things that make life less joyous than it should be.

Indeed, it needn’t be a forest. It can be any place that offers up an escape. The key is to seek it out. And to remember why we need to walk paths less travelled in the first place.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #heritage #fog #weather #wx #forest #trees #gameoftones #autumn #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Mailboxes Etc.

Waiting...
London, ON
June 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Whenever I come this way, I’m usually on my bike, pedalling down this arrow-straight country road at some silly speed, head down, ears listening for traffic, eyes flashing to my rear-view mirror, just in case.

So I don’t have much time to focus on the subtle details of life in the countryside. Like the weather-worn picket fences that line the ditch or the mailboxes that stand lonely sentinel by the front gate.

But today I find myself walking on the side of the road, my feet carefully picking through the uneven gravel, my eyes now lingering over those no-longer-ignored mailboxes and the occasional random dust-covered roadkill. The skies are a washed-out grey, and so is everything underneath it.

I have an hour or so to kill before the next appointment on my calendar beckons, so I slowly plod along the roadside and try to see the things I usually miss.

In the end it’s the mailboxes that stick with me, their iconically geometric forms waiting patiently for deliveries that may or may not arrive.

They are as timeless as country life itself, crucial connectors to a world that often seems so far away from this place of quiet farmers’ fields and the distant thrum of tractors. Lifelines, even, reminders that physical things still matter. Even out here.

Soon enough it’s time to leave this perfectly bucolic place behind and return to the life I know. The next time I’m here I’ll be back on two wheels, moving far too quickly to appreciate the nuances of a part of the world that tells its stories in whispers.

Whispers just loud enough to be heard over the late afternoon breeze rustling the dried corn stalks, telling us we might want to slow it down and enjoy the view.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #nissouri #road #roadside #naturephotography #landscapephotography #streetphotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
You've all got mail, October 2011
Tractor beam, September 2011

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Let's make some waves

Energy, visualized
Toronto, ON
July 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It’s time to make some waves.

So let’s do just that, shall we?

#toronto #ontario #canada #throwback #swim #swimming #pool #water #waves #abstract #blue #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
When infinity...isn't, February 2023
Swimming in the abstract, September 2021
Just ducky, January 2011
Brightly lit steps, March 2008

Monday, January 20, 2025

Look toward the light

Hope
Pointe Claire, QC
August 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Today is a dark day for anyone who values truth, kindness, democracy, or the rule of law.

So please don’t mind if I revert to the comfort zone that is my viewfinder. Because when I’m staring through it, the only thing that matters is the light flowing through the lens - and how it makes me feel in the moment.

We can’t stop the darkness from casting shadows, but there’s no rule against looking up to the sky and feeling the power of forces that transcend even the most seemingly powerful among us.

Because all power is relative. And sunrises and sunsets will play themselves out regardless of who’s in power.

#pointeclaire #montreal #quebec #canada #throwback #sunset #sky #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #weatherphotography #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Sunday, January 19, 2025

Auschwitz-Birkenau, 80 years on

Murdered
Toronto, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


A child’s sock and shoe, removed and discarded before he or she was gassed at the Auschwitz death camp.

I lingered over this artifact at the Royal Ontario Museum yesterday, just one tiny element of an exhibit chronicling the befores, durings, and afters of humanity’s darkest chapter.

I tried to imagine the unimaginable, the deliberate extinction of a child because he or she, simply, was a Jew. I tried to imagine the broad-based hatred that led an entire society to this singular moment, that normalized it, institutionalized it, celebrated it.

Then I did the math. Not just one child gone. Entire generations, and those who would have followed. Lives. Communities. Histories. Futures. Gone.

Here at home, this morning dawns bitterly cold, likely not far removed from winters in the Polish countryside. The headlines scream their own form of bitterness, signs, perhaps, that the messages left behind by this unknown child - and millions more - have been ignored.

Hatred drives this. Hatred ensures the words, never again, have become mere words. Hatred shatters us all, victims and perpetrators. Hatred, seemingly, will never end.

#toronto #ontario #canada #rom #holocaust #jewish #life #stilllife #photography #apple #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone