Read the sign

If only...
London, ON
January 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This coming year, please resolve to be kind.

That is all.

#ldnont #newyear #kindness #matters

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No vacancy, May 2010

Dogstorm

This isn't happening
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dad,

You don’t really think I want to be out here, do you?

We’ve been on enough walks together that you know I’m generally a fan of winter. After all you’re the one tugging on the leash when I get carried away bouncing through the snow and burying my nose in countless drifts.

But my usually sunny Schnauzer attitude hits a wall when you insist on heading out in the middle of a raging blizzard. When the winds reach Apocalyptic levels and my little legs can’t find traction on the ice, it’s time to head inside.

No, I don’t care that I haven’t “done my business” yet. Nor do I subscribe to the notion that specific walks at specific times are mandatory. If the weather sucks, we’re staying in the house.

Capisce?

With much respect and love,

Calli the Wonderschnauzer

#ldnont #canada #callithewonderschnauzer #actofdog #onstorm

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Frozen in the fading light

Nature's freezer
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The weather in our particular corner of the Great White North has been…challenging.

After the major ice storm that rolled through just after Christmas, another epic system - a possible bomb cyclone - is threatening to turn the next couple of days into a smorgasbord of freezing rain, high winds, and epic snow.

It’s a very Canadian thing to batten down the hatches in advance of heavy weather, so yesterday’s mission was devoted to stocking up on essentials and ensuring we can easily shelter in place for the next few days.

I’ve also been taking the camera out for some neighbourhood walkabouts, because I want to remember not only what all this looks like, but what it feels like. I have vivid memories of winters growing up in Montreal, where snowbanks and drifts reached the roof of our house. I have similarly vivid memories when our kids were little and lake effect storms paralyzed the city, leading to epic snowpeople-building sessions on the front lawn.

In the end, weather isn’t worth complaining about. We can’t change it, so we may as well just suck it up and feel the moment. And when storms repaint the landscape, it feels right to find ways to add another marker on our personal life calendars.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #icestorm #winter #night #bokeh #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Ice storm chaos

Bushed
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On the surface it looks like chaos, wild branches coated with ice, sagging dangerously as they jangle against each other in the strengthening breeze.

Come to think of it, it’s chaotic below the surface, too.

Which is precisely why I can’t look away.

Human nature, I suppose.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #icestorm #winter #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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When ice coats the trees

Frozen for now
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When an ice storm paints the region with danger, the right thing to do is likely stay inside until everything melts.

But curiosity is a funny thing. It compels us to look when we shouldn’t, to continue when we should likely head back, to set aside the danger for a bit because we just can’t imagine missing the show.

And what a show it turns out to be as the brutally grey skies slowly turn blue and then black. As the street lights awaken from a day of power failures and add their own surreal twist to a landscape already teeming with surreality.

So I head outside and walk like a penguin under branches encased in brilliantly lit glass. The ice crunches under my feet as overloaded trees bend precariously under the load. The wind picks up and sends another chaotic sculpture crashing to the ground.

My head keeps telling me to head back inside. My heart keeps me outside just a little while longer. Because wonder doesn’t come without risk. And it never lasts as long as we wish it would.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #icestorm #winter #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Defiant, icy bush, December 2004

Airport parking at night

Level up
Mississauga, ON
November 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In the shadowy corners of Canada’s largest airport, a parking structure casts harsh white light across the filthy snow-covered roads that feed this city within a city.

Nobody comes here to stay. Everyone is so focused on getting somewhere else. Just leave the car in a dusty spot, then forget it’s there. If transience could be imaged, this is what it would look like.

But even transient spaces deserve the occasional second look. If only to remember the places we never occupy long enough to care.

#toronto #yyz #pearson #airport #ontario #canada #night #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Light of the season

Shine on
Dryden, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The tiniest bulbs often put out the mightiest light.

Perhaps that’s a lesson for us all.

#dryden #ontario #canada #monochrome #abstract

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Trippy hotel room lights

Redacted
Dryden, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m not one to make resolutions, but if I were so inclined, I’d resolve to capture more abstract scenes hidden within the everyday.

Like this one.

I came across it in a hotel room far from home. And while we waited for the heater to beat back the minus-6-bazillion-degree temperatures outside, I found myself admiring the wall-mounted lamps.

The graphics spoke to me, whispering shades of Tron, the IBM logo, and Ikea - albeit without the meatball lunch special. Some unknown designer somewhere had clearly read the creative brief with care.

So of course some random photography was called for. Not because it made any sense, but precisely because it did not. Because random moments both close to and far from home are often punctuated by the strange things we see in the margins.

And I’ve apparently made it my mission to slow those moments down and peer into those margins more than might seem reasonable.

At the very least, I end up with a memorable photo. But we all know none of this was ever really about the photography, anyway.

#dryden #ontario #canada #hotel #abstract #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Dognap

Sweet dreams
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Today feels like a day that could use a bit more dog in it.

Come to think of it, maybe it should be “a lot more dog” instead of “a bit more”. Words matter, apparently.

I’ll admit our particular dog, Calli, is loud and stubborn. She listens when she wants to, if at all. And if we’re being frank, sometimes she kinda smells funny, especially after a walk. She also has a nasty habit of eating tissue paper, then freaking out when it comes out gift wrapped. Schnauzers are weird to begin with, and she’s an outlier in countless ways.

Whatever the case, she’s still worth a good hang. She plays hard, sleeps even harder, and never fails to make everyone around her smile. Sounds like the recipe to a life well lived, doesn’t it?

#ldnont #canada #callithewonderschnauzer #actofdog

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Light the darkness

What comes next
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On the longest night of the year, all eight lights of Chanukah, plus the ninth helper candle known as the Shamash, push the darkness aside.

It’s a fitting story of optics and history, and a timely reminder of the pervasive darkness that threatens those who light these candles.

The holiday ends at sundown tonight, at which point there will be no candles at all, no fires burning to banish the night.

That’s where we come in.

Because whoever we are and whatever we celebrate, light can be both real and virtual. And when the tangible holiday ends, it’s up to us to find ways to shine light. The more creative, the better.

I’m in. You?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #chanukah #hannukah #howeveritisspelled #jewish #holiday #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Her friend the deer

Making connections
Dryden, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The only thing more magical than watching deer wander past the windows in search of lunch on a bitterly cold day is to witness a three-year-old take in the same scene.

It’s a normal thing for Lilly to see, and she’ll often stop what she’s doing when she realizes they’ve returned for a visit. She’s old enough now that she remembers their names and family histories from the stories mom and dad share with her. She’ll talk to them as they graze and excitedly describe the scene to her little sister Claira.

I hope Lilly never stops appreciating just how lucky she is that these wondrous animals have chosen her house to visit. I hope the deer always know they have a friend on the other side of the frosted glass.

#dryden #ontario #canada #doh #deer #family #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Frozen beauty in unexpected places

Iced geology
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Sure, it’s cold. And harsh. And maybe a little dangerous. Or a lot.

But it’s also starkly beautiful.

So let’s choose to look for the beauty. It’s there, I promise you.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #gutter #ice #abstract #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Teletubby on the move

Stuffies get delayed, too
Mississauga, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Po the Teletubby is a 30-ish-year-old McDonald’s Happy Meal toy who’s been hanging off of my backpack ever since our then-munchkin son moved onto his next favourite toy.

She’s been everywhere, and wears her years with a certain tattered grace. I especially love the stolen glances and smiles from passing strangers when they realize a grown man has a tiny stuffie hanging off of his bag.

Most of us seem to spend most days dealing with the seriousness of life, and as I’m walking through this impossibly crowded airport, I’m surrounded by legions of frankly grumpy people dealing with any number of obvious and not-so-obvious challenges.

Yet when I stop in front of the flight status screen and hang her off her carabiner for a spontaneous photo session, a gentle-faced elderly woman wearing a knitted cap stops pushing her purple suitcase and watches quietly from the other side of the corridor. She waves when I’m done, and I wave back as I clip Po back onto the bag and continue on my way.

It’s a strange way to connect in a world that seemingly celebrates isolation. But for over half my life I’ve had a sidekick who seems to naturally make friends wherever she goes. Maybe we all need a little more Po in our lives.

#toronto #yyz #pearson #international #airport #ontario #canada #po #teletubby #red #travelphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Heaven just above Earth

Final approach
Toronto, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Toronto puts on a show as we swoop down from the heavens.

A reminder, perhaps, to hit pause every once in a while and look out the window. We never know what we might see, but it’s a safe assumption that it’ll be worthwhile.

Maybe even inspirational.

#toronto #ontario #canada #yyz #travelphotography #flight #aviation #avgeek #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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The great glass jetway

Portal to anywhere
Winnipeg, MB
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Disclosure: I’m a nervous traveller. Introvert that I am, I’d rather not have to battle hordes of strangers for the last remaining overhead bin in an ancient Airbus.

So when I do find myself far from home, I’ll steal random moments, typically with a camera in my hand. It’s something of a coping mechanism, I suppose.

Yesterday we found ourselves in Winnipeg’s airport, so I wandered around looking for inspiration. It didn’t take long for one of YWG’s very tony glass-enclosed jetways to speak to me. Seriously, they should all be glass.

Should I have been standing Right There when I composed this image? I’m guessing that would be a hard no. Nor was it technically kosher to press the lens against the glass on the locked access door. I’m sure I broke a bunch of rules getting this shot, and thankfully I wasn’t busted by the airport police.

But here’s the thing: the world is a big scary place right now. Always has been, mind you, and likely always will be. So some of us look for comfort in unusual ways, in unusual places.

And maybe we stretch a boundary here and there, but the mission is a gentle one, and the reasons seem to make personal sense in an impersonal, frightening time.

At least that’s how I justify it to myself before the airport police come for me. When they do, please show them this photo. Hopefully they’ll go easy on me.

#winnipeg #manitoba #canada #airport #ywg #aircanada #aviationphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Analog still rules

Under pressure
Woodstock, ON
June 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Instruments once looked like this, industrial age dials that told their stories with the sweep of a hand.

Today we use screens to figure out what’s going on, how fast we’re going, and what may come next. More efficient? Sure. Better? Let’s talk.

Part of me thinks decades from now, no one will ever look at an old, dark flatscreen and wonder about the stories it might have once told.

History is best told in analog tones, I guess.

#woodstock #ontario #canada #throwback #stilllife #industrial #dominion #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

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Tracked changes

Everyone leaves evidence
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There are days when all we can do is stare at the ground and wonder what we’re leaving behind.

Today is one of those days.

If we’re lucky, we’ll get another tomorrow.

If we’re lucky, that tomorrow will be a different kind of day.

Maybe one where humans treat each other better.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #snow #weather #wx #onstorm #streetphotography #abstract #shadow #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Hatred finds Jews on an Australian beach

Light eradicates darkness
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A bunch of Jews gather on Sydney’s Bondi Beach to welcome in Chanukah. And because they’re Jews, they’re mowed down by two gunmen carrying automatic weapons.

Not the first time Jews have been killed because they’re Jews. And it won’t be the last.

Not that it changes anything, but to Australia’s credit, the PM immediately called it a terrorist act. Doesn’t bring the victims, among them a 10-year-old girl, back. Doesn’t ease the fast-rising global wave of antisemitism masquerading as political “protest”. Doesn’t change the fact that thousands of years on, Jews still make convenient targets.

I’m shamed to admit I often hesitate to post anything in the wake of attacks like this. I am Jewish, after all, and it terrifies me that I might be inviting more hatred on myself - or worse, on my family - if I do.

But our history is filled with stories of Jews who chose silence over raised voices. Who said nothing in the futile hope it would somehow appease our oppressors. Make them go away and find someone else to bully.

Didn’t work then and won’t work now.

So I’ll use my voice.

In the meantime, the irony of the timing of this attack isn’t lost on me. The first night of Chanukah. The very festival of light. So we light the light. And with each successive night, we’ll add still more light. We’ll banish the darkness.

Might take thousands of years to get there. But we’ve been at it for just as long. We know the drill.

#enough

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They kill Jews. And Muslims. And Christians... April 2019

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They hate Jews here, too, October 2018

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The first year of Claira...

Why hello there!
London, ON
June 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Claira turns one today.

A year of thoughtfully taking in the scene through her huge blue eyes.

A year of smiles bright enough to light up the room - and everyone in it.

A year of laughing with her favourite people - most loudly when it’s her big sister Lilly.

A year of exhibiting an uncannily chill sense of calmness no matter where she may be.

A year of starting to move and explore and speak and give toothy grins.

A year of weaving herself around the hearts of everyone she meets.

A year that went by in a blink. And makes us wish we could slow it down just a bit.

A year that closes out the first chapter in a charmed life, and sets the stage for even more stories to be told in the years ahead.

#LiveLaughLevy #family #everything

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Windblown...

Temporary texture
London, ON
February 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It feels like it’s been snowing here forever, and Canadians being Canadians, the complaints are already flying.

So I’m sharing this, but not because any of this upsets me. Far from it.

Sure, I’d rather be pulling on my cycling gear and pedalling until I run out of road. But we can’t control the weather any more than we can fix a broken world.

So instead I’ll stare at the windblown textures at my feet and remind myself that every season has any number of small moments of joy.

And that those small moments really are the big ones.

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

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Eat the damn candy

Colour for days
Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC
August 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We make countless decisions over the course of a given day, and if we dig deeper into the why of each one, we may realize they’re all connected by a single question:

What’s best for us?

And in the case of edible stuff like these colourful gummy candies, we might decide to stay away because they’re filled with empty calories and ingredients that may or may not have originated on Planet Earth.

It is, after all, eminently reasonable to try to lead a healthier lifestyle, and to avoid overdoing it on admittedly unhealthy foods.

But I draw lines between meals composed entirely of junk food and an occasional indulgence amid reasonably balanced diet and exercise.

Because life is short.

Because we all deserve an occasional moment of sweetness.

Or a simple smile.

So eat the damn candy.

#ddo #montreal #quebec #canada #throwback #abstract #stilllife #colours #foodporn #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

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Colour banishes the winter

By the dying light of day
London, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The skies have been relentlessly grey of late, with winter storms painting the landscape consistent shades of monochrome.

So I’ve reached back a couple of months in search of some colour, when the sun wasn’t hidden behind impenetrable clouds, when the beauty above didn’t have to be imagined.

Maybe this is a story about the weather. Maybe it’s a story about much more. Maybe we all need to dig down a little more to find the tones that reinspire us.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #sunset #orange #cloudspotting #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Balconies of death

Where did everybody go?
Toronto, ON
May 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’ll often stand on the street below and wonder if anyone ever uses the balconies high overhead.

I want to imagine they do, but they seem more suited to convenient storage of patio furniture and bicycles than anything else.

Maybe if they came with parachutes.

#toronto #ontario #canada #yyz #architecturephotography #buildingporn #downtown #geometry #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Paws for effect

Toe beans!
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Since it was a busy day for us yesterday, it was a busy day for her, as well. Hence the toe beans.

I don’t think she moved from that spot all evening, and I wasn’t about to interrupt her dog dreams.

They looked like happy ones.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callithethewonderschnauzer #dog #actofdog #schnauzersofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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Where's my ruler?

Tiled vision
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We often come across some fairly abstract scenes as we go through the paces of our otherwise ordinary lives.

Because wonder lurks in the corners we’d typically ignore.

And anything can be extraordinary if we choose to look through the right lens.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #restaurant #geometry #abstract #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

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An eagle watches over Eagle Lake

Sentinel
Eagle Lake, ON
June 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The biggest bird sits on the highest tree beside a remote lake, watching and waiting for whatever might happen next.

Maybe she knows that humans long ago decided to call this place Eagle Lake. Maybe she can read a map. Maybe she appreciates geographic irony.

Probably not, I think to myself, as she continues to scan the landscape from her perch, looking our way every once in a while to ensure we don’t get in her way.

No risk of that, I silently tell her. This is her domain, not ours.

#dryden #ontario #canada #throwback #eaglelake #bird #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram #birdwatching #naturephotography #landscapephotography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

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Geese aplenty, August 2023

Always be my wingman, April 2023

Green heron at rest, February 2023

Freshly frozen

Miracles on the porch
London, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s that season once again, where the warming sun plays tug-of-war with winter’s chill.

And if we look in just the right spots at just the right times, we might be in for a bit of a show. For example, I found this one next to our front porch as I stepped outside to walk the puppy just before midnight.

I appreciate that icicles may be below the radar for most of us. But I can also appreciate that perhaps our radars aren’t pointing in the right direction, because there’s merit in the everyday, in the things that wait quietly for us just outside the front door.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #ice #icicle #winter #weather #wx #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Icicles melt in only one direction, March 2025

When water has nowhere to go, March 2025

Winter meets the downspout, February 2022

Returning to the icy scene of the crime, February 2021

Icicles writ large, December 2017

By all means, don't fall in, December 2017

Water frozen from above, January 2017 

Here today, April 2007

More icy goodness, February 2007

When trees stretch a little further

Symbiosis in action
London, ON
November 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Do you ever just stare at a tree and wonder what it’s thinking as it reaches for the sky?

I know what you’re thinking: I’m insane.

You’re probably thinking there’s no way that trees are sentient enough to reach for the sky in the same way that us humans do. And you’re probably right.

But plant life is life all the same, with a complex and nuanced relationship with the environment around it. Research even suggests trees can communicate with each other. And I’m not so arrogant to believe that we’ve figured out all the minute facets of life that make trees thrive.

They were around long before we were, after all, and they’ll be around long after we’ve finished trashing this place. And each other. They’ll reach for light and life and water and energy in ways us puny humans may yet never fully understand.

So on an autumn evening under a cloud-smudged sky, I watch the bare canopy sway in the breeze, its silhouette serving as a reminder that life takes on many forms, and we might want to slow down and appreciate all those forms every once in a while.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #sunset #tree #cloudspotting #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Trees on the horizon, June 2025

Weeds in name only, June 2025

When storms roll in, April 2025

Trees under a farm country sunset, August 2022

Two weeks later, April 2022

Finding life at the crossroads, August 2021

Another hilltop sunset, May 2018

Rocky road

Worn
London, ON
October 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Deep in the woods, a narrow, rocky path winds its way down toward the river.

Every time it rains, the cascading waters scour the countless stones, smoothing them out in a process that’s been going on here since the glaciers first carved these lands millennia ago.

I can feel the loosely set rocks through the soles of my shoes. They move under me with each step, and I slow my pace to keep from falling. Maybe it isn’t the safest path, but it’s the only way in, and it’s the only one that speaks to me as I move through the woods.

They say we should get in touch with nature. On this day, I choose to take that advice quite literally.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #rocks #texture #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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In the middle of the river, October 2025

The river always wins, May 2025

When blooms litter the ground, May 2024

The things leaves can teach us, August 2022

One last look at the beach, September 2018

The things we find deep in the woods, September 2020

Vacation images - Jellico cliff, January 2005

Dead or not?

Past and future life
London, ON
October 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This tree is either dead or waiting for life to return in the spring. Or maybe it’s somewhere in between.

I’d like to imagine that whoever stops to check in here has their own story to tell.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #autumn #forest #trees #gameoftones #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

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Dead or alive? June 2025

One unique (dead) tree, March 2023

Stripped tree. Blue sky. November 2021

Clinging to life, February 2019

Staring at trees with my daughter, October 2018

Temporarily dormant, March 2013

Rotting in plain sight, March 2012

Ephemeral tracks in the snow

Lead me home
London, ON
November 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In the dying hours of a month best described as grey, the dark skies open up and cover the ground with a blanket of white.

While most folks choose to stay inside, out of the storm, too many others have no such choice.

They leave tracks in their wake, temporary signatures of their having been here, pointers to where they’ve been and where they’re hopefully headed.

We come across an intersection with curved tire tracks, a change in direction on a night when it’s safer to just go straight.

The why of this particular turn will only be known by whoever’s hands were on the wheel. We can only wish them a safe journey.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #snow #weather #wx #onstorm #streetphotography #abstract #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Related:

Evidence that we were here, February 2025

Walking through the snow at night, December 2024

Dirty tracks in the snow, December 2024

Chasing snow at night, November 2021

Winter's return, November 2020

Someone made tracks in the snow, April 2020

Hashtag Parking Lot, April 2018