Crosswalker

Someone to watch over me
Toronto, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I guess I’ve always been a bit of a people watcher, making simple observations of random folks when I’ve otherwise got time to kill.

I believe it all started when I was a hospitalized kid. And since I had lots of time to kill, I’d often find my way down to the lobby where I’d just watch strangers come and go. I paid attention to what they wore, how they walked - or didn’t walk - as well as the looks on their faces and the sounds in their voices. Some seemed happy, but most did not.

I was still too young to appreciate that hospitals aren’t always happy places. Or maybe I suspected as much, but I refused to believe that life and death played out there.

I learned that everyone had a story, and while sometimes I could figure that story out by observing, not everyone was so easily read. Trippy stuff for a kid with messed up legs.

So fast forward to a busy downtown Toronto intersection on a warm September afternoon, and there I was staring at strangers again. Except the hospital was a thankfully distant memory, and everyone now walked around with screens in their hands.

This guy looked pretty pleased with life, doubtless because whatever was on that screen must have appealed to him. And the drivers of the cars waiting at the red light were graciously looking out for him.

Humanity works better, apparently, when we look out for each other. Anywhere, anytime, no matter how old or young we might be.

#toronto #ontario #canada #throwback #streetphotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

Brutalism in the sky

Where's my ruler?
Toronto, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As a child, I stared up at tall buildings reaching for the sky more than was likely healthy.

I don’t think much has changed now that I’m an adult.

Probably just as well.

#toronto #ontario #canada #architecturephotography #architectureporn #downtown #geometry #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Finding inspiration in a frozen valley

When detours go right
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It was supposed to be a short walk. Our dog had other plans.

As we approached the river valley, Calli the Wonderschnauzer followed her nose down the hill and didn’t stop until we were deep into the woods.

The flowing water burbled gently to our right as she continued to pull her leash, the thick blanket of snow swallowing any other sounds in this deserted place.

Eventually she stopped at a clearing by the water, as if this was where she wanted us to be all along. She dug into the snow with her snout, then sat herself down facing the opposite shore.

We stayed there in silence for what seemed like an age as snowflakes continued to fall, tiny flecks of floating ice barely rippling the mirror-like surface.

I brushed the snow from Calli’s fur and thanked her for bringing us here today. This has been a favourite spot of ours for her entire life, but never before had we seen it quite like this. I should let her lead the way more often.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #actofdog #winter #forest #trees #thames #river #reflective #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

All signs point to winter

The icicle works
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Winter can be beautiful.

That is all.

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

Touch tone memories

More than mere numbers
Toronto, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This is how we once kept in touch.

Loose change in our pockets and familiar, time-worn buttons under our fingers.

They were everywhere, then.

Always at the ready if we needed a lift home. Or some help. Or just wanted to hear a friendly voice on a dark night.

Now, the buttons are virtual, and the entire phone, reduced to a sliver of glass, has replaced the change in our pockets.

Yet every once in a while, the past whispers to us from a dusty payphone lingering in a shadowy, forgotten corner.

An echo, perhaps, of the indelible connections we once made.

And still do, if we’re lucky.

#toronto #ontario #canada #payphone #streetphotography #texture #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Two birds, one sidewalk

I've got you
Toronto, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On a garbage-strewn stretch of downtown Toronto sidewalk, two birds stand still and silent, ignored by the endless knots of city dwellers rushing to whatever it is that fills the day.

The birds haven’t shifted positions in what seems like an age, their only movements an occasional flinch of the head. I’m no expert in avian body language, but they seem to be staring into each other’s souls.

I want to imagine that they’re both okay, but my gut is telling me bird on the left isn’t, and bird on the right is playing protector. Again, I have no advanced knowledge beyond simple observation, but I still find myself hoping I’m wrong, and willing them both to soon be able to return to the skies where they belong.

Standing on dusty concrete ruminating over the fate of a couple of common birds may feel a little ridiculous amid the usual ins and outs of everyday life. But as I walk away I can’t stop thinking about the lives of others, and how there really is no such thing as common.

It matters to them. It should matter to us, as well. That empathy thing again. Even for birds.

#toronto #ontario #canada #black #bird #wildlifephotography #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

When grass is anything but simple

Frozen growth
Dryden, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It only looks simple, a straight-on view of grasses and trees, a two-dimensional scene that could have been captured just about anywhere.

But the longer we look, the more we see. The ghost-like hoar frost betraying the bitter cold, the thinly curved blades of grass defying the elements, the thick branches underneath the canopy, supporting it all. It’s a flash frozen landscape with the colour seemingly sucked out of it.

Yet there’s a delicate dance playing out here, a story of life playing out in a place seemingly hostile to it. A story visible only to those who choose to observe it.

So we stand in the biting cold, the winds singing songs in our ears and slapping us in the face, and we do just that.

Because life, apparently, is less simple than it first appears. And our stories often take their sweet time to be told.

#dryden #ontario #canada #throwback #naturephotography #landscapephotography #winter #weather #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

Coming up: Iran goes dark

As Iran tightens the electronic noose around its citizens to shield itself from global view, the full extent of this unprecedented digital blockade is becoming terrifyingly apparent. I'll be joining CBC Radio stations across the country starting at 3:00 p.m. Eastern to discuss what this all means, and the lessons we might want to apply closer to home.

Related:

• Tech Check: Iran’s chilling internet blackout, The Vassy Kapelos Show, Bell Media
• Why you should care about a regime change in Iran, The Ben Mulroney Show, Corus
• Tech Tuesdays: Iran’s internet shutdown is chillingly precise and may last some time, Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal, CFRA

Mountains in the snow

Shaped...
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The winds have been busy this week, carving abstract scenes in the snows at our feet.

The low-angled light has been busy, too, carving soft shadows behind the ridges, highlighting the textures of the tenuously anchored snowflakes in deepening shades of grey and blue.

Even now, the surface is reshaping itself, the soft sounds of the shifting snows barely detectable under the rush of the steady late afternoon breeze.

None of this will last. Between warm temperatures, sniffing dogs, and playing children, it’s only a matter of time before all this disappears.

I wonder who will remember it. And whether they’ll smile when they do.

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

Reflective Airbus

Landscape photography, sort of
Winnipeg, MB
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Feeling reflective at the gate.

#winnipeg #manitoba #canada #throwback #airport #ywg #aircanada #airbus #a320 #aviationphotography #planespotting #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

Sun pillars for the win

Focused light
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At the exact moment the sun slips below the horizon, it shines a single pillar of light high into the fiery sky.

I believe it’s called a sun pillar, where light reflects off of clouds in the upper atmosphere. And as much as science can explain the light show playing out in front of me, I’d rather imagine there’s a little bit of magic involved, as well.

Because how else can we explain that tingly feeling we get down our spines - or the butterflies we feel in our stomachs?

I guess the answer lies somewhere in the fact that seeing and understanding aren’t quite the same as feeling. That a scientifically explainable phenomenon in the sky doesn’t amount to much until we layer a healthy dose of human emotion on top of it.

Which explains why we stand at the edge of day and night and look for things that might make us feel something.

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

One frozen berry

Well preserved
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A single berry clings desperately to a single branch. What normally reaches for the sky is now weighed down to the vertical by a thick coat of ice.

Within hours, the temperature will soar, the ice will melt, and the entire assembly seen here will bounce back to its rightful position high above.

Nothing lasts. The ice flashes brilliantly before it disappears. The scene freezes for what seems like a blink before external forces decide it’s time to change yet again.

So we capture it while we can, making memories that may not last the forever we might have wished for. But will at least linger long enough to appreciate.

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

CN Tower peekaboo

Clusters in the sky
Toronto, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As the sky’s light fades one last time, the city’s lights come alive. A nightly dance that never gets old.

#toronto #ontario #canada #yyz #riverdalepark #sunset #cntower #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #skyline #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

Orange light through empty branches

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

Long after the last leaf of the season has fallen to the ground, the sun’s dying rays move unimpeded through the bare canopy.

What seems empty to some is merely a new opportunity to see the previously unseen.

It’s a lesson in perspective for a planet dearly in need of it, courtesy of some random trees that, on reflection, maybe aren’t so random after all.

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

Cycling through the sky

Don't look down
Toronto, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We’re all on some kind of journey. May as well enjoy the ride.

#toronto #ontario #canada #throwback #humberbay #arch #bridge #cycling #instabike #monochrome #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography

Remembering the fallen

Shattered in the snow
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A tree fell in the forest nearby, and I’m sharing this photo to confirm that it was indeed heard.

The dog and I came across this rather sad scene as we headed home from a longish walk. The tree so completely blocked the path and the entire valley that there was just no way around it. So we turned around and took the long way home.

This isn’t the first tree that’s fallen here, and given the age of some of the giants that still shape the canopy above, more will soon fall victim to gravity.

Of course this is how nature works, but it still felt respectful to stand by its fallen form for a bit and take it in. Calli sniffed at the snow-covered branches while I appreciated its sheer size. Somehow, they seem larger when they lay shattered across the ground.

The long walk home gave us ample time to ponder the cycles that govern life here. They’re never as neat and clean as modern humans might like. But they’ve been playing out for far longer than any of this built suburban infrastructure has been around. And they’ll be a thing long after those houses at the top of the hill decay back into nothingness.

We’ll mourn the trees. The other stuff not so much.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #forest #tree #winter #weather #wx #onstorm #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Windows 2025

Frozen in place
London, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We call it a good shellacking, when an ice storm leaves so much ice on the windows that it’s impossible to see anything outside.

Even better is when the winds are so strong that the frozen streaks on the kitchen windows are angled a few degrees off the vertical. Mother Nature is quite the artist when she wants to be.

As I reach for the camera, my mind races with possibility. As much as I’d like to tote my equipment outside, shooting indoors feels like the safest option. It’s an ice rink out there and I have no intention of tempting both gravity and fate.

So I compose from the inside out, looking for ways to see through an otherwise impenetrable display. The dog lies in her bed and watches me shoot. She’s used to these spontaneous photography sessions, and will often follow me around the room as I play with the possibilities. Such a curious girl.

Today’s results capture a scene that disappears almost as quickly as it was created. Before long, the temperatures rise and the windows gradually clear back up, leaving us with a few pictures to remember what it felt like to be frozen inside.

Sometimes it feels like all we can do to hold onto time before it melts away.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #onstorm #ice #abstract #kitchen #stilllife #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Rocks and ice at our feet

Frozen in place
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Someone turned up the volume on Planet Earth, and they refuse to let go of the knob. So here’s what I suggest as an antidote:

Put on your warmest clothes and head outside. Keep your phone in your pocket and ensure all notifications are off. This is no time for screens.

Look for something - anything, really - that interests you. Don’t have anything in mind? No worries: just keep looking until something presents itself. Give yourself lots of time, as this is not a race.

Maybe you’ll find something at the end of the driveway, or maybe you’ll have to walk a little ways away. Or far away. Whatever.

While you’re busy scanning high and low, pay attention to your other senses, too. Listen to the winds whispering through the trees, the neighbourhood animals digging for food. Feel the snap of the cold on your cheeks, or the soft touch of the mittens on your fingertips.

Maybe you’ll see something worthwhile - like this weirdly textured patch of ice - or maybe you won’t. The photo ultimately doesn’t matter, anyway.

The point is that you got out at all, and in doing so managed to seize control of the volume knob. Not only did you turn down one chaotic soundtrack, but you tuned into another much more rewarding playlist.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #winter #gutter #ice #abstract #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:

Frozen beauty in unexpected places, December 2025

Iced over, November 2025

Remembering why they fought, November 2025

Back to the gutter, December 2024

Frozen berries by the road, March 2024

The things we find in gutters, March 2024

When puddles freeze, January 2023

Leaf frozen in ice, March 2022

Branches in ice, January 2022

Dying in the middle of a frozen street, November 2018

On Venezuela, flight, and appropriate use

Light the burners
London, ON
September 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As the world wakes up to the news that the U.S. has attacked Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro, I find myself musing about airplanes.

Military planes, specifically. The kind I photograph at air shows. Or interrupt whatever I’m doing whenever they spontaneously fly overhead. Just because.

In the back of my mind I recognize the duality of these craft. That they are as much instruments of freedom that can defend a nation’s sovereignty as they are weapons of tyranny that can be used to take others’ freedom away. It all depends on the intent of those doing the wielding.

I’ll admit I’m torn this morning because it isn’t yet clear that this qualifies as a just use of an extreme capability. But it is indeed clear that these weapons of war are being used for questionably political purposes by a leader whose fascist aims become more obvious with each passing day.

Every time I stand on the tarmac shooting some U.S. Air Force or Navy craft overhead, I muse about why weapons of war are necessary to maintain a certain sense of peace.

Yet when the tables turn and the intent is no longer peace, it’s difficult to look at these planes, and those who fly them and follow the orders, through the same lens.

#throwback #airshowlondon #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #flyyxu #usaf #boeing #mcdonnelldouglas #f15 #eagle #aviationphotography #planespotting #instaplane #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:

Leave no jelly behind, June 2025

An Eagle flies in anger, September 2023

Two Eagles dance in an overcast sky, January 2023

Afterburners, power, and meaning, October 2022

An Eagle makes jelly, September 2022

Screaming Eagle, September 2022

From the Wright Flyer to Strike Eagles, September 2018

An Eagle among the corn, October 2017

Shooting an Eagle, September 2017

Caption This 128, July 2009

Toasty warm

Before butter
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every day, I take pictures. And every day, I write.

I’ll pick one photo, then write a caption for it. I call it a vignette, a small snippet of text that provides some kind of context to the image, and helps explain what was going through my head when I took it.

I started this years ago because I needed at least one moment every day to write something that didn’t have to be pitched, edited, approved by a publisher or a producer, or otherwise run through the machine. It was my one opportunity to write strictly for myself. To scratch at whatever was tickling my mind at that moment. To reflect on the puzzle pieces of the everyday before they were lost to time.

So yesterday, for the first breakfast of the new year, I had toast. Raisin toast, in particular. It’s become something of a morning staple lately, an easy-to-remember go-to that eases me into the day. You can tell that Debbie toasted it because it’s a perfect shade of brown.

It isn’t a spectacular scene by any means, but as soon as I saw it sitting on the glass plate in the diffused sunlight of a Canadian winter, I knew it was worthy of a photo. And a story. About the texture of a quiet morning. About the habits we craft for ourselves. About what it looks and feels like to move through the world.

So before I added the inevitable peanut butter (crunchy, of course), I played with angles and light while my ever-patient wife looked on. She gets it. She gets me.

Sometimes I’ll look back at older entries. They’re like little time machines, lenses into what life looked and felt like long ago. And I’ll wonder why I didn’t start this even earlier.

In a world rocked by big headlines that relentlessly push themselves into our homes and onto our kitchen tables, none of this really registers. No one cares about a guy ruminating over raison toast. No one needs the mundane, or so I tell myself. Yet still I write and shoot and share.

Because even small stories matter. To me, anyway.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #breakfast #kitchen #foodporn #texture #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Related:

Eggs and toast for breakfast, December 2022

Cinnamon-raisin toast in the sun, November 2021

The smell of burned toast, April 2020

Toast: It's what's for breakfast, November 2017

6:56 p.m., June 2016

More than mere toast and biscuits, January 2013

Caption This 10, March 2007

Start with the extraordinary

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

The calendar says it’s January 1st, the first day of an entirely new year. Which means a lot of folks think it’s extra special.

I’m going to be a bit of a contrarian. Because in an alternate universe this day might have been the 42nd of Sheepuary. But because this is the time counting system we ended up with, and because humans like clean beginnings and endings, this one sits on a bit of a pedestal.

But hear me out: every day is special. Even when we wake up on the plain as plain can be 42nd of Sheepuary, it means we made it to another day after the 41st. A gift, really.

And we got to look up at skies that may or may not have painted themselves with vapour-formed cotton, or felt the chilling breeze on our faces that may or may not have signalled that those same skies might be on the verge of turning various shades of grey.

If I’ve learned anything in my time here, it’s that the small moments matter a lot more than we might have thought. I’ve also learned we miss those small moments if we’re too busy holding out for the ones seemingly worthy of fireworks.

There’s a ton of in-between that risks slipping away if we assume it’s merely ordinary.

Indeed, nothing is.

So I’ll be the one staring up at clouds and feeling the breeze on my cheeks. On any day.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #blue #sky #cloudspotting #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Related:

Fleeting echoes in the sky, January 2024

Random straw poll, August 2023

When kids stared into the sky, January 2023

Cloudspotting in the country, June 2022

Followed around by clouds, June 2022

Where clouds (hopefully) bring better days, July 2021

Someone painted the sky again, December 2019