Rusty freighter at rest

She's been places
Toronto, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The CSL Welland bulk freighter sits dockside in Toronto as her crew busily unloads her in advance of her next trip.

Her burnt-orange sides betray years of abuse from being squeezed through locks barely wider than her beam, yet still she sails, quietly powering the industrial economy most of us never bother to think about.

Why am I shooting mournful photos of a rusty boat?

Maybe not everything needs a reason. Maybe I just want to remember what it feels like to stand beside the chilled lake and watch the barely perceptible breeze trace gentle ripples in its waters.

#toronto #canada #lakeontario #reflective #shipspotting

The ice storm comes for my car

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

We’re having ourselves quite the Canadian winter, so scenes like this have become more common than they typically have been.

My inclination is usually to clean the car off so we can get going before we freeze to death, but the visuals are often so arresting - and temporary - that it’s worth a frozen-shut eyelid so we can get the shot.

Because the ice and snow won’t stick around for much longer. But the Canadian in me wants to freeze it in time so eventually we’ll be able to remember what it all felt like.

Maybe that’s a very Canadian trait, too. Or maybe I’ve just been spending too much time in the freezing cold.

#ldnont #ontario #canada #icicleworks #red

Staring out the window

Love me
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Today needs more dog in it.

Who’s with me?

#ldnont #canada #callithewonderschnauzer #actofdog

Shocking hotel room scene

Plugged in
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
May 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There’s no logical reason for a grown man to get on the hotel room floor for a spontaneous photo shoot involving an electrical outlet and a floor lamp power cable.

It isn’t something that shows up on a shot list or gets included in a vacation trip slide show. No one ever asks to see pics of the floor or any other abstract still-life from an otherwise forgettable hotel room.

Yet it’s this one image that I remember from that time we passed through a distant town in the middle of a long drive to reconnect with family. The fatigue weighed on us as we got ready to continue the journey in the gloom of an early morning in northern Ontario. And amid the rushed preparations to get out and get going, I plunked myself down and took a moment with the camera.

Photography as refuge is a thing. Or at least it should be. Where we get to time-out from life for as long as it takes to freeze the moment before we move on.

The result isn’t remotely conventional or even normal. But no one ever said anyone’s life - or the stories we tell along the way - had to be conventional.

#saultstemarie #ontario #canada #throwback #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #hotel #power #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

Where I talk about social media trials on CBC Radio

With a groundbreaking trial now underway in LA, the future of social media companies like Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Snap hangs in the balance amid a torrent of lawsuits alleging their platforms are harming kids' mental health.

I'll be speaking with CBC Radio stations across the country tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. The mic's red light goes on at 5:30 a.m. ET: hope you can tune in.

(The strange-looking link below leads to CBC's main Listen page. Shhh, no one tell Meta it's a sneaky way to get Canadian media content posted here.)

CBC Listen

Where wingtips scrape the sky

Last light
Toronto, ON
December 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Chase the fading sun through the winter sky.

As it points the way toward wherever we’re headed.

Before finally giving way to the night.

#toronto #canada #yyz #flight

What I really think of TikTok

Now that #TikTok has survived to fight another day in both the U.S. and Canada, let's take a closer look at the supposed national security concerns that touched it all off. My latest article takes a sobering look at where we are, and how we got here.

TikTok is saved. What does that really mean to us?

#thoughtleadership

Against the brilliant night sky

Protection from above
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At 10:53 p.m., the cloudy sky glows brightly off of light pollution reflected from below, a refusal of sorts to give in to the night.

A bare tree stands tall against the eerie scene above, a quiet protector against unseen threats.

I’m sure it’s just little more than a spooky-looking tree against a weirdly-lit sky, but it never hurts to stand in silent respect for all that keeps us from harm.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #sky #silhouette #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone17 #shotoniphone

Clearing a path

What accessibility looks like
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Small things aren’t all that small after all.

For example, the paved path that winds through the nearby woods. For years, it wasn’t maintained during the winter, so as soon as the snow began to accumulate, it became an icy no-go zone for most.

Which was a little sad, because the path is a popular route for families walking to the nearby school, as well as anyone else just trying to get away from traffic.

Well, this year, saner heads seem to have prevailed, and a city tractor has been doing an admirable job keeping things fairly walkable despite this being a winter for the ages.

It seems ridiculously trivial to call this out, because certainly there are more important things in the world than whether or not a walking path has been plowed.

But on a day when fascist brownshirts murder another protester in the streets and fascist leaders shamelessly craft their own twisted narrative, I need to put the blinders on and focus on gentler moments closer to home.

We all find our own ways to cope. Some of us need to go for walks in the woods.

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

Follow me, Dad

In her happy place
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It doesn’t take much to make her happy. Just hook up her leash, head out into the snow, and let her do the rest.

Out here, nothing matters to her beyond spending time together. Headlines are irrelevant, and she doesn’t spend her time responding like Pavlov’s pup to notifications.

She simply follows her nose to the places that bring her joy. Then she plays relentlessly until she decides it’s time to head back.

It’s a pretty inspiring way to live.

#ldnont #medway #canada #callithewonderschnauzer #actofdog

Defiant flowing water

Still moving
London, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Even in deepest winter, the water finds a way to keep flowing.

Maybe it’s basic physics, chemistry, and geography.

Or maybe it’s a bigger lesson for those who stand on the snowbound riverbank and watch.

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

Looking back, reflectively

Remember the fallen
London, ON
October 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every once in a while, I like to dig into the archives and pull out a photo from another time.

Because there’s no rule that says photos need to be shared in real-time. And the past can often be a comforting place to visit for a bit.

So today we’re travelling back to last October, when autumn’s colours were beginning to fade, but were still worth a last look or three. So I wandered back into the woods and stared at the water for a while, hoping it would inspire me somewhat.

I don’t think it did, but I certainly enjoyed listening to the sound of the water as it flowed gently past - or through? - the fallen branch. The muted colours of the canopy above bounced off of the mirror-like surface, one last blast of the season before they, too, faded to grey.

As I write this today, that scene is gone forever. But it strangely lives on in the mind’s eye of anyone who chooses to look back. Funny how this all works.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #throwback #autumn #forest #trees #thames #river #reflective #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:

Finding inspiration in a frozen valley, January 2026

The view under the bridge, November 2025

Riverbank reflections, October 2025

Getting reflectively autumnal, November 2024

Reflecting deep in the woods, August 2024

Reflections in still waters, November 2023

Stopping by the river to take in the view, October 2019

2016 is more dangerous than we think

Our social media feeds are clogged with 2016-themed throwbacks - yet we seem to be misunderstanding the risks inherent in a seemingly innocuous online trend. My latest article explains.

As the 2016 trend rages, is digital nostalgia getting us into trouble?

TIkTok Canada saved. Sort of.

Huge news for Canadian TikTokkers: POLITICO reporting federal court has overturned a government order for TikTok Canada to shut down its #Toronto & #Vancouver offices, and has sent the file back to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for another look.

Court rules TikTok Canada can continue to operate — for now

Finding peace in the snow-covered woods

Look more closely
London, ON
December 2022
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Planet Earth has become particularly noisy. Some might say overwhelmingly so.

So we look for the quiet. In places where the fallen snow gently turns down the volume.

If only it could last longer.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medwayvalley #winter #forest #trees #naturephotography #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #canon

Related:

The tree that fell in the forest, January 2026

Visiting the fallen in winter, February 2025

The fence that looks back in time, August 2024

Fallen trees aren't really dead, October 2023

Back to green, May 2022

If a tree falls in the forest... March 2022

The giving tree, September 20202

Rotting in plain sight, March 2012

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

Related:

Late night on an empty corner, October 2025

Scene from a downtown intersection, March 2022

Late nights by an empty intersection, August 2019

Shooting cars at night, March 2018

Frozen in traffic, February 2018

Who has a death wish? May 2012

Thematic Photographic 75 - Travel, November 2009

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

Related:

Sun-bathed brick, October 2025

Building buildings with a ruler, August 2025

Finding colour when there is none, July 2025

Monochrome curtain wall perspective, May 2025

A modernist masterpiece, obliquely, May 2025

Sky, scraped, November 2024

Why yes, I do repeat myself. Often. April 2024

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

Related:

Listen to the quiet waters, November 2025

Riverbank reflections, October 2025

The river always wins, May 2025

The river runneth over, April 2025

Deep in the green boggy woods, September 2024

Where the trees frame the water, May 2024

Epic fog battle on an autumn morning, February 2024

Shadows across the river, January 2024

Reflections in the woods, January 2024

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

Related:

Freshly frozen, December 2025

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

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

Related:

The vanishing pay phone, August 2024

Electrical indifference, August 2024

The analog information age ends, March 2024

Retrotech in a hotel lobby, November 2019

Calling up the past, July 2019

Payphones still exist! February 2018

Payphone against a concrete wall, August 2017