Electric sky

Sunset angles
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Power to the people. Sort of.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sky #sunset #dusk #silhouette #orange #clouds #light #weather #wx #abstract #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Standing over a suddenly snowy forest

Water in many forms
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As you can see, it’s snowing in #LdnONT this morning, and the weather people are promising much more to come later today. The dog says bring it on, and I agree with her.

The winds were strong, and visibility was questionable, so I didn't linger long over this photo before heading back to the safety of home - and oatmeal. But in the few seconds that I had to take in the scene, I was struck by how quickly and how profoundly this resonant place not far from our home has changed. 

Not so long ago, it was ablaze in color, a veritable painting of every imaginable shade everywhere you looked. Fast-forward to today, and you're looking at a color photo of the same scene, only all that's left are varying shades of grey.

It isn't sad. Or worse. Just different.

It's another layer on a planet that seemingly has limitless numbers of them, that reinvents itself almost by the season. Or month. Or minute.

It's another example of the power and speed of change. And our responsibility to take it in.

Because soon enough, the landscape ahead of us will change yet again. And we wouldn't want to miss it for the world.

Wherever you may be, please take a moment to take it in. And think about what was and what might come next. I'm pretty sure the significance of all this extends beyond a simple photo.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #valley #forest #weather #wx #winter #snow #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - On Michelle Obama

#IfYouReadOneThingToday, please make it this heartfelt perspective on the presidential transfer of power from ⁦none other than Michelle Obama*.

Reading her words makes me realize how much we've all been craving real, empathetic leadership for the better part of the last 4 years. Because the world needs kindness and perspective, as well as folks like her who exemplify it in their very DNA.

--

* Follow her at @MichelleObama. And check out all our #IfYouReadOneThingToday entries here.

Apple goes M1. So I shoot a video.

So Apple releases #M1-powered Macs. Our latest Info-Tech Research Group video - from my home studio - explains why this matters so much to IT, and what you must do next, no matter WHAT you use.

We call it the #InfoTechBrief, and I hope you'll watch and share. Here's the link.

And if you want to mock my new glasses, have at it :)

Small dog in a big bed

Dreaming of her toys
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Note to self: be more like her.

Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Crew-1 takes flight

Go Dragon. Go Resilience. Go Falcon. Go Crew-1. Safe flight and Godspeed, Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Sochi Noguchi. Heroes all, for creating light in the darkness.

@NASA @SpaceX #ISS #Crew1 #LaunchAmerica #Space #SpaceFlight #History

Golden hour over Wonderland Road

Never again
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every morning and every night, the skies above put on a show.

Photographers call it Golden Hour, when the dawn/dusk-tinged light takes on a soft, yellowish hue that seems to paint everything below in a near-hypnotic, ethereal tone.

You have to get outside to enjoy it. Or, if you're worried about maskholes and close-walkers, sit by a window.

But take the time. Because while the show itself may never quite play out the same way twice, it's always compelling enough to stop us in our tracks and feel tingles down our back. And it's always worth the price of admission. I wonder how the setting sun will paint our stormy skies tonight.

I guess I'll just have to look up to find out.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sky #sunset #dusk #silhouette #orange #clouds #light #weather #wx #abstract #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Peppers under glass

Grocery still life, latest in a never-ending series
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I call these fast-finds, tiny flashes or moments that present themselves to us as we go through the paces of day-to-day life.

Tightening restrictions amid spiking COVID numbers mean we're spending less time out there, more time indoors, alone, isolated. It means we've got to squeeze more light and energy out of the outdoor moments, find new ways to inspire - ourselves and others - so that we can navigate indoor life a little more easily.

So my offering is a weird still-life shot of jars of peppers at the local Farm Boy grocery store. And while I appreciate that it may seem trivial to some, I passionately believe trivial escapes like this furtive scene will help us get through the next few months.

Life is hard for many of us, perhaps more so now than ever before.

So look for the fast-finds. They're all around us, wherever we happen to be.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #red #pepper #peppers #jar #display #farmboy #fruitography #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Golden hour forest

Taking a break
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This tree may look empty and lifeless, but looks can be - and indeed are - deceiving.

Autumn's rains will soon give way to winter's snow, and this single tree is ready for whatever comes next, hunkered down amid the silence of the forest.

Come spring, the snow will melt, and its leaves will return. And while some may see it as a return to life, that ignores the unseen vibrancy playing out beneath the surface.

We have to trust it's there. And we have to promise - ourselves and others - to return to this spot in the middle of winter's worst to remind ourselves that life has a way of prevailing under any circumstance.

I'll be returning here when it snows. You're welcome to tag along when I do.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #forest #tree #trees #goldenhour #blue #sky #walkabout #thames #valley #parkway #tvp #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Taking in the new spans

Rust in peace
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

You always remember your first time walking on a brand new bridge. Even more so when there are two new bridges to walk on, and they're 800 metres apart.

I got to do just that in north #LdnONT last week, as this long-awaited addition to the Thames Valley Parkway multiuse path system was opened to the public.

Photos, of course, needed to be taken, but the most powerful memory didn't come from what I saw. Rather, it revolved around what I felt.

See, it was an unseasonably warm autumn afternoon, and the bridge was a busy place. This being a pandemic and all, it was a little nerve wracking, but most folks kept a respectful distance. And viral risk notwithstanding, it felt good to stand amid others who were just as excited about this new structure as I was.

I could feel the movement of the crowd through my shoes as the deck flexed slightly under the load. There are very easily explained engineering reasons for this, but it was magical all the same, a tangible, safe connection to others despite living in a time of isolation.

Cyclists carefully cruised along the pathway that no longer abruptly stops in the middle of town, split by a yawning gap that forced them to battle traffic - or, just as likely, not ride at all. It was obvious this new section was already opening up the city's northeast neighborhoods. The vibrations below my feet were ample proof that something had already changed here.

I'll be riding this stretch often, silently thankful for what little attention this city pays to anyone not driving a car.

And I'll do so hopeful for a future where we feel more connected to our neighbors, and where the way we build our cities makes it easier, safer, and healthier to spend time with them.

They may be a couple of inanimate spans connected by strips of asphalt, but they're already connecting us to that better urban life ahead.

#london #ontario #canada #walkabout #thames #valley #parkway #tvp #river #cycling #cyclingislife #bridge #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

A reflectively magic school bus

Playing with yellow in the morning sun
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Look into the mirror and tell me what you see.

It almost doesn't matter what you answer, for this isn't an exercise of rights and wrongs or winners and losers. Indeed, so much of life isn't.

Rather, the important thing is that you took the time to get out there and look in the first place.

#ldnont #london #hyde #park #ontario #canada #yellow #school #bus #mirror #reflective #abstract #stilllife #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #health #everything

Sunrise, sunset

Saying goodbye to one, hoping for another
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s easy to stare wistfully at the glowing horizon after sunset and think tomorrow’s another day.

And while the planet will indeed spin around to greet the sun once more, those of us on its surface are never guaranteed a seat at the show.

I’m reminded of that every time I stand in a place like this. We aren’t given an infinite number of these moments. We aren’t immortal.

I have no answer to this universal truth, no way of snagging more sunsets, for myself, for anyone else. No words that can make life less finite.

So we remember the ones we’ve been given. We reach out to those who matter. If only to make each sunset, each day, that much more worthy of the fact that we were gifted it in the first place.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sky #sunset #dusk #silhouette #light #tree #abstract #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Remembering for more than just a day

In Flanders Fields
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Today we put our regular lives on hold for a couple of minutes so we could remember the sacrifices made by so many in wars in the distant past as well as more recent conflicts.

Like my late uncle, who flew C-47 Dakotas for the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, and luckily made it back. Like so many others, who did not.

If we're being honest with ourselves, it seems like an inadequate gesture. Two minutes for a lifetime of twisted memories.

Or a life not lived at all.

We ask the members of our military to literally put their lives on the line so that we may enjoy freedom, then blithely forget about them for the other 364 days of the year.

Or we loudly proclaim our patriotism on special days, or when the camera is on, but fail to follow through in those in-between moments that matter so much more. I don't have answers today. But I'd like to think Canadians - and, frankly, citizens of any other freedom-loving country, meaning all of us - will come up with something better than periodic pomp and circumstance, followed by months of quiet ignorance.

We owe them more than that.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #remembranceday #remembrance #veterans #day #lestweforget #remember #poppy #poppies #random #urban #street #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #health #everything

Red peppers of hope

Bright pile of natural goodness
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The world is still an ugly place, so I'm still seeking out pretty things in unconventional places.

Today's find: red peppers. Please note I did not buy them all. One was enough.

Your mission: Find something similarly pretty and distracting. Shoot and share the photo. Tell us what you like about it.

We call this #TikkunOlam. Repair the world. With photography. Weird photography.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Go...

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #red #pepper #peppers #loblaws #fruitography #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone11 #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Let's start colorfully

Gradient in the sky
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Color has power.

To grab.

To inspire.

To heal.

So we'll start the work week with a now-vanished example I picked up while walking through the woods a few weeks ago.

I've been shooting an inordinate number of nature scenes lately, and I think I'm doing so because I'm looking for some kind of refuge. A break.

Maybe we all are.

And maybe the answer to whatever it is that drives us is color.

So where's your color? I hope you'll share.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #westminster #forest #fall #tree #trees #autumn #color #colors #blue #sky #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Pelicans, briefly

Seeking shelter from the storm
Delray Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Almost a year ago, I stood on a South Florida beach and watched a line of pelicans cross the sky.

They worked together, barely moving their wings as they gracefully stayed ahead of an approaching storm.

Over the course of the afternoon, they repeatedly flew back and forth, high above the sand, silently watching the oblivious beachgoers below.

We obviously aren't going near Florida beaches anytime soon. So photos like this will have to do for now.

Hopefully our pelicans will still be there when we can finally return, quiet sentinels keeping watch over us, working as one to stay alive amid an angry planet that promises tommorow to none of us.

#delray #beach #florida #beach #throwback #road #trip #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #vacation #explore #bird #birds #pelicans #flight #wingman #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #zoom #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Saying goodbye to Alex Trebek

The colors of the autumn of life
St. Thomas, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

News that Alex Trebek died this morning at the age of 80 didn't come as a surprise - he had been battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer - but it still feels as if Canada has lost an important voice. And I'd be remiss if I didn't share a thought here.

The longtime host of Jeopardy has long been the exemplar of the good Canadian son who achieves success afar, but never forgets where he comes from. In quintessentially Canadian fashion, most of us felt his influence.

I was part of my high school's Reach for the Top team. Think Quiz Bowl for nerdy academics. We watched game shows as part of our training, and I had stacks of VHS tapes with Alex Trebek's name on them, study material for my crash course in trivia game show technique.

We got wasted by the eventual provincial champions in the first round, but the experience represented my first taste of a television studio, and I was hooked. We'll save discussion of my on-air swear-fest for another day.

I choose to share this picture now because it reminds me that no one is guaranteed anything. We are given a set amount of time, and then it ends. Crying foul over losing cultural heroes like Alex Trebek does nothing to change the reality. It is how life works.

I'd rather focus on how he made use of the time he had, and how his inspiration, from humble Canadian roots in Sudbury to icon of a generation, ultimately inspired the minds and souls of countless folks. Including me.

The leaves you see here shrivelled and died soon after I took this picture last month. But while they were here, they mattered, and they imprinted themselves on those lucky enough to have encountered them.

If you take nothing else away from the news of Alex Trebek's passing, let it be this: He mattered. He imprinted.

Please make sure you can do the same with the time you've been given.

#AlexTrebek #Canadian #stthomas #ldnont #london #ontario #canada #elevated #park #railway #train #bridge #landscape #autumn #fall #color #colors #photography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Biden wins. History is made.

Scene from a living room
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Saturday, November 7, 2020, 11:24 a.m. Eastern. Remember where you were at this moment, who you were with, what you were doing. This is what a moment in history feels like.

I'm not one to spill much ink on politics in my feed, but I'm also far from naive. As a journalism major who minored in poli-sci, I profoundly respect the role media plays in any democracy.

And listening to a wannabe-demagogue demonize media for years because he feared they stood in the way of his nakedly autocratic roadmap has been nothing short of painful.

Indeed, politics often spills over into the tech space, and I frequently write and speak about where they intersect, and what it all means. I have no intention of allowing a hate-filled rageaholic, white supremacist-baiting narcissist to further erode the very essence of who we are.

Once upon a time, I was an idealistic kid who went to j-school because I believed in the power of the craft and the ideals of those who practiced it. Trusted members of the media have always held those in power to account, and have always served a crucial role maintaining the democratic process.

The only fake news is the orange-tanned accused rapist who will soon be filling U-Hauls at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The truth will come out - his taxes, his rape cases, his criminal sham of a family business, his deadly pandemic malfeasance, you name it - all at the hands of journalists who won't stop doing what they do simply because he calls them names and dismisses them without reason or fact.

At 11:24 a.m., the tables finally turned. And we'll all remember where we were when that happened. Nothing fake about that. #election2020 #goodbyetrump #hellohope #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Just another kind of color

What once was
London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Conventional wisdom dictates that autumn's colors are just about gone now, and all we're left with are memories, like this one, from a few weeks ago.

But I choose to look at things somewhat differently. First, I've never been remotely conventional. So, sorry, but I'm not about to subscribe to notions whose roots are founded in... well, I'm not entirely certain.

Second, color is a relative thing. Sure, the bright, blazing colors of fall have largely given way to a more faded palette of dirty yellow and brown leaves on the ground and naked grey trees, all blanketed in a deepening, damp cold that doesn't exactly encourage reflection.

But those dirty near-monochrome yellows, browns, and greys are colors all the same. They don't jump out at us, or otherwise grab our attention, which means we just have to look for them a little harder. We have to tease out their story a bit. Or maybe rely on other cues, like shades, textures, and negative space.

So as we continue to head out into a world of ever flattening color, I remind myself that we haven't run out of opportunity. Rather, we simply need to shift our perspective so we can navigate this next chapter with just as much spirit as we did the last one, when the trees still blazed with fire.

They're still blazing, just in a more muted manner. It's our job to take the time to figure out how to tell their story as it stands now - and not lament what once was but is now lost.

Hmm, perhaps this isn't just some idle musing about shooting pictures of trees.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #westminster #forest #fall #autumn #color #colors #red #orange #green #blue #water #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Window to a vanished past

If this glass could talk
Hyde Park, London, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Walk the neighborhood.

Slowly.

Stare intently at old buildings.

Without being creepy, of course.

Muse to yourself about who lives there now.

Or may have lived there before we were even alive.

Imagine who might have looked out this window.

Wonder about the lives they led.

And the stories they might have told.

We'll likely never know.

But we're here today.

And nothing stops us from telling our own stories.

About being on the outside looking in.

So do tell.

#ldnont #london #hyde #park #ontario #canada #architecture #design #architecturephotography #century #old #building #brick #window #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #dslr #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #health #everything