It only looks like a puppy

All natural, all the time
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

For as much as the future of groceries will likely become increasingly e-commerce and technology-driven, present-day realities still dictate periodic trips to conventional stores, where we hang out and play with actual produce before tossing the whole enchilada into a squeaky-wheeled cart and lining up with the other proles at the checkout aisle. It looks and feels a lot like grocery runs with my dad when I was a kid, and that’s strangely comforting.

Also comforting is getting up close and personal in the fruits and vegetables section. Because unlike the boxes and bottles of processed unmentionables that fill the rest of the store, this stuff has texture. And soul. I’ll never get tired of shooting here. Or in any other kind of grocery/retail environment.

I do, of course, have to move quickly lest the grocery cops take exception to my, ah, addiction. A sense of humor and a well-placed smile or two also come in handy, because folks tend to let you get away with stuff when you’re nice. At least that’s what I’ve been told.

None of this is groundbreaking. The resulting photos won't merit frames and over-the-mantel positions of honor. They won't be iconic, or turned into posters for kids to plaster their walls. Not every photo is about the photo.

But that’s entirely the point. Because I’ve found these seemingly trivial shoots to be just the kind of little experiences that take the edge off of a challenging chapter. Because it’s hard to frown when you’re staring at a giant root that sort of looks like a puppy. Because it’s hard to ignore the old lady over there who’s smiling as she watches the moment unfold. Because the how can matter more than the what. Because in-public, on-the-street photography has always been a remarkable way to connect. And our world needs more, and better, ways to connect.

I’m not saying I have the answers. I am saying we owe it to ourselves to keep trying.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #stilllife #photography #streetphotography #fruitography #grocery #store #supermarket #shop #shopping #retail #sweet #potato #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everythıng

The first ride

Just add rubber
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

After weeks of kicking myself for doing nothing, I finally dusted off the pink wonderbike yesterday and took it for its - and by extension, my - first ride of the season.

I'll be brutally honest: I was afraid to get back on the road. With each passing year, motorists get more distracted, more adversarial, more aggressive, less tolerant of anyone else sharing "their" road. I worry I'll end up on the wrong end of someone's grille, simply because I chose two wheels in a world designed for four.

For the record, I also drive a car. And I wish more motorists would get some pedal-time in, as well. Empathy and understanding are good things.

Our city, in its infinite car-centric, rapid-transit-killing wisdom, thinks painted lines will protect commuting cyclists. With all due respect, our city is dead wrong. We need separated, protected lanes across the city, not a disconnected patchwork of paint that often dissolves into nothingness with virtually no warning, leaving cyclists at the mercy of impatient, high-speed traffic. You really do need ice in your veins to ride in this town.

But the alternative - not riding - is worse. I decided yesterday I'd rather live with a bit of fear than miss cycling entirely. It's simply too much fun, too good for us, and for those around us, to not get out there just because we're scared. Because nothing changes if the bike stays home.

For what it's worth, the ride was glorious, and it only whetted my appetite for more. So look out for the guy on the pink StumpJumper. It's my road, too, and I have no intention of giving up my right to enjoy it safely and collaboratively.

What a world it would be if cities would finally stop treating cycling as some kind of fringe activity that threatens the status quo. Indeed, it is precisely that status quo that'll render our cities unlivable if we sit back and do nothing.

Ride safely, my friends.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #bike #bicycle #bikesofinstagram #cycle #cyclist #cycling #forever #perspective #cyclingislife #wheel #wheels #specialized #pink #color #photography #auto #vehicle #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

They kill Jews. And Muslims. And Christians...

Reflective
London, ON
February 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Another day, another vicious hate crime against Jews. This one in a Poway, California synagogue, six months to the day since a Jew-hating gunman opened fire in a Pittsburgh synagogue. See a pattern here?

Although it seems like the stuff of nightmares, you're not imagining it. The drumbeat of anti-semitism has been getting louder of late, with Anti Defamation League data confirming a 57% increase in Jew-targeted acts in the U.S. in 2017, the largest single-year increase ever. Those swastikas showing up on Jewish homes overnight? Not just punks with paint.

But let's not kid ourselves: If you're Muslim, or Christian, or any other identifiable religious group, you're at risk, too. Muslims slaughtered in Christchurch and Quebec City. Christians blown to bits in Sri Lanka. All because they had the temerity to express their faith.

No doubt today's political climate contributes to the spike we see now. But, again, hatred has been with us forever. Thanks to dog-whistled support from the highest offices in the land, it's simply emerging from the shadows. The irony that the same politicians fuelling today's hate-driven fire have the unmitigated gall to tweet out the now-de-rigeur thoughts-and-prayers stupidity should enrage us all.

I almost don't know what to say anymore, or what to do. I read the San Diego gunman's so-called manifesto, a screed so filled with hatred that the mind struggles to understand how someone can become so warped. It makes me fear for humanity's future.

Key word in my previous paragraph: Almost. We can't afford to be silent. Because cowering in fear only gives power to those who hate, allows them - and the leaders who validate them - the room and resources they need to expand their malevolent, society-killing influence.

We must also stand together, because an attack on one religion is an attack on all of us, and a cancer that can and will ultimately reach our homes, our communities, no matter who we are or where we live.

Because if they haven't come for you yet, your silence ensures they eventually will.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #jewish #tradition #synagogue #antisemitism #judaism #christianity #islam #religion #together #enough

Abstract matza

Edible, sort of
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dear Internet,

Can you see what I see?

Carmi

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #passover #pesach #holiday #matzah #kosher #jewish #judaism #tradition #indigestion #stilllife #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family
#everythıng

Scene from a parking lot

Civic Nation, at rest
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s Wednesday, 6:05 a.m., and I’m on my way to the big city to the east for a day packed with cool work with cool people. Taking the train in means getting in long before the rest of the city is awake, and returning long after the streets go quiet.

It also means a quick drive to the office to drop the car off before I walk the remaining few blocks to pick up the train. And on this morning, the parking lot is especially quiet. I’m running a few minutes ahead of schedule, so I take a beat to take in a space that’s normally crammed with cars and the frenetic movement of a fast-growing company.

There’s a certain poetry to the way the building’s light spills out much as an oasis might. There’s no one inside right now, but it still has an energy that makes me want to stick around a little bit longer as the sky continues to brighten.

But the clock continues to tick, and I need to continue the journey. Because even perfect moments like this eventually have to end. Tomorrow’s another day, and as I turn into the street and feel the damp wind through my jacket, I promise myself I’ll find some other way to remember whatever I come across then, too.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #345ridout #infotechrg #parking #downtown #urban #street #photography #honda #civic #civicnation #car #carporn #cargram #auto #vehicle #automotive #red #color #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Looking sideways into history

Step carefully
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Look closely at the little details around you.
Because the big stuff is often too overwhelming to take in all at once.
So you put the blinders on.
And focus on one thing only.

Before long, you see things you didn't see before.
Like the texture on the side of the staircase.
That you climb and descend dozens of times a day.
But never really stop to appreciate.
Until now.

You almost feel like you're going back in time.
To when history was the present.
When this part of the building was outside.
Instagram didn't exist.
No one had a smartphone.
And even phones were still a new thing.

Time has a funny way of reshaping the world around us.
But the story means nothing if we don't stop what we're doing.
And hear the whispers.
Of the now-vanished people who laid the foundation for today.
And allowed us to climb into whatever opportunities await us above.

#ldnont #kingandridout #345ridout #downtown #urban #building #architecture #architecturephotography #design #buildingporn #architectureporn #brick #concrete #stairs #monochrome #london #ontario #canada #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #infotechrg @nicholsonsheffieldarchitects #workhardplayhard #family #everything

That fresh groomed feeling

Pretty again
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Someone wasn't too happy after her grooming appointment yesterday. She gets this way whenever she loses 20% of her body weight in fur. A little cowed, like a canine version of a sad clown.

Even on our late-evening walk, she whimpered more than usual and had to be coaxed to continue. Usually she bounces down the sidewalk. Not this time.

It's hard to know what she knows, but I hope deep inside that lovely head of hers, she knows she needs an occasional trim, that the mattes that had crept into her fur needed to be taken care of. That her humans will always do what's right for her, and she can always feel safe and loved.

Either way, she's getting extra hugs and treats, which I'm hoping are enough to return her to her usual boisterous self before long. Because as far as I can tell, dogs can't be sad. There's a rule somewhere, I think. And even if I'm wrong, I still contend it's our job to make them happy.

For all the good they bring to the world, we owe them at least that much.

#Calli #CalliTheSchnauzer #LittleMissCalli #dog #puppy #schnauzerlife #schnauzermini #schnauzerpuppy #minischnauzersofinstagram #schnauzersofinstagram #minischnauzer #miniatureschnauzer #miniatureschnauzers #minischnauzers #schnauzergram #miniatureschnauzersofinstagram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #actofdog #pets #family #everything #ldnont #london #ontario #canada @schnauzer_planet @schnauzerworld

Not-so-little green men

Alleyway alien
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

They lurk in the shadows of the city, hastily-painted creations usually perceived more as nuisances than art. While some of them pop up in the corner of your eye as you walk the streets, most are well hidden in alleyways, in the darkened nooks behind buildings, in the places most of us would never go.

Yet as I walk the downtown streets kissed for the first time in days by a warming springtime sun, I find myself veering, often, off my defined path in search of these hidden gems, painted by folks I'll probably never meet, but wish I could.

Don't get me wrong, there's graffiti and there's art. Badly scrawled tags and words I can't use on-air deserve to disappear as quickly as they first appear. Yet amid the chaos and the wasted spray paint, there are flashes of genius we'd do well to take in before they, too, disappear from the urban landscape. I suspect we need better filters to decide what does and does not contribute to the urban fabric.

I have no idea who painted this one. But I can't help but think whoever it is deserves to find another, perhaps more legitimate, permanent, and lucrative canvas to share their work. Because art can often happen in places you'd least expect. I'd hate to miss out because I was busy judging the venue.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #road #downtown #urban #street #photography #graffiti #art #streetart #graffitiart #mural #urbanart #green #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Adult Tonka Toy

They put up a parking lot
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Perspective is a fascinating thing. Stand on the ground and this tractor is massive beyond description. But head up a couple of storeys and view it from on-high and it becomes more like the toys we played with as children.

I keep reminding myself of that simple fact, that where we stand can change the tone, the flavor, the trajectory of whatever it is that we're looking at. Get closer for more detail, pull back for some context. Move up, down or all around to place that whatever-it-is differently, relative to whatever else happens to be around it. Even when the world around you seems static, you have the power to change it, simply by moving. Or squinting your eyes just so. Optics and perspective - I'll never get tired of playing with them both.

Somewhere deep in my head - or maybe it's my soul - I think there's a broader lesson there, that with a little more thought I can unlock one of those elusive keys to life and hopefully figure out a better way to navigate my way through it. But it's Monday, and the cumulative weight of the last few months is sitting on my shoulders a little more heavily today. The truth is I don't have magic answers to much of anything, let alone the giant tractor sitting just outside my office window. All I can do is look out that window and try to see it in a way that makes me want to remember the scene, to capture the moment.

If it makes me - and others - smile, or think, or reflect, then I've succeeded. The bigger, life-changing stuff will have to wait.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #downtown #kingandridout #345ridout #infotechrg #construction #building #renovation #contractor #engineering #project #big #yellow #tractor #urban #street #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Dog shelter

In her own perfect world
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

She has no idea that the world is filled with hatred, no clue when headlines blare the latest human-fuelled tragedy from afar. Or not so afar.

It's a cloistered existence for her, no worries beyond the rabbits who scamper through her backyard or the squirrels who torment her from the other side of the window. She thinks they represent the ultimate existential threat. If only.

Perhaps it's just as well that Sri Lanka means nothing to her, that she'll never register in her Schnauzer brain that people willingly kill others not for survival, but for no reason at all beyond blind rage.

The now-standard wave of statements from world leaders in the aftermath of the bombings in Colombo included at least a few references to the killers as "animals".

Sorry, but I don't buy it. Because not even animals would wantonly take the lives of others for no reason at all. This is what humans have become, and we should all be saddened and ashamed.

Life as a dog looks better and better with each passing day.

#Calli #CalliTheSchnauzer #LittleMissCalli #dog #puppy #schnauzerlife #schnauzermini #schnauzerpuppy #minischnauzersofinstagram #schnauzersofinstagram #minischnauzer #miniatureschnauzer #miniatureschnauzers #minischnauzers #schnauzergram #miniatureschnauzersofinstagram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #actofdog #pets #family #everything #ldnont #london #ontario #canada @schnauzer_planet @schnauzerworld

Spontaneous roadside photography

As the rain begins to fall
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When the winds begin to blow and the skies open up, most of us head for shelter. Which is a bit of a pity, because we end up missing the unique - and temporary - sight of Mother Nature repainting the landscape.

This is the railing in the middle of the Horton Street bridge that crosses the Thames River that snakes its way through the middle of town. The rain-splattered surface tells the story of a gathering storm, of skies opening up, of a miserable moment in a miserable place where pedestrians rarely want to be.

No one gives this sliver of the city a second thought, so busy are they rushing either east or west. This is true when the weather is lovely, and even more so when it turns dark.

Yet here I am, because life doesn’t always deposit you in the most perfect of places at the most perfect of times. The challenge is to make the most of what we’ve been given, so I grab the one frame as quickly as I can before I book it back to shelter, and home.

Stories from inhospitable places, told at times when everyone else flees for shelter. Sounds like a theme to me.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #road #downtown #urban #street #photography #grey #sky #rain #weather #wx #thames #river #bridge #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #bokeh #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Structures, up close

A bridge too far
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Here's a fun thing for you to try the next time you're out and about: Walk right up to something - a building, a streetlamp, or pretty much whatever you wish - and stare at it for a while.

I can guarantee you'll get stared at, as well, by strangers who will doubtless think you're a weirdo. But ignore them.

Instead, stand your ground, keep doing what you do, and enjoy the process of appreciating something you've probably never really appreciated previously. Enjoy hitting pause on everything and everyone else, even if it's just for a few fleeting moments.

This is the pedestrian bridge a few steps away from my office. I had some extra time to kill on a sunny Saturday morning, so I slung my Nikon over my shoulder and took a walk.

I spent a while walking the wooden-slat walkway under the century-old trusswork, ducking between the shadows and feeling the magic of this often overlooked structure. It took a while for the visuals to firm themselves up in my head, but eventually I got the photos I was destined to get.

I was indeed stared at. So I smiled back. Maybe next time they'll bring their cameras, too. We could always use more eyes looking at things whose stories aren't told as much as they deserve.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #urban #street #photography #monochrome #king #bridge #civil #engineering #design #lines #perspective #thames #river #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photo #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Shooting flora in the pouring rain

Life happens everywhere
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: A desolate section of Horton Street just south of London's downtown. I'm walking back to my car after picking up my wonder-laptop from the wizards at Mac Outpost who fixed it (pro tip: Always shop local. You're welcome.)

For reasons that make precious little sense in the cold light of hindsight-informed logic, I decided to walk the 1.5 km from the office because, well, we could all do with a little more walking. But it has now begun to rain. Deep inside my brain, it dawns on me that perhaps walking wasn't the best choice. And yet, here I am. Life doesn't always go according to plan, and I'm good with that.

As I approach the bridge over the river, I notice these awesome plants swaying over the steep riverbank. The texture is divine, even in this dull, muddy, rain-flecked light. I should probably continue walking quickly - there's that logic thing again - but they grab my eye and refuse to let go. It's been an ugly week, so a surprise photographic antidote to the ugliness is a welcome sight.

You never know where you'll find inspiration. Often, it presents itself in the most unexpected places. You just have to allow yourself the luxury of appreciating it. Because in the end, scenes like this are less luxury than necessity.

P.S. I got royally soaked. And I didn't care.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #road #downtown #urban #street #photography #grey #sky #rain #weather #wx #thames #river #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

My steampunk glass commute

Where's Waldo?
Toronto, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A quarter of a million people pass through Toronto's Union Station every day. The vast majority of them slog along filthy concrete walkways, dodging hastily rearranged construction cladding and precariously dangling temporary light fixtures and cables as they shuffle, sheep-like, into and out of the serpentine tunnels that stretch out from this massive hub like an oil rig's undersea pipes.

Some, however, get to walk high up, through these steampunk-esque glass-and-iron monstrosities that, more than anything else, define this incredible space and challenge the teeming masses who pass underneath it to break their monotonous downward gazes and look up for a change.

I haven't had enough time to explore this space, so the way into this glass-enclosed wonder remains a mystery to me. Perhaps on my next visit I'll carve out enough time to a) find the way in, and b) not get hopelessly lost in the process.

But until then, this photo will have to do. Which explains the spontaneous grumbling from those around me as I step out of the current of commuters and point my lens toward this delightful glass monstrosity. The grumbling is worth it, because a little sense of wonder in the middle of a long journey has got to be good for the soul. That's enough for me to crack a smile as I tuck my camera back away, heft my backpack over my shoulder and continue toward my train home. I'm sure I'll have more stories to tell about this place on my next trip in.

#toronto #union #station #ontario #canada #viarail #train #downtown #building #glass #architecture #architecturephotography #design #buildingporn #architectureporn #travel #monochrome #urban #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Bright light on an historic stage

Fresnel, not Fresno
Toronto, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

They say you shouldn't stare directly at bright lights. But I've never really cared who "they" are, anyway. So last week, when I noticed the really neat stage light lurking in the shadows of the stage at work, I found a 10-second sliver of time to steal the shot in between takes.

First, some background: Our Toronto office - where my super-smart colleagues create IT research and support our members across North America and the globe - is a former concert hall. Wait, ignore that: It still IS a concert hall, and is available for bookings during off-hours.

Back in the day, Led Zeppelin played here, as did Pearl Jam, the Ramones, the Tragically Hip, and virtually every other rock band you've ever lusted after. The Rolling Stones loved the place so much they used it to practice whenever they were in town.

These days, I'm here just about every week to shoot new segments of our #InfoTechBrief video series. We try to mix things up a little, shooting in different parts of this historic building to give our work a varying visual signature. But we always come back to the concert hall, where I stand on the same stage where Mick Jagger once danced. Even better, many of my colleagues have vivid memories of coming here for concerts before our company bought the building.

So I almost feel a responsibility to capture the feel of this place, even if it means ducking into the shadows while our beloved production team sets up for the next shot. We're pretty blessed to get to do what we do, in this hallowed place, and a random photo seems like an appropriate way to remember what it feels like to be here.

#toronto #yyz #ontario #canada #yonge #street #888yonge #InfoTechRG #InfoTech #itrg #downtown #design #life #travel #explore #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

Holding onto history

Hand-made
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At first glance, it's just a door handle, a simply curved slice of, I'm guessing, iron, bolted to a door just a few metres away from my office home away from home.

But the word "just" seems so inadequate around here, where every seemingly simple fixture, from door handles to window frames to the subtle arches in the brickwork, has its own story begging to be told. I often stop as I walk the halls to admire the tiny details that would otherwise go unnoticed. Frankly, they all deserve to be noticed.

I don't know who made this particular handle, but I'm reasonably sure they made it long before I was born, their work now serving as a lasting memorial to their expertise.

I wonder what they'd think if they could fast-forward a century or so and see how this place has been reshaped as a workplace for the 21st century. I hope they'd be proud that their craftsmanship stood the test of time, and continued to inspire others to raise their own game, far into the future.

#ldnont #life #kingandridout #345ridout #downtown #urban #building #architecture #architecturephotography #design #buildingporn #architectureporn #brick #iron #wood #london #ontario #canada #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #infotechrg @nicholsonsheffieldarchitects #workhardplayhard #family #everything

Red-tinged reflection in a parking lot

Looking back
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I forget stuff. All the time. Like the power chord for my laptop, which in a moment of absent-minded stupidity I forgot at the office when I headed for home on Friday.

So a return trip was called for, because batteries never last as long as we'd like, and work still has to get done, even on weekends.

After pulling into the parking lot and getting out of the car, I caught this reflection in the far corner of my eye and thought I should record it somehow before heading inside to fetch my adapter.

Like so many of my day-in-the-life photos, this one won't ever merit being framed and mounted. That does not, however, degrade its worth.

Because without this scene frozen in time, I wouldn't have the memory of a particularly memory-worthy Saturday morning, when the sun was out, the air was breezy and warm, and my head was filled with thoughts of the day that awaited with my favorite people when I got back home.

Life is good. Even better if we work just a little harder to record the simpler moments and places along the way.

#ldnont #downtown #honda #civic #civicnation #car #carporn #cargram #auto #vehicle #automotive #red #color #urban #street #photography #reflection #google #pixel2 #teampixel #instagood #photooftheday #nofilter #nofilterneeded #london #ontario #canada

When stores die on Yonge Street

Emptiness
Toronto, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: Yonge Street, Thursday morning, rush hour. I'm walking from the subway to our Toronto offices for a day of shooting videos before heading back to London on a late train. Normally this stretch is choked with traffic, but this cold, windy morning is different. Something feels off as I walk on the nearly-silent sidewalk. There's no hum of traffic, no hustle to avoid oncoming phone-addicted pedestrians. I stop and look around, half-expecting to find myself either in the middle of a movie set or a possibly bad dream.

Across the street sits a row of derelict buildings awaiting their fate. A massive condo development is slated for this block, and and these buildings stand meekly, abandoned, as the construction closes in around them.

Not so long ago, these storefronts had an energy all their own, an endless string of activity that spilled onto the sidewalk and powered the streetscape. While the new development will include some street-level retail, don't count on the local, owner-operated stores ever coming back. They've moved on, retired, walked away. Retail isn't what it used to be.

Neither are these buildings. I stand on the dirty sidewalk and try to imagine what they must have been like during their heyday. I wonder if anyone stood here then and admired the streetscape as I do now. I use "admired" deliberately: This place is still compelling, still worth taking in. Soon, though, I'll get off the subway and it'll be gone for good. The inevitability saddens me to no end.

As I continue on my way, I think about the people who once gave this area life, and hope wherever they've ended up, they're doing well. Maybe the new retailers and residents who move into the shiny new megabuilding slated for this site will create something special, too. Maybe they'll bring life back to this now-lifeless stretch.

#toronto #yyz #ontario #canada #downtown #building #architecture #architecturephotography #design #buildingporn #architectureporn #travel #explore #travelphotography #streetphotography #monochrome #urban #yonge #street #photography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

The building that time forgot

Pick a direction
London, ON
April 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s a grey, windy, miserable afternoon as I turn toward the office on my way back from a lunchtime walk. I’ve been forcing myself to get out for a bit, because otherwise I’d sit at my desk, glued to the screen in the mistaken belief that forcing yourself to sit in one spot for hours on end will make you creative and productive.

Not so much apparently. The occasional walk-around is good for the soul. Who knew?

Still, it’s nasty outside. And on this day, Londoners are nasty, too. Heavy construction on virtually every major downtown artery seems to have affected their mood. No one smiles. They cut you off in their rush to Get There Now. Their eyes stay glued to the ground (probably not a bad idea given the fact that much of it is dug up.)

As I round a corner, I break from the herd and look up. It’s just an old concrete-block government office building, with architecture that seemed to have been phoned in by the lowest bidder. I don’t think anyone ever takes the time to take it in, let alone on a day when the light has turned the skyline, and everything beneath it, to mud.

But I still stare up because, well, maybe despite its humble, indifferent origins it nevertheless deserves for someone to take the time. Geometric shapes have merit, too, don’t they?

I shoot quickly before tucking the phone away and walking the final few blocks back to the office. As I suspected, I return to my desk refreshed by my time exploring the grey murk, and the afternoon is indeed a productive one. I say a silent thanks to the anonymous folks who designed this seemingly uninspired building. Perhaps they were more inspired than we originally thought.

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Dirty bird

Looking right back at ya
Port Stanley, ON
August 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There’s nothing exotic about this bird, a common gull, more noted for its propensity to steal hot dogs from unsuspecting children than appearances on National Geographic covers.

Photo-tourists don’t chase gulls to exotic locales, or use massive lenses to capture them perched on equally exotic tree branches. Nobody writes poems about them, or uses sweet prose to describe their beautiful voice. Last I checked, a flock of seagulls reminded me of crotchety grandparents arguing over shuffleboard scores at the retirement villa. Angry birds, indeed.

But none of that matters on a windy day where this common, dirty, forgettable bird takes to the sky with a mastery that has to be seen to be believed. It makes no difference whether you’re at a beach - as I was on this late summer day last year - or a parking lot or a neighborhood park, or anywhere else, for that matter. They are powerful, agile, confident, perfectly suited to their environment, and simply breathtaking to watch.

Winter, at least in this part of Canada, seems to have finally taken the hint and given way to spring, and gulls are starting to show up in the skies overhead. So it won’t be long before I point a long lens in their general direction and have a little optical fun with them. Because in my photographic world, the stuff that matters is the everyday. And there’s magic there, assuming we take the time to look.

Besides, exotic is overrated, anyway.

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