Sunday, April 30, 2023

Beautiful burl

Another face in the wood
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Deep in the woods, there’s an old, dead tree lying in pieces in the scrub beside the walking path.

No one pays it much attention - or any attention at all - as they walk on past, as there’s far more excitement to be had elsewhere as the season of life returns to forest. Birds are singing, buds are exploding, and the creek that feeds them all is overflowing its banks.

It’s like a construction site, nature-style.

Yet it’s the castoff dead wood that’s pulled me in on this grey, miserable day. The knotted texture tells stories of its own heyday here, of what this place might have been like when it, too, towered high above and grew shoots of its own.

It still has a story to tell, a final chapter, perhaps, of life in a place that never stops evolving. Of what life is, or can be, long after the rest of us may have written it off. Of stories continuing even after most of us have stopped reading.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #tree #trees #texture #warts #knots #faces #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Saturday, April 29, 2023

When trees go for a stretch

Welcome to the branch office
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Deep in the woods, a simple tree reaches just a little further.

Why can’t I shake the feeling that it’s trying to tell us something?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #tree #trees #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Friday, April 28, 2023

Reflecting on puddles and childhood

At the water's edge
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


When we were kids, we played in puddles even when adults told us not to.

Now that we’re adults ourselves, we realize the adults of our childhood got it wrong.

Puddles are meant to be played in. Played with. Played, period.

They need to be walked through, danced on, splashed in.

We need to let them soak through our shoes, feel the cold grip our toes.

Or just stand beside them and let them reflect anything and everything within sight.

They’re magical things, really.

They remind us what it felt like to be a kid.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #tree #trees #puddle #reflection #reflective #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #abstract #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Staring at the painted sky

Mother Nature's been busy
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


There will never be another horizon quite like this one.

But if we come back to this same spot, maybe some other night, maybe we’ll be lucky enough to be wowed again in some new, different way.

Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to be given the chance.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #cloud #clouds #weather #wx #jaycee #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Storm's coming

Where's my umbrella?
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The skies can threaten. They can also bring life. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sky #cloud #clouds #storm #onstorm #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Bumping into the Flying Pencil

Vision on an early morning ramp
Fort Lauderdale, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It’s 5:23 on a steamy hot morning at an airport in south Florida.

My wife and I are heading into the terminal when something catches my eye. Since this is me we’re talking about, that something is an airplane. And before we know it, I’ve stopped walking so I can take a quick photo.

This isn’t just any plane. It’s a Boeing 757, and for folks with a weak spot for planes, it’s a bit of a legend.

Long and lean, it’s sometimes called the Flying Pencil. It has a delicate stance on its tall landing gear, and that elegance betrays some insane performance capabilities that have made it a fan favourite of pilots and passengers alike since it first flew 40-plus years ago.

It’s also a sign of a time when Boeing could do no wrong, when engineering excellence mattered. Alas, the company is now run by bean counters, and we’re left with debacles like 737 MAXes that need secret software to stay in the sky and 787 Dreamliners that can’t be delivered because workers keep leaving junk in them.

Sadly, time is running out on these svelte symbols of a lost era, and airlines are quietly pulling these masterpieces from service and replacing them with more efficient - and more anonymous - airframes.

So I felt a strange need to remember this humid moment on a dirty sidewalk. Because I don’t know when - or even if - I’ll get to bump into one of these lovelies again.

#fortlauderdale #international #airport #florida #throwback #fll #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #boeing #boeing757 #flight #flying #aviation #avgeek #plane #planes #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Monday, April 24, 2023

Signs by the side of the road

Wise words
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Some unknown employee of a nearby school has decided to use its outdoor sign for something of a higher purpose.

Seems like sage advice with which to start the workweek.

I’ll be over here doing my best to follow it.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #random #street #sign #inspire #community #school #emilycarr #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Sunday, April 23, 2023

The forest stretches skyward

Got you covered
London, ON
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Always reach for the sky.

You may never reach it.

But wherever you end up will be further than you are now.

And even then, the destination is never the point.

The journey, the struggle to overcome whatever gets in your way, the strength you build along the way, the impressions you leave as you do so.

These are the whys, the entire reason for all of this.

Of us.

And here I thought I was just staring up at some trees.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #medway #valley #forest #tree #trees #blue #sky #cathedral #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Shadowy boxes in the sky

Faceted
Boca Raton, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Photography isn’t always as much about the photo as it is about the story that led up to it.

I’m sitting in a hotel room far from home as the southern sun casts its final rays over the seaside town. My wife and I are quietly chatting, reflecting on the day that’s been and planning the evening ahead.

The windows are huge, with conveniently large sills that are perfectly inviting for a sit-down.

So I do. And camera in hand, my eyes start to wander over the neighborhood below. It isn’t really a conscious thing, either. It just…happens.

Sun-tropical architecture really is different than it is in the Great White North. Pastel-painted stucco defines the streetscape, almost inviting the eyes to linger on the textured surfaces. The light reflects warmly off of the brightly colored surfaces. You feel the scene almost as much as you see it.

My eyes settle on the top, northwest corner of this nearby building. The sun paints one side, and shadows the other, creating a weird angular study against the late evening sky.

I lose count of how many images I shoot, and eventually settle on this one as The One that brings me back to the moment.

Most people will dismiss it as overly simplistic, a few straight lines and not much else. But to me, it’s anything but. It’s a rich story of a moment I wish I could freeze in time.

Maybe that’s exactly what I’ve done.

#bocaraton #florida #throwback #vacation #travel #hotel #sunset #geometry #abstract #sky #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Friday, April 21, 2023

Fast food voyeurism

Dinnertime
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I often think I should give my photos titles. This one would be: Boulevard of broken fast food dreams.

I snagged it outside the McDonald’s at Oxford and Wharncliffe, a busy intersection not far from the university campus. The grey skies were turning black, and I found myself with a few minutes to kill.

By now you know which cogs in my brain began to spin, and before long I was wandering the parking lot beside the drive-through lane looking for some optical inspiration.

It didn’t take long, as the indifferently painted brick framing the indifferently stacked chairs inside seemed like a fitting analog for the fast food economy.

We get it quick and we get it cheap. But at what cost?

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #mcdonalds #filetofish #fastfood #food #foodporn #texture #random #architecture #window #stilllife #monochrome #street #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Beach boardwalk perspective

Walk this way
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Perspective can be a handy thing.

It can cut the giant ocean down to size.

Or show us the way there.

Or force us to look at the familiar through a different lens.

Our choice, really.

#deerfield #beach #florida #vacation #throwback #travel #atlantic #ocean #azure #blue #sky #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #boardwalk #geometry #perspective #shadow #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Red pepper party

Still life amid the crowds
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


According to legend, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled (red) peppers.

But who are we kidding? Peter Piper was a fictional character created to placate generations of kids who hated vegetables.

If he had actually existed, I imagine we would have found him gorging himself in the dessert section of our local grocery store. I’m thinking he was a bit of a chocoholic.

Or so I tell myself as I wait for a tiny break in the waves of shoppers in this busy store so I can steal a quick shot and get out of here.

Because I like the peppers a lot. The crowds not so much.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #red #grocery #store #fruit #vegetables #pepper #peppers #fruitography #shopping #retail #random #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Three kinds of peppers, September 2022
Vegetarian color, April 2022
You say tomato, November 2021
Red peppers of hope, November 2020

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Saying goodbye...again

Painted sky
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Sometimes I stare at the sky and think about physics.

About how light from the only star we’ll ever really know originates from enormously powerful and seemingly endless nuclear fusion reactions.

About how those photons zoom across 150 million or so kilometres of open space.

About how they make a beeline through the atmosphere.

About how air and clouds and dust and the occasional butterfly will shape and color them.

About how they’ll land on our retinas and get processed via our optic nerves and our cognitive centres.

About how we’ll just stand there in awe as the word “wow” forms itself silently on our lips.

About how I’m probably overthinking it.

But still, I’d rather live in a world where we can be wowed instead of the alternative where we can’t.

Or won’t.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #cloud #clouds #weather #wx #jaycee #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #meta #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Transmission ends, November 2010

Monday, April 17, 2023

Bring your puppy to work day

Pondering a career in writing
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The workweek begins with chilly weather outside, an intense writing jag on the couch, and a tired pup who just wants to hang out with her peeps.

Every day should be this charmed.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #calli #callitheschnauzer #dog #dogs #actofdog #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #ınstagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Sunday, April 16, 2023

Finding magic in a forgotten place

Work happens anywhere
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


There’s nothing about this photo that makes it remotely worthy. Photographers just don’t dream of shooting laptop-and-glasses pics on a dusty dashboard in an even dustier parking lot.

Yet I keep coming back to it, because like so many seemingly ordinary photos in the photo roll, it tells a story.

Our daughter had class, so after a busy early morning of interviews from the home studio, off we went to campus. Parenthood can be a gruelling marathon in some ways, but it also offers up a lot of gifts - and time alone with my kid while we cruise the quiet streets is one of them.

We’ll talk about anything, everything, or even nothing at all. And if I can make her laugh by the time we leave our neighborhood behind, so much the better. Because soon enough she’ll be on to her next chapter.

On this particular morning, an early meeting meant I wouldn’t have enough time to get back to the home office. So a grocery store parking lot became my temporary office as I hotspotted off of my iPhone and connected with colleagues across town and halfway around the world.

Great work got done thanks to Microsoft Teams, an unlimited data plan, and a backpack filled with technology that lets us work magic from anywhere. As we finished the meeting and I prepared to head for home, I paused to reflect on the wonder of simple moments like this, and our privilege in experiencing them.

So, no, the pixels here, backlit by a relentlessly grey sky and underscored by crumbling pavement and hasty composition, aren’t remotely spectacular. But they don’t always need to be.

They can just as easily serve as dusty signposts to everyday moments we’d rather hold onto for a little while longer.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #henrietta #honda #highbury #oxford #random #parenthood #automotive #stilllife #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Show me the way home, January 2015

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Saying goodbye to the day

The meta of it all
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It was time to chase a nearby star.

To pack up every camera and lens I could find, sling the bag over my shoulder and head out the door.

To stand beside a baseball diamond in the middle of suburbia and watch the sky put on a show.

To quietly reflect on the simple-yet-not-so-simple wonder of the setting sun.

To close the books on a successful week.

To remind myself how lucky I am to have the luxury to do any of this at all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunset #sky #cloud #clouds #weather #wx #jaycee #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #meta #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Gelt to the rescue, December 2020
Picture in a picture, September 2010

Friday, April 14, 2023

Always be my wingman

Even birds know the rule of thirds
Boynton Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Good: 1 bird.

Better: 2 birds.

Best: 2 birds looking out for each other.

Friendships take on many forms, even in the animal kingdom.

Note to self: be more bird-like.

#boynton #beach #florida #greencay #wetlands #vacation #offgrid #throwback #travel #bird #birds #egret #flight #flying #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #canon #canonpgotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
One reflective duck, February 2023
Green heron at rest, February 2023
Duck, duck... November 2017

Thursday, April 13, 2023

Puddles before nightfall

Here for now
London, ON
April 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


The one where we walk through the woods amid the fast-fading light, the final rays of the day reflecting gently off the remaining runoff from the recent rains.

Tomorrow will bring more light, more growth, more change. But for now we say goodnight and cling to the memory of a singular moment.

The forest has a rhythm to it, a beat. We owe it to ourselves to take it in.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #tree #trees #sunset #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #random #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

The things we see in the flames

Burn, baby, burn
Dryden, ON
January 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Fire can kill us.

Or keep us warm.

Or feed us.

Or move us.

Or show us the way.

Or hide fleeting secrets.

All we have to do is look.

And choose to use it for good.

#dryden #ontario #canada #throwback #fire #firephotography #abstract #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Eternal, February 2013
Burn baby burn, September 2011
Caption This 79, July 2008
Eternal flame, January 2007

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Side-eye from a big bird

Angry bird
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


I’ve got my eye on you, buddy.

#deerfield #beach #florida #throwback #vacation #travel #atlantic #ocean #pier #pelican #bird #birds #flight #flying #wildlifephotography #animal #nature #naturephotography #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #apple #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Pelican down, April 2023
Pelicans, briefly, November 2020
My father's pelican, December 2019
Big beak, setting sun, January 2018
The Pelican Brief, January 2018