Friday, January 05, 2024

Green pepper musings

Eat your vegetables
London, ON
January 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s been a while since we engaged in random #fruitography.

It all started when I’d shoot weird pics of fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. It only got worse from there, including too many near-misses with security staff.

Yet I kept at it, not because I wanted to be arrested or permanently banned from the premises, but because the world doesn’t have enough moments of whimsy. So we make our own, often in ordinary places where whimsy wouldn’t otherwise happen on its own.

I initially settled on the fruits and vegetables aisle because it seemed more photographically promising than the canned foods or Kraft Dinner sections. Though now that I’m writing about it, perhaps I’ll give those cans another chance on a future visit.

Because anything goes in fruitography, or in whatever other innocuous little habit we might take on in an attempt to bring more joy to life. Both ours and the lives of others.

I’m keenly aware that not everyone would agree with me, and I’ve gotten plenty of scrunched brows over the years.

But I’ve also gotten far more smiles and nods, so I’ll keep at it. Democracy, you know.

All we really need is one smile, frankly. And if it takes spontaneous photo shoots in public spaces to encourage smiles - or kind words or thoughts - in others, then that’s what I’ll do.

There’s nothing stopping you from starting your own quiet movement, too. Call it whatever you wish.

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


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Thursday, January 04, 2024

Silent sunset

And breathe...
London, ON
November 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It somehow feels right to stare at a sunset and say nothing. Today, anyway.

Not everything needs words.

#ldnont #life #family #everything


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Wednesday, January 03, 2024

Looking back through the clouds

What do you see here?
Laval, QC
July 2009
This photo originally shared on Instagram

14 years ago, I stood on the 12th floor balcony of my in-laws’ condo and shot a distant storm front as it moved in.

As she often did when I took weird photos on our visits back to our childhood hometown of Chomedey, my mother-in-law reviewed my work afterward on the screen of my camera. We’d banter for a bit about the rough images, and as we did she’d crack a wry smile - which was her way of signalling approval and joy.

It now seems like a lifetime ago as we close in on 11 years since losing her and 5 since losing my father-in-law. Their apartment is now home to someone else, leaving me looking for new vantage points to shoot scenes like this.

Looking back at images from this chapter feels like a visceral kick in the soul, a none-too-subtle reminder that everything is constantly changing, and the experiences that feed us are inevitably destined to slip through our fingers more quickly than we’d like.

Seriously, I blinked and moments like this turned into history.

As glad as I am to have taken the time to freeze them in pixels, I still wish I had had more time to begin with.

That time thing again. We never seem to get enough of it.

#laval #chomedey #montreal #quebec #canada #throwback #storm #cloud #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Up here vs. down there, December 2018
Two birds, one sky, January 2018
A face in the clouds, September 2017

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Tuesday, January 02, 2024

Curl up on the carpet

Curved schnu
London, ON
October 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There will be days when all we want to do is curl up in our favourite spot, just like a puppy.

Today would be one of those days.

Be gentle with yourself.

Be gentle with others.

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

Related:
That Schnauzer stare, December 2023
Boop the snoot, October 2023
Extra spicy schnu, September 2023
Puppy pillow talk, January 2023
Dog in fog redux, March 2022

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Monday, January 01, 2024

Losing a magic aunt

Everything
Delray Beach, FL
December 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In every family there is someone who’s always there, whose home is always open, who always just gets you.

In mine, that would have been my late father’s little sister, Auntie Shaindie.

She got married and moved to Long Island when I was just a baby, but pretty much any vacation time throughout my childhood was spent together. Our epic drives down the New York State Thruway defined my childhood, and knowing what awaited us at the other end was like every fabulous holiday rolled into one.

She and my Uncle Donald were central figures in my life. She actively followed my work, often reviewing the links I shared online and critiquing my interviews and articles. She often commented on my photography, and every time we were together she assumed the role of spotter - quietly pointing me toward my next composition. She was our North Star.

We were thrilled to have our own kids learn just how special she was, and she revelled in them just as much as she had done with me a generation earlier.

Auntie Shaindie - aka Shirley Wolfeld - died earlier yesterday after a cruelly long battle with cancer.

For once, I have no words. Just unchecked anger at what she and her immediate family were forced to endure.

Yet she never lost who she was, never gave up hope, even in our final conversation, that she’d somehow find a way to beat this thing.

I wish I knew why the universe works as it does, and I’m hoping someday we’ll get some of those answers.

But for now we’re left with countless lessons from her, and it’s on us to apply them as best we can. It’s what she would have wanted.

#life #family #everything

Related:
12 years without dad, September 2021
Endings... June 2019
Remember me, February 2018
There are no words, February 2013
2:23 a.m., September 2009

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Sunday, December 31, 2023

On speaking up

“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion, against injustice and lying and greed.”

William Faulkner

Excerpt of speech presented at his daughter’s graduation (1951)

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Resolve to not resolve at all

Blink and it's over
London, ON
July 2012
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I’m generally not one for New Year’s resolutions. Or ball drops. Or big, loud celebrations. Or fireworks*. Or any of the modern traditions - glittery glasses, anyone? - that seem to mark the transition of one year into another.

While I appreciate the importance of milestones, this particular one gets a little tired when it plays out almost identically each and every year.

I find the notion of resolutions especially laughable. As if we can wipe the slate clean and magically turn ourselves into better, kinder people as soon as the year turns.

Planet Earth witnessed enough unkindness from January 2nd onward this past year that I’m reasonably sure most folks stopped caring soon after the cheap champagne hangover wore off.

I’m hopeful 2024 will see some kind of change, but we’ve seen this scene play out so many times previously that it’s difficult to believe in the New Year Fairy.

So here’s my plan: no New Year’s resolutions.

Because seeking kindness and light should be a basic human condition not subject to one-time empty promises that ultimately go unfulfilled.

*Don’t worry, though, I’ll still take photos of fireworks. And drones. And anything else that’s cool-looking. That’s not a resolution. It’s simply who I am.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #happynewyear #newyear #newyearseve #fireworks #firecrackers #pyro #celebrate #family #night #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Disney on fire, December 2020
Burn the sky down, January 2020
Take back the night, December 2010
Fires in the sky, February 2007

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Saturday, December 30, 2023

One tree always stands alone

Straight lines are overrated, anyway
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In a razor-straight line of trees seemingly planted with rulers and/or lasers, it’s the one that breaks from the crowd that merits a little extra attention.

As you might imagine, the curved tree is my favourite.

It’s the one that plots its own unique course to the sky.

It’s the one that ignores convention.

It’s the one that dances a little differently than the others.

It’s the one that avoids conformity, no matter the cost.

It’s the one most like me, and the one whose lead I’ll always follow.

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

Related:
Fog gets a bad rap, January 2023

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Friday, December 29, 2023

One last look back...

Just over the cliff's edge
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The valley is a messy place, with wildly knotted branches clogging the landscape.

But when the fog rolls in, it turns the chaotic into something else. If it isn’t orderly, it is at least somewhat easier to visually digest.

So I turn around for one last look before I leave this place behind and give quiet thanks for being able to witness this rare makeover.

We never quite know when the fog will return. So we take it in while we still have the opportunity.

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

Related:
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Thursday, December 28, 2023

Not quite Toy Story

Curbside
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

At 9:21 on Christmas morning, we come across evidence that not all toys find a forever loving home.

Am I the only one disturbed by this scene?

#london #ontario #canada #green #stuffed #head #toy #garbage #random #roadside #street #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Po stares in to the wind, September 2022

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Wednesday, December 27, 2023

When trees disappear

Deep in the murk
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Look no further than a lineup of trees for proof of fog’s power to change the way we see things.

In this photo, the furthest trees are the most faded. Yet if I had decided to change position - or waited for the fog to lift - the story would have been decidedly different.

I tossed all of this through my head as I tucked the camera away and headed for home.

Because what we see in any frame isn’t necessarily reality. It’s simply the result of a limitless number of tiny circumstances and decisions that lead us to a given moment in time.

And we change the outcome by tweaking those circumstances and decisions.

Again, maybe this isn’t simply about photography.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #fog #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Walk the foggy streets, December 2023
Fog gets a bad rap, January 2023
Fog takes. Fog gives. December 2022
Highbury Avenue in fog, November 2022

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Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Walk the foggy streets

Mystery
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I decided to wander the streets before the morning sun burned the fog off.

In the 31 minutes between first and final images, I encountered no one aside from the occasional passing motorist. Which gave me ample time to drink in the monumental silence that blanketed the area.

I’ve walked down this particular street countless times over the years, but never had I seen it in quite this state, its end drifting off into oblivion underneath the protective cover of the trees, the colours being stripped out of the scene by the mist.

As familiar as this lovely spot can be on any given day of the year, it was especially resonant this time out.

Fog somehow does that every time. It makes even the familiar feel mysterious and memorable and special. It invites us to take another look, to linger for a while as we ponder the irony of being able to feel more despite seeing less.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #canopy #cathedral #fog #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Emerging from the fog, February 2021
Playing with light, October 2007

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Monday, December 25, 2023

Rudolph leads the way

Imagine we're in flight
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It doesn’t matter what we celebrate.

Or how.

Or when.

Or with whom.

What matters is that we all deserve to celebrate anything at all.

To feel the fantasy of anticipation.

To be surrounded by people who love us.

To know what it’s like to be included.

To recognize that we all share this simple common sliver of humanity.

That word: humanity.

That’s what matters most.

Today.

Every other day.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #christmas #rudolph #reindeer #victoriapark #chanukah #hannukah #howeveritisspelled #kwanza #holiday #holidays #weareone #photography #canon #canonphotography #canon_photography #phone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Be the light, please, December 2018

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Sunday, December 24, 2023

Ghostly tree on a foggy night

Mother Nature paints with light
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As the fog rolls in for the night, the trees reach up to greet it.

Or at least that’s what I’d like to believe as the air thickens with comforting anticipation and the sounds of the outdoors trail off to a whisper.

By morning this will all be gone, leaving nothing but a fleeting memory in its wake.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tree #trees #leaves #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #night #fog #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Bright tree on a dark night, January 2023
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Saturday, December 23, 2023

The answer is always mug

Comforting
London, ON
November 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Winter is here, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, which means mugs.

And low-angled morning light that starkly paints the kitchen table.

And reflections on why beverages of any temperature and type bring us such comfort when the outside world is so forbidding.

So we take still-life images like this one as a reminder to ourselves to slow the mornings down before the day has its way with us. To think about how lucky we are that we get to have these quiet moments in a protective home in the first place.

Maybe it’s just a mug of coffee sitting in the sun. Maybe it’s something else entirely.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #blue #mug #random #kitchen #sunlight #shadow #stilllife #monochrome #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
My beloved green mug, January 2016
I've been mugged, January 2014
Morning rituals, December 2010
Turbulent tea, March 2009

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Friday, December 22, 2023

The first freeze

Don't miss the moment
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We had our first deep freeze the other night, which meant by first light the gutters were filled with tiny worlds of frozen wonder - at least until the Sun showed up and melted them all.

I attracted more than a few stares as I paused the dog-walk and crouched down for a closer look. Most of them weren’t worth the pixels, but a couple of them held promise.

I’m under no illusion that any of these are frameworthy, but I had to start somewhere.

That old photographic saw - good is good enough - seems to have worth beyond the lens, as well. For now, it’s enough to shoot quick scenes with a smartphone camera. It gets my head back in the gutter photography game, and it gives the neighbours a few things to think about - namely that I’m insane - while I work on refining the craft.

Eventually I’ll probably pull out the actual camera and leave the dog at home. Eventually I’ll have more experience working through the specifics of this particular genre. It’s how you get better, both behind the lens and when you’re far away from it.

Photography and life. Yet again, I’m learning they’re more closely linked than I might have once thought.

Funny the things we learn when we hang out on the dirty edge of the road.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #onstorm #water #ice #frozen #winter #walkabout #actofdog #nature #naturephotography #abstract #stilllife #photography #apple #iPhone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded


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Thursday, December 21, 2023

When the sunrise comes to you

Painted
London, ON
November 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Sunrises are going to happen whether or not we’re there to witness them.

So doesn’t it make sense to wake up a little early so we’re on the front porch before they light up the sky?

I suspect it does, but I’m no expert.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #sun #sunrise #sky #tree #trees #silhouette #cloud #clouds #cloudspotting #weather #wx #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded


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Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Old City Hall

Still...
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

London’s City Hall opened in 1971, and time hasn’t been kind to her.

She leaks in a bunch of places, The parking structure is crumbling. Her electrical and mechanical systems are obsolete. The city has been considering alternatives for years.

But she still makes quite the sight if you’re standing in just the right place at just the right moment. Like just before the sun says goodnight, as the shadows grow and the light reflecting off her windows shifts toward cool blue.

Which I’m going to take as a reminder to never write off old buildings. Or old anythings. Or old anyones.

We seem to have this thing with new and old, and that thing needs a rethink.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #design #lines #urban #city #downtown #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
An empty public square, December 2023
Polytechnique at 32, December 2021
No Pope here, April 2008

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Tuesday, December 19, 2023

7 years...

Sweet boy
London, ON
December 2010
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We lost our Frasier 7 years ago today.

I miss this little guy, and like to imagine that all these years later, his memory continues to make us better people.

Dogs really can do that. It’s what Frasier the Rescue-Schnauzer taught us. And so much more.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #dog #dogs #actofdog #throwback #schnauzerpuppy #schnauzersofinstagram #schnauzergram #schnauzers #dogsofinstagram #instapuppy #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins

Related:
5 years... December 2021
3 years..., December 2019
2 years..., December 2018
A year without Frasier, December 2017
Canine muscle memory, December 23, 2016
When a dog's life ends, December 19, 2016

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Parallel diagonal parking

I'll just leave this here
London, ON
December 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Annals of #LdnONT parking, Exhibit A: those rear wheels are reeeally tough to straighten out, aren’t they?

#london #ontario #canada #toyota #rav4 #car #carporn #automotive #opc #oldparkedcar #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded


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