MS Art Photography

Ladies & Gentlemen...

2011-04-01T09:55:00.000-04:00

...more baboons.
Enjoy.

New and improved...with more baboons!

2011-03-27T05:07:00.001-04:00

Updated the Senegal Trip gallery.

New and improved...with more baboons!

Sabodala Village

2011-03-07T06:09:00.004-05:00

On the surface, it is what I would have imagined it to be.
No electricity or running water.
No 2,500 sq ft homes.
No a/c.
No cars.
No 52" HD LCDs.
No cable TV.
No 3D Imax mega movies.
No ipods, ipads, iphones.
No bmw, versace, abercrombe or apple.
No designer shoes.
No designer anything.
No facebook or twitter.
No internet.
Not a whole lot by western standards.
They live in grass, straw and mud huts.
Not what a westerner would consider livable.
The morning communal meeting area?
The water supply station.
Where the women fill their pots.
Yet everywhere I walked, there were smiling faces.
And giggling children.
A different world.
A different pace.
Different.
Not inferior.
Their life, I would wager, is as much, if not more fulfilling than my own.
It is here, we could all learn a lesson.
I have for sure.
On what is truly of value.
What is key in life.
Key to happiness.
To fulfillment.
Sabodala Village

By the way, I've rearranged my Travel gallery to include both trips and destinations.

I love it!

2011-02-22T05:17:00.000-05:00

FINALLY, an announcement from Canon that gets me really excited.

They have just announced the development of a EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens.
Yes, that's a 200-400mm zoom lens with a constant F4 aperture.
And YES, it has a BUILT IN 1.4 extender, which when turned on will make the lens a 280 to 560 F5.6 lens.

With the release of the 100mm L Macro with IS, and this lens, Canon, you are keeping me a happy customer.
I can't wait to get my hands on this one!

TB10 III

2011-01-29T18:21:00.001-05:00

So one of the best parts, photo-opportunity-wise, of a trip to Thunder Bay is the deer.
They are quite easy to find.
And with a few apples, quite easy to coax into modelling for you.
A few images of my furry models are up in the mammalia gallery.
Enjoy!

TB10 II

2011-01-28T17:46:00.001-05:00

You just can't go to Thunder Bay without a stop at the Hoito...

I've added the Hoito and a couple other locals to the Canadian Landmarks gallery.

Enjoy!

TB10 I

2011-01-26T19:51:00.000-05:00

Starting to look at the Thunder Bay trip pictures.
First up - I've uploaded a few of a frozen Kakabeka Falls.

Check them out.

Celebration calls for...

2011-01-22T21:47:00.003-05:00

...a new lens.
So in celebration of accepting a position with a new company, which will involve frequent trips to West Africa, I went out in search of a nice telephoto lens.
And I had a few characteristics in mind:
1) It had to be as light as possible since I'd be lugging it around in my backpack with all my other things.
2) It had to be as small as possible - see 1)
3) I wanted it to reach as far as possible. I already have a 300mm and a 1.4 extender, giving me 420mm of reach, so I was hoping for something longer.
4) A zoom would be better than a prime since it would lower the risk of missing a photo op while spending time changing lenses.
5) Image stability would be an added bonus since I'd like to take shots without a mono or tripod.
With all that in mind, I found what I was looking for.
I found the Sigma APO 150mm - 500mm F5-6.3 OS.
Wicked.

Christmastime

2011-01-15T21:26:00.003-05:00

For Christmas we travelled back to Thunder Bay and I managed to snap a few pictures of the falls, the marina, the Hoito and some deer.

I'm a little busy with the day job but at some point, I'm hoping to edit them and a post a few up here on the site.

Suomi 2010

2010-12-14T01:50:00.000-05:00

So I created a really expensive hardcover book of pictures of the Finland trip.
Its really a way for me to share the pictures with my family, but feel free to check it out.

Suomi 2010

By Michael Swerdlyk

Book Preview

Halloween on Church Street

2010-11-08T21:43:00.000-05:00

It just wouldn't be Halloween without the annual trip to Church Street to partake in the fabulous festivities.
Such characters and creative costumes!

A few images from the night are up here.

Graffiti

2010-11-07T22:36:00.000-05:00

Looking through the pics of this year's graffiti alley walk had me reminiscing about the (now gone) graffiti I photographed in the alley back in 2009, so I ended up uploading a few extra pics from the past visit as well.

The graffiti is up here.

And as luck would have it, they were actually in the middle of retagging some of the alley the day we visited. So we were able to snap a few pics of the artists in action. I've put a couple up here.

Zombies!

2010-10-24T17:02:00.002-04:00

The zombies are in the people gallery now.

Graffiti to follow

Zombies!

2010-10-23T21:15:00.003-04:00

I had some family in town and what better places to visit to show them the real Toronto than graffiti alley...
...and the annual Zombie Walk?

Pictures to follow.

Don't Go Chasing...

2010-10-16T15:52:00.002-04:00

It was a beautiful weekend last weekend, so we decided to spend a day in the Hamilton area hiking some waterfalls.

I've updated the Landscapes gallery for the pictures.

The kids

2010-10-02T09:56:00.002-04:00

BTW, I've updated the Transportation and the People galleries for the Suriname trip.

Back in town

2010-09-23T20:20:00.003-04:00

...back from another trip down south.
...will post pics in the near future.
...for now, another photo of the stuff I use to, you know, take photos.

Niagara without the falls

2010-09-03T01:27:00.002-04:00

Can you believe we spent an entire day trip down in Niagara Falls without getting anywhere near the falls?
We actually spent the day at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory and the Bird Kingdom.
I love those places - great locations for taking photos.

I've updated the Aves and Insecta galleries for the trip out to Niagara.

TTPBF

2010-09-02T01:25:00.001-04:00

So we checked out the Tommy Thompson Park Butterfly Festival.
Not too many butterflies, but there were some nice birds and bugs.

I've updated the Aves and Insecta galleries for the trip out to Tommy Thompson.

Halton County Radial Railway

2010-09-01T00:31:00.001-04:00

We headed out to the Halton County Radial Railway museum for their Ice Cream and Starlight event.
They had ice cream AND we got to ride on some antique street cars.
Awesome.

I've updated the Transportation gallery for some images from the night

Mountsberg!

2010-08-31T22:13:00.005-04:00

Its hard to believe that its been two years since we visited Mountsberg.
I remedied that situation this past month.
And I really enjoyed being introduced to their new addition: Pawgwashiing Migizi
(Young golden eagle female).

I've updated the following galleries for our Mountsberg visit:
Aves
Insecta
Other Fauna

Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve

2010-08-30T19:29:00.004-04:00

So I've definitely been enjoying the summer...
...and being out and about taking photos
...and not processing and posting them
Time to change that.
The first destination was Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve.
We headed out hoping to catch some star trails...
...but instead, caught the clouds rolling in at dusk, which hid the spectacle.
I did manage to get a few sunset pics, as well as a bug or two...
I've updated the following galleries with images from Torrance:
Landscapes
Insecta
Flora
Other Fauna
Enjoy!

Lately

2010-07-04T17:26:00.001-04:00

Spent a couple days outside over the past few weeks and I've updated a few galleries for the resulting images.
Canadian Landmarks
Flora
Insecta
Sculptures

Finland Finished

2010-07-02T20:43:00.000-04:00

Alright!
The Finland Trip image gallery is now complete.
I feel so accomplished.

Kristiinakaupunki

2010-07-02T20:24:00.001-04:00

So I've managed to get the last Finland trip gallery complete.
Its images from Kristiinakaupunki and other west coast towns, including Untamala, Pori, Naantali, and Reposaari.
Enjoy.

One Down, One to Go

2010-06-30T21:05:00.002-04:00

My second last gallery from the Finland trip is up.
Laitila & Malko
The two towns where my grandparents are from.
Enjoy

The New Fam

2010-06-27T20:38:00.004-04:00

I couldn't fit the ringflash and the Metz...

Windmills, SAABs and Maybachs

2010-06-27T19:17:00.002-04:00

Uusikaupunki was a beautiful waterfront town.
We spent a few moments at a waterfront cafe, drinking coffee and eating donuts, after touring the windmill park.
Then it was on to the SAAB-Valmet automobile museum.
Cool cars, coffee and donuts?
What a perfect way to spend a day.
My gallery is up here.

Seurasaari

2010-06-26T22:51:00.001-04:00

My gallery from our day trip to Seurasaari is finally up.
So that's nine galleries up, three to go, and my Finland trip pictures will be complete.

The List Update

2010-06-24T00:44:00.000-04:00

I love visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Hence my gallery dedicated to them.
Which I have updated for my recent travels.
Enjoy.

My favourite photos from the past year

2010-06-23T01:28:00.000-04:00

For bokeh, subject, story, memories, colour, or whatever reason I have, these are the photos from the past year of which I am most proud.

June 2009 to May 2010 Fav Photos:

June 2009 to May 2010

2010-06-22T20:15:00.021-04:00

(if you click on the pics, you'll see the larger version)

Yesterday was the first official day of summer.
So that means its time for my photograholic year in review.
I started shooting three years ago this month, so please indulge me on my selfish reminiscing.

Let's start with the excitement: the travels.
Over the past year I have taken six trips, on four continents, in 12 countries.
And taken a lot of photos along the way.

Last June I embarked on a two week road trip up and around the shoreline of the Great Lakes to my hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario. While there, I visited many attractions including:

Kakabeka Falls - beautiful place, with a lovely trek along the trails - my recommendation: bring your bug spray

Sleeping Giant provincial park - sandy beaches, amazing cliff-face lookouts with spectacular views, Silver Islet historical area, and wildlife galore - my recommendation: don't try to pet the bears

Centennial Park - small farm, and a great re-creation of a 19th century logging camp - my recommendation: bring your kids, they'll have a blast

Chippewa Park - sure, the wolves howling at the break of dawn is a little eerie, but the sunrise is spectacular, the zoo is a perfect representation of northern animals, and there's a mini-amusement park with a tilt-a-whirl - my recommendation: take the time to read the history of the place on the wall inside the main hall

Old Fort William - I don't care if they've changed its name, it'll always be the Old Fort to me - my recommendation: try the axe throwing

The Hoito - best breakfast in the province - my recommendation: try the Finn pancakes

In December I made the same trek and found the contrast in the seasons quite interesting, not to mention the difference in physical appearance of the deer.

In August I made a trip down to Peru, which lit aflame my desire to visit UNESCO world heritage sites.
While in the country I managed to visit three sites, plus one site that is on the tentative list.
My trip included:

Machu Picchu (unesco) - you can't go to Peru and not go here - my recommendation: take the bus, the hike is exhausting!

Caral-Supe (unesco) - who knew there would be a desert on the edge of a lush valley in Peru?!? With 5,000 year old ruins of a bygone civilization?!? - my recommendation: bring someone who speaks Spanish to translate for the tour guide.

Cuzco (unesco) - lovely central square and an awesome and unique market - my recommendation: watch your purse.

Cajamarca - lovely central square and very short people - my recommendation: don't carry too much as the altitude is exhausting.

Paramonga - an adobe brick ruin of another bygone civilization - my recommendation: go in the morning to get the best light

In September I was off to Africa for a three country tour, including:
Senegal - the ile de Goree (unesco) was an interesting place - my recommendation: learn at least basic French before you go

Mali - Savannahs, monkeys, bats and artisanal miners...awesome - my recommendation: don't wander around Bamako alone

Burkina Faso - dry and foreboding but with very friendly people - my recommendation: enjoy the pizza in Ouagadougou...I'm serious

Stopped over in Paris along the way and got my first look at the Eiffel Tower.

This past April I was off to South America again, with stop-overs in the Caribbean:
Antigua - sun, sand and sailing - not that I pursued any of them - for me it was all about friends...and pumping iron - my recommendation - check out English Harbour

Curacao - Willemstad (unesco) was pretty, busy and hot! - my recommendation: drink lots of water and wear sunscreen.

Colombia - the gold museum in Bogota was unbelievable - my recommendation: duh, the gold museum.

Brazil - Ouro Preto (unesco) was a beautiful town with more cathedrals than you could count - my recommendation: spend some time touring the churches

Suriname - Paramaribo (unesco) was HOT and humid, but the people were friendly - my recommendation: never wear pants.

Last month the family and I visited Finland with a stop-over in Paris.

This time we managed to see the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles.
In Finland we visited Helsinki and traveled up the west coast to Kristiinakaupunki, stopping at various places along the way:
Helsinki - crazy statues, cathedrals, a sea fortress - my recommendation: bring lots of euros to spend in the market, and never pass up a fresh and warm munkki!

Turku - a castle and a cathedral, yet neither were my favourite attraction (refer to my recommendation) - my recommendation: check out the Luostarinmaki Handicrafts museum.

Laitila - farms, lots of farms - my recommendation: visit the old church
Uusikaupunki - water and warm weather - my recommendation: check out the SAAB museum and then go to a waterfront cafe and have a coffee and a munnki. Mmmm, munnki.
Pori - The Sigrid Juselius mausoleum was cool, so was Reposaari - my recommendation: go to the mausoleum after noon, since it doesn't open till then.
Rauma - between old town and the bronze age burial site just outside of town, this place is a UNESCO jackpot - my recommendation: wear comfy shoes.

Kristiinakaupunki - beautiful town split in half by a river (or was that a lake?) - my recommendation: check out the slant of the tower of the old cathedral (weird, eh!)

So I may have managed to jam in seven countries in the last eight weeks of the year, but whatever, they still count.
I can only hope the next year is half as interesting travel-wise, eh!

Gearaholic afterthought

Whether close to home, or continents away, I had my gear close and ready to capture the scenes.
I am a canon lover and most of my gear is a testament to that fact.

If you're not as much of a gear whore as me, let me initiate you on a few things:
1) For Canon bodies, the smaller the D number and/or the higher the mk number, the better.
2) For lenses, L is for luxury. L = awesomeness.
3) The smaller the F number, the more awesome the lens.
4) IS is for image stability. For caffeine addicts like myself, IS is the ultimate feature.

I began last June with two bodies (1DmkIII & 50D) and seven lenses (300F4LIS, 70-200F4LIS, 17-35F2.8L, EFS17-55F2.8IS, 85F1.8, Sigma 150F2.8 Macro, and a Lensbaby 2.0).
I had a few departures along the way...
...the 1DmkIII
...the 50D
...the 17-55
...the 17-35
...the 85
...the Sigma macro
...OK, maybe more than a few.
I miss that 17-55. It was F2.8 AND had IS.

Now I have just one body, my 1DmkIV, and a couple lenses:
50F1.2L
100F2.8LIS Macro
300F4LIS
16-35F2.8L II
24-105F4LIS
70-200F4LIS
Sigma 8F3.5 Fisheye
Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 50F1.4
Lensbaby 2.0
Ok, nine lenses is a bit more than a couple.
And of those nine, seven showed up in the last year.
In all honesty, I think my gearaholic lusting is 100% satisfied at the moment.
In fact, I'm looking to rid myself of a couple lenses since only seven fit in my backpack.
So, yep, lusting is over...
...well, until they introduce a 24-70 F2.8 with image stability.

My next post - to end my photograholic year in review - my favourite photos from the past year.

PS - don't worry, more from the Finland trip still to come ;-)

Helsinki

2010-06-20T22:01:00.004-04:00

I really enjoyed Helsinki.
I wish I had another two weeks to spend just there, never mind the rest of the country.
Anyway, my vision of the city can be found here

Return to Paris

2010-06-19T17:16:00.001-04:00

On the way to Finland we stopped over in Paris.
This was my second time in the city and I played more tour guide than tourist.
The city was bright and sunny...and busy and full of tourists.
Check out the gallery here

Turku

2010-06-19T16:39:00.003-04:00

I've managed to get another small gallery up.
More from Turku.

Luostarinmäki

2010-06-18T22:12:00.002-04:00

The buildings are all that is left of the original town of Turku.
A wooden town, the rest burnt in a fire long past.
Now, they make up the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum.
We visited on a rainy Saturday.
And still thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
Of all the places in Turku, this is the one I would recommend the most.

So long old friend

2010-06-16T12:12:00.000-04:00

I just sold my workhorse - my EF17-35 F2.8L lens.
I used it 90% of the time I was on my trips this year.
And that's why I sold it...
...to upgrade to the EF16-35 F2.8L II lens.
Upgrading is awesome...
...right up until you get the credit card bill.
Time to go shopping!

Suomenlinna

2010-06-11T22:43:00.004-04:00

Just off shore of Helsinki is the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress (yes, another UNESCO world heritage site).
Built by the Swedes, and originally called Sveaborg, the fortress has spent centuries as a strategic defensive point for whomever was ruling over Finland (be it the Swedes, the Russians, or the Finns themselves).
And the place was awesome!

Old Wooden Town of Rauma, Suomi

2010-06-10T00:03:00.000-04:00

Continuing with the image galleries from the Finland trip, here's another UNESCO site:
Old Rauma, Finland

Versailles

2010-06-09T00:33:00.000-04:00

A stopover in France on the way to Finland enabled a visit to the Palace of Versailles.

Sammallahdenmäki

2010-06-08T19:56:00.002-04:00

First gallery from the Finland trip:
Sammallahdenmäki Bronze Age Burial Site.
Another Unesco site.
I love the Unesco sites, eh.
If I ever win the lottery I'll spend my days travelling to Unesco sites, photographing them, and writing all about it.

South America & the Caribbean 2010

2010-06-05T13:25:00.003-04:00

The galleries are finally complete.
How many weeks did that take?
I've uploaded a final gallery of other images that weren't included in another gallery.
And I've uploaded the summary gallery page HERE.

Now, on to my Finland pictures...

Country Five: Colombia

2010-06-04T19:22:00.000-04:00

I was only in Colombia for one day, and I spent a large part of it at the Gold Museum.
Hence, a gallery dedicated to just the museum:
El Museo del Oro

By the way, I got a kick out of the fact that the rooms of the musuem had doors like this:

Gee, do you think they had a LOT of gold in there?

Country Four: Suriname

2010-06-03T21:03:00.000-04:00

Two galleries from Suriname.

The first is the Rosebel Goldmine

The second is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Paramaribo

Lack of Updates Update

2010-06-02T21:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I just got back from two weeks in Finland.
So add another 2,200 pictures to the pile that I have to sort through.
Anyway, I should have the rest of the South America trip images up this weekend...
...hopefully.

Country Three: Brazil

2010-05-17T22:56:00.003-04:00

First gallery from country three, another UNESCO World Heritage Site (Willemstad is also one):

Ouro Preto, Brazil

Country Two

2010-05-12T19:54:00.001-04:00

Netherlands Antilles
Curacao

Country One

2010-05-10T22:41:00.004-04:00

I've managed to upload images from the first country of my trip.
The Antigua images are up.
Check 'em out.

South America & the Caribbean

2010-05-02T14:05:00.003-04:00

Just got back from two weeks down south...
Colombia, Brazil, Suriname, Curacao, Antigua.
Expect some images shortly...
...and when I say shortly, I mean within the next few months.

Birds, Butterflies & Bears...

2010-04-04T22:43:00.001-04:00

With the weather being spectacular, and breaking records for warmth this past weekend, we emerged from our hibernation and headed out on a couple photo seeking trips. First up, on Friday we headed down to the Niagara region, stopping by both the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory and Bird Kingdom. Then, on Saturday it was off to the Toronto Zoo.

And here it is Sunday, and I've already got the images up.
Seriously.
Check them out:
The Butterflies
The Birds
The Bears and others

Friday Drive

2010-04-02T19:38:00.003-04:00

Niagara drive today - butterfly conservatory, aviary.
Expect gallery updates at some point in the near future.

Turn around

2010-03-22T21:15:00.000-04:00

Waterfall pictures are up.
I'm serious.
That quickly.

Don't Go Chasing...

2010-03-21T21:01:00.003-04:00

So we hunted down some Hamilton area waterfalls on the weekend.
Hopefully I'll get some images edited and up this week.

February IV Photographs

2010-03-17T19:23:00.001-04:00

So, hey, remember way back in February when I said I'd post some pictures from Wings of Paradise and Barbers Mill?

Well, its only taken me a month, but here they are.

A few birds

Some butterflies

And the mill

Performance World 2010

2010-03-15T19:54:00.002-04:00

So I grabbed my wide angle and fish-eye lenses and headed out to Performance World this past weekend.
Expect a few pictures in the Auto gallery shortly.
Oh, and I should get around to actually adding the pictures from that abandoned mill that I shot awhile back.

Asahi SMC Takumar

2010-03-06T14:33:00.003-05:00

Shooting with a manual focus lens takes a lot more patience than I expected.
Today I brought out my newly purchased Asahi SMC Takumar 50mm F1.4 M42-mount manual focus lens for a test run.
I managed to find an M42 to EOS adapter on Ebay, which has a chip that allows the focus confirmation on my mkIV to flash when focus is achieved.
And they bothed worked great.

Family Portrait 02 2010

2010-02-13T18:02:00.005-05:00

The new family portrait.

Sorry about the quality.
It was taken with the assistance of a 3 year old point and shoot.

mkIV, baby. Mark. Four.

2010-02-08T22:31:00.002-05:00

So I went out Sunday to test out the new (heavenly) body.
Stopped by Wings of Paradise in Cambridge and tried out the higher ISO settings paired with the 300 and the 100 macro.

Then dropped by an old abandoned mill and paired it with the 17-35 and the fisheye.

Hopefully I'll get some pics up soon.

Someday I may actually...

2010-01-20T20:44:00.002-05:00

...upload some pictures from the past couple months.

Happy winter everyone!

A little thing I put together...

2009-12-18T11:17:00.001-05:00

Slightly askew but thoroughly pondered insights,
random and irrelevant yet ironically lovely photographs,
accompanied by provoking quotes from people that are much smarter than you.
52 Askew.

What a Difference a Year Makes

2009-11-09T20:13:00.004-05:00

The family grows...

Turn Around

2009-11-02T21:38:00.003-05:00

Hey, guess what?
I updated my People gallery for the Halloween pictures.
That's a quick turn around for me, eh.
Go check them out.

Halloween on Church Street

2009-11-01T16:58:00.004-05:00

One of the few things I love about living in the big city (being from the wilderness of northwestern Ontario originally) is the diversity.
And craziness.
I joined my local photography club last night to check out Halloween on Church Street.

It was so warped and freaky, that only a fisheye lens could capture it properly.
The costumes were amazing and everyone was so friendly.
I think I've found myself a new annual event.

I've included some pictures on my flickr to tide you over until I have a chance to update my site.

If I could love an inanimate object...

2009-10-26T02:22:00.001-04:00

Tested my new F2.8L macro lens.
It has image stability.
The test shots looked fantastic.
Even at F2.8, when there is only a sliver of in focus area, I was able, hand-held, to place the focus right where I wanted it.

And the IS stopped me from blurring the image and from moving the focus point as I shook to take the shot.

Even with a 36mm extension tube, hand-held at F2.8, I was able to maintain the focus right where I wanted.

I am officially in love.
Mini - Darth Vader and Mini - Cylon never looked so good.

Gearhead

2009-10-19T13:13:00.002-04:00

So I picked up another lens.

Can you guess which kind?

Images are Up

2009-10-11T12:40:00.002-04:00

Ah, a weekend to relax, breath...
...and update the galleries.
The images from my West Africa trip are up.
And I've expanded and updated the rest of my galleries.
Check them out.

Back from West Africa

2009-10-05T13:38:00.003-04:00

So, this is a raptor typical of West Africa.

This is what the rear wing of a Piper airplane looks like after such a raptor collides into it during take-off.

And this is what the rear of the fuselage looks like after such a collision (note the crinkled metal on the left side where the tail and fuselage are riveted together).

The impact scared the heck out of me.
Didn't stop the pilot though.
He continued our ascent and flew for over an hour (and up to at least 7000 feet) to our destination.
Even though the plane was warbling the whole way.
Anyway, I have made it back onto Canadian soil and should be posting some images from the trip shortly.
And we all know when I say shortly I mean, well, within the next 3 months.

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

2009-09-12T22:28:00.003-04:00

So I had a chance to visit the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. It was pretty awe inspiring to see one of the last two flying Lancasters in the world, take to the skies.

I've created a new gallery for Transportation, including pictures from the museum and its planes (a lot of which they are still flying).
Check it out.

Toronto Zoo

2009-09-12T00:26:00.001-04:00

Created a new gallery exclusively for visits to the Toronto Zoo.
And I've updated it for my visit last week.
Check it out

PS - the polar bears are back on display...
...and as excited as ever.

Departure & New Appointment

2009-09-10T13:35:00.004-04:00

It is with the greatest of sadness that I announce the departure of my beloved EFS17-55 F2.8IS.
She joined the team 12 months ago and made quite an impact.
Her image stability, extreme sharpness, bokeh, focus speed and large constant aperture were all exquisite but, even though she served exceptionally well, she didn't get along with the boss, Mr. 1DmkIII.
I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

I am pleased to announce the arrival of Ms. EF24-105 F4L IS.
While she may not have the speed of her predecessor, she does have a longer range and she fills the gap between Ms. 17-35 and Ms. 70-200 in a way her predecessor did not.
And she is an L.
The boss, Mr. 1DmkIII, seems to be attached to her already.
Please join me in welcoming Ms. 24-105 to the team.

Peru Pictures

2009-08-31T13:52:00.005-04:00

OK, so I have uploaded some Peru pictures.
They can be seen HERE.
I still have to re-upload the rest of my website to the new server so please be patient.

2009-08-31T08:42:00.001-04:00

Upgrading the server.
Be back shortly...
...with pics from Peru ;-)

In Peru

2009-08-18T16:26:00.002-04:00

Lima, Cajamarca, Cuzco, Caral-Supe, Aguas Calientes, and of course, Machu Picchu.
Be back later ;-)

Thunder Bay Road Trip 2009

2009-07-23T14:56:00.003-04:00

I've created a gallery featuring some images from the Thunder Bay road trip.
Check it out!

Image Update!

2009-07-21T08:48:00.002-04:00

So I actually updated my image galleries for my Thunder Bay trip.
Updated are the Mammalia, Landmarks & Landscapes, Automobilia, Flora, Insecta, Aves, Waterfowl, Other Fauna, Sculpture Portraits and Other galleries.
I've also updated my flickr with some more picture sets.
Expect even more updates on both my webpage and flickr soon.

Road Trip

2009-07-08T09:13:00.004-04:00

Just got back from a two week road trip back home to Thunder Bay.

Lots of wildlife.

Lots of updates to come.

Night Life

2009-06-13T23:04:00.000-04:00

On Friday night a few members of TPMG got together for a night shoot in downtown Toronto.
You would be amazed at how many strange looks and even stranger questions you get asked when you and 20 other people are setting up tripods and cameras on random street corners.

I've uploaded some of the pictures to my flickr account.

Take me out to the...

2009-06-08T12:36:00.003-04:00

Checked out a Blue Jays game last Thursday.
It was a work function, so we were up in a corporate box, pretty far from the field.
It was a good chance to try out the 9fps of the 1DmkIII.
I've put up a few more pictures over on my flickr

Finally

2009-05-30T22:07:00.002-04:00

Finally updated the Waterfowl, Flora, Featured Images and the Landmarks & Landscapes galleries.

Late Spring Brings...

2009-05-26T21:23:00.003-04:00

Wow, its been a busy couple of weeks.

In there was a trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens for their tulip festival, a trip to the Peterborough Zoo, the birth of seven cygnets, the arrival of eight goslings, a trip to Muskoka, a couple old mills and some ghost towns.

Expect some related gallery updates shortly.

That Time of Year

2009-05-14T22:20:00.002-04:00

Muskoka

2009-04-29T21:16:00.003-04:00

I've managed to update the Aves, Mammalia, Sculpture Portraits and the Landmarks & Landscapes galleries.

Sanshou

2009-04-28T23:30:00.002-04:00

I've uploaded some of my horrible Sanshou pictures over at flickr.

You can check them out here

Wolverines & Wushu

2009-04-27T11:37:00.003-04:00

The forecast for Saturday was calling for an 80% chance of thunderstorms up in Muskoka, which is a two hour ride north of home, and also the proposed location for a TPMG ad-hoc event at the Muskoka Wildlife Centre. Throwing caution to the wind and looking forward to, at a minimum, a drive through cottage country, we decided to take the ride. And were rained upon for the majority of the trek north. We arrived at the centre a few minutes (half an hour) early - before the event - before the place even opened. And while we sat and waited for the opening, something glorious happened. It stopped raining. And the sun came out. In fact, the entire time we were out looking at their animals it was pleasant.

Pleasant enough that after the event, a group of us decided to drive even further north to check out High Falls. At High Falls there were actually three different falls, each a different size. I managed to snap a few shots, being not entirely enthusiastic (and a bit pouty to be honest) since I forgot to bring along my tripod (the best falls shots in my opinion are the ones where the shutter if left open a bit longer to get a nice flowing image of the water going over the falls - which isn't possible if you don't have a tripod to steady the camera). Anyway, after a few shots and a bit of a hike around the fallses (is that even a word? How do you say falls plural?), it started to drizzle, so we headed back to the car. Just in time. Within minutes it started pouring. A torrential down pour which had a lot of (smarter than me) people stopping at the side of the highway to wait for it to slow down. At least my car received a nice (and free) wash.

As for the centre itself, well, it was basically a zoo and reminded me of a smaller version of the Canada exhibit at the toronto zoo. They did have more animals from Ontario than the Canada exhibit, but all in smaller enclosures.
And speaking of the enclosures, the fences, well, sucked. There were double fences so you couldn't put your lens up close to the fence. Every picture ended up with the green or grey fence featured prominently in front of the animals, or blurring the close up of the animals, or being the subject of the photograph as the auto focus zeroed in on the fence instead of the animal in behind. The centre does offer an opportunity for photographers to get closer to the animals...for a fee. $250 for the first hour, $100 per hour for each subsequent hour, for groups of up to five. When the foliage comes in, this may be a consideration, depending on what animals they would feature.

Sunday taught me a hard lesson in lighting.
I had a "media" pass for a sanshou / wushu tournament up in Richmond Hill.
It was an eye opening lesson because it was in a hockey arena with crap awful lighting. I don't think I snapped a single decent shot. Even at maximum aperture and iso through the roof, I couldn't speed up the shutter to a point where the combatants were frozen in action. So I came away with a lot of noisy dim shots of blurs wearing sparring equipment.
Now I understand why people laud large apertures and cameras that have super high iso capabilities.

I will update the galleries at the end of the week (hopefully before the end of next weekend) with pictures of Aves, Mammalia and Other Fauna. And may be a Landscape.

Centennial Park Conservatory

2009-04-19T17:33:00.004-04:00

I headed over to the Centennial Park Conservatory today to test out the new macro lens as well as see which flowers are in bloom.

I should be adding a few pictures to the Flora gallery over the next few days.

Sight to See

2009-04-19T17:28:00.003-04:00

These are exciting sights to see.

Because April nests bring May goslings and cygnets.
Which I can't wait to photograph.
Both were along my morning dog walking route.
Did I ever mention that I love my neighborhood?

Spring at the Zoo

2009-04-12T16:10:00.002-04:00

So being a sucker for animals, I became a member of the Toronto Zoo.

And Friday was my first use of that membership.

I should be adding a few shots to the Mammalia, Aves, and the Other Fauna galleries.

If You Don't Know...

2009-04-12T16:09:00.002-04:00

...now you know.
How a guy like me spends his tax return.

Wings of Paradise

2009-04-04T21:32:00.003-04:00

So I spent the morning at the Wings Of Paradise in Cambridge, Ontario.
Its a butterfly conservatory which also has a few bird species.
In all honesty, it pails in comparison to the butterfly conservatory down in Niagara and Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls.
Still, it was worth the shorter drive if only to see the Indian Walking Stick and the Chilean Rose-Haired Tarantula.

Hopefully once I've checked out the pictures I'll be adding a few shots to the Insecta, Aves, and the Other Fauna galleries.

Tyrone Mills

2009-03-29T22:48:00.000-04:00

Checked out the Purple Woods Maple Festival on Saturday.
Mmm, maple.
We had some pancakes.
And some fudge.
And brought home a litre of syup.
I didn't take many pictures though.
But after the festival, we dropped by Tyrone Mills.
Quite an interesting place.

Added images to the Other gallery.

They're Back

2009-03-29T22:44:00.003-04:00

Looks like the birds are returning.

Gotta love spring.
Time to put the EF300F4L to the test.

Added a couple images to the Aves gallery.

New Lens, baby

2009-03-29T22:37:00.003-04:00

Friday night I picked up a lensbaby 2.0 and on Saturday I had a chance to try it out.

I love the effect.

Added images to the Aves and the Landmarks & Landscapes galleries.

Simple Equation

2009-03-23T23:39:00.005-04:00

Canon 50D
+
Canon 100mm macro lens
+
Kenko 36mm extension tube
=
THIS close to a butterfly's eye.
Nice.

P.S. I've managed to update the Insecta, Aves, Other Fauna, Sculpture Portraits and the Other galleries.

Day Tripping

2009-03-22T23:05:00.005-04:00

In one day I managed to use all my lenses, both my cameras, my off camera flash cord, and even my extension tubes. And what single destination had such diverse subjects to require such use?

Niagara Falls.

Our day trip down to Niagara Falls included a stop at the Butterfly Conservatory, which resulted in some interested images thanks to the extension tubes and my macro lens.

That headless shirt is actually me. Apparently, while setting up and taking a shot of another butterfly, I looked like a pretty attractive place to land.

Of course, we stopped to see the falls.

And walked up Clifton Hill.
So who else would utilize his off camera flash cord to take pictures while at Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum?

Yeah, I got some great images...and some odd looks while shooting there.

Finally, we ended up at Bird Kingdom, a massive aviary.
Some birds cooperated...

...some, not so much
Its like he's screeching "no pictures! no pictures!"

I'll be uploading pictures this week to the Insecta, Aves, and the Other galleries.

Blowers Make me Drool

2009-03-15T22:37:00.005-04:00

Spent today at Performance World. I love hot cars, especially ones with mean looking blowers bursting through their hoods. So the event was definitely not a disappointment.

I will be adding some pictures from the event to the Automobilia & the Other galleries this week.

Lighting Workshop

2009-03-14T18:48:00.005-04:00

A Saturday spent in a classroom is a Saturday lost...
...unless its spent gaining key insights about the art that you love.
Which, for me is the art of capturing images, moments, objects at a certain moment in time...capturing time...taking photographs. And on this Saturday, I did gain some key insights. About light and photography.

I attended a workshop put on by a fellow photographer named Andy Mina. If you picture David Schwimmer mixed with Christopher Walken, you get a pretty good idea of Andy. The workshop covered some basic principles, then focused on off-camera external (non-ambient) light sources and how to effectively utilize them to create desired effects in images. Andy spent half the day sharing his knowledge, then we spent the other half experimenting with what he taught. Overall, it was a great workshop in which I learned and understood more about properly and effectively using light, then I have from all other workshops/sources up to now. Great job Andy!

Results of a few of the experiments:

B&W Portraiture

2009-03-06T23:17:00.004-05:00

Experimenting with black and white.
Two images.
Same subjects.
Different styles.
Not sure which I like more.

Jim Allen

2009-02-28T22:04:00.004-05:00

Today I attended a portraiture workshop put on by the one and only Jim Allen. And it was superb. I found Mr. Allen to be immensely enlightening, especially when it came to his keen insights and tremendously thought provoking views about portrait photography and the relationship between the subject and photographer. He also divulged quite a few technical secrets included how to get great contrast through certain lighting arrangements and how to bring out the subjects eyes. I've come away with many concepts that I can't wait to go out and try. Thank you Mr. Allen!

Afterwards, I wandered over to Graffiti Alley to scout it as a location for a future shoot. Overall, it was a great photog related day.

I've added a couple pictures from the alley to the Other gallery, in addition to the ones below.

Automobilia

2009-02-28T22:02:00.000-05:00

I have started a new collection: Automobilia. Automobiles, originally created to serve a function, have become a focus of passion and source of pleasure. Automobilia is an examination of this connection between the owner and the automobile, and how it has affected North American culture. Yeah, that...and it will showcase a bunch of cool looking cars.

Portrait Play

2009-02-17T19:36:00.003-05:00