The Distillery District

Toronto’s famous Distillery District, with its cobblestone streets, is a collection of buildings that date back to the 1860’s that once housed the Gooderham & Worts whiskey distillery. The distillery closed down in the 1990’s and was repurposed to become a very popular location for art lovers, restaurants, bars, and boutiques.

During a recent visit to Toronto I decided to make a quick stop and grab a few photos of elements that caught my eye. Here are a few of the scenes that I photographed. In order to capture images void of pedestrians I utilized a 10-stop ND filter for exposures of 30 seconds. By doing so, the people moving through the scene would not be registered by the camera sensor, thus the street would appear abandoned 🙂

 

Read Full Post »

Casa Loma

About one week ago I accompanied my wonderful 11 1/2 year old autistic daughter, Ava, on one of her Girl Guides of Canada outings to Casa Loma in Toronto, Ontario. Casa Loma is North America’s only full sized castle and one of Toronto, Ontario’s premier historic attractions.

In 1911 Sir Henry Pellat hired architect E.J. Lennox to build the 200,000 square foot castle on top of a hill over-looking Toronto. The castle was built at a cost of $3,500,000 and was, at the time, the largest private residence in Canada.

During my trip to the castle with the Girl Guides I took along my Nikon D800 and the insanely wide, and razor sharp, Laowa 12mm Zero D Lens to capture a few of the scenes that caught my attention. Here is a selection of those photos.

Read Full Post »

Migrating Waterfowl

Gadwall Drake Wing Flap, Humber Bay, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm VR lens
ISO 500, f8 @ 1/640 sec

I have been spending some of time over the last week traveling between the cities of Barrie and Toronto, Ontario to photograph migrating waterfowl. Kempenfelt Bay on Lake Simcoe in Barrie had a mix of Common Loons and Pacific Loons in full winter plumage, while Humber Bay on Lake Ontario in Toronto was productive for Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, and Mallards. An alternate location to Humber Bay and located nearby is High Park, it turned out be productive for Wood Ducks, which are still hanging around due to our warmer than usual start to winter. This slow start to winter has also led to some late season fall colour that adds a lovely pop of colour to some situations as it reflects in the water. Here are a few of the images I created last week during these outings.

Mallard Drake, High Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm VR Lens
ISO 500, f8 @ 1/60 sec

 

Mallard Hen quacking, Humber Bay, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm VR Lens
ISO 500, f8 @ 1640 sec

 

Common Loon (winter plumage), Kempenfelt Bay, Barrie, Ontario
Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm VR Lens
ISO 800, f8 @ 1160 sec

 

Pacific Loon (winter plumage), Kemenfelt Bay, Barrie, Ontario
Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm VR Lens
ISO 500, f8 1/250 sec

 

Northern Shoveler Drake, Humber Bay, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm VR Lens
ISO 500, f8 1/2500 sec

 

Northern Shoveler Hen, Humber Bay, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm VR Lens
ISO 500, f8 @1/500 sec

 

Wood Duck Drake, High Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm VR Lens
ISO 500, f8 @ 1/500 sec

 

Wood Duck Drake Wing Flap, High Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D500. Nikon 200-500mm VR lens
ISO 500, f8 @ 1/1000 sec

 

Read Full Post »

Wood Duck Heaven

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 500
f5.6 @ 1/800 sec

Without a doubt the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) is North America’s most beautiful duck. In the late 19th and early 20th century they were hunted to near extinction, but in 1918 after the hunting season was closed they steadily grew in numbers and now there is estimated to be more than a million Wood Ducks in North America. I frequently encounter them in the woodland ponds and quiet lake shores throughout the Parry Sound region however, they are often very quick to take flight and disappear into deeper, inaccessible areas of the wetlands. During a recent trip to Toronto’s High Park to photograph the famous Sakura Cherry trees in full bloom I encountered a large flock of very co-operative and very tame Wood Ducks. I spent roughly three hours photographing the ducks until the lighting began to turn too harsh and created close to 3,000 images. The photos featured in today’s blog post represent a small number and my favorites of the initial edit from the day. The proximity of the pond that the ducks were foraging in provided a nice mixture of sun and shade which allowed for capturing the ducks in various lighting scenarios. My preference is to create images of the Wood Ducks in shade or overcast light for beautiful fine feather details.

Each of the featured images were created with the amazing Nikon D500 and the Nikkor 200-500mm VR lens handheld. Being able to capture images at 1o frames per second with the Nikon D500’s 200 image buffer ensures that I never miss a shot due to exhausting the camera’s buffer, which will happen often with my Nikon D800 due to the large size of the image files. I do however selectively use the 10 fps on the Nikon D500 in very short bursts. I will only hold down the shutter for longer bursts during periods of intense action whereby I am hoping to capture the best possible image for the corresponding action.

Please remember to click on each of the photos to view the larger, sharper view.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 410mm (615mm equivalent)
ISO 400
f8 @ 1/200 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake wing flap
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 400
f8 @ 1/400 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake taking flight
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 800
f8 @ 1/2000 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 400
f8 @ 1/800 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 200
f5.6 @ 1/320 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 400
f8 @ 1/400 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake wing flap
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 370mm (555mm equivalent)
ISO 200
f8 @ 1/320 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 400
f8 @ 1/500 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 410mm (615mm equivalent)
ISO 400
f8 @ 1/200 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – hen
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 400
f8 @ 1/100 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 500
f8 @ 1/500 sec

 

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – drake
Nikon D500
Nikkor 200-500mm lens @ 500mm (750mm equivalent)
ISO 640
f8 @ 1/1000 sec

Read Full Post »

Architecture

Royal Bank Plaza, Toronto, Ontario

On the morning of January 17th I decided to drive into the heart of downtown Toronto for some architectural photography. My chosen destination was to be in close proximity to the CN Tower and some of the impressive skyscrapers with their mirrored windows, as well as a visit to the Humber Bay Pedestrian Bridge over the Humber River. Although I was out of my comfort zone of woodlands and wetlands it was a most productive day however, the clear skies were quickly becoming over-cast due to inclement weather that was on the way. I worked quickly to capture a selection of imagery before the weather conditions worsened and to make a bee-line for my rural home north of the city, prior to the rush hour traffic that typically brings the traffic to a stand-still. Here is a small selection of the architectural photographs that I created during that day.

Please do remember to click on each of the images to view the larger sharper version.

Humber Bay Pedestrian Bridge, Toronto, Ontario
(Cokin Blue+Yellow Polarizing filter used for creative effect)

 

CN Tower Reflecting in the Delta Chelsea Hotel as window washers are at work. Toronto, Ontario

 

Royal Bank Plaza Abstract. Toronto, Ontario

 

Humber Bay Pedestrian Bridge, Toronto, Ontario

 

The Restored Union Station Plaza Clock Toronto, Ontario, Canada
(Originally from 1927)

 

Abstract of Humber Bay Pedestrian Bridge and Condominium, Toronto, Ontario

 

Read Full Post »

Toronto Digital Photography Club Presentation

I am looking forward to presenting “A Photographer’s Guide to the Ontario Landscape”  on Tuesday April 14th to the Toronto Digital Photography Club. The presentation will be starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Edithvale Community Centre located at 131 Finch Ave West in Toronto. As usual, I will be offering copies of my eBook (on CD) to those in attendance, at the presentation special of $20 CDN.

“A Photographer’s Guide to the Ontario Landscape” is an extensive guide to landscape photography in Ontario complete with driving directions to each of the one-hundred plus locations featured within the guide. It is the only such guide that is available to folks, guiding them around the province to many beautiful vistas. The guide was published in 2011 by Birds As Art Books (Arthur Morris) and is also available for purchase on-line here, however, the presentation special does not apply to on-line sales.

Read Full Post »

More Fun With Winter Details

Winter Details at Hatchery Falls in Muskoka, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 180mm
ISO 100, f16 @ 0.6 seconds

I am looking forward to departing this bitterly cold winter soon for the warmth of the Caribbean island of Cayman Brac, but thought I would share a few winter detail images that I recently processed while I finish-up on some of my much needed tasks prior to my departure. Some of these photos were created last winter, but I did not have time to edit them until recently. For each of these images I used my old Nikon 80-400mm VR lens to zoom in on some of the interesting details that can be found within the winter landscape.

One more week of cold temperatures to endure 🙂 I have been in contact with some of the folks I met last year on Cayman Brac and can’t wait to get down there to photograph the Brown Booby’s with chicks as they have been hatching over the past week!

Winter Details Along the Skeleton River in Muskoka, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 185mm
ISO 100, f16 @ 0.5 seconds

Frozen Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400 mm VR lean @ 135mm
ISO 800, f29 @ 1/125 sec. Handheld

Frozen Lake Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 135mm
ISO 800, f16 @ 1/640 sec. Handheld

Frozen Lake Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 400mm
ISO 800, f16 @ 1/250 sec. Handheld

Frozen Lake Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 240mm
ISO 800, f16 @ 1/800 sec. Handheld

 

Read Full Post »

Winter Detail Fun

Icy Shoreline of Lake Ontario in Toronto
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens @ 400mm, ISO 800 f25 @ 1/800 sec. Handheld

On Friday, February 6th I decided to make the drive down to Humber Bay Park along the Lake Ontario shoreline in Toronto. I often find this to be a very productive location for over-wintering waterfowl, in particular the arctic species such as Long-tailed Ducks. I did not however, anticipate that much of the inner bays of the park would be frozen over. Usually there are open sections of water amid the frozen surface that hold lots of waterfowl, but on this day there were none and the ducks were much too far out in the lake to attempt photographing them. The solution: change gears and photograph some winter details because they can be a ton of fun.

In the image above the large boulders along the shoreline that protect against erosion from the incoming waves are coated in thick and treacherous ice. In the photo below I photographed this thick ice as it was back-lit by the sun to reveal the beautiful turquoise color of the rippled ice pattern created by the waves as they crash into the shoreline.

Rippled Ice Details
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens @ 240mm ISO 100 f13 @ 1/13 sec. Nikon Polarizing Filter

As I made my way further along the shoreline exploring the interesting textures of ice I came upon a spot along the shoreline where it looked like the beach was made of ice cubes. It was difficult to steady myself for this handheld photo on the super slick ice, but I did mange to get a few interesting images. Below is my favorite of the ice cube beach.

Icy Details on Lake Ontario Shoreline
Nikon D800, Nikon 24-85mm VR lens @ 85mm, ISO 100 f16 @ 1/160 sec

Next on my list was to check out an area at Humber Bay where one of the small inland, man-made ponds flows back down to Lake Ontario to photograph some miniature landscape scenes of winter stream details. There was just enough cloud in the sky to diffuse the bright sun, yet allow the ice to reflect back the blue in the sky. Below is a selection of some interesting ice formations from here.

Winter River Details
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 230mm ISO 50 f36 @ 0.3 sec, Nikon Polarizing Filter

Winter River Details
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 240mm, ISO 50 f36 @ 0.3 sec, Nikon Polarizing Filter

Winter River Details
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens @ 230mm, ISO 50 f40 @ 0.8 sec, Nikon Polarizing Filter

Winter River Details
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens @ 230mm, ISO 50 f40 @ 0.3 sec, Nikon Polarizing Filter

Please do remember to click on each image to view the larger, sharper version.

Read Full Post »

Don’t Miss This

Image: © Denise Ippolito / All Rights Reserved

The very creative and highly talented Denise Ippolito will be in the Toronto area to commence four separate workshops as well as a lecture for the Toronto Digital Photography Club. The workshops will be taking place on Sunday, October the 6th and Monday, October the 7th with the lecture scheduled for Tuesday, October the 8th at 7:30 pm in the Edithvale Community Centre in North York, Ontario. To learn more about the workshops and lecture and how to register for them please click HERE.

Denise Ippolito and I co-wrote the very popular eGuide, FRACTASTIC, a user guide to the Redfield Fractalius plug-in for Photoshop. Two of Denise’s amazing, fractalius renderings grace today’s blog post, with my most favorite of all her fracts featured above. Below you will see a Fractalius rendering from Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania.

Image © Denise Ippolito / All Rights Reserved

Denise is an excellent instructor / workshop leader and her lecture ‘A Blend of Art & Nature Photography‘ will inspire you to unleash your creative side. Be sure to check out the workshop and lecture information HERE and be prepared to be inspired. After all Denise taught me everything I know about Fractalius.

Hope to see you there 🙂

Read Full Post »

Humber Bay Park, Toronto

Northern Pintail drake

Yesterday I had a few spares hours while I was down in the big city of Toronto, Ontario. During the winter months, I love to spend as much time as possible over at Humber Bay Park along the Lake Ontario shoreline to photograph wintering ducks. It can be a great place to see Long-tailed , Scaup, Redhead, Wood, Black, and of course Mallard ducks. On some occasions it is possible to see Harlequin Ducks and other varieties as they pass through during the migration periods. With this winter being a little odd weather wise I was pleased to see a rather cooperative Pintail Drake hanging out with the resident Mallards. Whenever I plan to photograph at Humber Bay I always take along a pail of premium duck feed. Since the seeds and kernels of corn in this premium duck feed sink, the ducks must tip-up or dive down for the food. After they do this a few times they will always do several wing flaps. Although it is good practice to have a few documentary-type images, I much prefer to capture the waterfowl doing something other than floating on the water – behavior shots if you will. I also find the feeding frenzy created by the resident Mallards is a good way to bring in the duck species that are a little more timid.

This was a dark dreary kind of day and i would have much preferred some sun to make the duck’s colours really pop, but nonetheless it felt good to finally get out and create some fresh waterfowl images for my collection. Because of the dark weather conditions I decided to play around with some fill flash to try and gain a little pop to the resulting images.

Hope you like them.

Northern Pintail drake wing flap

Black Duck drake

Mallard hen wing flap

Read Full Post »