Yesterday afternoon I was shooting in Kensington Market again. The streets were closed to all vehicular traffic, making for a great atmosphere. A belly dancing show was taking place, surrounded by photographers, as in the image below. Sometimes it’s as much fun to watch the audience!
(Canon 7 35mm rangefinder, Leitz (Leica) 90mm/f4 Elmar lens,
Ilford Delta 400 film, developed in Kodak Microdol-X developer, 1:1 for 15.5 minutes at 20 degrees)
Much is said about communication in Social Media circles, specifically in the context of audience. When I use old film gear, like I did for this image of Rebecca below, I feel in a way that I am also communicating with photographers who have gone before me; holding an old film camera, I feel a connection to the history of photography that I just don’t feel with a digital camera, almost a ghost in the machine kind of thing.
Canon 7 Rangefinder camera, 50mm/f2 Summitar len, Ilford Pan F film)
Another image from my recent shoot with Jennifer at U of T. It was around 7 pm, so the sun was lower in the horizon. The sunlight was coming at an angle through trees, which made for some great lighting!
(Nikon F2, 85mm/1.8 lens, shot on Kodak Tri-X at box speed developed in Xtol 1+1 for 9 minutes)
With the ubiquity of cell phones, we are seeing fewer and fewer pay phones; they are increasingly seen as obsolete, and the ones that are still around tend to be in pretty rough shape. These two outside the Bathurst subway station seem different; they are both in decent condition, and seem determined to maintain dignity and a sense of purpose. In a sense, they remind me of an old married couple: not flashy, but dedicated and devoted.
(Canon 7 35mm rangefinder, 50mm/f2 Jupiter 8 lens,
Fomapan 100 film,
developed in Tmax developer for 9 minute)
This past weekend I had a shoot on Saturday at Sunnyside Pavilion in Toronto. While waiting for the couple to arrive (and more on them in a future post), I did some shooting of my own. This location has become a bit of a wedding photography factory, so I mainly skulked around the edges and did detail images.
(Canon 7 Rangefinder camera, circa 1961, Soviet Jupiter 8 50mm/f2 lens,
Fomapan 100 film developed in Tmax developer 1:9 for 9 minutes)
Over the last few years I’ve noticed more and more “human statues” at Yonge and Dundas in downtown Toronto. I’d say this is a pretty tough way to make a living: it requires a lot of concentration, and I am sure some passersby will do their best to break their pose.
(Nikon F2, 105mm/f2.5, Tri-X developed in Xtol 1:1)
I thought this citizen of Toronto had an interesting look, and the Nikon 105mm/2.5 allowed for just the right degree of isolation in the framing.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot with Michael James. I first met Michael last year when we were both in The Alexander Showcase Theatre’s production of Man of La Mancha. Michael is a fun guy to work with: a great sense of humour, and also a lot of depth and thoughtfulness. My job as a photographer is to capture that, and I’d like to think I did.
I used the Nikkor 85mm/1.8 lens on my Nikon F2, using Kodak Tri-X film; I can see myself coming back to this combo again, especially for male portraits!
The last few days I have been trying my Nikkor 85/1.8 lens on my Nikon F2 for street shooting, and I am really liking the this focal length; so many images just seem to present themselves, like today’s image of a dog owner coming back to collect his dog. (I was originally trying to get a shot of the dog alone, but the owner came back just as I was about to shoot).
(Nikon F2 with 85mm/1.8 Nikkor lens, Tri-X film at E.I. 400 developed in Xtol 1:1 for 9 minutes)
My Third Eye 