I don’t think I’ve posted a portrait shot completely from the back before, but this one works for me; the subject Tiffany is a very creative person, and as such was able to integrate herself easily into the formal style of this section of High Park in Toronto.
I’ve been shooting a lot in High Park recently, as I love the lighting and settings available. Last week, while waiting for a model to arrive I noticed a dead tree, set amongst living plans that I though would be a great place to shoot, but before the model arrived, another photographer and a model arrived (I think it was his girlfriend) and set up camp at the spot. They spent more time engaged in a bitter argument than shooting; I don’t think they will be happy with the results. Luckily, when I came back the next day for a shoot with model Chantal (featured in the image below) the spot was available, so we started our shoot there 🙂
I think I’ve mentioned before how so much of my portrait work is close-up; I am addicted to the biography (indeed the landscape) that is the human face. I have to force myself to pull back ever now and then, and let more of the setting into the story, or even become the story, as I think it does in this image of model Theresa in High Park.
Today’s image was taken this past holiday Monday in the Rock Garden portion of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, not far from Toronto. I was quite struck by the beauty of this area of the garden, and the large tree stump to me acts like a station or monolith; not alive, but still exerting dominance over the space.
(Nikon F3 camera, Nikkor 28mm f2.8 lens, Kodak SO-331 High Contrast Intermediate film, developed in Diafine, 3+3)
This week I am in Scottsdale, Arizona and it is hot even for this time of year: over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 40 C every day. Today’s image is the view I get when I step out of my hotel room, captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app and “infrared” film. The “wrong” colours actually capture the feeling of being in this spot better than accurate colour rendition ever would.
In Virgin Gorda we passed this stand of trees every day, and every day it caught my eye, as it seemed like a corridor in a cathedral. I took many pictures of it, and I think this is the one that best captures the impression it made on me. For this image I used my Mamiya medium format camera, 55 mm wide angle lens, and Ilford Delta 100 film.
This image was created on the only cloudy day we experienced on VIrgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. On a island known for sandy beaches and sun, I found this rocky beach fascinating. Much of the smaller rocks are actually old weathered pieces of coral that have washed onshore, along with small shells or broken bits of larger shells. Amazing textures, that demanded to be captured in black and white, so out came the medium format Mamiya, loaded with Tri-X.
Another deviation from the usual time-warp. This is a photo I made this past Saturday at a Toronto Photo meet-up at an Orchid show here in Toronto. I left the digital gear at home, and went strictly old-school. Mamiya medium format with Macro lens, Kodak Ektar 100, no lights, just a tripod. There’s just something about using film for flower macro work; organic materials for an organic subject perhaps?
Quite often people talk about what an image can reveal, but today I will talk about what an image can hide. This is an image I created this past week by the Don river, using my Mamiya M645J camera, and Tri-X film. Except for the lamp post in the middle of the image, there is nothing to indicate that this is a polluted river in the middle of central Toronto, as opposed to some unspoiled wilderness somewhere else.
One experiment I plan to try this year is to take a water sample from this river, and develop a roll of black and white film with it; it wouldn’t surprise me if I get a recognizable image!
My Third Eye 