As much as I love photographing around town here in Thunder Bay, it’s sometimes hard to find the motivation to do so. I imagine a lot of photographers around the world have creative ruts. It doesn’t help when it’s -25 out and the days are short. So, it’s important to look for different ways to look at things and different ways of shooting. Long exposure photography is a great way to do that. It often takes the usual ordinary scene and transforms it into something completely unique.
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Off the beaten path with the Ricoh GRII
What can I say about the Ricoh GR II. It’s a beast of a camera. It may sit in the shelf for periods of time here and there, but every single time I start shooting with it again it is probably the most fun I have out all my cameras. That includes the infamous Fuji X100F and my newly acquired Nikon DF.
Read MoreBraving the Winter with the Nikon DF
As I mentioned in me previous post, I recently purchased a Nikon DF. It’s been a long time coming and I’m so excite to finally own one. In the past week I have used it extensively, just for personal and fun photography. I am anxious to use it only paid sessions along side my D750 ( which is getting repaired at the moment). Until then, I’m going to continue to shoot as much as I can.
Read MoreFirst Weekend with the Nikon DF
With camera gear I’m always reading reviews and watching videos, keeping up to date with what’s new. With that being said, I almost always try to purchase used gear, especially camera bodies and lenses. There are exceptions of course, like a recent Fuji XT3 purchase.
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Exploring the Streets of Toronto
Toronto on ‘business’ which meant I didn’t really have much time at all to actually get out and do any personal photography. When I did though, I made the most of it. All in all, I would estimate I spent about 2 hours total. In Toronto, that’s not a lot of time, but luckily my creative juices were flowing in that timeframe because and I think I came away with at least a few keepers.
I have said it in a couple previous posts but Toronto is just a completely different universe regarding photography compared to Thunder Bay. It’s night and day. Not just the amount of people either, even the buildings and architecture and of course the energy. I could have easily set up shot on one street corner and spent an entire day.
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Thanksgiving + Fuji X100F
This past Thanksgiving I made sure to bring one of my cameras, just in case we managed to get out for a walk or just to take photos in general. I knew there would be one if not too dogs there so, it was pretty much a no brainer. Who could resist taking photos of dogs, or any kind of animals for that matter. The animals in question my wife’s cousin’s dogs, Frank, pictured above and Yoshi who you will see below. The camera I decided to carry with me on this day was the Fuji X100F. It’s portable, discreet and super fun to use. Oh, and it produces great photos. Although, I’d like to think I have something to do with that. Then again, I guess that is all subjective.
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Thunder Bay Marina in the Evening with the Fuji X100F
I have a few cameras, probably more then I really need but that is normal for a lot of photographers I think. It doesn't help that I constantly look at new cameras online and dream and contemplate. This means that certain cameras might not get used as much as others. Up until a few days ago, this was the case with my Fuji X100F. It kind of got pushed to the side for a while because of my Sony A6300 which I have been doing a lot of video with and also because I have been working full time which has eaten into my personal photography time.
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Country Cruise Night Car Show - Kakabeka Falls
It was one of those evenings that everything the stars all aligned and everything was perfect. After Anne and I finished doing a photography assignment in Kakabeka Falls she noticed there were a bunch of vintage cars across the road. There was a car show! First we decided to actually go check out the Falls and walk around a bit. Anne let me capture some video of her in and around the Falls which I have been wanting to do for SO long, but we have just been so busy. I simply cannot wait to edit and show off that video.
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Fort William Collegiate Institute
Over the past few months I have been teaching myself video and exploring different areas with a completely different point of view, seeing as how it's different then photography. One of the areas in town I always wanted to make a short film about was FWCI. Even though it's getting pretty run down these days I still think it has so much character and potential to be beautiful again. You can view the resulting video below, but while I was there I also managed to take some photos as well.
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Mount McKay and Abandoned Cars
I have been spending a lot of time lately trying to hone my 'video skills' and my personal photo walks have taken a backseat. Well, this morning I decided to take my X100F into the rain, even though it's not waterproof, and see if I remembered how to take photos. ;)
I joke about taken photos, as I have been doing a lot of professional work, but I have missed just walking around aimlessly and capturing still images. My first destination was the Mount McKay lookout, at the base of Mountdale Road. I'm not sure if I a lot of people know about this spot, because there is rarely anyone there, but it is quite beautiful. As soon as I got out of my car, I saw a cute little chubby rabbit hopping around. I swear it looked like a household rabbit. I did manage to get fairly close before it hopped off into the gloomy forest. As I do with almost any cat, dog, horse or bird I see in my travels, I had a short conversation with it. Sometimes I worry that I'm a bit crazy. I can't be the only person that talks to random animals though right?
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Yonge Street with the X100F
Last week I was hired to photograph a 3 day conference in downtown Toronto and I was pretty excited to do so, for a couple reasons. The main one being that I got to be a part of an amazing conference for ONWA, which you can read about on my professional blog here. The second reason was that I could not wait to get out and do some street photography. Lastly, I was very anxious to try out my new X100F. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to do very much street photography. However, I still managed to go for a quick walk around the block one evening, and managed to get some keepers and test out the new camera.
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Carpenters Local 1669 - Architecture Photography
Even though Thunder Bay is a small city compared to the likes of Toronto or Winnipeg, it's still amazes me that there are a ton of not so well known buildings in this city that have amazing architecture. Case in point, are the recent photos I captured of the Carpenters Local 1669 Training Centre for The Walleye.
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The Prince Arthur in Black and White
I was tasked to go in an capture some photos of The Prince Arthur Hotel the February Issue of The Walleye. I had been in the hotel a few times before, mainly for weddings and also a couple events. Each time I was inside, I just loved the overall feel and the history that excludes from the architecture. So, when The Walleye asked me to take some architectural photos for a spread they were doing, I jump at the chance.
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Walking around with the Nikon D850
I continue to be impressed with my Nikon D810. It's like my Nikon D750 on steroids. Don't get me wrong, my 750 is still a fantastic camera, but there is just something about the files that come out of the 850, that I just can't put my finger on. One of a recent shoots I had was downtown, so after I was done it I decided to walk around downtown for about 20 minutes. These are the resulting photos.
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Silver Creek Cliff
Anne and I decided to go see Arcade Fire perform in St. Paul, Minnesota this past weekend. The concert was their best yet that I have been to, and I almost want to see them again in another city. In any case, each time we do the drive to Duluth or Minneapolis, I always want to stop along the way to take photos at various spots. The problem is that we are always pressed for time and either want to get to where we are going, or on the way home, get back before it gets dark.
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A Long Time Coming
I say in the title it has been a long time coming because it feels like ages since I just got outside and walked around to take personal photos, not something I'm paid to do. Don't get me wrong, I love paid work and I hope it only gets busier, but everyone now and again I need to get out and shoot for myself. That is exactly what I did this evening.
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To the Marina and Beyond
I managed to actually get out yesterday morning and take some photos for myself. It had been a long time since I have had the chance to do so and it felt really good. My camera of choice was actually the Nikon D700. It's a camera I purchased recently as a backup and one that I owned before. It's an 'older' camera and has long since been replaced but to be honest, it is still one of my favourite cameras to date, which is why I ended up buying it again for photography.
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Sunday Evening Walk
It was an overcast day and somewhat warm out, so I decided to grab my Nikon D750 and 35mm lens and venture over to Hillcrest Park. Admittedly, it's hard sometimes to find new things to photograph, especially when I tend to walk in the same areas. So, what I try to do, is go down a different back alley, or walk from a different direction. Often times, just looking behind you or walking the opposite direction can give you a completely fresh perspective.
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Downtown Fort William
Last week I decided to wander around good old Fort William. Each time I go there, I always find new spots and different angles. This time around I brought my Nikon D750 and 35mm 1.8. I think it's the perfect walk around lens. It allows me to get in really close but it's also perfect for capturing authentic street photography, that loos natural to the eye.
The following photos are simply a collection of things that caught me eye. Enjoy!
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Looking for Deers at Mission Marsh
I decided to make a trip down to one of my favourite places to take photos, the Mission Marsh. My ultimate goal was to try and get some photos of the deers that frequent the area. I did end up getting a couple keepers but I also had the chance to explore and capture some other great images as well.
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