Chasing FOG...

So last month I went out and shot the fog at night and it was beautiful. This year, specifically this past Fall, it seemed like the fog came all at once. I mean like, for almost 4-5 days we were hit with solid fog and no wind. And then, just like that it was all gone.

Now, the problem with fog and being a photographer is that fog can give you instant FOMO. Don’t laugh, it’s a real thing! Fog usually creeps up on you when you least expect it. And then you just don’t know how long you have before it’s all gone! It really is a race against time. To stay sane, I repeat this motto, you get what you get and move on. So, over two nights I gave myself a total of 2 hrs (roughly an hour each night) to get what I could get.

Now, because I have kids, I can’t just up and leave to make photos, especially at night. So, I have to plan. My breakdown was easy:

  1. Spend one hour per night right after the kids are asleep.

  2. Keep it close to home. Searching for locations will waste time. (get what you can get!)

  3. Pack light. (read below)

This was my tool kit for each night was as follows:

Camera - Canon 6D

Lenses - 85mm f/1.4 + 50mm f/1.4

Tripod - Fotopro C40i

BONUS TIP: On day two I used my car so I could cover more ground, pull over and shoot from the car. My dashboard became my tripod!

Here are some images from night one that I rather liked.

Night two brought with it a unique perspective since I was relying on my car as my point of view. I will say, it was a brilliant way to get around and find moments. Here are a couple of my favourites from night two.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What focal length do you prefer for this type of night, street photography, 85mm, 50mm, or 24mm? Let me know.

Ultimately, this was a practice in patience and perseverance. I was just happy to get out and get it done. Could I have done more, stayed out longer? Of course, but there is something to be said about that saying I mentioned earlier. “Get what you can get!”.

peace.

t.






SUNDAY SOUL : The Optimism Fall Brings

Editor’s note: My procrastination has left this post in “drafts” for 3 months! My apologies. I will do better by y’all.

I have to say, the Fall at times feels more like a “New Year” to me than January. There’s something to be said about life regenerating itself in the physical form right there in front of you as opposed to your “hopes and dreams” approach.

You see, Autumn comes along to remind us of the importance of a refresh. A chance to make things better. A chance to start things over, heal, finish, or simply, begin.

Now, the Canadian Fall season tends to be short-lived, before you know it you're in your winter coat. However, this Fall in particular has been exceptional. I mean we were in the first week of November and still experiencing a bit of that early fall warmth. The winds have consistently been calm so leaves have stayed on the trees that much longer. This has all translated into one of my most documented, photogenic, and memorable Autumn seasons on record for me. Because of that, I felt present and honest with the photos I made.

With all that said, I have had a lot of mixed feelings about making images as of late. One is, the more I shoot nature landscapes the more I know I don’t want that to be my new direction or focus. However, I see nature as my retreat, my escape. So if I do shoot it, it will be more of a relaxation process, a reflective process. Those are the feelings I want to connect my memories to when looking back at these specific photos. We’ll see, only time will tell.

Thanks for sticking around.

t.

The Mindset of a Street Photographer

Starting off your day with the proper mindset can be all the difference you need when making images you're truly happy with. Let me explain.

A typical day out shooting street may look something like this. You wake up, eat breakfast, head downtown to a high-traffic area and start shooting. BUT here’s the problem, you have no plan, focus, or expectations. Once in a while that’s actually healthy to do. However, what I’m talking about are the mental fundamentals that will prepare you for maximum clarity of the task at hand while managing your expectations.

So here are the 3 STEPS that I put into play each time I head out to shoot. (Results may vary but I promise you will get better).


1. PREP
Preparing both mentally and physically the night before you head out to shoot. Since I’m a big fan of less is more, my setup would look something like this.

  • One compact camera (Ricoh GR II)

  • Three batteries minimum (charged).

  • One small camera bag.

Along with equipment I always check the weather, wear the proper clothing based on the weather, and bring bottled water.

2. ONE SHOT

This is the goal or the magic number I keep in the back of my mind whenever I head out to shoot. If I leave from a day of shooting with one shot that I’m really happy with I feel I’m making solid progress toward something bigger. Some will say that that’s not ambitious enough or I’m setting the bar really low for myself, but I don’t believe that to be true. By keeping the pressure or expectation low, I give myself a chance to experiment, take my time, and mainly shoot what sparks my interest. To me it’s a choice between quality vs quantity.

3. SHARE

This step is by far the easiest in theory, right? Share the work you just created. Share what you’ve put so much time and effort into. Share your vision with the world! Yet we as artists tend to find ourselves never showing our works. Why? FEAR OF WHAT OTHERS WILL THINK. This thought comes up time and time again (trust me, I still struggle with it). Ultimately we are asking ourselves, will people like me? It sounds so silly when you read it back but it’s a real feeling, a real mentally exhausting thought to constantly process.

Now, before we lose track of the point I’m trying to make here, let’s review it again. SHARE THE WORK YOU’VE CREATED! That’s it. Share it on social, share it on your website, share it in a group chat! It really doesn’t matter, just let others know your vision. Once you’ve shared it, you’ve completed the artistic journey and can now move on to a new one.

Let me know in the comment if you have a different approach to achieving your daily photo goal. I’m all ears!

Peace.

t.

5 Images That Changed My Street Photography

I’ve taken many images over the years, some more memorable than others. So after skimming through a few hundred of my favourites, I landed on these five photographs as my most impactful. When I think of my artistic growth, confidence in sharing my craft, finding meaning behind each frame, and understanding the technical side of making images, these five stand out. An important note to make when looking at these images is that I’ve taken thousands of “bad” shots (imo). Matter of fact I still take bad shots just not as many as I used to. I still do make mistakes out in the field, however, that’s when I’ve seen the most growth. That new way to look at things holds true for all things we are passionate about: practice makes progress because perfection doesn’t exist! OK, let’s get into it.

“MONDAZE” - 2011

“Mondaze” - Fall 2011, Toronto, Canada

I had only been shooting street for a few months when I stumbled upon this moment in 2011. My camera toolbox at that time was very limited, consisting of just my iPhone 4. The X-factor was an app called Hipstamatic. The app had innovative features, one being the ability to shoot directly in Black & White (a new experience for me). I remember seeing this person walking with an umbrella a few feet away. I quickly opened the app and simply waited for him to enter my frame. The problem was he walked faster than I had anticipated so I turned my phone to try and get the whole umbrella in the frame. I also didn’t know much about shutter speed hence the blurry, tilted image. BUT, I learned a ton about patience, silhouettes, creating mood, and single-frame storytelling. That day, I felt like I was onto something.

“HOME” - 2014

“HOME” - Fall 2014, Toronto, Canada

Four years after I made this image, a client said to me “ I love the juxtaposition of your composition. I mean, how long did you wait for your subject to cross your frame with the word “VISITOR” right there!?” I had to take a second look at my own image. It took me four years to understand and see what he meant (so obvious, I know). I learned in that moment that I need to be more present when I’m shooting street. It’s not about the cool composition but about the details which tell a bigger story upon reflection.

“UNDECIDED“- 2016

“Undecided” - Winter 2016, Toronto, Canada.

In most frames that I create, I first see myself as the subject. Hear me out. Mentally, I connect with the subject because I‘ve either been where they are or want to be where they’re going. Sounds silly, I know, but it really is what I relate to first. I remember a time when all I wanted to do was leave Toronto. Leave my home, my neighbourhood. I just needed a refresh and a new start. I eventually packed my bags and moved to Harlem, New York City. It was a time where I experienced many emotions including loneliness and solitude (that’s a story for another day!). Naturally, this image and the concept of home really resonated with me. I didn’t feel it then but in retrospect, I was definitely going through it. Nonetheless, a beautiful moment that always takes me back.

“Higher Learning”- 2019

“Higher Learning” - Winter 2019, San Francisco, USA.

Any street photographer will at some point share with you a story of pure luck of how they “got the shot”. It usually has nothing to do with them other than pressing the shutter. Do any of these clichés sound familiar to you? ”I was just at the right place at the right time,” “the stars were aligned,” “I just turned around at there it was,” “the photo gods were watching over me”… etc., etc.

These all sum up this beautiful moment in street photography for me. I mean please just analyze all the small details of this composition. The back story is I was walking down a street in San Francisco near city hall, I saw this gentleman and loved the colour of his early 80s trenchcoat. In passing, I snapped off one frame. It was only until I looked at the image later did I see all the fascinating details. The NAT GEO book (do they still print these?), the vintage green, post box. But of course, it’s the brilliant, hair braided-antennae coming out from his head. I was speechless but thankful. I learned empathy in this moment. It is my duty to honestly document my subjects but it’s my choice of what light to shine and it will always be compassion over clicks, eccentric over safe. This moment also reminded me of why I love to shoot street!

“Eyes of the forgotten” - 2017

“Eyes of the Forgotten” - Fall 2017, Toronto, Canada

It was not until I had this perspective of my city from the rooftops of Kensington Market that I realized the Toronto I grew up in was leaving us for good. This was now the era of skyscrapers, condos, and construction. The soul of the city was leaving and Future Toronto was here to stay.
What I learned technically from this image was the importance of going back to a tested location and to PAY ATTENTION TO THE WEATHER! A change in weather literally changes everything. Sunrise, sunset, rain, snow, fog, night, and day, all have an effect on your final image. Though I love this photo, I wonder what story a setting sun would tell.

So there you have it, five images that changed my photography and I think pushed me to where I am at this point in my career. To be quite honest, I feel like I’m just getting started! Looking back at these images reminds me of just how much more I have to experiment with in the world of street photography.

Can you remember a photo or two that changed the way you approached the way you shoot? Please share in the comments below!

Until the next blog, stay creative and believe in yourself.



Peace,

t.

BW photo challenge cut short! :(

As I prepped to shoot day 11 of 14 for my photo challenge I got a call from my friend Shanik. He unexpectedly needed the RICOH back. So just like that the challenge came to a skreeeeching halt. But no worries! Let me break down what I've learned over the last 10 days.

1. Consistency breeds output. The 10 blog posts I created over the 10 days is more than I created in the last year, yes the last year!

2. The "right time" doesn't exist. Shooting now, posting now, sharing now, taking action now is way more of a productive process than over-thinking and putting out less work. Improve as you share your work!

3. Black and White photography helps your eye focus. Since I forced myself to shoot exclusively in BW I had no choice but to look for interesting scenes, find the beauty in the mundane and set myself up in a position to capture a great shot.

4. Bring your camera everywhere! Because I brought my RICOH with me every day I was able to give myself a chance to capture everything and anything I came across. Don't assume you'll "get the shot" later so be prepared and always carry it.

5. Have fun? hahaa! I struggled with this on the first few days. I was mad, grumpy, complaining about the carema settings, the weather, you name it! But by day 6 I thought, what's the point of doing this exercise if it's not fun to you? Chill, have fun and be thankful for the process. 

What's next? Well, I'm gonna do my first film camera challenge. Stay tuned!

t.

Day 1 - 10 (left-right)

BW Photo a Day challenge 010/014

Full day of everything else but photography. I'm starting to wonder if December was the best month to try a challenge. lol 

010/014 - Dec. 6th 2017 - Victoria Park & Gerrard St.

Photo 010 story:
Light. Look at what a little light does, it was everywhere. Through the fence, through the paper, reflectiing on the staples, but what I love most about this image... "Greg" wrote out the entire add by hand. Does that mean he doesn't have access to a computer or was this done on purpose? I love it either way. He wrote down his skillset, got this photo-copied somewhere and posted it up. Old school! Only one left. :D

Peace,

t.