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2013-02-18 14:51:30 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Officially sickened...

http://midwayfilm.com/

2012-08-07 16:20:17 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Do any of you use Flickr or any other online photo storage service? Please remember to keep an offline backup of your precious data, just in case. You never know when disaster may strike.

2012-08-07 16:09:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

This is an awesome example of why offline data backups are so important. The article is a little long, but graphically illustrates how completely unsecure our digital lives can be.

2012-07-30 15:39:46 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Stone Chat
Winter colours in the Rietvlei Nature Reserve.
#BirdPhotographyMonday curated by +David Hemmings 
#300mmMonday curated by +Katherine Mann   +Mark Bottoms 

2012-07-27 04:03:23 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

I think I can be honest here. I am not a jump-out-of-bed morning person. I like nothing more than to find a cool spot in the sheets and snuggle up with my wife in the early hours of the day. Seeing the dawn with my head on the pillow then drifting back to sleep is about as close as I will normally get to a sunrise. But this day was different.

In Prince Edward County, staying at Huff Estates Inn, we had driven by the Lake on the Mountain on the way to a winery. It had occurred to me that if I was going to make the effort to get a sunrise photo, this was as good a spot as any I had ever seen. When I happened to mention that thought out loud, both kids were all over the idea. I quickly recanted, but as the day wore on it started to make more sense. How often was I going to be here? So the next morning there we were, at crazy o'clock AM, waiting for the sun to slide over the horizon. 
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2012-07-24 00:48:32 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Why is it that we have statues honoring gods and generals, authors and athletes, politicians and musicians, but nothing to tell us who invented wine? Wine, a drink that has lubricated the lips and minds of millions around the planet for thousands of years. Someone had to have invented it, and I don't mean the Phoenicians, Persians or Egyptians. I want to know specifically, which guy? It must be written on a stone tablet somewhere. Archaeologists, keep digging!

There is no better way to pass a sunny afternoon than touring a wine region covered in vines, sampling as you go. On the July long weekend this year we toured Prince Edward County in Ontario, Canada. This winery is called Devils Wishbone, located in a century old barn near the Lake on the Mountain. The Cabernet Sauvignon is superb and the company is awesome. Definitely worth the trip!

2012-06-26 00:39:17 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

As controversial as the Alberta Oilsands have been and continue to be, I can think of no better spot to watch the sunrise. As the blue tones of the night slowly retreat across the snow in front of the rising brilliance, the silhouettes of the spruce trees are revealed in stark blackness against the mornings clouds. The colors are magnificent in the cold northern air, changing quickly as the sun makes it's way higher to start the day.

It's too bad our society wasn't powered by colorful clouds and northern sunrises; I guess if it was we'd all be driving unicorns and not automobiles.

2012-06-21 05:53:23 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 21 +1s)

I came across this old caboose on a warm spring day and immediately felt like I had met a kindred spirit. It had obviously traveled a few hard miles in it's time, and I felt it had probably done it's job well. It was sitting alone, boarded up and contemplative on the track. I wondered if it might slip away on that empty rail and vanish into the sunset if given the chance.

At some point we may all end up like that old caboose. If you could hop on the rails and disappear, where would you go?

2012-06-20 02:25:07 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

I am a more or less self-taught IT Professional. And a more or less self-taught photographer. I've taken the odd course here and there, but the majority of my time is spent learning while doing, rather than learning while listening. I'm not saying it's better or worse to be unedumacated; that's just how things worked for me.

After being immersed in computers and networks for so long, I've noticed that I tend to think and see things in terms of gigabytes, megabits, data storage and packet transfer. When I saw this image, it immediately occurred to me that this is what all these thoughts probably look like flying around in my brain. 

I believe I may have already been assimilated. The Borg is my Father.

2012-06-13 02:29:36 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

Imagine that as you went about your daily business of gathering food and water, death lurked around every corner. It is the life experience of every prey animal on the planet. In the early days of humanity we were prey animals and were always on the defensive. 

How could puny hairless monkeys defend themselves against the teeth and claws of the creatures that wanted to eat us?

We developed larger brains and invented tools, first for defense, then for offence. We organized ourselves into a society, in essence, we became the predator. So why hasn't any other creature evolved the same way? 

Spiders have preyed on bees for millions of years. Bees have organized societies. Why haven't the bees figured out that if they wore a little belt with a little bee-sized pistol holstered in it as they flew from flower to flower, they could burn that spider down before it made themi... more »

2012-06-07 02:11:53 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 21 +1s)

Mer Bleu is a magical place for a walk, summer or winter. Lots of trails and boardwalks, all the urban wildlife you might imagine, forests and marshland, and mosquitoes. All located within Ottawa city limits. http://tinyurl.com/7zvaz7j

This squirrel clearly knew I had a camera, because he kept running ahead of me, posing on every tree and fallen log. I teased him for awhile before shooting, shaking my head each time he stopped, encouraging him to find a spot with better light. At this point he looked like he was getting a bit desperate, so I finally gave him what he wanted. Then he took off before I could get the model release signed. 

2012-06-04 15:53:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Awesome spot in Ottawa, Canada

2012-06-04 00:43:27 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

This image was a long exposure taken while driving. I think it was about 3 or 4 seconds. It's not something I do all the time, but it does make for some interesting effects. Good thing I have broad shoulders. 

2012-05-30 01:31:18 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)

I love looking at all the embassies in Ottawa. Lots of interesting architecture with awesome angles and shadows. Walking down Sussex Drive is nothing but good times for a photographer interested in people or buildings, or both.

The US embassy is both institutional and impressive. Lots of lines and glass provide plenty of excellent photo opportunities. If you get a chance to come to Ottawa, this should definitely be on the list.

2012-05-25 16:25:36 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 18 +1s)

I've been following the work of modern street photographers, and honestly, it freaks me out. I'm not 100% sure, but perhaps it's my Canadian-ness that prevents me from just snapping my shutter in people's faces. What I am enjoying though, is finding an interesting spot and waiting for the right moment to come along. The convergence of people, movement, shadows and light creates an atmosphere and feeling that is totally alien compared to landscapes or architecture. By blending myself into the scene, I become part of it. It's fascinating.

2012-05-21 03:07:49 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

I've never been one to wear a hat. Oh sure, I've hit the toque in the winter, and even sometimes in the summer too. But I never could get myself underneath anything with a brim. I know there are plenty of folks out there who can totally rock the hat look without coming across like some crazy hipster. It was just never my deal. But I guess if I had to wear a hat to enjoy a picnic with three ladies...nahhh, still wouldn't do it...

2012-05-18 06:40:36 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 13 +1s)

I think using tilt in photography creates an awesome effect. By employing selective focus, you can make things look like they are miniature - how cool is that? I don't believe there is a practical purpose for it beyond being creative, but who cares, it's fun!!

This was captured somewhere around the northern end of Lake George, NY. This area, its people and history were the basis for the novel "The Last of the Mohicans", by JF Cooper. The movie adaptation with Daniel Day-Lewis is on my list of favorites.

2012-05-16 04:49:20 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Accelerating in my lane, focused on the destination, mind wandering as the kilometres fly by, I imagine Ancient People standing in ghostly silence off in the trees. They are bewildered by the speed at which I travel across the land, never stopping to see what might lie just beyond the guardrail. ...As if they knew what a guardrail was...

2012-05-15 01:35:28 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

Standing on Nepean Point, looking out over the Alexandra Bridge towards Gatineau, I wonder what the early explorers would say about the society we've built. When peering back into history, we often assign heroic thoughts to well known but long dead people. Did they really think about building a Nation, or were they more likely thinking about making the maximum amounts of both money and rum while evading the King's taxmen? Honestly, I don't think that the entrepreneurs of 500 years ago were all that different from the entrepreneurs of today.

2012-05-14 14:16:27 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

There are crows nesting in a large fir tree down the street. Their eggs have obviously hatched, and all day they fly back and forth bringing food to the chicks. Can you imagine what it would be like to be raising three or four kids and have to bring home your food one mouthful at a time? I wonder if crow children ever do anything special for their moms on Mother's Day...

2012-05-11 03:51:01 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Sometimes when I'm walking down a busy street and I notice a space between buildings, I get this strong urge to just climb through. I know I can walk around, but where is the fun in that? I'm sure that under his mask, Peter Parker was grinning from ear to ear as he Spidermanned around town. I know I would be. — in Lake Placid, New York.

2012-05-10 04:45:07 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

Kirby Lake is located about 2.5 hours north of Edmonton AB. I went there to try oil rigging as a career change. The oil rig wasn't really my thing, but I was sure glad I brought my camera. I had never experienced a sunrise or sunset like I saw up there. Every morning, crisp and cold, I spent a few minutes staring in total awe. I would go back again in a heartbeat, although just as a tourist this time. Find someone else to carry the damn flare line.

2012-05-09 04:22:26 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

The Great Hall at the National Art Gallery is an amazing space. Towering pillars of concrete etched by light and shadow, it feels ancient yet modern. It's a place where if I saw the mighty Beowulf striding towards me in all his Norse glory, playing Super Smash Bros on a Nintendo DS, I would barely raise an eyebrow. It's a great way to start your gallery tour.

2012-05-08 04:21:08 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

The camera freezes a reflection of the life in front of the lens, but ice actually freezes the life.There is probably some deep philosophical meaning to be derived from this comparison, but I'm too tired to even try. Let's just say that my buds were also freezing as I stood there capturing this image, and leave it at that.

2012-05-07 04:08:47 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Whenever I stand next to Niagara Falls, I can only think of one thing. Why would anyone want to walk on a tightrope over it, or float in a barrel down it? But so many have done just those things over the years. I'm happy being chicken, thanks.

2012-05-05 21:37:36 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

I nearly tripped over this guy on a chilly day at Petrie Island. He was sitting on the beach and looked a little cold. I guess I'd be cold too if I had to sit naked and wet outside in March.

2012-05-03 14:56:37 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

I have a thing about old wrecked farm buildings. Not being a farmer, it's hard for me to wrap my head around why you would let something just fall apart. I'll probably always be a city-slicker.

2012-05-03 00:41:30 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Finally made it onto Google+ !! Looks good Google, thanks!

2012-05-04 00:47:45 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

War Museum in Ottawa