December 22, 2009

B-Ball (T.O.)

Sitting and watching (as did the Raptors) a basketball game at the ACC (a few weeks ago).



December 09, 2009

MVP (T.O.)


I've had the opportunity to see and experience many things already in my young career. It is a very fulfilling job where you get to meet people you wouldn't normally have access to, get to see things people rarely see, and get to do things you never thought you would.

A highlight has been the chance to cover the sport I grew up playing, at the highest level possible. Basketball is a great sport overall, and it photographs well. The field of play is reasonably small (unlike soccer), the players don't wear face-masks (so emotion is easy to capture, unlike football), the access is good (unlike hockey where you shoot through a little hole in the window) and the action is continuous (unlike baseball).

The ultimate treat as been to get to cover games in which Canadian Steve Nash, the best point guard to have played in the NBA, played. I played highschool and college varsity looking up to that player, and trying to learn from his skills, ethics and overall sense for the game.

Here are a few pictures from his latest visit to Toronto.



November 10, 2009

November 08, 2009

Big Ben by Sir Adrien (London, England)

So I like shooting the cheezy picture. Sue me. I'm not into the blurry black and white stuff. I like my travel photos to look like what's on a good postcard; with bright colours and recognizable landmarks.

So here's my take on London's Big Ben.



And finally, the Brighton Pier. I stayed at my friend Helen's in Brighton, and that was shot on a day-off (gotta take a break from all the traveling), where I just wandered around the streets of the lovely (gay) town and ate fish'n'chips by the English Channel (which is, unlike the Discovery Channel, not something that's on TV; who knew...).

November 03, 2009

Mind the Gap (London, England)


You get in that crappy bus in (even crappier) New Jersey, ride in the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson, and BAM! next thing you know, you're in New York City for the first time of your life.

You get on that train at the Gare du Nord in overrated Paris, fly under the English Channel, and BAM! you're in London baby!

It's all there, Big Ben, the double-deckers, the phonebooths, Elisabeth II with her funky glasses and Elton John on every pound and pence.

They drive on the wrong side of the road and everybody speaks like James Bond.

I'm off trying to figure out a way to get knighted.

October 31, 2009

Well well... (Chamonix, France)



So one big roadtrip comes to an end. After a dozen countries, I've got one last (big) stop on my list before coming back to America.

October 28, 2009

Ciao Bella (Venice, Italy)


October 25, 2009

"A Swedish Love Story" (Brastislava, Slovakia)

Cecilia and Joakim at the Bratislavský hrad (Bratislava Castle)

October 24, 2009

Wieners! (Vienna, Austria)

Well some places are beautiful, and kinda sucks for photographers. Vienna has tons of castles, palaces, monuments, etc. And it's a great city to wander around, but, it's tough to take pictures here.

Here are a few "moments".



Funny thing, people here call themselves Wieners! I know, in german W is like V, but still, worth a giggle every time.
This last one was in Prague; lovers walking near the Vltava.

October 21, 2009

Czech it out! (Prague, Czech Republic)

Some buildings seem drunk.
Tančící dům (Dancing house) by Czech architect Vlado Milunić helped by Canadian dude Frank Gehry.
Classic view of the Pražský hrad (Prague Castle), with the Karlův most (Charles Bridge) crossing the famous river, the Vltava.

October 13, 2009

Côte d'Azur (Nice, France)


Both pictures at "la Promenade des Anglais", near the Mediterranean Sea, in Nice, France.

Monaco, which was my original destination on this Côte d'Azur escapade, kinda sucks picture-wise. But Nice doesn't.

September 17, 2009

Three Kilometre High (over Cookstown, ON)


Last light. While these guys jump off the plane, it's already nighttime on the ground.

Although I usually have a bag of tricks to take pictures from weird/dangerous angles, this was pretty straight forward:

The big Cessna Caravan (the plane) goes about 200 km/h, and having one hand on the railing inside, I lean outside to have a good look and take my photo. No harness, "if you fall out, we don't want the plane to drag you in the air, you're better off opening your 'chute and hoping for the best" said James who was in charge of my (relative) safety.

September 13, 2009

TIFFF (Toronto, ON)

TIFF: Toronto International Film Festival. At times I add an extra F.
All the celebrities are in town, and so are the paparazzi. Which makes the life of a photojournalist like me, who walks the streets with all my photo gear, a living hell.
"Are you a paparazzi?"
Steve Russell answers: "No more than you are George Clooney. And if you are, what the hell happened to you?"
-
I photographed the lovely Drew Barrymore.

And this ended up on A1.


Also shot Hugh Hefner (and his bunnies), but I don't want to post it, because despite a large portion of the population being interested in the celebs, I don't care, and I don't think this whole Film Fest has much journalistic value overall.

September 05, 2009

Done with Mirrors (T.O.)


It's always better to see the eyes, whether it's the football player's eyes through the face mask or in this case the SWAT officer while he's shooting.

People tend to forget about the person taking the pictures. We're used to TV and we rarely think of the cameraman (i.e. the "first step" on the moon was shot by someone already standing on the moon).

In the case of taking pictures of an ETF (Emergency Task Force - called SWAT in other cities) officer at the shooting range, they obviously wouldn't let me stand in front of them. Not that I'd be scared; these guys are trained machines; but you never know, and especially when bullets are involved, better safe than sorry.

The usual choice would be a remote camera. Fairly easy to set up, but no way to control it once it's up there. We usually use wide-angle lenses on remote camera.

For this, I simply brought a mirror and a stand instead. I just thought I'd put the mirror in the right (dangerous) spot, and photograph what it shows me from behind the shooter. Easier to use with longer lenses. Possibility to move around and adjust your position and the image's composition. And, a cheap alternative for any photographer who doesn't own the equipment to fire a camera remotely.

Simply makes for a better image than the usually shooting range pictures from behind. And the longer lens looks better than a wide-angle on a remote.

Now getting the fire from the bullet; that's just good timing (just kinding, it's luck).


More MacGyver stuff next time around.

September 03, 2009

Cirque du Soleil (Toronto, ON)

Cirque du Soleil premieres their newest show, OVO, in Toronto.




I haven't posted in a while being oh so busy.

Lots of cool shots in the bank to post on here. This past month I spent time shooting (bullets and pictures) with the SWAT and hanging from a plane 2 miles above lake Simcoe.

September should be just as crazy with the film festival in Toronto and two weddings.

August 18, 2009

August 14, 2009

Big Picture Month - Day 14

August 10, 2009

Big Picture Month - Day 10

August 08, 2009

Putting the book together (T.O.)

(click to enlarge)


I'm working on the book. Here is yet another preview.

For those who might not know; Pacific Times is a book of images taken never more than 100 km away from the Pacific Ocean. Stories from New Zealand, Australia, California and Samoa. It will go to print in October and can be ordered for $75 (CAN).

It is expected to be awesome!

Stuff (Toronto, Ontario)



August 05, 2009

Big Picture Month - Day 4

July 28, 2009

June 26, 2009

Head-butt (Toronto, Ontario)

I'm working long days at the Star and loving it. It's great newsroom, the staff photographers are both very nice and extremely talented, and there's much to learn from them, I'm definitely going to sit down and write about it some other time.

In the mean time, here's a picture of Zinedine Zidane, the french soccer legend. He played in Toronto tonight.


And that's a feature picture from Ontario place.


Oh... and I graduated today.

June 19, 2009

Ted's Wife

I found Ted's wife.


(If you're wondering "what the ..."; it's a reference to the TV show How I Met Your Mother)

June 18, 2009

Toronto Star (Toronto, Ontario)

Been keeping busy at the Star. Very busy.

But it's great!

Here's a fresh picture from tonight:


And a photo taken at the airport... just for fun.

June 14, 2009