Gitzo Explorer Tripod Review
Another part of my recent equipment upgrades has been the tripod. I wanted not just stability, but also flexibility. Since I don’t shoot with gargantuan lenses (e.g., the Canon 1200mm f/5.6), I don’t really need a super-heavy-duty tripod. I’m not extraordinarily tall, either, so no problems there. No, I […]
Arca-Swiss Monoball P0 Review
As part of my current phase of equipment upgrades, I bought a new ball head for my tripod. After a lengthy search, I came to choose the Arca-Swiss Monoball P0. The vast majority of ball-and-socket style tripod heads (“ballheads”) have the socket for the ball in the bottom of […]
Useful non-photographic gear for photographers: ice cleats
Winter requires some special extra gear for photographers who venture out into the snow and ice. Beyond the obvious (e.g., a good winter coat), there is one thing that photographers can use the most in some areas: ice cleats. Why are ice cleats so useful, indeed necessary? Because the […]
The Artist Project 2014
I’m now back from The Artist Project 2014, a four-day art fair at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario. A pretty tiring affair that draws in quite a large crowd, but I made lots of contacts and renewed some old contacts. I had on display my North of Superior series, […]
Christmas Lights and Pine Trees
Christmas lights were up around Port Hope, Ontario well into January, so I took a bit of time to go shooting around downtown with my funkier lenses to try to get something interesting. Outside the Dreamers Cafe at Walton & Queen there were still some pine trees with lights […]
A few more #winter #photos from the ice storm
Yep, I took a bunch of photos during the ice storm last month. Things looked all purdy and everything, after all. With the exception of the photo of the willow, this selection of images comes from the farm field behind my house, taken the day after the weather cleared […]
Weeds in the Ice
My second set of photos from the ice storm is weeds in the ice. In some empty areas near the house are loads of large weeds which were completely coated in the ice from the storm. Caked as they were, the ice added a little something to their forms. […]
Ice on a Pine Tree
The ice storm this past weekend here in Ontario knocked out power for a lot of people; tens of thousands are still without even as of this writing. Having suffered the loss of power here for a couple of days, those still without power have my deepest sympathy. But […]
Christmas Lights through the Mirror Lens
The other week I was playing around with my new Rokinon 500mm f/5.6 mirror lens down in the park in Port Hope, shortly after it was festooned with Christmas lights. Since the mirror lens has an annular bokeh, I thought that it might make for some interesting images by […]
Portrait of the Artist as a Pyromaniac
The idea for this self-portrait came from wondering what I look like while I’m using the blowtorch on prints freshly coated in resin. I’m wearing a respirator because it it necessary in the presence of freshly-mixed resin (it gives off some nasty, toxic fumes). It quickly evolved into an […]
First Snow of the Season
This morning was the first snow of the season. One of those wet snowfalls that leaves a thick, puffy blanket of snow over everything. In other words, ideal for photography. So here are a few of the shots I took this morning around the yard. [social_share/]
Time Marches On
The other night I was playing with my new Rokinon f5.6 500mm mirror lens. The construction of the lens (a large mirror rather than a series of lenses) means that it produces a doughnut-shaped bokeh. Some photographers are put off by the bokeh, but I find it rather weird […]
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