Sunrise

The morning sunrise along the Intercoastal Waterways is a wonderful thing.  A warm breeze, the rising light on terra cotta rooftops, in the distance an ocean view, and the singular sound of the wind on water.  An early rise to these calming surroundings, before a long work day.  How can you go wrong?

Hallandale Beach, Florida  03.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 64mm | ISO 100 | shutter 1/160sec | f 7.1

Post Race

After a hard fought win, No.9 gets his rub down and drink of water before being escorted to the winner's circle.  I don't pretend to be an expert of the racing culture, but on the rare occasions I get to to the track, the handlers consistently appear to love these beautiful animals they care for.  Gentle in the treatment, warm in the touch - the animals reciprocating.

Hallandale Beach, Florida  03.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 85mm | ISO 100 | shutter 1/320sec | f 8

Down the Stretch

St. Patrick's Day at the Gulfstream was a colourful day.  A beautiful afternoon, a festive crowd, and an abundance of green sequin hats and shamrocks.  The perfect blend of race day ambiance and the sound of each pack charging to the finish line made for a good time with my peeps.

Hallandale Beach, Florida  03.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 85mm | ISO 100 | shutter 1/400sec | f9

The Archway

Being honest, sometimes it's a struggle to find the inspiration to shoot something as often as I would like.  That's when I thank heaven for geometrics.  Lines, shapes, colours and contrasts are in and of themselves a great subject, and and can be thought provoking (for some I guess).  This archway was part of a walkabout -  the height, space and symmetry with the delicious purple lighting helped me get into a groove on this night.

Hallandale Beach, Florida  03.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 50mm | ISO 1250 | shutter 1/13sec | f13

The Handicapper

As I was setting up for a shot of the staircase, this interesting gentleman makes his way down.  After a brief exchange, I asked if I could take his photo.  He asked me if it was "because of the win".  Had no idea what he was talking about, until I looked him up when sending the street pic.  Turned out this guy is a world class race handicapper, that had won a $500,000 grand prize from a starting pool of 100,000 entrants.  You never know who you are going to meet.

Hallandale Beach, Florida  03.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 22mm | ISO 800 | shutter 1/30sec | f4

At The Wire

These pups can move.  The evening races at Mardi Gras Casino went through their ritual ceremony for each run.  The presenting of the greyhounds (tails wagging), lining up for the race, the buzz of the speeding bunny...and they are off.  A very exciting, high energy event, executed wonderfully by these canine athletes.

Hallandale Beach, Florida  03.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 30mm | ISO 5000 | shutter 1/80sec | f10

The Court

This was delightful sight.  During race day, the stands that line the court are filled with race goers, watching the walk of the competitors.  At night, the area is filled with the evening crowd, soothed by the pastel coloured lights and the sounds of water in the show piece fountain.  A pleasant surprise indeed.

Hallandale Beach, Florida  03.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 17mm | ISO 1250 | shutter 1/30sec | f 4

The Water Tower

A Sunday evening walkabout, a warm breeze blowing, and the peaceful feeling from the setting sun.  In the  distance, the familiar silhouette of palms and the Floridian water towers made for a nice momento from a too short visit.

Hallandale Beach, Florida  03.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 68mm | ISO 100 | shutter 1/100sec | f 22

What Are The Odds?

I find the horse track to be a very interesting place.  It never fails in providing the broadest of colorful economic cross sections of society, blended with an interesting foundation of characters from the racing culture.  All looking to test Lady Luck.

Hallandale Beach, Florida  03.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 17mm | ISO 320 | shutter 1/25sec | f 4

Fire Worship

All along Place des Festival on this winter's night, the crowds mingled, enjoying the sites. Food and drink to be enjoyed, activities abound, and fun to be had by the crowd.  When a break was needed, groups huddled around fire pits, warming hands or roasting marshmallows and sausages.  After collecting enough warmth, the fire worshipers rotate, as the recharged disappear back into the flow.

Montreal, Canada  02.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 17mm | ISO 800 | shutter 1/30sec | f 4

St. James the Apostle

The steps at St. James the Apostle, a church on St. Catherine Street in Montreal, has long been a perch for people from all walks.  A vivid memory for me was walking past the steps many, many years ago - noticing two guys side by side with their bottles in bags.  The older one had clearly been on the street for a while, while the younger one, around my age, was new to it all - still looking healthy, and well kept.  I still remember being struck by the thought of "what brought this young guy to this sad turning point"? - the start of many hard days ahead.

Montreal, Canada  02.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 18mm | ISO 250 | shutter 1/30sec | f 4.5

The Taco Truck

Business was booming outside Grumman '78 - taco truck extraordinaire.  Highlighted as one of Montreal's little treasures, these entrepreneurs found a way to get around the City's food truck bylaws, by building their clientele around special events. Arriba!!

http://grumman78.com/?lang=en

Montreal, Canada  02.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 26mm | ISO 3200 | shutter 1/30sec | f 5.0

Light Box

As we entered Festival Square for an evening at Montréal en Lumière, we passed by this wonderful structure.  Old school television boxes, back lit with a delicious combination of colours, lighting up the night.  Nostalgic and soothing, the whole space was further proof that Montreal knows to how to get it done.

Montreal, Canada  02.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 22mm | ISO 3200 | shutter 1/4sec | f 4.0

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Heading down St.Urbain's brick road, to a favourite cafe from years back, we couldn't help but notice the amount of graffiti everywhere.  Passing this door, I smiled to myself, imagining a pointed message being delivered to a partner coming home late one too many times.  Not likely, but a funny thought nonetheless.

Montreal, Canada  02.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 17mm | ISO 100 | shutter 1/50sec | f 5.0

The Dome

I guess, we have always known it, but this trip to the old city really highlighted the extremes of architecture in Montreal's downtown core.  This view of the dome Cathedral of Marie-Reine-du-Monde, contrasted against the sparkling lights of the high rises in the background dramatically illustrates the point.

Montreal, Canada  02.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 17mm | ISO 3200 | shutter 0.8sec | f 5.0

The Sanctuary

Spending some time strolling down St. Denis, we are struck by the number of closed storefronts.  As we pass this church, this image calls out more that it intends, the irony demands to be captured.

Montreal, Canada  02.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 17mm | ISO 100 | shutter 1/60 | f 5.6

The Back Door

Walking down St.Catherine's towards the gathering crowds on a crisp night, we passed alley after alley, lined with bins and street tags.  This spot caught my eye, with the single lamp over a back door, casting just enough light to highlight the interesting combination of shadows, lines and colours.

Montreal, Canada  02.2012

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | focal 17mm | ISO 3200 | shutter 1/10 | f 4.0

MovingPic: "A Walk in the Byward Market"

Here is a first step towards my goal to expanding my storytelling through a new visual medium: video.  This will be an exciting journey is learning, refining and bringing together all the variables that are needed to harness the potential of video shorts.  Let's see how it goes.

Ottawa, Canada  12.2011

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 7D | Post Production Apple Final Cut Pro X  Gear  Canon 10-22mm/24-70mm, Manfrotto Tripod

The Baptism

The crowd has gathered for the baptism of the treasured girl.  Daughter, cousin, niece, and future friend to many - all gather at the celebration in her honor.  Observing, I am taken by this image of this wonderful child, surrounded by so much love.  What better place to be for the journey ahead.

Ottawa, Canada  11.2011

ShotSpecs: Canon EOS 50D | focal 42mm | ISO 1600 | shutter 1/125 | f 3.5