Sketches for Summer
I shot this series during the dog days of winter. When the grey darkness here in Toronto has beaten your soul down to a pulp. Using the windows in my studio I focused on those fleeting moments of brightness and colour in the sky. This series is a yearning for those summer thrills.
It was a challenge to shoot this series as it required much patience in waiting for the right sky for each shot. It felt similar to fishing, i’d set the shot, cast the lure, and had to wait for the sky to come alive. It’s actually a very rewarding way of shooting. Having things that are out of your control has a liberating effect. And if you’re willing to be patient enough, the skies never disappoint. They end up coming alive in a way that is beyond what you envisioned.
My goal in this series was to bring together still-life and landscape. Bringing them together and incorporating the elements is my way of adding more depth and nuance to my studio work. I started doing this with the Westward series, so I suppose this is an extension of that approach.
Photo Journal Book 1
For years now i’ve carried a little camera with me as a way of keeping a photo-journal of sorts. Just capturing random moments and things I see as I wander about.
Beneath the Red Hill Expressway in Hamilton
I was fortunate to come into the world of photography when printing was a huge part of the experience - the final destination. That has always stuck with me. There is just something so satisfying in the printed image. It could be just my own bias, but having the work physically printed just makes it feel so much more real. The images come to life when printed in a way they just don’t in the digital world.
Dupont St.
I’ve always loved photo-books, so i’ve started printing 8 x 10 inch books of my photo-journals. Here are a few spreads from the first book.
High Park
For those who live near my studio, you’ll probably recognize a few spots i’ve captured on my walks. Sometimes these pictures are taken when we break for lunch and I pop out for 20 minutes. But generally, these images are just captured as I go about my life snapping away at whatever catches my eye.
Laneway behind Dundas St. W
Most of the photos in this book were shot with the beautifully small and pocketable Contax T3. I was also using the Olympus OM-1 at the time.
Laneway behind Dundas St. W
Beneath the Red Hill Expressway and Old Van
Alley near Dupont St.
Algonquin Park
The Junction
Dupont St.
Mimico Creek
I’ve followed the Mimico Creek starting at where it flows out to Lake Ontario in Mimico all the way up to Malton just north of the airport. I’ve almost made it to the source. I expect a few more trips and I will have completed this funny little project of mine.
It’s been interesting to follow this creek over the years. It’s actually a really great way to get to know a region. Just follow the water…it’s crazy how many different terrains it will take you through. Under highways, through golf courses, along backyards, parks and through industrial areas.
I started doing this about 6 years ago and took a huge break of about 5 years. But i’ve picked it up again and i’m really enjoying the process.
The pictures I take are not so much of the creek but the things I see as a result of following its path. I’ll post more of these pics but for now here is a couple from an area very close to where I stopped following the creek 5 years ago. This is a pretty industrial area just north of the airport.
Malton
The Junction
My studio is a short walk from the junction. I find i’m drawn to windows and blinds. I’ve been taking a lot fo pictures of them lately. I suppose there’s something about the reflections in the windows creating an added layer of depth while seeing gaps and imperfections in the blinds adds to the sense of mystery.
Camper Window and Crumpled Blinds - The Junction
Mail & Spray Blast - Dundas St. W
Dundas Street West
A couple things that caught my eye as I was dropping off my stuff for my accountant on Dundas Street West and Islington.
Dirty Window and Fresh Roses
Jackson Square
I grew up in Hamilton in the 90s. Jackson Square was the downtown mall that had seen better days. But man being back here really feels like i’m capturing something on it’s last legs. Something that won’t be around much longer. It’s beautiful in its own strange way. So many forgotten pockets all over the place.
Blinds & Vent
Canada's 100 Best Restaurant
Here are a few selects from a recent project I shot for Canada's 100 Best Magazine.
I haven't done much restaurant location shooting in a while so it felt good to get back to my roots and where it all began for me.
Chef Rob Gentile at Buca Yorkville
Chef Julie Marteleira at Leña Restaurant
Chef Patrick Kriss at Alo Restaurant
Toronto Eats
Toronto Eats, the follow up to Amy Rosen’s Toronto Cooks is out now.
Shooting this project was like speed dating 50 of Toronto's best chefs - big thanks to them for making this beast of a project come to life. Stay tuned this week for some of my favorite shots from the book.
Newfoundland Polaroids
In search of a more tangible photography experience, I brought my polaroid camera to Newfoundland. Here is the series I shot.
The Studio Top Ten
As a follow up to the top ten shots of my personal work from 2015, i’ve decided to do the same for my work done here in the studio.
This was a really great year. I took the summer off for the birth of our daughter. We shot 4 cookbooks which will all be coming out in 2016. I produced a book of my personal travel landscape work. Did some shooting in Kauai and a big road trip from Vancouver to Whitehorse.
As a follow up to the top ten shots of my personal work from 2015, i’ve decided to do the same for my work done here in the studio.
This was a really great year. I took the summer off for the birth of our daughter. We shot 4 cookbooks which will all be coming out in 2016. I produced a book of my personal travel landscape work. Did some shooting in Kauai and a big road trip from Vancouver to Whitehorse.
I worked on more motion projects this year. It’s been interesting to see things are heading in the industry. In responding to my clients changing needs it’s become apparent that the future of my commercial work will be a seamless integration of photography and motion. This is very exciting for me.
So here are my top ten studio shots from 2015 with a brief description of why I chose them.
1. Death by Chocolate
This is my favourite shot from the Death by Chocolate series. The dark copper tones and the way the focus falls off the chocolate drip is why this is my top pick from 2015. This was shot with probably my all time favourite lens for the Canon - my 24-70 f2.8 lens - such a versatile lens.
2. Crab for Lick Your Plate
This was shot as a companion to a crab cake recipe for the Lick Your Plate book that is coming out in early 2016. I'm very excited about a lot of the shots from this cookbook. We took things in a completely new direction in terms of lighting and compostion. Hard punchy light with strong defined shadows and lots of negative space for the food. Love this look!
3. Grilled Pork Belly Burger - Hawaiian Style
This is from the Kauai story I shot. One of the things that really sticks with you about Kauai is the vibrant colours. I wanted to bring this into these shots, so I taped some coloured gels to my lens. If you look closely you can see the pink and aqua tones creeping into the top left and bottom right of the frame. I love the colour gradations and softness that creep into the frame.
4. Summer Grilling for House & Home
Shot for a summer grilling story for House and Home Magazine. I love the props in this shots, especially the contrast of the shrimp against the dark platter.
5. Camels
Camels - Taking a closer look at a bad habit. I love the light and texture in this shot. For a shot of this nature, lighting is everything. I always enjoy pushing light as far as I can to draw out a particular mood or tone.
6. Fall Apples for Best Health
For this shot, our goal was to create a rich and moody setting for an Autumn story we were shooting for Best Health Magazine. I love the shadowy directional light in this shot. The red tones in the apple just pop off shadows. I shot this with the 90mm tilt shift lens - looking closely, you can see the focus fall off at the top of the frame. It's subtle but it helps to create depth and dimension, especially when shooting from overhead.
7. Cocktails for Elle Magazine
This was shot for a cocktails story for Elle Magazine. Full focus, hard light, defined shadows and punchy colours.
8. Cupcakes for Lick Your Plate
As you can see I'm very excited about the photos for the Lick Your Plate cookbook - 2 of the shots made my top ten. I really enjoy the pastel tones and graphic nature of this shot.
9. Eggs at the crack of dawn
The goal here was to create rustic, farm-fresh eggs in morning light. This was an exercise in lighting and I think we pulled it off nicely. I love the early morning feel of this shot.
10. Spicy Kauai Shrimp
Another one from the Kauai food story. It's a simple shot, but I love the texture and tones in this shot. You can barely make out the gels in front of the lens, but they do add another layer of depth to the overall shot.
Honourable Mentions
I love shooting doughnuts and this is one of my favourites. This was shot with the 85mm 1.2 lens. It's a bit of an unconventional lens for shooting food because of it's horrible minimum focus distance. One way around that is to use an extension tube to shorten the minimum focus distance.
Better together - love the concept here. Bacon & eggs - fries & ketchup - cherry pie & ice cream. This is another simple shot in terms of composition and propping, but the vibrancy of colour in the food makes it work for me.
Sometimes it's best to just get right in there and fill the frame with the food. This chocolate almond brittle benefits greatly from this.