Drake Catering
With a nod to 70’s opulence and inspired by Dutch still life paintings, I teamed up with The Drake to shoot their latest venture - Drake Catering.
Props by the stylin’ Martine Blackhurst, opulence by the Drake.
New Found Tide
“What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Tide 1
This past October, I set out to photograph something that has been top of mind lately - Time. That 'essential' thing 'invisible to the eye.' What I I love about photography is the ability to capture what the eye can’t see. In this case, the passage of time was my focus. I came home with this 8 image series titled 'New Found Tide.' With ‘tide' representing both the ocean and the Old English use of the word - relating to time.
To slow everything down and shoot in a more deliberate way.
I wanted to shoot this series because of a strong desire to slow things down and reflect. My personal and professional life is great and I have little to complain about. But with a one year old daughter, another baby on the way, along with aging parents, time and it’s scarcity is something that’s been at the forefront of my thoughts for a while now. I’ve been an extremely ‘busy’ person for many years now and that’s something i’ve always taken a lot of pride in. However, I’m now at a point now where i’m starting to question the value of always being so busy. Often there is a feeling of needing more time, or a sense of frustration at the realization that there just isn’t enough time to do all the things I want to do. This is why I felt it was important for me to shoot this series - I wanted to slow everything down and just sit, observe the tide, and shoot in a more deliberate way.
A quiet, meditative series exploring the passage of time.
I decided to shoot off the coast of Newfoundland because I had been there once before and recall staring out at the ocean and feeling as if I was standing at one of the four corners of the world. My intention was to create a quiet, meditative series exploring the passage of time. Knowing myself, I figured I would have difficulty resisting the urge to instantly review images once exposures were complete. So I shot film, and this provided the delayed gratification that felt appropriate for this project. The shoot process was slow and deliberate with exposure times varying from 1 minute to 1 hour. Just sitting there, simply being, while the film was being exposed was important because I was forced to truly take in the scene. The sights, sounds, the smell, the feeling of the cold ground and the unrelenting ocean wind blowing in my face. I did this for a week - 6am to 6pm and it was wonderful. The photographs in this series were all shot in Placentia Bay - an area approximately 100km wide about an hour and half drive from St. John's.
Anyways, I do hope you enjoy this series.
For those interested - there is a limited set of prints available. You can check them out here.
With Gratitude,
Ryan Szulc
Tide 2
Tide 3
Tide 4
Tide 5
Tide 6
Tide 7
Tide 8
Lick Your Plate
Lick Your Plate by powerhouse sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat comes out this week. I don’t shoot as many cookbooks as I used to, but i’m really glad I got to shoot this one.
Stylistically, we took things in a completely new direction. Hard punchy light with crisp defined shadows and lots of negative space for the food.
This was so much fun to shoot!
We shot this book over 10 days in my studio. The lovely Nicole Young was our food stylist and Catherine Doherty did the prop styling.
The book is in stores now and the publisher is Appetite by Random House.
Here are a few of my favourite shots from the book.
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
This is a companion shot for the Crab Cake Burgers recipe.
Decadent White Chocolate Pecan Pie
Companion shot for the Pistachio Crusted Lamb Chops
Grilled Sesame Tuna over Napa Cabbage Slaw
Fusilli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach & Kale
Thai Turkey Sliders with Peanut Slaw
Companion shot for Baja Fish Taco Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing
Cheesy Manicotti with Turkey Bolognese
Companion shot for Golden Edamame Dumplings
Vancouver to Whitehorse and Back Again
As a Canadian, I take pride in having been to almost all parts of this vast country. But one glaring omission for me is the west coast. For whatever reason, in my 35 years of existence, i’ve never been out there. So I figured it was just about time I do something about that.
So here's the plan - fly in to Vancouver and drive north to Whitehorse, Yukon, then turn around and come back again... in 8 days. I figured it would be tight with long days of driving, but it had been a while since i’d done a proper road trip and I was super excited to do this.
The entire trip turned out to be 5637km of driving through gorgeous BC and Yukon. Here is the entire journey in chronological order. I hope you enjoy the trip!
The Route - what the map doesn't show is how I came back. From Watson Lake I took highway 97 instead of coming back down 37.
My trusty steed just outside of Whistler. This simple rental car took a beating on this trip.
The passenger seat - maps, Canon 5D MKIII with 24-70mm 2.8 Lens & one of my favourite books - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Seton Lake
Heading out from Vancouver my first real stop was at Seton Lake. The turquoise tones in this body of water are incredible.
Seton Lake, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 24mm - f5.6 @ 1/800, ISO 100
Seton Lake, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 21mm - 1/1600 @ f4, ISO 100
Lillooet
One of the things that surprised me was how quickly the landscape changes after heading out from the wet, lush coast. After passing through the mountains you end up in Lillooet. A hot and dry, almost arid small town of 2322 people.
Lillooet, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 23mm - 1/1250 @ f4.5, ISO 100
Lillooet - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/400 @ f8, ISO 100
The main drag. Lillooet, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 17mm - 1/640 @ f4.5, ISO 100
Lillooet, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 28mm - 1/1000 @ f4.5, ISO 100
Lillooet, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 31mm - 1/400 @ f8, ISO 100
New Hazelton
From Lillooet, I headed straight north up highway 97 through the city of Prince George - known as the ‘Gateway to the North.’ This is northern BC’s largest city with a population of 88,043.
At this point I hop onto the TransCanada highway and head west. Getting back towards the coast, the landscape changes again and becomes more lush with thick dense forests.
I stopped in New Hazelton and did a bit of hiking. Being there in early May with the smell of the spring growth was amazing. Everything was so fresh and green as if the whole forest had just sprung to life within the past couple weeks. I'll never forget the smell of that dense, lush forest.
New Hazelton, BC - Canon 5KMKIII 28mm - 1/200 @f4, ISO 320
New Hazelton, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/250 @f4, ISO 250
New Hazelton, BC - Canon 5KMKIII 47mm - 1/80 @f4, ISO 320
Terrace to Prince Rupert
Next up is the 143km drive from Terrace to Prince Rupert. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. The road winds along the Skeena River through the mountains all the way out to Prince Rupert on the coast.
Between Terrace and Prince Rupert, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 33mm - 1/4000 @f5, ISO 400
Between Terrace and Prince Rupert, BC - Canon 5KMKIII 185mm - 1/8000 @ f2.8, ISO 800
Between Terrace and Prince Rupert, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 39mm - 1/250 @ f4, ISO 100
Highway 37 - The Mountains
Heading north up highway 37 is where you start to get a true sense of the glory and grandeur of northern BC. It is so vast and unbelievably beautiful with snow covered mountains everywhere you look. Towns are spread out several hours apart so you really have to pay attention to your gas gauge or you could be in serious trouble.
Highway 37, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 50mm - 1/400 @ f8, ISO 100
Mountains looming large over the roads. Highway 37, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 53mm - 1/1000 @ f5.6, ISO 100
Highway 37, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/1600 @ f5.6. ISO 100
Highway 37, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/800 @ f5.6, ISO 100
Lot's of these guys on road. Highway 37, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 61mm - 1/1600 @ f7.1, ISO 200
Highway 37, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 26mm - 1/200 @ f8, ISO 100
Side road off of Highway 37, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 55mm - 1/125 @ f8, ISO 100
Iskut BC, Canon 5DMKIII 45mm, 1/200 @ f8, ISO 100
Highway 37, BC very close to the Yukon border - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/320 @ f8, ISO 200
Forest Fires
I came across a lot of these - non actively burning - but several sites where there had been seemingly recent burns. It’s quite an odd feeling to stand in these charred forests and to hear absolute silence. It’s definitely something I’ll remember for a long time.
Canon 5DMKIII 16mm - 1/1250 @ f 3.2, ISO 100
Canon 5DMKIII 16mm - 1/2500 @ f3.2, ISO 100
Canon 5DMKIII 35mm - 1/800 @ f5.6, ISO 200
Yukon and the Alaska Highway
The drive from the Yukon border to Whitehorse is unbelievable. Majestic mountains and pristine wilderness the whole way through.
Crossing into the Yukon. Canon 5DMKIII 29mm - 1/125 @ f5.6, ISO 100
The Alaska Highway, Yukon - Canon 5DMKIII 150mm - 1/1600 @ f 6.3, ISO 400
Alaska Highway, Yukon - Canon 5DMKIII 35mm - 1/5000 @ f6.3, ISO 400
Love these two little peaks. Alaska Highway, Yukon - Canon 5DMKIII 155mm - 1/2000 @ f5.6, ISO 200
The glorious mountains of the Yukon. Alaska Highway, Yukon - Canon 5DMKIII 155mm, 1/3200 @ f4.5, ISO 400
“It is better to travel than to arrive.”
Whitehorse and Long Days
On day five I made it to Whitehorse. After driving through such incredible landscape, no disrespect to Whitehorse, but I have to agree with the saying “It is better to travel than to arrive."
Because of how much driving I had to do I didn’t have to much time to explore the city of Whitehorse. It seems like a nice enough small city - it’s actually the capital and largest city of Yukon with a population of 27,889.
At the time of year that I was there, May, it didn’t get dark until 10 o’clock with the sun rising at 4:30am. Shooting from sunrise to sunset made for some very, very long days.
Time to turn around and head back to Vancouver.
Just outside of Whitehorse, Yukon. Canon 5DMKIII -
Whitehorse, Yukon. Canon 5DMKIII 35mm - 1/1000 @ f4, ISO 400
9:45pm Whitehorse, Yukon. Canon 5DMKIII 24mm - 1/2000 @ f4, ISO 400
My motel room in norther BC 10pm - Canon 5DMKIII 24mm - 1/500 @ f2.8, ISO 1600
My hotel room in Whitehorse around 10pm - Canon 5DMKIII 29mm - 1/400 @ f2.8, ISO 1600
Where the Buffalo Roam
Heading back down south after crossing back into northern BC and hopping onto highway 97, I ran through a few areas that had lots of wild bison. They are such remarkably stoic beasts.
So many of these beautiful beasts roaming the landscape. The Alaska Highway, North BC - Canon 5DMKIII 39mm - 1/800 @ f4, ISO 160
The Alaska Highway, north BC - Canon 5DMKIII 31mm - 1/1600 @ f3.5, ISO 250
The Alaska Highway, north BC - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/400 @ f5.6, ISO 200
The Alaska Highway, north BC - Canon 5DMKIII 45mm - 1/1000 @ f5.6, ISO 160
Frozen Lakes
Doing the road trip in May and being as far north as I was, many of the lakes were still frozen solid.
Alaska Highway, north BC - Canon 5DMKIII 55mm - 1/640 @ f5.6, ISO 200
Alaska Highway, north BC - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/1600 @ f5.6, ISO 160
Alaska Highway, north BC - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/640 @ f5.6, ISO 100
Alaska Highway, north BC - Canon 5DMKIII 1/1000 @ f5.6, ISO 160
Heading South and Warming Up
As I continued to head further south, things started to warm up and the lakes thawed out.
Highway 97, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 33mm - 1/1000 @ f5.6, ISO 160
Highway 97, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 57mm - 1/500 @ f5.6, ISO 160
One of the many black bears I saw on this trip - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/800 @ f3.2, ISO 640
Highway 97, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - i/1250 @ f5.6, ISO 160
The Fraser Valley
As I drove all the down the valley, I was amazed at the scale of the Fraser Canyon, it’s just massive. Looking down into the canyon, the trees and railroad tracks are so tiny.This is a beautiful drive from Lillooet to Hope. The road follows the Fraser River down and down and down. When I drove it the temperature continued to rise the further down I got, it must have been at least 6 or 7 degrees warmer at the bottom of canyon in Hope compared to Lillooet.
The Fraser Valley, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 35mm - 1/640 @ f5, ISO 100
Looking down on the Fraser Valley - the sense of scale is incredible. Canon 5DMKIII 70mm - 1/400 @ f5, ISO 100
Down and down and down along the valley. Canon 5DMKIII 31mm - 1/3200 @ f4, ISO 100
Fraser Valley, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 44mm - 1/800 @f5, ISO 100
Massive pine cones. Canon 5DMKIII 59mm - 1/125 @f2.8, ISO 100
Hell's Gate Tunnel, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 47mm - 1/640 @ f5.6, ISO 100
Wrapping Up
On the final day I pulled into Chilliwack a short drive from Vancouver where I would catch my flight home to Toronto the next morning.
This road trip was such an incredible experience. The vastness and beauty of BC and Yukon were breathtaking. I tried my best to capture some of that but often the challenge with something so massive is that when you try to put a frame on it, it disappears.
The thing about travelling like this is, it just makes you want to see and experience more and more. I’m already thinking about my next trip - perhaps a continuation of this journey….Whitehorse to Yellowknife? Whitehorse to Anchorage? Who knows, but it’s certainly fun to think of what’s next :)
Chilliwack, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 41mm - 1/2000 @f4, ISO 400
5000km of bug spatter.
Chilliwack, BC - Canon 5DMKIII 39mm - 1/5000 @ f9, ISO 400
Heading home.
Vegas
Ah Vegas... what a place. So glitzy and glamorous yet so seedy and depraved. Here are a few photos from a recent trip to Sin City.
Ah Vegas... what a place. So glitzy and glamorous yet so seedy and depraved. Here are a few photos from a recent trip to Sin City.
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
Contax T3, Kodak Portra 400
The Garden
Just got back from spending 2 weeks in Hawaii. Specifically the island of Kauai, known as the 'Garden Isle’ with a small population of 67,091. While I was out shooting, i found myself attracted to the cars, trucks and vans of the people that live on the island. Obviously, surfing is huge in Kauai and surfers need trucks, vans that they can drive up onto the beach with their boards. A lot of trucks are old and beat up but they are beautiful, often modified to suit the rough roads and beaches of the island. To me, these vehicles represent a different set of priorities and values. something I find extremely refreshing.
Another aspect I was drawn to is the lush tropical colour and quality of light on the island. There’s often a mist coming off the ocean which creates a soft and hazy feel, it’s just beautiful. The graphic plant shots were shot in the gorgeous garden of the house we were staying at.
One of my goals on this trip was a bit of a digital detox, so I shot film and it was a wonderful experience. Working without a light meter was a lot of fun. It makes you really tune into what the light is doing in your shot and how you want it to be exposed. I simply followed the F16 and Sunny rule. I’d highly recommend this for anyone looking to get back to pure and simple photography. There’s also something really nice about not being able to see the photo immediately after clicking the shutter. I love the sense of anticipation & mystery when waiting to see the processed film.
Here are my favourite shots from the trip. If you want to see more I’ll be posting all of the shots to my Tumblr page in the coming week.
Kekaha Beach. Olympus OM-1 50mm. Kodak Portra 400
Princeville. Olympus OM-1 50mm. Kodak Portra 400
Hanalei. Contax T3 35mm Kodak Portra 400
Lumahai Beach. Olympus OM-1 50mm. Kodak Portra 400
Abandoned resort contsruction site - Princeville. Contax T3 35mm. Kodak Portra 400
Off Highway 56, North Shore. Contax T3 35mm. Kodak Portra 400.
Polihale State Park. Olympus OM-1 50mm. Kodak Portra 400
Princeville. Olympus OM-1 50mm. Kodak Portra 400
Lumahai Beach. Olympus OM-1 50mm. Kodak Portra 400
Waimea Canyon. Olympus OM-1 50mm. Kodak Portra 400
Anini Beach. Olympus OM-1 50mm. Kodak Portra 400
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.
The Colour of Shadow
At the beginning of last year I set out to create a book of my personal landscape work. I’ve been working on this body of work for the past 12 years. I’ve always wanted to do a book, so I felt it was time to put something together. When i’m not shooting in the studio - my passion is to travel and shoot landscapes. From the beginning of my photography career I’ve always shot landscapes as part of my personal work. It’s actually been an integral part of the development of my commercial work.
Newfoundland, 2008
At the beginning of last year I set out to create a book of my personal landscape work. I’ve been working on this body of work for the past 12 years. I’ve always wanted to do a book, so I felt it was time to put something together. When i’m not shooting in the studio - my passion is to travel and shoot landscapes. From the beginning of my photography career I’ve always shot landscapes as part of my personal work. It’s actually been an integral part of the development of my commercial work.
I’ve always loved the road trip and it’s my preferred way of shooting landscapes. It really just works for the type of shooting I do - passing through, getting lost, pulling over on a hunch - shooting and then moving on. I tend not to linger too long when I shoot this work. Working on feeling or intuition rather than analysis or thought. For me, traveling and exploring new places always awakens the senses. I think my most successful photographs, and certainly the ones I keep coming back to, are the ones that play with light and shadow, and evoke a subtle sense of mystery.
The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious - the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.
- Albert Einstein
As a collection of my work from the past, I wanted this to be a launching point for a new chapter in my personal work. Due to the success of my studio, I hadn’t had time to travel and shoot landscapes and I felt it was time to refocus my energy on my personal work. I wanted this to be more than a simple ‘greatest hits’ book and I knew that editing this work would be a huge challenge for me because of how close I am with it. So I teamed up with two incredibly talented and creative people. I hired David Taylor of Awake Studio to handle the overall design of the book and Anne Maureen McKeating to help to curate the book. My goal was a true collaboration so my direction was quite simple - let’s create something beautiful and let everything else flow from that.
As a starting point, we went through all of my work together. It was incredible to watch as certain themes were picked up on - some that I hadn’t ever noticed before, but were certainly there. In the end, I asked both David and Anne Maureen to live with the photographs for a few weeks each. For me it was important that they take this time to feel out the work and see what emerged.
It was difficult for me to relinquish control over the photo selection. At first there were several photographs that I felt should or shouldn’t be selected for the book, but I realized if I wanted to truly collaborate I needed to let go of my preconceived notions and to relinquish some control to allow for the creativity of my collaborators. What they came back with was amazing. 3 concepts were presented and in the end we decided to go with the colour story - The Colour of Shadow.
The finished book.
The Colour of Shadow is an inquiry into the landscape in half-light. An exploration of the nuanced intersections of light and dark - a place where new details emerge and different ways of seeing can be experienced. This book shows that place narratives are not necessary to have a tactile/visceral experience of ‘a place’.
I love to travel. To play with shadow and light. There is so much beauty in the shadows.
-Ryan Szulc
Instead of following any kind of chronological order or grouping by subject or location, we let the colour and tonal gradations tell the story. This meant photographs from vastly different locations and shot years apart were grouped together. This is a book that leaves a fair amount of mystery to the images. We intentionally omitted the location and date of each shot, in the main body of the book except for an index at the back.
Due to the nature of these landscapes, with their tonal gradations, we felt it was important the book be big enough to allow the colours and tones to sweep across the page. So we created this as a larger coffee table book. The book is 11 x 14 inches or 11 x 28 when spread open. Printed on a beautiful thick matte recycled stock. The book is 92 pages with a Debossed eco-friendly leather cover. I printed this as a limited edition run of 100. There are still a few left and they are available for purchase online here.
The book spread open is 11"x28" giving the landscapes room to breathe.
The thick matte stock handles the subtle tones and colour gradations beautifully.
What we ended up with was completely unexpected, certainly it was something I wouldn’t have been able to produce on my own. We set out to create something beautiful and I think we’ve succeeded, so let’s see where we take it from here.
Here are a few spreads from the book.
Appalachian Mountains, Virginia. 2007
Introduction by Anne Maureen McKeating
Cannon Beach, Oregon. 2010 & Labrador 2012
Catheys Valley, California. 2012
Washington State, 2010
White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. 2008
Skagen, Denmark. 2012 & Vangsa, Denmark 2012
Banff National Park, Alberta. 2010
Flin Flon, Manitoba. 2008 & Nevada 2011
Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina. 2007
Labrador, 2012
The image index at the back of the book.
Looking back on wandering
Last year I got back to wandering with my camera - shooting nothing in particular, just always bringing the camera with me and capturing whatever catches my eye. Often it was light casting a certain tone, transforming a setting or scene i’ve passed many times before. Other times it’s just a feeling or sensation that’s hard to express.
It’s always nice to take some time at the start of a new year to look back and reflect on the previous year - and oh what a year it was.
Last year I got back to wandering with my camera - shooting nothing in particular, just always bringing the camera with me and capturing whatever catches my eye. Often it was light casting a certain tone, transforming a setting or scene i’ve passed many times before. Other times it’s just a feeling or sensation that’s hard to express.
"If you want to know where your heart is, look to where you mind goes when it wanders."
All of these photos were shot with either the Fuji XT-1 or the X100T. Both small, beautifully designed cameras - perfect for carrying around at all times.
So, that being said, here are my top ten shots from my wanderings in 2015.
You can follow my personal work here.
Beneath the Bloor Subway line at Royal York. This was shot during my meanderings along the Mimico Creek.
Another one from along the Mimico Creek. This is further north, under the the 427 highway.
Lakeshore West - Mimico. These low rise buildings stretch out along the lake throughout Mimico. At first glance they all seem to be the same, but getting in closer and poking around, they each have their own little unique bit of flare. It's pretty cool.
High Park - Probably my favourite place in Toronto. I pass through this big, beautiful park every day on my way to the studio. This spot in particular always blows me away.
Riding my bike along Lake Ontario every day - you can't help but notice the play of light between the sky and reflections on the lake. How different the same scene can appear from day to day is incredible.
Another one from High Park. Love the tones in this shot.
Another one of the low rise buildings in my neighbourhood. This was shot on election night coming home from voting. Love the play of colour here - warm vs cool.
Sunset at Grenadier Pond. I pass by this spot every day. Sunsets are often unbelievable here.
Washrooms in High Park. I love the way the diffused glass windows make this little building glow at dusk.
The Gardiner Expressway. Every day I pass under this busy highway and think how glad I am I don't have to deal with that beast :)
Make Ahead Meals
The new Michael Smith cookbook ‘Make Ahead Meals’ is out now. We shot this book last November here in the studio over 10 days.
The focus this time around is on prepping or cooking ahead to create time-saving recipes.
Here are a few of my favourite shots from the book.
Prop Styling: Madeleine Johari
Food Styling: Noah Witenoff
Bacon Salsa Quesadillas
Really Good Focaccia
Slow Split Pea Soup
Prosciutto Lemon Wrapped Chicken
Chocolate Bark
Korean Short Ribs
Monkey Bread
Buttery Butterscotch Popcorn
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham with Raisin Drippings
Baked Reuben Chowder
Roasted Cauliflower with Romesco Sauce
Outtake from the shoot
