Switching to team FUJIFILM??? // POTD 26.06.21

Something unexpected has happened to me! I’ve purchased a Fujifilm Camera. No knock on Fujifilm, but I never saw myself switching camera brands. I’ve got a well rounded Canon kit. Canon has been nothing but reliable, so I figured why in the heck would I ever change systems?

My biggest gripe with my current kit is that the body and lenses are BIG, even with the mirrorless bodies. This is totally fine by me. I shoot a ton of video so I’m used to hauling cameras, lenses, tripods, lights, C stands, sand bags, etc with me everywhere. But for everyday carry I often wouldn’t feel like bringing a hulking DSLR and lens out with me on the streets or to a hang out with a friend just was not practical. Obviously the solution would be a smaller camera. I had been enjoying shooting with the 35mm Olympus Infinity, but developing film is a pain in the butt and with film being so expensive I would be pretty precious about what it was I was shooting. A FujiFilm rep must have sensed that I had camera needs that weren’t being met. One contacted me and offered up a few cameras for me to try. I got him to send the X100v my way.

As soon as I got my hands on the X100V I fell in love. Beyond the size requirements this camera filled so many other needs I didn’t even know I had. The film simulations, creating “recipes” in camera, the aesthetics, just everything felt so right. This camera made me feel excited and inspired. I have added this camera to my everyday carry bag. My hope with this camera is to shoot and document my daily life. This is something that I haven’t been doing as consistent as I would like. When you are shooting for work everyday it’s so easy to leave your camera at home during your off-time. For me, this is the camera to change that.

The images below are JPGs straight out of camera—no editing! I’m looking forward to sharing more images from the X100V.

International Dog Day 2019

Happy International Dog Day! Here are a few photos and a video of cool dogs I’ve met in some neat places.

Some good tunes to listen to while viewing this post would be:
Atomic Dog - George Clinton
This Old Dog - Mac Demarco
Waggin’ The Dog - Railroad Earth
Black Dog - Led Zeppelin

Hope you enjoy!

Happy International Cat Day!

It’s International Cat Day! As a cat dad I have an obligation to share a photo of my cat, Cat Stevens, across all of my online platforms. I’ve also included a bonus illustration of him.

POTD 04.07.19 - Elephant Rush

While I was in Sri Lanka I went on few safari tours through Udawalawe National Park. Before this I had never seen elephants in their natural habitat, nor had I been on a safari, so this was a pretty special experience for me. On my last tour through the park we were really lucky because we were with one of the most experienced guides and drivers in the park. It was just my girlfriend and I with them on this particular tour. We rolled into the park as the sun was just peaking over the horizon. The park was blanketed in a thick fog— not the most ideal conditions for spotting animals however, judging by how keen of an eye our guide had in previous days we knew we were in good hands. We entered the park and made our way down the red dirt roads and within minutes we approached a silhouette of an elephant off in the distance. We pulled up close enough to see the elephant in the mist, but far enough away to not bother the massive mammal. The driver turned off the ignition. Our guide quietly let us know that this was a male bull elephant in heat. We observed the elephant for a minute or two and he observed us… Eventually the elephant began to turn towards us and slowly make it’s way in our general direction. For an animal so large it was amazing how little noise they make as they move around. Eventually this enormous male was a stones throw away and he was continuing to make his way even closer to us. At this point our guide pulled out his phone to shoot this encounter and the driver turned our vehicle back on. Before I could even process what exactly was happening our driver began to peel out and this elephant began to chase us. Our guide yelled at the elephant in hopes to deter it from hitting our vehicle. It chased us for a few seconds before stopping and disappearing into the bush. I guess we weren’t worth the hassle. Luckily for us this was just a bluff charge. Our guide let us know that the males can sometimes be a little aggressive when they are in heat.

Our guide had the wherewithal to shoot video of this event unfolding and I was also able to grab a couple stills as well. This was one of my favourite moments in Sri Lanka and I’m glad we were able to capture it.

POTD 19.06.19 - Blue Tailed Bee Eater

Spotted these tiny colourful birds in Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka.

Blasted by Winter at the Winter Stations

Wind and blowing snow at Woodbine Beach. This Winter Station seems to be holding up pretty well, but it’s signage has seen better days.

I have been waiting for some winter weather to hit before I got out to photograph this years Winter Stations at Woodbine Beach. I thought I might have been SOL since just yesterday I was out at the beach for a run and it was mighty sunny, it felt well above 0°C and all the snow was melting. This year I guess I would be taking some spring-themed Winter Station photos, but lo’ and behold! This afternoon the winter weather came in with a vengeance. It was a little chilly at first, but the sun was shining. Within a few minutes of walking around the wind started to pick up and the snow really started to blow. I got my wintery Winter Station images, hooray! These came at a price though. I wasn’t really expecting this weather so I was caught shooting glove-less. Usually not a big deal. However, this time I had the weirdest thing happen to my hands. After I got back in from the cold they swelled up. I’ve been out in the cold shooting with thin gloves or no gloves lots of times before, in far worse weather too, but I have never experienced this phenomenon before. I found it comical how big they got. Luckily once I ran them under some warm water they went back down to their normal size.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy these wintery Winter Station images, I almost lost my hands for these ones!