Giddy up, it’s the long weekend!
The other day I set down the video camera and picked up the stills camera at the racetrack. I took some time to grab some images for Woodbine Entertainment. Kudos to the track photographer. Getting these kind of shots is not as easy as it might look. If you miss the perfect moment, that’s it, because the horses are long gone!
Here are a few of my favourite stills from that day.
POTD 23.07.19 - Beach(es)Composite
While taking a stroll in my ‘hood I spotted this beautiful Datsun parked so perfectly in front of a flower store. It was terrible light out, but I snapped a pic anyways. I decided to grab a separate photo of the light in the sky from the setting sun later in the day. I combined these elements together in Photoshop threw some faux film grain on it and BOOM, we’ve got ourselves a certified banger! I know some folks might get uptight about faking a photo, but I just like to create stuff, even if it’s a scene that never really happened. Enjoy it, or don’t! I’m not the boss of you.
POTD 18.07.19 - Throwback Thursday - Kensington Market Sunset
Scrolling through some old photos on my computer and I came across this shot of Kensington Market from a few years back. I probably meant to share it at some point but just forgot about it. Anyways, here it is! Hope you dig it.
POTD 15.07.19 - Close Encounter With an Elephant Calf
Here is one of the most special animal encounters I’ve ever had in my life.
This is a two week old elephant calf. It isn’t a typical sighting to see the calves out in the open like this. Usually the mother and other females hide the calves away in the bush until they are big enough to not be threatened by predators as well as other male bull elephants. While we observed this group from a safe distance the females surrounded the baby and made some pretty intimidating growls to let us know not to come any closer. To my girlfriend and I, every one of these moments in Udawalawe National Park was new and amazing but for our guide who had 10 years of experience guiding folks through the park not a lot got him visibly excited, but this moment got him pretty giddy. What a privilege it was to see this baby up close.
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 23.06.19 - Any Colour You Like
Just a little photoshop fun in honour of Pride Toronto.