A new mom embraces her baby in the neonatal intensive care unit at Trillium Health Partners. Happy Mother’s Day.
COVID-19's Most Dangerous Procedure // POTD 05.05.20
Meet Trillium Health Partners Airway Team. These specialists take on one of the most dangerous procedures when treating patients with COVID-19. Intubation requires these medical staff to get up close to very ill patients. This team selflessly put themselves directly in the line of fire.
COVID-19 Test Lab
I got to go in and check out the in-house COVID-19 test lab at Trillium Health Partners. Here is a video I shot there.
“Increased testing is vital to our combined efforts again COVID-19. Learn how THP’s Medical Laboratory is using in-house genetics expertise to do 300 COVID-19 tests per day, with results in less than 12 hours.“
The Incredible Hulk Visits Grandpa // POTD 23.04.20
A few days back I spotted this family outside of the hospital waving and talking up to someone a few floors up. I realized they were visiting a family member. Since there are no more visitors in the hospital this is what a lot of families have to do to get a face to face visit in.
”Since we’re not allowed to visit with everything that is going on, we try to go by everyday to chat through the window. Our four year old decided it would be fun to dress up in a new costume every day to put a smile on his face. It seems to be doing the trick.”
FILM CAMERA REVIEW: Olympus Infinity Stylus 35mm
Here we go with another film camera review!
This time I’ve got the Olympus Infinity Stylus. My girlfriend managed to pick this point-and-shoot up at a garage sale for a whopping three dollars. An unheard of price for any point-and-shoot. Since one of those Kardashian gals boasted about her film camera on Jimmy Fallon, it seems like all point-and-shoot cameras have surged in price.
I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Olympus Stylus line of cameras, although, in person it seems a little less than impressive. It’s a camera I wouldn’t have given two looks if it weren’t for all the hype. It’s plastic, it’s simple and doesn’t feel all too durable. However, considering it’s compact size and small price tag I’m willing to give it a chance.
Not much to look at…
….not much to hold either.
I’m no film camera connoisseur. I’m actually pretty easy when it comes to film. As long as it functions as you would expect it to and it gives you some decent images I’m a pretty happy customer. Using this camera was a pleasure. I loaded it up with an old roll of AGFA APX 25 put it in my camera bag and went on my way. Here were my results:
The lonely streets of Guelph Ontario. Surprisingly this was taken pre-pandemic. Doesn’t look like it though!
PROS:
First of all, I love the size of this camera. I could carry this with the rest of my camera kit and it would never be a burden. I would hardly notice it was there. It’s around the same size as your average disposable camera. You can comfortably carry it in your front pocket, and sometimes I did. The next thing I enjoyed about this camera was how simple it is to operate. Open the front door and you’re ready to shoot. Focus, frame, release the shutter and that’s it! It doesn’t get much easier than that. The next thing I noticed about using this camera was… well honestly, nothing else really. This Olympus is so simple and that’s the beauty of it. It’s a point-and-shoot... What more can really be said about the operation of this camera?
CONS:
One nit-picky comment I have about this camera is that every time you close the door at the front it resets all settings. This means you have to be mindful of your flash as it will reset to “auto”. I like these point and shoots because they are super stealthy for street photography. It can be a little embarrassing if your flash goes off when you are trying to be a photo-ninja. This is something that you might do once and then probably learn your lesson and never do again. Very minor gripe. Something I got over almost immediately.
All in all if you are in the market for an easy-to-use camera that is portable and truly fool proof, The Olympus Stylus checks off all of those boxes. The one thing I would be aware of is the potentially high price tag. While this camera is a great little point-and-shoot, it’s not worth shelling out a ton of cash for. If you come across one on the cheap, pick it up. If it’s anything over $40 don’t even bother. Even $40 feels like a lot. Love this camera but wait until the point-and-shoot stock goes down before you buy
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Fully automatic, Point-and-Shoot 35mm AF lens/shutter camera with built-in flash.
Lens: 32 mm f/3.5
Focus: Active Multi-Beam Autofocus
Exposure Control: Program AE
Film Speed Setting: ISO 25-3200(?) set automatically
Film Loading / Advance / Rewind: Autowind and rewind.
Shutter Speeds: Shutter speeds of 1/15-1/500s.
Self Timer: 10-second delay.
Power: One 3V CR123A lithium battery. (3V)
Cat Stevens' Adoption Story // HBD Cat
Back a few years ago when I was working at a small time TV station in Winnipeg, Manitoba we would often do morning show segments featuring animals from the humane society. It was to encourage the people of Winnipeg to consider adopting pets instead of buying from a pet store. When shooting these segments I often got to choose the animals that would be featured. For one of these segments I was drawn to a cute, mild mannered, orange tabby named Izzy. During the shooting and in between segments I quickly grew attached to little Izzy. Shortly after the Morning Show was over I called up my girlfriend to ask her if she would be okay with us adopting a cat. She was on the fence about the commitment, but I was able to win her over. As soon as my shift was done I drove over to the Winnipeg Humane Society to pick up Izzy. He was such a good boy and I knew that I had to cruz over there as soon as possible. I was certain someone else would have scooped him up really quick. Luckily when I arrived he was still there. I filled out the adoption forms, renamed him Cat Stevens and from that point on our family of two became a family of three. HBD Cat Stevens!