Nightscape

In January of 2020, before everything went to shit, DW, our then-16-year-old daughter, and I went to Toronto because of a music workshop that our kid was attending, and she was also considering the big T-O as a candidate for post-secondary education. It was also a good time to visit with some friends who live in the GTA: one, who was soon to be celebrating a birthday and had offered to put us up in her Airbnb unit, just off the Danforth.

For her birthday, our friend wanted us all to go out for an evening at an axe-throwing game bar. We have one in Ottawa's east end, which I had visited two years earlier, and I was looking forward to burning off some aggression, as January of 2020 was the month in which I had participated in Dry January.

BATL Axe Throwing is located in the old port district of Toronto, Port Lands, just south of where the Don Valley Parkway ends at the Gardiner Expressway. At night, this part of the city looks downright dodgy; in the day, it seems to be an area of transformation and growth. Lots of businesses, nightclubs, and even a drive-in theatre seem to occupy the dockyards.

We had a great time with our friends, throwing axes, sipping drinks (they even served the non-alcoholic beer that I reviewed for Dry January), and catching up. When game night wrapped up, we returned to our friend's house where we drank and chatted some more.

But as we pulled out from Port Lands, I was met with a great cityscape of Toronto and I wanted to return with my camera equipment to capture the city at night. Only, I was loathe to leave my friends and I was feeling a bit nervous about being in a dodgy neighbourhood with which I was unfamiliar, on my own.

Another time, I told myself.

Twenty-one months later, DW and I were back in T-O to visit our kids, who had decided to stay in their respective campus residences, rather than come home for the Thanksgiving weekend. But because DW and I wanted to see them, and because my parents wanted to see my younger sister, who also lives in Toronto, we all decided to make the long weekend a family gathering. Our elder daughter caught a GO train from near her campus and stayed with us in a hotel in the Old Toronto neighbourhood.

We had a great weekend and the weather, though rainy on our first night, was great on the second day, Sunday. And though the number-one purpose of our trip was to be with family, I told DW and the others that I wanted to take some time, one evening, to drive back to Port Lands to capture an image of the skyline. I was still nervous about going alone, so I was hopeful that somebody would join me.

In the days leading up to the Thanksgiving weekend, I went onto Google Maps to find the best place to park my car and stand to get my shot, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was a small park and boardwalk along the end of the pier. It would be easy to pull over, hop out of the car with my gear, get to the boardwalk, set up and take my shots, and jump back in the car. I still wanted to have someone join me, because I didn't know what this park would be like or if it would be safe at night, but at least I had a definite spot.

I needn't have worried. There are a couple of nightclubs at the end of Polson Street, which is well-lit. Lots of young people were coming and going, as this cul-de-sac seemed to be alive, particularly at Jennifer Kateryna Koval's'kyj Park.

Both DW and our elder daughter came with me, as we had just finished having a wonderful Italian dinner at a restaurant with my girls, parents, and sister, and had also just dropped our younger kid at her residence, as she had plans for later that evening.

At first, DW and our elder kid just wanted to wait in the car, rather than explore the park and pier. The pier isn't lit very much, but that suited me for my purposes. Around me, young couples and friends strolled the boardwalk or found spots upon which to sit and take in the city lights.

I quickly mounted my Nikon D750 on the tripod and opened the legs, but didn't extend the height. The shot would be as close to the ground as possible, without simply setting the camera on the ground. I had a 50mm fixed lens, which took in the skyline nicely, and roughly at the same magnification as the human eye. I set the camera into a manual mode, and shot.

I experimented with a few different exposure times and aperture settings, and moved the camera angle a couple of times. During some long exposures, I also fired off a few quick shots from my smartphone's camera. In only a few minutes, I had about 10 shots and decided that was enough.

Back at the car, I showed DW some of the captured images from my phone. "Oh, I want to see that," she said. Our daughter, who was listening to music through her headphones was content to staying put, so we locked her in the car and gave her a fob, just in case she needed to move the car. DW and I returned to where I had taken my shots, and she captured some of her own with her own smartphone.

My best shot? Here you go:

I have also rendered this shot with a Prisma filter, and I'm even considering enlarging it on a canvas print.

Now that I've been to this spot at night, I'm no longer fearful of returning, and I'd like to do so to capture Toronto's skyline at different times of day. Perhaps a sunset shot? Sunrise? On a foggy day? I'd also like to change lenses and get some zoomed-in closeups.

With our kids in the GTA, there will be plenty of opportunities to return to Port Lands and capture the city.

Happy Friday!