The Favourite One

She seems to have settled in quite nicely, as though she hasn't been gone for the past two years.

When Kid 2 left for university, there was no question that she'd be taking Lily with her. Lily was her cat, and with the move into the isolated room at the University of Toronto, during the pandemic, Kid 2 was going to need her more than ever.

Of course, when Kid 2 came home for the holidays or for class breaks, Lily would come home, too, though it wasn't an easy transition for her to go from being the only cat in a dorm room to being one of four cats in a big house.

For the first couple of days, Lily would growl and hiss, and hide from the other cats. She had been really close to Camille, Cece, and Finn, but after a long drive from Toronto, Lily needed her space. It would take about two or three days for her to remember that she loved the other cats, and then things would go back to normal.

Because Kid 2 is living between apartments, bumming couches from friends and living out of suitcases, keeping Lily wasn't feasible. It was hard to part the two, but DW and I have readily offered to take care of Lily for the month of November.

Again, it took about three days for her to stop growling and hissing. She even growled at us, taking a swipe at me when I offered a hand to pet her.

But now, three weeks into our cat-sitting, Lily is doing marvelously. We're sure that she misses her mom terribly, and her ears prick up when she hears Kid 2 in a video chat.

We send her photos, daily.

Lily usually curls up on cushions with the other cats but she's also taken a shining to me. She often hops on my lap, while I'm working at my desk, especially when she hears me talking during a staff meeting. I'll give her a pet and set her on the floor, but she'll hop right back onto my lap.

And so it continues until I carry her to where one of the other cats are curled up, and she'll join them.

I usually have a nap in the middle of the afternoon, as I find that working alone, in a corner of our living room, after lunch, makes me sleepy. I'll set a 30-minute timer and stretch out on the sofa nearest my desk, and close my eyes.

No sooner am I prone when Lily hops on top of me, purring and drooling. I don't argue because she's soft, light, and keeps me warm.

In the evenings, when I watch TV, Lily hops into my lap and naps, her body stretched along my legs.

She may miss Kid 2 but she has found a new favourite in the meantime. It'll be sad to see her return to Toronto.

Happy Friday!

For Inspiration

Because I had watched a few random YouTube videos about photography, likely because of the algorithm that the site uses through Google, there are some photographers who have caught my attention and that I now follow by subscribing to their channel.

The hosts of these channels don't talk about specific equipment or go into details about camera settings, though occasionally one of these photographers will provide general tips that you can do with your camera to improve your shots. But I don't subscribe to them to get advice on how to use my cameras.

I watch them to become inspired.

Sometimes, seeing the work of a photographer or hearing background stories about how a photographer achieved a particular shot—through choice of lens, lighting, aperture, subject, composition, interest, or more. Two of these YouTubers often show examples of other peoples work to illustrate a style of photography, such as colour versus black and white, while the other YouTuber only shows photos that he's captured to illustrate his topic.

After watching videos from these channels, I get ideas for photography of my own. Not just to copy, but to get inspired to go out and photograph nature, or capture shapes and patterns, or commit to a project, such as photographing strangers (again) or limiting myself to a fixed lens, versus a zoom.

If you're into photography, these YouTube channels may be for you. If you're not a photographer but want to see the world through another set of eyes—maybe, to give you a new perspective of life—these channels may still be worth a watch.

Here are the three photography YouTube channels that inspire me to be a better photographer:

The Photographic Eye, with Alex Kilbee

I have to admit: I'm not really impressed by a lot of Alex's own photographs. As a photographer, I can sort of see what inspired him to take the shot but I don't really feel is execution to be particularly great^*. Fortunately, his channel isn't really about his work.

Alex talks about the art of photography, from the use of black and white, to capturing negative space, to street photography, and more. And he primarily uses examples of some of the world's most renowned photographers, such as Annie Liebovitz, Ansel Adams, Eve Arnold, Helmut Newton, and so many more to illustrate his topic.

Alex presents his videos in his living room with a fixed camera on himself, and lectures. B rolls come on screen to illustrate his points. He has a relaxing style and I enjoy listening about the subject. His videos generally run 10 to 20 minutes but a few of his videos can run up to an hour. I haven't been able to commit to any of the longer videos but I'm sure I'll make some time to do so.

Simon d'Entremont

Simon is a nature and wildlife photographer who lives in Nova Scotia. His videos focus on how to take the best shots of birds and animals, as well as landscapes. He uses his own photos as examples and they are breathtaking.

Topics also include how to improve your photography by adjusting various settings on your camera, such as increasing the ISO or using exposure compensation. He does review equipment but that is not his primary goal. (I did, however, buy a solid-state external hard drive that he recommended).

Simon's channel gives lots of great tips and I've followed his advice. I've always wanted to improve my nature photography and I find Simon truly inspiring.

Jamie Windsor

Not only does English YouTuber Jaime Windsor have great ideas for photographic projects, he's also a brilliant videographer and graphics designer. How he puts his videos together, alone, is inspiring. Not only do I watch his videos to be inspired to take better photographs, I watch his videos to be inspired to create better YouTube videos, myself.

His videos are also well thought out and well written.

Like Alex Kilbee, Jamie often uses examples of inspiring photography from famous photographers. But he also imparts inspirational quotes from all sorts of artists. And when he does use his own photos to illustrate a point, I find most of them inspiring and well-composed. (Sorry, Alex.)

Jamie has slowed down on his work due to some health issues but has vowed to continue once he is able. His last video talked about creativity and he even quoted David Bowie, which I found truly inspirational. If you want to know that quote, watch the video.

Now, Jamie also creates preset filters that mimic various camera film stock (if you want your digital shot to look like it was shot on Kodak or Ilford film, for example) and has videos where he shows the resulting effects. If you like them and use Lightroom for photo editing, you can purchase those presets from him (if he ever develops presets for my editing software, I'd be all over them).

He certainly makes me want to play with colour settings more often.

Those are the three YouTubers who have given me inspiration to take better photos. Do you follow any YouTube channels to improve your photography? Let me know in the Comments section.

^* To be fair, I do find Alex Kilbee to be a very good wedding photographer and many of his portraits are excellent. It's his abstract and street photography that doesn't capture my interest and I often wonder why he decided to use his own photo as that sort of example when there are other photographers to choose from.

My Favourite Photos of 2022

This year was one where my number one hobby seemed to be placed on the backburner. My D-SLRs almost gathered dust for the first two months of 2022. But there's that adage that says the best camera is the one you have with you, and I always had my smartphone on me, so I never really missed a shot.

For 2022, I've decided to limit my annual collection of favourite shots to only 12 photos—one for each month. To that end, I've kept track of all the photos that I have taken throughout each month and have only picked one from that group.

By looking at each month, this post is also my year in review.

One of the first photos that I shot in 2022 happened when I was sitting on my butt, in my favourite chair, watching "The Circle" with DW and Kid 2. It was January 2, and our orchids—for which we had been caring for a couple of years, with success—were resting on the window ledge beside me, just in my peripheral line of view.

We have two pots of blooming orchids: one, pink; the other, white, which was almost in full bloom with 10 flowers opened up. The white orchids were just to the left of and slightly above my head, and I turned to admire them between episodes. They were in a partial silhouette and I had an idea for a photo, to have the petals in monochromatic shadows but to illuminate the labellum with just a hint of colour. I reached for my smartphone and took the shot, and then edited it in Snapseed to get my desired result.

I was happy with the outcome, so much so that even at the beginning of 2022, I knew that it would make the list of my favourite photos of the year.

In February, DW and I weighed the risks and decided to go to Mexico. We were triple-vaxxed, wore snug-fitting KN-95 masks when we were in enclosed spaces, and avoided close contact with people while we were there. Further to keeping our distance from others, we spent most of our time snorkeling in Akumal Bay. To our joy, there are beautiful coral reefs with all sorts of tropical fish and grassy spaces where sea turtles come, year-round, to graze.

While there is no guarantee that we would actually see any sea turtles, we happened upon a juvenile turtle on our first day and we saw the same one, again, on our last full day at the resort. Because I always swam with my 360-degree camera in hand, I was able to extend the selfie stick and get a closeup shot without getting up in the creature's face.

It was easily my best photo of that vacation and of the month. I didn't even bring a D-SLR to Mexico, choosing instead to rely on my smartphone and 360 cameras to record images.

I have no regrets.

March was a pretty dry month for photography. First of all, I rarely left the house. It was the first month of 2022 when I pulled out my D-SLRs but even then, I only used them a couple of times.

The first time was on my birthday and I decided to also pull out my soft box with a speedlight, and I practiced taking self portraits. One of the photos is now used as my profile shot for this blog.

The only time I really left the house and ventured outdoors was on the last Sunday before the mask mandate was lifted. DW and I went for a brunch on Elgin Street, and afterwards we went for a Centretown stroll. With only a 50mm lens on my D750, my angle of view was somewhat limited but I managed a few good shots: the best one being of the post office at Elgin and Sparks Street.

In April, DW and I began a ritual of starting our Saturday mornings with a walk around Mud Lake, along the Ottawa River, near Britannia. Some mornings, I carried my Nikon D7200 with my 70–300mm zoom lens, with which I would capture some of the birds and other wildlife. Other mornings, I just went for the walk, leaving my heavy D-SLRs at home.

On one foggy morning, I arrived with only my smartphone. While, at the time, I kicked myself for leaving a better camera at home, I was still able to capture images of the beautiful fog that blanketed the lake. I had a couple of favourites from that morning but I think the best of them was the one that was shared on the CBC evening news, during the weather photos segment.

In May, I became more active. I got on my road bike and cycled all over the city, including a 70K ride to raise money for CHEO. But May is when the flowers bloom in Ottawa, and I took advantage of the Tulip Festival to capture some images. I have a couple of favourites but if I've challenged myself to one photo for the month, this one would have to be it.

June was a bit of a slow month, in terms of photography, though I did get out for one of my photography group meetups, at Britannia Beach. And surprisingly, my favourite photo from that get-together wasn't of any of the models who participated: it was the sky, after the shoot and after a rain shower that caught my attention.

(I just want to add that the models were just great, too. You can see some of my photos from that shoot here.)

I didn't touch either of my D-SLRs in July, thought I was pretty active. Summer was in full swing, and DW and I were out with out kayaks as often as possible. I took several photos and shot some video on those outings, but it was an evening walk, along the Rideau Canal, on Canada Day, where I captured some lovely blue-hour photos with my smartphone. My favourite photo of that walk was taken as we walked past the Pretoria Bridge.

Fun fact: DW's dad used a crane to drive the iron beams into the bed of the canal, as part of the construction of this bridge.

My D-SLRs saw little action in August, though I did use one of them a couple of times: once, during a walk from Andrew Haydon Park to the harbour at the Nepean Sailing Club, and again for some fireworks, as part of the Sound of Light show. But when I look back at those photos, nothing really stands out for me. I could hardly call any of my shots a favourite.

But on one evening, during a walk that DW and I took through Beryl Gaffney Park, we came to a point where a runoff of the Rideau River met the Long Island Dam, at Nicolls Island. The sun was setting and the sky was dramatic, and I only had my smartphone on me. But as they say, the best camera is the one you have at the time.

I made use of that time.

September was a tough month in which to pare down one photo that I liked. In the last half of the month, DW and I were in Portugal, where I had both of my D-SLR cameras, my smartphone, and both 360-degree video cameras. In those two weeks, I recorded hours of video and took thousands of photos.

How can I choose just one?

There is one photo that as soon as I had snapped it, I knew I had a good picture, even though I was still under the influence of jet lag and I had consumed a couple of glasses of port wine. We were on the Gaia side of the Douro River, down at the river's edge, looking across to Porto. My Nikon D750 was clipped to the shoulder strap of my backpack and my D7200 was slung over my other shoulder, on its strap. Because it was fitted with my 70–300mm lens, I used it to zoom directly across the river, at the Cais da Ribeira, the riverfront promenade.

I filled my lens with the edge of the promenade and the buildings behind it.

"That's the shot," I told DW as I pressed the shutter release.

It's not the only good shot I captured of our trip but it's my favourite. You can see other photos in my Flickr album.

October saw me back outside, taking in the fall colours. I also attended another photography meetup, and this time, one of my favourite photos was of one of our subjects. Sophie just seemed so comfortable in front of the camera that it really was impossible to take a bad shot. This, however, is one of the best.

In November, Ottawa saw a lot of unseasonably warm days and we had great weather on most weekends. DW and I would meet up, a couple of times, with friends and walk some of the nature trails around the Ottawa region, including the Gatineau Hills.

A couple of days after our first snowfall, we decided to trek up to the Carbide-Wilson Mill, near Meech Lake. We've visited this old site many times before but have never gone up after snow has settled in to Gatineau Park. By the time we set out, most of the snow had melted but we were able to capture a bit of it. Here's my favourite shot from that morning.

I didn't leave the house very often in December. When I did leave the house, it was to run errands or to visit friends and family. In other words, I didn't take many opportunities to grab a camera and go out.

I did head out after our first snow storm, however, with camera in hand. DW and I wandered the Lime Kiln Trail, not too far from home. The power of the storm left a thick layer of snow covering one side of tree trunks along the trail, and the evergreens were still thick with the white stuff. But the ruins of the lime kiln had a lovely covering of snow and made for a good subject.

I thought that I would get no definition of the sky in my shot—just a white emptiness—and that I would have to replace it with an artificial sky, but in post processing I was able to recover the blown-out blue and the cloud.

(I did, however, add the sunrays in post-production.)

There's a lot of texture to the photo, and that's why I like it.

So those are my favourite photos of 2022. As always, I want to thank you for visiting my blog and giving me your support. I wish you good health and happiness in 2023. Stay awesome!

Beer O'Clock: Dark Series

I'm going to get a bit dark here. But in a good way. (For the most part.)

This is my last Beer O'Clock review of 2022. I've had a lot of good beer this year—no... scratch that. I've had some fabulous beer this past year. From a mind-blowing black currant cream ale to a tasty, peach-flavoured, non-alcoholic gose; from a selection of vintage ales with dear friends to a juicy, hazy pale ale; and from an ice-cream-inspired stout to a stout that was infused with roasted cocoa nibs, I've drunk well.

I even got drunk, once, while reviewing some beer.

My taste in ale styles has grown, as well, and I hope for the better. But when asked what my favourite style of beer is, I think I still have to say, deep down, it's still a good stout. I really love a good hefeweisen or saison, and I can never seem to get enough of the tropical pale ales, but my first true love continues to be the dark ales.

See? I said I'd go dark.

With the Christmas season breathing down our necks, many people in the beer, wine, and spirits business are cashing in with special releases—gift packs of their products. I look forward to cruising the aisles of my local LCBO, during the early parts of December, looking to see which brewery has packaged which of their premium or seasonal offerings that I can sample.

(I don't necessarily buy these gift packs to give to someone: they're gifts to myself.)

While most of the boxed sets of brews were brightly and festively presented, my eyes fell to a black cube that had the familiar, red logo of one of my favourite Canadian breweries. I haven't had a beer by McAuslan Brewing in a while and in particular, my favourite stout, and seeing a picture of it on the box made me want to pick up this Dark Series four-pack.

I have also already tried one of the beers in the box before, but there were two cans that I hadn't had yet—one, that I was eagerly looking forward to trying.

Let's take a look at the whole set, shall we?

I'll start with an old and beloved friend (I'm actually shocked that I haven't reviewed this stout before—or, at least, I couldn't find a review on The Brown Knowser or my old Beer O'Clock blog). And while I pride myself on a good flavour memory, this stout had me wonder if the brewery has played with the recipe.

St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (5% ABV; 45 IBUs)
McAuslan Brewing, Ltd.
Montréal QC

Appearance: a deep, dark brown that almost lends itself to black, with a taupe head that pours foamy to start and clings to the side of the glass, but reduces to a thin cap and then a tight lace.

Nose: smoky, roasted malts that almost seem burnt. There's also a dark-roast coffee aroma with which I'm familiar, but there is also a whiff of prunes that I don't remember from the last time I had this brew. Have I been gone from this oatmeal stout for so long that I've started confusing it with other dark ales?

Palate: the roasted malts are an immediate welcome on my tongue but I also detected more burnt flavours and a hint of licorice—something with which I attribute to an Imperial stout or a Baltic porter. Even thought there's only 5 percent alcohol in this pint, the flavour profile makes it seem headier than it should be. There's an acidity that made me think that I had opened the wrong can, but the photo doesn't deceive.

Overall impression: either my senses have deceived me, my memory has faded, or the brewers at McAuslan have changed the recipe of their oatmeal stout. But I have had other oatmeal stouts, not so long ago, and I know what to expect in this style of beer. And this, while still good, ain't it.

Just as a server once poured me a Guinness when I had ordered a St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout and insisted that she had given me what I requested, I feel as though I'm being led astray with what I emptied from the can into my glass.

This was not the stout I was looking for.

If I'm to blame for my long absence from this stout, my opinion of it has changed. While I liked it, I no longer love it.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺

I then had to go for the can that I haven't had before. It was a style of stout that gives me warm fuzzies every time I anticipate drinking one. When I first tried a milk stout, more than 10 years ago, I thought it was the best beer ever.

I still do.

St-Ambroise Milk Stout (5.5% ABV; 28 IBUs)

Appearance: dark-walnut brown with a medium-beige head that initially fizzed like pouring a cola and grew to an almost overflowing dome. After about 10 minutes, the head settled to a thin, solid, creamy cap.

Nose: hints of cocoa and a medium-roast coffee, but the aromas were shy in coming out.

Palate: a bitter coffee that approaches a sourness. Hints of cedar and toffee that carry to a lightly creamy and slightly sweet finish.

Overall impression: I had high hopes for this milk stout but there's something about it that was lacking from my expectations. While it's obvious that there is a milk protein that is added to the stout, there isn't enough creaminess to the flavour. The body isn't rich, and on subsequent sips I felt this stout was a bit watery—it's almost like expecting cream in your coffee but getting skim milk, instead. And the sourness made me think that the milk was slightly off.

I often associate chocolate-chip cookies with a milk stout, and there's none of that here. I'm sadly disappointed.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺 + .5

I'm going to be brief about the next dark ale from this four pack, mainly because I've had it before but also because it's name offends me.

Maybe offends is a strong word: it bothers me to the point of distraction. What does India have to do with this style of ale? WTF does the P stand for if it's a black ale??

There's nothing about this beer that resembles an IPA, in my opinion. What's wrong with simply calling it Black Ale and leaving it at that? That's what it is: nothing more.

St-Ambroise Black IPA (6.5% ABV; 58 IBUs)

Appearance: pours a root-beer brown, with a slight tinge of garnet red. The light-beige head starts foamy but settles to a thick, creamy cap. The oatmeal stout is darker, so I can't even call this ale black.

Nose: roasted malts and espresso coffee.

Palate: burnt toast and over-roasted coffee beans, with a bitter finish of orange peel.

Overall impression: this dark ale is really in your face with bitterness but that's all that it has in common with an IPA. The coffee and roasted malts are more in-line with an Imperial stout. I used to think that anything that McAuslan makes is good, but this is not very. I only drank half of it before putting it down the drain.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺

The final can in this release is a style that I have a healthy respect for but it's not really one that I choose to reach for. But I can still judge it fairly.

St-Ambroise Baltic Porter (8.2% ABV; 38 IBUs)

Appearance: pours a near black (more black than the so-called Black IPA) with a creamy taupe head that lays down as a solid cap.

Nose: smoke, burnt toffee, and prunes. None of these aromas is overpowering and the combination makes a pleasing bouquet.

Palate: the sweet prunes are forefront, followed by roasted malts and coffee. I was expecting a strong hit of licorice with the powerful alcohol, but I didn't get that. Instead, I got a bit of cedar and tobacco that provided a rich and lasting finish.

Overall impression: I was expecting to think that meh, another Baltic porter, but the flavours that I find tend to slap me across the face merely rested a warm hand on my cheek. There are a lot of classic flavours but they are somewhat tempered with the fruit characteristics of prunes. It's quite a nice Baltic porter. And though the alcohol level is high, it's not a boozy brew.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺 + .5

Should you pick up the Dark Series four-pack for the holidays? I would suggest that you pick up some of the oatmeal stout (even though my memory tells me that the recipe has changed, it's still a decent brew) and treat yourself to the Baltic porter, but skip on the milk stout and black ale. They're okay but not worth the four-pack.

I said that this would be a dark post and I mainly meant for the beer, but I'm sorry to be so harsh on one of my favourite Canadian breweries. I expected a lot from this gift set and it let me down for the most part.

Whatever alcoholic beverage you go for over the holiday season, don't forget to drink responsibly and have a safe and happy holiday. I can't wait to see what brews are in the offering for 2023.

Cheers!

My Favourite Photos of 2021

For me, 2021 will be seen as the year where I lost the will to leave my house to take photos. Indeed, I rarely picked up my Nikon D750 and when I used my D7200, it was mostly in my backyard, photographing birds at the feeder or flowers blossoming in spring.

More times than not, the only camera on me was the one on my smartphone. But as the saying goes, the best camera for the job is the one you have with you.

For most of the year, I also revisited old photos, ones that I had shot decades ago with my Minolta X-700. I looked at old slide photos and tried to bring new life to them, using the photo-editing software that I received at the end of 2020.

So, while I have lots of photos to share for my annual, year-end post, there are the odd images, retooled and given a new life in 2021. As always, I hope you enjoy them.

Januarys are always tough for me. I really hate the cold and the first month of the year typically brings us some of the deepest freezes. But the beginning of January, this year, actually saw unseasonably milder temperatures and it was easier to get out. DW and I also bought snowshoes, so we were doubly motivated to enjoy the outdoors while we could. The preceding photo was shot on the first weekend of the month, along the trails around the Fletcher Wildlife Gardens. It was also the first photo that I manipulated with one of my new software tools, Luminar AI. 

Though we were nearing sunset, on our snowshoeing adventure, we were still almost an hour away, so I added the orangy-yellow sky and applied a sunset filter to give the barn a dull warmth. It wasn't bad for a first try.

On one of the coldest days of the year, DW decided that she wanted to skate along the Rideau Canal, from Dow's Lake to the NAC. Because it was so cold, she wanted it to be a one-way journey, so she convinced me to get up early and drive her to her drop-off point and pick her up, downtown. 

I drove to Ottawa's Golden Triangle neighbourhood and parked on Cooper Street, a short walk to the canal. While I waited for her, I carefully walked on the ice and snapped some misty-morning shots. This one is my favourite of the bunch.

DW and I also spent some weekends, visiting our friend in Plantagenet, where I captured a wintery scene of his maple-sugar shack.

Walking a nature train in Mississippi Mills, I captured this dramatic sky with my smartphone.

As I said, I stayed in a lot over the winter months, pulling out old slide images, digitally scanning them, and enhancing them with Luminar AI. Of all the shots I experimented with, this one has to be my favourite.

My smartphone is always on me. And with it, I can stop at any time to capture an image. One day, in the spring, I was driving home from Manotick when I could see a storm coming in from the north, across a barren farmer's field. Because of the dramatic contrast with the clouds and the ground, I couldn't resist pulling over and snapping some images before the raindrops fell.

May in Ottawa means it's time for the Tulip Festival. I decided to use the blossoming flowers to practice Bokeh photography.

While photographing the tulips near Dow's Lake, I also took the opportunity to cross the road to capture the pavilion on the lake. At that time of day, the sky was getting dark and it looked like rain. If I held my camera at a certain angle, the darkness of the reflected sky on the water made for interesting negative space.

It seems that my smartphone is very good at capturing dramatic skies. Back in Plantagenet, I captured this sunset sky.

One of my favourite places to capture sunset is at Andrew Haydon Park, along the Ottawa River. And while I captured a lot of images, one evening, with my D-SLR, this one, shot with my smartphone and with white balancing applied, was my favourite of the shoot.

My energy levels were very low, this year, and I found it almost impossible to get up early. Yet, on the morning of the solar eclipse, I got up early and headed to the Portage Bridge, over the Ottawa River, just west of Parliament Hill. And while the eclipse was great to see, photographing the sky before sunrise was even better.

With the pandemic still ongoing, gatherings with my Ottawa Photography Meetup group was a challenge, and the organizers limited events to outdoors only. In a group of five photographers and one model at a remote farm, past Winchester, the risk was at a minimum, as everybody was vaccinated and we kept our distance, out in the farm fields. Furthest from us all was our model, Kate Snig. My favourite photo of the shoot was of Kate, under a pumpkin patch. In post production, I added a stormy sunset sky, complete with lightning. I called the shot Gimme Shelter.

I've only been downtown a couple of times in 2021. On one trip, I wanted to capture sunset from behind the Centre Block on Parliament Hill. My visit didn't disappoint.

And when I did get downtown, I found it hard to pass up an opportunity to photograph one of my favourite statues in the city, Maman (sorry, BC). DW and I went to the National Gallery to capture the fireworks for the Sound of Light show, and I thought the giant spider and the gallery's Great Hall to be a perfect foreground.

For this year's Thanksgiving weekend, DW, my parents, and I decided to go to Toronto to visit our kids, who are studying in the GTA, and my younger sister, who also lives in the big city. It was a beautiful weekend, full of memories that will last a lifetime, and there were also some great photo opportunities, during the day and at night.

A couple of years ago, I purchased a glass orb to take some optical-effect photos, but I don't use it that often because it's just under the size of a baseball and weighs a lot. But I did dust it off and take it with me to Vimy Memorial Bridge on the eve of Remembrance Day to capture some sunset images of the bridge. Here is one of my faves (the image is upside-down so that the bridge appears right-side up through the orb).

I even carried the orb to Cuba, and though I only used it once, it was worth lugging the ball in my jacket pocket. I'm not going to share that image in this post: though it's a nice shot, it's not one of my better images this year.

But I did use the orb once again, on Christmas Eve, while I strolled around the Christmas displays at Lansdowne Park. Though I took this photo after I had originally written this post, I've added it as a late entry. I like the image of the candy canes in the orb (again, the photo has been turned upside-down) with the bokeh effect of their lights, due to a wide f-stop (f/2.8). I really need to rig a stand for the ball, as I find it hard to hold it with a steady hand, hold my D-SLR with the other hand, and attempt to maintain focus inside the orb.

And speaking of Cuba, here is my favourite shot of that vacation. DW and I spend so much time on this beach: swimming, snorkelling, sailing, and lounging. This beach will always give me a sense of calm. (More on Cuba, next week.)

Finally, I have found that through this pandemic, you don't need to go far to find a photo opportunity. Without leaving my home, I found lots of action at the bird feeder in my backyard, and I didn't even have to step outside to capture the finches in a feeding frenzy. I just needed a clean window and my telephoto lens. You saw these photos on Wednesday, but this one's my favourite of the bunch.

I didn't go on as many photo outings this year as I typically do, but I'm glad for the opportunities I took. I'm hopeful that 2022 will open more chances to get out there and pursue the hobby that I love so much.

Thanks for following and have a Happy New Year!

The Big Chair Tour

In high school, I had friends in many camps. I had the academic friends, who received perfect grades and were pretty straight-laced, though they still liked to party and have fun.

I had friends who did okay in school or were barely scraping by, who liked to party more than hit the books.

And I had friends who were somewhere in between.

But all of my friends, no matter which camp they came from, had one thing in common: music.

No matter which group of friends I hung out with, we all pretty much listened to the same music. And if these groups varied in any musical taste, I tried to bring it all together.

There was only one friend who didn't like one particular band, who made fun of their music, and that band was Tears for Fears.

I can still hear him mocking one of their top hits:

Trout, trout, let your line out,
These are the fish I can do without...

It was funny, but I didn't like how he mocked me for my appreciation of the band.

When The Hurting was released in 1983, it was innovative and complex, with great percussion and rhythm. It was also very somber and deep, and many songs made it to my Depression Hits mixed audio cassette, full of angst and sadness. (I made several volumes, along with CarToons.)

When Songs From the Big Chair came out, Tears for Fears was one of my favourite bands, right up there with Peter Gabriel, Talk Talk, Simple Minds, and Ultravox.

My ticket stub.

So naturally, when Tears for Fears came to Ottawa for their Big Chair Tour on June 3, 1985, I had to see them. It was a great show, with Roland Orzabel and Curt Smith giving lots of energy in a solid performance. A couple of months ago, DW came across my ticket for that show and it brought back lots of memories (I think Cory Hart may have opened for them... or did he open for Culture Club? I saw so many concerts in the 80s). Though my friends and I were several rows back (apparently, section 21, row K, seat 15, for me), at the Ottawa Civic Centre, my friends and I had a great view of the whole stage.

And at least we weren't in the overheated crush of general admission. (More on that, next week.)

When the duo split up, in 1991, I sort of lost a bit of interest in the band. Orzabel continued to write and perform under Tears for Fears, but the energy of the duo seemed to fizzle, for me.

It wasn't until, in 2003, I heard a song from Orzabel's 1993 album, Elemental, that I renewed my love of the music. Orzabel and Smith reunited in 2000 and they have even toured, as a united Tears for Fears, as recently as 2019. If they make it back to Ottawa, I'll be sure to grab some tickets.

I'll leave this post with the song that renewed my love of the band: "Goodnight Song."

Happy Thursday!

My Favourite Photos of 2020

My god, but 2020 sucked.

With COVID-19 keeping us in lockdown for much of the year and with travel restricted, I often found little time to pull out my cameras and capture images around the Ottawa area and a few places in Ontario.

I should clarify: I had no interest in subjecting myself to other people's germs. I went to the grocery stores as seldom as possible and stayed away from restaurants, pubs, gyms, and any place where there was even a remote chance that people could get too close to me. I did get out as often as I could, and when I did go out, I usually picked up a camera of some kind to capture whatever was out there.

With two D-SLRs, two 360-degree cameras, and a smartphone, I did manage to take advantage of the greater outdoors to capture some images that I'd like to share in my annual, end-of-the-year post.

Warning: as is typical with these posts, there is some content that may be considered not appropriate for the work environment. Actually, there's only one, but this year I'm starting with the NSFW photograph. If you're reading this blog post in a public venue, where there are eyes about, you may want to either wait till later to read this post or scroll quickly to the second image.

But if you're still working from home or if you're in a place where you have privacy, feel free to continue.

You've been warned (and hopefully, I've added enough content that this post opens such that the first image is not immediately visible). You're welcome.

I didn't take many photos before the March lockdown kept me mostly inside. In January, I attended a model shoot, before even the first case of COVID-19 was discovered in Ottawa.

The photo project focused on shooting a nude subject with coloured gels. One of my favourite images from that meetup was with the use of red and blue gels. The pose of the model, Roxanne, celebrates the female form and the colour provides an artistic touch.

In the first couple of months of 2020, DW and I commuted together because DW had broken a toe on her right foot and was unable to drive. My commute took me, once again, over the Champlain Bridge, and on one afternoon, as I was on my way to collect DW on our way home, the sky over the Ottawa River turned dramatic as the sun set in the west. I pulled onto Bate Island and took this shot.

The first weekend of the lockdown saw clear skies and warmer temperatures. DW and I would often go for walks, and on the Sunday morning, we made our way down to the Chapman Mills Conservation Area, a short drive from home. As we walked the trail and neared the Vimy Memorial Bridge, I caught the contrasting colours of a sumac, with the white bridge before the blue sky. I couldn't help but capture that image.

On a subsequent walk--this time, at the Central Experimental Farm--I saw another contrast of red and blue:

As spring came, I was feeling more and more cooped up. So when my company gave everyone a free day off, I got up before the sun, hopped in my car, and headed to three Ottawa Valley towns to catch some pre-dawn, sunrise, and early morning photos. Here are my favourite shots from that outing:

When the Tulip Festival opened, in May, the regular vendors and attractions were absent but the flowers still made an appearance. City regulations for the pandemic eased so that people could go to parks, but social distancing remained in effect. The National Capital Commission, who had previously prohibited people for stopping in parks, allowed you to come to Commissioner's Park to enjoy and photograph the tulips and daffodils.

One evening, I headed out to take some evening shots downtown. The streets were largely deserted of people, so I had no issue taking pictures around Major's Hill Park and the National Gallery of Canada. My favourite shot of the night was of Maman: this photo is now my lock screen on my smartphone.

To stay active, DW and I purchased kayaks, the ultimate social-distancing activity. We managed to get out dozens of times over the warmer months, from paddling near our house, on the Rideau River, to Algonquin Park, the 1,000 Islands, and several other waterways.

One of my favourite shots of 2020 isn't that great a photo, but it sums up our time in our kayaks. Shot with my Insta360 One X, it's a distorted selfie of me in my trusty craft, in Algonquin Park. Try not to look too closely at the stitch line.

Of course, there are other shots that I've taken from my kayak, and here are a few of my favourites:

In late July, I thought I would try my luck in capturing Comet NEOWISE as it passed the night sky. I headed to Shirley's Bay, where I actually found and captured an image of the comet. But before the sky got dark enough to see this celestial body, I took a few shots of the fading sunset along the Ottawa River.

My favourite time to take photos is during twilight, either just before sunrise or just after sunset. During blue hour, you can capture some pretty dramatic sights. One summer night, in Pakenham, I took photos of the Five Span Bridge. Initially, I couldn't decide whether the post-sunset shot or the blue-hour shot was the best, but finally I have come to a decision:

Sunsets in Ottawa can be pretty spectacular, but sunsets with a storm rolling in are breathtaking. I was relieved that the thunder and lightning didn't turn to rain.

DW and I spent a lot of time at a friend's house, but always socially distanced and outdoors. Our friend owns a farm about an hour east of Ottawa, and there was always something interesting to capture with a camera.

But downtown Ottawa, especially after sunset, was the best place to be. With so few people out, especially after dark, there was no problem keeping my distance.

Hopefully, with the vaccine rolling out, 2021 will be much brighter. Stay safe and be happy.

Happy New Year! Thanks for your support.