Lucas & Fanny (October, 1995)

Fanny was always the friendliest cat at Lucas' mother's house, always at least somewhat more cuddly than her feline cohabitants, Spike (who was skittish) and Cleo (who could be... well, sort of nasty at times, in that way that Calico cats often are).

I like this photo because I feel as if it conveys something of that "cuddly" quality that I associated with Fanny.

Salt-Stain Sunset (February 28, 2007)

I was not usually bored during my long hours of commuting between Hamilton, Ontario, and York University (I did this for a year, while working on my Master's degree). I was lucky enough not to have a problem with reading on the bus; and, when that failed (or I was too tired or fed up, as was more likely the case), I had the new digital camera that I had purchased in October 2006, shortly after beginning my degree. With it I practised shooting pictures through the bus window, with varying degrees of success. This picture is one of a series I shot that day, using the effect of the salt encrusted on the bus window as a kind of filter. I liked the way the image became almost painterly, reminiscent of one of those Impressionist paintings of Paris during the first heights of the Industrial Revolution.

Path to Field, Mont-Royal (October 14, 2009)

Looking down the path to a little field on Mont Royal, where I like to sit and look out over the city.

Bridge to Coromandel (December 13, 2000)

In New Zealand these "one-lane bridges" are much more common than they are in Canada, or at least in the areas of Canada that I have seen. I believe this one is the Kopu Bridge on Route 25, heading over the Waihou River towards the Coromandel.

Finn, Caroline & Quin (June 24, 2005)

Taken at the Dyke March, 2005, Toronto. This ingenious contraption was designed to keep the extreme inner-city summer heat (including glaring sun for most of the day) from bothering the little fellow too much.

The Dyke March typically happens on the Saturday before the main Pride Parade, which follows on Sunday. I think this was the year I was in both parades, with Deirdre.

Boat, Sunlight (July 12, 2009)

Crossing back over from the Isle of Wight to Southampton at around 6pm on a Sunday evening in the middle of summer.

Although I knew I was violating all those laws of photography that relate to over-exposure and having a 'textured white' in the photo, I really liked the way the boat looked--as if it was heading into some kind of conflagration on the left-hand side of the picture, perhaps a nuclear blast. Yes, that's morbid, I know. It was also the loveliness of the bright sunshine late in the day, and the sense of closure I always feel when watching the sunlight drop in the late afternoon and early evening, as if watching the day end in this age-old way has a kind of symbolic finality.

Late-Night Phone Call (October 9, 2008)

Taken on the same campaign as an earlier shot, this photo shows Gerard Kennedy standing just outside the door to the campaign headquarters, talking on his mobile phone. This was a common sight during the campaign, but a lot of people liked this picture--as if it 'captured' something beyond Gerard's propensity to be on the phone most of the time (I think some of the best shots I took were of GK on his mobile).

Crag and Station (May 21, 2007)

Taken from the train heading north from Milan to Varenna, on Lake (Lago di) Como. I think what I liked most about the alps, visually, was that cragginess--the huge chunks of mountain that just seems to go up, springing vertically or at acute angles, shaggy dogs of rock with their fleece of forest and, later, snow in the distance. All this was pushed up crisply against the flat blue Italian sky, which seemed to grow clearer as the train wound its way higher; the detail visible on that rock in the distance shows this clarity.

128 Steps (August 2004)

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have a fascination with signs designed for the 'public'. And in England, I notice that signs are everywhere, far more so than in Canada where streets often have a sign only only one corner of four, and where I sometimes wake sweating from nightmares in which I'm lost in a mall, unable to find the toilets.

The folks who built this staircase may have wanted to provide some warning to those about to ascend. Or not; I never could figure this one out. Hopefully this is not an attempt at accessibility, since of course a "lift" would be more appropriate, rather than a sign that essentially says "look out--you won't be able to make it up these stairs".

Matt, Fence (December 27, 1997)

I think this was taken at a "road hockey" game, at the tennis courts on the Gorsebrook School grounds in Halifax. And I'm pretty sure that pin he is wearing says "go fly a kite".

Gorsebrook was also known for its sledding. When the snow fell in sufficient amounts, avid sledders would head for the steep hill with its abrupt flattening out at the bottom end; though the tapering left plenty of room for one's velocity to slow before hitting anything, the hill often became a sheet of ice as the snow compacted from the pressure of many feet and bodies. There was usually a strong possibility of hitting a smooth bump and flying off one's sled.