Historic

I'm here in sunny Toronto to witness history. Biggest UFC event ever. First UFC event in Ontario. First Jake Shields loss after 15 fights (Georges St-Pierre all the way!). What may be Randy "The Natural" Couture's last outing. Going to be amazing.

Also interesting to see how broad the UFC fan base appears to be. What is out of place in this picture?

Bastion

Bastion, a photo by Jay Mitch on Flickr.

Was a little bored this evening. And it was really windy. So on a whim I grabbed my rig including the Lee Big Stopper 10-stop ND filter and headed over to the local gravel pits. Was interested in capturing that cloud movement. Unfortunately my angles were limited as I was trying to avoid the houses that are nestled along the perimeter. This lone tree poking out of the water provided sufficient foreground interest. With the help of a 2-stop Lee ND grad to hold the sky I ended up with a 6+ minute exposure. The tree stump was sufficiently solid to stay still throughout, providing an anchor against the movement of the sky and the (otherwise choppy) pond.

Too bad I had those bushes to the right poking in.

Spring at the Rink

Continuing on the spring theme. This community "ice" rink is now a shadow of its former self.

Spring at the Rink, a photo by Jay Mitch on Flickr.

Spring Rains

Went out last night to shoot, not really knowing what. Sky started to look threatening and the clouds became interesting. Wasn't equipped to deal with the rain so took a quick snap and headed home. Turned out it barely drizzled.

Spring Rains, a photo by Jay Mitch on Flickr.

World Traveller Part Deux

We also visited China that same week.

World Traveller

I recently returned from an exhausting family vacation to far flung locales. We made our way through African villages, gazed upon the slopes of Everest, and visited ancient ruins and holy lands.

These places were vibrant and rich with texture and sights and sounds. Not to mention great food. Add some awesome light and put a camera in my hand and you get a series of pictures full of exotic atmosphere.

Fortunately we only had to go to Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida for the experience. ;-)

Cigars for Little Girls

The clutter against a stone wall and antique signs made me stop. The girl's bike underneath the King Edward Cigars sign made me shoot. I found the contextual contrast amusing between them. That they are the same color is an added bonus. There's other contrasts here as well: square vs. round; young vs. old; big vs. small, modern vs. antique. I find this a fun photograph.

Cigars for Little Girls, a photo by Jay Mitch on Flickr.

133

Killing time at Gate 133 waiting to go home. Light across the sign looked interesting. As did the bewildered looks of fellow passengers looking at the ceiling wondering what was so interesting.

133, a photo by Jay Mitch on Flickr.

Headshot

This image struck me this afternoon as I looked across the office to see a colleague on the phone with a customer. Well away from their cubicle. Staring out the window. Had me wondering if he was enjoying the sights or considering jumping.


Headshot, a photo by Jay Mitch on Flickr.

Gendarmes

Gendarmes, a photo by Jay Mitch on Flickr.

This is somewhat of a test as I just realized I can link photos directly from Flickr to my blog. Although I don't know how that would work for multiple images.

I captured this image while on vacation in Paris with my wife last year. The French Gendarmes were keeping a close watch on protest activities surrounding the Arc de Triomphe. Normally I wouldn't point a camera (or anything else for that matter) at law enforcement, but the moment was there and they were clearly distracted.