Photography & the Arts

Site's under construction- most of the key parts are here, but check back soon for more!

Photography is my visual art of choice when I'm away from the drawing board. I tend to experiment a lot, manipulating light and colour in unusual ways in the hunt for interesting visual effects.

If you're in or near Kingston, Ontario and are interested in a unique portrait, personal or commercial shoot, I might be the photographer you're looking for. (This section of the site is still under construction, so it might look a bit sparse for now- and please contact me if something's missing or broken.)

If you see something here that would look good on your wall, ask about ordering a print.

Photography: Articles & Ramblings

Patterns in the clouds

The title says it all. Enjoy.

Here's the "student ghetto" of downtown Kingston....

Sky over Kingston downtown

Part of the old Novelis (formerly Alcan) plant....

Sky over Novelis factory

Queen's University gets a bit of sun before the winter

Winter's on its way, and pretty soon all of this will be covered in ice and snow. We're still getting some nice sun, though, and the trees and vines still have a few leaves left. I spent a bit of time last week wandering around campus with my new D7000.

Quick Review: Nikon D7000 digital SLR camera

The verdict

The D7000 is Nikon's best all-round camera as of late 2011. If you can't get a particular shot with this thing, you probably won't get that shot with any other camera at any price.

You can spend as long as you want tweaking just about everything on the D7000 to get it set up exactly the way you want it. Then, when you lift it to your eye, it gets out of your way and just works, exactly as it should.

Lake Louise

You just can't drive the Trans-Canada and not make a stop at Lake Louise. It's the definitive, textbook example of an idyllic mountain lake. And it's at exactly the point where you have to stop for a rest anyway when heading west from Calgary. Not surprisingly, it's also the definitive, textbook example of a smoothly run tourist trap.

Here's why:

Bahá'í Temple at Wilmette

As the Bahá'í Faith began to take root in North America in the early years of the twentieth century, a group of mostly American Bahá'ís decided it was about time for the new and rapidly growing religion to have a proper temple in the New World. The cornerstone was laid by Abdu’l-Baha in 1912, but it would take another four decades to finance, build and finish the House of Worship for the Americas, in Willmette, Illinois.

Lake Winnipeg

When you ask trans-Canada travellers if there's anything to do in Manitoba, the answer is often "Hmm, well, let's see.... not much".

It turns out that often-ignored Manitoba has plenty of nice little places to enjoy, if you're willing to get off the highway for a while. It's a relatively short hop (a bit under an hour north of Highway One) to get to Lake Winnipeg.

Yellowstone scenery and wildlife

Continuing on the Yellowstone theme, here are a few of the non-geothermal parts of the park.

There are elk:

Elk resting by a river

Elk grazing near trees

There are bison:

Geyser ponds of Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park is not a subtle place. It includes the caldera of one of the largest known volcanoes. It's a refuge for the largest and most impressive wild animals left in North America. It's big, colourful, and at times surreal.

Sulphurous hot springs, blue and yellow

Whale Watching in Tofino, BC (Part 1: Animals)

One little indulgence Katy and I allowed ourselves on our Western Canada trip was a whale-watching tour in Tofino, BC.

On the recommendation of a family member who has lived on Vancouver Island for a few years, we booked a late-morning cruise with Weigh West Marine Resort. We weren't disappointed. The combination of good weather, a fast boat and a knowledgeable captain made the $80/person cruise well worth it.

But let's leave the talk to a minimum. Here's a whale.

Wolfe Island, and high water on Lake Ontario

There's a good reason why Kingston is considered the freshwater sailing capital of North America. The weather is generally good, navigation is relatively straightforward, and there are several dozen nice anchorages and tourist destinations within day-trip distance.

Wolfe Island has quite a few nice little spots, of which the Big Sandy Bay nature area is likely one of the most popular.

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