A long time ago

This was the only sort of lock you needed. A simple iron loop that would mate up with a farm gate latch. Now there are steel vaults, Kryptonite bike locks and remote car locks, razor wire and  thumb print scanners on smartphones.


The march of technology has it's advantages, but it has certainly made life more complex.

These and most images from the past 2-3 years on my blog are available as prints.

Mike

Red Antiquities Building Interior Final Images

Final part of my series of images of the century old Red Antiquities Building in London, Ontario.

Early last fall, I was able to go to London and was given access to shoot some interior and exterior images of the building 'as is' prior to the commencement of structural improvements and renovations. ( Part I with the interior images is here. and Part II with the exteriors is here.) These were shot the same day as the exterior images.

The website for the "Back From the Brink" project is located here and they are actively looking for donations and community involvement in the completion of this large undertaking.

All images are available as prints should anyone be interested.

A nifty fifty

No. We are not talking my age. Not for a while yet anyhow.  Someone has graciously loaned me for an extended period a Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II lens. Also known as a "nifty fifty." They are inexpensive- at least as wide open prime lenses go. Lots of plastic and quite small in size.

They are light weight. Actually feather light compared to my usual 24-105L that I shoot everything with (4.6 ounces vs 1.5 lbs!). Light to the point that I could forget I am actually carrying my camera with the shoulder strap. With the 24-105, the strap firmly sits on the shoulder. With this one, I found myself holding the strap like a rifle sling thinking it might slip off. A big plus is that it's lack of weight makes it really easy to shoot. And I imagine that an extended period of shooting would be a lot easier on my left arm and shoulder too.

One interesting point - which I read about but hadn't experienced, was the moving around. With a zoom, you can just rotate the lens barrel and re-frame the subject. With this it is: crouch down, think, lean back a bit, stand up, step back, crouch down, frame again. And repeat. Makes it sort of fun to shoot as it is a completely different process. Well, perhaps not too fun when the only good spot is squishy, wet and muddy and on top of a grave. :)

A side effect of that moving about was that after an hour, I only had 40-50 images. I don't machine gun photograph in a 'spray and pray' style of hoping something will turn out and edit down from 500 photos, but with this lens you shift and move around more instead of just happily clicking away.  I picked about a dozen I liked - some of which were in this tiny rural cemetery which probably measured 15x20m or so and dated to the middle part of the 1800s.

I am really looking forward to trying some natural light f1.8 nudes with this lens.

Mike

Red Antiquities Building Exterior Details

 
Part II of my images of the century old Red Antiquities Building in London, Ontario.

Early last fall, I was able to go to London and was given access to shoot some interior and exterior images of the building 'as is' prior to the commencement of structural improvements and renovations. ( Part I with the interior images is here. )

To follow on from the interior shots, I am putting up some exterior detail images. The building had been photographed by architectural students prior to the work beginning, so I felt shooting a series of non documentary style images would compliment their work nicely. These images have not been posted to this point.

All images are available as prints should anyone be interested.

The website for the "Back From the Brink" project is located here and they are actively looking for donations and community involvement in the completion of this large undertaking.

RIP Chris Hondros

A second photographer, New York based Chris Hondros, dies from wounds sustained in the same attack that killed photojournalist Tim Hetherington earlier today. The deaths occurred while they were covering the fighting in the besieged Libyan city of Misrata. Chris Hondros was a senior staff photographer for Getty Images. He was 41.

Mike

RIP Tim Hetherington

 Photo credit: ©Tim Hetherington,

Tim Hetherington, the world renowned photojournalist and co-director of Oscar nominated Afghanistan war documentary ‘Restrepo’, was killed, and three other journalists wounded, today during a mortar attack in Misrata, Libya while covering the war.

Doctors in Misrata also confirmed the names of the three injured journalists to The Associated Press. Chris Hondros, a photographer for Getty Images, sustained serious injuries and was reported to be on a respirator at Hikma Hospital. Two other photographers, Guy Martin and Michael Christopher Brown, were being treated for shrapnel wounds.- Via the CTV News and other sources including twitter.

Tim Hetherington is seen here discussing the making of Restropo, Via Time's obituary on Hetherington:






Mike

Red Antiquities Building interior

The century old Red Antiquities Building is in the process of being renovated and restored. Earlier this month it was even lifted off it's original foundations and moved into it's backyard to have new foundations poured and reinforced and also to level the building.

Early last fall, I was able to go to London and was given access to shoot some interior shots of the building as is prior to the renovations. They are all natural light shots, no flash or other fill light.

I wasn't able to travel to London to see the move happen, but I thought I would share the images I did back then as they have not been posted to this point. Another post will follow with the exterior images.

All images are available as prints should anyone be interested.

On the wrong side of a rusty sign

In the summer, this sign isn't visible at all and it has no more words as to what it was cautioning against. I suspect I would have once been standing in a velociraptor paddock.

Mike

Somewhere, a Bootless Joe

A lone hiking boot - apparently in good repair, in the middle of a wide expanse of back fill in an empty fenced in lot. Something foul was a foot. ;)

Mike

Soon this will be full of Love

Or at the very least 40-love games. Photographed January, 2011.


Mike