Setting up the dark room

It all started with a gift. A friend, older gentlemen who often comes by, visited a week ago and left me a box full of old photo equipment explaining how he doesn't use it anymore and wants to clear up the house. At the moment, I'd never have guessed that this will bring me to a whole new level of experimenting.

My eyes opened wide and my heart raced while I went thru the box and among other things, I found an '84 Canon T70. 

When I felt the weight of it in my hands, it instantly reminded me of my childhood and of photo cameras my father used to have back when I was little.

It was really interesting reminding myself on how to even use it. It might sound funny, but last time I used camera with film was probably when I was 14 or so.  I totally forgot about how to put the film in it (it's not rocket science as I thought when I was a kid). I totally forgot about how you need to rewind the film at the end. And having a limited number of shots made me felt constrained at first, as well as not knowing whether the shot was even successful or not! However, all that sounded like lots of fun.

So, after I played with it for a day or two, while wondering how will the photos look like, somehow I thought it might be fun to try and develop them myself. That was a long shot at first, but as I kept researching, I realized it's actually doable. All I need is an adequate space, some chemicals, trays, paper and a photo enlarger. 

And film. 

And safe light. 

And clothes pegs and lots of other knick-knacks that happen to be useful (but you figure out that after you start).

It was Sunday when I woke up with the definite decision that I'm doing it. Went back to Craigslist and Kijiji links from night before and set up a meeting with a guy to buy the enlarger thing. I went to buy chemicals and found out that it's not that easy to find them, especially on a Sunday afternoon (however, I did find a great store next day, that had everything I needed in one place and with very kind and helpful staff - FilmPlus, close to Dupont and Lansdowne)

So, after experimenting with chemicals and finding the right alternatives (cause I couldn't buy them on Sunday), I ruined my first film by exposing it to safe light (wrongly I assumed it's safe). I tried again and ruined my second film with bad use of chemicals.

The third film was half decent, but it was still not developed properly and ended up being too dark. Accordingly, the photographs were lousy too. But it was a beginning!

So next day I bought all the right ingredients and the fourth film was actually quite good, due to proper chemicals.

(I also bought that little box for developing film the next day; very, very helpful.)

So the second day, the second batch of photographs ended up being pretty good. I'm still getting used to the camera and experimenting with lenses, but it's exciting and very inspiring. There's still stuff that I might need to make my life easier, but it works! And I'm happy.

Also, still need to figure out the easier way to open the film container, instead of busting it with the screwdriver.

All in all, an amazing thing to do! Lots of work and waiting, but there's something special in it. Maybe it is so for me, and not so much for the real photographers who actually did this when I was still in diapers. But there's the right time for everything and good old stuff are sometimes the best. And even though it'll never be like a digital photo, it makes me smile :)

5 interesting facts about Toronto that I like the most

I was just having a conversation with someone about something and somehow we mentioned Yonge Street.

I've been told, as every tourist probably, that it's the longest street in the world. And this person told me that, despite common belief, that's not true. Of course, I needed to double check that online, which is how I came across some other interesting stuff about Toronto in general.

Among tons of interesting facts, here's top five I like the most:

1. City of Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

It's also one of the most clean, safe, peaceful, large, cosmopolitan cities on this planet. Ok, we kind of knew that before, but it's good to know that's still true. Also, Toronto has the third largest percentage of immigrants at almost 50% (right after Miami and Dubai). That means that almost half of Toronto population was born outside Canada.

2. There are over 1600 named parks in Toronto.

Uu I love that one. Parks are everywhere, really. There are small ones (I wouldn't even call them parks, but they do have that table with the name on it and a few square feet of green grass and some flowers), and there are big ones. The largest public park in Toronto is High Park, but there's plenty of big parks and gardens all over the city. There are areas where you can feel like you actually live on a farm instead of in Toronto.

3. Toronto hosts over 70 film festivals every year and  Jim Carrey lived here!

The most popular is Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In fact, TIFF is known as second most prestigious such festival in the world, right after the one in Cannes.

Jim Carrey was born in Newmarket and has lived in Scarborough and Burlington. Mike Myers was born in Scarborough. Sandra Oh was not born in Toronto, but she's also from Ontario, as well as plenty other famous people I like.

4. Bien sur je parle francais! Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?

Even tough Canada has two official languages, English and French, French is the 12th most spoken language in Toronto. Actually, over 180 different languages and dialects are spoken in the city. That kind of speaks for itself about the Toronto population.

5. Yonge Street is the longest street in the world. Is it?

It's not. It's not 1896 km long, as people think. However, it was listed in Guinness Book of World Records as the longest street in the world, because apparently it once was, or at least it was considered to be, going all the way from Lake Ontario (Queens Quay) to Lake Simcoe up north. Yonge Street is actually 56 km long, and the rest of it is Ontario's Highway 11, which people have mistaken for Yonge. So, technically, it's not, even though some people still say it's true. Either way, it's famous for it.

And I don't really care where it ends. I love where it begins, right at the lakefront, downtown. A beautiful place to hang out on a lovely spring day with a camera in your hand...

Finally a farmers' market!

I was having a problem finding a farmers market in my area. I've been searching for a long time now, and yes, it was winter and all, but I had to find something that works all year round and has fresh stuff.

Until now, I haven't found anything in that sense, except for a few very yummy shops (but that's another thing).

Here's the deal: they're either closed now (open only during the summer), they operate when it's impossible for me to get there, or they're very far away.

There are numerous lists online with farmers markets around Toronto and Etobicoke, but somehow nothing worked for me.
So in order to find out where am I going to buy apples and stuff, I talked to some Canadians about it and they all said the same thing: "There are some farmers markets around you could go to, but there's nothing there. It's winter!".

So?

Don't cows make milk during the winter? And I mean the real cows. Aren't there foods that are the best in late fall and winter and early spring? Maybe Canada, with the winter so cold, doesn't have seasonal stuff? Maybe the cows are so cold that they strike during the winter. So that felt weird.

But, I found one. Since the summer is getting closer, I guess there will be more of them closer to me, and I'll check them out.

The one that is fairly close to my area just opened the season yesterday - and that's Sorauren Farmers' Market in Parkdale. And I couldn't wait to go and see it for myself.

You see, back home, in Croatia, there are farmers markets everywhere. Of course, it's not like I used them every day. Who does, when there are supermarkets around? But still, I used to go once a week to get some fresh stuff, healthier food and meat that was not fed by the other same kind meat.

I was hoping to find the same thing here. The Sorauren farmers' market looks like something similar, with a few differences.

Back home, we have all kinds of food at the markets. Whether is summer of winter, you'll always find fresh seasonal food, bakeries with fresh baked bread and dairy booths with butter, milk, yogurts and cheese, home made spreads, salads, legumes, spices, eggs, everything from small, independent farmers. In a Croatian farmers market, you'll find Croatian food.

Here, I've seen a lot less products, but also, you could find multicultural food and flavors from different countries. There's Canadian foods and then there's foods from the rest of the world.

However, it was kind of small and I expected it to be bigger. But, I did find some neat stuff, like home made cosmetics, all kinds of honey, awesome chocolates, some real looking potatoes (I'm a sucker for potatoes) and a fresh basil in a pot. I just hope the basil won't die on me like the rest of the plants I've had this year. I'm not much of a plant person.

Must say, it's a bit pricey. I paid 6$ for a half of chocolate bar. But, you get what you pay for. When I'm spending money in Croatian farmers market, I know I'm getting the good stuff. Only there, often the good stuff is cheaper than stuff from supermarket. That's one of the advantages of a economically screwed up country.

I hope that here's the same deal (regarding the food quality), as it should be. I'll know soon enough, when I get those potatoes from the oven later and spice everything up with that sweet basil scent.

Week overview

This was a long and fun week. 

It started foggy - I managed to get some photos last weekend in the morning thru the thick fog and that made me somewhat happy. I was also disappointed by my new wide angle converter I bought on e-bay. I guess you get what you pay for.

Then it was cold and rainy.

And the one thing that made that bad weather completely irrelevant was the visit of my girlfriend Kate from far away land, Croatia, who actually came all the way from Dubai, where she currently resides. That was  the highlight of the month. It was great to see her, even tho she was only staying here for two days.

We had our fun, drank, ate, laughed, took walks in the downtown and shared our stories.

Then she left and I caught up with my routine (as if I have one).

Went to visit the Kariya Park in Mississauga because I simply couldn't miss the cherry blossoms there.

The garden is quite small, but it's peaceful, intimate and relaxing.

A beautiful little piece of Japan right here in Mississauga. Whoever is near and still haven't checked it out, you should go. And before you do, see the guide here - plenty of interesting details (I wish I've seen it before I went there).

Had a good run yesterday (and didn't fall). Made me want to run some more, but I skipped today. I had the "all-you-can-eat-ice-cream-therapy" instead.

Just so, cause I came across this awesome new flavor (Elk crossing) and it was hard to look away.

This morning I went to James Garden in north Etobicoke and had a great time.

Very nice place to be at on such a lovely day like today. It's full of animals, flowers and people. On my way there thought a lot about bicyclists on the roads and their role in traffic.

For the first time saw a chipmunk. They're cute, but fast and jumpy, so it's a miracle I even got two decent shots of it.

Did some sunbathing at the roof for the first time this year and read some of Zeland's book about mysteries of life.

Thought I learned something, but then I lost it, and I think I'll have to read the chapter all over again.



All in all, the week wasn't so bad. And the long weekend is here for Victoria Day. I can hear the fireworks just now, it's freaking out my cat as I write. So I better go to have some quality time with it.

Have yourselves a great weekend (or end of one, depending on where you are)...

Walking thru the Village of Murals

Just recently (before all this spring began) I was looking for a nice place to take a walk. Since all my walks are usually close to the lake, I decided to move a little bit up north and see what's going on there. That's when I came across the Islington's Village of Murals.

Located on Dundas Street West, between Islington and Kipling, there's a whole bunch of murals, mostly painted by an artist John Kuna.

More precise, there's 26 of them along the area and their purpose is to illustrate places and people from neighborhood's history, mostly from early 1900.

The Pub With No Beer

Next to every mural there is a board with the name and description of the illustration, explaining what, when and why.


It's like walking thru the museum of past.

There are people around you walking fast, cars are driving by, it's busy weekday, everyone's hurrying somewhere and then you set your eyes (because you can't miss it) on "The Pub With No Beer".




That's the mural that depicts smiling faces of workers leaned on the truck full of empty bottles cases, and makes you wonder how simple and happy people must have been then, even though they worked hard and had little.

The faces of Islington

There is something in each mural that brings out the nostalgia, happiness, proud, sorrow or compassion.

I'm sure it brings out a lot more to the people grew up in the area than to me, being a complete stranger. But it still makes you feel different, walking with those murals on every step as opposed to just walking, minding your own business.

Mimico Creek

This way, you remember to notice - or you notice to remember. Either way, it's a nicer walk with that contrast between now and then.

Portraits Of Our Past

The illustrations are beautiful and I admire the whole action of making it happen. The murals really make the place look interesting and fun, but also they show the proud and appreciation of the past.











What amazed me the most is that all of the murals were intact. They are clean and graffiti free, and that tells me that there is obvious respect for the illustrations themselves, for the past and for the neighborhood. I hope they'll stay that way for a long time.

The Old Swimming Hole, Aftermath, Harold G. Shipp's "First High Flier!"

Cherry Blossoms shooting in High Park, Toronto - a couple of things to know

So, I've been waiting for cherry blossoms to bloom. That's no secret.

I love them, they look beautiful and I simply wanted to see them in High Park, because apparently there's plenty of cherry trees there, and it might look awesome. I've been monitoring carefully every day, so that I wouldn't miss the chance to see them and so that I could be there on time to take some photographs.

I know it's a popular place to go and see the cherry blossoms and I knew there would be a few people around. Especially since I was going there in late afternoon, around 6 pm, during the rush hour. But what the hell, a little traffic I can stand, cherry blossoms are definitely worth enough to fight it. And the park is huge, so what if there's going to be a few people there, there's enough room for everybody.

Little did I know that the truth was nowhere near that.

Yes, the blossoms are fantastic. But a "few people" part was total delusion.

It took me about 20 minutes to reach the Sunnyside beach (which is completely normal, especially that time of day), but then it began.

From there, to reach the High Park by car, it would normally take me 5-10 minutes, if I'm getting in on the east entrance.

Yesterday, it took me 25 minutes to get close to it, another 20 minutes to get inside the High Park and another 10 minutes sitting and waiting for the river of cars to move.

There were millions of cars, millions of people walking and I was sitting there and  jealously looking at them.
Well, me and other drivers in cars in front of and behind me.

I loudly said "nice" and reminded myself not to loose my patience, but it was already gone. I was trapped inside the park, on the road, not moving anywhere.

And even if I reach the parking lot, which was, I finally came to conclusion at that moment, impossible, there would be no chance in hell to find an empty space to park.

I swear, it was like half of Toronto came to see cherry blossoms yesterday. So I figured, me seeing them will not happen, not today.

I decided to turn around and exit the park same way I entered. I turned around and I realized that the way back to the exit is as crowded as the direction I was going in the first place.

Nice, I said to myself again and I also said lots of Croatian words I do not want to translate now.

After another 20 minutes, I was finally coming close to the exit.

On my way back, I've noticed the signs that said: "Welcome to High Park! Cherry blossoms! Due to anticipated high volume visits, we provided additional parking lots at Sunnyside beach, Lakeshore Blvd." Again, nice.

So that was a cardinal mistake. It took me around 2 hours to get there and back home without even getting out of my car and with no photos. And I wanted to see those blossoms so badly.

So this morning, I eagerly woke up at 5.30, left my place at 6 am, and I was at the High Park parking lot next to the cherry blossoms at 6.15 am. What a joy!

And what a sight to see! 

I was not alone, no.

There were already people there, mostly with cameras, trying to capture the best of the blossoms. It was amazing.

After a while, the sun came up enough to light the blossoms and the view was spectacular. It was definitely worth it and I'm glad I got there so early.

Aside from the families, amateur photographers and exercise group, there were professional photographers capturing the loving moments of couples, there were some wedding photo shootings, there was a rich old lady with two dogs and a photographer taking her portraits with the dogs....

Plenty of interesting things to see and very amusing. Gotta say, lots of stuff going on at 6.15 AM in that park.

So, word of advice: if you want to go there while the cherry blossoms are blooming, avoid going by car, unless you plan to be there early in the morning.

Or just get there at the dawn and see for yourselves how mesmerizing it is.

I can't believe I actually wanted to wait for the weekend to go there.
Despite all the beauty around me, there would be lots of Croatian words echoing thru the cherry blossom paradise.

Shooting The Spring In Toronto

Finally, it happened. Spring is officially here (no, the dates don't matter). What matters is the number of days in a row with temperatures above 16 degrees C. With sun. Those are my standards.

That's when I start running.
That's when I can wear short sleeves.
That's when I don't feel like eating ice cream anymore.
That's when I know I'll soon be wearing flip flops and be able to sunbathe at the top of my roof.
That's when all the spring joy and positive energy summons.


The trees are getting greener. Now is the time to visit High Park, among all the other beautiful places in the city. The warm breeze and flower scents feels amazing after this long winter. The birds are chirping and playing around, people are taking walks and there are flowers everywhere. It's nice to be outside!

Just took a walk the other day and saw some amazing stuff. Also, learned couple of things. Those black birds with red and yellow on their wings (Red wing blackbirds) are mean. You can see it in their mean birdie faces.

On the other hand, Robins are awesome and great photo models. They're not scared easily and they're willing to pose for you. They are all around the place, playing with other robins and sparrows or just sitting in a tree chirping and browsing around.

It's hard to miss firsts magnolia flowers, they look amazing. They bloomed rapidly in the last couple of days. They're all over the places and yet I can never get enough of them.

Also, the first cherry blossoms just bloomed, and I know they're gonna be even more magnificent in the next couple of weeks. There's something magical about them. Next week I'm on my quest to find some more.







I generally love squirrels, but baby squirrels are awesome! This little guy actually followed a bunch of kids running around and played with them. Wasn't scared at all, and actually, quite enjoyed their attention.

This time of year is always beautiful. Of course, in Croatia, this time of year actually comes sooner, but it's just as amazing. I must admit though, I somehow appreciate it more here, in Toronto. I guess it's because of that badass Canadian winter after all. So, whoever is around, get outside and enjoy!