Models and pumpkin (soup) as the highlights of the week.

This was another busy week. Lots of shooting, lots of Halloween, lots of work.

(Here's a picture of my pumpkin, so you can start laughing immediately and forget it before you finish this post).




So, back to the beginning.


We had another photo shoot this week which I really enjoyed.

It's always nice to work with professionals and every time it gives me new experiences.

As winter approaches and it's not warm anymore, the shootings become more indoor than outdoor which is a challenge for me.

I rarely shoot inside, I never use the flash and I hate it when I don't have enough light. Yes, it sounds lame and it means I'm not good at it. That's true.

However, I managed to end up with some sweet photos.

I do realize more and more how I like to work with models. I want to do some more of that stuff. At least my cat and hamster will be off the hook for a while.

I also need a proper place to make a studio. And get lights. And the rest of the equipment. And the models. The ideas I already have. For some reason, I didn't get into that yet. And why is that?

It's not really easy. When I tangle up myself in umbrellas (not mines) and lights (again, not mines, borrowed), all I think about is how I'd like to switch places with a model. Then I get a good shot and that changes.

I've been a model a few times - fun, but it doesn't give you the same rush as photographing does. 

It was the same thing when I first started riding my motorcycle. All I could think was where to park, remind myself not to drink, being concerned about where to leave my helmet and stuff.... it was so much easier when I was a passenger. But, one nice ride, alone, on a sunny day, on the countryside road, and that all disappears.

It's better to be in control. Everything else can be adjusted. 

On another note, this week has been wrapped up in Halloween flair and naturally, I bought a pumpkin (!). 

Little did I know what to do with it, let alone how to carve it out. No, I'm not trick or treat child and have no idea how to carve a pumpkin. I've seen people doing wonders with it :) Look up the first picture to see how NOT to carve the pumpkin.

I just made a pumpkin soup, I dried out the seeds and I carved it the best I could without cutting it to pieces. Fun? Perhaps. Will I do it again next year? Probably not.

I look at people all dressed up, at neighborhood houses looking like deserted castles with graveyards in front and I'm thinking - how nice of people to nurture that tradition. Somebody has to. I'll leave that up to professionals.

I enjoyed the soup though. And I still enjoy the autumn colours outside, which I've been shooting lately too. More you can find on Instagram as usual.

Also, I've been playing with my original website lately and turned it completely around. It's still in process, but you can take a peek here.

Happy Halloween!

Walkin' downtown

This was an awesome warm weekend and of course, I wanted to spend it outside.

I haven't been downtown for a while and I really wanted to take a serious walk and get out for a whole day. Since I have a guest here (her majesty, Ana Flo), we decided to use this nice weather and go somewhere I usually wouldn't go alone.


I wanted to go apple picking, but Ana didn't feel like it. So we agreed upon spending some time in High Park and some time downtown. I haven't been downtown for a while so we were curious at what's there to see.

Turned out, there's plenty to see, especially if you're bored and yearning for a little city hype.

I wanted to visit Brookfield Place to see a World Press Photo Exhibition, so we headed there first.


Some nice, some interesting but mostly sad stories told thru photographs by award winning artists and photojournalists made a strong impression on both of us. I recommend to go and see for yourselves.

We took a walk towards the lake and on our way there we stopped at Union Station - the place I've seen only from the outside until now, so we decided to walk in and take a peek at what's in there.

Outside, hungry pigeons chilled on the Union Station sign.



Soon enough we found ourselves by the lake and enjoyed the sun and warm breeze.

We entered the Power Plant gallery where we took a look at three standing exhibitions, but I was most impressed by "Black Cloud", an installation by Mexican artist Carlos Amorales. 30000 black moths cut out of paper and placed on the walls of the gallery made a splendid view.

More about him and his moths you can find here

After coming back towards Eaton Center and a huge meal, we needed a break so we had a coffee on Nathan Phillips Square. Plenty of people was there, despite being the Thanksgivings day, and they laughed, took pictures by the Toronto letters, posing for selfies, smiling, chattering and enjoying a beautiful afternoon. I do love to look at people sometimes. When they're happy.

We spend some time in High Park (as if that was a fair alternative to apple picking), but it was nice. Crowded, but nice. We barely found a parking spot after a while of driving around, just before we almost gave up. I swear, half of Toronto was there that afternoon.

We even made it to the Cherry beach.

It was a good weekend. I hope this weather will last.

I want to make an apple pie, so I still have to go apple picking...

Toronto skies and one cut off tree

I've mentioned couple of times how clouds here in Toronto can be spectacular. I don't know why exactly, but there are times when they make the sky look awesome.

Sometimes there's overcast everywhere and there is still sun shining thru.
Sometimes they're just ripped like cotton pieces all over the blue skies, and when the storm is coming, it sometimes feels like two worlds are colliding.

I used to hate clouds (seriously, I had a huge problem with them at one point in my life), but then you grow up and get used to them, and eventually, you might even start liking them.

Especially if you're right here where I am.

One autumn afternoon, the skies were so colourful that I had to take a photo.

But, the problem was I was working so I couldn't exactly just leave. Also, I'm in industrial area with huge buildings around, power cords and trucks so getting a clear shot was almost impossible.

And it was cold outside so too, so I kind of wanted to stay in.

There is one spot I found to shoot the skies, but the certain tree had to be in the picture.

And not even the whole tree, the top is missing because of the power cords and the bottom because of the street, buildings and traffic.

So, I settled for the next best thing and took a picture of cut off tree, from inside, thru the shop window.

The next afternoon the skies were even more interesting, so I took another photo from the same spot.

So I did the next day as well.

The fall here makes the skies, on late afternoons when sun is setting down, quite unusual.


And every day they look different. So I ended up having a whole set of the cut off tree in front of different backgrounds. Not bad for a cloud hater.

Once the winter passed by and spring came, the sights like these became more rare. But, Canadian summer is already half way gone so the fall will be here soon again with it's spectacular colors.