This was one of my first, if not my first shoot (can’t remember) during TIFF in September. It was my third time covering the festival since I was 18 and I just remember this being one of my busiest days. I had something right before this shoot, and then immediately after I had to run over to MuchMusic for my live on-air interview about who I’m looking forward to photographing at the film festival (which was really great and I’m hugely grateful for them having me). I had another shoot right after my interview as well I believe. Timing was very tight in between them all. Even worse: parking was a total bitch… it usually always is anywhere downtown in Toronto, but with the excitement from TIFF… even worse. All of this happened at rush hour too… my God… I just remember the sheer madness but somehow it all worked out perfectly and was an amazing day. I said to Adrian, “I’m like the Canadian ‘Teenage Paparazzo” … even though I’m not a pap nor have I ever participated in the “sport” he seemed to like that. He was a really cool guy. I was really curious to meet him because of his movie! My girlfriend ran into him later that day while she was guarding my laptop and showed him the photos. It was a good start to a great film festival… my best so far! 

Nikon D700 + 85mm

Another photo from my summer in Yorkville creating this project. This one really typifies the area I think. It has all the right elements in the right places… and I love how this lens allowed me to get only the ass of the Lambo in focus. I was waiting for the right person to walk by and this girl was perfect for the finishing touch… thank you mystery woman. ;) 

D700 + 24mm tilt-shift

Another favorite from my “Yorkvillism” project from the summer of 2010… what a great couple of months that was. Drake’s “Thank Me Later” was pretty much the anthem of that summer and I actually ran into him outside ONE Restaurant while shooting for this series. I also saw a lot of interesting people including this man… his shopping bags are from Lacoste and Harry Rosen and his shoes are Prada. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is all I can think about. :) Again, like the last shot, a pretty unusual detail in this scene which is why I think it’s special. PS - for anyone wondering about the blur in this and the last shot… it’s not Photoshopped, it’s just the fabulous result of a tilt-shift lens. 

Nikon D700 + 24mm tilt-shift (love this lens to infinity and beyond)

I was digging up some older files from July 2010 and found this from a client project I was working on that summer. This is in one of Toronto’s “posh” neighborhoods called Yorkville. I really enjoyed working on that project because I got to walk around and find things like this. I thought the car was funny in the context of where it was and it reminded me of an LA scene. I also love all the construction and how anti-posh it really looks. People from Toronto would know that this is one of our city’s most chic areas. I used to spend a lot of time here as a kid actually so this project was very nostalgic for me. 

Nikon D700 + 24mm tilt-shift lens

I’m the house photographer for the shOws and this year they were at The Ritz-Carlton with Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha hosting. I remember shooting Coco at fashion week back in 2008… someone told me to photograph her because she was the “next big thing” in modeling. It’s amazing how much she has changed in those couple of years looking back at my first photos of her. When she walked backstage at The Ritz, I knew I wanted to make this photo with the curtains, boxes, and stacked chairs… they really scream “backstage” to me and I love that vibe. She’s always so lovely to photograph. 

Nikon D700 + Nikon 24mm f/1.4

Waiting for the subway isn’t a glamorous activity no matter where you are in the world. This time I was in LA. I’m not sure what is in this dude’s hand but at first I thought it was a beer which made me take the photo… still not impossible. I got pretty close but he didn’t see me “steal his soul” - not many people noticed and/or cared in this part of the planet. Kinda liked that… the worst is when people notice and either: 

a) get pissed, or even worse,

b) do a cheesy pose for the camera

Zeiss Ikon + 35mm f/2 Biogon + Kodak Tri-X

During my last day in California, I wanted to take a trip to Venice Beach to make some photos. I had about four hours to kill before I had to be at the airport and I was really stoked to see it with my own eyes. I had seen many photos of it taken by my friends and other photographers in the past so I was curious to photograph there myself. I’m not sure if it was because of the time of year, but it was completely dead and not what I expected at all… actually, LA wasn’t what I was expecting either. It may have also been because it was really chilly. I kind of like the tranquility to it though and think it was an interesting time to make photos because it wasn’t what I was used to seeing. This dude stood under the trees for quite a while… just looking out. I wonder what was going through his head. I think this would make a nice print - whenever I look at it I feel relaxed. It was quite a calm walk and a nice way to end my Cali visit. Although I was told to jet out before it got dark because “that’s when the crackheads come out.” 

Zeiss Ikon + 35mm f/2 Biogon + Rollei Pan 25

I feel very privileged to have moments like this, with people like this, unfold in front of me. Again, this is one of those types of photos that I made more for myself than anything. I love the tension in the photo… this is right before she was going to walk the red carpet. Her expression says “I’m over it” but the photos that I took afterwards were totally different. It almost reminds me of a street photograph, and frankly, it could have been anyone in the shot. The fact that it’s a recognizable face is a vehicle to put it into context I think. This year was the first time I photographed Angelina Jolie and I think this was one of the only times I was a bit nervous shooting. Not necessarily star struck, but I had a photo in mind that I wanted to make sure I got and even though this isn’t “it,” I’m actually really content with this one. Sometimes happy “accidents” — even though I don’t think it’s appropriate to call this that — happen and you make frames you otherwise wouldn’t have planned or anticipated. It’s all part of the chaos of the film fest, and also part of the job. As much as “you know what you will get,” sometimes you just never know. 

Nikon D700 + Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

The Toronto International Film Festival is always total chaos for photographers. I think you have to possess some sort of “rush” from operating in chaos to be able to successfully document a film festival. I love it… and think it’s actually interesting to depict in photos. Of course, being on “the line” I had to make sure I got the posed shots of the talent, but to me these “journalistic,” “artsy fartsy,” or whatever you wanna call them types of photos are way more fun to make. I think that’s one of the most valuable lessons I took away from studying Chris’s posts from back when I didn’t even own a camera: always shoot things as if you were just observing them for yourself. When things become “work” your mind tends to want to shoot a certain way… and I guess that’s why most photographers are after a similar “look” to their photos. It was cool when this lingo that I used to only read about began making sense when I started shooting and experiencing it. I think my favorite part of this shot is the umbrella above Mr. Cage’s head. And this was, by far, my favorite TIFF to shoot thus far… for many reasons. It was only my third time doing it, but at 22, I have many more ahead of me. 

Nikon D700 + Nikon 24mm f/1.4 

For my minor thesis project in university I was spending time with and documenting the people belonging to Toronto’s battle rap subculture. I was always fascinated with the art of battle rapping and had kept my eye to the scene in my city before showing up with my cameras and starting my project. Funny enough, these guys appreciated what I was doing and I made some good friends through it. I tried to be as anonymous as possible while working on the project, though, and in a way didn’t want to become “friends” for the sake and integrity of the project. It was important to me to maintain that sense of being an “outsider” to this world. The end product was a book that I made of my series and this was one of my favorite images from it. Aside from lyricism, battle rapping is very much about intimidation and gestures and I think this depicts that well. I’ve been meaning to revisit this project and continue shooting these… maybe with a Hasselblad and my Zeiss this time. 

Nikon D700 + Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 

This is one of my favorite frames from my visit to Los Angeles in February 2011. Despite it being much colder than I thought it would be — like, Canadian cold — this day was surprisingly warm. We were walking around on Hollywood Blvd. during the Oscars weekend and I saw this dog hanging out of the sunroof of an old Mercedes. It really reminded me of an old-school scene reminiscent of “classic Los Angeles” and I’m really glad I nailed it since I wasn’t sure I focused in time. I was actually really pissed when I took this because I thought I missed it. When I saw my negatives, this was the first one I checked to see. I love the Louis purse as well as the cliché LA traffic. Lots of interesting things going on in this photo for me and it really takes me back to those four days away from home.

Zeiss Ikon + 35mm f/2 Biogon + Kodak Plus-X