Last portrait of 2014

The Harrison family makes me laugh.

Shuko + Krystian

Here are some of my favourites from a shoot last month.

We took the afternoon and explored Evergreen Brickworks deep in the heart of the Don Valley. Shuko is a pastry master and Krystian is an English teaching ninja. They are a great pair.

Before the summer's out...

Another year, another portrait. Quite possibly the largest group I've photographed, this family is a lot of fun to be with.

Humber Bay Park

Toronto, ON

A new little person

Two of my good friends had a baby.

They're pretty happy about it.

Can't wait to watch you grow up, Cosette!

Shot beside the Saugeen River in Bruce County, ON.

Miles above Kearney Lake | WOOD + PHOTO III

(Click image to purchase. $250)

This is another piece in my current WOOD + PHOTO III show at Dark Horse Espresso Bar in Toronto.

A typical day at Kearney Lake includes several swims, some paddling, the occasional evening fishing trip, lots of book-reading, consistent meal preparing, and deep forest exploring.

The photograph in this piece was shot from a bush plane. Here is a hand-drawn map of the familiar parts of the lake:

See it at Dark Horse Espresso Bar - 682 Queen Street East. Toronto, ON

Two new pieces of art: WOOD + PHOTO III

(Click image to purchase.)

These are two art pieces in my current WOOD + PHOTO III show at Dark Horse Espresso Bar in Toronto. To give these pieces some context, I decided to draw.

Here is a little map of our day, which included a hunt for fish 'n chips, a well-made coffee and an oceanside stroll:

682 Queen Street East. Toronto, ON

New art to see at Dark Horse Espresso Bar! (Queen East)

I have a new WOOD + PHOTO show on display at Dark Horse Espresso Bar. You'll find it at 682 Queen Street East.

Dark Horse a great place to sit with a coffee and look at the newly dressed walls.

The show is nearly all Canadian in subject matter, pairing reclaimed wood with photographs. The wood I used was salvaged from my childhood home, a farmhouse in rural Ontario.

Pieces start at $250.

These faces.

I don't know a family that smiles more than this one.
It helps that we had just spent a weekend at the cottage, but there isn't much that keeps these faces from grinning.

Taken one Sunday afternoon at Lake Huron.

Family on the beach

Family photos at the beach means skipping rocks, scaring seagulls, and jumping tall; all underlined by the promise of ice cream.

This was a fun bunch of faces to spend an hour with.

Here are my favourites:

The purse: plain and simple.

Last week I made a purse for a friend. She needed something that would hold important books and a few personal items. She also preferred a long shoulder strap for easy bicycle riding. So, with simple tools and several evenings I came up with this.

This vegetable tanned leather will age beautifully with years of use, as will the brass hardware.

Portrait by the lake

This family likes to smile - and it is contagious! This is the second (and hopefully not the last) portrait that I've taken of them.

Thank you, Jonah, Genevieve, Bella and baby Jacob for a happy evening by the lake.

Here are some of my favourites:

A beard to behold.

The storm that is Canadian Music Week took over Toronto last month and I got to photograph the best beard of the whole festival.

Here is Ben Caplan:

(Read the interview by Sarah Mackinnon here.)

A Day at The Academy

Coffee.

A special thing when it is produced by these hands and smiles.

There is a coffee shop on the Esplanade called Academy Cafe and it serves good stuff. These people work there.

Sarah, RAWR-er.

Portraits are always best taken outdoors.

This series was taken in Kensington Market, on a cool winter morning. Sarah is a PR student who is ready to graduate this spring. Check out her blog here.

Introducing: The Backpack

A few months ago, my friend Sarah asked me to make her a backpack.

This is the best - and the second - backpack that I have made.

The design is simple - one big pocket for Sarah's school things (notebooks and things), her lunch, and her laptop once in a while. A side pocket holds a water bottle and an inside pocket holds two chocolate bars perfectly. Not a coincidence.

Every hole has been hand punched, every piece has been hand cut, every stitch has been hand sewn.

Here is a hand made backpack: