New Year - New look

The holidays are a great time for me to re-group, re-think and re-energize. It's during this time that I like to change things up and give a fresh look to all things around me. My Web site, being one of many items getting a make over.

Looking back - Orangeroads grew substantially in 2009. New networks were formed, new opportunities explored and artistic boundaries broken down. This of course is cause for celebration.

The new look of course will grow and evolve as my vision grows and evolves. I seem to be on an annual make-over trent - each year proving to be better than the last. All in all, this is a good thing, as we always want to be moving forward.

So what's new you ask?

• A new intro splash page to direct visitors to more specific areas - special events, fine art photography services or to my BLOG.


• Portfolio's have been up dated with recent images taken over the year

Have a boo and tour the newly up dated site. Drop me a note, I would be interested in knowing what you think. - Cheers Toni :)

Competitions - A great way to test the waters

Competitions are a strange beast, as your work is subjected to someone else's personal opinion to weather it's good, bad or just plain ugly. And how would a judge, who has never meet you know what your images intended to say or emotions to evoke?? It's all subjective of course, which is why one should never take any one opinion into account. However, one could take a collective of opinions and form a solid understanding if a single image is worthy of future visual flaunting or if it should just be back shelved.

I enter my digital images into many local competitions. Not necessarily looking for high ranking placements, but more to see where they fall on the overall placement of scoring. If a particular image consistently scores high then I know that I have a potential best seller on my hands, which surely will make its way into a portfolio showing at some point.

So don't file that favourite pix under "G' so quickly - get it out there in a few competitions before hastily shelving it in the back files of your hard drive.

My competition places within the last few months (notice a few consistent images that have been circulated) - T :)

A Night of Artful Fun

Another successful evening has come and gone for the 2009 Little Art Show. The Artists Network of Riverdale's largest fund raiser of the year.

The night sped by from 0 to 100/mph, in just a few hours at Toronto's landmark Mercedes dealership. With over 160 artists participating in the silent auction component and 22 members participating in the newly added "Large Piece" Gallery exhibit, and of course, can't forget to mention, the charming Jake Gold, of Canadian Idol, our MC, kept us on tract and entertained through-out the evening with artist interviews.

This is one of the few more glamourous ways artists can get out and network with potential buyers as well as other artists. A far cry from the usual blood, sweat and tears that come along with participating in outdoor art shows.

If you want more information on how you can participate in next years event, check out the Artists Network web site. The Network also offers workshops, networking opportunities and offers dicounted gallery space to it's members. It's worth the boo.

[ LUST ] After Art

Come join me for a little holiday naughtiness ............................................

What: LUST GROUP SHOW - #1 of the Seven Deadly Sins Project
When: December 3, 2009 - January 3, 2010

Artist Reception: Saturday, December 5, 7-10 PM
Where: At THE BEVERLY OWENS PROJECT, 1140 Queen St West, Toronto

(Steps from The Drake Hotel)

Little Art Show - The Art Event of the Year

Join us for this Wonderful Event:

Saturday, November 14th.

Festivities Start at 7:00.

Tickets available at TicketWeb

http://www.artistsnetwork.ca/las

This year the Artists' Network is proud to announce that Jake Gold has graciously agreed to be our Honourary Chair and Master of Ceremonies.

Also, During the event - Hang Man Gallery is proud to present members of the Artists' Network http://www.artistsnetwork.ca/node/123

I will have pices in both the silent auction and the Hang Man Members Gallery.

Getting Back to One’s Roots

For a while now I've been experimenting with subject matter that lies outside of my happy place. I originally started shooting landscapes as it's a subject that lies near and dear to my heart. But in order to grow as an artist I've been stretching my creative boundaries to portraits, weddings, events, architecture and even encompassing it all through self portraits, which if any of you have tried, shooting one's self , it's one of the most difficult subjects of them all.

So much living outside of the box, I've now almost forgot what it's like to recline inside my landscape comfort zone. This is why I'm really looking forward to next week - a week long camping and exploration trip up through Tobermory and Manitoulin Island. The Bruce Peninsula, located in the heart of a World Biosphere Reserve, the Peninsula is a place of global ecological significance. The massive, rugged cliffs of the park are inhabited by thousand-year-old cedar trees, overhanging the crystal-clear waters of Georgian Bay.

From there we move even further north to the shores of Lake Superior, the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. The Ojibwe called the lake Gitchigumi, meaning "big water". Where these famous rugged waters have carved out some of Canada's most spectacular wilderness images.

To date, I haven't had the opportunity to shoot this far north, so I'm really hoping I will be able to spiritually detox and get back to my creative artistic roots. Stay tuned – beautiful images soon to be posted.

My Good friend David Sweeney & I will agian be participating in the The Guild Alive with Culture: An Arts Festival this year. The weather looks to be perfect and the park is a lovely place to visit and go for a walk.

Here are the details - see you there.

The Guild Alive with Culture: An Arts Festival

Saturday, August 15th, 2009 ~ 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Sunday, August 16th, 2009 ~ 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Booth 12 & 13

The Guild Inn Gardens

201 Guildwood Parkway, Scarborough

An “out of Box” Experience

It's always good to step outside of the box, or in this case into a box that offers up a whole slew of challenges and excitement.

So, as most of you may know – I'm a landscape photographer, with a little travel documentary thrown in. I've never proclaimed to be a commercial photographer, a product or wedding photographer, not even a portrait or family and pet enthusiast. But that shouldn't hold me back from at least attempting the impossible.

One of my more interesting "out of the box" experiences is UE [urban exploration]. I started shooting UE about three (3) years ago. Of course my love for travel and exploration in general kicked in and I thoroughly enjoy this particular aspect, but must admit, my 1^st attempts of producing lovely UE photo's were far from as exciting.

I've come a long way since then, now a co-founder of the Shadow Collective, which you will hear more about in the coming months. The group focus is primarily on artistic UE imagery.

So in closing – although my heart still lies with mother-nature, I've been able to spread my wings and grow to love a different kind of landscape. I'm still a landscape photographer – only now I enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly – not just the beautiful. Rock on!!

[ images are from a recent trip to Gary Indiana ]

Local Magazine

Everyone loves a few minutes of fame – and it’s even better when it comes in the form of print. That way a brief few moments turn into a lingering beam of lime light, that continues to shine.

Wanted to drop a big thank you to Sara Dann, Editor & Publisher of a new beach print called Local Magazine. Currently in its second print edition. It’s already proving to be a huge hit in the Beach community. With it’s insightful stories that touch on current topics concerning all residents to light heart, informative pieces sure to entertain.

Sarah had contacted me after purchasing one of my beach greeting cards at Incurable Collector. The image now is prominently featured on the second page (black & white tree reflection).

Make sure to pick up your copy of Local and support our community. Copies can be located at Incurable Collector as well as many other local Beach retail shops.

For more info contact:
Sarah Dann - Editor & Publisher
Local Magazine
c. 416 992 0777 e. sarah@localmagazine.ca

Sugar and spice and everything nice That's what weddings are made of.

Weddings – what can I say ….

...... they are beautiful and touching and every girls princess dream come true to one day walk down the isle in a cinderella white dress. While almost every girl – it really wasn’t a primary dream of mine. But that’s another story altogether.

Wedding photography is an art skill all on it’s own. No room for error. One must be able to capture that special moment in a seconds notice while assessing all types of photographic environmental situations. You have to know your equipment intimately so you can react instantly to various lighting conditions and unexpected acts of love and kindness that seems to unfold in copious amounts.

There is no going back to re-enact a scene. Can you image asking the officiant to re-insight the vows because you didn’t quite catch the moment of the ring being slipped on her finger? I always steered clear of wedding photography because of this – the stress factor price tag that accompanies such shoots. What if I miss the shoot or my gear breaks? What if the bride / groom don’t like my images? Worst yet, what if the parents don’t like it, as they are the one’s that usually fit the bill.

My answer to that: bring two camera bodies and two focal length lens (70 – 200 & 24 – 70 is what I have). Hire an assistant (to share the blame in case everything goes bust). But seriously, having an assistant was key for me – what I missed he caught, and vise versa. And lastly: relax, capture the mood and the emotion that so embodies weddings. If you can master that, then you will for sure at least win the hearts of your newly married couple and will be able to provide them with cherished memories forever.

One Man’s Treasure is Another Man’s Inspiration

In this case it's one woman's treasure is another woman's inspiration. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and evaluate all that we hold near and dear. That is, why would we waste time and effort on subject matter that really doesn't interest us? Right? Wrong actually.

Just because a particular subject matter doesn't fit into your immediate mold of "things I love", doesn't mean you should dismiss it so quickly. There will always be a piece or element about things we hate that could be turned into things we love. I believe the word is .. "keeping an open mind".

An example: I'm not particularly drawn to the subject matter of light houses. Sure, they're cool and all if you're standing at the edge of the Gros Morne watching 50 ft wave swells, barreling down on the larger than life night lights that call to every lonely, salt licked sailor of the Atlantic. But the Great Lake lights pale in comparison to such icons. Non the less, my good friend Maureen loves them, which is why we always try to include a light or two on our photo excursions.

On one particular trip, we stopped by the Hamilton light located under the Skyway bridge (I'm sure Maureen could tell us the proper name), I was able to envision the image in my mind with heavy texturing (something I'm really lov'n at the moment) in post processing. I was actually first inspired by an image I saw in Flickr by pareeerica. Together with my love of textured images and inspired by both Pareeerica's amazing talent and Maureen's luv of light houses, I was able to create an image / master piece, that would have stayed buried deep in the recesses of my mind. Here's to being open minded to other people's treasures. ~

Could The Stars be Aligned Tonight?

Sure I like cheap entertainment – who doesn't? Like most closet readers, I'll check out my horoscope for the day every once in a while. I definitely don't live my life by the words of a head wrap Sharma, but you have to admit how uncanny the words hold some truth to them.

My Horoscope for Today: Aries: It might sound cliche, but this is definitely not the end. It's absolutely the beginning.

So I thought – wow, they did it again – wrote something that is so in sync in how might my day may roll out. I believe though, that there is some sort of bad karma in knowing the future before it actually takes place. But at least I can day dream of great things to come and dress accordingly.

Tonight is the closing show to my solo Contact 2009 show. The show its self has been rather quiet as I'm the first artist in a new (amazing) gallery space. The general public still haven't realized that the gallery exists. This of course will come in due time with lots of advertising and reputable artists hanging on the walls. I have been able to forge an amazing relation with the owner Mark Trusz, and am proud to say that I am formally represent by Trusz Gallery. I am also now the new gallery curator.

So there you have it, this show is definitely not the end, but only the beginning of great, amazing things to come!

Wind Swept Inspiration - Georgian Bay

It didn't matter how many times I clicked the heels of my little red welly's, the 50+ winds still threatened to blow me and the tents away to some place other than OZ

There is something so special about the Canadian Shield. With vast, smooth slabs of granite, covered with a multi coloured patch work of moss and lichen. Winds swirling from the cool waters of Georgian Bay. Mosquitoes and black flies nipping at your nose … eyes, ears or anything else that might be exposed! And this is how three close friends of mine and I spent our May long weekend – camping.

Our three day in-field mentoring session was one focused on early AM rises to catch the first rays of morning light. Discussing visual attributes of having strong, interesting fore-ground, mid-ground and back-ground. In search of beaver ponds and granite rock formations with windswept Eastern White Pine, all characteristics of the islands and much of the shoreline of the bay. The rugged beauty of the area inspired landscapes by artists of the Group of Seven, painters and photographers alike.

On this particular trip, I really wanted to capture the true essence of the traditional Northern Ontario scene. Finding the right composition of water, rock and tree - ever so difficult, as the typical Carolina Forests can lend to a noisy (messy) image.

Contact Continues to Amaze with Stunning Photos

May is Contact Month. 30 days of amazing images by amazing artists all through out Toronto. The city wide photography festival grows leaps and bounds every year - offering artists and art lovers visual delights. for more info on the festive .. click here..

I've been busy with my own two shows currently running simultaniously. With Elsewhen at the Charlotteroom, a group endeavour exploring abandoned treasures in and around the southern Ontario and Buffalo area's. As well as my solo show "Le Reve" at Trusz Gallery, located in the heart of Lesieville.

Le Reve May 1 - 31, 2009

Suspending moments in time that are always in flux

Trusz Gallery .....349 Carlaw Ave, Ste 305, Toronto M4M 2T1 416-452-1976

Artist Reception: May 30, 5 pm - 10 pm

Elsewhen May 1, 2009 - May 31, 2009

The Shadow Collective - Urban Exploration Series

The Charlotte Room19 Charlotte Street, Toronto 416-598-2882
Artist Reception: May 28, 7 pm - 10 pm

Sure hope to see you all at the Artist Receptions - T

You can now find me on the Artist Toronto Network. <<>>

The Toronto Artists Network is a group of artists who are dedicated to provide art purchasers, corporate art buyers, interior designers and art lovers easy access to the original work of a wide variety of Toronto artists. The quality of the work on the site is fully juried. Whether you are a first-time buyer or a seasoned collector, you are bound to discover artwork that will suit your budget and taste. Browse through the listings, read about the artists, view videos of artists’ studios. Check out the latest gallery shows in The Artists Openings, read the views of our artists in the ArtROOM or browse through the artists' work in our on-line VIDEOS.

A general listing is free and it a great way to start getting your name out there.

Contact 2009

Been a while since I last posted. But that's beacuse I've been busy as a beaver preparing for my two Contact 2009 shows. Very exciting stuff.


1st up - Group Show

This year, the Shadow Collective will be participating again in Contact. Our show - Elsewhen takes a fresh look at all things historic and beautifully decayed.


If your looking for a fun evening, make sure you block off your calendars for our show reception:


May 28, 7 - 10PM
The Charlottle Room
19 Charlotte Street


2nd - Solo Show

I will also be hosting my Dream Scapes portfolio in a new collection at Trusz Gallery. A newly born gallery on teh east side of the art tracks (Leslieville). The space is beautiful and will nicely show case Le reve, a new abstract series of landscapes and water scenes.


The Artist recpetion, of course will be one not to be missed.



May 30, 5 - 10

Trusz Gallery
349 Carlaw Ave, Ste 305

Today is April 15

Today is April 15 - the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 260 days remaining until the end of the year. Also known as United States official deadline for filing an individual tax return.

On April 15 …

• 1452 – Scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer Leonardo da Vinci was born in the town of Vinci, Florence, in what is now Italy.
• 1923 – Insulin becomes generally available for use by people with diabetes.
• 1945 – The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is liberated.
• 1947 – Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball's color line.
• 1955 - Ray Kroc opens the first McDonald's hamburger restaurant (Des Plaines, IL).
  

On April 15 …

• 1865, Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America, died at 7:22 a.m. from a gun shot wound.
• 1912 - On the night of 14 April, during her maiden voyage, Titanic hit an iceberg and sank two hours and forty minutes later, early on 15 April
• 1990 – Greta Garbo, Swedish actress dies in New York City at age 84

Yes, Today is April 15 – my 42^nd birthday – to be shared with other memorable events.

Birth of the Accidental Tourist

Ok - today it officially rained. The definition of rain is when I have to pull out the umbrella. My body is officially tired from pounding the pavement for three days straight - 12 hours with full gear, makes for quite a work out.

Flat, low hanging cloud make for boring skies and evens the light out to much. I ask my self - how am I to find the light and get that great shot with such grey skies? Well - of course, I start with the basics and work from there.

Now don't laugh Maureen / David - but yes, I had to ask myself ....

"How does this place make me feel?"

Answer:
Crowed and in desparate need of personal space. Anyone who has traveled extensively in Europe, will know that their sence of personal space is much closer than say us North Americans. Guess that is due to the fact that they don't have a lot of space compared to the massive unspoiled Canaidian rock. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get away from the crowds, and as they say, if you can't lose them, join them. This is when I became an accidental tourist and thus ..... the inspiration to my London trip.....

Concept:
When observing my surroundings I couldn't help but notice the massive cheesie tourist shots people would take. They would stand staight as a log pole in front of the iconic tourist spot and their partner / friend would snap a shot. This is how the accidental tourist concept was born, Based on a photo technique I used while shooting for the "Building Stories" project, I started including the tourists.

The more I thought about this - the more I loved it - what a great concept! Compose the shot with life and motion and try to single out one person posing in front of the subject matter of choice. It really embodies the vibe that downtown London gave. If one thing that London does well, is market it's royal charms internationally to the world - seeing close to 15 million vistors annualy.

I can't wait to get home and post a pix to show you what I mean. But now must retire to the room that has a smaller foot print than my 1 1/2 man tent - early morning, must catch the 9 am train to Bath.

A London Fog

So I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to show off my red wellies today - the weather was just beautiful. It's actually warmer here than I had anticipated. All the flowers and trees are in bloom and it looks and smells amazing.

1st Impressions:

• Too big and too crowded.
• More Starbucks per capital than Vancouver - and, which I should mention - my Canadian starbucks card works here.
• My room is too small, but at least it's clean.
• I'm walking distance from the palace, St. Pauls, the London and Tower bridge.

I took a few pictures today while walking the central core. But today was mostly to get out and orientate myself. Located the central train station and priced out some day trips outside of London - like Bath.

Anyhow - someone is waiting for the one, lonely B&B PC and it's 10pm - I'm wiped from the long flight and a long days walk. Will post more tomorrow - night

Red Wellies - check

So I'm off to London Eng on a short but well needed mental get away. I've passed through LHR many times on other travels, but never stayed to take in a few rain puddles.

The weather forecast looks quite inviting - 70% chance of precipitation for the next 5 days - and I'm sure if the web site listed the next 7 - they too would predict a wet one as well. So - I'm packing the red wellies!

This time every year, I take what I guess would be a self renewing journey to some foreign city that hasn't been time stamped in my passport.

Sole purpose - to get lost - wonder the city aimlessly in search of some unique English character.

Hey - you never know, maybe the queen herself will take pity of a single water logged photographer and invite her in for a little afternoon tea. Do you think it's proper to wear the red wellies if she does?

I'll leave you with some images from past travels.

BPC 2nd Annual Club contest - April 2009

On Monday, March 30 - our club had our 2nd annual photo competition. This was the 1st time we had used a different format where the membership would submit digital images and the judges would use the accepted GTCCC judging criteria.

The judging went very well. We had four (4) judges in total and three club exec to assist with the calculation of scores and comment capturing.

All were very encouraging and highly talented in their artistic fields. They were open and positive with comments. All found the overall quality of our members to be exceptional and forward thinking. Additional HMs, a Best Contemporary and Judges Choice awards were awarded on top of our club standard award practices.

Thank you - to all that help pull this together and a special thank you, to my good friend Maureen L for capturing the comments, Michael M who captured & tallied all the scores, Anthony G who helped me host and John W who assisted with collecting all the images.

The Judges:

1. Philip Sun - Toronto Guild
2. Simone Koffman - Toronto Guild
3. George Campbell - Don Mills
4. Ray Anderson

I was personally happy with how well my images did overall. And the results are:

• 1st Contemporary (Body Part category) - Body alive within these walls
• 1st (Body Part category) - Body alive within these walls
• 3rd (Body Part category) - Sunday afternoon
• 3rd (Open category) - Union Station - Afternoon Light
• 3rd (Triptych category) - Rust Bucket
• HM (Body Part category) - Good vs Evil - age old question
• HM (Open category) - Toronto Icons

1st post

I've been wanting to do this for a while now. But due to time constraints, just never really got around to it.

Still not 100% sure as to how I will structure the blog - but do know it will primarily focus on my travels and photography. We are all very unique and dynamic creatures - and what better way to capture our everyday thoughts, whims and actions - but through a form of journal keeping.

who knows - if I can find the discipline deep in me to continue this (and I'll have to dig deep) - this may form part of my auto-biography someday.