Using Flock to Blog

So, I'm trying out a new browser called Flock and it's claim to fame is that it seamlessly connects you to all you "media" avenues all in one place. So far, I have connected through my Flickr, Facebook and now blogger accounts. It has this little sidebar thingy that updates in real-time, allowing you to read, view, and comment on all types of media content. It's pretty cool!

Oh yeah, this post was my first test at posting through Flock. How did I do?

;)

Cheers!
t.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Organizing the Baby's Room

Yesterday Dana and I had some time to go through all the gifts that we got for Baby Connell over the course of the last couple of months. This was no small task as you will see from some of the pics below. We are truly blessed for having such generous friends and family.

For the rest of the set, please visit my Flickr page HERE.

Cheers!
t.

Controlling Light

Yesterday I had a chance to brush up on my skills and make some photographs utilizing off-camera lighting techniques. There is a new movement in the industry called the "Strobist" movement that basically allows photographers to use small strobes with wireless flash triggers to create big results. I've posted some examples of what I did yesterday below. If you are interested in reading more about Strobist Techniques, please visit David Hobby's site CLICKING HERE.

Please don't hesitate to post your thoughts and comments below and for the rest of the set, please visit my Flickr page HERE.

Cheers!
t.

Craft Your Success Tour

In two weeks time, there will be a one-day seminar called "Craft Your Success" (craftyoursuccesstour.com). This is being run and sponsored by award winning Canadian photographer Davide Greene (davidgreene.ca), Rock Star Photographer David Jay (davidjay.com), and Michael Anderson (michaelandersonphotography.ca).

I've followed David Jay through his Open Source Photo forum (OSP) for quite some time, idolizing what he has done in the industry and what beautiful pictures he makes. I've also been fortunate enough to meet Davide Greene through an OSP/meetup.com meeting last year where I got to know a really great guy who is a wealth of knowledge. And even though I don't know Michael Anderson, just to be associated with both David(e)'s gives him credibility beyond belief and I am sure I will learn a lot from him too.

If you are a photographer, wanting to learn more about the business side of things, this is probably an event you are not going to want to miss.

Cheers!
t.

The Toronto Air Show

Last Saturday, Chris, Leah, Dana and I went to see the Air Show and then to The Ex. It was a great day of fun in the sun!

Below are a couple of pics from the show and the rest of the gallery can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Cheers!
t.

Creative Maternity

While Dana and I were at the cottage, we took the opportunity to take some maternity shots. It was great to be outdoors and I think the photos really reflect how happy we are being pregnant. We can't wait to meet our little guy!

Enjoy a few of the pics!

t.

Lindsay & Andy's Wedding

Ok, ok, I know Lindsay and Andy got married last year. And I know I should be better at processing my photos...so I guess all I can do is apologize! To be truthful, I didn't really think at the time that I got very many "good" ones. So, I let them sit. I moved through other things. But when I had a bit of time on a recent holiday, I revisited them. And I must say, I'm pretty happy I did.

See below for a couple of examples.

t.

Lindsay and Andy's Son Grant with his Grandma



Lindsay and Andy's first kiss being married



Now introducing Mr. & Mrs. Dowker



Lindsay & Andy's friends have some cute kids

Fun Pics from the Cottage

Been another month since my last update...sorry to all my loyal readers (if there are any of you out there)!!!

While we were up at the cottage on vacation for a week, I took the chance to take some photos.

Below are a couple of pics from the show and the gallery can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Enjoy!
t.

EuroHip 2007: Show #4 - The Paradiso Night 2

Hi All,

In keeping with the previous posts, today we look at the photos I took from my final night on my EuroHip trip: The Paradiso, Night 2. The Hip played another rockin' show in what has got to be the coolest concert venue I have ever seen!

Below are a couple of pics from the show and the gallery can be found by CLICKING HERE.











Cheers!
t.

EuroHip 2007: Amsterdam

Well I finally got back to finishing the processing of my EuroHip pics today. This post comprises of examples of our walk around Amsterdam. Actually, most of them are from the Heineken Brewery. It was a lot of fun. Stay tuned until tomorrow when I will post the pics from the last show at the Paradiso on September 26th, 2007.

Below are a couple of pics I took in Amsterdam and the gallery can be found by CLICKING HERE.











Cheers!
t.

Play: "Trying"

Last week I was fortunate enough to be able to shoot a play for a good friend of ours. The play is called "Trying" and only has two actors in it (and on stage) for the entire play! For anyone who knows theatre, that is tough to do! But Carolyn and Vince did an excellent job and hats off to Dia and her crew for making this all happen.

Here are some samples of my work:













Until next time!
t.

So we weren't trying for long when...

I get a little surprise from my Wife on my nightstand...





so we showed them to Annabelle (Molly ran away)...





and then we celebrated with a couple of pics of ourselves....





So don't be surprised if this blog turns into a Happy Dad taking pictures of his son/daughter all the time. I don't know if I wll be able to resist.

t.

Fix You

I didn't even know this existed! Looks like there might be a pro-shot DVD out there somewhere. If anyone can give me anymore details on this one, please leave a comment!

Oh yeah, and it's a great video showing why Toronto simply rocks for live music!



t.

Mark Forward at Yuk Yuk's

So one of Dana's friends from Humber Theatre school is tearing up the comedy scene these days and we had a chance to go see his act at Yuk Yuk's last night in Mississauga. Man, is this cat funny!

Please check out this clip from Youtube of Mark performing at Just For Laughs last year.



Keep a watch out - I have a feeling we are going to hear a lot more from Mark in the not-to-distant-future!

Cheers!
t.

Kinda Wish...

I could have convinced my wife to do something like this for OUR reception...



SWEET!

Wintersleep at the Phoenix

The Phoenix

Cold Night

Packed House

Awesome Atmosphere

Wintersleep LIVE


What more could anyone ask for?

Below are a couple of pics I took during their set and the gallery can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Cheers!

t.

Flash Lightnin' at the Phoenix

Last week I was able to shoot the Wintersleep concert at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. One of the opening bands was called Flash Lightnin'. They rocked out pretty hard and if you have a chance, you should take in their show. It was great and I would see them again.

Below are a couple of pics I took during their set and the gallery can be found by CLICKING HERE.

t.

Improv Everywhere Strikes Again

From the people that brought you The No Pants Subway Ride....watch below!




Be sure to check out Improv Everywhere.

[b] school blog

Hey Guys,

One of the most amazing wedding photographers and great guy [b]ecker has a new feature and blog called the [b] school blog. He does great 2 minute shorts each and every day on topics that should and will excite every photographer. You don't have to be an expert to understand the relevance of what this guy has to say.

So, please have a look at the following trailer and head on over to the [b] school blog and check back each and EVERY day for a new short.

Making Christmas Pies

So back in December, we got together with some friends to make some Christmas pies. We had a really great family recipe to use so we went to Costco, grabbed some supplies, and started cooking. It was a lot of fun and I currently have 8 Meat Pies in my freezer to eat over the course of the year! I'm also quite lucky because my wife doesn't eat red meat so they are ALL MINE!!

Below are a couple of pics I took throughout the day and the rest can be found in a FLICKR gallery by CLICKING HERE.

ENJOY!
t.







I'm pretty sure the cats didn't know what to think of all that red meat!



This expression is priceless!

Ashes of Roses

Hi All,

So most of you know that my wife is pretty crafty and recently she has decided to pursue that craft-y-ness (now I'm just making up words!!) by starting her own crafting (how many times can I say craft in one paragraph??) business. And even more recently, she sold some of her products at a Craft (*sigh*) Show in Huttonville, which is just outside our hometown. She did extremely well for her first go at this and I am very proud of her.

I was fortunate enough to be able to snap a couple of pics for her and they can be found below. And if you are interested, please visit her website (still in it's infancy) and contact her for more information on what she's doing. Here website can be found by CLICKING HERE.

And if you have a chance, please wish he all the best!

t.

Wintersleep @ The Mod Club

As I mentioned in the previous post, I was fortunate enough to shoot the Wintersleep concert at the Mod Club on Friday night. A fellow Hip fan and good friend Dave got me hooked on them. They have three great albums out, their latest (and some might say probably their best) was just released last month. So, in support of that album, the band rolled into the Mod Club last Friday. It was an early show because of a DJ night that was to happen after the show but it was still a blast nonetheless.

Below are some samples of the shots I got. You can see the rest of the gallery by CLICKING HERE.

I hope you enjoy!
t.

The Wooden Stars @ The Mod Club

Last night I shot the Wintersleep concert here in Toronto at the Mod Club. The opening band was The Wooden Stars. I have heard them live a couple of times before but they were especially good last night. It's too bad they played a short set because of time constraints. I would have liked to have heard more.

Below are a couple of samples of the photos I took and the rest can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Cheers!
t.

EUROHIP Concert #3: The Paradiso, Amsterdam Night 1

Hi All,

Continuing with our tour of Europe, the next stop is the first of two nights at the Lengedary Paradiso in Amsterdam. Below is a sample of the shots I took, with the rest of the gallery accessible by CLICKING HERE.

I hope you enjoy!

t.

EUROHIP Concert #2: Oosterpoort, Groningen

Hey All,

As I continue to work through these photos, I have completed another set. The samples below are from our second concert we saw, this one at the Oosterpoort in Groningen. There is quite a long story to the start of this show, one that saw myself not allowed to enter the venue with my gear, then it was ok, then it wasn't again and I had to take it back to the Hotel, then that changed again and I was finally allowed to bring everything in. A big thanks to Snoo for running from the venue to our hotel to let me know the good news.

Anyways, have a gander below. The rest of the gallery can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Enjoy!
t.

Continuing EuroHip 2007: Groningen

Back to the trip in September so neatly dubbed "EuroHip 2007" we find ourselves in Groningen for a couple of days. The photos below are taken over the course of those two days touring around the city. The rest of the set can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Enjoy!
t.

Matt Merritt's new blog

Hi All,

Just wanted to let you know a good friend of mine Matt has started a new blog. It can be found by CLICKING HERE. He's a great guy so please head on over and have a look.

Cheers!
t.

EuroHip 2007 Concert One : The Astoria, London, UK

The first of the four concerts I went to during EuroHip 2007 was the show at the Astoria in London. This venue has been around for quite some time and many popular bands have played there. It was very dark inside as everything was painted black. There was an upper balcony and Chris, Ben, Snoo, Matt, Emma & I stood in the front row. We had a great vantage point as you will see in the following pictures. The remainder of the gallery can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Some of my favourites are posted below.

Cheers!
t.

EuroHip 2007

Over the course of 8 days in September, I travelled with half a dozen friends to Europe to see The Tragically Hip play four concerts. We toured to London, Groningen & Amsterdam, spending 2-3 days in each city. We had a blast and over the course of the next couple of weeks, I will be posting my pictures that I took from this trip.

Today we start with London, England. We were there on September 20th and 21st and had a chance to do some "touristy" stuff. Below is a sampling of my pictures and the rest have been uploading to a set on my Flickr site. You can CLICK HERE to view them if you want.

Cheers!
t.

Matt Nathanson Tonight!

Tonight Dana and I are going to see Matt Nathanson perform live in Toronto at the Elmo! This will be the third year in a row that Matt has graced Canada with a presence. Unfortunately, Dana and I missed the show last year because we were still in Scotland but we will be there, rockin' tonight!

If you have some time and are in the area, venture down to the Elmo at 7pm, you won't regret it!

Chris and Leanne's Wedding

On August 18th, 2007, Dana and I traveled to Gatineau Quebec to witness our good friends Chris and Leanne get married. The ceremony and reception took place at Chateau Cartier (Website here) and was very beautiful.

Chris and Leanne asked me to read a blessing for their wedding ceremony and I was completely honoured. Here is what I read:

A Blessing for a Marriage:

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before.
Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your life together.

And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.
Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.

When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship –
as they threaten all relationships at one time or another –
remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong.

In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives -
remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there.

And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together,
it will be marked by abundance and delight.

___


We were asked to not take any pictures during the ceremony but I grabbed a few from the reception. Here is a small sampling:

Chris and Leanne sharing a kiss:


Chris and Noa:


My gorgeous wife Dana:


Kiko and David:


Dana and I:


Chris and Leanne's first dance:


The rest of the gallery can be found on my Flickr site BY CLICKING HERE.

Hope you enjoy!
t.