There’s something I love about exploring new places. Not knowing what you’ll find, what you’ll see, or what you’ll do. Finding a way to accomplish all that you want to, with little to no plan in place. There’s a certain level of achievement I feel. That’s what I wanted when visiting Toronto last weekend. Even with these (lack of) plans, I still was able to make it out with a bunch of images that I’m proud of.
Starting the day off in one of Toronto’s many university districts, I began my day of shooting on Church St. The area was very arts focused. With many colors, interesting shops, and oddball late night bars. One observation I made was that there were so many dogs! People was walking dogs all over. From there I made my way west towards central downtown.
I found a few older gentlemen observing a construction site from behind a safety fence. They seemed very interested in a drilling operation that was going on, but they did shift their focus for a moment when I took a photo of them.
Moving on from there, I found myself coming across town. Along the way, I got shots of a crepe-maker in action. Side note, if you’re in Toronto, check out Cafe Crepe for an amazing breakfast! Speaking of breakfast, coffee stops while shooting all day are a must. I stopped in one of the city’s cafes and got the shot of the man’s silhouette hunched over his phone. Once I felt re-charged, I hit the pavement again.
I started towards Kensington Market. There’s so much going on there. First of all, there were loads of people crammed into a small area. The market is full of shops, cafes, and small restaurants as well. The sights and smells varied and so did the people I encountered. I took photos of people having lunch, birds taking flight, just normal people walking to wherever their destination was that day. This block had a little bit of everything!
The rest of the photos included in this post are from a Free Tibet organization and Toronto’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade happening in the same area. Two of my favorite photos came from this spot. There was this kid who was dancing with his hand in the shape of an “L” and his tongue sticking out, taunting the St. Patrick’s day onlookers. There was something so innocent, yet powerful about about that image. The other image I love is one where a woman had just received a compliment from a firefighter, who was in the parade. Her face lit up and I just happened to be ready to capture the moment.
