iPhone Diaries #169: "650 Bay Street"

12:15 pm, June 25th.

iPhone Diaries #168: "Wedding at the RBG"

Images from a wedding shoot at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington. June 26th.

notable comment re. G20 protests

If people would only allow themselves to get off the view from the ground floor (burning shops and looted stores...sad and tragic for the owners, I agree), and get on to the penthouse and take a wide and far-ranging global view of the world's current situation, this comment from flea39 of Miami, Florida, bears listening to...

Congratulation to Canada for protesting! You still have a sound economy and no government debt unlike the US yet you are protesting already, before they trash you also. In the US we have had our economy crippled. They exported the 20 dollar and hour factory jobs to China and replaced them with jobs at Walmart so they can make more money. Then the Banks paid off both parties to let them rape the American people and they did. Then the collapse came and the government gave them more of our money. Now we have an economy based on consumer spending with credit that doesn't exist and jobs that aren't enough to maintain it. Our government is 14 trillion in debt and we'll be facing austerity programs like Greece in 5 years. Yet our president spends 5 trillion in two years saving the economy and giving health care to all. That's after Bush put 5 trillion on our credit card for two stupid wars in the mid east to protect Israel and oil. That is why I LOVE LOVE LOVE these people in black burning police cars in view of the elite hotels containing the G20 peeps.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/06/27/g20-toronto-protest.html#socialcomments#ixzz0s3uc3MwI

Just one more perspective from a multi-dimensional issue.

My photos on display at the Red Brick Cafe!

With the help of my son Ben, I finished putting up my prints at the Red Brick Cafe on 77 Westmount Street, Guelph. Shelley, thank you so much for allowing me to display my photos! Not sure how long it will be up...a week, a few weeks, so come on down!

Details on my site at:

http://elementalview.smugmug.com/Projects/Guelph/Photo-Display-at-the-Red-Brick/12681576_iLBQH#912291200_tQj3s

The Red Brick Cafe site is at:

www.redbrickcafe.ca

Iris & Alex: A Beautiful Romance

I was deeply privileged to document Iris and Alex's exchange of wedding vows on March 19, 2010. The whole story is at: http://www.mywedding.com/alexiris/

iPhone Diaries #167: "All Day Dimsum"

323 Spadina Avenue, Toronto. 11 pm, June 23rd.

iPhone Diaries #166: "G20 demonstration"

People Power on University, Avenue, Toronto. 12:15 pm, June 24th.

iPhone Diaries #165: "The Amazing Ed Chee"

The amazing Ed Chee, showing off some of his creations while having a late supper with friends from public school and high school. Ed was on his way home to Scottsdale, Arizona from a by-invitation only Buskers' Festival in Dublin, Ireland.

Have a look at his website: www.diamondstorm.com

Rol San "all day dimsum" Restaurant, Kensington Market, Toronto. 10:30 pm, June 23rd

iPhone Diaries #164: "Under the pines"

Nature's symmetry, found under the pines, as pointed out to me by a 7-year-old. Macalister Park, June 20th.

iPhone Diaries #163: "Father's Day shirt"

The colour of a present for Father's Day.

iPhone Diaries #162: "Lovely, lovely Guelph"

A drum group in the gazebo, kids with their parents on the swings, ice cream at the Boathouse, loungers on the grass, a canoeist on the water, lawn bowling on the Grounds, cyclist, birds, conversations in Spanish, Persian, and English wafting by, and a boy watching a women's slow-pitch baseball game. Just another lovely, lovely Monday night in Guelph, on the Speed River at Gordon. 8: pm, June 21st.

iPhone Diaries #161: "Barn on the Niagara Escarpment"

Barn on Sulphur Springs Road, Ancaster, ON. June 19th.

iPhone Diaries #160: "Scenes from shooting a wedding at the Ancaster Old Mill"

Scenes from the Ancaster Old Mill where I was shooting a wedding, June 19th.

iPhone Diaries #159: "Energy saver"

Light standard at the Zeller's parking lot. June 15th.

iPhone Diaries #158: "Clouds overhead"

Clouds over the arena and soccer fields. 9:00 pm, June 15th.

Clouds over the mall. 9:30 pm, June 15th.

Clouds over my backyard. 9:15 pm, June 15th.

iPhone Diaries #157: "Two wedding shooters, and making the most out of an iPhone photo"

My sister had asked me how I manage to get such "sharp" iPhone images. I interpret "sharp images" as the sum of good composition and the use of photo-techniques appropriate to the image. Technically, the iPhone has a unique sensor, wonderful and gifted in its own way but severely inferior and lacking in features in comparison to even the cheapest point-and-shoot digicam.

The images coming straight out of the camera do not always reflect the "potential" of the images. An image taken under ideal conditions, especially even lighting, will always look good. It's another story under very low-light situations.

Below are samples of before-and-after photos taken last night at a wedding. Just before wrapping it up for the night, one of the bridesmaids asked if she could take photos of myself and my colleague, using her camera. We said sure, but only if she could also take a similar photo of us using my iPhone.

Frontal lighting was almost nonexistent, with dim yellowish backlighting.

The images are full-frame, processed in-camera using PS Mobile (iPhone app from Adobe

).

Andrew Pateras (www.andrewpateras.com) and myself. Diehard Canon users. Photos by Nancy Chung at the Liberty Grand, Centennial Ballroom. 9:45 pm, June 12th. Photos by Nancy Chung.

iPhone Diaries - a description

A back-to-basics, less-is-more, photographic project. As photographers, we are inundated (and jaded) by the plethora of digital devices, the latest ones promising (but not delivering the goods) more megapixels and the latest super-ultra-extreme-XLT processor to (potentially) allow everyone to be the best photographer that they could be.

The most popular camera used by Flickr uploaders is the cameraphone (the Canon Rebel Series comes in second). For me, using my cameraphone is an exercise in purging the mind of clutter, as well as in actually shooting on a regular basis, as opposed to "binge" shooting (1600+ clicks on a typical wedding). The limitations imposed by the cameraphone (low resolution, fixed lens, severely reduced dynamic range) forces me to work within these parameters. For example, I have to use my feet to compose the image; I don't have a zoom lens. I am now a slave to how the camera thinks; I can't adjust the exposure to suit my needs. This is the digital Polaroid.

The best camera in the world is the camera that you have with you and that you actually use. The best advise for the "artist" is to practice their craft on a consistent basis. Sketch if you're a painter, sculpt if you're a sculptor, shoot if you're a photographer.

So I leave the 21MP FF Canon with the L lenses at home; I use my iPhone whenever I can.

iPhone Diaries #156: "Bright night"

Photographed coming home from a wedding shoot. June 12th.

iPhone Diaries #155: "Swiss Chalet"

Parking lot scene. 10 pm, June 11th.

iPhone Diaries #154: "Cafe Patio"

Guests on the patio at the Red Brick Cafe. Friday, 9 pm, June 11th.

iPhone Diaries #153: "Mushrooms"

June 9th.

iPhone Diaries #152: "Community News"

Wyndham Street, Guelph. 9 pm, June 9th.

iPhone Diaries #151: "Harmony on Wyndham Street"

A shop on Wyndham Street, steps away from a deserted St. George's Square on a Wednesday night. Next door is Pablo's Bar, with a woman standing outside the door having a smoke. Just up the street in front of the Quebec Mall, on the Square itself, was a 50'ish man in a fedora, sitting on a bench listening to Bob Seger on a scratchy portable radio. A gorgeous night in a beautiful city! 8:55 pm, June 9th.

iPhone Diaries #150: "Boys and their tires"

Observed on Douglas Street, Guelph. Not really sure what's happening here or where they're going...thought maybe this is a low-tech exercise regimen. They were sweaty and seemed happy, for sure! 8:45 pm, June 9th.

iPhone Diaries #149: "Potted plant"

Seen at the Vaughn Estate, behind Sunnybrook Hospital. 6:30 pm, June 8th.

iPhone Diaries #148: "Man on a scaffold"

Gerrard Street near Yonge. 5:15 pm, June 8th.

iPhone Diaries #147: "Mary and Ben's flowers"

iPhone Diaries #146: "Face-to-face"

iPhone Diaries #145: "Views of the Speed from the Gordon Bridge"

Looking west.

Looking east. June 4th.

iPhone Diaries #144: "Open"

At the Boathouse, just before closing time. June 4th.

iPhone Diaries #143: "Two lights"

Lights over the Guelph Lawn Bowling Club. June 4th.

iPhone Diaries #142: "The Bridge on the River Speed"

The Gordon Road Bridge on the Speed River. June 4th.

iPhone Diaries #141: "Joe's"

On Macdonell. June 4th.

iPhone Diaries #140: "Swinging in Guelph"

On the Speed River at dusk. Folks swing to music on the gazebo while kids play on the swings. 9 pm, June 4th.

iPhone Diaries #139: "Scenes from the Red Brick Cafe, Guelph"

Two philosophers running in the rain.

The rain just outside the door, under the awning.

Looking outside through the window.

Three generations of Philosophers. 9:30 pm, June 4th.

iPhone Diaries #138: "Wet on Queen Street"

A welcome respite from 2 weeks of high temperatures and high humidity. Scenes from a wet Queen Street. June 2nd.