Sony Diaries #1023: Kensington Market Winter Solstice Festival

Billed as a celebration of "the return to warmth and light in the heart of Kensington Market over the Winter Solstice", the parade features decorated revelers, hand-made lanterns, roving giant puppets, stilted dancers, assorted  musical entertainment, tented theatrical shadow play, fire breathers, and thousands of enthusiastic parade participants.

The parade moves like an organic mass, squeezed and hemmed in by the eclectic shops on Augusta, from Oxford Street down to Dundas Street. Lanterns are on sale for 15$ each, in support of the local arts scene.
Shot with a Sony A7III, Sigma 35F1.4, Sigma 50F1.4 (both alpha-mounts using an LA EA3 adaptor). Shot mostly at ISO12800.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sony Diaries #1022: Scenes out of the water at a Swim Meet

 cheering on your clubmates

 wishing each other good luck

 waiting your turns on the starters' blocks

 pre-meet warm-up

 killing time waiting waiting for a specific event

 warm-down pool

 catching up on social media

 finding a spot to relax between events

 passing snacks to race officials

 post-race consult with your coach

tense moments

Sony Diaries #1021: The power and majesty of the Butterfly (Fly)

Considered by many coaches and swimmers as the most difficult stroke, there is nothing better to watch than a Fly swimmer with flawless technique, making a demanding stroke look easy. Arguably the best swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps made the Fly his bread-and-butter stroke; he still holds the 200M record. I think the Fly can be most appreciated when seen from all 4 sides of the pool, as opposed to the backstroke that is best viewed from the stands, the higher the elevation, the better. 

2018 Dash For Cash, University of Guelph

Sony Diaries #1020: Kensington Market on a Monday night

It is always a treat to meet up with whom I affectionally refer to as the "Old Guys". "Older Guys" would be a more accurate term. Jeff, Allan, and Robin (we were missing Mike) seem to be the only guys within a wider circle of older photographers who are interested in street photography, esp night photography. Jeff is currently a Sony guy (a99II) with a long history with Olympus 4/3rd, M4/3rd, and Panasonic. Jeff is living the retired life that I hope to have: traveling around in a trailer, taking pictures of places. Allan is a retired engineer with a dry sense of wit and humour. We share a common experience: he used to work  in a paediatrics hospital (as a Medical Engineer). Robin, I don't know too much about. I know he dotes on his grandkids, and dawdles on our walks; he takes his time but he doesn't waste time.

These informal meetups are equal parts eating/having coffee/talking and taking pictures. The taking pictures part is in turn equal parts talking about the pictures we just took and taking pictures. It doesn't take a math whiz to figure out that taking pictures is only 1/4 of the experience.

But that's okay, because like a meal where the conversation is the best part, photography is just a catalyst for the talking and the walking

Invariably, the talk is on gear: specifically M4/3 for Allan and Robin, Sony Alpha with Jeff and myself. If Mike were around, the talk would include Pentax and assorted exotic lenses (Mike is a walking encyclopedia on this subject).

 All the photos above were taken with a Sigma 24f1.8Macro on a Sony a7III.

All the photos below were taken with a $50 Minolta 50F1.7 on a Sony a7III, set on Auto ISO with a maximum of ISO12800.

I'd love to know what is on their minds.

fallen angel?

how cool (and rare) is this? 3 payphones in one spot.