Posted on October 26, 2021October 29, 2021 in Photography, Photos

Vacation Street Photography Challenge

(Come Towards the Light by Christopher Parsons)

This year I took a very late vacation while Toronto was returning to its new normal. I’ve been capturing the city throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and I wanted to focus in on how the streets felt.

During the pandemic we’ve all been attached to our devices, and our phones in particular, and thus decided to document the city through the lens of our ever-present screen: the smartphone. I exclusively shot with my iPhone 12 Pro using the Noir filter. This filter created a strong black and white contrast, with the effect of deepening shadows and blacks and lifting highlights and whites. I choose this, over a monotone, as I wanted to emphasize that while the city was waking up there were still stark divides between the lived experiences of the pandemic and a continuation of strong social distancing from one another.

95% of my photos were captured using ProRaw with the exception of those where I wanted to utilize Apple’s long exposure functionality in the Photos application.

Darkroom Settings

In excess of the default Noir filter, I also created a secondary filter in Darkroom that adjusted what came off the iPhone just a bit to establish tones that were to my liking. My intent was to make the Noir that much punchier, while also trying to reduce a bit of the sharpness/clarity that I associate with Apple’s smartphone cameras. This adjustment reflected, I think, that digital communications themselves are often blurrier or more confused than our face-to-face interactions. Even that which seems clear, when communicated over digital systems, often carries with it a misrepresentation of meaning or intent.

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Posted on May 25, 2021May 25, 2021 in Photography

A Place That Grew

Toronto is home to Ontario Place, which was once a park that had splash pads, rides, a Legoland, and more. It was opened in 1971 and hugs Lake Ontario. It was closed in 2012 for redevelopment and, since then, has largely languished as successive governments have suggested ideas but none have come to fruition. Ontario’s official motto is “A Place to Grow”, and by extension Ontario Place itself is a place that has since grown up and is now slowly wasting away due to government neglect.

It’s also one of my favourite places in the city to visit and photograph, and especially during the pandemic when it has been relatively quiet and free of people. It’s both a very calming location and one that has very interesting buildings and urban ruins to photograph.

(Modes of Locomotion by Christopher Parsons)

It’s getting warmer in Toronto which means that people are inclined to be outdoors; there are more cyclists and skateboarders in Toronto than I think ever before, and they’re all using the paths that are typically used predominantly by people who are walking or jogging.

Each year, I’ve managed to find or access or photograph a new part of the park that’s succumbed to lack of upkeep, and this year is no exception. An enterprising soul laid down some boards to cross over into part of the flume ride which meant I could see it for the first time! I suspect that it’ll only be a matter of time until a provincial government finally gets its way and tears down these ruins.

(Towards the Apex by Christopher Parsons)

(Flume(ing) Graffiti by Christopher Parsons)

I’m sure that more and more people will be using the park this year it’s limited attractions, and especially as more Torontonians get vaccinated. While I’ll miss feeling like the park is my own, it’ll be terrific to have another part of the city return to normality.

(All photos shot using an iPhone 12 Pro and Fuji x100f, and edited using my presets in Darkroom.)

Posted on March 12, 2021March 12, 2021 in Photography, Photos, Reflections

One Year Later

This long form photoessay showcases the absences that have been wrought by the pandemic in my city of Toronto, Ontario. The essay provides a meditation on a world of social isolation and distancing, and how the spaces that have historically united and bound Toronto’s residents have been left empty or made safe in response to being associated with risk and disease. Throughout, people are represented as separate from one another in their efforts to socially and physically distance, with individuals, pairs, or very small groups standing in juxtaposition to the much larger built world they inhabit.

All of the images were created using a combination of a Fuji X100f, Sony rx100ii, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro. Images were edited to taste using Apple Photos (for cropping) and Darkroom; two images had some healing applied using Snapseed.

(Looking to the Past by Christopher Parsons)

(Chance of Clouds by Christopher Parsons)

(Light and Tunnel by Christopher Parsons)

(Contemporary Ruins by Christopher Parsons)

(Urban Emptiness by Christopher Parsons)

(Social Distancing I by Christopher Parsons)

(Through a Glass Darkly by Christopher Parsons)

(Waiting for Next Summer by Christopher Parsons)

(Racing the Light by Christopher Parsons)

(Midnight Stroll by Christopher Parsons)

(Arachnid Problem by Christopher Parsons)

(In The Neighbourhood by Christopher Parsons)

(Closed for New Year by Christopher Parsons)

(Social Distancing II by Christopher Parsons)

(They Are Legend by Christopher Parsons)

Posted on November 15, 2020November 16, 2020 in Photos

Images from Toronto Harbour

Posted on November 5, 2020 in Links

Pop Goes the Toronto Housing Bubble

Toronto’s condo market is in more trouble than you think.

“For a while, Toronto’s booming condo market seemed unstoppable: the average price almost doubled in just 12 years. This appetite for condos meant that proper planning, both at the design and urban levels, was farther down on the priority list, leading to problems that still couldn’t stop this runaway market. It took the one-two punch of regulating the short-term rental market and the pandemic to finally slow it down. They say that the bigger the bubble, the bigger the bust — based on the concerns being expressed by real-estate agents and investors alike, I’d wager that we are due for a massive correction.

It’s about damn time.

Posted on October 21, 2020 in Aside

Hard(ly) at Work

Posted on October 20, 2020 in Photos

Diamond in the Rough

Posted on September 19, 2018 in Photos

Views

Views by Christopher Parsons. Photo made with Olympus EM10ii and 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 E at Tommy Thompson Park on September 16, 2018 in Toronto. Edited in Apple Photos and Polaar.

Posted on September 4, 2018 in Photography, Photos

End of Summer

End of Summer by Christopher Parsons. Image made with Olympus EM10ii and a Panasonic 25mm F1.7 at Sugar Beach on September 3, 2018 in Toronto. Edited in Apple Photos.

Posted on June 13, 2018 in Photography, Photos

A Quiet Sunday Walk

A friend of mine and I travelled into Toronto’s Canary district over the weekend to make some photos. Normally I take photos on solo walks, and it was a nice experience to be in the presence of someone else who was also focused on making images. Some of my highlights are below.

All images were shot using an Olympus E-M10ii and and Olympus M.Zuiko ED 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 R and Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R Lens. They were edited using a combination of Apple Photos and Polar.