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Whitney Block #2

The Whitney Block Building in Toronto has an endless supply of beautiful angles and views. This photograph was taken at the side of the building showing a glass enclosure which I believe is part of the transit system.

The Rebel

Reflections Series #4

A photograph I took earlier this summer which will be the 4th print available in the "Reflections" series. This image will be posted on www.BlackandWhitePhotography.ca soon.

Morning Ride

A new series I will be working on during the winter months which is yet untitled will be a somewhat abstract body of work. More to come.

The Canadian Bank Of Commerce

St Lawrence Hall

Lillian H. Smith Branch

This Toronto Public Library branch has a unique arched face with Griffons on either side of the entrance. This branch has been dedicated to Lillian H. Smith.

Convacation Hall

The University of Toronto is known for it's architecture and beautiful grounds. I have photographed several buildings at U of T and enjoy the atmosphere on the various campuses. The above photograph is of Convocation Hall.

Also, just a reminder that I have an exhibit coming up in Aurora Ontario at the Skylight Gallery. The exhibit will run during the month of December 2009 and I anticipate having 30 prints on display. There will be a reception on Friday night Dec 4th from 7pm to 9pm. For details visit the exhibits page on www.BlackandWhitePhotography.ca

I look forward to meeting viewers of this site at the reception. -AB-

Whitney Block Building

I was shooting today in the Queens Park area and was questioned by two very nice OPP officers who were monitoring the government buildings for security reasons I assume. I gave them my card after talking to them briefly so on the off chance that the officers come to this blog...this is what I was doing. Nice meeting you. This image called "Whitney Block Doors" will be available in sizes up to 20x30.

Princess Margaret Hospital

The Gardiner Museum

The Gardiner Museum is located on Queen's Park just south of Bloor. The cube shaped front of this building has always grabbed my attention.

79 Yonge Street

Air Canada Center Wall

Light plays a big roll in photography. In this image the shelter of the Gardiner Expressway created the cascade effect on the south side of the Air Canada Center. The image was shot from the Lake Shore Blvd between the traffic light changes.

Pavilion Stairs

Christopher Hume of The Toronto Star wrote an excellent column in the paper Sunday called "The Lost City". He describes some of the historic buildings that the public have limited access to and how the history can be lost by such actions. The Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion was one of the buildings mentioned in the article. I had taken several photographs of this building years ago, all of which were lost when my PC died (a painful lesson in the digital age). The column prompted me to revisit this wonderful facility and take some shots. Above is and image of the stairs leading to the lower level and I will return for more shooting in the future and capture the outside when it's not raining. I don't have permission to post a link here so visit http://www.thestar.com and you will find Christopher's column.

Bank of Montreal

Pillars and columns fill the city with the sense of power and age. Banks are best suited to this show of strength or perhaps they were.

Graphic Arts Building

The Graphic Arts Building is one of the many hidden treasurers within Toronto.

Street Crossing

Sometimes we need percpective to see our place in this world. "Street Crossing" is a new image which will be posted on www.blackandwhitephotography.ca soon.

York Region Building

I have looked at this building in Newmarket many times trying to figure out a creative composition. I've always liked the curves in it's design which to me look like ribbon candy.

Toronto Harbor Commission Building

The Toronto Harbor Commission Building is quite close to the Gardiner Expressway. I had to walk up the off ramp to get this angle. Probably not the brightest thing to do but necessary to get the shot.

Flat Iron Mural

Years ago I took a photograph of the Flat Iron building in Toronto called "Crossing Front". That image is one of my most popular prints. This image is of the mural on the back of that same building called "Flat Iron Mural"

The Ball Game

Anyone who has been to a ball game in Toronto is familiar with the statues mounted on the Rogers center. Not my usual kind of shot but I thought it was fun. This photograph called "The Ball Game" will be offered as 10x8 open edition print at the price of $75.

More From Queens Park

The Government buildings in the Queens Park area offer a variety of architectural design. I find myself drawn to symmetry as in the arched windows with the recessed box style windows below.

City Untitled

A man out for a morning walk alone stands in contrast to the large buildings surrounding him. Photographing early in the morning is pretty much the only way this type of shot is possible which is why I am out at 5am frequently.

The Frost Building

Flowing lines and curves lend to a pleasing composition and this government building near Queens Park has both in abundance.

Reflections Series

I'm finding that my new "Reflections" project is a perfect fit for my architectural work. As I walk the streets of Toronto searching for a building I want to shoot I find potential images within the surrounding buildings for this new collection. It takes considerable thought behind the composition of these images as the reflecting glass can make or break the final photograph. Above is Reflections #3.

Canada Life Building

The Canada Life building on University Ave in Toronto has a presence of strength with it's pillars and grand design. Getting a photograph without vehicle traffic required some patience. 

This building is on Yonge Street in Toronto and is one of the many buildings in the city that have large columns showing strength and character. 

Where Am I?

Where am I and where am I going? This question is common amongst those who long for greater things, fulfillment and the acknowledgment that they are not alone in their quest for understanding. This image "Where Am I" will be posted on my site this week. 

New Images Posted

I have uploaded several new images to the main gallery on BlackandWhitePhotography.ca including 4 more additions to "The Zen Metropolis". Above is number 26

Toronto Landmarks

During the next couple months I will be working on photographing Toronto's older and landmark buildings. Please feel free to e-mail me with any hidden treasures within the city. Some of the details within these buildings are really stunning.

The Zen Metropolis #22

I have driven past this building countless times observing the shadows and details created by this corner of the structure. This time the shadows were perfectly in line with the image I had hoped to capture. Like many of my images this one was preceded by a cloud of dust as I pulled off the road. This is #22 in "The Zen Metropolis" collection.

The Zen Metropolis #20

I haven't been posting on my blog for a while as I have been busy shooting. Here is the latest addition to "The Zen Metropolis" and I will post it on the website soon. For those who may be interested I will be teaching a course on architectural photography at Pikto in Toronto in April. There's a link on BlackandWhitePhotography.ca with details and dates. 

The Zen Metropolis # 17

The blending of glass and concrete is the most wonderful thing. The converging lines of this building drew me to it instantly. I was actually told about this one by a viewer of BlackandWhitephotography.ca Thanks Karen K, as I had not previously photographed this building nor had I been aware of it's existence.

Architectural Angels

Oddly enough I frequently spell angle or should I say Angel incorrectly. I have repeatedly e-mailed my wife at her work and called her Angle instead of Angel at the end of the e-mail. Rest assured that I am obsessed with angles and my Angel.

Abstract Black and White Photography

This image which I have yet to title will be printed for the first time in the next couple weeks. I like the reflective content running in the background offsetting the main subject. The print will initially be offered as a 15 x 10 in black and white of course.

Update. The image has been named Reflections #1 and will be the start to a new series of images.

Chasing Angles And Light

I am currently writing the content for a page on my website about architectural photography. I love finding a building with complex lines that merge in dramatic fashion. Frequently the challenge is not so much the camera setting but the composition which can make or break the end appearance of the image. 

On another note my new website Blackandwhitephotography.ca has climbed to the top of Yahoo.com and MSN.com and several others. The site has also jumped 30 pages in Google but will take another couple months to get close to the top.

Towering Giants

The lines of a building change so drastically from the street depending on the angle at which they are viewed. The angle working with the light cascading down plays such an important part in capturing the drama of a large building. I seem to spend far more time chasing light or waiting for light then anything else. Frequently I will wait for an hour or more for the ideal lighting conditions to appear and many times the wait is for nothing as the desired conditions never play out.  This photograph is the 10th addition to "The Zen Metropolis". It will be added to BlackandWhitePhotography.ca at a later date.

The Zen Metropolis

I was shooting at the exhibition grounds this week and was asked to leave by the security people. Hmmm I've been taking photographs at the CNE for years and have never had a problem. I have a couple more images to add to the Zen Metropolis collection and #8 to the left is an image from the Chinese Cultural center on Shepard Ave in Scarborough. This interesting aspect of the structure is off to the side of the main entrance. I am concentrating on this project as much as possible. It seems that tracking down the locations of unique architectural style is the hidden challenge in this project.

BlackandWhitePhotography.ca

I have started building my new website http://www.blackandwhitephotography.ca/ I am also pleased to say that my work will now be available at UpCountry, 310 King Street East in Toronto. I will start posting here a bit more frequently.

Life On The Canal

I have started my quest for images on the Holland Marsh. As mentioned on my site I will be spending time photographing the Canal and Marsh area during the summer. For those who are reading this and are not familiar with the Holland Marsh, it's a farming area about 50 km north of Toronto. The soil is almost black and the area is predominately used for growing vegetables and flowers. The Holland Marsh has a very distinct feel and I hope to capture it over the next three or four months.

Don Valley

I went out last Sunday to get a shot that I have wanted to get for some time now. Off the Don Valley there are several huge (I think they are planters) that look like elephants or large pants with 4 legs. I found the side street that would take me to them and saw that they were way up on a hill. With all my gear I climbed the hill which was extremely steep. I needed to pull myself up by grabbing trees and weeds growing on the side of the hill. At the top I saw that there was a trail about 100 feet further up that I could have just walked up...Sheeesh. Anyway I got the shot and that's the main thing.
The full image is on my site http://www.andybrooks.ca

Printing My Photographs

The fifth batch of my images are now framed and ready to go. I have started printing my images at Pikto in the distillery District in Toronto. What a great place and the image quality is outstanding. My girlfriend Darlene and I go down and hang around the District for a while after the printing is done and have a coffee or something to eat.

I will be posting a couple new places where people can view my images soon.

Memory Cards

Well for the first time ever I have had a memory card fail. I actually think it was because of the cold seeing that 2 cards failed on the same day. If you use Compactflash memory cards be sure to keep the recovery disk they give you with the card. I inserted it in my computer, then followed the instructions an there were my images. I must say I was relieved as I had been out almost all day and the only shots I was reasonably happy with were on one of those cards. One of the images that could have been lost was "Cool Night Sky" which is on www.AndyBrooks.ca