Image © Jeff Chevrier

Last night when I was driving home I saw a group of Pigeons circling above near a gas station. Always seems funny to me why they all fly around, seemingly in circles... but I found out why I think, later.. (please read on..) I turned onto a side street, and parked at the gas station, grabbing my small camera and 50mm f1.4 lens. It was getting really dark, and I thought I only had a minute or two to shoot before the ISO would have to be cranked-up too high, so I shot a few frames at 320 and 400 ISO, 1/250 f1.4, manual-focus. This image stood out for me somehow. A few minutes later they all landed on the roof of an adjacent house across the street. Then, about 2 seconds later they exploded off the roof and back into flight as a Red-Tailed Hawk ambushed the group. This time they took-off, nowhere to be found. I guess flying in a large group is a defence mechanism against predators, and going around in circles is meant to tire out or disinterest the predator that they know is in the area.

Image © Jeff Chevrier

Same moment as the prior post, I opened my car door and made use of the bright white wall to add a human element to another abstract, minutes later. Great light can make all the difference. Isn’t it funny how we often resist visiting the same places we have already been to shoot images? How does it look today, now vs. yesterday, last-year etc.. Creating images is so much a part of me that I often carry a small camera so that if I see something, I am ready. It only takes a minute or two to stop, pause and make an image. I am more surgical in shooting a few images of things I like, vs. “Spray-and-Pray” — that new funny term I have heard describing those who shoot hundreds or thousands of images on one subject vs. taking a slower, more methodical approach. Is this a great image? No. But at the end of 30 days, I usually bag a few keepers that I really like since I am shooting them little by little, almost daily.

Image © Jeff Chevrier

I was at a warehouse this morning when I saw a bit of an opportunity to shoot an abstract image. The morning light was striking the yellow poles beside the garbage container and projecting nice shadows, so I grabbed a camera I had with me and made an image. Sometimes boring, everyday objects can work together in the right light to make something interesting. You be the judge on this one. M9, 1/1000 sec f8, ISO 160

Image © Jeff Chevrier

Graffiti can make nice urban pics. I saw this face walking by a side-street where I parked near Queen Street in Toronto recently. Toronto has a lot of cool graffiti where the city allows it as a form of art vs. a form of vandalism in certain areas.

Image © Jeff Chevrier

This lady stood and waited outside the shop selling picture frames. She was very black and white in her attire, so I knew it would make a good b&w image. Carrying a small camera, and being able to react quickly makes all the difference in street shooting.

Image © Jeff Chevrier

I like street photography. It is challenging, but very real and rewarding if you get something you like. Here, two veterans were walking back from a Remembrance Day Parade that had wrapped-up in Toronto. I saw them on Queen St, and turned quickly to take a quick picture as a young guy with a backpack waked past and looked over at them the very second I released the shutter.. Something about young and old in this picture, about respect, honour...not sure but I liked it.

Image © Jeff Chevrier

....for Walking. You know the song... I shot this image of my own boots beside my friend who just bought the same pair in Toronto recently! Strange coincidence! Dunno, I somehow liked this simple picture. Maybe it was the boots!