Bill Smith's Photography

Got a story for you, for those not familiar, I'm on the executive board of the Oakville Camera Club and I organized a Summer outing to what I call Toronto below the tracks, that includes the area around the Roundhouse by the Rogers Centre and Harbourfront. Turns out I was the only one to show up. Not the end of the universe, I did the walk myself, had a great lunch at the Amsterdam Brew House and met up with friends doing a photo shoot in Graffiti Alley (photos in the next blog post).  First off, I love Kentmere 100, the dream developer combination is D76/ID-11 1+1 and Kodak Ektar in medium format is the perfect film for bright sunny days. The other thing both these films went through cameras when the Beatles were just crawling out of the Cavern Club and headed towards legend status. As for OCC members, they missed a great day for photography. Camera (black and white): Asahi Pentax SV, Super Takumar 50 f1.4 lens. Film: Kentmere 100, D76 1+1 Camera (colour shots): Rolleico

I always been through Dorset in the early fall, the weather is still warm but the crowds are different. Going up Canada Day weekend during peak cottage season I saw my favourite Muskoka village come to life with the Summer crowd. If you're rolling through, the spot for lunch is the Trading Bay Dining Company , and go for the brisket sandwich, messy as all get out, but delicious. I was sad we only had a few hours in cottage country. Just a quick note, my apologies for not posting last Thursday, it was an unusually busy week. Camera: Canon F-1N, FDn  50 f1.4 lens. Film: Ilford Delta 100, HC110 B.

Sometimes you just have to get out of the GTA for the day.... Camera: Canon F-1N AE, FDn 50 f1.4 lens. Film: Ilford Delta 100, HC110 B.

Megan Wright, US&C Director of Business Development at Kodak Alaris,  RE: Country pricing for Canada in regards to Kodak darkroom chemicals and film  Dear  Megan Wright,  My name is Bill Smith and I have been a regular customer of your company’s products over the years from Kodak Tri-X, to the Portra line and Ektar C-41 films to related chemistry to make the magic happen. I know what I’m getting when I buy your product and love the results.  Needless to say, I got sticker shock recently when I stopped by Downtown Camera in Toronto Ontario and checked out the darkroom section to fill some holes in my chemical inventory. I was shocked to see that the 3.78 Litre envelope of Dektol jumped to $20 (All prices quoted are in Canadian dollars) when it was like $7.99 not two years ago, same goes for D-76 it took the better part of an 80% price increase. That’s just the chemicals, as for film, I don’t even bother to purchase locally anymore, Downtown Camera can’t compete wi

I have always found shooting close to home difficult, being a long time Oakville resident I get jaded with the local scenery. This Summer I decided to shoot close to home and hopefully see something a little different in my own backyard. The other thing I wanted to do is start a hashtag #lifeinthe905 just to see if I can get some traction with it in various networks and channels with other photographers outside the city in the GTA. Now, the gear,  I used an Asahi Pentax SV, it is a mechanical 35 mm SLR made from about 1962 to about 1968.  It is a marvel of mechanical engineering and design. I own two them, the black one below and a chrome version.  They are pretty cheap online film shooters looking for a zen experience love them, either you use a hand held meter, the clip-on version if it works or roll with the "Sunny 16" rule. For film I used Kentmere 100 which is a budget black and white emulsion that when processed in D76 looks fabulous. Camera: Asahi Pentax SV (the c

I love visiting Elora, it's a great day trip from the GTA and a fun place to photograph. I met up a few weeks ago with some members of Toronto Photowalks who were day tripping, I drove through Guelph and did some photographing on the way up. I never get tired photographing this part of the world. Elora is a great place to visit and they want visitors. The former cornerstone of the village is the Inn, which has been closed for my guess at least six years now if not longer for renovations. Unfortunately it has killed tourism in Elora and the locals now rely on day trippers from Toronto and points elsewhere. If you do go, check out the following the Village Olive Grove where artisanal vinegars, olive oils and organic ice cream from Mapleton Dairy is sold, get the dandelion flavour, trust me, it tastes delicious. As for lunch, take your pick, my picks are the Shepherd's Pub, Wreckless Eric's and the Elora Brewing Company. You really can't go wrong, the food is amazing