Bill Smith's Photography

So you've seen the cliffs at Mono Cliffs what now? Well there's lot to experience, there's McCarsten's Lake, left over glacier and rain water. and if you're there at the right time it's a special level of beautiful. The beauty of this provincial park, you can scale the hike as short or long as you want. Due to time cosntraints I haven't done super long hikes this year but the loop around McCarsten's Lake is a nice walk in the woods.  Just go during the week in the peak fall colours season because it will be insanely busy, thank you BlogTO.  Camera: Nikon FE, Nikkor Ai lenses.  Film: Fomapan 400, ID-11 1+1. 

 I met up with my friends John and Dana from Toronto Film Shooters one Sunday morning two weeks ago for coffee and a short photo walk. We wandered around Oakville Harbour and Tannery Park by way of the Rebecca St. Bridge. It was a beautiful morning that started cool but warmed up really quick. I miss meeting up with other photographers and hanging out, at least we got to do it out in the open in a safe environment.  What amazed me was how quickly the leaves changed along 16 Mile Creek. The power boats and sail boats are going to hoisted out of the water soon meaning it will really be fall.  Camera: NIkon F100, AF-D 28-105 F3.5-4.5 Macro Zoom lens.  Film: Kodak Ektar 100. 

Funny thing, I never really wandered around downtown Georgetown, I'm either visiting friends or, on the rare occasion, stopping by Halton Camera Exchange, but they are all located on the edge of town, sort of. In some regards Georgetown is sort of like Uxbridge in some ways, both are located on former Grand Trunk Railway lines, both are in hilly environments, both have craft breweries.  That's where it ends, Georgetown doesn't have an emotional pull for me. It's a nice little town on the edge of the GTA but Uxbridge on the other end is in the same neck of the woods where the Smith family settled two centuries ago.  When I stopped by Georgetown a few weeks ago, they had a Saturday Farmer's Market on the main drag, and people came out. You can tell we're in the new normal with all the Covid warnings on the edge with volunteers.  Camera: Olympus OM-2n, Zuiko lenses.  Film: Ultrafine Extreme 400, HC110 B. 

This past Summer I've spent a huge amount of time out hiking, You wouldn't know it from all the photos from my stay in the Beaches back in August. The Bruce Trail, especially stretches in the north end of Halton have been a great place to forest bathe in the middle of the crazy times. Hiking accomplishes two things, keeping my mental health in a good place during the pandemic while looking after mom, and get some thing approaching the exerceise I used to get at the gym which feels like a lifetime ago. I would have to hike 8km of this stretch of the Bruce Trail at least five days a week to get those particular resuls. I'm only doing this on average once a week. Something will change long term, just not right now.  I am fortunate to have company with my friend Nicole, she's in the same boat I am, looking after elderly parents, it's really nice to have someone along for the hike who gets it.  The camera gear of choice has been my Olympus OM-2n, and on this hike Ultrafi...

 The irony talking about a cloudy and muggy mid August day at the beginning of Fall isn't lost on me. I shot a ton of photos while at my brother's place. This was my friend John Meadows would call Mekong Delta hot and muggy. While I was out for my walk it started raining because the air was so water logged. You can feel it in photos.  Camera: Olympus OM-2n, Zuiko lenses.  Film: Bergger Pancro 400, HC110 B.