Bill Smith's Photography

I took my Nikon N90s with me to the Beaches over the hump time between Christmas and New Years and got a chance to try out my Christmas present, a Nikkor second generation AF 50 f1.8 lens. It's been ages since I messed around with an autofocus lens and found it fun to work with. I used the camera on manual and on single focus as opposed to continuous autofocus (great for moving objects). This was also a chance to test Rollei Retro 400S, now first off it is not really 400 ISO in HC110 B which is my go to developer, more like 200 ISO. With all the recent hype with Japan Camera Hunter's Street Pan 400, I wanted to try another near infrared film and see what it can do. Oh baby this has fine grain and handles lousy grey days as well as JCH400. Rollei Retro 400S is coated on a clear polyester base which means you have be careful loading the camera, stay away from windows, otherwise you will fog the first three frames! I just ordered some more of this film and I want to try it on b...

Had so much fun shooting in the Don Valley from Riverdale down to the Riverside neighbourhood (or west Leslieville depending which real estate agent you talk to), I did it again only this time using Cinestill 50D. If you are up on Broadview north of Bridgepoint Health, check The Rooster Coffee House, I think I found my new favourite source of caffeine in the east end. Camera: Asahi Pentax KX, SMC Pentax M 50 f1.4 lens, SMC K 28 f3.5 lens. Film: Cinestill 50D

The Don Valley is one part of Toronto I really haven't explored all that much. I've been to the Brickworks a few times before the big renovation and to a few events afterward, I have also explored a few ravines to lead into Rosedale and Moore Park over the years. This is the dividing line of the city in some regards, a large channel of green space and a transportation corridor. The fun part was exploring some abandoned bits of infrastructure, a mothballed spur line now owned by Metrolinx that connects Union Station with the Canadian Pacific main line through Toronto. Yes I got my "Stand by Me" moment on the rails. The other urban artifact is the abandoned Eastern Avenue Bridge, you've seen if it you were travelling on the Don Valley Parkway. The highway when it opened in the early 1960s re-directed Eastern Avenue. I have always wanted to check this bridge out ever since I first saw it from my parents' car driving down the DVP in the early 1980s. You can get...