Bill Smith's Photography

Last weekend I went on a great photowalk in Toronto's Little Portugal and Parkdale lead by Mary Flint Crandall. I belong to a group called Toronto Photo Walks, and they explore neighbourhoods in the city. While mostly digital shooters TOPW are friendly and inclusive, if you're into photography regardless of medium, looking to meet new friends and explore the city, you'll love this group. I've been on a Minolta kick of late, especially with my SRT 101, it is a fun camera to shoot with. I shot a roll of Cinestill 50D through my black 101 and you won't see those photos for a bit, my go to C-41 lab is closed for vacation. It was the perfect system for this walk, I might take my SRT 202 and XE-7 into the city for my stay at my brother's place. Camera: Minolta SRT101, MC Rokkor 55 f1.8 lens. Film: Kodak Tri-X 400, Xtol 1+1.

Shooting at Maclean's Auto Wreckers for the first time was overwhelming at first. Most of the cars, trucks and school buses were from the late 1970s to the 1990s. Now tucked away in one corner of the property is a section of cars and trucks from the 1950s and '60s. I wound up shooting automotive portraits and capturing parts of a vehicle. Seeing a few old VW Beetles scattered over the property was sad as well as '70s vintage Jaguar XJ6 sedan, elegant car, fiendishly unreliable. Maclean's has an auto crusher but it looks like it hasn't been used in years, my guess the cashflow is from car parts and truck repair. It is an interesting place to go photographing amongst the wrecks. I would love to go back in the spring when the light is different. Camera: Mamiya C220f, Sekor 80 f2.8 lens. Film: Ilford HP5 400, Kodak Portra 400

So I got an opportunity a few weeks ago to wander around an auto graveyard just south of Rockwood in Northern Halton Region.... Camera: Mamiya C220f twin lens reflex camera, Sekor 80 f2.8 lens. Film: Kodak Portra 400, Ilford FP4 125 processed in HC110 B.

Toronto Photowalks is a grassroots group of people from Greater Toronto who meet up regularly to explore various neighbourhoods in Toronto. Founded by Paul Henman back in November 2009, TOPW attracts area photographers of all skill levels to explore the city and surrounding environments with a current head count of more than 1600 members on their Facebook page. What I love about TOPW is the camaraderie among the members and the fact we stop at local pubs on route halfway through for lunch and at the end for dinner. The journey is indeed more fun than the destination. Camera: Canon F-1N, FD 28 f2 SSC and 50 f1.4 SSC lenses. Film: Ilford HP5 400, HC110 B. Click through on the image to see the album set on flickr. or click here instead: https://flic.kr/s/aHskgyZjdo