Bill Smith's Photography

Wandering around Toronto's financial district with my recently returned Nikon FE2, Service Camera Pro out of Quebec City did a great job sorting out a few issues. Rene knows his stuff with a variety of brands and his turn around time is pretty good. Camera: Nikon FE2, Nikkor Ais 35 f2. Film: Kodak Tri-X, Xtol stock.

Fomapan 400 rocks in the Sun, that is all. Camera: Nikon FE, Nikkor Ai 50 f1.4 lens. Film: Fomapan 400, Xtol Stock.

It's been ages since I have taken photos on College St. Now, that old saying, the more things change, the more they stay the same, really applies. Old spots I used to haunt like Bar Italia are gone, other places like Cafe Diplimatico aren't going anywhere. I'm still experimenting with Fomapan 400, of course, I'm rating it at 250 ISO, this time I processed in Xtol stock developer as opposed to 1+1. I'm quite pleased with the results, there's a pleasing grain to the emulsion. Camera: Nikon FE, Nikkor Ai 50 f1.4 lens. Film: Fomapan 400, Xtol stock.

I need to shoot medium format more often. It hasn't been much of a spring here in Toronto so far, I ran with Kodak Tri-X pushed to 1600 to deal with the gloomy lighting. That said, sometimes shooting in the rain is great for the photos you do get. Now I love shooting inside Brookfield Place and the walkway between Saks Fifth Avenue and The Eaton Centre. I shot it last fall on pushed Tri-x in 35mm, of course I had to re-shoot in 120 and it sings. Camera: Rolleicord Vb, 75 f3.5 Schneider Xenar Lens. Film: Kodak Tri-X 400 pushed to 1600, processed in Xtol stock.

Toronto likes to think they get hammered with a snowstorm, no, they don't. Toronto does create a lot of slush however, much to the joy of local dry cleaners. Camera: Nikon FM, Nikkor Ai 50 f1.4 lens. Film: Kodak Tri-X 400, pushed to 1600, Xtol stock.

Mark loved the RC Harris Filtration Plant in the Beaches, and the skies sort of cleared off a bit. It was sort of whirlwind due to time constraints so no aimless wandering around the neighbhourhood. Camera: Nikon FM, Nikkor Ai 50 f1.4 lens Film: Kodak Tri-X 400 pushed to 1600. Xtol stock.

The Distillery District mid week during a February in a by Toronto standards snowstorm is quiet taking on a very different vibe than in high season. There were more people clearing snow than visiting, and a good 60% of the boutiques were closed. I know Mark O'Brien had a ball with his visit. Getting here is less painful than it used to be with the Cherry St.-Dufferin 514 streetcar. As a place to live, the Distillery-Canary-West Donlands is still off the beaten track a bit. Granted I visited in the middle of by Toronto standards snowstorm (yes Southern Ontario residents are weather wimps). I'll have to come back mid week during the spring to see what the difference is. Camera: Nikon FM, Nikkor Ai 50 f1.4 lens. Film: Kodak Tri-X 400 pushed to 1600, Xtol stock.

What do you do when you have a fellow photography podcaster roll into town for a few days? Head out for a photowalk. Mark, Nancy and I rolled east on a diverted 504 King St. (thank you sub trerranian electrical vault fire). I haven't been to the Distillery District in ages, it would be interesting to explore it during a snowstorm (by Toronto standards). I chose my combination of pushed to 1600 ISO Kodak Tri-X processed in Xtol stock and I got fabulous results. The camera of choice was my black Nikon FM, my chrome FM developed a shutter issue and needs a date with the repair tech. What ever you do when shooting in the snow, don't meter on the snow unless you like it to turn out grey. Always aim for a wall, a car, someone's jacket for a meter reading.