Bill Smith's Photography

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 ...

I was passing through Guelph a few weeks ago on my way up to Elora to meet up with friends from the Toronto Photowalks group. I stopped to shoot the downtown a bit and meet up with my friend Tracy from high school for coffee. I haven't seen her in 20 years and it was great to reconnect. I even managed to get a pair of portraits of Tracy who is camera shy, to respect her wishes, I'm not posting them. Now, Guelph on a Sunday morning is pretty quiet and I captured that, the downtown has a lot of great architecture but it is a bit on the seedy side with the overwhelming number of bars catering to Guelph University students and it was a little sad walking past the offices of the now defunct Guelph Mercury. Camera: Olympus OM-1n, Zuiko 50 f1.4 lens. Film: ORWO UN 54, D76 1+1.

There's a lot to shoot within Gore Park in Hamilton. I'll have to come back at some point to do some more because I feel as though I missed some photographs... Camera: Olympus OM-4, Zuiko 50 f1.4 lens, Zuiko 28 f2.8 lens. Film: Bergger BRF400, HC110 B.

A few weeks ago I attending the a meet up for the Classic Camera Revival Podcast in Hamilton Ontario, it was a great opportunity to connect with other Southern Ontario film photographers and to explore a city I don't photograph that often compared to Toronto. First off Hamilton feels different courtesy how it's situated on Lake Ontario, it also has a very different vibe to Toronto due to the industrial past. If Toronto is compared to New York (I prefer Chicago due to geography) Hamilton is Canada's Pittsburgh. Camera: Olympus OM-4, Zuiko OM 50 f1.4 lens, OM 28 f2.8 lens. Film: Bergger BRF 400, HC110 B.

I wanted to try a new hike so I drove further up Highway 10 past Orangeville  up to a small hamlet called Primrose and kept driving North to Boyne River Provincial Park. It was an all day hike,  from experience, don't bother with the Primrose side trail, nothing all that exciting to see on there. The park proper is another story all together. It was a great hike and by the end my legs were like jello. I shot both black and white and colour on this hike, this post you guessed it, is the black and white one. There is a great view of Boyne Valley and a couple of spots that could very well be the next Microsoft background wallpaper. Olympus OM2n, Zuiko 50 f1.4 lens. Film: Ilford Delta 100, Ilfosol3 1+4.