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The second annual “Picture the Cure“, a visual arts fundraiser to benefit the Canadian Cancer Society, will be held at the landmark Gladstone Hotel in Toronto on August 21.

The goal for this year is to raise at least $5,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. Proceeds will go towards:

• funding research on all types of cancer
• offering comprehensive and credible information on cancer, risk reduction and treatment
• providing support for people living with cancer, family members and friends

Join us for this one-evening event showcasing visual art by local and international artists, featuring:

• silent auction with more than 100 matted and framed prints
• live entertainment
• door prizes/raffles
• light fare

Get your tickets today!

Picture the Cure 2006
August 21 (Monday)
6pm-midnight
The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
Toronto

Advance tickets: $10
At the door: $15

For more information, email: info [at] picturethecure.ca

My artist profile and submissions can be seen here

“Photography / Community / Spirit”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 24, 2005

Canada’s largest camera club, the TPMG Photography Club, is pleased to announce its first gallery exhibit – a diverse selection of more than 50 images from its members, covering a vast area of subjects and styles. (For a selection of images, see www.tpmg.ca)

“Photography / Community / Spirit” will run from December 20, 2005 to January 22, 2006, at the Art Square Gallery, 334 Dundas St. West, Toronto. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 20, from 6 – 9 p.m. The public and the media are welcome to attend.

The TPMG Photography Club is just over a year old – but it has grown remarkably over that time. With more than 650 members, it is now the largest photography club in the nation, and may well be one of the largest in the world.

The club’s members come from a wide range of backgrounds, and represent a myriad of different approaches to the art of capturing images. Some are professional photographers, armed with the latest digital SLR cameras. The majority are keen amateurs, pursuing photography out of the sheer love of the hobby. One thing they have in common is a desire to share their enthusiasm with other like-minded camera buffs – something the TPMG allows them to do on a regular basis.

The TPMG Photography Club began life in the fall of 2004, with less than a dozen members. Since then, it has blossomed. It now holds weekly shooting events, monthly workshops and print swaps, and has done several out-of-town trips. Just in the last few months, the club has traveled as far afield as Algonquin Provincial Park and New York City, and many places in between.

Some two dozen photographers are contributing to “Photography / Community / Spirit” – for some of them, this will be their first chance to show their work to the larger photographic community, in a gallery setting.

The acronym TPMG reflects the group’s origins as the Toronto Photography Meetup Group, part of the popular meetup.com website, where club members continue to exchange information and post announcements.

Multiple exposure of some of the work

Collage of 36 out of 58 entries

As initiator and one of the organizer doing my first and the club’s first gallery exhibition has been less fun then I had hoped. But I know the end result will be worth the effort, the exhibition is going to be great.

Friday night was my first attempt to shoot a band playing in Toronto at this old fish house converted to a nightclub. With very little stage lighting I switched between ISO 400 with flash and ISO 1600 (no flash) with 50mm f1.8 and 100mm f2.0 lens. I was fasinated by the lighting from the disco ball. The two shots below were done with a flash and a long exposure where after the flash fired I moved the camera in the direction of the disco ball. Of course the floating disco ball on the right was put in later.
More of my first attempt

More about the band The Beethoven Frieze

I don’t know why but viewing this slideshow makes me smile.

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No money for fancy studio space, no money for gel filters or proper mood lighting? Do you have a bathtub but only use it as a shower? Then I have a deal for you just take one bathtub, some food coloring, a cheap Canadian Tire flood light and a waterproof bag for your camera and you t0 can produce a wonderful array of unique shots!

Disclaimer: Not responsible for leaky waterproof bags and the use of lighting that runs off 110/220 ac or explodes on contact with water!

The sign says it all, Canada’s most famous cemetery.

My first fungas shoot using Canon 100 mm f2.0 prime and a 500D close up lens.

The rest of the pictures are here.

I am ashamed to say I haven’t been to Toronto’s zoo for many a year. It really is a fantastic zoo you can easily spend the whole day and not see everything, you can almost wear out a pair of shoes it covers so many acres. Its located 30 minutes by freeway from Younge and Bloor. I guess it needed to locate so far from downtown Toronto to be able to afford the land.

Anyway I jumped at a chance to join the TPMG photographic club on a Toronto Zoo photography event.

The challenge this week:

We were all taught to ‘fill the frame’ when it came to composition, how about we break that rule in a creative manner in this week’s challenge entitled ‘The Negative Space Challenge’.

Your mission this weekend is to use negative space within your composition to give emphasis on your chosen subject. Using the rule of thirds and having a keen eye to spot such images will be the real challenge as we’ll be operating opposite of how our mind works. … A photoblog site that was recently pointed out to me that uses much of this technique is called “Round Here“. It’s a great collection of images and I’m sure that looking through the archives will spur your creativity and hopefully will inspire you to go out and try this challenge.

Ryan Tacay

My response:

Besides the bright colors I was trying to capture the precision which each snake wraps itself around the branch, a loop of its body centered as to make a cushioned headrest. The negative space surrounding the snake helps to define the precision of this shape.

The rest of the shots are here:

Not quite the zoo but at the after event dinner I had a chance to try out an idea I have had for sometime now. This shot was captured by having Adam (TPMG organizer) stand close to the screen of a projection TV.

I am stll looking for that perfect mirror of the Toronto skyline.

That same day I road upfront in the subway train, shooting photos with my 100mm f2 lens at ISO 1600 through muddy glass!

Some more reflections of the Toronto skyline and Toronto underbelly

From the time I was a child I have wanted a pair of stone lions guarding my driveway. Anyway I still don’t have a driveway so much for city living.

Here are some photos I took on a TPMG outing to Niagara.