Archive for the ‘people’ Category

Saturday afternoon in the city

Posted: July 21, 2018 in people
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A Saturday walk about with friends

a group of people walking over the raised pedestrian bridge between the Eaton Centre and the Bay, 4 women, one man and a boy

Looking at people.  Ordinary people.  Going about their summer lives.

man with beard and moustache, one a bike that is stopped in front of a red and white TTC bus, man wearing a blue baseball cap with red Air Canada maple leaf logo on it

young Asian woman under a black umbrella, standing in a TTC bus shelter, reflections off her umbrella of other people, plus a stella artois beer ad

man in an apple store, orange T-shirt, leaning on the counter, with headphones on, looking closely at the screen of a laptop, other men in the store too

a young woman with bright yellow hair tied back in a short ponytail, tattoo covering most of her arms and upper part of body that is visible , wearing sleeveless black top, walking past Cheese Magic shop in Kensington market, Toronto

two people, one is a woman holding a coffee cup from Jimmys Coffee, she is laughing. The other is black, hair tied back, pink long sleeved shirt and sleeveless jean jacket, scowling,

a tanned older man in sleeveless black shirt leans against metal railing at the Eaton Centre, mannequins in a store window behind him, womens' sporting wear

a man sits with his son on the floor of the Eaton Centre, next to the glass railing. reflections from the railing make it look like there are two boys

looking into the window of a women's wear store, two dresses, on mannequins, each holding a handbag. a red dress and a dress with big red flowers, a red head woman is standing beside the mannequins

people walking across pedestrian bridge between the Eaton Centre and the Bay, one woman has long light pink hair and is wearing jeans with many rips and holes in the front,

a couple sitting in a restaurant, across from each other, in the window, window is open, drinks on the table . Woman has glass of white wine, man has something orange

a woman standa against an exterior wall, beside a tottoo place. The word tattoo is in large yellow letters beside her, her hair is multicoloured, she is wearing a short dress, knee bent with one foot against the wall, phone in hand, black jacket over her shoulders

three people sitting on a concrete bench outdoors at Yonge Dundas Square. An older woman with teal long sleeeved shirt and light blue hat, a man in a white t-shirt with black moustache, with a woman leaning against his shoulder with her eyes closed

a couple standing facing each other, talking to each other,

an older woman carrying a pale purple umbrella, and a handbag with pictures of cats on it, a blouse with orange flowers on it

mother and son posing for picture, Asian, boy is lying on the ground between his mother's feet

bald black man with black sunglasses is taking a selfie while holding a large ice cream cone

a young man holds a sign that says hug me we need it

black man with blue t-shirt holds a blue bubble maker and he is making bubbles as he walks down the street

young woman in sunglasses poses in front of a fountain

couple, one is smoking, man in yellowish orange shirt, standing by a chinese restaurant, pictures of the food on the wall behind them.

into the night

Posted: July 17, 2018 in people
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For a number of reasons, I started walking late yesterday.
It was overcast and the the light was flat.

a woman on the sidewalk, with people on the other side of the street in the background

  There were a few people sitting around and/or hanging out – on their phones, alone with their thoughts,  meeting with friends, or just passing by.

three people, two sitting, one smoking and the other on her phone. The third person is male, lying down with head on lap of woman on her phone, outside,

Catching moments and freezing them in time – is that what photography is?   To call the images random would be farfetched.  They are edited starting from the first decisions such as where to aim the camera and at what moment do I take the picture.   But they are candid in that the people are unaware, unposed, and to me, more natural.  These women are just hanging out outside the Eaton Centre, together, yet separate.  Are they waiting for someone?  What is the woman on far left reacting to?

women in head scarves standing beside glass window of a store, other women walking past

men sitting on a bench, a woman walking past

As I mentioned above, the light was flat.  It was a grey afternoon and that is always a challenge.  As the day becomes darker, the ambient light provide by windows increases.

below: Is it my imagination or is her neck longer than most?  I don’t think that I’d be able to wear four leather rings around my neck even if I wanted to.

head of a mannequin in a store window, white, large sunglasses, leather rings around her neck

As I was processing some of my photos, I got to thinking about my grandmother.  I remember driving with her at dusk and into the early night.  She would get excited about being able to look into people’s windows after they’d turned on their lights but before they’d closed their curtains.  We could only get a quick glimpse as we passed by – were there pictures on the wall?  What was on TV?  What were the people doing?  But even that was enough to spark our imaginations and we would create stories about the possible lives of the people in those houses.

below: Talking at the bar

from the outside, looking into a bar. Line of bottles on a back lit shelf, two women takling near the window

below: Sitting at Timmies

three people at Tim Hortons, sitting at a table. Seen from the outside, a poster on the window blocks the view of one of the people

Night windows offer a different view.  Things that are hidden during the day become visible.

below:  Interior renovations in progress

looking in the window of a construction site, two ladders, square panes of interior glass on a wall

below: The mundane and austere railing and fluorescent light in the stone bank building caught my attention.  As I was lining up the shot I noticed the woman (who had obviously noticed me first).

evening, from outside, a lit window in a bank of Nova Scotia building shows a hand rail, a woman stands outside the window

people in the midst of getting on and off a streetcar

two people, slightly out of focus pass by a lit window

And then it started to rain.  My feet were getting wet and my umbrella wasn’t big enough so I called it quits and went home.

a woman holding an umbrella crosses the street

red chairs and white tables in an empty restaurant

art at Nathan Phillips

Posted: July 9, 2018 in events, galleries, people
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Toronto Outdoor Art Fair 2018,
Nathan Phillips Square

three men, in two different booths, side by side, looking at paintings, Nathan Phillips Square, outdoor art fair

three men looking at paintings, Nathan Phillips Square, outdoor art fair

two small paintings on wood, hanging on a metal grid

reflections in a framed artwork, people passing by, outdoor art fair

woman in a brown hat starts to pack up her paintings of people's faces at the end of an outdoor art fair in Toronto

two paintings in a booth at an outdoor art fair, one is yellow, there is a table in front of it, with a flower and and a hat on it, a man walks past

three little glass sculptures of little robot like creatures with rectangular heads and one large antenna

a woman walks past a painting of a cat head in blues and greys,

old rusty hand saws with wood handles, blades have been cut in intricate designs, one in maple leaves and the other with oak leaves

a couple looks at a painting at an outdoor art fair

a man, with back to the camera, stands beside a painting of a topless woman, their faces are close together

a woman carries a large painting, passes by another large painting of a black man with a white beard

a woman in a large brimmed pink hat is talking to another woman in front of some paintings at an outdoor art fair

five black and white photos are attached to a string with wooden clothes pegs

square artworks arranged in a grid on a metal mesh wall, hanging at an outdoor art fair.

sqaure artwork, mainly yellow, person body with large clock head , fish swimming around, letters and numbers on the edges

two muslim women in head scarves walk past some glass sculptures at an outdoor art fair

Canada 151

Posted: July 2, 2018 in events, people
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a greoup of three people in red and white clothes st Yonge Dundas square for Canada Day, a girl in a red and white striped long dress and two women in red and white polka dots and stripes

Happy Canada Day weekend!

a group of women pose with little Canadian flags, for a picture, at Yonge Dundas Square for Canada Day.

Pride Parade 2018

Posted: June 27, 2018 in events, people
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Pictures from the annual Pride Parade down Yonge Street – my apologies for the large number but everyone is just so photogenic and engaging!

woman in pink hat and round sunglasses cheering while holding a banner in one hand and two flags in the other

people in black hats and black coats taking photos of group in pride parade marching with signs that say stop executing apostates and dissidents

two women walking in the pride parade, crowds on both sides of the street, one is topless with a rainbow frilly skirt and the other has a rainbow umbrella

two people hugging at the pride parade, one is a man dressed in a Rocky Horror outfit and the other is a woman with a rainbow flag and a Mcdonalds drink in her hand

float in the pride parade about sex education through theatre, called sext,

the United Church of Canada float in the Pride Parade, people lining the sidewalks on both sides of the street, people walking in front of the float

a woman wearing a rainbow dress and garland in her hair, smiling

a boy on his father's shoulders, playing with a green bead necklace as they watch the pride parade in TOronto

man in long black robes and hat with two black horns, walking in parade, crowds behind him,

a black woman with long curly hair is holding three signs in bright colours while getting ready for the pride parade, the photo is photobombed by another black person with bright green sunglasses on

a float enters the pride parade while spectators watch from the sidewalk, behind barricades

a woman on stilts carries a rainbow umbrella as she walks with iatse group in the pride parade

man in drag - blue and yellow feathers, lots of sequins and glitter, carrying a mask

man with flag riding on float in pride parade, lots of pink and purple balloons and ruffles

lots of bubbles as people walk in pride parade, man holding a banner, boy in yellow jacket walking in front of banner

group of people in blue T-shirts and carrying rainbow flags that say proud to be a Catholic teacher

group of three pose for a picture, two are wearing Tshirts that say choir Choir Choir.

crowds watching the pride parade, all ages, some standing on planters in the middle of Yonge Street, College Park building behind them

a group of four young people from the fido section of the pride parade, in teal shorts, covered with colourful body paint hearts and stars and rainbows

two men, one with a makeup sparkly beard and moustache in blue and silver and one in drag with a loarge red hat covered with flowers

two policemen in yellow rain jackets control crowds and traffic on Dundas street at the end of the pride parade, as a float is coming to the end of the parada

carrying a black and blue striped flag, two men, one in diaper and dog leather mask, the other in ordinary clothes

two men walking in the pride parade, one in a skimpy tight silver pair of short pants and carrying a Mexican flag, the other in drag in a black and silver costume, long dress, with hat with silver horns on it

prid eparade float passes by a crowd, lots of shouting and cheering

getting ready for the pride parade, a topless woman stands near a group carrying posters, one with Frida Kahlo on it and the other with Vivek Shraya

four people in stretchy tight fitting unitards, a pink, a blue, a yellow and a red, all have sashes that say Ding Dong Girls

two men on a float at the pride parade, one is covered in silver paint, the other is seated and wearing a large brimmed hat and holding balloons

trigger fish waterpolo team parades in their red swim suits, dancing to music, arms out at their sides, passing in front of College Park building

an out of focus arm covers the bare bottoms of two naked men as they walk past

a couple hugging on the sidewalk

three women with super soakers (water guns) on a float in the pride parade, ONA, ontario nurses association

behind metal barricades, people watching the pride parade

on a float at the pride parade, sign says penalty box. Man in referee shirt with a sign that says Two minutes for looking so good. He is pointing at the camera

a woman helps a man in a pink shirt stand on a bicycle lock ring on the sidewalk

polyamory group, men, women and children, with colourful clothes and signs waits their turn to join the pride parade

group with red hats and purple and silver sparkly pom pom things poses with cheers and waves for a picture before the pride parade begins

marchers from the presbyterian church walking in the pride parade, man holding a sign that says Knox Waterloo, in clericals, with beaded necklaces around his neck

people watching pride parade on yonge street in toronto, scaffolding for construction, people on roofs, people walking by on sidewalk

the Queen of Hearts, a drag queen in red with large red plastic wig and a red dress, posses for a pic with a woman

university of toronto float in pride parade

a man holds a banner with one arm, has the other arm lifted up, pink fabric draped around his shoulders, and a rainbow flag around the back and top of his head

two military personnel sitting on top of a green jep with rainbow flags as they drive in the pride parade

a man wears a dress made of yellow police caution tape in a parade

three women wearing tight silver bathing suits and purple wigs

men in leather but no clothes walking in parade

pride parade, animal section

up close shot of man wearing blue star shaped sun glasses

federation of canadian naturists walking nude in the pride parade

drag queen in elaborate gold costume with white feathers on fans one in each hand) and headdress that also has a large gold glittery star shape front piece

 

a man in a rain pncho covreed with red maple leaves is posing with a man dressed in a dress that is covered with condoms

man in a silver mask covering his whole head, with a group in white t-shirts in the pride parade

a very skinny man with grey hair, a yellow top and red skimpy short pants, other pwople wakling by on the sidewalk

protests, countered

Posted: June 27, 2018 in events, people
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Near the end of the Pride Parade route, at Dundas and Victoria, a small group of people (all men?) congregate to protest the parade. One man has a megaphone and he uses it constantly. If you are watching the parade, it’s not a comfortable place to be unless you like the incessant high decibel assault on your ears. They have the right to be there. But supporters of the parade, and the people who participate in the parade, have found a peaceful yet effective way to counter that protest…. by quietly standing in front of them with their own signs.

two protestors hold up hand written signs to block the protest behind them. One sign, on brown cardboard, says The Christian right is neither. THe other sign, on white bristol board says These 5 lovebirds are so intimate with each other they should cum and join the fun. One of the anti-pride posters says Jesus opposes your pride. repent.

protest signs and counter protest signs at the prode parade

large sign that says I also read the bible I think these dudes missed the point. It is in front of other signs protesting agains the pride parade and the gay lifestyle

These protests have occurred at this location for a number of years.  It is not uncommon for parade participants to stop here for their own counter-protest.

a young man in the pride parade stops to hold up a banner that says one voice. He is facing anti pride parade protestors

cruising Church Street

Posted: June 26, 2018 in events, people
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Walking with the revelers on Church Street on Sunday afternoon as the Pride Parade was winding down.

a man in drag, high heels, skimpy bottoms and a frilly red top looks at the camera with a smirk and a wink

crowds on church street, with a man in just underwear sprawled on a chair in the middle of the street

three Asian woman laughing as they walk down the street, looking at something that has made them laugh

an south asian man in pink shirt and sunglasses gets a topless woman to pose with him, she is kissing him

two men with big beards. one in a short red top and red cap, the other topless except for shoulders straps

two women talking, with rainbow headbands and colourful clothes, as another woman walks past behind them

a young girl holding a bunch of yellow balloons

men with no clothes except for black leather harnesses and straps and a black cap

below: A slow time at the ice cream truck

a young man sits in the window of an ice cream truck as he watches the crowd

below: It was the man behind that made me laugh.

two naked men walking down the street, with a man behind them taking their picture, two women in bathing suits and large hats

below: Matching butterflies.

two women in bikinis, both with sparkly butterflies on their lower back

a man in drag with a wig of long grey hair, black hat with red flowers, in the crowd

a young man with pink t shirt and fuzzy pink ears, another man with a rainbow flag on his back and his hand over his mouth

a group poses for a selfie shot as other people walk by

below: Daddy hunter

woman with a sticker that says daddy hunter

below: Another daddy sticker

a woman is putting a sticker on her upper thigh while another woman looks on

below: Spock makes an appearance

a man dressed as Spock mingles with the crowd in front of Pizza Pizza

Dyke March 2018

Posted: June 24, 2018 in events, people
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The rain let up long enough for the Dyke March to parade across Bloor and down Yonge without everyone getting wet.  Lots of colour and sparkle was on display along with lots of enthusiasm and fun! This year’s theme was Resist as seen on this crocheted banner.

dyke march 2018 - a group of people carrying a banner made of yarn, crocheted, that says resist. #dmto #resist

dyke march 2018 - women in Sailor Moon costumes, one with a bubble gun and is making bubbles as she walks in the parade

dyke march 2018 - Asian women holding a blue banner that says Aqua, Asian Queer Alliance, 5 women holding the banner

dyke march 2018 - as parade goes along Bloor, cyclists, dykes on bikes, one reaches arm out to the crowd on the sidewalk

dykes on bikes lined up across Yonge street in the middle of the parade, Dyke March 2018

dyke march 2018, dykes on bikes - bare breasted woman with yellow and orange hair, on a bike in front of two women carrying a purple banner with the word inspire on it

dyke march 2018 - group of women carrying a banner that says bisexual women of Toronto

dyke march 2018 - dark brown person wearing blue lipstick holds a white banner

dyke march 2018 - a woman with rainbow headband and pink top is holding a small fluffy white dog with rainbow hat and coat

dyke march 2018 - a woman holds an orange Proud NDP sign in the parade, one arm reaching upwards

dyke march 2018 - two women in the parade, one with short purple hair, carrying a small black dog

dyke march 2018 - woman in pink bra with many tattoos is walking past a crowd on the sidewalk

watching the dyke march 2018 on Yonge street, two women with a dog on a leash and three girls on decorated scotters wearing bike helmets and bright sunglasses

drummers and marchers in the dyke march on yonge street

watching the dyke march 2018 - two girls on Yonge street draped in rainbow flags

dyke march 2018 - two young women together

dyke march 2018 - dancing women in orange T-shirts, rainbow sisters, one is waving a rainbow flag

woman holding up an large orange crocheted umbrella

woman on a bike in the dyke march 2018 parade, talking to a young woman who is carrying a banner, other women walking behind, a child on the lap of a woman on a motorized scooter.

a woman with very short hair on bike with a dog sharing her seat, black and white dog with nose pointed forwards as they ride together

two young women with large cardboard cut out letters wrapped with rainbow yarn, a G and and L. Part of a larger group that spells out LGBT

dyke march 2018 - a break in the parade is time for a photo op of motorcycle with passenger wearing helmet and fishnet stockings.

two men stand on a balcony of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel on Yonge street, decorated balcony with Canadian flags and rainbow coloured paper or fabric.

an older woman stands beside a pole on the sidewalk as she watches the dyke march, she's holding a rainbow flag

dyke march 2018, banner that says dykeversity, lots of hand prints and hearts decorating it, women carrying it,

young black woman holding a banner in the dyke parade

women carrying signs black lives matter and black trans lives matter in dyke march in Toronto, marroon coloured hair and make up

dyke march 2018, dykes on bikes - in a corset with super woman insignia

dyke march 2018 woman with pale rust coloured hair and a black beret

groups of people walking in dyke march 2018, two are holding a sign that says today you are the fire and tomorrow you will be the sea and they'll have no choice but to hear your siren song a sign that says

dyke march 2018 - a young man sits on the ledge of an open upper storey window on Yonge street, rainbow flag with #weareorlando (we are orlando) written on it

two men in drag pose for a selfie with a woman, one man in bright yellow wig and the other in bright pink with flashy bright clothes to match

a young woman in black Pride T-shirt, holds a purple banner and is yelling dyke march 2018

dyke march 2018 - young woman carrying a cardboard sign that says I love butch girls

a young woman draped in a rainbow flag holding a large balloon the shape of a unicorn head with rainbow coloured mane

4 people on the sidewalk watching the dyke march Two of them are wearing white T shirts with L is for love on it in blue and purple letters, also flower garlands in their hair.

people watching the Dyke March, two men and two women. One man in pink baseball hat and My Little Pony T-shirt

switching into summer

Posted: May 23, 2018 in people
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The weather’s been all over the place, warm, cold, hot, cold again, back and forth…. like May weather usually is.  We were fortunate to have great weather this past holiday Monday and a lot of people took advantage of the day!  As I walked around, this is some of what I saw.

a man stands and watches another man playing the drums outside on Yonge street, some other people standing around too

by the fountain at Nathan Phillips Square, a man dressed in orange hugs a man dressed in brown who is checking his phone after just taking a selfie

women and men standing outside the Eaton Centre on Yonge street

people crossing the street at an intersection, a woman in a pink top and white sweater is pushing a stroller with a fluffy small white dog in it, a man in a blue Jay t shirt, camo jacket and baseball hat, smoking a cigarette, is walking beside her

Graffiti alley, walking past an uber 5000 mural, a man and a woman with their backs to the camera. on the back of the man's camo coloured jacket are the words true freedom is being unknown

two women in the O of the 3D Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips square in front of city hall, examining photos that they have taken on their phone

2 young men and 2 young women walking down Graffiti Alley

a woman in a purple dress is sitting on the sidewalk, patting the cat wearing the superman costume that is sitting on a box. other people standing around, corner of Yonge and Dundas

a girl and her mother playing in the fountain at Nathan Phillips Square, in front of city hall,

a woman in jeans and pink top poses in the doorway of one of the back doors in Graffiti Alley

A short CONTACT walkabout

Posted: May 5, 2018 in events, galleries, people
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This little walk starts with the artwork of Marleen Sleeuwits and her ‘Not the Actual Site’ exhibit at Brookfield Place (Allan Lambert Galleria).

A short walk from Brookfield Place westward along King street towards Metro Hall….

where pictures from John Edmonds ‘Hoods’ series are on display (as are the people who walk past!).

Across the street from ‘Hoods’ is Caroline Monnet’s, ‘History shall speak for itself’.  These photos are the south and west wall of TIFF.

caroline Monnet's large mural on the side of TIFF building, King street, people walking past, bikes parked in front of the art.

Just a bit farther west (at Spadina) you can find a large purple hued image by Felicity Hammond on the north wall of 460 King St. West.

A few more smaller works by Felicity Hammond are in the Contact Gallery at 80 Spadina – the building immediately north of the parking lot where you can find the image above.    The gallery glowed in pink and purple light.

below: Object shapes are cut outs from a thin sheet of acrylic on which photos were printed.  These shapes are held up by clay blobs.

And that’s our tour for today!

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