michael bryant

A couple of weeks ago, former Ontario Attorney General, Michael Bryant, published his memoir, 28 Seconds.

If you look on the back flap, you'll see Bryant's author portrait, a detail of a larger portrait that I took of Bryant back in February.

This is that portrait.

It was a photo that I had taken on a whim during our photo shoot to fit along with a style of portraits that I've been working on for a few years. I didn't expect it to be the final choice but it worked out well.

michael bryant. toronto, ontario. february 2012.

I'm also including here an outtake - my personal favourite from our shoot - which is reminiscent of this old portrait of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

michael bryant. toronto, ontario. february 2012.

bruisers win regionals

This past weekend Toronto Roller Derby's Bay Street Bruisers were in Guelph to compete in the RDAC Eastern Canadian Roller Derby Championship. Last night, the Bruisers left Guelph undefeated and crowned the Eastern Canadian Roller Derby Champions.

Here are 3 photos of the Bruisers from yesterday's championship bout against Forest City.

"4:57 pm. july 22, 2012" "Dames of Thrones," RDAC Eastern Canadian Roller Derby Championship, Sleeman Centre, Guelph, Ontario. July 2012."5:01 pm. july 22, 2012" "Dames of Thrones," RDAC Eastern Canadian Roller Derby Championship, Sleeman Centre, Guelph, Ontario. July 2012."6:08 pm. july 22, 2012" Bay Street Bruisers, "Dames of Thrones," RDAC Eastern Canadian Roller Derby Championship, Sleeman Centre, Guelph, Ontario. July 2012.

vegas bound again

Amanda and I are getting ready for our annual trip to Las Vegas.

Last summer we travelled out into the desert to have lunch at the Little A'le'Inn in Rachel, Nevada, and to see how close we could get to Area 51.

Here are some photos from that trip. The last one is a mystery.

1:16 pm. august 1, 2011. Highway 93, Nevada. August 2011.2:44 pm. august 1, 2011. Route 93, The Great Basin Highway, Nevada. August 2011.3:03 pm. august 1, 2011. The Extraterrestrial Highway, Hwy 375, near Crystal Springs, NV. August 2011.3:08 pm. august 1, 2011. Alien Research Center, Hiko, NV. August 2011.3:46 pm. august 1, 2011. Highway 375, Nevada. August 2011.4:35 pm. august 1, 2011. Little A'Le'Inn, Rachel, NV. August 2011.5:21 pm. august 1, 2011. The Little A'Le'Inn, Rachel, Nevada. August 2011.6:40 pm. august 1, 2011. Groom Lake Road, Nevada. August 2011.7:27 pm. august 1, 2011. Groom Lake Road, Nevada. August 2011.

This last photo was taken after we had driven just about as close to the entrance of Area 51 as one can get. We saw the signs (go any further and risk getting shot) and the men in the mystery SUVs. As we were driving away, along the unpaved Groom Lake Road to get back to the highway, I was taking photos of the mountains in the distance. I didn't notice anything unusual about any of the photos until I looked at them on the computer and noticed the strange blur in this photo. This was taken about 5 miles or so from the boundary of Area 51. It doesn't appear in any of the other photos, even those taken a second or two later. Any ideas what it could be?

sunrise in the sahara

6:54 am. november 16, 2011. Erg Chebbi Sand Dunes, Sahara Desert, Merzouga, Morocco. November 2011.

3 leaders

With all the #onpoli election speculation, here are photos of @daltonmcguinty, @timhudak, and @andreahorwath.

8:36 pm. november 10, 2009. Dalton McGuinty speaks at the True Patriot Love Foundation dinner in Toronto.7:08 pm. june 10, 2009 Tim Hudak speaks to a reporter prior to an all-candidates debate during the 2009 PCPO leadership race.11:10 am. april 14, 2012. Andrea Horwath speaks to delegates at the 2012 Ontario NDP Convention in Hamilton.