Solo Photo Walks | Overcast in the City

I went into the city with a grand plan; in fact, I had this entire post already written and was ready to commit. But then the day came when I was going to execute the plan, and everything didn’t seem right. By the time I got to the train station and stood in the mass of people all waiting for the next train, it all didn’t feel right. I knew what I wanted to do, but there was that looming threat of rain and even thunderstorms. I did not want to get caught in a sudden downpour and have no place to shelter. I also was concerned about time. So, I dropped all notions about what I was planning and went with my gut. As I boarded the crowded train, I started to feel a lot lighter. I had brought three cameras with me and a mess of film; I ended up shooting only my F5 with the 28mm lens and my Dynax 600si with the 24mm lens and four rolls of film, plus some footage for a future video!

I landed at Union Station with the rest of the morning rush. The group was surprisingly orderly as we all got off the train and down into the station. I avoided any interior concourses, deciding instead to get right outside onto Bay. The day was overcast, but there was no sign of rain yet. I grabbed my roll of FPP Jianshi 400 in the Dynax first off and headed west along Front and then North the first chance I got. I wanted to take the route; however, I felt like I did not have any idea where I was heading. I knew I wanted to end up at Downtown Camera first and then the Distillery District. It was a weird walking route, taking side streets from Union, past the Chum sign and the Queen Street building for Bell Media before going up and past the Art Gallery. Crossing from there to Spadina along Dundas and up past the Daniels Building. By the time I hit the University Campus, I had exhausted my first roll of film.

I didn’t stray too far into the University Campus, staying along Hoskin with my F5 and the first roll of Ilford HP5+ loaded. Going through Queen’s Park and past the Legislature before going down University and the Hospital for Sick Kids. There’s plenty of good architecture along the way, including some interesting abandoned buildings along Elm. Knowing I was running a little fast, I ducked up through the TMU campus. I wanted to get a closer look at a couple of things since I was last there. Namely, the coat of arms I saw. I didn’t look at the plaque attached to get the whole story. Then it was back out along Bond Street, sticking to the other side from the last time to get a different perspective. I got to Downtown Camera just before they opened, so it was a chance to sit down, rest, and wrap up the second roll of film.

I wanted to get a roll through my Pentax MX on the way from Downtown Camera to the Distillery District. I planned to shoot a roll of FP4+ through the camera, but the film rewind had been jammed into rewind mode so the film didn’t load (I did manage to fix it later). But it also meant that I could easily salvage the film and use it for an impromptu On the Road video in the distillery district. I clipped on my phone mount and had some fun. Anyone who says (my past self included) that film slows you down most definitely does not if you go in without having that mindset. I ripped through that roll faster than I expected, getting through all the frames in record time! But you know, after pulling the roll out of the tank, I liked what I saw, so I’m looking forward to piecing the video together. I hope to get a far more high-energy feel than my last one!

I loaded up my second roll of HP5+ into the Dynax for the walk back to Union Station. I shot some frames again in the Distillery District before heading back along Front Street. I was disappointed to see that the Flatiron building was covered in scaffolding. But on the plus side, the owners are working on keeping it in good repair. It is a local landmark, so I’m happy to see it still being looked after. Considering that there was a time when the building was threatened by demolition. I got back to Union in time to catch a train home. Over the day, I walked nearly 19,000 steps, shot four rolls of film and avoided any rain! You can check out all my photos on Flickr! And watch for the Distillery District video next month.