Statistically, the last week of January is the coldest of the year. But if there’s one thing for sure these days, things aren’t exactly what they’re supposed to be in the world. But like anything connected to the Toronto Film Shooters, sometimes things aren’t exactly right in our own heads either. We tend to head out rain, snow, and even the deep cold. So of course on what is supposed to be the coldest day of the year, TFS Super Friend, Toni, organised a photo walk in downtown Burlington, Ontario. Now Burlington is no stranger to the Toronto Film Shooters, our pinhole event took place here last year at the end of April. And a store dear to all the members in the general area, Burlington Camera, is located here also. So Sunday I found myself driving south under overcast skies and above zero temperatures.
After taking in coffee at the Lakeshore Coffee House we headed out for Spencer Smith Park and the iconic Burlington pier then continued towards Joe Brant Hospital along the promenade. We stopped and lingered along the way, taking it the sights and generally talking shop as we took photos. The warm weather allowed us to occasionally strip off the hats and gloves. While the steel grey skies offered little in the way of texture, the cloud cover proved thin enough to provide a decent amount of light. I had packed only a single camera and lens, the Mamiya m645 and 80/2.8 lens along with a couple of rolls of Lomography Berlin 400 in 120. Berlin 400 is a rebranded version of ORWO N74 which recently arrived in medium format. While grainy, it actually worked well in this light allowing me to stop down to f/11 and f/16 and still have decent shutter speeds for handheld shots. I wasn’t going to drag a tripod along.
After reaching the end of Spencer Smith Park, I finally was able to find the plaque about the War of 1812 naval engagement, The Burlington Races, which I had never found when I was working on my War of 1812 project. I also got a shot of the Brant House. The trouble I have with Burlington is that I’m always there for something, or in a different area from the downtown. So rather than walking back along the lakeshore, we headed up Brock Street to stop in at Sunshine Doughnuts (I picked up a couple for Heather and I later) and then headed into the residential streets behind Brant Street. Because let’s be honest, there’s little photographically interesting along Brant Street in the downtown, the real action is in the streets behind the main drag. So I finally got to capture some of the beautiful houses and historic churches that I’ve been wanting to capture for a while.
With two rolls in the bag and the sun just starting to peek out from the clouds I was starting to feel tired (been a little sick the week before) so I decided to cut out before lunch and head home to have lunch there and soup the film from the walk. Special thanks to Toni for organising a fantastic walk. If you want to check out all my photos, you can find them over on Flickr. If you’re interested in joining the Toronto Film Shooters, we have a presence on Facebook and Flickr. Our next walk is taking place on the 22nd of February, you can find event details on Facebook or Photowalk.me.