Established in 2013 by MainStreetHost and taken on by Alex Luyckx Photography in 2015, #photochat is a community of photography professionals and enthusiasts who congregate to talk shop and discuss anything and everything photography. After a brief pause through 2023 Photochat is back with a monthly chat model. To participate in our monthly chat (every Second Thursday at 1:00 pm), search the #photochat hashtag on Twitter, Mastodon, and BlueSky Social to see the conversation, or find me at @AlexLuyckxPhoto on Twitter, Mastodon & BlueSky. Include the hashtag in your tweets to answer the questions and talk with the other participants. If there’s a topic you’dRead More →

Family albums, photo projects, books and double exposures. Jess, Chrissie, and Alex all sit down with the talented local Toronto photographer Tawnya Mahoney for our ongoing interview series. If you haven’t had the chance to check out Tawnya’s feed, you’re in for a treat, as her work is intentional, ethereal, and inspired, not to mention her inspired captions that go along with her images. There are lots of double exposures, experimental and wild. And yes, there is a lot of fanning from our host team! And, of course, the usual chat about gear, first cameras, home development, scanning and film choices. Check out Tawnya onRead More →

I first found the beautiful downtown of Dundas in 2010 when I did an epic two-day multi-site tour at Doors Open Hamilton. Although I would not return for several more years, I only recently started returning to this stunning downtown as it offered up a different backdrop to my photography but a familiar theme, that stunning mid-19th-century small-town feel. Dundas has this in spades, all in a small, compact, and easily walkable community. Archaeological records show that 10,000 years ago, long before European contact, the first humans settled in the rich valley in the shadow of the Niagara Escarpment. The woods, streams, and fertile soilRead More →

I’m still fond of lenses with a 28mm focal length, despite having other lenses (in different systems) that are wider, but sometimes all you need to get the job done is a 28mm. The Canon FD 28/2.8 fits that bill; it is essential and no-nonsense, with nothing overly interesting about the lens or optics. The FD 28/2.8 gets the job done without any fanfare. There are two versions of this lens available in Canon’s FD-Mount: the original collar-lock version (FD) and the button-lock version (FDn), which allows for easier mounting and dismounting of the lens from the camera body. After picking up the AE-1, whichRead More →

There were a lot of excellent items that popped up on my feed this month. Some good news about film prices, an excellent interview between two awesome Australian photographers and the return to publishing of camera reviews from Mike Eckman, who is a huge inspiration for my written camera reviews. So here are the social media posts that caught my eye for the shortest month of the year! Kosmo Foto – Kodak Alaris reduces price of Tri-X 35mm film by up to 30% This one is a hanger on from last month, so I might as well lead this month’s list with this amazing news.Read More →

When it comes to Nikon, tons of cameras and lenses are available, and you might feel a bit frozen when making that choice and where to jump in. Well, we aren’t going to hide that we’re a bunch of Nikon fanboys, so Bill and Alex sit down for a bit of a meandering episode talking about some good places to start when buying Nikon cameras. From the original rangefinders to the mechanical and hybrid SLRs of the 1950s to 1980s. And, of course, the brilliant AF models of the 1990s and 2000s. There’s something here for everyone. Looking for a good spot to get yourRead More →

There is always a plus of having inside information; you must be careful when exploring former government sites, especially those used by both the military and the police as training locations. So when I got word that a former Cold War radar station was open for exploration, I jumped to head up to the Barrie area to check it out. Sadly, the base had been an adult occupational centre longer than a military base. While there were still plenty of military buildings around, there were only a few clues to the base’s history. Almost as soon as the Second World War ended, a new ColdRead More →

It’s been a long time since I thought about the Darnley Grist Mill. It wasn’t until I saw a memory pop up on Facebook that I was heading out to kick off the start of my War of 1812 project, which included a stop at the Darnley Grist Mill. I ‘discovered’ the location in a book with a list of different sites related to the Anglo-American War of 1812. Oddly enough those shots never went into the project despite the connection of the mill to the war. But despite touching on the subject of mills and local supply lines, I never used those images. HavingRead More →

Established in 2013 by MainStreetHost and taken on by Alex Luyckx Photography in 2015, #photochat is a community of photography professionals and enthusiasts who congregate to talk shop and discuss anything and everything photography. After a brief pause through 2023 Photochat is back with a monthly chat model. To participate in our monthly chat (every Second Thursday at 1:00 pm), search the #photochat hashtag on Twitter to see the conversation, or find me at @AlexLuyckxPhoto on Twitter. Include the hashtag in your tweets to answer the questions and talk with the other participants. If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered in #photochat, hopRead More →

Even though this year’s winter has not exactly been the best so far, with the lack of snow and almost a continuation of the weather we expect through November, the CCR gang isn’t letting that stop them from getting out and enjoying the weather put also preparing for when we finally do get some wonderful winter days with sun and snow. From film to cameras, clothing to best practices, James, Alex and Bill break it all down for when it’s cold outside. Looking for a good spot to get your gear and material fix check out Burlington Camera (Burlington, ON), Downtown Camera (Toronto, ON), FilmRead More →