Toronto International Film Fest 2011 (TIFF)

 Well another busy year at TIFF, although not as bad as last year but still crazy. I managed to attend 18 red carpets and made it to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's (HFPA) "In Style" party which was so so, not nearly as good as last year. The overall schedule wasn't as good either, after Tuesday things dropped off pretty quick with some nights only having one gala worth attending often the late one forcing you to attend the early gala just to get a prime spot. The midnight madness program at Ryerson only had one premier worth attending this year which was a disappointment, although getting home early most nights was nice (I skipped it).

 TIFF continues to move events downtown away from Yorkville. They added another gala venue this year the Prince of Whales Theater (PAW) on King street getting rid of the Varisty Theater from their line up. PAW has limited fan space but at least there is a dedicated area unlike the Elgin which I tend to avoid and thankfully seemed to have fewer big name attendees this year which was good. Roy Thompson Hall (RTH) seem to be the place to be this year, I only made it to Ryerson one night and once to the new PAW venue for a matinee gala of Coppola's "Twixt". I found that regardless of the venue people are starting to show up earlier each year to grab some prime real estate on the rail. Also standing on a crate is a must even in the front row to get over the heads of the camera crews who insist on filming every possible second of autograph signing.  I mean how much footage is enough, it's not even being broadcasted on TV, used just for the local big screens around Toronto (get out of the way already!!).

 
The guest list (those that attended, not the list posted on the TIFF site which is often wrong) contained a lot of new faces for me along with a few repeats which allowed me to obtain better images from the old point & shoot days. Directors Coppolla and Schumacher returned this year, guys that I captured in the very first years of doing this craziness. Other repeats included Nic Cage who I saw back in 2002 but the images were such crap I never posted them. Others included Brad & Angie, Clooney, Butler, Cornish and Garner to name just a few. A stand out repeat was Viggo who laughed when I asked about his cherished HABS, he proudly flashed his fan provided Canadiens bracelet, great guy. The big names this year were Clooney, Pitt and Jolie who were all great with the fans, showing up early and spending a lot of time signing autographs etc...

One of the biggest names that was new for me and not on the TIFF list was Robert De Niro who I missed last year due to the Elgin location. Surprisingly he too was great  signing autographs which I thought would never happen. Another new face was Jason Statham who made an encore appearance at the rail to sign and spend time with the fans he may have missed first time around. More new faces than repeats this year I think. Glenn Close, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jonathan Pryce, Olivia Wilde , Philip Seymour Hoffman, Val Kilmer and Anna Kendrick were just some of the new faces of the many this year...


Oscar winners this year included: Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Geoffrey Rush, Nicolas Cage and three time winner Francis Ford Coppola all repeats from previous years. Some new Oscar talent seen this year were: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei and two time winner Robert De Niro.

 It was a pretty good year overall, spent some time with the usual suspects (friends) that I've made over the years. Holding your space on the rail sure is easier when you know someone and can share looking after each others stuff when nature calls. Someone lost, or should I say had their camera stolen when they took their eyes off their Nikon DSLR for just a second.

High Park Purple Martins

 The Purple Martins were back again in High Park this year. They were actively feeding their young in at least 3 of the 12 available nesting holes. All but a couple of the young had fledged by the weekend of the 23rd and most were soaring around the house and over the pond. Adults were still returning with food to the north side of the house, I suspect there were a few late bloomers on that side still waiting to earn their wings.
 They were feeding on dragon and damsel flies and what appeared to be a cicadas too... Where exactly they were getting those I'm not sure as I thought they only gathered insects in flight, I know cicadas have wings not sure how active they are? Also noticed that some returning birds were soaking wet, guess they either took a bath or got too low chasing a meal out over the pond. I've read that they abandon the nest soon after all of their young have fledged, so I suspect that they'll be gone until next year within a week or two.

BlackRapid Camera Straps

  To take pictures you must have your camera handy which usually means hanging it around your neck. With the weight of most DLSR these days that soon becomes tiresome and sometimes painful. The OEM camera straps are functional in that they will hold the camera's weight however they are cheap and are not built for comfort, often cutting into the back of your neck. There are plenty of aftermarket replacement straps and now holsters all claiming to provide a comfortable and secure support for your camera... I've tried a few different options of traditional straps and was never pleased with them,  the camera still felt heavy and it bounced around on your chest as you walked.

  The BlackRapid line of straps use an over the shoulder / across the chest method of supporting the weight of the camera. Your camera connects to the strap using a small eyelet which screws into the tripod mount of either your camera or lens collar. The strap then is attached to the eyelet using a screw locking carabiner which will slide up & down the length of the strap so your camera hangs at your hip much like a revolver waiting for you to draw and pull the trigger. With the camera hanging at your side the weight is off your neck and the camera isn't bouncing around on your chest which drove me nuts. The strap length can be adjusted and two quick release stoppers are also included so you can also adjust the range of camera movement along the length of the strap. All of the BlackRapid models are similar in design with main difference between them being on strap storage capabilities. Some models have additional accessories that can add storage or allow you to connect two straps together to comfortably carry two cameras at once.

 The RS Sport model (which I purchased) is a little different than their other models, it provides a secondary under the arm strap which stops the main strap from possibly working it's way down your back when you're sliding the camera up to your eye. The secondary strap resembles the old gun holsters from the detective movies of the 50's and provides even more stability for your camera while you move around. No on strap storage is provided with this model, but it can be added with accessories.

 One additional accessory that I bought was the "FastenR - T1" conversion screw that allows you to convert a standard Manfrotto RC2 quick release plate so it's compatible with the strap's carabiner. You can quickly switch between the strap and your tripod / monopod without having to remove/attach the BlackRapid eyelet and quick release plate every time. It was expensive and after buying it I wondered if it was really necessary. The only difference between it and the Manfrotto mounting screw was the Manfrotto tightening tag which could be used to connect the strap didn't swivel like the T1. This stiffness could stop the camera from hanging freely against your side, but beyond that the two screws were almost identical.

 I used this strap on a recent trip to Montreal and found it worked perfectly. I hardly knew I was carrying a camera, no more neck and back pain. One thing I noticed however was that you must be aware that the camera is hanging at your side and you must watch that it doesn't slam into narrow door openings etc.. This however was no worse than hanging the camera off one shoulder using a traditional strap which I often did, and always had to fight to keep the strap on my shoulder ( no longer a problem with the BlackRapid).  Great product highly recommend. They're starting to appear at local camera shops or can be purchased online from Naturescapes.

Concert Photography: Kim Churchill

I tried my hand at concert photography during the Montreal International Jazz Festival last week. Wow a whole different environment from what I'm use to. Even though the venue was outside in early evening (7pm) the concert was located in a beer tent which was both dark and crowded. I didn't want to use flash as it would have disturbed the artist and the audience. I tried a variety of lenses and camera settings to account for the lack of light and audience member's in front of me. Even though I was seated early and had a pretty good spot so I thought, seating arrangements became rather informal as we approached show time and I had a fair number of people between me and the stage once it started.

 The artist was a 20 year old Aussie named Kim Churchill who is talented beyond his years. This guy was magical with a guitar and after breaking a string mid song he continues to finish sounding better with five strings than most do with six. Oh and he also plays a drum kit and harmonica while also controlling electronics with bare feet to introduce reverb/echo to give some songs an ethereal sound. Everyone was blown away by this VERY talented song writer / one man band... Simply one of the best concerts I've seen in a very long time... 

Kelby Training: Light It. Shoot It. Retouch It. LIVE!

I attend this Kelby training seminar last week here in Toronto and it was worth every penny. Mr Kelby himself was both entertaining and informative as he walked us through six shooting sessions. Each session demonstrated a different lighting setup and the editing process Scott uses after the shoot using Lightroom and Photoshop. I'd recommend this to anyone who is interested in portrait type photography.

New Canon Lens Release Dates

Canon has announced release dates for their new telephoto and wide angle lens line up. These dates have change twice before, not sure why? Let's hope they are correct this time.

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens is scheduled to be available in late July 2011
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is scheduled to be available in late August 2011
Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is scheduled to be available in late August 2011
Canon EF 500mm F4L IS II USM lens is scheduled to be available in December 2011
Canon EF 600mm F4L IS II USM lens is also scheduled to be available in December 2011

Open Doors Toronto - Photographic Possibilities

Looking to photograph something different? Maybe you like architectural photography and are looking for new locations. Next weekend (May 28th & 29th) is full of possibilities as Toronto throws its doors open and allows you to tour some often closed areas of our city. Nearly 150 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance open their doors to the public. Admission is free. And this year the theme is Photography.

 Check out the link for a list of locations participating this year. I also suggest you drill down into the links for the  sites that interest you because some have limited access or times. The details for each site will also provide any photographic restrictions. Some sites may not allow flash, tripods or in the case of Old City Hall no photography of any kind is allowed.

Open Doors Toronto 

Remember to wear comfortable shoes, bring your tripod, a remote shutter cable and plenty of memory cards. There are some great opportunities to experiment with HDR too, some of the churches have beautiful stained glass.