Recently, while shooting a wedding in beautiful and extravagant las vegas, I had a chance to really give the Canon 5d mk2 a test drive.

Going into the trip, I knew that on top of shooting the wedding conventionally, I wanted to see if I can build a set of clips from which to build some sort of montage. I didn’t have the editing and production planned out, but I knew I wanted something.

Shoot now, figure it out later.

With very little time to teach myself how to use the new HD video functionalities (I studied the manual on the flight) I gave it a go. I shot almost everything I could, prior to wedding day. Las Vegas is great for this. The city is spectacularly photogenic.

The wedding was also beautiful, and we had a wonderful day shooting the 70+ party. Mixed weddings always provide for great photos.

Since the wedding was in December, I’m still working on processing the photos. But in the meantime, I wanted to see what I could do with the clips, so I stitched together a bit of a montage. Most of the clips + a few photos in between and some music. Here you have it. I’ll put the pics up when they’re ready.

Photos like this one, make me want to move to Manhattan and become a street photographer.

When I launched the Summer Street Portraits series on Spotlight, I knew it would be a daily challenge. Sure there are tons of daily photo blogs out there, but the subject here is specific. A daily photo, of somewhere in Toronto, with someone in it, invoking some sort of reaction or emotion. Tough, tough. Read the rest of this entry »

So as part of my running around in the concrete jungle, as usual I had to check out bakeries. Prior to the trip, I went online and did my research to find what all the local food snobs liked and disliked, then slowly compiled a list based on where I was staying and how long it would take to commute. I left room for the possibility of stumbling upon places that weren’t reported upon. Bouchon bakery was one of them… Read the rest of this entry »

In many ways, Little Italy in New York is miles ahead of Toronto’s version. But you already knew that. Common sense says that anything food related must be better in Manhattan than in Toronto. We’re still an infant in the restaurant scene, or maybe we better resemble the attitudes and emotions of a fresh university graduate. Confused, trying to find a place in the world, and as a result, taking a stab at anything we think we’re good at. Without necessarily focusing on making 1 thing good, we try 10 different things. Read the rest of this entry »

Back from New York, well it’s been a few days, but I’m still recovering from it. Recovering in a good sense. Albeit the weather was uncommonly terrible, there were moments of sunshine which encouraged the desire to walk and explore giant buildings, and all encompassing parks.

But what I’m really covering from is the over-the-top dining experiences, that have not only raised my culinary bar, but have also re-fueled the desire for me to cook. Sometimes its not so easy when you’re just cooking for yourself, but after the tastes I’ve been introduced to, I’m eager to spend more time in the kitchen.

I’ll start another series of posts similar to what I did for LA, this time let me take a crack at Manhattan.

Ps. The picture is somethiung I managed to snap while getting a tour at Gordon Ramsay restaurant at the London Hotel in NYC.

I admit, the point of this series was purely selfish. I wanted to share the things that I had done and seen while basking in the sun for a few days. A break away from the exhausted winter here. I didn’t use my camera as much as I have in the past, so the pictures lack in numbers, but there were definitely a few gems.

Next, New York in a few weeks. Can’t wait.

Someone asked me late last year what I thought the food trend would be for 2008. You know, besides this whole Pinkberry fresh yogurt thing, and the rise of upscale Indian cuisine. I responded “rustic Italian”. The word ‘cucina’ is going to be everywhere. New restaurants are going to popup and try to serve simple mixtures that reflect Campania, Nazio, Marche, Tuscany and Sicily. I’ll bet money on it, and I blame Mario Batali for it. Blame Mario – in a good way. Read the rest of this entry »

I never knew yogurt could taste this good and be healthy for you. You see the new Yogenfruz billboards in Toronto?. The ones that say you can add your own toppings. Well there is a story behind this. Toronto is copying another city again based on an incredibly popular trend. Enter healthy yogurt, add fresh fruit toppings, put in a chic loungish environment. Pinkberry has exploded on the west coast… Read the rest of this entry »

Nothing can be more enjoyable than a late morning brunch at a café or bakery. Give me a glass of cold juice, some eggs and bread and I’ll be able to tackle pretty much anything the day throws at me. For me brunch is time to enjoy the simple concoctions that the kitchen can bring and contemplate on the itineraries of the day. Le Pain Quotidien is a very well known bakery chain that is known for producing really good Artisanal breads. Read the rest of this entry »