Good Old Fashioned Architecture!

"First Impressions"

(1/320 sec.@ F/11, ISO 160, 18mm fl, bright sun, handheld)

Here in Hamilton, it's a bit toasty today and I believe my brain has indeed melted away... I have been racking it trying to think of a good story to go with today's image of the Canada Life building from my jaunt into Toronto. But I've got nothing, except whether I really could fit myself and some basic living essentials into the fridge for the next couple of days, to ride out the heatwave and chill what's left of my brain. The next time you hear from me I could be writing from the crisper.

The Canada Life building is not normally open to the public so the street level and entrance were swarming with visitors when I took this, but it's upper exterior boasts some classic architectural elements and that's good enough for me and the Nikon. One of my favorite approaches (and overused to be sure but hey it works) is to stand underneath the exterior and shoot up against the building. Obviously using a wide angle. This building's size is it's best feature with the massive columns, and banks of windows. And always, with common everyday sun mid morning, I knew this would look best in B&W for now.

No matter what your subject, your first question to yourself should automatically be "what is it's most impressive or evocative feature?" It's your starting point. It'll lead you to more detailed or interesting views as you go. But that first impression... if you can get that in your lens, then chances are it'll grab someone elses attention too. Seems obvious, but sometimes we can be so consumed with being unique and getting the shot that's never been seen before that we can overlook the perspective that might stop anybody in their tracks, regardless of whether they love photography or not. And since you're still reading this blog and it's obvious I'm not renowned for my amazing info on camera tech, amazing apps, and genius use of overwhelming gear jargon... I'm going to assume you just like photography period or that perhaps this image is what drew you in for the first time.

I guess that's my point. No matter what other scenes I see, or amazing photos are being produced around the world, I'm still a sucker for some great old fashioned architecture and a little B&W with the wide angle. What's out there that never fails to draw you in?

Thanks for the ramble folks, and I hope you were able to keep cool today without having to resort to living in your refrigerator... like me. See you when I defrost!