How to Disappear Completely...

Colourful Vegan Cupcakes

2009-12-11T14:48:00.001-05:00

Colourful Vegan Cupcakes, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

Cupcakes seem to be part of the zeitgeist right now. I can imagine why: these scrumptious treats offer blasts of flavour and colour that can brighten up the greyest of days.

Riding a Blue Streak

2009-12-09T00:38:00.001-05:00

Riding a Blue Streak, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

This stylish cyclist shields himself from the elements with a scarf that matches his bicyles. That's what I call colour co-ordination

Riding High

2009-12-08T10:25:00.001-05:00

Riding High, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

Even in the bitter November cold, this gentleman rode to Kensington Market for a bit of shopping. I wonder how chilled his exposed knee got.

My Award Winning Short Film Smile

2009-12-07T12:18:00.002-05:00

Winner Best in Festival, Toronto Urban Film Festival 2008 and Best Animation, Nokia MobiFest 2009

My Award Winning Short Film Smile

2009-12-07T12:05:00.006-05:00

Red Windows

2009-12-07T11:52:00.001-05:00

Red Windows, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

A young woman studies the menu at a popular Mexican eatery in Kensington market In the foreground we see a telephone pole rifled with the left-behind staples of hundreds of handbills and posters.

Us Against the World

2009-12-04T08:38:00.001-05:00

Us Against the World, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

There are so many antique and curio stores on Queen Street East. One such store featured a window display of globes. This image perhaps metaphorically undescores how we see ourselves in North America.

Lobster

2009-11-25T19:06:00.001-05:00

Lobster, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

The grimy window display at a fish store in one of Toronto's Chinatown reveals a tankful of Lobsters. I find these creatures to be otherworldly and beautiful and the treatment that they receive to be extremely cruel.

Biker at Night

2009-11-21T20:50:00.001-05:00

Biker at Night, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

This picture was a tough salvage. My camera settings were completely off and I had to go back and boost this image then add massive amounts of noise reduction to extract this glorious shot of this leather-clad rider.

Doorman at Woody's

2009-11-20T10:55:00.001-05:00

Doorman at Woody's, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

The doorman at Woody's, Toronto's best-known gay bar, deals with a patron's question.

Lean Times

2009-11-19T10:35:00.001-05:00

Lean Times, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

A visitor to the Case Goods Warehouse at Toronto's Distillery Historic District takes a moment to pause and reflect on the arts and crafts on view

Camera Operator

2009-11-18T16:10:00.001-05:00

Camera Operator, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

This young gentleman was working on an indie shoot on Church Street with a couple of principals and a sound man.

Keith the Cowboy and Friends

2009-11-16T09:56:00.001-05:00

Keith the Cowboy and Friends, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

The International Gay Rodeo Association annual convention was in town over the weekend. Keith and friend struck a fabulous pose as the cavalcade headed to Woody's

Michael the Barber

2009-11-13T10:29:00.001-05:00

Michael the Barber, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

Michael's Barber Shop is a fixture at the north-west corner of Church and Wellesley.

Pedestrian

2009-11-12T00:52:00.001-05:00

Pedestrian, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

Walking south on Church Street at a brisk pace, i set my camera to manual focus and the distance scale on my 50mm to roughly 5 feet. Perhaps I like this picture because the fellow walking toward me looks kind of like Gerard Butler in 300.

Random Act of Kindness

2009-11-11T13:18:00.001-05:00

Random Act of Kindness, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

This elderly gentleman required assistance to disembark from his cab. With a smile and a gesture, he enlisted the fellow in leather to help him out. This moment was a reminder that civility, courtesy and respect continue to thrive in an urban environment

Rearview Mirror

2009-11-10T16:39:00.001-05:00

Rearview Mirror, originally uploaded by Christos Tsirbas.

The red of the starter offers a counterpoint to the black and silver tones of this classic cruiser parked outside a cycle shop on Yonge Street.

Graffiti Artists at Work

2009-11-09T13:55:00.001-05:00

In an alley behind the north side of Queen Street, I stumbled across a group of graffiti artists crating a mural with spray cans. I spent a couple of minutes photographing the group and marvelling at the efficiency and skill with which they worked. As you can see in this image, one young man is working from a scrap of paper, transferring what he sees to the larger-than-life artwork in progress.

Coffee Lover

2009-11-08T22:26:00.002-05:00

Wandered down to Queen Street West for the first time in months on this glorious Sunday afternoon and decided to do some street shooting. This gentleman was sitting on the stoop of a walk-up enjoying a cup of coffee from the franchise next door.

Closing Time at the AGO

2009-10-29T10:19:00.004-04:00

A museum patron or possibly an employee waits under the awning of the Frank Gehry-designed Art Gallery of Ontario last Sunday afternoon. This was snapped with my iPhone, converted to black and white with Photoshop Mobile then adjusted in Adobe Lightroom.

These Apples are Delicious ...

2009-10-21T10:41:00.003-04:00

and in season too. Snapped with my iPhone at MacMillan Orchards
outside Toronto over the weekend. The great thing about Apple's
wundergadget is that nobody notices me snapping pictures with it
because they're distracted by the bulky DSLR hanging from my neck.

2009-10-20T11:45:00.001-04:00

Waist-level shot of dogs walking their humans along Toronto's Cherry Beach.

Filling the Well

2009-07-27T13:09:00.001-04:00

As creators we sometimes forget that we are also consumers of others' creative output. Indeed, we all started out as admirers of the work of our favourite artists and in aspiring to be like them we too embraced creativity as a way of life.

But all too often, when we are in the midst of an extended or otherwise demanding project, we forget to balance output with input. That is, we are so focused on finishing a work in progress that we forget to make time to take in the work of others.

This can often lead to creative burnout.

Creativity expert Julia Cameron suggests that our creative reserves are like a well that needs to be replenished by rain. To maintain the creative energy we put out, we need to restock it with the creative output of others. She calls this filling the well and it's as simple as taking an afternoon off for a gallery crawl or a movie.

Too often we forget that we draw inspiration from the work of others–not just the works that have influenced us but anything that entertains, delights or even challenges us. If you find yourself in the midst of a project that's stalling, the best thing you can do may be to simply take some time off and enjoy some art. Your output will be the better for it.

Obsolete Tech

2009-07-26T02:54:00.001-04:00

A few years back, independently owned telephone booths were a hot
business opportunity. Hundreds of them sprung up overnight but now
most are battered derelict, victims of vandalism and the ubiquity of
cell phones.

Political Correctness Goes Down the Hole

2009-06-19T09:15:00.003-04:00