2010 Niagara Icewine Festival....

I find myself wine tasting quite often throughout the year and each time I go I find myself amazed with the images I walk away with. Whether it’s with the super wide angle lens or just with a normal zoom or a prime there always seems to be a pleasant surprise when I get home.  I was lucky enough to take part in this years Niagara Icewine Festival in Niagara on the lake, Ontario.  This trips surprise were the wine glass images I was able to capture.  There just seemed to be more of an assortment of glasses laying about in perfect position for a great “menu/catalog” type of shot as I like to call it. I’m sure you know which I’m speaking of, the ones which you’ll find on a menu at a bar or restaurant of perfectly placed table and silverware.  It was the first weekend of the Niagara Icewine festival this weekend and I was able to take advantage of these perfect placements. 

This time around I went with a few friends to Peller Estates, Riverview Cellers and Chateau des Charmes.  All offered great tasting icewine, Peller offered a marshmallow roast and riverview offered an excellent chocolate fountain.  Both were impressive but I’d have to say the Chateau won me over with it’s 2007 Vidal icewine paired with their local vanilla ice cream and peaches. It was just divine and perfectly paired. 

A fond farewell...

A friend the other day left for the big city of New York on a job adventure.  I know I usually blog about photography and various aspects but I thought I’d mention this little diner/charcuterie that we discovered in Toronto’s West end.  It’s called “the black hoof” and has two locations, across the street from each other.  On one side you have a more formal establishment with a plethora of meats to choose from paired a delicious wine and beer menu.  Most unique would be their mixed drink menu as they create their own specialty drinks that their staff most prefers, not the usual blend of spirits.  On the South side of Dundas West we have the Hoof Café which has a trimmed down menu and more of a diner feel. The friend staff welcomed us with open arms at 12am and provided what proved to be a delicious array of meats and cheese.   I’d highly recommend both places for their ambience and friendly staff, it’s a place I hope to venture to in the near future. Farewell Nard and have a great time in NYC.

A new forward.....

In December I purchased the domain latentimagephotography.com.  This will be forwarded to my daily photo page.  The name was inspired years ago primarily through the explicit meaning of the term 'latent image’.  The term as cited from Wikipedia is “an invisible image produced by the exposure of the film to light”.  I thought about it a bit more in depth such that I want it to represent the way an image can represent a hidden meaning depending on its audience.  I hope to have different photographs inspire different memories in a wide all encompassing audience.  That is what I want my site to represent, the presentation of a photography to all audiences such that it inspires and allows the audience to remember a time when…even if it is only myself remembering.  I strive to have my images represent this philosophy.  I may just be a beginner in terms of photography and composition, but I hope overtime this idea of an image will be an inspiration to others. 

A new year... A new beginning....

It’s the New Year and I’m not quite sure what that brings. 2009 went away with a bit of a whimper.  2010 will prove to be quite the year hopefully. Photography prospects are in abundance if I can get this planned and worked out.  A new locale would be great since typically I go out west. I’ll be heading to NYC at least twice this year, first time being in February to help my friend Nard move in and the second will be during the July long weekend for a wedding.  Both should be great opportunities to shoot with the DSLR. The last time I went was with my p&s back in 2004, a lot has changed and considering it was a 2^nd home for a while I’m very excited to see what photographic inspirations will be encountered. That city has always inspired me in ways no other could.  Equipment wise, my bag should stay the same, I don’t foresee any potential equipment being purchased but with all these rumours of new lenses the temptation will be there.  I hope to be a bit more active on this blog portion. I’ve been okay with updating my daily photo section relatively often, it took a bit of a hit due to the holidays and since work has been so hectic the variety of images has been sparse.  Again, 2010 will be a year of more initiative and opportunity.  Hopefully I’ll be able to document them well enough as I go along. 

Merry .... and a Happy New....

Just wishing everyone a very merry christmas and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!