Written Inc.

Dancing light over the ocean sky

2026-06-25T07:07:00.000-04:00

Let the day begin
Sunny Isles Beach, FL
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

When the rising sun dances between banks of clouds clinging stubbornly to the horizon, the only choice we have is to take it in quietly, thoughtfully, thankfully.

Because we won’t ever see another sunrise quite like this one.

#sunnyislesbeach #florida #sunrise #landscapephotography #throwback #nikon

Remembering the ride

2026-06-24T07:37:00.000-04:00

Wheels stop
London, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The day’s ride started out just after sunrise with fog so thick I had to keep stopping to clean my glasses.

It only got worse as I pushed deeper into the countryside.

It was glorious. I was alone on empty roads, my only companion the occasional cow having breakfast on the other side of the fence.

Eventually the sun began to burn through as it rose higher in the sky. I cast shadows on the pavement that shrank as the morning wore on. I passed still more cows, who had by then moved onto the bovine equivalent of brunch.

After turning for home, I crossed a bridge on the bike path and decided this would be an ideal spot to reflect for a few minutes.

To anyone else it might have seemed like any other ride on any other day. But to me it was its own unique journey, one worth holding onto with a story and an image.

Because every ride is worth remembering somehow.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #tvp #cycling #bicycle #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

One lakeside tree

2026-06-23T08:06:00.000-04:00

To infinity and beyond
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A single tree grows in the grass beside the lake.

Today the sun is shining, the sky a perfect shade of blue, reflected just as idylically on the gentle waves below.

But I imagine not every day is like this. That some days the skies are grey and threatening. And that same tree would still stand, alone against the elements.

We can’t control whatever may roll in from beyond the horizon. We can, however, dig our roots in and stand tall against whatever may come our way.

And here I thought this was a simple photo of a simple tree.

#niagara #notl #canada #lakeontario #landscapephotography #nikon

Green leaf after the rain

2026-06-22T08:22:00.000-04:00

Soaked
London, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Monday dawned rainy in our corner of the Great White North, a damp, miserable stamp on a day no one ever liked to begin with.

Thanks for nothing, Bob Geldof.

Be that as it may, there’s something to be said for the way rains repaint the landscape. And if we look closely enough, we just might see something worth remembering.

Our dog did indeed look closely enough, and in doing so found this dewy leaf just across the street, then stood quietly off to the side while I grabbed a quick photo.

I should follow her lead more often.

#ldnont #canada #streetphotography #stilllife #droplet

Dog vs. storm

2026-06-21T06:05:00.000-04:00

Stand firm
London, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The storm is moving in fast. The winds are picking up. Thunder rumbles in the distance. My phone is screaming with weather warnings. And I’m pretty sure I just saw “funnel clouds” on my smart watch.

Yet for reasons clear only to a dog, Calli the Wonderschnauzer has her nose buried in the grass of a neighbourhood park. Despite my gentle tugs on her leash, she digs in and keeps sniffing.

As the first drops begin to fall, she finally relents and we sprint the few blocks back to the house. Just as we get inside, the skies open up with hail and winds that sound like a freight train.

The dog jumps onto the top of the couch and assumes her usual neighbourhood watch pose by the window. Weirdly for her, she shows no fear amid the chaos.

What I wouldn’t give to know what’s going on inside her head.

#ldnont #canada #schnauzer #onstorm #actofdog

Small town life

2026-06-20T12:04:00.000-04:00

Mass transit
Bruce Mines, ON
May 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The Trans-Canada Highway isn’t so much a highway as it is a really long, largely two-lane road that connects tiny communities across this rather great land.

Unlike superhighways that bypass small towns in the interest of maximum speed, this one winds its way through the middle of them. You know it when the speed limit drops and traffic lights suddenly appear out of the fog. It’s a glorious reminder that speed is oversold.

Bruce Mines is one of those countless burgs along the way, and I was sitting in the passenger seat watching it slip past when I thought it might be fun to shoot with a camera.

Most of the images were pitiful - blurred messes of random composition and roadside grit. But this one feels like it could only happen here, where life slows down just enough to enjoy the view.

#brucemines #canada #roadtrip #antiques #shotoniphone

Wind farm

2026-06-18T21:41:00.000-04:00

Bucolic
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

If you’re ever given the opportunity to walk through the countryside and watch tall grasses blow in the wind beside a brilliantly yellow farmer’s field, take it.

Because life is too short to miss out on moments that take our breath away.

And grasses don’t live forever.

#niagara #notl #canada #naturephotography

The great big city across the water

2026-06-17T21:01:00.000-04:00

In the distance...
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

49 kilometres across the water, the great big city rises through the haze, its murky skyline concealing countless lives frenetically, invisibly, playing themselves out.

Sometimes we have to get ourselves far away to truly appreciate all that makes something as special as it is.

Even if we can’t see it all, our imaginations can fill in the gaps while the winds shape the waves and mess our hair.

Perspective is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

#niagara #notl #toronto #canada #skyline #canon

Geometric supermarket

2026-06-16T21:32:00.000-04:00

Simple
Dryden, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Where the supermarket meets the sky.

Where we look at the ordinary and realize nothing is truly ordinary.

Where we stop the day for a moment so we can just look up.

Where we remind ourselves that life is filled with colour.

#dryden #ontario #canada #architecture #geometry

Water holding on for dear life

2026-06-15T23:08:00.000-04:00

Water cycle, in red
London, ON
May 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

After the rains have gone, the leaves hold onto the remaining droplets, seemingly for dear life.

Or maybe it’s the other way around, the water clinging to the surface of the leaves, perhaps in the hope of delaying its inevitable absorption or evaporation.

Maybe that’s why they call it the circle of life. Maybe that’s why we run outside as the skies clear for a fleeting glimpse at a seemingly simple scene.

Because nothing is ever as simple as it first seems, especially out here.

#ldnont #canada #streetphotography #stilllife

Otherwise engaged...

2026-06-14T08:51:00.000-04:00

Asking the question
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Every parent wants their child to be happy.

She is indeed.

Which, when you agree to spend a lifetime with your best friend, is as it should be.

Our hearts are full.

#engaged #family #everything

No ice cream to be found

2026-06-13T08:02:00.000-04:00

What used to be
Port Stanley, ON
July 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s been ages since the very last submarine sandwiches and ice cream cones were made here, just steps from a usually crowded beach.

Time is slowly reclaiming the brightly painted structure, weeds growing through the sun-baked sidewalk, cracks spiderwebbing themselves through the once-vibrant stucco.

If we close our eyes just so, we can still hear the sounds of parents and kids bantering over promised treats before slipping back into the sun-drenched sand.

But there is no sun today, and gauzy days filled with moments where happiness was as close as a waffle cone are promised only to some.

#portstanley #beach #lakeerie #ldnont #streetphotography #photography #Nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Frozen flashback to a lost season

2026-06-12T22:15:00.000-04:00

Water in many forms
London, ON
February 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Summer is knocking on the door, with temperatures rising and humidity sticking to the backs of our necks like an unwelcome sticky blanket.

And since I’m not terribly fond of the season, I like to cruise through my photo archives in search of wintry scenes. I guess it’s my way of cooling off. Or coping.

Today I settled on this photo from the nearby valley. The river was mostly frozen over, looking like a misplaced shot from either a Hallmark movie or that lost episode of The Littlest Hobo where the dog decides to quit the show for good and hang out in the snowy woods.

I remember what it felt like as I took it, the cold seeping through my gloves, the snow creaking underfoot. I remember standing there and just feeling the fresh chill. It was glorious.

The valley must look a lot different now that the snow is gone, so I’ll have to return soon to feel what it’s like to stand under the thick green canopy. I’m expecting more gloriousness, just differently shaded.

#ldnont #medway #winter #landscapephotography #throwback #nikon

Reach for the sky, little one

2026-06-11T17:26:00.000-04:00

Fly...
Dryden, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Some kids keep their feet on the ground. Others beg to be pushed.

“Higher,” she screams, her tiny feet arcing toward the big blue sky, her hands pulling on the chains, willing them for more energy.

She’ll swing with abandon until adulthood if we let her.

Maybe we should.

Maybe we can all learn from her.

#dryden #canada #family #everything

A perfect way to end the day

2026-06-10T00:03:00.000-04:00

Therapeutic, even
London, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dear sky,

Despite the fact that most folks don’t like Mondays, you found a way to end the day with a show that somehow made everything right again.

I know it was just clouds and light and wind, but it was the perfect way to end the day.

Already looking forward to next time. I’ll be the guy on the ground, looking up.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #jayceepark #sunset #cloudspotting #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

You're this far from home

2026-06-09T11:50:00.000-04:00

The signs are all there
Vermilion Bay, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Roadside. Trans-Canada Highway. Vermillion Bay, Ontario.

This isn’t a place for pedestrians, but I can’t resist the urge to take a closer look.

My feet sink into the soft, gritty dirt on the shoulder as the pressure waves from passing semis threaten to knock me into the grassy ditch.

The sun beats down on the cracked asphalt, a weathered sign highlighting just how far from home we are.

They call it the spine of the country, the highway that connects this massive, sparsely populated country. As highways go, it isn’t much. Two lanes that twist and turn through the spectacular Canadian landscape. A white-knuckle drive for anyone who doesn’t do this for a living. A sad comment on how little attention governments pay to safe travel infrastructure.

But standing here in the brilliant sun, I realize it isn’t a problem that’ll be solved today. Or anytime soon. Or maybe even at all.

Sometimes the current state is all we have. So we stand in an imperfect spot and appreciate the fact that we can get out here at all.

#dryden #ontario #canada #roadtrip #travelphotography #transcanada #highway #sign #photography

Where I talk about Alberta separatism and foreign influencer meddling

2026-06-08T23:09:00.000-04:00

Why are influencers halfway around the world meddling in the Alberta separation debate? And why is Facebook just letting it happen? Why should Canadians be concerned? And what should they do next?

The answers might surprise you. I’ll explain Tuesday morning as I join CBC Radio stations across Canada.

#medialife #morningradio

Company town

2026-06-08T06:52:00.000-04:00

Feeling reflective
Dryden, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This old mill.

#dryden #ontario #canada #sunset #reflective

We'll cross that bridge...

2026-06-07T00:15:00.000-04:00

Cable stayed
Nipigon, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

So I’ve got this little thing for bridges. I think they’re awesome examples of public infrastructure. Ask my friends from childhood: once upon a time, bridges were all I talked about, and thankfully they stayed friends with me despite my singular, annoying obsession.

It’s an obsession that never really went away.

Bridges usually have remarkable back-stories that span years or even decades, and often involve the colourful lives of the people who designed and built them.

Then they spend their lives quietly serving the community, often ignored by those who use them.

The Nipigon River Bridge is no exception. It’s a relatively newish addition to the Trans-Canada Highway just east of the surprisingly named town of Nipigon. It literally connects the country.

It uses a cable-stayed design, its ultra-modern silhouette standing in stark contrast to its admittedly rural surroundings. If bridges had a cool factor - and let’s be clear, I believe they should - this one would be riding the float at the prom.

So when our road-tripping family recently had occasion to drive across it, I had about 8 seconds to get ready. I was sitting in the front passenger seat of a minivan with a hideously insect-splattered windshield. The Nikon was packed away, so my iPhone would have to do.

I panic-guesstimated a dramatic angle that would highlight the freaky-looking cables and towers, aligned the lens between the insect remnants, and timed the shutter release as best I could. In reality, I prayed whatever prayer photographers say when they’re hoping against hope - and shooting essentially blind - and stabbed the virtual shutter repeatedly as we zoomed across the span at triple-digit speeds.

The result was…a pleasant surprise. Decent angles and composition. No bugs. A lovely sky as backdrop. Kind of a miracle, frankly.

I guess the prayers worked. Either that or I’m slowly learning to stop overthinking things and just shoot in the moment.

Let’s go with that, then.

#nipigon #ontario #canada #bridge #roadtrip #travelphotography #transcanada #geometry #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

Beleaf you me

2026-06-06T07:13:00.000-04:00

Feeling green
London, ON
August 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

In one sense it’s a single leaf among trillions, an ordinary, forgettable bit player in the lives of countless people too busy to note its existence.

In another sense, none of those people would exist without it.

So maybe not so ordinary after all.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #throwback #springbank #leaf #green #colour #shadow #stilllife #naturephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Not quite Abbey Road

2026-06-05T08:38:00.000-04:00

Journeys...
Toronto, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s 8:38 on a Wednesday morning in a busy Toronto intersection, and dozens of lives are randomly crossing paths with each other.

The only attention being paid is incidental: keep moving, watch the clock, avoid being flattened by two-ton monsters being piloted by smartphone-distracted drivers.

No one will remember the who or the why. Nobody cares about these in-between moments of commutes and crossings and journeys. Pity that.

Because the city holds so many stories within its frenetic ebbs and flows, most of which will never be told beyond fleeting snapshots of moments never to be repeated.

#toronto #canada #throwback #streetphotography

Riding toward the sun

2026-06-04T10:43:00.000-04:00

Destination known
Lucan, ON
April 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Yesterday was apparently #WorldBicycleDay, and in typical fashion I managed to miss it entirely.

In my ideal world, we’d celebrate these miraculous machines more than once a year, but I suppose one day is better than none.

But we don’t have to wait for a specific day to throw a leg over the frame and head for the horizon. Today seems like as worthy a day as any other to start some kind of adventure.

The question is: where will we go? And what stories will we tell along the way?

Whatever the answers may be, please ride safely, friends.

#ldnont #london #lucan #ontario #canada #cycling #orange #TangerineDream #bicycle #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone

One tree hill

2026-06-03T08:27:00.000-04:00

Reach for the sky
London, ON
April 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Last month the dog and I happened across a single tree as we walked through a local park just after sunset.

I had the camera-camera with me, so I took it out for some spontaneous photographic fun before we lost the light. I sprawled out in the damp grass to get the low-angle shot while Calli the Wonderschnauzer happily grazed. I also snagged some test shots on the smartphone because I like to see if an iPhone can hold its own against a Nikon.

The short answer is there is no short answer: in my mind’s eye I can always tell the difference. But for just about everyone else, it’s a wash. I rather enjoy the unique experiences that both devices bring to the table, so this weird test shot methodology won’t be retired anytime soon.

That lonely tree high on a hill likely has more leaves by now. Which means I’m just about due for a return trip. Calli remembers where it is, so she’ll lead the way.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #optimistpark #tree #naturephotography #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

4 years of Lilly

2026-06-02T08:23:00.000-04:00

Princess grows up
Dryden, ON
June 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Dearest Lilly,

It was just yesterday that we first met you.

Just yesterday we looked into your eyes and fell in love.

Just yesterday we held your squirming form and felt the promise of limitless potential.

On your fourth birthday, both everything and nothing has changed.

You are a force of nature, a bright, sweet, kind girl who lights up every room.

A fierce protector of your little sister and your entire family.

An infinitely curious soul who never stops exploring, questioning, and learning.

Yet just as we did when you were born, we fall in love every time we see you. And we revel in watching you turn all that limitless potential into an unforgettably extraordinary life.

We are so proud of the remarkable person you are becoming, and we love you to the Moon and back.

Happy birthday, little one.

#family #everything

A single branch

2026-06-01T09:59:00.000-04:00

Late evening bokeh
London, ON
April 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

On a cold evening early in April, a tiny branch soaks in the last rays of the day’s sun.

Even tinier buds reach for the light, waiting for the moment when they’ll finally break free.

If the circle of life ever had a starting point, I’d like to imagine it would look a little like this.

#ldnont #canada #sunset #silhouette #naturephotography