Toronto Zombie Walk 2011
I’ve been wanting to 
go to the Toronto Zombie Walk for several years now, and finally was able to make it on this, their 6th year. It was awesome! As I’ve been telling people, it’s almost as if all the people who’ve ever won a best-in-class award for their costume design all showed up at the same party. It’s a photographers dream!
Last year, some 6,000 zombies writhed along Queen St. West – looping from Trinity Bellwood Park and back. Most were in character – dragging their leg behind them, “eating” brains, scaring people and generally doing what the “undead” do. I’ve never seen so many cameras at one event, and some of the undead, too, seem to have a handle on modern technology as they were also snapping pix. I took over 700 pictures, but ended up with just over 100 decent ones. I definitely need a faster lens; while my Nikon 18-200 telephoto is great for getting shots from far away, it’s too slow and too soft when movement is involved. It can’t even keep up to the nearlu mummified.
New Photos, New Songs
Well it’s about time I uploaded a new photo set to my Flickr account, isn’t it? I spent a couple of hours on the shores of Lake Ontario at the end of Cobbledick Road in Newcastle. In the spirit of Halloween, you’ll find gruesome photos of dead salmon, alien plants and blue neon rivers. Check it out!
I also spent some time this weekend putting the final touches on a couple of surround tracks. I’m being more diligent about recording in surround sound and getting used to how surround mixes translate from the studio to a home theatre environment. So the latest mixes have been mastered. Now I just have to give them a good critical listen.
On my iPhone: OMD – The History of Modern, Morrissey – You Are the Quarry, Little Computer People – The Remixes, Jean Michel Jarre – Revolutions, The Boomtown Rats – Mondo Bongo, Rx – Bedside Toxology, KMFDM – Blitz, The Lightning Seeds – Cloudcuckooland, Mi-Sex – Grafitti Crimes, Recoil – Liquid, Royksopp – Melody A.M. … and lots, lots more!
The Carlu Shoot
Well I’ve finally posted some of the photos from my Carlu shoot of a couple of weeks ago onto my new Flickr Pro account. The shoot itself was a whirlwind 2 hours on the 7th Floor of the old Timothy Eaton building building. What an incredible and massive retro space it was! From the lounge area to the green room, the kitchens to the theatre, and the bars to the bathrooms the space was a fascinating study into the period Art Moderne style. This spectacular Art Deco interior was inspired by the trans-Atlantic crossing ‘ Ile de France’ ocean liner. And thanks to a loving restoration (rather than a redecoration), the Carlu retains it’s high-society 1930′s look and feel and attracts A-role stars such as Brad Pitt, Glenn Gould, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Bryan Adams and others.
Shooting the Carlu
This week I’ll be joining fourteen other photographers as we gain unparalleled access to shoot the Carlu in Toronto. The Carlu, known as Eatons College Street back then, opened it’s doors on October 30, 1930 and was designed by famous French architect Jacques Carlu – known for other oceanic architectural designs, as well as for famous landmarks such as the Trocadero in Paris. The Carlu is available in limited scope to photographers only during Doors Open Toronto, but this shoot will allow complete freedom of movement and use of a tripod and flash. Historic photos await.
