Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn
Nice set Doady, and I'd echo the other comments about keeping your pics composed like this instead of the typical glamor shots. These are waaaay more fun to look at.
This happy lady makes the entire set: take away what appears to be an LV bag, put a more colorful scarf on her head, and you have a nice Muscovite babushka to complete the effect!
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She was very nice, asking about my camera and my photos, and offering to pose for a shot, which wasn't my idea or plan at all. I use a point and shoot camera to be unobtrusive and avoid attracting stranger's attention but still sometimes they notice and try to pose or wave to the camera or whatever. I tried to make this place look as cold as possible but I can't hide the warmth of the people.
The lady did have a very hard time getting around through the snow and ice, having to carry around her walker, with her limited mobility, and it's not an environment meant for pedestrians to begin with. Even several minutes later, after I made several photos of this building and I found her struggling at a certain spot and I had to provide some assistance. So maybe the environment is even more unfriendly than the photos suggest.
I think xzmattzx's idea of showing the more positive aspects of the environment is not a bad idea. Maybe not "glamour shots" (not really my style), but maybe not "Moscow" either. I am not sure if I will return to this particular neighbourhood for that or go to someplace new.
I think if you guys are skyscraper enthusiasts you might actually find these kind of suburban neighbhourhoods interesting to see. Toronto is different from other urban areas in North America (especially outside of Ontario) because the majority of the high-rises are located in post-war suburbia instead of the pre-war inner city. There are only 1300 high-rises in Old Toronto, York, and East York compared to 1600 high-rises in the suburbs (North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Mississauga, etc.). So these suburban high-rise buildings are the most representative of Toronto but they don't get represented in pictures as much.