About me

My name is Mike. I'm a giftie-turned-Waterloo-engineering-student-turned-Psychology-major who is currently working as a project manager in Toronto. I'm also a technology enthusiast and an avid bassist, but what really motivated me to have an online presence was photography.

I think art is about expression, and photography is no exception; it should be a voice for its maker. After taking pictures for a few years, I got tired of trying to make my photos sound like someone else. They felt forced, unauthentic, and it just stopped being fun, so I took a hiatus. Recently I started taking photos again, trying to back with a fresh approach. I want to let my photos speak for themselves, take on a voice of their own - and maybe in the process, tell me something about myself.

I'm still developing a more defined style, but it definitely leans towards photojournalism. I like to capture things in the moment, as I see them. I almost always use available light, and I don't like posing or re-creating moments. I try to take photos that help the viewer see the world around them a bit differently, or appreciate their experience of the everyday a bit more.

On the other hand, I also take a lot of photos of good times and cool places just because it's fun.

About my equipment

I don't particularly enjoy talking about photography equipment - they're just tools, after all. But people are usually curious about how I took some of my pictures, so I thought I'd write a bit about it here.

I like to keep things simple. I've been inspired by a lot of work created with simple tools. Keeping things simple challenges me to develop my technique, and not use newer and better equipment as a crutch.

I try to be light on gear. Often, I don't even bother with a camera bag anymore; I just slap a lens on the body, pick up an extra battery & memory card, throw it all into a messenger bag, and hit the road.

Occasionally, I'll re-visit photos from my archives that were taken with other cameras, dust them off and post them. Otherwise, all my photos are taken with:

• Canon EOS 20D
• Canon 16-35mm 2.8 L
• Canon 50mm 1.8 mkI