January 16 – 22, 2011
Only one year ago a pond hockey team came together as musicians in the name of charity. Some might say they have since become one of the most successful cover charity indie rock bands of all time. This past Saturday night they played to a sold out crowd and, as usual, it was an undeniably amazing show.

January 9 – 15, 2012
This past Sunday I went skating at Harbourfront Centre to celebrate a friend’s birthday. If you haven’t been skating outdoors in awhile I highly suggest it, especially with some specialty coffees!

January 2 – 8, 2012
Last year I dedicated a posting to the Store Fronts of Queen St.West (between Bathurst and Ossington), followed by a similar posting from Dundas St. West. I thought it was time for the third installation, but this time I would focus on College Street Store Fronts (also between Bathurst and Ossington). I also decided to add a twist…capture it all late at night, when the otherwise hustle and bustle of busy College Street has subsided. Initially I thought it would bring a different somewhat unique view…now I’m realizing it just meant that all the lights were off in stores/restaurants and there wasn’t much to photograph!

December 19, 2011 – January 1, 2012
It’s Christmas. I took full advantage of the holiday and put down my camera (hence the ‘double’ posting). My Christmas consisted of family, winter weather, and relaxing. I did manage to take a few photos.

December 12 – 18, 2011
While this is a photography blog I thought that I would switch things up and post a video. Back in May I traveled to Northern Ontario to take photos for a tree planting company, Heritage Reforestation Inc. This past week they had their holiday party and in hopes of reinvigorating the planters in attendance they requested that I put together a short video from footage shot while on location with them in the bush. My friend Markus was a huge help in the editing process and the following is what we came up with.

December 5 – 11, 2011
There are times when keeping this blog up-to-date with visually pleasing, interesting photos is very difficult! You may think, “well you have a whole week to take photos, how hard can it be?!” To this I say…fair, but it can be surprisingly challenging at times, and this week was no different. The pace of my business generally comes to a slow crawl around the holidays so it is difficult to stay focused on getting out there and shooting new things, especially when you could be having a nice cold pint and eating some delicious food. To me that is what the holidays are all about. So a friend and I started a little early, which happened to be on a random week night. We met for a pint and it slowly turned into a small pub crawl throughout the west end of Toronto…like the title suggests, we were “warming up for the holidays!”

November 28 – December 4, 2011
Maple Leaf Gardens opened in 1931. It was the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs for 68 years and served as a concert venue for all of the big names. This week it re-opened it’s doors to the public as the newest Loblaws location. I was curious to see what the outcome would be…a grocery store in the place where the Leafs won 11 Stanley Cups.

November 21 – 27, 2011
Every now and then it’s good to challenge yourself. This week I gave myself the task of taking a photos only using my wide angle lens…at 17mm it has an angle of view of 104 degrees.

November 14 – 20, 2011
I always appreciate a nice view. This week I shot a cosmetic line’s launch party at the rooftop bar of the Thompson Hotel. It has an amazing view looking east over the city…naturally I took a few photos. Because of the limited subject matter I decided to have some fun with the editing…

November 7 – 13, 2011
On Friday, November 11th, I went to Toronto Old City Hall to to show my respect and remember those who have fought for our freedom. The following is a collection of images from the Cenotaph Ceremony and my experience at it.

October 31 – November 6, 2011
In 1986 Rick Hansen completed his Man in Motion World tour. The historical journey took Rick on a 40,000 km journey through 34 countries, all to raise awareness for persons with disabilities. He is a legendary Canadian and a remarkable man. He is currently promoting the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay which recreates the original Man in Motion Cross-Canada Tour from 25 years prior, passing the Rick Hansen Medal 12,000 kilometres…coast to coast. I was hired to shoot a portion of the Relay for Honda as they are the official supplier of vehicles. On Saturday morning the Relay passed through Scarborough where local hero and race car driver, Paul Tracey, drove the Medal in a Special Edition Civic Si for 9km to a nearby McDonald’s where media and the man himself, Rick Hansen, awaited.

October 24 – 30, 2011
If you are a somewhat regular viewer of this site than you might be aware that I have been seriously slacking! It’s time for a change and this week I went back to what I know best when it comes to having fun with photography…my home town, the city of Toronto. One of the best parts about living in a city is having so much action going on around you. I was driving across Queen Street on my way to my local camera store (no plug…I’m not a huge fan) and I was paying particularly close attention to all the action going on. While driving, you move through the city getting slight glimpses into these moments that take place everyday…moments that we rarely pay any attention to. Luckily I had my camera sitting next to me in the front seat so I picked it up and began snapping photos.

October 17 – 23, 2011
For the past month I have been shooting regional Stella Artois Draught Master events around Ontario. The winners of those events (as well as other winners from all regions of Canada) came together Friday night to compete in the 2011 Stella Artois Draught Masters – National Competition. The winner of the night advanced to the World Competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina later in the month. The competition is based on who can pour the best pint of Stella Artois following the nine-step pouring ritual…but basically it’s a big party!

October 10 – 16, 2011
I was hired to shoot the Audi Driving Experience this past week. Essentially a select group of Audi clients and enthusiasts were given the opportunity to come to a high end Audi driving ‘school’ and have some fun with the A6, S6, and R8…my job was to document the fun.

October 3 – 9, 2011
Sometimes my work has perks…getting flown out to Halifax, Nova Scotia to shoot the Alexander Keith’s Birthday Festival is one such example! Unfortunately the weather was wet, windy, and cold but it didn’t stop it from being a great party with amazing Canadian music and beer.

September 26 – October 2, 2011
I was in Ottawa this past week for work…I had great intentions of taking photos of the nation’s capital, however when work is photography, it becomes less attractive to tour around a city taking photos when all you really want is a break! The following is a result of that attitude…photos from my hotel room…

September 19 – 25, 2011
This past week I was hired to shoot an event called “The Art of Taste.” The event incorporated food and wine from the Niagara region as well as art (it took place at the Art Gallery of Hamilton) and was sponsored by TD.

September 12 – 19, 2011
This weekend my good friend got married. I only took pictures during the ceremony and from where I was sitting I couldn’t get much…fortunately I had a clear view when the moment mattered. Congratulations Jon and Laura!

September 5 – 11, 2011
Typically each posting/week has some sort of theme but this week is a little different. I had a wide variety of shoots, so instead of focusing on one thing in particular, the following is a small collection of images from the first week of September.

August 29 – September 4, 2011
Whenever I get any kind of new camera gear I always go home and experiment. That is exactly what I did this week with the help of my actor friend, Ryan Moleiro (a familiar face to palmer365.com). He came over to my backyard for a little test shoot…costume and all.

August 22 – 28, 2011
Every now and then I find myself taking photos of bizarre things and this week was no different. Docker’s launched a new Alpha Khaki in Roots stores across Canada, and to kick it all off Roots and Docker’s gave away free khakis to men after they dropped their pants in a downtown Toronto store window. My job was to capture this as it happened…

August 15 – 21, 2011
The last two weeks I’ve posted photos from events that I’ve shot for clients. While those photos can be cool, this week I wanted to shoot something that was a little more “organic”. As I hoped, the perfect opportunity presented itself while picking tomatoes in the backyard. We have no shortage of tomatoes…in fact it’s quite the opposite, and this overwhelming volume of tomatoes inspired my friend to make a fresh tomato sauce. At this same time I had been taking photos of the garden and it only seemed right to shoot the sauce making process from start to finish. I also thought it would be fun to challenge myself photographically by creating a few rules…

August 8 – 14, 2011
This past Saturday night Stella Artois Legere threw a huge block party in a parking lot at the corner of King and Brant. The party was a celebration for downtown Toronto with a local neighbourhood theme, including a chip wagon, ice cream truck, and even a TTC bus. It was extra special for me because some of my photos were on display in a gallery area and projected on the side of a building…I thought that was pretty cool! Needless to say it was a fun night and a great summer block party.

August 1 – 7, 2011
This past week BlackBerry launched it’s new line of BlackBerry’s along with it’s new operating system and I was hired to shoot the event.

July 25 – 31, 2011
While my last name is Palmer, I belong to the McRae clan through my Mother. Every 10 years or so we gather where it all began in Campbellton, New Brunswick. This year we had 59 attendees and it was a hell of a weekend…so much so that I spent too much time having fun and not enough time taking photos!

July 18 – 31, 2011
This past week I was lucky enough to get to spend some time with my nephew Jack. Jack lives in Calgary so I don’t get to see him very often, I thought he would be a fun subject to shoot over the weekend…I was right!

July 11 – 17, 2011
This past week I had a shoot with Sharp Magazine. The job was to shoot an interview with a Canadian tastemaker over a Peroni. The tastemaker in this instance was Pacifika, a Vancouver based band with a really unique world sound. The shoot took place on the outdoor patio of Malaparte at the TIFF Bell Lightbox where Peroni held an event that included a performance by the band.

July 4 – 10, 2011
In Week 2 I took photos of store fronts along Queen Street West between Bathurst and Ossington. This week I followed that same idea but on Dundas. These photos and the stores and restaurants they capture are a snippet of Dundas Street West and the neighbourhood it has become.

June 27 – July 3, 2011
This July 1st I was on the streets with Stella Artois Legere as they gave away free beer. Strange but true…free beer for anyone as long as they had ID. The promotion has been going on around Toronto for the last couple of weeks. Essentially small teams of Stella Ambassadors travel around to different neighbourhoods giving away beer…I like it.

June 20 – 26, 2011
In the grand scheme of things Toronto is a relatively young city and our skyline and neighbourhoods are constantly changing. One interesting aspect of Toronto’s architecture is the incorporation of the old with the new. This week I snapped a few photos of buildings that encompass this relationship.

June 13 – 19, 2011
I’ve attended a few tailgate parties in my day but none compare to an event I shot this past Saturday evening. The TD Tailgate Party: Niagara New Vintage Festival took place on an operating winery with all of the regions top winery’s in attendance. The evening consisted of amazing scenery, music, delicious food, and of course…wine.

June 9 – 10, 2011
After leaving bush life behind I headed south on Highway 17 and hit the shores of the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Superior. I spent two days and two nights making my way down the lake’s amazing shoreline. The natural beauty of the lake and the entire region is pretty incredible. The following are a few photos I captured along the way.

June 6 – 12, 2011
Drive 16 hours north to Geraldton, Ontario, head another hour or two up logging roads, drive past the last signs of human life and then you’ll arrive at Heritage Reforestation Inc.’s current base camp. This is my home for the next few days as I set out to capture the life of a tree planter and attempt to shed some light on the grueling work they are doing.

May 31 – June 5, 2011
I shot a launch party this week for a new company that rents high end dresses. Rent frock Repeat is a brand new business that allows women the option of wearing a designer dress without the attached price tag. For any ladies who want more info check out www.rentfrockrepeat.com.

May 23 – 30, 2011
This weekend was Doors Open Toronto where over 100 city landmarks open their doors to the public to allow Torontonians to explore areas where they are otherwise prohibited from going. One place I visited was the Canada Life Building which in 1931 was one of Canada’s highest structures. While it has been dwarfed by dozens of buildings since, it does have a few unique features, one of them being a small observation area located at the top of the building on the 17th floor. The space is only opened once a year…period. Even those who work in the building do not have access to the space and since it was a unique opportunity to view the city I decided it would be a great theme for this week’s posting.

May 16 – 22, 2011
This May long weekend was unlike any I’ve had before. I had the privilege of attending my university roommate’s bachelor party in Montreal. He is my first close friend to get married and I rarely have the chance to take photos in other cities. I thought I would embrace this opportunity…

May 9 – 15, 2011
This week was the city’s first blast of Spring. I really became aware of this when I noticed a single tulip had bloomed outside my front door. Naturally I took a photo…flowers can be easy subjects to make look beautiful. This is the problem…plus photos of flowers aren’t that interesting or that unique. I decided a better challenge would be to capture photos of flowers and spring elements but within the city environment.

May 2 – May 8, 2011
It’s done! While it took longer than planned, this week ‘Lace’ and his graffiti partner (together they are Tandem Art) finished transforming an ugly garage in a Toronto alley. If you haven’t seen Week 11 / Graffiti to the Rescue / Part One please be sure to check it out before continuing.

April 25 – May 1, 2011
This post was initially supposed to be Part Two of the transformation of a half painted garage, however, like most things in life, shit happens…now this post is about the Toronto Port Lands (Graffiti to the Rescue / Part Two will be featured next week, Week 14).

April 18-24, 2011
This Friday was Earth Day. Fortunately I was able to get out of the city and away from all the noise and distractions. I figured that since it was the official day to appreciate the earth it would be a great time to go for a hike and take some photos. My goal was to capture anything I felt connected to the theme of Earth Day. Naturally I had pictures in my head of blooming flowers and budding trees, but unfortunately the colourful photos I was envisioning and hoping for were not really an option…

April 11-17, 2011
A friend of mine (who happened to design this website) is a very talented graffiti artist. He finds walls around the city that are covered in tags and random graffiti and transforms them into beautiful murals. This time he and his buddy (together they are Tandem Art) are tackling a two sided garage in an alleyway behind Markham St. (just south of Harbord St.)

April 4 – 10, 2011
This week I had the opportunity to shoot some food for a cooking studio called dish.

March 28 – April 3, 2011
This week my sister became a Mom! She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and our family welcomed it’s newest member, Audrey Elia.

March 21 – 27, 2011
Rolling Rock has arrived. The beer has started turning up at bars around Toronto and this week I shot the Rolling Rock Open House @ The Drake Hotel, on Queen Street West in Toronto.

March 14 – 20, 2011
Paul is my roommate and a mysterious man. He jet sets around the world for work and sleeps in his bed only twice a month…maybe more, maybe less. Paul was working from home this week and I was happy to have him around…so much so that I decided to take a few photos of my roommate.

March 7 – 13, 2011
This past week was Canadian Music Week in Toronto. I shot a lot of shows throughout the week but no one impressed me like Shad, a true talent in Canada’s hip hop scene. I have a been a fan of Shad’s for years and fortunately he was due to perform at this years Indie awards (where he also won Favourite Urban Artist of the Year). His performance was so strong and impressive that I felt the need to dedicate this week’s post to Shad.

February 28 – March 6, 2011
This past Saturday began like any other. By 7pm I was sitting in a pub drinking beer eating chicken wings. Out of no where I got a phone call from a friend who worked at the Junos. Their photographer pulled chute last minute and they needed someone to shoot ‘Juno Decades’ which was taking place in 2 hours. I was told it was a collection of Canadian musicians covering Canadian songs from the 2000s…sounds good. With that I finished my beer, got my camera, and headed over to the legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

February 21 – 27, 2011
The plan while in California is to head north along the coast, eventually ending up in San Francisco.

February 14 – 20, 2011
Every year there is a time when every Canadian questions why we put ourselves through the turmoil of winter. That time of year is mid February, and the best way to deal with is to run away to somewhere warm…this year that place was California. I have spent a fair amount of time in California but I have never been to Huntington Beach (aka Surf City) until now.

February 7 – 13, 2011
The section of Queen Street West between Bathurst and Ossington has quite the mix of shops and restaurants. Something different always catches my eye and I think, ‘that would be a cool photo.’ I decided to stop hypothesizing about what would make a cool photo and actually take some cool photos. The following is from this stretch of Queen West and the shops and restaurants that call it home.

February 1 – 6, 2011
Toronto had very little snow last winter and I was excited about the potential of taking photos of a snow-covered
city…however, in true Toronto fashion the “storm” was built up in the local media and it wasn’t really a storm at all.
Luckily for me I got up before the sun to capture a few photos of the when the weather was stormish.