Aahhhh Toronto… home sweet home.
On January 11, 1983 I left my home in rural Alberta and arrived in Toronto via an Air Canada one-way ticket. Accompanying me was a box of cassettes with my most-treasured music, a boom box, a questionable Naugahyde suitcase, a Canon AE-1 camera, and a head full of dreams and plans. I started my new life in Toronto on that day and haven’t looked back; sometimes you have to travel thousands of miles to find Home. After 40 years here, I still marvel at this city and all it has to offer. I do love Toronto, warts and all. Given that, I love to photograph the city through all its changes and evolution, for better or worse. It’s never boring.
City photography, and photography in general, is my escape and comfort… I always say it’s the best kind of mindfulness. I try to get out in the city with my camera as often as I can, mostly on weekends. I think of myself as a male Polly Vandersma, but better organized and not quite so nerdy…. at least I hope not…
I’ve been shooting everyday life and architecture in Toronto now for over two decades. My site – TOcityscapes.com – is an attempt to document this city as it changes and develops. There’s nothing fantastic in my shots – I’m just capturing Toronto going about its business on an ordinary day. Intentionally, I’ve kept this blog simple and basic, choosing to have the photographs (hopefully) speak for themselves. TOcityscapes.com is a casual, non-professional site; it’s just a fun little project I work on during my (limited) free time.
On my photoblog you will find mostly Toronto architecture and buildings with a sprinkling of street and public art. I’ll add a few street fairs here and there to shake it up a bit, as well as shots of people on the street. I do love street photography, and look to the ultimate street photographer – Vivian Maier – for inspiration.
Each blog post is a photographic summary of the particular photowalk I took that day, or highlights a few thematic shots of something I photographed. Depending on my shots of the day, a post may have a link to the full day’s photo session, pointing to either my Flickr or SmugMug sites where the full gallery for the day is found.
So, thanks for stopping by and spending a bit of time to check out my site. If you spot any omissions or inaccuracies in any of my posts, please let me know.
If you’d like to see what else I’m up to, here’s my other sites:
Portfolio – photography portfolio
SNAPS – casual photography
Ramblings – my blog
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost – my travel site
My World… And Welcome To It – digital landing page
Want more Toronto? You’ll find my city photo galleries here
Photograph the world as it is. Nothing’s more interesting than reality.
Mary Ellen Mark
marvinjob@tocityscapes.com
Thank you Marvin for your Jarvis Street. Really like what you have done.
From a fellow Torontonian and Tourist who is discovering our city through sites like yours and the myriad of plaques
Again, thank you.
Thank you so much for your comments! I’m so glad you took the time to read my post and that it resonated with you.