Concrete Communities

I signed up for a tour to see Habitat 67 over the Canada Day long weekend. They only started allowing tours in 2019.

It’s called Habitat 67 because it was built last minute for Expo 67, itself hosted last minute in Montreal. Together there are 146 residences of varying sizes and configurations, each formed from one to eight linked concrete units.

The development was designed to integrate the benefits of the new wave of suburban living — namely gardens, privacy, views, and multilevel environments — with the economics and density of a modern urban affordable housing project.

Shortcut

When I lived in Midtown I would cross the park where Allan Gardens is located. Due to the lockdown I only saw it from the outside, and when I moved downtown I forgot it existed On a beautiful day I went back and took some pictures. The building is under some construction so it isn’t fully open; still it’s a nice place to spend 30 minutes.

Fleur de Villes

I spent the weekend in Banff for a wedding but a couple days before I met up with a friend who was in the city for the summer and we went to Fleur de Villes in Yorkville. The floral designs were incredibly intricate. I have been interested in floral art since I discovered the work of Doan Ly. Maybe one day soon I’ll buy some florals and make an image. Overall a fun evening and would recommend if it comes to your city.

ROM

Another Meetup this time at the Royal Ontario Museum. The exterior looks like a meteorite crashed through a heritage building. Maybe the design works for some, I find it to be weirdly out of place. A bunch of people showed up to this one and we got partnered up with different people to work with. Images shot on X100F. Models: Lincoln, Thomas, and Tiphanie.

Ratray Marsh

I took my Fujifilm X100F out for a spin last weekend at the Ratray Marshes near Port Credit. It’s been over a year since I last used this camera and I was wondering if I should sell it. My experience with it on the weekend was positive, and I was reminded how simplicity can free your creativity. The size and relative ease-of-use of this camera allowed me to recall how much I enjoy shooting the 35mm perspective (well except when I saw deer in the distance and could barely make them out). Seeing the Fujifilm JPEGS on the back of the camera in vivid colour was equally inspiring. Hopefully this experience will get me to shoot more with this camera or at least bring it alongside my main camera.

The deer 🤪