The Sport of Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback on polo ponies. The objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Players score by hitting a small white ball into the opposing team's goal using a long mallet. The traditional sport of polo traces its roots back to the beginning of the first millennium. The game of polo was first used as a training exercise for cavalry units. Over time, polo was developed into a team sport that is played professionally in over 16 counties.
There are two major types of polo games. The traditional game is field polo which is played on a large grass field 300 yards long by 160 yards wide with each polo team having four riders and their mounts. In arena polo, three players are required per team. Arena polo requires more maneuvering and shorter plays at lower speeds. In contrast, field polo is a fast paced game than arena polo.
The Royal Canadian Riding Academy hosted the Cedar Valley Polo for Learning charity event on May 30, 2014. The VIP charity event was organized to promote the sport of polo and foster learning and knowledge of the game for younger players. To see additional images of the event visit the Gallery
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models,people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.
Racing Season Kickoff!
Spring is finally here and the cruel winter season has departed. Spring is the start of the racing season. My goal this year is to photograph more races and diversify into different areas than I previously haven't tried. On the two wheeled front, this means more coverage of the Vintage motorcycle events, RACE super series, SuperBike rounds and coverage of a motocross event.
On the four wheeled side of the house there will be coverage of the Vintage Grand Prix, Tudor racing, sports touring, classic car events and even some drag racing.
My photographic goal this year is to improve the composition of my images and improve the overall quality. In simple terms, my goal is to kick it up a notch or two. To start off the 2014 racing season coverage of the Race super series Round 1 races from Shannonville, Ontario is in the Gallery.
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.
Jessie Yang
There is a big difference in fashion photography between the use of color images Vs. a black& white pictorial set. Color can make such a large visual statement that it often overshadows other elements in the image. Minor faults in exposure and composition can quickly be overlooked if the image has strong use of color. Black and white images have to be stronger and be able to stand entirely on their own merits.
To illustrate the use of black and white in fashion we have Jessie Yang to model the theme Black and White Elegance. Jessie was featured in the TV series Asia's Next Top Model and has been featured in numerous print and new media publications; including Harpers Bazzar. To see more of Jessie click on the Gallery.
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.
Vintage Beauty
In this update we have the return of Kaitlin Chapple. You may remember her in the pictorial set True Romance which was part of a fundraiser for PFLAG Canada. Kaitlin has been published internationally in many commercial print and magazine editorials. To top this off she has extensive experience in live performance, runway shows, events and in film/television media.
In this feature set we go back to an era of Mad Men, pinups and hats that made a statement. To bring out that bold vintage look Kaitlin models a vintage bathing suit, lingerie, a noir styled dress and a glorious pill box hat that reminds me of the glory days of airline travel.
My immediate thought was that of an airline attendant from Pan Am. Pan American Airlines was a global airline back in the 1960's which was featured prominently in the movie Catch Me If You Can. Back then this was considered to be a very desirable job due to the lure and romance of international travel. Today airline travel is not romantic and is fraught with delays and security checks.
To see more of Kaitlin have a look in the Gallery.
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.
Getting Out There!
Endeavoring in the image arts community always requires a certain amount of self-promotion. Without it, your images would never be viewed by anybody except the photographer. I probably don't do enough promotion of my photographic work in comparison to others, so here is some shameless self-promotion.
Outside of cyber-space you can see my work at Debbie's cafe in Ajax where selected images are on display periodically during the year. Currently images from the Old SouthWest collection are on display at the fracture clinic at the Ajax Hospital.
Within the confines of cyberspace you can view my work at WatsonPhotography.ca, on Facebook , Model Mayhem, Nikon Girls and About.me. My web site is always kept current with new images from the studio, my travels around town or on the road and selected photographic publications are made available through a Creative Commons License.
Humility is one of my virtues so I usually don't highlight any recognition that I have received, but this time it involves one of my favourite images from the past few years. The image below received an Acceptance in the pictorial category in the Greater Toronto Camera Inter Club competition. Over 1200 entries are submitted each year from the best photographers in the Greater Toronto Area.
The image features Samantha Carly who gives us a beautiful rendition of a Hollywood Starlet in vintage fashion. To see more images of Samantha go to the Gallery or visit Samantha on the following social media sites: Facebook, Model Mayhem, Deviant Art or Twitter. Samantha is also an accomplished photographer and her images can be seen at Pure Vida Arts.
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.
Evergreen Brickworks Part Two
A return visit to the Toronto Evergreen Brcikworks. From 1889 to the 1980s the Don Valley Brick Works was one of Canada’s pre-eminent brickyards. At its peak more than 43 million bricks a year were manufactured for use in the construction of homes and buildings across Canada. Many of Toronto’s most prominent buildings were made from Don Valley brick—Massey Hall and Old City Hall are two examples.
The site has been converted to a park, market and an environmental energy centre that is mixed in with it's unique heritage. The site has many photographic opportunities with an eclectic mix of graffiti, architecture, urban development and people watching. A highly recommended attraction to visit in the City of Toronto at 550 Bayview Avenue. See the updated gallery
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.
Distillery District
The Distillery District is located just east of the downtown core in Toronto. This district has been transformed into an arts and entertainment area. It is one of the largest collection of industrial buildings that are still intact from the 19th century. All of the buildings were used for some function related to the production of alcohol. Whether it was related to the drying of grains, distillation or canning all of the buildings are still intact. As part of the preservation and transformation of the site each building still houses some of the original machinery used.
Today the Distillery District is an eclectic mix of art galleries, shops and restaurants. It is a popular destination for both Toronto natives and tourists. It is the perfect spot to bring a date for a romantic day out to rekindle that fire. Click the link for for more information about the Distillery District or have a look at the images in the Gallery.
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.
Fencing
Fencing is the sport of fighting with swords. Today fencing is an Olympic sport and is divided into three weapon categories: foil, sabre and épée. Fencing is one of original five sports which has been present at every one of the modern Olympic games. Fencing traces its origins back to Spain between 1468 and 1471 which was documented in the book Treatise on Arms by Diego de Valera.
Modern fencing technique originated in the 18th century in Italy during the Renaissance and later improved by the French. After World War 1 fencing transitioned into a sporting activity with the épée in 1936 with the introduction of electric scoring. Foil was the next to transition to electric scoring in scoring in 1956 and finally sabre in 1988.
Fencing is an extremely fast paced sport with matches that last only minutes. To demonstrate the sport the Ajax Fencing Club was kind enough to showcase the techniques. Both high speed and slow motion photography techniques were used to capture the images in the Gallery.
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.
MapleFest
The winter of 2013 was one of the coldest and harshest on record. The overly cold springtime has affected maple syrup production in many states and provinces this year. The output will be greatly reduced this year. For those people that have never experienced a trip to a maple syrup farm it is a worthwhile day trip. It is an opportunity to see how our forefathers made maple syrup and taffee.
To have a look at this unique process check out the MapleFest Gallery.
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.
Red Orchid
In this update, the feature model is Red Orchid who was 2010 Miss October for the Sunshine Girl calendar, a runway model for Calvin Klein, Frederick's of Hollywood among many other credits in the industry. I am sure you will agree that this model has the ability to restart our hearts after a harsh winter and rekindle our desire for the beach in the summer.
Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.