Arts
Toronto rooftopping gets some time in the spotlight
Toronto rooftopping — and specifically the work of blogTO's own Tom Ryaboi — has been put under a rather sizable spotlight over the last couple of days. After a photo feature in the Telegraph on Monday, articles in the Daily Mail, the Sun (UK), the New York Daily News, and the Toronto Star followed, with more surely to come as mainstream outlets show off their desire to feature the putative next big thing. Even the Toronto Standard got in on the fun, calling rooftop photography "the new iteration of planking."
That, it is not. Although it's lovely to see these breathtaking images get the attention they so richly deserve, the determination to identify them as part of a trend is actually a bit unfair to the small group of photographers who manage to get themselves in position to take these shots. Not only have they been at this pursuit for a few years, but the ingenuity (and nerve) that it takes to gain access to these rooftops shouldn't be underestimated. And, you know, once they get up there, they tend to make the most of what are often challenging shooting conditions.
In honour of this little media bonanza, here's a gallery of some of Tom's rooftopping shots that haven't been as heavily featured in the press but that are no less stunning. To get a sense of what Toronto's other rooftoppers are up to, check out the blogTO and rooftopping Flickr pools.
PHOTOS
All photos by Tom Ryaboi
Discussion
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And I'm terrified of heights :)
s-s-suck it
the second shot (purple sky) is incredible.
Congrats Tom
Walking on Top of The World
E
171 East Liberty St. Unit 122.
Be there. The prints are up till Feb 10.
If you're caught in the middle of the city and you slap on a 135mm lens...it's a little much, really limits what you're able to shoot. Plus you don't get the same impressive perspectives. That's just my opinion.
I actually do like some of you 85mm shots like this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilta/5207495569/in/set-72157624527743509/
It's just a matter of pointing the lens and focusing in on the right bit of subject matter important to the photo. I find 24mm's lenses and wider are just too easy and a bit cheesy/overused.
So much fail. The last thing I would want to do is centre City Hall in the middle of this shot.
Do you even take images at night? Do you think we're shooting ISO 3200 at F2? There's things called tripods now. They're a great invention.
I used to be an aerial photographer and shot a lot at night. Of course I was paid to do this and could carry all kinds of gear up to these heights. Shot exclusively with film too which is that much better to use at night. I can offer you a photography course if you like - better improve your images?
wow.
The balls to go up that high are impressive I guess...
There's a lot more to Toronto than bright lights and tall buildings.
Why should Tom pay through the nose for film processing just so that a bunch of uber-film photography fans can cream their pants? He used what he used to do it, and it came out better than expected. You're just jealous that he was able to do this, and you weren't, I'll bet. I use film to take pictures (the camera I use is a Minolta Maxxum AF SLR with a 100-200 AF zoom lens) and I'd love to have what Tom's using right now-it would make what I'm doing amazing, and I wouldn't have to have a fridge fill of film waiting to be developed.
@that guy: I take pictures of Toronto at night and by day too, but I'd rather take pictures with a DSLR than with film ALL of the time (which is what I'm doing now)-half of the expense of doing this is paying for film and the development of the pictures from said film, and they don't always turn out well either.
on other blogs? I have a blog centered on the same ideas you discuss and would love to have you share some
stories/information. I know my viewers would value your work.
If you are even remotely interested, feel free to send me an
e-mail.