After realizing that the RCM offers some really awesome photo-taking opportunities after a brief photo flirtation with my iPhone, I decided to return there with my big-girl camera and see kinds of interesting shots I could get. I was definitely not disappointed.

Although the iPhone is great for shooting some great impromptu photos that scream "I wish I had my camera", there's only so far one can go. And yes, photos look really spiffy with the Instagram and Hipstamatic apps, but personally, I think that nothing comes close to the full manual control that you can get with a DSLR, where you can choose the right lens, aperture, exposure, and ISO.

I have found that my photographs these days exhibit a real dream-like quality, and I'm really loving it. I have tended to over-expose the images, and then, in post-processing, I bump up the black, the contrast, and increase the vibrance a bit. I also like to blur the images a bit by decreasing the clarity. This doesn't always yield favorable results, and this usually only works well when you have a really really bright background.

There was a lot that was fun about the photo shoot at the RCM, but my favorite things were the following:

1. Chasing down musicians (discretely) as they walked around with their instrument cases in hand. They didn't necessarily make the greatest pictures, but at least it was worth trying!
2. Taking pictures of normally boring-looking objects. I had fun taking pictures of some light fixtures, bannisters, staircases, and even a wooden bench.
3. Playing around with depth-of-field. For that, my favorite lens is my 50mm, at f1.8, for a shallow depth-of-field. I also had my 17-55 f2.8, which was good when I was switching between wide-angle shots and closer shots, since I didn't have to change lenses.
4. Using my hubby as a subject. He was a great subject, especially since he had a latte in hand. He joked later saying that the photo series of him should be dubbed "Man with Coffee". Maybe he's on to something...

Well, enough talk. Here's a link to the album, and a sneak peek of some of my favorite photos of the day. Enjoy!

Hubby with the CN Tower in the background.

Rain boots on top of a locker.

People standing.

Close-up of carving on a bench.