Film: Photowalk in Toronto - February 2023
A few weeks ago, I visited one of my favorite places in Toronto: Allan Gardens Conservatory. The current conservatory building was first opened in 1910 and in addition to it’s beautiful architecture, it provides visitors with a much-needed break from the outside weather. This is why visiting during the winter is my favorite time to explore this iconic site of the city once again.
Perfect light while walking off the grounds of Allan Gardens Conservatory, Toronto.
Stepping into the conservatory provides visitors with a diversity of plants, everything from cacti to banana trees and underwater plants. Due to the restoration project of the Palm House heritage building, only the exterior wings are open. This provided a fresh perspective for visitors who usually focus on the making their way to the glass dome of the conservatory instead of admiring all the different plant species.
The camera of choice for this day was the Pentax K1000. I had just taken it back out of storage as the Pentax ME Super has become my go-to film camera. I decided to shoot with Kodak Ektar 100, a film stock I hadn’t shot before. The fine-grain of this film provided the perfect balance to the harsh light of this afternoon.
The conservatory glass ceiling and windows act as a slight diffuser, creating mild shadows and increasing the intensity of the plant life.
Shooting with a 28mm lens, I really enjoyed turning my camera vertically and capturing the light shining through the ceiling panels, and providing contrasting light to the shadows below the plants.
As I headed to the other side of the building, the light completely changed. The light was now overflowing and illuminating the blooming pink flowers in the center of path. I took a few photos from different angles to try to capture the warmth created by the sun and also to soak some of those rays myself!
To close out this entry, I captured one of my favorite shots of this day. Hope you like it too!
Want to visit yourself?
You can walk to the conservatory (i.e. 12 mins from Yonge and Dundas Square) or take the College St. Streetcar to Jarvis St. and walk for a couple of minutes.
Learn more about the Allan Gardens Conservatory on the City of Toronto website.