Rick Hulbert  

Toronto, Ontario, Canada downtown scene by Rick Hulbert

October 2025 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada downtown scene

About the Image(s)

“How and why I created the image”

I was preparing to present an urban photography workshop in Toronto and I was simply walking around the downtown with more gear than I recommend carrying. I was experimenting with a camera modified to capture the infrared spectrum in colour. My photo is an example of the result of “playing around”, or if you prefer, experimenting with recording light outside of the visible spectrum.

The actual image is the vertical scene to the left of centre.
The reason for the horizontal crop of the same scene used as a muted “background” is because the majority of my photography is used for educational digital slide presentations to interested photographers, and I prefer to always fill the screen.

I employed a hand held, full frame digital camera with a wide angle lens at f/8.
(I do not recommend standing in the middle of a vehicular intersection to record a scene.)

Feel free to comment on the original digital image alone as well as the overall image portrayal, knowing it is part of a 90 minute presentation where every slide is the same 1200 X 1920 pixel shape.

5 comments posted

Kenneth Taylor
Very interesting! I can't seem to tie the images left and right sides together or how they connect to the middle image.   Posted: 10/08/2025 15:07:13
Pinaki Sarkar   Pinaki Sarkar
Are these 3 images tied together or a single one. ?
Overall , the intersection placement creates natural leading lines, guiding the viewer's eye from the foreground architecture toward the towering background. This seems to bring a sense of balance. The layering of trees, cars, and signage adds urban texture and realism, grounding the image in everyday life.
It is a good image but a different one. Nice Work.   Posted: 10/10/2025 17:21:14
Robert Atkins   Robert Atkins
Hi Rick. I love the colors you have gotten out of the IR capture. They are realistic enough that it still appears photographic, yet with a very fine art flare. Trying to imagine what the standard visual light photo would have looked like (maybe you took that too), I think this has more interest and appeal, though to be fair it is well composed and that would be clear at any wavelength.

I'm hard pressed to see anything I would do to enhance the image further. Perhaps clone out the one small branch on the right edge sticking out a short distance above the tree. That's all I see.

I think the layering of the image with the faded horizontal crop is a creative way to fill the 1200x1920. If you have multiple portrait images like this throughout the talk I am not sure I'd use this approach every time - maybe mix it up with some other design approaches. But it is a good arrow in the quiver.
  Posted: 10/17/2025 13:13:46
Rick Hulbert   Rick Hulbert
Hi Robert, was always, I appreciate your take on my submission. I think I am showing my age with my old school approach to digital photography when I don't mind adjusting the tones and colours of recorded pixels . . . even copying existing pixels, but I am reluctant to remove or add specific objects from or to that scene.
I most enjoy discovering and visually enhancing an existing scene, recognizing that we all see tones and colours differently.   Posted: 10/17/2025 13:58:28
Jim Williams
To my eye, it's hard not to see this as a modern art painting which, to me, is heightened by the IR choice...especially the trees.

I think my eyes my be playing tricks on me, likely so, but does the image appear to be tilted ever so slightly to the right? Not complaining about it, just observing.

Overall, I really like it. Really unique take. :)   Posted: 10/18/2025 14:22:42

 

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