A Walk Along the Keating Channel

I have been walking to work and back for the last three weeks, instead of biking like I have done for the last 15+ years.  The joints in my upper body is starting to hurt me, so I decided to walk for a month.  It takes about an hour each way.  Many would think this is nuts, but I rather enjoy the walk, except for the first few days when it was really tough.  The best thing is that I can now walk through sections of the of the road that I could not bike to, and this provides more photography opportunities and biking.

Today I decided to walk along the Keating Channel since I have been wanting to photograph it for a long time, but never made it a reality until today.  The south side of the Channel is not open to the public, and the north side borders on Lakeshore Blvd., and I wouldn't suggest anyone to walk the entire length from Cherry street to Don Roadway, as it kind of dangerous on some sections; you have to walk very close to the road, or very close to the channel.  You could get hit by a car, or fall on the channel.

In any case, I did take quite a few pictures along the channel, with the newly acquired Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar 5cm f2.9 lens from the Balda folder camera.  This lens has a good reputation, and I can confirm that it performs admirably, considering how old it is.  The most amazing part is that I didn't even need a hood for the lens, even though it's not coated, and flare was very well controlled, especially when stopped down.  At f2.9, the lens is very sharp at the center, and by f8, the edges are very good and at its best at about f11.  Contrast is a bit on the low side at wider apertures, but the bokeh is lovely.  With a bit of processing, the files come out quite nicely.

All the pictures were taken with the Sony A7 & Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar 5cm f2.9.

Shooting Around the Keating Channel

One of the best things about working downtown, is that I can be a few kilometers away around the lake or any direction (except south) in a just minutes on my bike. I have been taking advantage of this and biking to the Cherry Beach, all around Harborfront, and even back to the Spadina & Queen area occasionally, to visit my wife. Today I decided to do some shooting around the Keating Channel at Cherry St. & Lakeshore Blvd.

The Keating Channel connects Don River to Lake Ontario. It is approximately one kilometer long. Because the mouth of Don River flows into the channel, the water has always been very muddy and dirty. The channel took 8 years to build and was completed in 1922. The channel is not exactly a picturesque scenery, but I want to to takes some pictures anyway, perhaps as a form of documentary.

There are three or four boats like this that always seem to be docked at the channel on the south side - Sony NEX-6 & Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50mm f1.4. Click for larger.

The big attraction is the Keating Channel Pub & Grill on the south side - Sony NEX-6 & Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50mm f1.4. Click for larger.

Looking west from Lakeshore Blvd, and you can see the Essroc cement factory - Sony NEX-6 & Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50mm f1.4. Click for larger.

On the north side of the Channel is Lakeshore Blvd - Sony NEX-6 & Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50mm f1.4

I don't know what this crane-like thing is. It has always been there as far as I can tell - Sony NEX-6 & Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50mm f1.4. 

Looking westward and you can see downtown Toronto - Sony NEX-6 & Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50mm f1.4.