Postcard from the Road #9: Toronto Skyline at Night

Postcard from the Road (Top of the World Edition)

Toronto Skyline at Night
The city of Toronto sparkles on a frosty January night

 

Dear friends of TGB,

Here is a photo of yesterday’s Toronto skyline. I shot this from the CN Tower (once the world’s tallest free-standing structure) Observation deck through a curved window that was reflecting the lights from inside the room. This made for a difficult shot to begin with. 

Add the fact that I was using my new camera and new lens (and I am very unfamiliar with it) as well as having no use of a tripod, I was wondering how this was going to turn out. Well, the answer was “pretty well.” I used a circular polarizer on my lens so that I could use a lower ISO setting (125) and slow down my shutter speed further. That way, I could get the streaks of light from the moving traffic, get the clouds and the steam rising from the buildings to have movement as well. If I used a higher ISO with no polarizer, I would have had too much light; if I used a faster shutter speed, I would have no light/cloud motion. So this was a fun experiment that worked out pretty well! Oh, and I did this while drinking a beer as well, so we killed two birds with one stone. I look forward to taking photos with this new camera when I head out on my next adventures. Our blog posts should be even more vibrant in the not-too-distant future as a result. Hope you will enjoy them.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out our recent posts featuring Cuba and Bali, please have a look.

Best,

TGB

Camera set-up details are below
Nikon D810 / 16mm focal length, ISO 125, F/4.0 at 15.0 seconds, circular polarizer, no tripod, one handed shot with beer in other hand.

2 thoughts on “Postcard from the Road #9: Toronto Skyline at Night”

  1. Hi George! I actually were reading some of your tips to travel around, but you know Canada is the country I’d love to live in. I don’t know anything about it, never visited yet; but if I would someday, what is the first thing you recommend to do especially in Toronto? Despite the CN tower.
    Another question: If I go for short days, how long would you say is enough to be there (in Toronto)?

    Last but not least. I watched your video of ‘how to backpack’ and you really look like if you come from a chinese family, do you!?? (hahahaha you got this last one)

    BTW, you really have amazing tips I’m trying to consider them for my next trips.

    Thanks in advance.

    1. Thanks, Liza. Ha ha. No, I am not Chinese. 😉
      I will respond to your questions in our new Q&A videos.

      Maybe 5 days is enough in Toronto, then go to other parts of Canada. Maybe even 3 is enough if you have limited time. There’s a lot to see and do here, but it’s a big city. You may want to see more of Canada’s nature.

      Best,
      TGB

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