Rick Madonik looks back at 2011

Rick Madonik, Staff Photographer

The pictures which follow are a small sample of the last years' work. In no way is the selection scientific, or unbiased. Many are favourites of the past year, or have some sentimental value. But all, I hope, elicit some form of emotion. From humorous to serious, from sad to elation, one of the things a good news photographer tries to do is capture a moment which helps tell the story, or at the very least, attracts the readers attention long enough to read the story.

Have a happy and safe holiday.

Ghadafi Halas! (Ghadafi finished!)

03/04/11 - RAS LANUF, LIBYA - A man motions with a knife to his own neck, and yells "Ghadafi Halas!" to show what he wants done to Libyan leader Muammar Ghadhafi as rebel fighters are greeted at the gates of Ras Lanuf after its liberation from Ghadafi forces. A rebel attack forced Gadhafi forces back towards Sirt. This is the first time the rebellion from the east has advanced into the western part of the country.

 

Best of November

 

COLIN McCONNELL - Florian Schuck is comforted at a memorial at the corner of  Sterling and Dundas for his wife Jenna Morrison, who was killed when a truck ran over her.

After I got hit by the zebra I was LMFAO

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer

If you would have told me that I would ever be hit by a zebra while covering a concert I would have called you crazy.

Even if you would have said it was a giant inflatable zebra!

But I guess it is one of the hazards of covering party band LMFAO at the Air Canada Centre.

Overall, it was a really fun concert to cover, the band started on time and that makes photographers with a tight deadline happy.

The show, well that was something, it was like every single party stereotype threw up on stage, it was great.

The band, bathed in light, was energetic and really knew how to connect with the crowd.

A fan who airbrushed her arms to match the LMFOA back up dancers waits for the concert to start. 

Our October favourites!

Some of the best from October!

BERNARD WEIL - Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion holds a copy of the executive summary of the City of Mississauga Judicial Inquest and gets some advice from her legal council, Elizabeth McIntyre,  while answering reporters question in the Mississauga City Hall council chambers. Earlier, Commissioner Douglas Cunningham released his findings.  October 3, 2011.

STEVE RUSSELL - A laneway off of Yonge is transformed into a movie quality rain scape in Curtis Grahauer's "I just Know Something Good is going to happen, 2011" during the 2011 edition of Nuit Blanche where the city core is transformed by the work of hundreds of artists in the sixth installment of the sunset-to-sunrise celebration of contemporary art in  Toronto. 

STEVE RUSSELL - Mohammad Mohyeddin listens to a question. He  turned 105 on Saturday, his wife Ashraf is 95 and they recently celebrated their 75th anniversary in  Toronto.  October 2, 2011.

DAVID COOPER - The Iconic Apple sign on the Apple Store in the Eaton Centre was dark to honour Steve Jobs Apple Founder.

colin mcconnell - Mairead Lavery makes bubbles for the kids to chase on Woodbine Beach. 

RICHARD LAUTENS - Freelance writer Jered Stuffco does chin-ups as he exercises on the subway. He has no time to exercise and a long commute on the TTC to get to work. He gets on the subway car on the Danforth line and does some chin-ups, push-ups, dips and some stretching before he reaches his stop at Kennedy.

STEVE RUSSELL - Four-year-old Ryan takes swings at the driving range at the Family Golf Learning Centre on Joshua's Creek Road in Oakville. Temperatures reached 25 degrees in Toronto.

RENE JOHNSTON  - Matthew Neeb and Claire Hodgeson share a morning kiss.  Members of the Occupy Toronto Movement have been living in St. James Park.

RENE JOHNSTON - Jackson Tuson is a kid who is one of three people participating in our Outside of the Box Halloween costume story. Three people were provided with a few basic materials (a box, tape, paint, tinfoil) and were told they could source 3 additional materials to make an inspired and original Halloween costume. 

KEITH BEATY -  Mother and sister of Sylvia Klibingaitis, shot by police hold her picture, Mother is Dzejn Klibingaitis, sister is Anita Wasowicz.

STEVE RUSSELL - Toronto residents take advantage of a warm Thanksgiving evening to stroll or sit along the waterfront and the pond at Harbourfront Centre at York Quay along the harbour in  Toronto.

LUCAS OLENIUK - Beekeeper Fred Davis tends to one of his six hives on top of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts at Queen and University Avenue in downtown Toronto.

DAVID COOPER - Robin Sarafinchan is a caretaker of a feral cat colony in Toronto. 

STEVE RUSSELL - Ellen Skinner makes an emotional appeal to witnesses and the murderers of her son near the corner of Adelaide and Victoria Streets where her son, Christopher, was murdered two years ago. The family of Christopher Skinner, father Warren, mother Ellen and sister Taryn meet with media at the corner of Adelaide St. and Victoria St. where Skinner was killed in a hit and run on Oct. 18, 2009. Friends of Christopher and the investigating officers also appealed to the public and the murderers to come forward. Skinner was walking along Adelaide trying to hail a taxi when police believe that his hand came in contact with a dark SUV near Yonge and Adelaide, Skinner continued walking and started to cross Adelaide at Victoria when he was assulted by a pair of people from a dark SUV stopped at the light. Skinner was left in the street and then run over by the the SUV and left dead in the intersection.

CARLOS OSORIO - Rehersals for Mercedes Benz startup show during Toronto Fashion Week 

CARLOS OSORIO - A model wears a creation from the Melissa Nepton show during Toronto Fashion Week.

BERNARD WEIL - Bustle presented its spring 2012 collection, October 20, during Toronto Fashion Week.

MICHELLE SHEPHARD -  Business is booming at Mogadishu's fish market as the city slowly struggles back to life following the withdrawal of Al Shabab and the onset of thousands of refugees, who have fled the southern famine and fighting.

JIM RANKIN -  A family strolls a back street of the city, devastated by shelling. Libyans awoke to Day One without Col. Moammar Gadhafi and took to the streets to celebrate. In Misratah, families traveled to see the devastation wrought in this city by pro-Gadhafi forces, and by evening, women and children paraded through main streets to celebrate and remember the men who joined anti-Gadhafi fighters and toppled his regime.

RICHARD LAUTENS - Zombie marchers make their way along Dundas street west of Bathurst making their way back to Trinity Bellwoods Park.

RICK MADONIK - A woman waits for the departure of a bus northbound. Viva buses work the night shift the day before an impending strike.

STEVE RUSSELL - Peggy Nash at home on the eve before announcing she will be running for the federal NDP leadership.

TARA WALTON - "Howl-o-ween" High Tea at Toronto's King Edward Hotel kicks off Winter Woofstock Sunday October 30, 2011.  Pet owners dressed up their pooches in Halloween costumes Sunday afternoon and paraded them around the runway to kick of the Winter Woofstock event that runs November 19th and 20th at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place.

SPORTS

RENE JOHNSTON - Leaf Captain Dion Phaneuf gets ready for the tilt against the Habs at the ACC on NHL Opening Night. 

RENE JOHNSTON - Colby Armstrong gets up ended over the Montreal goalie Carey Price in the third at the ACC on NHL Opening Night.

STEVE RUSSELL - Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Joffrey Lupul runs over Ottawa Senators centre Zack Smith in first period action as the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Ottawa Senators.

RICHARD LAUTENS - The leafs beat the Jets 4-3 in a shoot-out. But, in overtime, Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer (34) ends up surrounded by legs in defence of the net.

VINCE TALOTTA - Toronto FC Danny Koevermans celebrates as he scores the second goal against New England Revolution in the final game of the season.

RICK MADONIK - Penguins Pascal Dupuis gets shrouded in ice as Mike Komisarek continues the play into the boards during NHL action between Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.

RICK MADONIK - Bills Running Back Fred Jackson fends off DeAngelo Hall during NFL regular season play between Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins at Rogers Centre.

 

 

 

September's favourites

 

DAVID COOPER - Olivia Chow, sits beside the Koi pond in the backyard of the home she shared with her husband Jack Layton.

Nipissing in a minute

Bernard Weil, Chief Photographer/Multimedia

Earlier this summer, I had an opportunity to fly with Harley Lang, 77, a 30 year retired veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in his 1961 deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver, one of 1692 that were built. 

Excluding the Great Lakes, Lake Nipissing, which means "big water", is the fifth largest lake in Ontario and drains into Georgian Bay. The lake is dotted with hundreds of islands, many of which are privately owned.

 

Viewed from beneath the wing on the port side over the West Arm of Lake Nipissing, Harley Lang flies over tiny islands that dot the lake. A GoPro Hero camera was mounted under the wing and programmed to take a picture every two seconds. A total of 1858 images were taken. See below for a time lapse video I created from the stills.

 

While the wing mounted camera did its job, I managed to capture a few interesting images from the cockpit. Above, hundreds of double crested cormorants desecrate island H7 in Louden Township, Nipissing District. In recent years, the birds have been blamed for the negative impact on fish stocks. The Ministry of Natural Resources states there are five nesting colonies located on various islands on the lake and they continue to monitor the population.

 

A boat meanders its way through a maze of islands. 

 

Barely visible at far right, longtime Nipissing summer resident Elaine Drobeck waves to Harley as we fly over her summer retreat. Elaine and her husband Rip bought the island more than fourty years ago. Together with their two dogs, they make the car drive up each summer from their residence in Fredricksburg Texas.

 

Harley makes a smooth landing.

Video: Here's a link to a time lapse video I created from 1858 still images using a GoPro camera mounted under the wing during the flight:  Click here

 

Hot July, hot pictures, again!

A couple days into August, but lets have a quick look back at some of our favourites from July.

RICHARD LAUTENS - Firefighter Angelo Gambrelis gets a cool down after exiting the house, still in his bunker suit, from an open valve on the side of a truck.A fire was thought to have started on an outdoor deck of a townhouse at 45 Sudbury st. in the King and Ossington area.  The fire was fairly quickly under control but the firefighters had to contend with record high temperatures  and were quick to try to cool down when they stripped out of their bunker suits. July 21, 2011

Staking out the Beiber, um, Beavers.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer

You never know what is going to happen when you walk through the doors at the office.

My spidey sense was tingling when our photo assignment editor, Canice Leung warned be that I might be staking out a Beiber.

When I questioned it, my hearing might have been a casualty at the previous weekend's Indy, she clarified that it wasn't Justin Beiber, but a beaver.

Turns out a reader sent in a photo of a beaver at the foot of York street.

The Toronto Star which has been doing a series of stories on Lake Ontario had Antonia Zerbisias write this story on the beavers in Lake Ontario.

Relieved that I wasn't going to stakeout Justin Beiber, I went out in search of beavers.

A quick walk along the waterfront and I saw the first signs.

Being from Northern Ontario, I know beaver sticks, and there were a few floating in the harbour.

A quick look West and I could see the trees that were the source near a deck that extends into the harbour.

A closer look and I could see the damage and I could hear chewing!

A look under the stairs and there it was.

It was dark under the stairs, I was shooting 1600 ISO at a 60th of a second.

Thankfully the beaver snuck out and made its way over to the rocky shore by the boardwalk where it put on a show!

The first signs of beaver nearby is damage to trees. A beaver has been feasting on the trees and shrubs behind 77/99 Harbour Square near the bottom of York Street.

Under the stairs of the deck a beaver eats leaves from a nearby tree amongst some of the harbour garabage that has collected under the stairs.

A Closer Look at the Gulls of Kingston.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer

It is one of the assignements we look forward to getting, it gets us out of the city, we go for a boat ride and you learn something.

The bonus is that I get a chance to show readers something that they usually don't get to see.

The assignment involved a trip to Kingston and back to spend a few hours on a boat with a scientist researching the health of the Lake Ontario by looking at the Gull colonies.

Chip Weseloh leaps off of his boat onto Salmon Island that has nesting sites for Herring Gulls. Chip Weseloh, studies birds on Lake Ontario, particularly the Herring Gull, the Ring Billed Gull and the Cormorant for Environment Canada.

Favourties from June 2011

Some the staff's favourites from the month of June.

LUCAS OLENIUK - Thirty-year-old cresseur Jacques Preston rests inside the opening of a post-and-beam supported mine shaft at the infamous Bisie cassiterite deposit in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.  Cresseur's mine tunnels, some deep as 100m, in 24-hour shifts.  Miners are paid 1,300 Congolese francs, $1.40, for 1Kg of cassiterite.