Best of March

Once again, The Star photo department (as edited by Steve Russell) offers up the Best Pictures of the Month. From city politics to news to features to sports, Star photogs cover a variety of assignments bringing their unique eye to the photograph.

TARA WALTON - A Toronto Police Officer stands watch over a taped off area on the edge of Toronto's Don Valley Golf Course Thursday March 1, 2012 near the 401 and Yonge Street .  Human remains were found in the area on Tuesday and are rumoured to be those of missing girl Mariam Makhniashvili, who disappeared Monday September 14, 2009 before school.  

David Beckham's anger fuels LA Galaxy draw against Toronto FC

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

Outside of the Toronto Rock this match was the closest thing to a play-off game that Toronto has experienced in a long time.

Close to 48,000 loud fans and one goof were treated to a fun and fast paced CONCACAF Champion's League quarter-final, the next leg will be in LA next week.

Fans are piped over to the Stadium from the Real Sports Bar by the Highland Creek Pipes and Drums as Toronto FC play Los Angeles Galaxy in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions league quarter-final at Rogers Centre in Toronto.  March 7, 2012.

Carlos Osorio Favourites from 2011

Carlos Osorio - Staff Photographer                                                                                                             @carlososorio

 

A model wears a creation from the Mélissa Nepton show during Toronto Fashion Week on October 20, 2011. 

Richard Lautens 2011

Richard Lautens - Staff Photohrapher

Rachel Heap-Lalonde looks on as Alice Heap sleeps and Dan Heap gets ready to get into bed. The sad housing situation of former Spadina MP Dan Heap and his wife, Alice who have no secure residence and are sick. They rely on family to camp out in their room at night to help them. October 12, 2011.

Steve Russell's 2011 favourites

 Steve Russell -Staff Photographer                                                                                                            @RussellPhotos 

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.  October 1, 2011.

2011 with Rene Johnston

Rene Johnston - Staff Photographer

This was a sad year for this photographer. 

Jack Layton's passing was especially bad because he had been one of the constant stories at The Star since I started. 

He was a city councillor riding his bike and I was a young hack learning how to run cameras. 

Then he ran federally for the NDP lead I was there with Linda Diebel. 

When he tried to take down the government with Dion and Duceppe I went to Ottawa. 

But. most of all,  when he walked out on the day he admitted to big time cancer at a downtown hotel just months ago I knew a friend was leaving us.

Rest in Peace Jack,

                                Rene Johnston

 Jack Layton announces that he has cancer elsewhere in his body and will be stepping down from his post as the NDP leader. July 25, 2011.

Vince Talotta's Year

Vince Talotta - Staff Photographer

Toronto Blue Jays Jose Bautista off the field as part of a series of Jay profiles on May 30 2011. 

 

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.

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