Midweek Escape: Bob, the NEX-3, and Monochrome Mischief at James Gardens

 

🕶️ Midweek Escape: Bob, the NEX-3, and Monochrome Mischief at James Gardens

Let’s just say Bob wasn’t technically supposed to be out wandering in the woods on a Wednesday afternoon. But when the sun slipped through a curtain of clouds and whispered, “Pssst… time for a photo walk,” Bob listened. Out came the Sony NEX-3, fitted with a trusty TTArtisan manual lens and a little red + green filter magic, and off he went to James Gardens in Toronto—camera in hand, responsibilities left somewhere between a half-finished to-do list and a forgotten lunch in the fridge.

This wasn’t just any walk. This was Bob's midweek meditation—black and white film simulation on deck, shadows stretching like jazz riffs, and bare trees performing minimalist choreography in the breeze. The red filter deepened the drama, turning clouds into opera singers against the sky. The green filter, on the other hand, whispered subtler tones, bringing delicate contrast to the tangled under story and winding dirt path.

James Gardens was moody perfection. Without the distraction of color, textures told the whole story. Fallen logs became sculpture. A winding path, layered in light and leaf litter, pulled Bob through a quiet tunnel of bare branches. The occasional dog walker passed by, eyes politely curious—is that guy shooting a movie? Not quite. Just Bob, chasing a feeling.

The NEX-3, with all its quirks and limitations, felt like an old friend. Manual focus slowed things down—perfect for a shoot where time didn’t exist. Each click of the shutter sounded like a secret being kept.

By the time Bob returned to civilization (and remembered he left an email half-written), he had his  memory card full of monochrome musings and muddy boots to prove it. Worth it? Every pixel.