Visiting Fleurs de Villes in Yorkville with the Old Sony A200

Some days, being a photographer in Toronto isn’t about chasing breaking news or wandering down back alleys looking for stories. Some days, it’s about slowing down, dusting off an old camera, and letting yourself be surprised. That’s exactly what I did when I grabbed my trusty old Sony A200, the first DSLR I ever truly learned photography on, and headed up to Yorkville to see this year’s Fleurs de Villes display.

Now, the A200 isn’t fancy. It doesn’t have eye-tracking auto focus, it doesn’t shoot 4K video, and you definitely don’t want to push the ISO past 400 unless you're feeling brave. But that camera still has soul. There’s something about that early Sony CCD sensor that gives you colours with just a little extra warmth—like shooting on film but without the cost of a roll.

And something special happened on this walk:

I hit the 9,999th photo on my A200.

The old workhorse rolled over to 0001 again, just like an old car odometer starting fresh. I laughed to myself—only Bob would be wandering Yorkville photographing floral mannequins at the exact moment his first serious camera decided to restart its photo counter. It felt like the A200 was saying, “Let’s keep going, Bob. We’re not done yet.”

As soon as I turned the corner onto Bloor Street, I knew bringing the A200 was the right choice. Yorkville had transformed into a little winter fairy tale. Life-sized mannequins stood along the sidewalk and inside the shopping arcades, each covered in fresh greenery, flowers, berries, feathers, and handmade details. Every one looked like a character from a winter fantasy movie—part botanical sculpture, part couture fashion.

The A200 slowed me down in the best way. Instead of relying on burst mode or fast AF, I took my time framing each mannequin:

A forest queen crowned with pine cones and cedar branches.

A countryside figure carrying wooden buckets filled with tiny white blooms.

A ballerina dressed in red berries with wool swans swirling around her like a floral “Swan Lake.”

A winter cloak built entirely of moss, cotton, and roses.

A garden witch with wreaths and feathers swirling around her hat.

A mannequin standing inside a red telephone booth, wearing a skirt made of hundreds of cream-coloured roses.

And my favourite—one draped in the colours of France, using flowers and greenery like fabric.

The A200 captured every texture beautifully: the shine of wet cedar, the matte softness of wool, the shimmer of sequined hats, and those pops of red berries standing out against the grey Toronto winter. It reminded me that gear doesn’t make the photo—curiosity does. Sometimes picking up an older camera brings back the joy of simply seeing.

Walking back toward Bay Street, I thought about how photography, at its core, is just an excuse to go places you wouldn’t normally go. And that little A200—almost 20 years old now—still takes me places. Hitting that 9,999th photo felt like a milestone and a reset all in one.

Here’s to old cameras, winter walks, and artists who turn flowers into stories.