End of a Decade

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Tony

Mercer Street – SoHo, Manhattan

With this year-end post, we approach the end of another decade. I was in New York City this past summer and it was easy to be transported to its former era. Some places seem to stand still in time forever.

Rocco’s Restaurant – Flat Iron District, Manhattan

The Flatiron Building – Flatiron District, Manhattan

Schnippers – Madison Ave & E 23rd Street – Flatiron District, Manhattan

The Stumble Inn – Upper East Side, Manhattan

Forty Floors, Five Hours, One Window

I finished off the fall with some more construction photography for one of my favourite client’s website portfolio. His company installs and repairs windows on hi-rise buildings. This is one job that requires the utmost attention and no fear of heights. The views from these rooftops, rarely seen before, are some of the newest in the city.

The Concourse Building now the Ernst and Young Tower – Toronto

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2019 – PorTALES

Also this fall, I was asked to produce an installation for Forno Cultura’s newest location on Queen Street West in downtown Toronto. So I called upon my artist friends and we created a light and sound installation which was well received by all. PorTALES was an immersive installation that employed coloured lights to engage with the custom designed audio and the audience.

Make-A-Wish® Rope for Hope Toronto 2019

Posted on June 21, 2019 by Tony

This month I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer for the Make-A-Wish^® Rope for Hope, here in Toronto. This is a unique challenge event that calls on participants to raise pledges in exchange for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to rappel down the edge of a high-profile building. We did it on the east tower of Toronto’s City Hall, a height of 350 feet or 107 metres. All money raised by Make-A-Wish Rope for Hope rappellers goes to granting the wishes of children with critical illnesses in each respective local market. Going over the edge and capturing the participants’ expressions was priceless. I hope the kids get the same expressions of joy from their wishes coming true!

Cranes, Cars, and Celebrities: Another Update

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Tony

It seems 2018 was the year of user agreement updates and privacy issues. I can assure you that your privacy is safe here following current GDPR standards. You can click here to unsubscribe from this newsletter. My only update is about the work I have been doing over the past few months.

The construction has not slowed down in my home city of Toronto and has continued to uncover some hidden gems from the past. After 68 years in business, the city landmark Honest Ed’s discount store closed for business and was torn down to make way for what else, more condominiums.

The former site of Honest Ed’s discount store at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst Streets

I photographed some current and finished construction projects for a client who’s company installs windows and exteriors for these new structures. The work is pretty amazing to watch and capture.

In April, I installed this one of a kind enlargement print from my Cranes in the City exhibit. Much thanks to my friend Arica Bryan from Centum Regal Financial Corp. for giving it a home in her new office reception area.

Arica Bryan of Centum Regal Financial Corp.

In July, I was shooting some sports cars for a private track day at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga Ontario. It was perfect weather for these machines to perform at their best.

I returned to the track again in September to photograph the Porsche Track Experience at the Canadian Tire Motorosport Park at Mosport.

My crane coverage continued as I followed up with my friend George Petrantonakis the crane operator, who allows me to capture these great images of our city as it transforms before our eyes.

In July I photographed this business portrait for the Smith School of Business at Queens University.

I had the pleasure to photograph actress Monica Bellucci who was in town for the TIFF premiere of her new film Nekrotronic, at the Toronto restaurant Bacchanal.

Monica Bellucci and Chef Luke Donato of Bacchanal

There was a surprise visitor at this year’s Roncesvalles Polish Festival, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau at the Roncessvales Polish Festival

I managed to get some more friends in front of my lens to capture some portraits.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in order to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause. I donate my time every year photographing the Booby Ball put on by Rethink Breast Cancer. Every year is a new fun-filled theme and this year’s was the Wild West.

Keeping on the topic of updates, I had a chance to try out the latest technology update in digital photography, mirroless cameras. The new Canon EOS-R camera is the first mirrorless camera released by Canon. It shoots silently since there is no mirror on the shutter, which makes me miss that ever familiar click sound so familiar in photography. Needless to say the image quality has improved.

Cranes in the Winter City

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Tony

As a follow up to my recent story Cranes in the City, I wanted to see what the work is like in the winter season. Toronto is notorious for having drastic temperature drops and unseasonal highs. This makes construction in the city challenging although it never seems to stop. The day I went up was a typical bitterly cold day during the first week of February, and the temperature up top was severely colder. Factor in the high winds for a pretty chilled workplace.

Cranes in the City

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Tony

The landscape of downtown Toronto is changing at a rapid pace. For the past few years, (and many more years to come), a significant contribution to this growing change has been the presence of high rise cranes. They are building some of the tallest structures the city has ever seen. If you are in the core you can see one almost anywhere you look. As a Toronto native, watching the city transform before my eyes, I was inspired to talk to the people who build these incredible towers; specifically, high rise crane operators and concrete workers. With interviews of company officials that provide insight on the monumental construction process itself, I wanted to capture the stories of the people who create this extraordinary work, through photos and videos.

I will be displaying the results in a photography exhibition with some breath-taking views of the city of Toronto, from the vantage point of a crane operator. An opening reception will take place on Thursday, November 9th, 2017 from 6 to 9pm. The pop-up gallery will be open to the public through November 11th. The pop-up will feature a unique collection of large-scale prints on various formats. The goal is to help guests appreciate the scope of this work and to experience the views in a large format, as close as possible to real life. The photos and video installations will present an interactive curatorial component in the exhibition room. To attend please contact me at info@tonycicero.com.

Tower Automotive Building – One of Toronto’s first skyscrapers

The fascination for me was the new views of the city from vantage points previously unattainable, unless you were a bird or in a helicopter. So up the ladder I climbed…