They look like a bunch of characters out of a cartoon! Great shot

What is it with shopping trollys/carts and photographers????
I think its one of those things that everyone has in their archives, or will have at somepoint

I like the fire hydrant

strange love :)

Nice picture, I like the fact that we find the same color on the both subject. This picture really make me think of the urban life. Little comment, I think there is too many empty space on the top of the picture

Yep, that's Toronto all right. We used to live in the Carlton-Parliament area (Ontario St). God, it was awful.

Great everyday photo!!

nice and yellow !
not crazy about the composition though.
-david

They make a lovely couple.

Cool shot Sam. I thought for a moment that the shopping cart was chained to the fire hydrant!

If there's anything that makes me love Toronto, it's your site. Seeing it through your eyes (or your camera(s)), makes it look so beautiful.

Hi Sam,

I've been enjoying your shots for a while now, thank you. Just wanted to share with you that you might want to bike by the Martin Goodman Trail West of Parkside Drive (about 1 or 2 km east of the Humber Bridge) you would find a series of man made stone structures (basically stones piled on top of each other like little people), made by passerby's. It has an interesting contrast to the water, the bikers and bladers and I've already seen several people photograph it. I would love to see your angle / perspective on it. Cheers and keep up the wonderful work.

Maybe you've photographed everything in Toronto that's worth looking at.

You've lost me with this one. Junk!

hmm, looks like someone's preparing for the streetwar that's brewing. getting a jumpstart by setting up roadblocks. smart planning. i'm gonna go set up my roadblock.

desaaaaaiiiiiinnn!

Such a wonderful use of patterns and colors. A great photo to admire.

They look like good friends. Lomo this!

very nice! :)
so natural

Strange and unusual... but good.
I like the vertical lines.

so human; so inhuman.

I have to say I'm puzzled with the praise of this photo...I think your profile is so great that constructive criticism is proving hard to come by! This is an example of Hollywoodesque fawning - an overwhelming presumption of quality in your work. You're human, but this is is not what I think is quality subject matter, plain and simple.

Anyone could take this photo and it isn't inspiring or thought provoking.

If you felt the slightest disappointment in posting a shot like this (I don't know..because you had nothing better to offer for the day)I can imagine your embarrassment at such non-specific praise.

You're work is often full of quality and inspiration, but when you miss the mark, don't you want people to say so?

Take djn1 for example (another high profile photoblogger), he would admit dissappointment in posting work that falls short of his high standards, but will always explain his intentions in taking the shot nevertheless. I can't come up with any reasons for such a composition.

Am I taking the wrong stance though? Perhaps there is hidden genius in this shot that I'm missing. Eye-of-the-beholder stuff. Hang on...that looks like a cigarette butt at the base of the hydrant...and it's yellow!!!!!! Wow!

I stand corrected.

Greyhound! I recognized that wall and hydrant as soon as I saw it. Funny how things like that stick in your head.

In response to the two commenters who find this foto difficult to appreciate - let me say this: Photoblogging is generally not about taking pictures that look like postcards, but about capturing the imagination of what is around us every day - the common, the ordinary.

In this foto you have an ordinary scene made extraordinarily interesting, in my opinion, for the following reasons (there are probably more but I am limited in my creativity to see each and every one):

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1) The most striking feature of this foto is the differences in tones. The sidewalk and wall have some kind of desaturated looking element (as does the cart) but the firehydrant is made to stand out among them with its vibrant yellow and black.

2) The graduating tones in the wall itself. It is not just a wall, it has a variation of tones making it appear weathered and worn; it is full of texture and character.

3) The differences in the yellows. If this were a green cart and a yellow hydrant, it would be less interesting. But here are two similar colors, forcing your eye to see the contrasts, and making the differences between the two interesting and pleasing.

4) The composition. A snapshot would feature the hydrant and cart, but that mistake was not made here. Here, the main subjects are accentuated by their positioning in the entire frame. My eye is drawn to them. Also, the fact that I scroll down to discover the subject and the elements mentioned above make this so much the more interesting.

Finally, art is subjective. If someone doesn't get it, very likely it isn't a defect in the art, but the inability to appreciate it. This is why I'd rather receive an email if someone sees a technical flaw in my fotos that can be corrected (i.e. shadow clipping from a curves adjustment) vs. telling me they don't see what I or others see.

ahh they're friends :)

This photo screams Civilization. These shopping carts cost hundreds of dollars and people take them from the store site and ruin them. I also think of the all the food which was hauled and of all the wonderful meals families enjoyed. People who dont drive usually push these carts. Some homeless people "own" carts like this one. The hydrant makes me think of the brave men who protect us and of those who die in the attempt. Awesome composition. All your pictures have stories to tell.