In the reception area of the Mayor's office there is a big wall dedicated to newspaper editorial cartoons featuring Rob & Doug Ford. The ones from the tabloids are reverential while the ones from the left-learning papers poke fun at his weight and his policies. Good, I thought, the Mayor has a sense of humor.

And he did - the Mayor was quite relaxed considering there was an entire photo studio set up in his waiting room. We talked Etobicoke living and swapped business cards (sans the Brett Easton Ellis undertones) and I have kept that card in my wallet for the last few months. Not as a souvenir, but because Rob Ford is the kind of Mayor you could call up any day of the week and get some things sorted out in your neighbourhood. Potholes, garbage collection times, dangerous overhanging tree branches. I can see why he got elected. Populism one-on-one is a pretty remarkable thing.

Photo Editor: Daniel Neuhaus

Things I learned while shooting some of this country's most successful investors, all first hand of course:

"A monkey throwing darts can pick stocks as good as anyone."

"If someone tells you they know how the market is going to trend, they are a liar."

"Investing has nothing to do with numbers, it's psychology."

I also learned that Hank Paulson is apparently an a-hole, and the head of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, almost single-handedly brought about the 2008 financial crisis and should be in jail. 

Thanks to Clare Jordan and Domenic Macri for the excellent assignment.

Styling: Eshun Mott

Props: Martine Blackhurst

Art Direction, Beer and Pastries: Colleen Nicholson

With the wonderfully talented Christopher St. Onge.

Martine Blackhurst props.

Some days are far weirder than others. Shortly after our Canadian Thanksgiving celebration back in October, I came face to face with this ornery red head. Very few people like having their picture taken, and turkeys are no exception. Maybe it was the studio surroundings, or the long drive from the farm. Maybe he sensed that only a few short days before I had brined, stuffed and roasted to perfection one of his distant relatives.

Guessing the inner monologue of a turkey is a fool's task, but it is safe to say this 35-pound beast was not down with sitting still. No amount of being chased around the studio was going to tire him out.You can bribe kids with high-fructose promises. You can melt the vain by complementing their clothes. You can even bait and switch the tightest intellectual mind by talking about their collection of old German cars. But with turkeys, all you can do is wait, cross your fingers, and press the shutter.

Part I: Chefs

I had the pleasure of photographing a few of Toronto's more intriguing chefs for this year's Eating & Drinking Guide. A very interesting group of people doing some great work in the kitchen. Some of these ran in the issue, and some are outtakes.

Hemant Bhagwani

Amaya

Devin Connell

Delica Kitchen

David Neinsten

Barque Smokehouse

Dustin Gallagher

Grace

Anthony Rose

The Drake

Last June, I travelled to Jamaica to photograph a story for enRoute's annual food issue. I met writer Adam Gollner and his lovely girlfriend Natasha at the airport, and for the next six days we ate our way across the north coast of the island, looking for authentic Jamaican road food. And we found it, from jerk chicken push carts, to Mama's homemade fish tea to backyard patties cooked over the fire. Adam does a much better job describing the trip, you can read it here.

I'm happy to announce that my film 75 Watts, about drummer Matt Giordano, is an official selection for this year's New Orleans Film Festival. After winning Best Documentary at Palm Springs and not being in attendance (which mortified both me and my Mom) I'm happy to say editor Paul Proulx and I will be going down for the screening. If you happen to be in town, come join us!

Friday October 15th, 4:00pm

Prytania Theatre

5339 Prytania Street

A shoot from this past weekend's Globe and Mail style section. A modern take on Thanksgiving dinner.

Recipes: Heather Shaw

Props: Martine Blackhurst