At the Casa Loma

IMG_4490, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

The Casa Loma was built as the private residence of a very rich man, Sir Henry Pellatt. Ever famously derided as a 'five legged elephant', deserving to be 'stuffed and mounted' to remind people of its monstrosity, and considered a blight to the local landscape for its romantic notions of castle-hood, with its crenellated walls, high spires, and commanding location on a hill, it is now owned by the city of Toronto, and run by the Kiwanis club. As you can see, the grounds that are open the public are impossibly large to maintain; this photo was taken inside one of the spires, where the raw brickwork was probably deemed by the vandals as more spots to leave their mark.

Well, whatever. A pretty picture of Serene. And I'm quite glad how this picture turned out, because it would have been close to impossible to make with lesser gear. Just in case you were wondering: there was no window to her right, and the ambient light is actually as dark as the background behind her. Flash was bounced off the wall on her right, made of brick, so the reflected light had a reddish cast, warming the tones in the picture.