Midtown Light

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April 24, 2023 at 12:27 PM - Mid-spring view toward downtown Toronto just after noon: a dark storm shelf cloud sprawls overhead while budding green trees and high-rises sit beneath the dramatic sky
May 16, 2023 at 7:56 AM - Early-morning smoky haze over Midtown Toronto: muted sun on the left, newly leafed trees and clay tennis courts below, city skyline faint on the horizon
June 24, 2023 at 6:39 PM - Early-summer evening panorama: vivid blue sky dotted with towering white cumulus clouds, warm sunlight on lush green canopy, tennis courts, and high-rise apartments
July 18, 2023 at 2:02 PM - Mid-afternoon thunderstorm rolling in: low, charcoal-gray clouds streak across the scene as light rain speckles the lens, contrasting with the green summer foliage and city towers
August 16, 2023 at 12:32 PM - High-summer midday scene: bright sunbeams break through scattered clouds, casting sharp shadows on vibrant green trees and busy orange clay courts beneath the Toronto skyline
November 4, 2023 at 3:22 PM - Late-autumn afternoon: golden leaves and a white tennis dome glow under sun rays streaming through a break in heavy clouds, with downtown Toronto silhouetted in the distance
November 15, 2023 at 6:56 AM - Fiery sunrise over Midtown Toronto: intense bands of pink, orange, and violet sweep the sky, illuminating silhouetted buildings and bare November trees
March 4, 2023 at 8:35 AM - Wide winter panorama of Midtown Toronto at dawn: soft pale sun hangs in a misty sky, every rooftop, street, and tree blanketed in fresh snow, with the distant skyline fading into the haze

An Urban Horizon in Slow Motion

Before tower development transforms Toronto's Midtown, this is what it looked like.

Midtown Light documents one year from a balcony in Davisville Village. The series features 40 panoramic sequences that showcase the neighbourhood's light, weather, and character throughout 2023. Soon, forty-story towers will replace the tennis court and low-rises below. This part of Midtown is about to change forever.

Each panorama was shot handheld in one continuous sweep and edited for consistent perspective. Three panoramas compose each sequence, revealing how the same view transforms over time. Some show light shifting within minutes or hours of a single day. Others track seasonal changes: winter's moods, autumn's progression, and the sun's shift along the horizon.

The series is designed as 30×40″ prints.

Steven Johnson, Toronto
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March 18, 2023 — Winter squall sequence in three frames: weak morning sun through thin cloud, towering fair-weather cumulus over the skyline, then a sudden whiteout burst of blowing snow. April 24, 2023 — Mid-spring storm progression: light rain and low ceiling, a dramatic shelf cloud draped over downtown at mid-day, then broken showers with brighter patches as the front moves through. June 28, 2023 — Wildfire-smoke day: a muted grey morning beneath high haze, a midday plume so thick it nearly erases the skyline, and a soft evening with a faint orange cast as light filters back. July 25, 2023 — Summer storm passing: warm peach light before the rain, a heavy downpour veiling the skyline, then a humid clearing with softened light over wet streets and clay courts. October 6, 2023 — Early-autumn clearing: ragged morning stratocumulus with sunbreaks, mid-morning lines of fair-weather cumulus marching east, then late-morning blue sky with small cotton clouds and crisp light on turning leaves. November 3, 2023 — Halo and high cloud study across the day: thin cirrostratus with a solar halo in the morning, textured mid-level cloud by noon, and a pale afternoon sun behind thin overcast. November 4, 2023 — Late-autumn light drama: heavy sky opening to crepuscular rays over gold leaves, soft overcast in the middle frame, and renewed beams slanting across the city in the final view. November sunrises — Three mornings a week apart: low sun cresting the ravine, layered altostratus igniting at daybreak, and a cool pink-blue dawn later in the month with bare November trees.