How Much is that Vespa In the Window? - Toronto, Canada

How Much Is That Vespa in the Window?

May 25, 2012. How Much is that Vespa in the Window? Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

I cannot resist a picture of a classic Vespa.

Evidently, neither can my friends. (Hi Brent and Marsha jumping into the shot in the background...).

Toronto has a nice scooter culture when it isn't a snow factory. This photo was taken in Motoretta, a scooter shop in the Little Italy area that has a lot of classic scooters along with some Stellas. It also has a very nice new official Piaggio Vespa dealership on the west end of Toronto.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Lambretta Mod

Lambretta Mod

October 15, 2011. Lambretta Mod.

A Quadrophenia inspired Mod style Lambretta scooter at the 2011 Orlando Scooter Society Rally.

I switched to commuting almost exclusively by scooter about a year ago. It's very therapeutic, and it is great for getting a feel for neighborhoods that you just don't get in a car.

It sounds strange, but you smell more on a scooter. As you go down the road, you can smell bread baking, chicken frying, burgers on the grill, and which flowers are in season and blooming behind some unseen fence.

My daily ride is this 2007 Vespa GTV 250 purchased used from Vespa of Orlando. As I was purchasing it, a lady whose scooter was in for service said, "It'll put a smile on your face." And it does. More importantly, it puts a smile on other people's faces as you go by and as you pull up next to them at our omnipresent traffic lights.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/4.0. ISO 400. LR 2.

Authorized Personnel

Authorized Personnel

January 24, 2012. Authorized Personnel. A self-portrait.

In case you're wondering, the camera is in the helmet, on a 12-second timer. If you look closely, you can see it.

The two self-portrait shots this week are practice shots for a street photography contest next month featuring self-portraits as the theme.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/4. f/14. ISO 400. LR 2.

Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound

January 24, 2012. Homeward Bound. A self-portrait. Camera on ground, set to 12-second timer, and aimed at a nearby window.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/4. f/8.0. ISO 400. LR 2.

Materialistic Vespa

Materialistic Vespa.

December 16, 2011. Materialistic Vespa. I can't resist a classic Vespa shot, even when it has been relegated to being the window display at a hipster outfitter like Materialistic in Saint Augustine, Florida.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/4.0. ISO 800. LR 2.

Shadow Riders

Shadow Riders

October 15, 2011. Shadows cast by irregular street lighting outside Orlando Brewing during the 2011 Orlando Scooter Society Rally make second shadows of Adam and Dave from Vespa Orlando appear to ride the vintage Vespa 150 parked by the fence.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Long Monday, Followed By a Wet Ride Home

Long Monday, Followed By a Wet Ride Home

September 19, 2011. After working late one Monday at i/oTrak's E-Z Photo Scan division in Altamonte Springs, Florida, I came out to a pouring rainstorm and a very wet but happy Vespa ride home.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/400. f/2.8. ISO 100. LR 2.