Today, March 20th marks the beginning of Spring, which means we are that much closer to summer. After a long and dreadful winter (at least in Ontario) it is easy to start day-dreaming about those hot summer days, where the days are long and the nights are warm. However, when we think of summer our next thought may be traveling, which in most cases involves flying inside an aircraft at 30,000 ft. Whether you like to fly or not, most will agree that there is something majestic about watching an airplane soar through the air.

Just for a moment forget about expensive plane tickets and long waits at security and think about all of the principles  and hard work behind the art of flight; think about all of the countless hours of engineering and research put into each plane and the preparation required prior to each flight to ensure everyone on board has a pleasant experience. The plane hasn't taken off yet and I'm already in awe.

There are moments in our day to day that are better described with a simple picture, a second in time where no words can express the power of what we are witnessing. Whether the picture is being taken in space or in your neighbourhood, the best pictures are those that don't need a caption.

I consider myself lucky for having moved to Toronto and be able to grow up in one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Just like everywhere else in the world it has its ups and downs, but the capital of Ontario provides a healthy mixture of North-American culture with the remaining cultures of the world. If you look closely at the city map you can find just about a little-anything, as half-of Toronto's population of 2.6 million were born outside of Canada. There is something electrifying about this city, from its lively street corners and gypsy-like markets of Kensington to sky scrapers and old-fashioned trams. As a result, there have been numerous occasions where I wished had the camera ready; I guess I was simply enjoying the moment and saving it in my mental camera roll.

On September 7th, 1979 British group The Buggles released their debut single entitled "Video Killed the Radio Star". The hit single was a nostalgic account of a singer's  career cut short by the rise of television as a main stream medium. Over half a century later, television broadcasters are beginning to realize that their dominance may have their days counted. 
However, this trend is also visible in the photography markets, where at the turn of the millennium almost everyone had a point-and-shoot camera but within the last 10 years its market share has begun to quickly fall, where traditional camera usage dropped 12% over 2011.

Using a collection of different images, NASA has been able to piece together a self-portrait  of the Rover Curiosity. The car-like laboratory with a 2.5 billion dollar price tag travelled for 8.5 months and 352 million miles in order to reach Mars. 

The self-portrait shows Mount Sharp in the distance, which is the final destination of the Rover. These high-definition images are released to the public in websites such as Unmanned Space Flight  and enhanced in order to display an earth like colouring. Portraits like the one shown on the left, are used by NASA engineers to track dust accumulation on the vehicle and tire wear. 

It should be noted the picture does not show the arm that connect the camera to the rover; this is because the image is produced using a collection of images stitched together with technology much like the ones that we use on our smartphones to make panoramic photos.