Attended this years Pride Parade, there were alot of people, AFAIK this is one of the largest revenue generating events for Toronto.

My buddy, being the lazy ass that he is, overslept, so we got there about an hour late, it was impossible to get primo photo spots so we made due by mingling in the crowd.

for those less... "open", this parade is more than just about the homosexual community, there were many floats dedicated to simply being open and diverse, and many people that came to just watch the parade also dressed up and relaxed, overall it was a very bright sunny fun filled day, i enjoyed it.


a couple of caveats, as i found out in the morning my monitor was mis calibrated, so the images are brighter/flatter than what i intended them to be.

also, when i got there, after the first 40 pictures i realized that i wont have the memory for 14 megabyte RAW's, so i switched to JPEG, the only problem is that i use B/W for my previews (easier to judge sharpness), but i forgot to put it back into colour mode when i switched it into JPEG! (silly me) So the whole series is black and white, which actualy isnt too bad since i like B/W better...

anyway the full gallery can be found here:

Zenfolio | Serge Guschin | Pride 2008!



here are some of the highlights,

my friends expression when we got out of the subway...





sheer volume of people








people finding viewing space anywhere they can:







all of the law enforcement agencies (including the army) made an appearence, they got a big round of cheers and applause,

in this picture, i have no idea why only the one male cop is in focus...






its okay to go topless on this day! I think many people "let loose" when they otherwise wouldnt have,






and then you have the unexplainable,

[irish_spring]

Nice series - I think the one of the cop came out quite nicely. THe fact he is in focus while all around him is blurred is a very nice effect.

[Gooshin]

the one thing that i did not get a chance to photograph, because i had the telephoto on me , was this transvestite guy

dude was about 6 foot tall, built, with huge fake tits, fully naked with the exception of like this gurdle/belt thing

and he was rolling around in one of those acrobat metal round things where you spread your arms and legs sort of like this:



and you roll around in it... anyway it was jokes but no pics , and by the time we got our lenses on the dude rolled.. away somewhere and the crowd swept us up.

[irish_spring]

the one thing that i did not get a chance to photograph, because i had the telephoto on me , was this transvestite guy

dude was about 6 foot tall, built, with huge fake tits, fully naked with the exception of like this gurdle/belt thing

and he was rolling around in one of those acrobat metal round things where you spread your arms and legs sort of like this:



and you roll around in it... anyway it was jokes but no pics , and by the time we got our lenses on the dude rolled.. away somewhere and the crowd swept us up.

Funny.
It reminded me of this guy from the Sydney parade that I saw in February.

[séamuis]

nice set of B&W's I really like #5.

[JCSullivan]

I suppose the origins of the TO Pride Parade was back in the 70s when transvestites traveled between College and Bloor streets on Yonge, in full drag. But, MY question remains is, "Why do people go to Pride these days?"

1. Is it because they wish they were "out"
2. Is it to laugh at or with, people taking part?
3. Is it because it is the "in" thing to do?
4. Is it because they're gay and proud?

An "all the above" answer doesn't count.

Is there any other reason why businesses sponsor Pride other than the fact that the G$ has plenty of buying power?

Is Pride anything other than a Huge Drag show?

[Gooshin]

I suppose the origins of the TO Pride Parade was back in the 70s when transvestites traveled between College and Bloor streets on Yonge, in full drag. But, MY question remains is, "Why do people go to Pride these days?"

1. Is it because they wish they were "out"
2. Is it to laugh at or with, people taking part?
3. Is it because it is the "in" thing to do?
4. Is it because they're gay and proud?

An "all the above" answer doesn't count.

Is there any other reason why businesses sponsor Pride other than the fact that the G$ has plenty of buying power?

Is Pride anything other than a Huge Drag show?

the parade covers the city in a blanket of jovial carte blanche, its also different, and it bridges the gaps between everyone, race or creed, it doesnt matter.

"all of the above" does not apply, you are correct, everyone there is for different reasons. Some are there to show off, either by explicit ways (like walking around in their underwear) or more sublte (like the punk/goth crowd which made quite a alrge appearence). I was not ready this year but next year i might dress up a bit more extravegant than this year, altho i did don a straw hat and a tight t-shirt that says "I'm Huge in Japan" on it with a stick figure man breaking down sky scrappers.

Me and my friend were there to down a lot of beer and to take photographs of all the crazy stuff that was going on. While i am as straight as a pole, Toronto over the years has most definetly tought me to be more open, and attending this parade was just the next step. It was definetly an interesting show to watch.

plus, in addition to all the drag's and speedo clad men, there were many attractive women walking the streets, tons of eye candy for everyone!

[Gooshin]

ohh and BTW these were all taken with my newly aquired (and much loved) K20D, and an assortment of 3 lenses, the Sigma 10-20, FA43 Limited, and a 40$ 80-200 F4.5 Tokina.

[ftpaddict]

The last one is definitely the money shot!

[Gooshin]

The last one is definitely the money shot!

atleast he has something on,

aside from that barrel spinning tranny, there was a whole group of middle aged men stark naked (with the exception of tiny wallet pouches) with huge metal cock and ball rings, WHY OHH WHY i dont know, but something inside of me told me not to take a picture of it.

[devs66]

the one thing that i did not get a chance to photograph, because i had the telephoto on me , was this transvestite guy

dude was about 6 foot tall, built, with huge fake tits, fully naked with the exception of like this gurdle/belt thing

and he was rolling around in one of those acrobat metal round things where you spread your arms and legs sort of like this:



and you roll around in it... anyway it was jokes but no pics , and by the time we got our lenses on the dude rolled.. away somewhere and the crowd swept us up.

I assume you mean this Trans?

These are from my K200D with the 18-55mm II - Sorry no PP, just a real hurried job of resize - sorry!

I still have to go back and sort a few good shots to post - but this is just a reply to Gooshin.

[Gooshin]

HAHAAH!! Right on!

[devs66]

I suppose the origins of the TO Pride Parade was back in the 70s when transvestites traveled between College and Bloor streets on Yonge, in full drag. But, MY question remains is, "Why do people go to Pride these days?"

1. Is it because they wish they were "out"
2. Is it to laugh at or with, people taking part?
3. Is it because it is the "in" thing to do?
4. Is it because they're gay and proud?

An "all the above" answer doesn't count.

Is there any other reason why businesses sponsor Pride other than the fact that the G$ has plenty of buying power?

Is Pride anything other than a Huge Drag show?

I can’t answer for anyone else, for myself – It is sexy, and fun, it opens the mind, and most of the people that go are open minded. It is a place of free love (Not SEX!) Love!

If you say hello to someone, they say it back, if you bump into someone in the crowd you both say, “Excuse me, I’m sorry.” Only the intolerant are unwelcome, and thankfully not many of those show up. It is a chance to understand others and yourself.

Why does big business toss there hat in – simple GREED, over 1 million people to target your product to in one small place.

DEVS

I suppose the origins of the TO Pride Parade was back in the 70s when transvestites traveled between College and Bloor streets on Yonge, in full drag. But, MY question remains is, "Why do people go to Pride these days?"

1. Is it because they wish they were "out"
2. Is it to laugh at or with, people taking part?
3. Is it because it is the "in" thing to do?
4. Is it because they're gay and proud?

An "all the above" answer doesn't count.

Is there any other reason why businesses sponsor Pride other than the fact that the G$ has plenty of buying power?

Is Pride anything other than a Huge Drag show?

JC, it's about Pride in who they are and being able to BE who they are. That now also extends to a lot of the 'straight' people who go to these parades. People are so much happier when they can be themselves.

Serge, nice photographic record of the event, thanks for posting.
Gary