Over the past several weeks, our Photographer of the Week feature has focused on the documentary style photography that dominates the Projects & Construction section of our increasingly popular Forum. While shots of our growing city’s highrises and infrastructure is our bread and butter here at UrbanToronto, the stunning photography of streetscapes and urban life found in our City Photos & Videos section help to give us all a better appreciation of life in this great metropolis. As one of the most talented photographers contributing to the UT Forum, “krooj” was an easy choice for UrbanToronto Photographer of the Week.

Shayne Dark's 'Double Vision' in front of X Condominium, image by Michael Kuredjian

krooj, known beyond the Forum as Michael Kuredjian, joined our Forum just over a year ago, but has been shooting for more than a decade. Developing an interest in the art during high school, Michael dabbled in black and white prints before putting the hobby on the back burner at the onset of university life and well into his early career.  

Pedestrian walkway during Nuit Blanche 2013, image by Michael Kuredjian

With a recent rekindled interest in photography, Michael is now revisiting the art form and luckily for us, he regularly shares his evocative images in the “Post Your Pictures of Toronto Here!” thread.

George Street Diner, image by Michael Kuredjian

While many of Michael’s photos highlight the clean reputation our city is known for, it is his imagery of Toronto’s less postcard-worthy streetscapes which allow us to see the hidden beauty in the often rough-around-the-edges look which best represents Toronto.

Parliament and Gerrard, image by Michael Kuredjian

Tear-off strip advertisements, image by Michael Kuredjian

A well-taken photograph has the ability to capture a moment and evoke emotions in the viewer, and in a big chaotic city, somber moments do happen.

Police tape, image by Michael Kuredjian

No photographer can be defined by their gear, but for anyone involved in photography, gear plays a major role in how they approach a potential shot. Michael, like many photographers, has recently switched from a heavy Nikon D800 DSLR to two mirrorless systems; a Fuji X-Pro1 and a Leica M-240. With plans to revisit film formats in the near future, we look forward to seeing more work from Michael.

A pedestrian on a bench in front of a former No-Frills supermarket, image by Michael Kuredjian

To see more of Michael’s photography, check out his Flickr photostream, linked here.

We will return next week to feature another photographer from our Forum. Think you've got what it takes? Grab a camera or mobile device and get to work, then post your content in the Forum, and you just may find yourself featured in next week’s article!