It's time again for our Photo of the Month, where we present the highest rated Photo of the Day selection of the previous 4 weeks, along with the runner up, based on combined Facebook shares and Twitter re-tweets.

Every May, social media is flooded with photos of white and pink hued cherry blossoms blooming in places like High Park and in front of Robarts Library. The compositions, colours, and general qualities of these images are all relatively similar, and photographers can have a difficult time trying to compose an original take on the blooming trees. This is part of what makes May's Photo of the Month so refreshing. Submitted to the UrbanToronto Flickr Pool by Frank Lemire, this infrared image was captured on a modified Nikon D90. A common misconception is that special filters are used to achieve this look, though the reality is more the opposite. In fact, digital SLR cameras contain built in infra-red blocking filters, which when removed, allow the infrared spectrum to pass through to the sensor and create surreal images.

Cherry blossoms in infrared, image by Frank Lemire

Tom Ryaboi's phenomenal shot of Downtown Toronto's skyscrapers emerging from a low cloud layer came in close second. Captured from the 67-storey east tower of Ïce Condominiums, this photo looks like a scene lifted straight from a science-fiction film. 

Skyscrapers piercing the clouds in Downtown Toronto, image by Tom Ryaboi

Special thanks to all of the talented photographers who submitted images over the course of May, and we are looking forward to what you come up with in June!

Want to see your work featured as Photo of the Day? Head over to the City Photos & Videos section of the Forum, or submit your images to the new and improved UrbanToronto Flickr Pool for your chance to be featured on our Front Page!

Did you have another Photo of the Day favourite from May you would have named your Photo of the Month? Let us know in the comments section below.