Martin Parr, USA, New York City, 2001. © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

The Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival runs through May 31st in Toronto, Canada. The festival includes exhibitions and public installations from Sebastião Salgado, Erik Kessels, Martin Parr, Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, and Arnold Magg. In addition to these shows, galleries, museums, and other venues will participate in the festival by hosting exhibitions registered and promoted as part of the festival.

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© Finn O'Hara

Photographer and director Finn O’Hara is based in Toronto. O’Hara says, “Smokers just can’t seem to catch a break anymore. Over the past ten years, Toronto smokers have gone from smoking at the bar, to being forced into city alleyways. This cover shot, for Toronto’s The Grid, accompanied a confessional tale of the stigmas faced by smokers every day in Toronto, and what it takes to finally kick the habit. To illustrate the commitment of a winter smoker, we enlisted a hardened smoker and slapped them with a fictitious sub-zero blizzard.”

See a behind-the-scenes video of the shoot.

© Finn O’Hara

Pictured above is a film still from CHOP, a series of short films celebrating the collision between a Best Made Company axe and wood. It was shot with a Phantom HD Gold, and a series of ARRI Master prime lenses, at 1000 fps. Directed and shot by Finn O’Hara, a portrait and landscape photographer, who is based in Toronto, Canada, and London, England, the video emphasizes the impact of the blade through slow motion and dramatic audio.

Filmed at Sugino Studios, April 20th, 2010. Finished by Colr At Topix , Toronto, Canada. Edited by Bijou Editorial, Toronto, Canada. The music is by Nico Muhly. The series is being released next month at www.bestmadeco.com.

See more of Finn O’Hara’s work here.