Toronto editorial photographer

Much of what I photograph doesn't lend itself to being in a slideshow. Business headshots, conference photography, public relations pictures and real estate photos are rarely interesting in a picture gallery. But some editorial assignments produce images that do work well in a slideshow.

On July 6, 2012, sixty-eight-year-old Canadian funambulist Jay Cochrane made his first in a series of daily walks between the two highest buildings in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Cochrane intended to repeat this high-wire performance on each of the following 80 days.

Walk along with Cochrane as he does this July 6 event. Near the end of that video, I'm the photographer in the white shirt, second from the right, on the hotel rooftop. I was covering this event for a wire service (no pun intended) and several of my photos were published around the world.

Cochrane's high-wire walk was amazing to watch especially from my vantage point on the roof of the Hilton Hotel.

Three things surprised me:

(1) The very steep drop of the cable from the 521-foot-high roof of the Skylon Tower and the quick rise up to the topmost point of the 53-storey Hilton Hotel.

(2) How fast Cochrane made the crossing.

(3) How calm and nonchalant he seemed.

After completing his walk, I rode down the hotel elevator with Cochrane. He was asked if it was a good day at the office for him.

It was a great day at the office for me, Cochrane replied. In my line of work, I can't afford to have a bad day.

Three weeks earlier, US high-wire artist Nik Wallenda walked across the nearby Horseshoe Falls, a stunt that Canadian authorities once promised to Cochrane. Wallenda received worldwide attention. Yet each of Cochrane's daily walks was higher, longer and more dangerous than Wallenda's crossing.

When asked for his thoughts about his dream Niagara Falls crossing being given to Wallenda, Cochrane was very gracious and had nothing but praise for Wallenda.

Sadly in October 2013, just months shy of his retirement, Jay Cochrane passed away after a battle with cancer.