Photo of the Week 2016-05-09

It's been a year of reflection and much has changed since Mother's Day last year. Approaching the anniversary of my mom's passing, I often find myself deep in thought, reflecting on the journey that has brought me to here and now. There are a number of triggers that send me off again ...

... like when a cousin recently asked if I would go through my family photos to see if there were any of my aunt to use for a slide show at the celebration of life service they had planned. Every time I go back into the albums and envelopes I'm in for an adventure. This time, I found a small B&W photo of my mother holding me in her arms. I couldn't have been taken very long after I came home from the hospital for the first time. Finding this is what moved me to go and visit the Riverdale area of Toronto last week. To the area where mom and dad lived when I was born (last week's Photo of the Week was a result of that trip) ...

... I also knew that with Mother's Day coming up, I had to scan and post the image in memory of her. Once I began cleaning up the file from the scan, I noticed the back of a chair over her right shoulder, there was something familiar about that chair ... I'm not sure how, from such a small section of it, but I recognized it as one I kept when mom moved out of the house ... an idea for an image began to form. I had the thought of incorporating the chair as a link between a photo made now and the original B&W. It was a little more challenging that I had first expected and didn't work out exactly as I had planned, but it sure was an interesting exercise.

 Here is the result.

then and now

... the original B&W
















DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-05-02

... wandering along streets in a neighbourhood of which I have no early memories. I was just a year old when my parents moved from this area and the first home I ever had. The house was a 'semi' on Hunter St. in the are of Toronto now known as Riverdale. There are no first hand recollections for me, I was too young. There are only fragments, recalled from stories told and conversations heard over the years ... to which, I now wish I had paid more attention.

A lot of years ago I visited this area with Dad when we were on our way to a downtown camera store. There are some memories of the conversation as we passed through his old neighbourhood ... not enough to satisfy the curiosity that now brews inside. Riverdale Ave., Hunter St. Withrow ... the Park, the school, Labatt Ave ... I'm trying to remember and pull together pieces of family history to go with photos that lay scattered about on my framing table. Whenever I bring out the boxes of albums and envelopes filled with pics in all sizes, of places, people and times gone by, the curiosity is stoked, as it was again recently.

So I set out one morning, in search of the past ... in a place I had little part in, but is very much a part of me ... hoping for for something, a feeling, perhaps a sense of connection and the intent to photograph what spoke to me.

back (to the) alley

I made this image of the lane behind 30 Hunter St., and imagine that my father drove my mother and I home from the hospital, down this lane, as I came home for the first time.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-04-25

Sunsets come in many different varieties. Each one has it's own character, unique colour palette and it's own mood. Some are bold and brash. They blaze into existence demanding your attention, daring you to ignore them. Some go completely hidden behind thick layers of cloud or obscured by heavy weather. They come and go without so much as a word, saving their splendour for another time. Those that are shy try to slip by unnoticed, blushing with embarrassment when they catch your eye.

A couple of times this weekend, I found myself standing, looking at a familiar scene, taking in all that I could and wondering how to make an image that would convey what I was feeling. Saturday evening was one of those times when, after dinner, I wandered down to waters edge, making my way over the now partially submerged rock to catch one of those shy sunsets that almost slipped past.

descending blue

'Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn.'   -  Ralph Waldo Emerson

DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-04-18

Photographically Speaking ... it was a busy weekend.

The Latow Photographers Guild held their annual seminar April 17 & 18 in Burlington. This year it was:

“PHOTOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING” — A DAY OF INSPIRATION AND INSTRUCTION WITH DAVID DUCHEMIN

I have been following David somewhat regularly for several years, since around the time he released his first book, Within The Frame. Though I have heard him online, this was the first time I have seen him speak live and had the opportunity to talk to him in person.

Photographically Speaking - David duChemin

The weekend consisted of a full day seminar on Saturday with 3 mini-seminars on Sunday for a full weekend of discussion around Light, Line and Moment (yes, I got the message David). I took in the complete package and despite chairs that were designed to torture your butt and back, I stayed glued to my seat the whole time.

David is an enthusiastic speaker focused on the creative process of making photographic images and eschews the preoccupation with gear so prevalent in photographic discussions today. I'll refrain from trying to provide a synopsis of his photographic beliefs and approach, do yourself a favour and look him up online or just click this link and start there.

For the final session of the weekend, David talked about "The Visual Imagination". This was the 'abstract - impressionistic' session of the bunch. I have so many quotes written down to remind me of all the good discussion and suggestions from the weekend, but one from the final session will stick with me for a while ... concerning abstract / impressionistic art ...

"It's not meant to be got. It's meant to be felt."

                                                  - David duChemin -

From my own body of work, here (again) is an image from Venice, one that I spent considerable time post processing, working on a technique ... for me it just has the right feel.

portal through time

DJE

 

Photo of the Week 2016-04-11

Making new images has taken a back seat for the past couple of weeks. Oh the camera has been out and there have been a number of clicks, but there was nothing very purposeful in terms of making new images. I've been busy with some of the every day life stuff like, the day job, getting the car serviced and putting the finishing touches to a home kitchen reno that has come together nicely.

But that doesn't mean I've been completely inactive photographically ... after going to see one of my images licensed by Parks Canada at last week's BPNP Visitors Center Open House, I dropped in to the Upper Deck Gallery and while there, decided to take a different wall space with a bit more room and a corner layout. This means I'll have space for a few more prints on the wall and to set up a table and rack to display cards and unframed prints.

I've also been busy going through the family photo collection looking for pics of my aunt for an upcoming family event. Plus, every April 8th for the past several years, I've posted  something to my personal facebook page in honour of my Grandfather, Ernest James England who was killed on that day 1945 while fighting in Holland. These last two activities came together when searching for photos, I found a clipping of the original newspaper notice of his death and the photos from my father's one and only trip to Holland in 1995 for the 50th Anniversary of the end of WWII. It was during that trip that family members were fortunate enough to connect with historians who knew of my grandfather and the details relating his death.

During the later stages of the war in Northern Holland, my grandfathers reconnaissance regiment (8th Recce. 14th Hussars) was leading the advance of Canadian forces as they approached Holten. He was out on a mission clearing the area of German troops when his bren gun carrier was erroneously targeted by a tank from the Fort Garry Horse Regiment and he was killed instantly by a direct hit. Bits of this had murmured through the family over the years and not only was it confirmed during the trip to Holland, but the family were taken to the spot on a farm lane where it happened.

farm lane - note tree on far left

As I understand, the tree on the far left, with the large scar of missing bark close to the ground, is the exact spot, the tree where what remained of the bren gun carrier remained for some time. This information was obtained from the man who owned the farm back in 1945. In 1995 he still owned the farm and came out to speak with family members through the historians who acted as interpreters.

farm owner (I must get his name)

I hold what remains of my family photos. Passed down to me by my mother, there are mostly ones my father took, some date back to the early 1900's, maybe a bit more. They are treasures. Through them I am reminded to print the everyday stuff from my own photo exploits. Through them I have an extremely powerful piece of family history ...

DJE