Many people have heard me complain about lugging around the large format gear, a heavy tripod, lots of film holders, and all the extra gear that comes with shooting large format. But I keep on shooting it. So many ask why…so in response to Mat’s blog on the subject. And while it’s complaining, it’s nothing compared to when Mat and I drove around the Cleveland Flats in 2013, and he had the massive Sinar P2 8×10 camera. So why do I shoot it? Because the results are outstanding, I find that it disciplines me; I can go out with ten sheets of film and comeRead More →

Man, the trouble is We don’t know who we are instead One of my favourite bands is Jars of Clay, on their fifth studio album; my favourite album cover is “Who We are Instead.” The cover features the band in front of these old silos; I was drawn to this as a fan of abandoned buildings. When a fellow band fan noticed on Facebook that I was passing through Nashville, TN, this past week, and my original planned photo for week 16 was stopped by a paranoid sheriff, she pointed me at the actual silos. Sadly, I realised that the image on the cover isRead More →

With spring here, that means it’s the start of hiking season, and my area of the province has some beautiful trails and conservation areas to enjoy. But the last vestiges of winter are still clinging to the ground. Limehouse Conservation Area is no different; as I set up this shot, I fell into a snow bank; the camera was saved, but I was a little damp on the backside. The little community of Limehouse wouldn’t even be on the map if it wasn’t for these old 19th century lime kilns, and I wouldn’t have known about it if it wasn’t for my friend Jenica mentioningRead More →

So despite the fact I was using an untested film holder that caused light leaks, I’m still pretty happy with this shot! I found this rail line in the rural areas surrounding my town and was immediately drawn to, behind me, an old metal bridge that takes the road above the right-of-way. It reminds me of Cobalt, ON, but without the silver mine. After a long hard cold winter, it’s nice to have some warm weather (I was out in my spring jacket) and some bright blue skies. Always, Always, Always test out your film holders on ‘throw-away’ sheets before putting your expensive Tri-X inRead More →

I figured because it was TLR Tuesday I’d share some photos I took last year in the abandoned Rochester Subway. The subway has always fascinated me since I first visited it back in 2007. But on this particular trip I was armed with my trusty Rolleiflex and a roll of Kodak Panatomic-X. The main draw for the subway is the viaduct over the Erie Canal. This area is covered with some of the best graffiti art I have come across in my explorations. And it’s not just the usual garbage, this work is just that, works of art! It’s also the area with the bestRead More →

Still in Rochester for Week 13 and continuing with the Kodak Love! Again we have the guest camera from Andrew featured here in Week 13! The George Eastman House is now a museum dedicated to preserving the art of photography. Not only can you see the images but also the iconic cameras that created them. The famous photo of US Marine raising the Stars and Strips on Iwo Jima shows the original print at the GEH, and the Speed Graphic used to create the image. You can also tour the home of the man who brought Photography to the people. Sadly I arrived too lateRead More →

You’re probably thinking, what do I mean by Visual Whiplash? It was mentioned in a comment left on one of my recent photos posted to my photostream, where right next to each other is a 4×5 image that’s sharp, crisp, and clear…and then a pinhole photo that’s rather soft. Visual Whiplash. I was at first a bit disappointed at these, I mean they’re not what I’m used to getting out of my trusty Pentax 645, they look like something a bit out of a toy camera. But oddly enough they’ve started to grow on me. So what got me into Pinhole photography after avoiding itRead More →

Giving Kodak a little love for week 12. Yes, despite what you have (or haven’t heard) Kodak is alive and kicking and still producing film (marketing it under the Kodak Alaris name). So when I had a chance to go visit Rochester I decided to give some exposure to the company’s iconic headquarters. The Kodak Tower, set a bit outside the main downtown area of Rochester, NY was built between 1912 and 1914 as the ‘nerve center of photography.’ Under the watchful eye of George Eastman, the firm of Gordon & Kaelber (Main famous Rochester buildings were designed by them and listed on the NationalRead More →

You may recognize this building from the 2006 film Transformers; this is Detroit’s massive Michigan Central Station. Designed in the Beaux-Arts Classical style with the interior lobby modelled after a Roman Bathhouse, complete with Doric columns. The station was completed in 1912, but the whole area wasn’t fully completed (including Roosevelt Park, from where I took this photo) until 1920. Costing $15,000,000 in 1912 to complete the station was never fully used. That’s right, the 18-story tower that rises above the actual station was never completed. The top several floors are not even furnished. But despite this, the station hosted more than 4,000 passengers dailyRead More →

When war was declared in June of 1812, neither side was particular ready or wanting to go to war, they hoped that simply being at war would generate the fighting spirit among the troops. Plus with methods of communications being what they were at the time, there was a bit of a delay getting the word out, in fact the British forces stationed in Upper and Lower Canada knew about it before even the Americans did. The British had a very small force of regular troops stationed in British North America, most being concentrated at Quebec City, the Capital of the colonies, and Halifax, homeRead More →