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Control of the lakes were key during the War of 1812 as the fastest way to move troops, equipment, and supplies was by water. Most the roads in the Canadas and the US weren’t the super highways we know today, they were nothing more than dirt roads that would easily become mud pits in the snow and rain. To maintain control of the lakes both sides maintained squadrons of ships that could keep the enemy pinned in their own bases. Unlike Lake Erie which was controlled first by the British because the US Naval Squadron had been captured in 1812 after Brock captured Detroit, andRead More →

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They went with songs to the battle, they were young. Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England’s foam –Read More →

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I was very happy that I could make it down to New Orleans during the bicentennial years of the War of 1812, even though I cut it close. But here he is, immortalized in Jackson Square, President Andrew Jackson. Jackson was the general in command of the defence of New Orleans during the British assault on the city, which through his actions and poor planning and leadership on the British side, won the battle for the Americans and propelled Jackson to the office of the President. And here he sits still today, very close to the French Quarter. I wish I had more time toRead More →

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In the years preceding the first world war, a new sort of arms race was looming, the battleship. One specific battleship, HMS Dreadnought, was the first big gun battleship in the Royal Navy. Soon all other powers were scrambling to match the size, armour, and armament of the Dreadnought. The United States Navy was not immune to this new global arms race. Sadly today, most of these awesome displays of naval power are long gone, including the lead ship, the Dreadnought herself, but one remains. The New York Class Battleship USS Texas. Construction of Texas began in 1911, launched in 1912 and commissioned as BB-35Read More →

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Coming off the last bicentennial reenactment in Canada and a trip to Texas looming next week, I figured I needed something quick and dirty for Week 43, so I decided to give a little bit of still life a try with two of jewels of my working collection. A 1950 Leica IIIc and a 1969 Rolleiflex 2.8F all nicely posed with some APX25 and Ilford Delta 400; the film is for my Texas trip, the cameras will be staying home (As I have my Pentax 645 and Nikon F4 packed up for the trip). But it was the first time I worked with my strobistRead More →

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You don’t see a big battle, you hear it. A 4×5 camera isn’t exactly the best camera to capture a military reenactment, but I figured what the heck! Usually, at an event like this, I’m out on the field shooting a musket rather than a camera. I woke up on Sunday at the Mississinawa 2014 War of 1812 event and put weight on my ankle; it wasn’t up to any heavy activity that often accompanies such an event. So I ended up taking photos instead. I set up the camera, focused, metered, loaded the film and waited. And Sunday morning was fantastic for photos asRead More →

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Keeping it nice and simple for this week, a simple white clapboard church along my way to and from work. The Church of Christ in Omagh, Ontario is one of the oldest churches in the area and has always caught my eye, mainly for its simplicity. If you go into the town of Milton proper along the main street are three rather ornate churches, including my home church, but this one made a great subject to shoot right from the hip, yep, sporting the Crown Graphic as it was designed to be shot…handheld. Pacemaker Crown Graphic – Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 – Kodak Tri-X Pan (320TXP)Read More →

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The Iron Curtain, The Red Scare, Nuclear War, Ruskies, Commies, Berlin Wall, Spies…Sounding Familiar? Even Canada was affected, so much so that our Prime Minister at the time, John Diefenbaker, ordered the construction of a series of bunkers that would house the civilian government in the event of Nuclear War; they were collectively known as Diefenbunkers. Only one got completed, and in 1962 Canadian Forces Station Carp went online. The other 49 were either not finished or partially completed. When the cold war ended in 1994 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the station was decommissioned; it reopened in 1998 as a Museum andRead More →

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Parliament Hill stands tall above the rush of the Ottawa River. While many a photographer would choose to shoot this building head-on from the front, it took me a bit to find a different vantage point from my favourite angle, the one that faces the Ottawa River primarily so that you can get a glimpse of the Library of Parliament, that round conical structure. My first choice was from across the River in the park surrounding the Museum of Canadian History (Museum of Civilization), but that wasn’t it, okay well, how about in the heights on Nepean Point…so I lugged the gear across the bridge,Read More →

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Back when I visited Ottawa for the first time in several years this past September, I lugged along my 4×5 camera. While I wasn’t too pleased with every shot, I made a point when I was there this past weekend to focus, slow down, and work with the 4×5 primarily and put the smaller formats away. The results were a much more robust set of images that I am incredibly proud of, and I do plan on getting these into the darkroom to print. Centre Block East Block Chateau Laurier Details of the National War Memorial The Connaught Building – National Headquarters The National GalleryRead More →