Throughout most of my 52-Roll projects, I made a point that at Week 45 or thereabout, to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country, here in Canada that is called Remembrance Day and falls on the 11th of November to mark the armistice that ended the fighting on the western front. While I had initially planned to photograph the Milton Remembrance Day Parade the Sunday before the 11th, I quickly shifted to feature cenotaphs and war graves in Oakville, Milton, and Guelph due to other plans. This week there are a few items to unpack historically, but let’s startRead More →

I have seen Fergus in the past, but it’s only been for a short visit. Whenever I’m in this area, I tend to gravitate more towards Elora, Ontario, because it is a community that I enjoy exploring and can always find something new. But having already visited Elora this year and in this project, I needed someplace new. With the exact concentration of stone buildings from the 19th century and a walking route in mind, it was time to head into a bit of a pocket of the highlands in Ontario. For thousands of years before the arrival of the earliest European settlers, the GrandRead More →

If you haven’t heard of the small community of Petrolia, that makes perfect sense, it seems a bit out of place here in Ontario. But this is the area credited with kicking off an early oil boom in Ontario and within the British Empire. While a shadow of its former glory, the name and legacy live on as part of Canada’s role as a major exporter of raw resources. Back thousands of years, the Attiwonderonk, Anishiabewaki, and Mississaugas made use of the sticky tar-like substance through the region to help with waterproofing their canoes. The area remained the territory of the Mississaugas until the CanadaRead More →

As a photographer who loves working mainly in the urban environment, sometimes it can be challenging to go back to a location you’ve visited before and capture new images. But if you change your focus, there’s a chance you can find something new, and today we’re back in the historic downtown of Milton to look at the architectural details throughout the downtown. While I never went to school for architectural training, I did a single drafting class in high school. However, I am also a life-long Lego builder and am drawn towards exciting architecture. And Milton’s downtown offers up a lot of interesting architecture andRead More →

I kept typing the title “If I left the Zoom”, which is also appropriate these days, but there’s nothing to do with Zoom this week. Instead, the title comes from the third studio album from one of my favourite bands, Jars of Clay. But like zoom, this week also has nothing to do with Jars of Clay. Instead, we’re heading to the Toronto Zoo. The Toronto Zoo is a spot I haven’t been to since my last 52-Roll project on an early date with my (then future) wife, Heather. The first Zoo in the city of Toronto was the Riverdale Zoo that opened in 1873.Read More →

Known as Stone City, Kingston is one of Ontario’s oldest cities. The city traces itself back to the early days of colonial settlements in New France. While today the city remains a military stronghold. It has also gone through an identity crisis due to its connection to Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A MacDonald, and his government’s continued role in destroying Canada’s Indigenous peoples. The first known human settlement where the modern city of Kingston stands today dates back to around 9,000-3,000 years ago, although the first permanent human settlement would not come until around 500CE. The Hurons would occupy the land until theRead More →

When it comes to Historic Fort York in Toronto, most people will associate with the Anglo-American War of 1812, which isn’t wrong. The fort is home to the most extensive collection of original buildings from the era and is among the oldest buildings in the city. But this week, we’re moving ahead by a century into the fort’s role during Canada’s involvement in the First World War. When Canada found itself at war in 1914, it had only served once overseas during the Second Boer War. Canada’s involvement in that colonial conflict resulted in a great deal of reform within the Militia. The Militia hadRead More →

I love that Ontario has a pile of wonderful small towns to explore, and many still carry through their wealth of heritage structures, and I’m glad I’ve been able to feature several of them here this year. While many are communities that I’ve been to many times, today we’re in one that I’ve only visited once before, the town of Paris, Ontario. The first time here, I was passing through on a New Years Eve on my way to a party in St. Thomas and only stopped for a brief time. But it kept on being in the back of my head. So here weRead More →

If you’ve been following my photography for some time now, you’ll know I have a strange enjoyment of photographing doors. I think it traces itself back to my first trip to Montreal. Either way, with it being the start of term at Sheridan, I needed a theme that I could do casually across the full seven days of the week. Usually, I do my best to get the entire roll shot in a day, but I decided to give myself seven days shooting five frames each day. So let’s break on through (to the other side). (See what I did there). I honestly don’t knowRead More →

And we’re back to Halton Conservation Areas! It’s been a bit of a silent goal this year to try and include every conservation area in the Halton park system. And now that fall is starting to set in; it is time to get back to that goal! This week we’re over at Mount Nemo, another park located on the Niagara Escarpment, but rather than in Milton, this one is located in Burlington, on the other side of the protective shoe that the Niagara Escarpment forms around Milton. Located here is a wonderful surprise; an old limestone quarry and some supporting buildings still stand in ruins.Read More →