{"id":6003,"date":"2024-05-23T06:00:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T10:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/?p=6003"},"modified":"2024-05-17T07:13:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T11:13:00","slug":"heritage-matters-photography-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/23\/heritage-matters-photography-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Heritage Matters | Photography &#038; History"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Suppose you look back at my catalogue of images. In that case, you&#8217;ll see a lot of repetition regarding the historic communities I&#8217;ve visited and continue to visit, especially if they&#8217;re a short drive away. I count a short drive as anything I can get to in an hour or under. I have hundreds of photos of downtown Milton, Oakville, Stratford, Hamilton, Dundas, Elora, Guelph and many others. But when I look at these images, one thing is clear: there are changes, sometimes significant and other times small, but changes are all the same. I&#8217;m reminded of the Midsomer Murders episode, <a href=\"https:\/\/midsomermurders.fandom.com\/wiki\/Picture_of_Innocence\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Picture of Innocence<\/a>, which features a local photography shop owner taking a photo at the same spot and the same time each day as part of an ongoing project that traces back. Now, that&#8217;s not something I&#8217;d get into. It shows that photography and history go hand-in-hand when tracing a community&#8217;s heritage.<\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53727521465\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Grace Valley\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53727521465_fc15ed9ee3_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"727\" alt=\"Grace Valley\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Originally Knox Presbyterian Church, this 1874 building is now home to Grace Valley Church and part of the PCA.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53727521460\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"St. Paul&#x27;s\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53727521460_c7b595b78a_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"738\" alt=\"St. Paul&#x27;s\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>St. Paul&#8217;s United Church, completed in 1833, but recovered almost all the stained glass from their original 1855 building.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53726176632\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Simply Georgian\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53726176632_8ab8382811_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"703\" alt=\"Simply Georgian\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>This 1840 brick Neo-Classica\/Georgian building is the Platt-Nash Home built in the 1840s.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53726176642\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Creeping Vines\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53726176642_17e73c1a8b_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"765\" alt=\"Creeping Vines\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Not sure about the history of this building, but I like the interactions of the brick, vines, and mechanicals.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53726176617\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Library\/Gallery\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53726176617_88a85833a8_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"747\" alt=\"Library\/Gallery\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The former Dundas Public library is one of 111 &#8220;Carnegie Libraries&#8221; constructed across Ontario. The Dundas library served in that role until 1980 and today is an art gallery.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>Despite being relatively new, the visual capture of the past has always been done. Elizabeth Simcoe and other early British and French explorers would capture how things looked in text and visually. Elizabeth was known for her watercolour work of early Upper Canada when her husband (Sir John Graves Simcoe) served as the first Lieutenant-Governor. From these images and that followed into the photographic medium, we can get a nearly complete visual record of how Ontario has changed over time. Even further along, we can see the changing face of the urban centres as buildings change; some are kept and restored, and others are lost in the ever-shifting world of urban renewal. Even in the short time I have been photographing Milton and Oakville, I have seen many things change. Some of the buildings in the downtown went from looking rundown to being now upscale shops. In Milton, my favourite pub, the building is undergoing extensive renovations, like the former Thompson House. And that&#8217;s only getting started because where I&#8217;ve seen the most change has been in downtown Hamilton.<\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53726176602\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"The Same, But Different\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53726176602_1d42a9e48f_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"731\" alt=\"The Same, But Different\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>One of many heritage commercial blocks that strech along the downtown Dundas section of Highway 8.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53727424069\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"But First...Coffee\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53727424069_7253322084_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"736\" alt=\"But First...Coffee\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Adaptive reuse is key to preserving heritage, such as this historic storefront that is now an outpost of Detour Coffee. They do good Coffee btw.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53727424064\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"The Old Post Office\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53727424064_5d2b3b5d3b_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"762\" alt=\"The Old Post Office\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>While you might think this was the original town hall (not included in this post), the former post office is from 1913 and constructed in the Romanesque in style with a Venetian clock tower. The building was almost demolished in 1973 when public support saved it.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 150mm 1:3.5 N &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53727294843\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Old Dairy\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53727294843_037af44c12_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"721\" alt=\"Old Dairy\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Completed by Frank C. Biggs as the Glen Campbell Daries and was the popular Glen Valley Dairy for many years.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53727424049\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Machine Life\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53727424049_040a202d26_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"760\" alt=\"Machine Life\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>One of the surviving machines constructed by the big industry in Dundas, John Bertram &#038; Sons Ltd.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>Today, we are the continuation of those past people who took it upon themselves either through the nature of their employment or out of a personal sense of history. The photos we capture now, or the watercolours, sketches, and other mediums, are a part of that greater historical record. Today, it is more important than ever. Recent changes in the laws in Ontario will eventually wipe clean the listed heritage buildings and prevent the designation process from starting on them for several years. While it won&#8217;t be too disastrous, it might spell the end of some of the province&#8217;s historical buildings and landscape. A designated building has a lot of protection against changing too many designated parts; a listed building shares some of these protections but not all, and many local governments are scrambling to start processing some of these listed buildings before the deadline.<\/p>\n<p><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53727080696\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Miniture\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53727080696_dd3a6ffcc8_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" alt=\"Miniture\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The Dundas Museum has preserved many of the town&#8217;s heritage including the original Doctor&#8217;s office. But I love how they built a small library as a miniature version.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53726176512\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"St. Augustine\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53726176512_9769b37e41_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"758\" alt=\"St. Augustine\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>St. Augustine Parish is the continuation of the Roman Catholic Presence in Dundas that dates back to the 1790s.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53727294793\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Under Shade\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53727294793_6e4daf0587_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"750\" alt=\"Under Shade\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>Another beautiful Heritage Home.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/axle81401\/53727294783\/in\/dateposted\/\" title=\"Life, The Universe, Everything\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53727294783_db7d5ba92a_b.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"773\" alt=\"Life, The Universe, Everything\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>The Life, Universe &#038; Everything.<br \/>\nMamiya m645 &#8211; Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm &#8211; Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 &#8211; Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>So what does this all have to do with you? While I do tend to try and target my post to a broad audience, both those who practice photography and those who enjoy looking at photography. This last bit is specifically for photographers. And its a simple ask, don&#8217;t stop photographing the towns you visit especially the historic sections. And try and go back and keep photographing them. It may seem boring to many but it helps capture that moment in history, framing it forever on whatever medium you choose to use. It doesn&#8217;t have to always been film, it can be digital, you can store it in multiple places or make prints or books. But also make sure you have a way to share these images with local historical societies of the places where you photograph. Because it helps them building that visual record of the town\/city\/village. And that&#8217;s because while so much has been changed, so much has also already been lost. And thanks to photography there is still a visual record of what things used to look like. So don&#8217;t stop revisiting these locations and capturing them again and again, because one day it may be too late and the location is gone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Suppose you look back at my catalogue of images. In that case, you&#8217;ll see a lot of repetition regarding the historic communities I&#8217;ve visited and continue to visit, especially if they&#8217;re a short drive away. I count a short drive as anything I can get to in an hour or under. I have hundreds of photos of downtown Milton, Oakville, Stratford, Hamilton, Dundas, Elora, Guelph and many others. But when I look at these images, one thing is clear: there are changes, sometimes significant and other times small, but changes are all the same. I&#8217;m reminded of the Midsomer Murders episode, Picture of Innocence, which<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/2024\/05\/23\/heritage-matters-photography-history\/\"><span>Read More &rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[1820,664,22,107,761,28,1819,665,219,214,104,29],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6003"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6003"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6190,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6003\/revisions\/6190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexluyckx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}