WardsPhotography

I just received my May issue of Legion Magazine. The Battle of LaColle Mills ‘Now and Then’ feature is based on a photograph I did late last fall.

http://tinyurl.com/7uwp4co

When I did my research on this site, I was amazed at the fortitude of those 200 defending men taking cover in a small blockhouse while the 1200 US troops encircled them, trained their muskets and small cannon on the walls, and blasted away in an attempt chip away at their wooden cover.  They kept their barrage going until the ammo was low and night began to fall.

Given such a determined assault that lasted for hours, you’d expect  men to be left with nothing but shell shock and beaten down awe.  You expect them to wait out the withdrawal of those troops and thank their luck stars for good solid timber.  Instead, they joined with a small contingent of reinforcements and rallied forth.  They attacked!

There was no way their sortie was going to be successful. It was folly.  Yet their foe’s frustration of a long fruitless barrage, their lack of moral, and the internal politics of the US militia not convinced of an armed border crossing into Lower Canada met with an expected stubborn resistance.  They yielded.  They returned to their homes.  Their General faced dismissal.

The Lacolle Mills blockhouse image in the Legion Magazine represents more than a nation-building victory to me.  It’s a symbol of what we Canadians should remember… when in defense of home and family, there is no retreat.

We won that battle with two weapons: stout hearts and brave walls.

Mayan Coastal Building

Visited friends in the beautiful Mayan Riviera Mexico last week. Still recovering from the impact of that experience.

The image here is of a small Mayan building on the coast of the Yucatan peninsula. The presence of these buildings is hauntingly common as you walk in under-developed landscape. It’s a quiet testimony of a vast and well-established civilization that largely goes unnoticed. Yet here was a small, heavily blocked building that must have served some marine-purpose (being so close to the water). My imagination runs away…

• A military blockhouse protecting the inlet?
• A watchpost for a harbour?
• A summer cottage for some noble?

I’ve been honoured to submit a series of battle-site images for photoessays on the War of 1812 in Canada’s third largest magazine, The Legion. The first issue on this series (March/April 2012) covered the battle of Chateauguay, Quebec.

Through several field trips to this battle site as well as others such as Chrysler’s farm and LaColle Mills, I discovered a resting spirit of our early Canadian identity.

Northern Sentinels stand as soldiers along the St. Lawrence River guarding against the setting southern sun close to where the Battle of Chysler's Farm was fought.

Perhaps the single most lasting impression of the eastern front of the War is the cooperation among the very diverse defending parties: French and English-speaking Canadian militia, Iroquois, and British regulars. These early patriotic ties among neighbours in defence of their homes was a feeling unaccounted for by Americans who believed their troops would be welcomed as liberators and that victory was a matter of a march. In my view, it was misperceptions such as these that seeded the explosion of the War far beyond sound reason.

The roots of war seem so clear at the time, but the outcome is often muddled in misperception and distortions. The unfortunate consequences of which go far beyond our intentions.

I hope to continue posting about my feelings and discoveries over this year. It is a good thing to discover yourself in a search of national identity.

There’s a gentleness and understanding between a dog and their best friends that clearly shows itself on long walks through the woods.  There’s no kids or dogs or cars to distract from the enjoyment of this relationship that transcends species.  Here, dog meets human in an eye-to-eye connection… isn’t this fun!

Eye-to-Eye Connection between 'Whisky' and Joey.

Portraits are glimpses into life.  Not always are they posed or closeups of faces.  Sometimes they are just about connections.

Cher, Grant, and some of the family.

And sometimes, they are about the presenting of ourselves and our fostered feelings between friends.

There’s a few times when echoes ring in the spaces of my life…visual pings off walled memories of early family life. With six active children, I’ve build some sturdy walls.

I’ve built good walls of memories.  Now years later, those memories ring when glimpsing other young families.  They ring when children tug at parents in the checkout lines, when boys climb trees beyond father’s nervous reach, and when impromptu forts appear in trampled-down field-grass.  These images tickle against memories made long ago when my children did such casual things.

My last family shoot was with this lovely family shown in the few images below. The kids were lively and dismissed any thought I may have had of getting a ‘still’ portrait. Onto plan B.  I let them play.

I loved it; although, I could see that the parents were concerned for my sake.  Little did they know this was a gold mine of picture opportunities.  This is the time of photojournalistic harvesting.  Lots of moments telling stories, capturing character, and defining memories of their lives.  They thought I was being so patient when in truth I was in a feeding frenzy of imagery.  This is what I live for.

Click image for enlarged view.

Triumph Climb!

This little fellow was a climber. Wow what a spirit. I had a boy just like him. My son’s a grown man now and still has a gleam in his eye for adventure. Echoes against my walls.

Click image for enlarged view.

The Cove of Family Trust.

The girl is a shy beauty. Her trusting reach towards her Mom is a testament to the nurturing cove of love in the home. Echos in my heart.

Unity Tower is anything but unified. What’s the idea?

Unity Tower built in 1993 to Celebrate Canada

That was my reactionary question on seeing the plaque describing this edifice. There are all sorts of interesting shapes in this architecture that are orthogonally composed and positioned. There are curves, triangles, rectangles, lines, and odd textured fills. Visually, it seems mismatched, unbalanced, and awkward. This whole structure screams diversity and not ‘Unity’. I agree that diversity is a functional advantage when working constructively towards a goal. Since this architecture is aimed at our national character, I surmise that it’s orthogonal nature represents the diversity of our culture. The link to unity was at first puzzling to me.

I’m thinking that that’s the point being made. The two strongest cultures in Canada are often at odds with each other. ‘Des fois’, we think and react in completely different directions. Furthermore, we invite and encourage peoples of even more divergent cultures to join us. How is it that we’re a strong, intelligent nation despite this appearance of disharmony in divergent natures? The build asks.

Diversity in our culture has ensured a broad response to impulse challenges such as global economic failure and natural calamity. It is a systolic strength when acting on a purpose. It is a ‘Hideous Strength’ when turned against itself.

Perhaps the designer meant to spur the observer on to such a realization. The question the building raises is the key to our national strength. We wonder why such a full range of geometry was used in a ‘Unity Tower’? We wonder why we need circles, squares, and triangles in our culture? Strength, resourcefulness, broadness of talent, compassion, tolerance, agility are good qualities to have when the times get rough and indomitable qualities when formed in unity.

I see this structure differently now after a few days of consideration. The image of it’s odd shapes is now a symbol that I feel proud to support.

The plaque reads below:

I drive a lot: coming and going to work, picking up or dropping off kids,  running errands that must be done.  I’d rather be somewhere than on the way.   However, while en-route I see beautiful farm fields that captures my wonder every time.  Too often I think of stopping to capture the image but don’t.  Instead, time and expectations tug me along and swept the moment away.

Today was an exception.  This time I listened to the familiar prompting and pulled the car over onto the gravel, got my gear out, and approached these fields of green, gold, and tan.

I know this isn’t a busting out wow’er of an image but for me it’s a triumph of sorts.  Whereas the field of wheat was planted and planned for it’s best yield, the intrusion of uncultured wild plants made for a beautiful blend of order and chaos.

There’s so many subtleties of tones and patterns.  The tones vary in bands from fore- to far-ground.  The wheat grains repeat in a patterns that seem stamped in place.  The wild flowers and intruding grass blades punctuate this order with their own statement of beauty and link the scene together.

It’s good to stop and ‘smell-the-roses’.  It reminds me that this is really a very beautiful world.

Unlike Gordon Lightfoot’s song of the riots in July 1968, Canada did not break out in violence today.  Nevertheless, it was a day to mark down as significant to our political future.  Jack Layton announced his withdrawal from office to handle his recovery, the US government was voting on their debt limit, and two clouds formed over Parliament, a white one of hope and a dark one of foreboding.

The 25th of July two clouds formed over Parliament: the White Cloud of Hope; and the Dark Cloud of Forbearance.

The hope for Canada is in the new generation of MP’s on the Hill.  They are gaining vital experience and giving a much needed young perspective.  The worry many feel at losing the Opposition Leader’s strong presence needed as a counterbalance to a very active Government is certainly there as well.  White Clouds next to Dark.

The negative projections for the US whispered among financial insiders is a ‘becoming reality’.  Their unmanageable deficits and unwillingness to take the bitter pills needed has the world holding it’s breath.  This is a perfect storm where systemic weaknesses in monetary policies meet the cross-current of American narcissistic pride. The White cloud here is in the opportunity for repositioning of foreign powers to a more balanced stasis.  If the US take lessons from other nations who have gone thru similar restricting, such as Canada and Australia, they may emerge stronger than ever.  Meanwhile, Canada gets the much deserved triple A rating at a time when money is scurrying for a hiding hole.

Notes:

In preparing for taking this image, I positioned myself across the river from the Parliament at the Museum of Civilization.  The current events of the last few days were on my mind and feelings of general anxiety were just below the surface.  I wanting to frame the building in a majestic way while showing it’s position under the boiling clouds.

Another photographer showed up and I think he had the same idea.  We quietly gave each other space while waiting for the clouds to drift into the best positions.  I’m not sure which moment he decided to go with but we did leave at about the same time.  Good luck my friend.

Continue reading

There’s a way to say things that invite an empathetic response… like “hey, I’m lost.  I’ve been looking for this studio where a friend is having their play performed and I’m late.  Can you help me?”  Most people will engage with you and your woeful plea especially if it takes place in the friendly Westboro area of Ottawa.

Such was my experience last Sunday afternoon in trying to locate the Cube Gallery 1285 Wellington St to see a presentation of VOICES written by Hanna Brundson, a grade 12 Canterberry high school student.  As it turned out, I arrived in time to pick my tickets up and squeeze through to black curtains at the back of the gallery missing only a few minutes.  After settling next to Hanna’s family, I became immediately transfixed by the enfolding story.  A story of voices…

A ‘Voice’ in the play.

Voices inside our mind become real entities in response to pain, trauma, or fear.  They can inform, inspire, and push our state of mind in seductive, and at times unhealthy, directions.  Without executive control from our true self, they rule without compassion.  That was the message I heard from this haunting 20 minute play.

Hanna’s script was written in response to a very serious call for help.  Her struggles in finding a way thru the struggles of youth was compounded by bouts of depression that crippled her.  Despite this she reached out to her family.  She received the support and help so critical in overcoming this mental illness.  Then, in a moment of inspiration, she wrote this play to open the window on the voices of depression that can so often misinform their victims.

The cast share their feelings about the play and their experiences in it’s performance.  Hanna Brundson reaches out to the lead actor.

VOICES was directed by Cristina Wood and Hanna Brundson and starred Connor Spencer, Zachary Giuliani, Emma Presley, Emma Monet, Kayla Farris, James Ellison, and Kaleigh Bourk.

In a Q&A after the performance, Hanna Brunsdon explains to the audience the process she undertook in writing this play.

Well, there’s no telling the value of a helping hand.  Hanna was clever and fortunate enough to find that in those around her.  I got to this performance with the guidance of people in the neighbourhood.  A similar helping hand is available for those youth who find themselves lost on their journey.  This evening was represented by the youthnet organization, Do It For Daren, Jer’s Vision, mindyourmind.ca, KidsHelpPhone,  and financial aid from the Dare To Dream program.

YouthNet representative explains their role in helping youth with counselling and support.  From the Youthnet site, “We promote mental health to decrease the stigma associated with mental health/illness in the public and with youth in particular”