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The St. Lawrence River had remained relatively quiet during the first year of the war, in fact it was for the most part downright peaceful. Both sides were enjoying a rather healthy trade relationship. The simple fact was that most of the St. Lawrence valley was occupied by Loyalists, those who went to or were forced to move to the colony of Upper Canada following the American Revolution, and many still had family on the American side of the river. This was not going to fly in 1813, as the war escalated, raids became common. On the 6th of February, a raid lead by MajorRead More →

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I was always iffy about shooting 620 cameras, since when I first got into film photography finding 620 film was difficult, but the cameras were everywhere and many found their way into my collection. And to make matters worse the take up spool was missing. But let’s back up a bit and discuss, exactly what is 620 film? It was a film that was first introduced by Kodak in 1932 and continued being produced until 1995. But here’s a secret, it’s the exact same film stock as 120, same size and same backing paper, but it was the spool that was different. So if youRead 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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Henry Procter is one of several British commanders that served in Upper Canada during the War of 1812, while his initial days of the war were marked with success, his record has been forever tarnished by his actions later in the war. He is one of two controversial commanders of the Crown Forces during the war, that came from humble beginnings. The son of an army surgeon, Procter was born at Kilkenny, Ireland in the year 1763. His career in the army began in 1781 as an ensign in the 43rd Regiment of Foot. By the end of the American Revolutionary War he was aRead 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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One of the many unsung British heroes of the War of 1812, Miller Worsley the son of a clergyman was born on the 8th of July, 1791. He volunteered for the Royal Navy in 1803. The navy unlike the army at the time often promoted through merit rather than money and by 1805 he was a midshipman. While serving aboard H.M. Ship Swiftsure (74) participated in the Battle of Trafalgar. While he passed with Lieutenant’s Exam in 1810 his promotion was delayed due to a large number of officers in the Royal Navy at the time. By 1812 he was serving at the Bermuda StationRead 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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One of two Canadian born British Officer during the War of 1812 was Charles Michael de Salaberry, born in the town on Beauport in Lower Canada (today Quebec) on the 19th of November 1778. His family having a long tradition of military service with the French and then British armies, de Salaberry joined at 14 as a gentleman volunteer in the 44th Regiment of Foot. It was too long after that a family friend, Prince Edward Augustus secured an Ensign’s commission in the 1st Battalion of the 60th Regiment of Foot. Joining the regiment in 1794, de Salaberry proved his worth, rising to the rankRead More →