By:
On:
In: 52:320TXP
With: 0 Comments

Returning to the beginning for me. One of my very first, actually my fourth image ever shot on 4×5 film was of this building, Hamilton’s Lister Block. The original block was constructed in 1886, but it was burned to the ground by fire in 1923, undaunted a fireproof (it was proven many times over its abandoned years) building was completed in 1924. This beautiful brick and terracotta structure is one of the more iconic on James Street. After it was abandoned, I explored the first building in Hamilton; many a Saturday night was spent wandering her empty halls. But unlike many structures downtown that endRead More →

By:
On:
In: Photography
With: 0 Comments

I sadly was unable to participate in the week long celebration of Instant Photography last year because I was in the Chicagoland region, but this year I went full force and worked on reducing my stock of expired Polaroid and Impossible material! I got the shooting started early over the weekend before ‘roid week so I’d have two days worth of material already stocked up. Day One – Jaite Depot Anniversary Speed Graphic – Fuji Fujinon-W 1:56/125 – Polaroid Type 79 Located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio, the Jaite train depot one served the company town, the town’s surviving building now serveRead More →

By:
On:
In: 52:320TXP
With: 0 Comments

Probably one of the most photographed buildings in all of downtown Niagara-On-The-Lake. The Niagara Apothecary operated as an actual practice from 1820 to 1964. Today still serves partly in that role but mostly acts as a museum, restored to how it would have looked in 1886. There were stares as I setup the camera in the middle of the street, don’t worry, I wasn’t blocking traffic. But a big monorail camera certainly cuts a figure. “Looking for cast members?” one of the many tourists asked. While the Sinar F2 is a great camera, and I understand the monorail camera’s value, there’s too much bulk toRead More →

By:
On:
In: Photography
With: 0 Comments

Many people have heard me complain about lugging around the large format gear, a heavy tripod, lots of film holders, and all the extra gear that comes with shooting large format. But I keep on shooting it. So many ask why…so in response to Mat’s blog on the subject. And while it’s complaining, it’s nothing compared to when Mat and I drove around the Cleveland Flats in 2013, and he had the massive Sinar P2 8×10 camera. So why do I shoot it? Because the results are outstanding, I find that it disciplines me; I can go out with ten sheets of film and comeRead More →

By:
On:
In: 52:320TXP
With: 0 Comments

With spring here, that means it’s the start of hiking season, and my area of the province has some beautiful trails and conservation areas to enjoy. But the last vestiges of winter are still clinging to the ground. Limehouse Conservation Area is no different; as I set up this shot, I fell into a snow bank; the camera was saved, but I was a little damp on the backside. The little community of Limehouse wouldn’t even be on the map if it wasn’t for these old 19th century lime kilns, and I wouldn’t have known about it if it wasn’t for my friend Jenica mentioningRead More →

By:
On:
In: 52:320TXP
With: 0 Comments

So despite the fact I was using an untested film holder that caused light leaks, I’m still pretty happy with this shot! I found this rail line in the rural areas surrounding my town and was immediately drawn to, behind me, an old metal bridge that takes the road above the right-of-way. It reminds me of Cobalt, ON, but without the silver mine. After a long hard cold winter, it’s nice to have some warm weather (I was out in my spring jacket) and some bright blue skies. Always, Always, Always test out your film holders on ‘throw-away’ sheets before putting your expensive Tri-X inRead More →

By:
On:
In: Reviews
With: 0 Comments

You’re probably thinking, what do I mean by Visual Whiplash? It was mentioned in a comment left on one of my recent photos posted to my photostream, where right next to each other is a 4×5 image that’s sharp, crisp, and clear…and then a pinhole photo that’s rather soft. Visual Whiplash. I was at first a bit disappointed at these, I mean they’re not what I’m used to getting out of my trusty Pentax 645, they look like something a bit out of a toy camera. But oddly enough they’ve started to grow on me. So what got me into Pinhole photography after avoiding itRead More →

By:
On:
In: Project:1812
With: 0 Comments

When war was declared in June of 1812, neither side was particular ready or wanting to go to war, they hoped that simply being at war would generate the fighting spirit among the troops. Plus with methods of communications being what they were at the time, there was a bit of a delay getting the word out, in fact the British forces stationed in Upper and Lower Canada knew about it before even the Americans did. The British had a very small force of regular troops stationed in British North America, most being concentrated at Quebec City, the Capital of the colonies, and Halifax, homeRead More →

By:
On:
In: 52:320TXP
With: 0 Comments

A little bit of infrastructure porn for Week 10, inspired by some of Bill Schwab’s recent photos of this Bridge from the Detroit side of the River. As I was heading into Detroit for the weekend, I decided to stop and get a shot from the Windsor side. The bridge also serves as one of the busiest border crossings in North America and is one of two ways to cross the Detroit river, the other being the tunnel (which I oddly enough took). Officially opened in 1929, it was designed to ease the congestion in the tunnel without obstructing lake freighter traffic. It had theRead More →

By:
On:
In: Project:1812
With: 0 Comments

After the disastrous defeat at the Battle of the Thames the stretch of western Upper Canada, some 200 miles became nothing more than a no-man’s land between the American garrison at Amhurstburg and the British stronghold at Burlington Heights. Neither side had the will or manpower to secure the area so it devolved into skirmishes between the few British Regulars still in the area along with local Militia and Native warriors still allied with the British and Canadian Population and the American raiding parties conducting economic warfare in the area, destroying crops, mills, and storehouses containing food and goods bound for the armies in theRead More →