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

What do chocolate and the war of 1812 have in common; just one thing, a name, Laura Secord. Many people today hear the name Laura Secord and think of the Canadian confectionary company, but there was a hero behind that name. But unlike other heroes from the war whose names were praised right after their great victories, Laura lived in relative obscurity for decades after the war had ended. Born Laura Ingersoll on the 13th of September 1775 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, she was the eldest of four born to Thomas Ingersoll and Elizabeth Dewey. When she was eight her mother passed away, her fatherRead More →

By:
On:
In: Photography
With: 0 Comments

I wore a suit into Toronto for Canada Day, I was meeting up with a group of friends later on that day, but I took advantage of the beautiful weather and the bustle of the city to get some street photography in, and looking dapper there was only one choice in cameras, my Leica. I haven’t been giving my Leica love recently mostly because it’s a bit of a pain to use, bottom loading, cutting the film leader, making sure there’s enough tension so that the sprockets catch. But after some choice words I managed to load up a roll of classic Kodak Plus-X andRead More →

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

If there is a single fort in Ontario that I would choose to hide out in during a Zombie uprising, that fort is located in Prescott, Ontario. Fort Wellington, named for Sir Arthur Wellesly, following his victory at Talavera on 27 June 1809. Unlike many forts in Ontario, Wellington never saw a direct attack during its entire history; the garrison proved an excellent defensive post along the venerable supply line of the St. Lawerence River. The village of Prescott, established in 1810 as a stopping point for the main road from Montreal heading west to the main urban centres of Kingston and York (Toronto). AndRead More →

By:
On:
In: Photography
With: 0 Comments

When you use Leica, Nikon, Carl Zeiss optics the idea of plastic lenses and “toy” cameras will often scare a photographer, you really don’t know what you’re going to be getting out of your image. It certainly won’t be the sharpest image on the block, vignetting is going to be there, soft focus, light leaks, all very possible. Add Expired film into the mix and things just start getting dicy. Something that many photographers won’t even touch, and I used to be like that…until I picked up, on a whim, a Holga from The Film Photography Project. And instantly was dragged into the wonderful worldRead More →

By:
On:
In: Photography
With: 0 Comments

When it comes to iconic locations in the city of Hamilton within the exploration community, there is none more wildly known as the Lister Block. A steadfast icon of the decline and decay within downtown Hamilton. From my first trip in 2006 to my last trip in 2010 and into 2012 and beyond as a restored building, this post will explore three different scenes from the first trips (2006 and 2007) a chance to see the stripped-down interior in 2010 and the re-opening in 2012 at a Doors Open event we are checking out Lister Block between the Darkness and the Light. When Joseph ListerRead More →

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

Fort George, once the primary defensive structure for Upper Canada at the mouth of the Niagara River located on the edge of the quaint tourist town of Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario. Built apparently to provide the British Army in the center a headquarters following the surrender of Fort Niagara to the Americans at the close of the 18th Century, today sits as it would have during the height of it’s use in 1813 as a National Historic Site. Three blockhouses provided shelter and defense for the troops garrisoned at the fort. Today they’re setup to show how soldiers lived. Hasselblad 500c – Carl Zeiss Distagon 50mm 1:4Read More →

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

This entry I’m writing specifically for my dear friend Erin, who like me, has a love for the War of 1812. In one of her recent blog posts, she mentioned her new job at an independent children’s book publisher, Pajama Press. The book, Acts of Courage, covers the story of Laura Secord. My entry today is not on Mrs. Secord, but rather the British officer she interacted with, James FitzGibbon. FitzGibbon, not one of the first heroes of the war that one would think about, his contributions overshadowed by Laura Secord and Issac Brock. Fitzgibbon’s story blends with them both. An Irishman raised from theRead More →

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

While there are many different actions of the Anglo-American War of 1812, some big, others rather small. These smaller ones are often overshadowed by the actions they were in between of. You don’t just happen to come across the site of Butler’s Farm. It’s not exactly in the main tourist district of Niagara-On-The-Lake; you have to want to find it. It took me a second attempt to actually find the place. Located at the end of a shady residential street, aptly named Butler Street is a chain link fence and gate, behind the gate stands several grave markers embedded in concrete, with new granite markersRead More →

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

The Battle of Chippawa is unique among the engagements during the Anglo-American War of 1812 as it was the only one to feature a full proper European style engagement on both sides of the field. Line infantry tactics did not lend themselves well to the rough terrain of North America, so most engagements were a mixture of both skirmishing and line tactics dictated by the terrain. But Chippawa would go down as the only full-scale European-style battle of the entire war. The memorial to the Battle of Chippawa as in stands on the maintained section of the Battlefield. Canon EOS A2 – Canon EF 35-105mmRead More →

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

When you think of Niagara Falls, especially the tourist areas like Cliffton Hill and Lundy’s Lane one of the last things you think is a historic battleground. Today there’s an arch over Lundy’s Lane announcing what it is, but for the most part, it’s places like Fort George, Fort Erie, and Queenston Heights that get all the glory. But in 1814 a bloody battle at the cemetery on Lundy’s Lane changed the course of the American 1814 summer offensive. It was the turning point of the whole matter, and it didn’t go too well for the Americans after that. A memorial arch across Lundy’s LaneRead More →