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We wanted to stay close to home this year for our main summer vacation. The one place my wife and I had been talking about visiting is Kingston, Ontario. As a city, it is one of the older urban centres in Ontario. It is home to numerous historic sites, not to mention some stunning architecture and natural landscapes. We only spent three full days in the city, but we got to see a lot in that time. We visited Old Fort Henry, took a river cruise on the St. Lawrence through the 1000 Islands, and explored the Pumphouse Museum. We then spent some time inRead More →

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In: 1812:Revisited
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The western division of the British Forces in North America was in a tough spot, as was the Naval Squadron on Lake Erie. Both were starved for men, arms, and supplies. Despite several requests to their superiors, both Major-General Henry Proctor and Commodore Robert Barclay were forced to divide what little they had between them. For Proctor, the failure to dislodge or delay the army of Major-General William Henry Harrison by land left a rift between him and the Indigenous forces under the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. He had holed up at Fort Amherstburg and hung all his hopes on a naval victory on Lake Erie.Read More →

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In: Between Darkness & Light
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This isn’t the first time this location has appeared on the blog, I featured it back in August 2022 during my big Railway project. But that was in the context of its railway history so it is only fair that I share my personal history with this location as an urban exploration. What makes this location important is that it was one of the first locations I was able to fully trace its history from start to current using a piece of paper and the Internet. And second I successfully captured a 4×5 sheet of this building less than an hour after finding out IRead More →

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In: 1812:Revisited
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The loss of Major-General Sir Isaac Brock had been keenly felt through the first part of 1813; while Major-General Henry Proctor had defended the British line in the west, the losses at York and Niagara had dealt a major blow to the British morale. It also did not help that almost every major ship-to-ship engagement had resulted in an American victory. And now with York still rebuilding and nearly the entire Niagara peninsula under American control and Chauncy back in Sacketts Harbor protecting Lake Ontario, the British needed victory to ensure that the whole of Upper Canada be preserved. Major-General Roger Hale Sheaffe was reassignedRead More →

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The first six months of the war had not gone as planned for the United States. Rather than a swift capture of Amherstburg, Niagara, and Kingston, the swift actions of the late Major-General Sir Isaac Brock resulted in the capture of Mackinac Island, Fort Detroit and Michigan Territory down to the River Raisin, and a repulse of the invasion across the Niagara River which cost him his life at the Battle of Queenston Heights. The death of General Brock was a significant blow, as his replacement, Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe, proved to be a far less effective administrator and military leader. It got bad enoughRead More →

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In: 1812:Revisited
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Lieutenant-General George Prevost, Governor-General of British North America, was displeased with his subordinate, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock. General Brock had disobeyed his orders, and instead of sticking to defence, he had gone on an offence and captured both Mackinac Island and Detroit from the Americans. President James Madison was unhappy with the results of the first months of the war, especially the surrender with little to no fight by the defenders. But what got Prevost was that Brock had received high praise for his actions and a knighthood. And with news that the Orders-In-Council were being repealed and the main complaint and the source ofRead More →

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In: 1812:Revisited
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The simple matter was that neither the Americans nor the British were ready for a renewed conflict in North America. The British were fully committed to the invasion of Europe in the Peninsular War, secured Portugal, and invaded French-occupied Spain when the war broke out in North America. While many in the United States wanted to teach the British a lesson, they were not in the best position to fight a war. Even as the declaration of war made its way through the US Congress, the plans and preparations for the war were being made. The American plan was a coordinated three-prong assault across theRead More →

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In: 1812:Revisited
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From 2012 to 2016, I worked on my most extensive photography and history project, covering almost all aspects of the Anglo-American War of 1812. It remains one of my favourite projects I ever worked on and became virtually a template for a few other projects. Both ones that were finished and published and others that remain in the background as possible for future endeavours. But this year marks the 210th anniversary of the end of the War of 1812, so I have decided to revisit the conflict and present it in a new way. Instead of going deep into details, I’ll show the war throughRead More →

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In: Frugal Film Project
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I love doing fall vacations; it’s often outside the peak tourist season, and the weather is manageable. This year, my family and I decided to go back to Montreal. The city holds a special spot in my heart because it was one of the first paid vacation I took solo and where I finally figured out how I like to take photos and compose images. As a family vacation, my primary reason was for something other than photography. But there is always room to bring a camera (or three) for the ride. The modern city of Montreal sits on the largest island in an archipelagoRead More →

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I love visiting museums, especially living history museums. While I would have loved to include more in this year’s project cycle, I’m glad to have a chance to visit one of my long time favourites. I first visited the Halton Radial Railway Museum when I was in Kindergarten and was taken in by the collection. The Museum is home to the largest operating fleet of light-rail vehicles that operated on the inter-urban lines and mass transit services that once dominated Ontario and beyond. From a vast collection of TTC vehicles and predecessor operators to smaller services the museum this year is celebrating seventy years inRead More →