Pencilled Rendering

Journaling, Night, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Still Life, Winter

Pencilled – Early Morning Walk, High Level, Ab – Canada 1

Pencilled – Early Morning Walk, High Level, Ab – Canada 2

Pencilled – Early Morning Walk, High Level, Ab – Canada 3

Pencilled – Early Morning Walk, High Level, Ab – Canada 4

I like this look of pencilled shadow and light as one means of rendering photographs. The week has allowed me to replace failing office equipment, to clear things that have been on my desk far too long and to remove former prints from my walls (decluttering toward what’s next, physically and inspirationally). I have had time for reading Dave Brosha’s e-book, ‘Illuminated;’ it contains thought process and the practical considerations along the way in creating each photograph within the book. Yesterday, I got my truck stuck in snow and need to be pulled out – a gift in many ways and humbling. This, after a friend disclosed that he has cancer. In our discussion, yesterday, he concluded with ‘Give our love to my wife and kids,’ and ‘The Lord bless you.’ He’s been one who by his example has helped me navigate through rough times. Now, he’s got treatments once a week in Edmonton, 700km away.

Listening to – Leem Lubany’s rendering of ‘Wild World,’ ‘Peace Train’ and ‘Trouble;’ Bob Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.’

Quote to Consider – “Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.” – Yousef Karsh

Rolling Canvas

Home, Journaling, Light Intensity, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Project 365 - Photo-a-day, Rail Yard, Still Life, Sunset, Winter

Grain Car Tattoo – High Level, Ab – Canada 1

Grain Car Tattoo – High Level, Ab – Canada 2

Grain Car Tattoo – High Level, Ab – Canada 3

Grain Car Tattoo – High Level, Ab – Canada 4

Grain Car Tattoo – High Level, Ab – Canada 5

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Grain Car Tattoo – High Level, Ab – Canada 7

Grain Car Tattoo – High Level, Ab – Canada 7a

Grain Car Tattoo – High Level, Ab – Canada 8

Tattooed with graffiti, two hopper cars await loading and transport at High Level’s grain terminal, late on a Sunday afternoon, as the sun sets.

Listening to – Neil Young’s ‘The Needle and the Damage Done,’ Steve Miller’s ‘Take the Money and Run,’ Aerosmith’s ‘Living on the Edge,’ The Who’s ‘Magic Bus,’ The Beatles’ ‘Across the Universe,’ Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Brilliant Disguise,’ Alice in Chains’ ‘Heaven Beside You’ and The Black Crowes’ ‘Twice as Hard.’

Quotes to Consider – (1) “When I photograph someone, what it really means is that I’d like to know them. Anyone I know I photograph.” – Annie Liebovitz; (2) “Let death be what takes us, not lack of imagination.” – Dr. B. J. Miller (palliative care physician); (3) “You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life.” – Joan Miro

Looking Up & Forward

Barn, Canon 70-200 mm 2.8 IS L Series Lens, Canon Camera, Canon Live View, Combine (Farming), Farm, Home, Homestead, Journaling, Light Intensity, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Still Life, Vehicle, Vehicle Restoration, Weather, Winter

Fifties Ford – Fort Vermilion, Ab – Canada

The day held a meeting and rather than a team of colleagues going, I would attend the meeting alone. I took camera gear with me. I hoped that the day would yield photographs, that I would find myself within the situation of a photograph. Having left early enough, I could scout out possible images; there was no need for haste through the morning’s seventy-eight kilometre drive.

The day held different gifts.

A year ago, a friend related an experience. He’d needed to take a call and had parked his service truck in a farmer’s farm entrance to be off the highway. He’d needed to turn his vehicle around, backing it onto the highway. Before he moved too far, he looked up, forward to find an old truck, perhaps a Ford, from the fifties or sixties. He captured the image with his smartphone. On this day, traveling to a meeting, I was in his neck of the woods, perhaps no more than three or four kilometres from Fort Vermilion and I saw the vehicle he was referring to from the highway. At day’s end, I would return and see if a photograph was possible. With less than an hour of daylight left I was able stop and take a series of shots.

The image above was the image photographed.

Shed – Buttertown, Ab – Canada 1

Shed – Buttertown, Ab – Canada 2

Shed – Buttertown, Ab – Canada 3

Windrow – Buttertown, Ab – Canada

Combine – Buttertown, Ab – Canada

I intended to travel from Fort Vermilion to the north settlement after the meeting. At the meeting I asked a friend and colleague about the north settlement. “Would I be able to access or walk in to the St. Louis Catholic Mission church?” She didn’t know. But, the revelation was to find that she lived in the north settlement. Her and her husband’s families had lived in the north settlement through generations. She is someone who knows the stories of the north settlement, of Buttertown. That’s something.

These images are Buttertown, north settlement images.

Listening to – Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill,’ Peter Gabriel’s ‘Mercy Street’ and Roxy Music’s ‘More Than This.’

Quote to Consider – “The picture that you took with your camera is the imagination you want to create with reality.” Scott Lorenzo

Meandering, Stumbles & Tumbles

Home, Journaling, Light Intensity, Night, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Project 365 - Photo-a-day, Still Life, Weather, Winter

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 1

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 2

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 2a

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 3a

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 4

High Level Hospital – High Level, Ab – Canada

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Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 6a

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Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 7a

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Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 10a

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 10b

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 10c

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 11a

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 11b

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 11c

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 11d

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 11f

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 13

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 13a

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 13b

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 13c

Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 13d

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Hoar Frost Morning – High Level, Ab – Canada 15

Our weather has been warm for January. In a portion of the year when we are accustomed to -40C and colder, last night rain fell upon our world. A thick slippery mat of ice coated all – vehicles moved with success while our biped selves slipped, slid, stumbled and tumbled. This set of images holds more meandering with a camera. Walking before school, white hoar frost dazzles. We may not see this weather outcome again this winter.

Listening to – Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs’ ‘Beg, Steal or Borrow,’ David Gray’s ‘Fugitive’ and ‘Kathleen,’ John Mayer’s ‘Queen of California’ and the Avett Brothers’ ‘Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise.’

Quote to Consider – “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever … It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” – Aaron Siskind

Flatiron Dreamcatcher

Canon Camera, Canon Lens, Christmas, High Dynamic Range (HDR), Home, Journaling, Light Intensity, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Project 365 - Photo-a-day, Still Life, Weather, Winter

Gibson Block Building – Edmonton, Ab – Canada 1

https://lumensborealis.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/gibson-block-building-edmonton-ab-canada-4.jpg

Gibson Block Building – Edmonton, Ab – Canada 3

Gibson Block Building – Edmonton, Ab – Canada 2

This building is likely the only building in Edmonton in the Flatiron architectural style – triangular in shape with curved windows at its toe. One would find this building in the twentieth century and it would reflect Edmonton opulence. The Gibson Block building, built in 1913, precedes many things. It precedes Canada’s involvement in World War I. It precedes the roaring twenties. It precedes the era of Al Capone, the American prohibition and a Canadian connection. It precedes the Great Depression. The Gibson Block building associates Edmonton to being Metropolitan. One would find a similar building in Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. Its Canadian, older metropolitan style works well as possible landscape to Morley Callaghan’s novel ‘Such is My Beloved.’ One can imagine the Great Depression and the lives of Father Dowling, Ronnie and Midge intersecting in such a building, a building with ground level retail space, apartments upstairs and Turkish baths below. Neglected, the Gibson Block building faced possible destruction in the 1990’s. The Edmonton City Centre Church Corporation recognized possibility and repurposed the building. The Gibson Block building is now home to the Women’s Emergency Accommodation Centre and provides refuge to those in need – homeless and transient women. At Christmas, the building’s curved glass toe held a huge dreamcatcher, one, in size, able to encompass a person.

Listening to – Bruce Springsteen’s ‘One Step Up’ and ‘If I Should Fall Behind,’ The Black Crowes’ ‘Twice as Hard,’ Neil Young’s ‘The Needle and the Damage Done,’ Alison Krauss’ ‘Lay My Burden Down,’ Hank Williams’ ‘My Heart Would Know,’ Willie Nelson’s version of Coldplay’s ‘Scientist,’ Lucinda Williams’ ‘East Side of Town,’ Shawn Colvin’s ‘All Fall Down,’ Peter Himmelman’s ‘Impermanent Things’ and Ryan Adams’ ‘Chains of Love.’

Quote to Consider – “To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place … I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt

Stabilizing Forgiveness

Best Practices - Photography, Christmas, Christmas Lights, Flora, Journaling, Light Intensity, Night, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Project 365 - Photo-a-day, School, Still Life, Weather, Winter

Christmas Lights – Town Hall, High Level 1

Christmas Lights – Town Hall, High Level 2

High Level Public School – Gym Entrance

High Level Public School Walkway

Lattice Work of Trees – High Level, Alberta

REW Memorial Pool – High Level, Alberta

Senior’s Centre – High Level, Alberta – 1

Senior’s Centre – High Level, Alberta – 2

I have been intrigued to find success in creating night time images from handheld shots using wide open aperture and ISO 6400; stabilization must have been accounted for and become the forgiveness factor in this camera. Good!

Listening to – liking Martyn Joseph’s new album, ‘Sanctuary;’ enjoying the tribute to Robert F. Kennedy in ‘Bobby’ and the instrumental work in ‘Sanctuary’ that reminds of songs from Martyn’s album ‘Thunder and Rainbows.’

Quote to Consider – “You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper.” – William Albert Allard

Morning Marvels

Backlight, Fog, Journaling, Light Intensity, Night, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Still Life, Weather, Winter

Hoar Frost - Light Standard, High Level, Ab - Canada

Popcorn size chunks of hoar frost line the length of a light standard’s striations, more of January’s morning crystalline marvels.

Quote to Consider – “If your photos aren’t good enough, then you’re not close enough.” – Robert Capa

Listening to – Adele’s ‘Hello,’ ‘Send My Love (To Your New Lover)’ and ‘I Miss You.’

Morning’s Way

Backlight, Flora, Fog, Home, Journaling, Light Intensity, On Being with Krista Tippett, Photoblog Intention, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Podcast, Still Life, Weather, Winter

Morning Walk 1

Morning Walk 2

Morning Walk 3

Morning Walk 4

Morning Walk 5

Morning Walk 6

Morning Walk 7

Morning Walk 8

Morning Walk 9

Morning Walk 9a

Morning Walk 9b

Morning Walk 10

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Morning Walk 20

Six kilometres distance is my morning walk around High Level. I am plugged in, listening to a podcast that opens out a little further my understanding of the world.

Words from a podcast interview catch my ear – “The greatest mysteries are the simplest ones. Those are the ones that we confront every day. I had a conversation once with a priest – I was travelling and went to confession in this very remote place, and suddenly he said, ‘Well, we don’t know what God is, do we?’” These words recall assertions made by John O’Donohue and Miester Eckhart – ‘God is only our name for it.’ I recognize the voice and am surprised to hear this same assertion being alluded to.

At -27C I am out of our home, on the road, bundled in layers of protective warmth and I have my camera. Good! My listener’s ear is attending to words offered by Martin Sheen, and, so begins this ‘On Being’ interview with Krista Tippett.

Within the walk, Martin describes his early days at home among his father’s family and then as an actor who is nourished by way of a soup kitchen. Further on Martin opens-out how his son’s film, ‘The Way,’ came into being. Emilio Estevez, Martin’s son has directed the film about a father, Thomas Avery, whose son had begun the pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago, but getting caught in mountains after dark and in fog may have fallen to his death. Thomas, played by Martin, takes on his son’s mantle of intention (that of seeing the world instead of just reading about it) and takes on the pilgrimage on his son’s behalf. Walkers and hikers will recognize the poignancy of this film for how it works with the matter of identity and community associated with a shared or common road. This film explores being upon Robert Frost’s ‘road less traveled.’

The eight seasons of ‘The West Wing’ series are recalled and the role of President Bartlett is under girded by Martin’s social activism and social conscience; Martin often is acting with an interior sense of what the President ought to do and this sense is buoyed up by brilliant dialogue and action provided by Aaron Sorkin. Martin’s personal evolution pulls him all the way back to Catholicism and to anchoring works of Thomas Merton.

The podcast is a good listen, a listening that I repeat. ‘On Being’ employs a listening strategy to anchor the interview within the listener. The edited interview is stellar – music, transition, clustering and flow of ideas. The uncut, un-edited interview is also presented as a second podcast, for a second listening – ideal for my longer morning walks. The second, uncut podcast interview holds other nuggets to be mined, revealing something more of interviewee and interviewer.

My morning – I have my camera with me, and, I stop and start, walking and listening my way around High Level. These images are those captured during my podcast listening.

Quote to Consider – “No place is boring if you’ve had a good night’s sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film.” – Robert Adams.

Listening to – in addition to ‘On Being’ podcasts, recommendations from Steve Stockman (Stocki) from 2015: Jason Isbell’s ’24 Frames,’ ‘Hudson Commodore,’ ‘Flagship’ and ‘Speedtrap Town;’ Glen Hansard’s ‘McCormack’s Wall,’ ‘Grace Beneath the Pines,’ ‘ Paying My Way’ and ‘My Little Ruin;’ Jack White’s ‘We’re Going to Be Friends’ from ‘Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of Llewyn Davis.’

Where Community Happens

Christmas, Christmas Meal, Home, Journaling, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Still Life, Winter

Diner Utensils – West Edmonton, Alberta 1

Diner Utensils – West Edmonton, Alberta 2

Diner Utensils – West Edmonton, Alberta 3

At Christmas we stayed in a West Edmonton hotel. Each morning a crew of cooks serves breakfast to a gaggle of patrons – early morning faces, searching for sustenance to anchor them to their day – tea, coffee, eggs, a bagel. Goodwill, care and interest are shared and are part of the help that helps them on their way. Curiously and lovingly, a listening ear and dialogue are offered, also anchoring the patron stranger to their day – encouraging them (adding courage to them).

Carrie Newcomer’s song ‘Betty’s Diner’ talks about this dynamic of communion, amongst the varied human narratives being lived, each coming into the diner for sustenance and a waitress who’s tracking their narratives each day, encouraging them (and adding courage to them), an anchor to would be strangers who find themselves more family than stranger in Betty’s Diner; it’s interesting that this waitress role of service is so similar to that of pastor. Carrie Newcomer’s song is now a musical. Here, a set of hotel kitchen utensils are clean and stand ready for tomorrow’s meal, becoming subject for these images and reminding this patron so much about Carrie Newcomer’s song, ‘Betty’s Diner.’

Quote to Consider – “There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what you see is what we are.” – Ernst Haas

Listening to – Steve Martin & Edie Brickell’s ‘Friend of Mine,’ ‘Sun’s Gonna Shine’ and ‘Heart of a Dreamer.’

Discrete, Moveable – Beyond the Gym

Home, Journaling, Light Intensity, Night, Photography & Conceptualizing Beauty, Project 365 - Photo-a-day, Still Life, Weather, Winter

Morning Walk – High Level, Alberta – Canada 1

Morning Walk – High Level, Alberta – Canada 2

Morning Walk – High Level, Alberta – Canada 3

Morning Walk – High Level, Alberta – Canada 4

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Morning Walk – High Level, Alberta – Canada 9

Morning Walk – High Level, Alberta – Canada 10

It is a colder time of year in January; often we’ll have two or three weeks where northern cold from the arctic pushes down over us and us into -40C temperatures. Many people who exercise like to be outdoors; but, colder temperatures anchor them to a gym or within their basements with activity involving free weights and a treadmill. Some will make it outside at regular hours when there are others around, perhaps after work or in the evening. Their endeavor may be no more than a walk, a solitary effort or a discrete, moveable meeting place for two friends to discuss their worlds. At this time of year, what’s common, regardless of the time of day, is that you’re usually walking outside, beyond your work hours in darkness. For me, I favour an early morning walk, to be outside listening to a podcast or music prior to the day’s priorities becoming priorities for the day. Included here are early morning images gathered while walking (in the dark).

Listening to – Dream Academy’s ‘Life in a Northern Town,’ The Cranberries ‘Dreams,’ Aerosmith’s ‘Walk this Way’ and the Steep Canyon Rangers’ ‘More Bad Weather On the Way.’

Quote to Consider – “Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees.” – Paul Strand