TATTOO

Visiting the North Bay Farmers market I couldn't resist taking this picture. The light was right, the different textures and above all, I liked the tattoo.

AMBIANCE, FOR DAVID BROWN

Thanks for your comment yesterday David. I have to agree with you that many folks are slowly fading away. Maybe we are too of course. Anyway I thought you might find this image appropriate. someone left this old armchair in a field next to an old storage shed. This shed is actually down our road and I did post some pictures of this old place. It might be a nice chair to spend a pleasant Summer afternoon reading or just contemplating life and enjoy nature..

TORN MOVIE POSTER, TORONTO

One of my favourite subjects is torn posters on walls and billboards. I like the textural and also the almost abstract quality of these negligible things we otherwise simply ignore.

WEDDING DRESS, C.A 180, CALLANDER MUSEUM

After my trip to Cobalt, I got the idea of visiting all the various small towns in the area to see what their local museums look like and develop a photographic diary of my visits. This dress is part of the Callander museum collection.

THE BARBER SHOP, COBALT

Of course I had to photograph this rustic, quaint barber shop. I know, if I lived in Cobalt, that is where I would go for my simple haircut.

LAURA'S ARTSHOPPE, COBALT

In his last posting David Ernest asked if we had visited Laura's Art Shoppe. I regret to say we did not however I took a picture of the store and, after reviewing the webpage, I definitely will make it one of my first stops in Cobalt.

FIREFIGHTERS MUSEUM, COBALT, ONTARIO

Yesterday it was a beautiful Summer day, so we made a little trip to the town of Cobalt and the city of Temiskaming Shores. We stopped in Cobalt where I took this picture of the Firefighters museum. I have taken many trips to the old mine and smelter sites of this small town but have not made many pictures of this very historical town itself.

SUMMER GARDEN

Today is a good day for photographing my wife's garden. The garden is at its Summer peak and it looks great. I am not a gardener but enjoy the result of her hard work. After the setback two years ago, when we had to dig up the whole back yard to replace our septic system, the garden looks just magnificent.

MOTOR RIDER, TORONTO

Walking downtown Toronto I couldn't resist taking this picture of this motor rider pulling away from the curb. Again I felt that the black and white image was stronger than the colour version. It reminded me of the street photography from the fifties and sixties.

QUEEN STREET, TORONTO

I enjoy visiting Toronto for a few days. Simply the atmosphere of a large city is something you need on occasion, not every day and I would certainly hate to have to commute to work every day but I still enjoy the noise and hustle of the downtown. It brings back many memories when we lived downtown after arriving in Canada.

EYES, OTTAWA, ON

It was the eyes, which made me stop and take this picture. It probably works better than posting a "No Trespassing" sign.

PUB ITALIA, OTTAWA

On our trip to Ottawa we went for lunch at the Pub Italia in the Italian neighbourhood. It is an an amazing place decorated with different religious images from old churches. The pub also has one of the most extensive beer selections in the city. On the right is the portrait of the founder and owner of the pub, Joe Cotroneo. So , when you are in Ottawa, go and check out this pub.

REFLECTION, PRESTON STREET, OTTAWA

Just returned from a week long visit to Ottawa and Toronto. Walking down Preston street in Ottawa I photographed this reflection. I am always intrigued by reflections. You get not only what is in front of your camera but also the background behind you. It creates not only a confusion of  interesting patterns and textures, but also creates a different reality.

TEEPEE, NORTH BAY

Over the weekend the annual powpow took place near the museum in downtown North Bay. I could not go because of other commitments. however I did take a few pictures of the teepee on the grounds. Using avariety of techniques and programs I did get some interesting images.

MARIANNE'S SECRET GARDEN

I could not resist taking some pictures of my wife's second small garden in the back of our property. She started this many years ago, which she calls her secret garden. It starting to mature with different plants like trillium, Jack in the pulpit and of course ferns. Its a lovely quiet spot although at this time there are many mosquitoes and blackflies.

LAUNDROMAT, BOSTON, MA

I forgot the pictures I took on our recent trip to Boston. First I thought this building  was a restaurant but then, noticing the sign and people entering with their laundry, I realized  it was a rather classy looking laundromat. David Brown commented that he enjoys working in the darkroom. Actually I loved that too but I get the same pleasure working in my room on the computer while listening to my favourite music or radio stations. Using a few image processing programs I slowly work on an image till I get the result I like.

OLD MAPLE TREE, FOR DAVID AND DAVID

I have photographed this maple many times. The tree is, just like me , getting older. Maybe that is the reason I feel an affinity with this beautiful old maple. Anyway I also have come full circle it seems because I am really enjoying working in black and white, which is were I started when I became interested in photography. Of course, instead of working in the darkroom, I now use a computer but the creative process is basically the same.

SUMMER LANDSCAPE WITH TRUCKS

Over the years I have made quite a few trips to this farm  but the last few years I see more and more old cars  and trucks slowly rusting away. So this time a traditional black and white image of a quiet Summer landscape with trucks.

MARINA, LAKE NIPISSING

Yesterday a friend and I made a little photo excursion in the area around Lake Nipissing. I was a beautiful day and one of the first stops we visited was a marina, where I made a picture of this boat all covered in early morning dew. It looked great but I thought this has to be a black and white image and yes, upon returning home I preferd this rendition over the colour image.

CALADIUM HORTULANUM

My wife came home with this beautiful plant and of course I had to take pictures. I was not happy with the initial results but then decided to use these pictures as my first "sketches" and started to change them using a variety of apps. I liked the final result which I hope to use for a limited edition prints.

GALLERY, NORTH BAY

Just a simple image, which I made a few days ago at KBros gallery here in North Bay. This gallery is a local gallery and framing business. The papier-mâché sculpture has been a store fixture for decades.

LAST RIDE, NORTH BAY CAR SHOW 2014

Yesterday I visited the annual antique car exhibition on Main street here in North Bay. It is always a pleasure to see all the beautifully restored cars. This year show was greatly expanded with many outside participants.One of the restored vehicles was an old hearse named "The Last Ride" It had a very elaborate decoration on the hood and a small metal scull on the grill. Of course I could not resit taking a picture because I think Monkey Girl will love it.

TRAIL, NORTH BAY

Spring is late this year. Only a week ago we did not have any leaves on the trees when I took this picture along one of our trails along the lake.  I like the pattern of the trees and the contrast between the light birches and dark maples.

CLOUDS AND TEXTURES, LAKE NIPISSING

I took this picture a few days ago while walking a trail along the lake. I liked the texture of the old reeds contrasting with reflections of clouds.

FUCHSIA FOR MONKEY GIRL

Thanks for your comment Monkey Girl. Hers is another picture of the same plant but a totally different interpretation. I hope you like this one too. I made a mistake when I dated these pictures in 1982, they were actually made in June 1981. I just thought for that I should set the record straight.

FUCHSIA

We just bought a fuchsia, which is tradition a Spring tradition. Looking at this beautiful plant, I remembered that in the early 1980s I had made a series of flower  pictures. So I looked through my negatives and sure enough, I found them and  after scanning in some of my favourite pictures I made a few interesting images. Here is one example. The new interpretation is quite different from my original prints but, I have to say,  I prefer this new image.

RESTAURANT, LAKE GEORGE, NY

Going through the pictures from our Boston trip, I selected this image when we traveled through a very popular resort town in the Adirondacks in New york. Of course the season had not started yet so everything looked very much asleep. But I am certain that in the Summer, the town will be packed with tourists. This picture worked well in colour but the black and white rendition really accentuates the patterns of the decks and fences.

MOTHERSDAY MIDWAY, NORTH BAY, ON

Yesterday was Mothersday and a glorious day it was. Actually it was the first real warm day of the season. I took a little walk around the park wher I took asfew pictures of the midway. Nothing spectacular but I transferred a few images to my iPAD and used a few of my favourite photo apps. I was quite happy with this final picture of an otherwise rather boring image. Don't forget I took the picture at midday in full sunlight but it transformed into a colourful night shot.

PEARLS

Again I have not been posting for awhile simply because I was busy with some other projects. A few days ago my friend Rob and I were discussing the new photographic direction of iphoneography. We talked about the various apps and how photographers are creating new images on their phones and tablets. It had been almost a yearsince I got interested in using the tools, so I started creating images on my iPad. Here is one sample of a picture I took a few days ago. It looks like an image reminisant of an old silent movie of the early twentieth century.

RED JEEP, BOSTON, MA

Yesterday, my friend Rob and I were discussing the way photography has changed. especially when you start seeing how people are using tablets and cellphones in creating some serious art. Just look at the work of some of these photo artists . I have done some experimenting with my iPad. This image was done on my iPad using a few photo apps.

WALL, BOSTON, MA

Back to some of my Boston pictures. By now you probably realize that one of my favourite subjects is walls and wall art of course. So here is another image of a very interesting urban artwork. I processed this image on the iPad to create some visually interesting effects.

POSTCARD FROM NORTH BAY

Spring has arrived, so here is an old fashioned postcard from downtown North Bay. The colour has returned and I guess everyone is looking forward to a beautiful warm Spring and Summer.

STREET ART, BOSTON, MA

Back to posting pictures from our recent trip to Boston. passing this door or actually some transformer I had to photograph this great example of city art. I think a variety of artists have added their personal touch to this piece, resulting in a complex art wotk.

SPRING 2014, LAKE NIPISSING

A beautiful Spring day, so I went to the lake to see if the ice was breaking up. Of course it is still quite solid and I think it will take another ten days before the lake will be truly ice free.

GHOST TOUR, SALEM, MA

We spent a day in Salem and, of course, could not pass up the opportunity of going on a ghost tour. It was quite a lot of fun. On the walk I had to take some photographs. I particularly liked this old building, which was next to a historical graveyard. I did photograph the building in the daytime but, while still interesting, I think this image really reflects the atmosphere of the ghost stories.

DERBY SQUARE BOOKSTORE, SALEM, MA

Walking downtown Salem, we wandered into the Derby Square Bookstore. The store was selling its books at a 70% discount because the owner was retiring. I guess we ere just in time because it closed a week later, but walking into the store was quite a surprise. This is what it actually looked like. If you liked a book you had to ask the owner to get it for you because just pulling the book out of astck would probably bring everything crashing down.

HAPPY EASTER

Walking past this Easter display in Boston I simply hadto take a picture for my Easter posting. So I like to wish everyone a happy Easter weekend.

FOR LINDA, THE MARCO'S

You are right Linda, I have photographed The Demarco's several times, actually I recall posting an image of the store earlier on my blog. This version is my favourite. I made this picture a long time ago in the mid seventies so I thought it might be a good idea to show this image.Here is the link to my earlier posting of the Demarco's.

DOWNTOWN, MANCHESTER, NH

After our late breakfast we took a walk around the downtown of Manchester. It was a very dark grey day but I made afew pictures, which I thought might make some good images. I always like reflections so I took this picture because I was attracted by the polyphony of textures, shapes  and colours.

RED ARROW DINER, MANCHESTER, NH

On our way to Boston we stopped for a late breakfast at the very popular diner the Red Arrow in Manchester, New Hampshire. This diner has been in business since 1922. The only difference with today is that most of the clients are on their cell phones. A little sad because nobody really talks to each other anymore.

EARLY MORNING FOG, JOHNSBURY,VT

The first day we stayed overnight in the town of Johnsbury,Vt Our hotel was just outside of town surrounded by three highways, so not a great place for interesting images. But I always like a challenge so before breakfast I walked in the area and made a few pictures which I liked. This early morning image of fog rising from the river is one of them. I like the gritty look of some of Bill Brand's landscapes so I simply increased contrast and grain.

MOUNTAINS, NEW HAMPSHIRE

It has been quite awhile since my last posting. The Winter was really getting to me and I guess I simply went into hibernation, but Spring has arrived. Last week we made road trip to Boston. We had a great time and the trip restarted my interest in taking pictures again. The first few days of Travel through Vermont and New Hampshire were dark and grey but interesting because of the great dramatic skies like this image taken in the New Hampshire mountains.
 

MARKINGS, PARKING GARAGE, OTTAWA

Again no postings since last week. So today a very abstract image I made of some markings on a wall in a downtown Ottawa parking garage. I liked the organic quality of the black line.

SPRING GARDEN

It is supposed to be Spring but this is what our garden looks like at this moment. Again today we received another huge amount of snow. It seems as if Winter will never end.

ICE FOLLIES 2014

The North Bay Winter art festival, the Ice Follies 2014, on Lake Nipissing was definitely lacking in a variety of visual art works. I simply photographed this teepee frame, which I presume, is part of an art installation. It made a good image but , as far as art goes, not very exciting. Hope to see a better festival next year.

BREAKING OUT

David Ernest asked me in his posting where I took the picture of Mr. Toad.Well I photographed him standing on a book shelve in our bookcase. A variety of characters have their domicile in our bookcases. So here is another one, which I made in monotone. Hopoe yoy like this image david.

MR.TOAD

One of our hobbies is collecting children's books and one of my favourites is Wind in the Willows. So here is Mr. Toad looking if Spring has arrived yet.

STREET MURAL, DOWNTOWN NORTH BAY

I just thought it might be a good idea to post a colour image just to break the Winter landscape. So here is a picture I took downtown North Bay.

WINTER CITYSCAPE, NORTH BAY

This is what Mainstreet in North Bay looks like on a Wintery Saturday afternoon. The only colour is this poster for a dance school.

SERENITY

I wish I had the serenity of the Buddha, which I found sitting on the sidewalk in a Montreal street. The Winter keeps going so luckily I still have some images in my file from my recent trip to Quebec.