GARDEN FENCE, NORTH BAY

When photographing this fence, I thought about the images the ninteen century photographer Fox Talbot, who invented the paper negative in eighteen forty. I always liked the quality of the images created in that time. Of course the images have a rather romantic quality, which I enjoy. At the moment there is a real revival of  the tintype photography, which look very similar to the first paper negative prints. However this type of photography is almost exclusively used for portrait photography. Look at this webpage reviewing the work of a San Francisco photographer Michael Shindler, who works with tintypes. 

FERGUSON STREET, NORTH BAY

By exposing for the strong sunlight on the building the image is reduced to light and shadow. Making this picture visually quite intriguing. This image was processed, usung a few aps, and posted from my  iPad. I had to upload the image via Picasa but it was a very simple process.

PAINTING EASELS

Today I am learning how to ppost to my blog using my iPad. Its actually quite simple. The only step I  had to learn was that you have to load your pictures into a Picasa album. After that it was a piece of cake.

END OF WINTER LANDSCAPE

Last night I downloaded a brand new photo app, called "Handy Photo", onto my iPad. Of cxourse I had to find out how it worked and , I have to say, I simply love it. It offers a wide variety of tools and filters. So here is my first experiment with a picture I made a few days ago. I think this is going to be one of my favourite photo apps.

GUARDIAN OF THE TREASURES

Yesterday afternoon I photographed this knight, who is probably guarding the treasures outside the treasure house on Cassells Street here in North Bay.  Actually if you look closely you will notice the security camera on top of his helmet.

AN INVITATION FOR SPRING

The title refers to my longing to see Spring arrive. In this image I combined three different pictures. The bright yellow of the background, an image of Winter trees and the harbinger of Spring the red flowers. 

RUNNING OUT OF TIME

A few years ago I started to experiment with collages but then stopped exploring the possibilities any further. Then yesterday I came across some of the collages I worked on and, after looking seriously at the images, I got interested again and decided to continue with the work I began earlier. 

KITCHEN TOOLS

Subjects to photograph are quite easy to find.Walking into the kitchen I noticed how the sunlight emphasized the texture of the various tools. When processing the pictures I looked for colour especially in the reflections but in the end I thought the final image was stronger translated in black and white. Colour was simply a distracting element which did not contribute to the visual impact of the composition.

ONE MORE

I received quite a few reactions to yesterday's picture. So here is one more image from my garden series. This garden has not been in existence I think for more than thirty years or more. Working on these images bring back quite a few memories of the time when I went there to document the place. 

GARDEN DOLLS, WANAPITEI, ONTARIO

From several comments on yesterday's picture, I was surprised that many of you remembered my photo series of the garden I photographed in the mid seventies near Sudbury. This garden was quite unique and I would definitely call it folkart. Its a pity the garden does not exist anymore. The only record of this strange place left are the pictures I took. It was a scary place and even though the garden decorations were made of old discarded dolls, it was rather scary. One big mistake I made was that I used AGFA slide film which has deteriorated quite a bit, so it takes a lot of work restoring these images. 

DOLLS, CASSELLS STREET, NORTH BAY

Yesterday, on my daily walk I went to one of my favourite places here in North Bay. The owner was just making some changes. So I am looking forward what he is going to create next. So, here is a picture of some dolls. The dolls reminded me of a series of images I made a very long time ago near Sudbury. So that will be another project scanning those old pictures.

AMARYLLIS 2013

No this time not a picture finished on the iPad but just in Photoshop. However I did use the program Perfect Effects 4. Every year I take pictures of our traditional Winter flower the Amaryllis but this year the flower was exceptionally beautiful. Friends had given us the bulbs a few weeks ago and now both stems are flowering, which I could not resist photographing. So here is the result.

MAIN STREET EAST, NORTH BAY

Still exploring the new directions in digital photography. The iphones,tablets and apps are instigating very profound changes in photography. This image started with a picture I made last week on Mainstreet. By using three different apps I ended up with this final  picture, which has a closer resemblance to a traditional painting than a photograph. The use of these new tools have changed the traditional ideas of photography. 

STAIRWELL, OTTAWA

It is still quite cold but the snow is slowly disappearing. It is rather dirty and messy outside so, for me, this is the right time to keep experimenting with the various apps on my iPad. Here is a picture I took a few month ago in Ottawa. I had a sharp focused image but decided to use a slightly blurred version, which I preferred.  For this image I used three different apps and I like the results. If anybody is interested in my workflow just let me know.

ALONG THE WATERFRONT

I took this picture a few days ago along the waterfront here in North Bay. Again I transfered the image to my iPad and made a variety of adjustments, using various apps. The iPad allows you create a wide a variety of different visual interpretations. Of course you can use an iPhone but I prefer working on a larger screen. Secondly I don't own an iPhone because I simply don't have the need for it. There are two apps I definitely recommend. If you are interested in exploring the new directions in digital photography get the apps Mobile Masters and the App Alchemy. Both these apps have been developed by Dan Marcolina. 

THAW, NORTH BAY

At last the ice and snow are disappearing. The light creates great textures. I processed this image on my iPad   . Using the various apps you can create some very interesting pictures reflecting specific moods and atmospheres. Lately I have been working very seriously with my iPad. I don't use my iPad for picture taking because I find the image quality just not good enough, I still have the iPad2, but I transfer pictures from my camera and after working on them back to the computer. 

WALL, NORTH BAY

Passing an old building in downtown North Bay, I could not resist photographing this richly textured detail. I simply loved the very tactile quality of this wall surface.

NORTH BAY CITY HALL

Today felt like the first day of Spring. Yes, I realize its still early but the signs were definitely there. By midday the clouds started to break up and the snow started to melt. All in all a great day.

REMEMBERING ERMA'S, NORTH BAY

Last month I posted an old image of Erma's Store here in North Bay. Many of you had some good memories of this North Bay landmark. So today an update, especially for Nonie, who really enjoyed my earlier posting. This is what the place looks like today. 

MAIN STREET GRAFFITI, NORTH BAY

A few month ago I posted a black and white picture of this mural, so last week I revisited the same subject. I was going to title this image "Departure of the Winter King". maybe a little too dramatic but of course I and many others are looking forward to the end of Winter. 

REFLECTIONS, MAIN STREET, NORTH BAY

Taking a walk down Main street on a Winter afternoon is quite an interesting experience. Yes it looks rather grim but there are still quite a few interesting images to be made. I liked the reflection in the window of this closed restaurant.

WEST FERRIS ALLEY, NORTH BAY

The dominant feature of this picture is of course colour. Also the different fences and the shapes of the various sheds add a playful element to this simple cityscape.

WINTER VIEW

I like the city landscapes in the Winter. I mentioned the work of the Toronto painter Albert Franck before, who painted predominantly Winter cityscapes. The fascination for this subject might be the colours and the jumble of shapes, lines and textures. Whatever it is, for me me it is always inspiring.

CIVIC HOSPITAL, ANOTHER VIEW

I could not resist to post another picture of the Civic Hospital demolition site. Next week it will all be gone, except the clean up of course. That will take some time.