The PHSC was formed October 23, 1974 to advance the knowledge of and interest in the history of photography, particularly of photography in Canada. Holds monthly meetings in the Greater Toronto Area, published a journal, Photographic Canadiana, and hosted the Photographica-fair each spring (later expanded to a fall fair and a summer trunk sale) along with an action or two each year.
"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still." - Dorothea Lange
I read the title "3 Ways to Keep a Naturalist's Notebook" and felt that buzz of inspiration. But, reading the post, it was just about other people's projects, people long gone and famous for their other writing. It wasn't what I was hoping for. I wanted something, fresh, something on the scale of in my own backyard versus famous places and perfect settings. So, what was there to do but collect my own ideas for a backyard naturalist, like myself.
First of all, if you don't have a backyard, there is a whole world out there. Take a look at a local public place like a church, cemetery, park, or get creative. Being a naturalist isn't just about walking around in a forested area. Studying urban areas is important too. Even if you walk on paved ground instead of grass, nature can be found. Not even just outdoors!
Make notes about what you see. Including illustrations. Don't try creating masterpieces with your drawings. They can just add to your words as you find more to be curious about, or make note of. If you make a digital notebook you can add digital photos. Later you can look into a magnifying glass and fancier equipment. But, the main thing is to see what you discover while its still out there to be seen. Technology and more equipment can be distracting and time consuming. To start with at least, stick to a pencil and notebook for quick notes.
What can you find in your immediate, local ecosystem? Learn to identify different plants growing in your backyard. What types of grass are in your lawn? What are the "weeds" you see? Watch for animals in your yard, not just birds. What do they find to eat and how do they eat? Do they interact or avoid each other? Add details like the location, season, the weather, time of day, colours, texture, how they move (or blow in the wind), so many details you can think to add once you get started.
Consider all your senses when making observations and notes: sight, sound, smell, hearing and touch. Include your sixth sense, your feelings, too. Avoid touching poisonous plants. Try not to disturb animals and plants in general. That doesn't mean you can't touch things around you, just learn to understand them without endangering or upsetting them. You don't want to harm life while studying life - be responsible for your actions, not a bumbling professor uncaring/ thoughtless about the chaos your actions can create.
How does the environment affect the natural world? The environment can include the location, traffic from vehicles or people, buildings, sidewalks, fences, a river, trees, everything. I think of the odd weed poking up in an otherwise pristine sidewalk. There is the natural world surviving in the environment it finds itself in.
Take time and return. You may see something interesting while busy and make quick notes before moving along. But, plan ahead and choose a time and location where you are not rushed and can return to again and again. Things change in the natural world. You need more than one visit. Try a sunny day and later a rainy day, even in the same week.
You could make a study of just one weed growing where it manages to get a start. What changes day by day? What struggles does that weed have? Does it grow to full height or remain stunted? Does it produce flowers or seeds? If someone pulls it out, does it have enough root to grow back? Endless questions and observations.
Don't forget the motto (used by urban explorers) "take only photographs, leave only footprints". Whatever you bring with you should leave with you, no littering. On the other hand, don't remove things from their environment. Instead hope you will see them/it again next time you visit. I make an exception for seeds and clippings from plants which you could add to your notes. But, don't harm the plants, make sure there is enough of it to keep thriving. In some locations you may need to stay on trails, especially in fragile ecosystems. Think of it as the butterfly effect without the time machine.
Dress appropriately. Think about insects (bees and mosquitos). Think about the weather. Bright colours or anything flashy will make it harder to watch animals, no matter how patiently you wait. Bring everything with you in an easy to haul around backpack or something else that works well for you.
Give yourself credit for what you have learned, progress you have made in understanding the ecosystem and new discoveries you make. Celebrate your discoveries. Add to your research by looking into history and lore about the plants and animals in your own backyard. Which plants are edible? Find out about foraging and cooking/ baking with wild plants. Learn tracking skills for seeing where the animals came from and where they go.
Here are some reflection questions to help you choose your next outdoor adventure: What am I excited to learn outside? What would be easy for me to do in the amount of time I have? What would be easy for me to do in the locations I have nearby? What areas of nature study am I most passionate about? What areas of nature study have I not done in awhile? If you ever get stuck and unable to go deeper in a particular area of naturalist curricullum… simply take a break and go study something else for awhile!
Quoted from Brian Mertins, Nova Scotia.
I was asked how I came to volunteer with Ontario Barn Preservation. This is what I wrote.
Ironically, I am allergic to almost everything inside a barn: hay, animals, and mold/fungus. But, I really like history, particularly finding out about how things were done/ made and worked. My Dad was an electrical engineer who always wanted (and tried several times) to be a dairy farmer. But, he did not want to get his hands dirty. Anyway, that's why I mostly grew up in the suburbs, mainly a town called Port Union in the east end of Scarborough, Toronto, now.
I've loved writing and tried drawing since I was a kid. I became a photographer as I grew up, not professionally at all. I took photos of my Mom's garden for her. I took photos of family and my cats and family trips, my own trips. Always interested in old buildings and places too. In college Photography was one of the courses I took as part of Corporate Communications. When I got my first digital camera I was finally able to take all the photos I wanted without thinking about the cost of developing them. At first I only had to make sure I had enough storage and battery power. My first camera didn't have much for storage.
One of the first places I photographed was an abandoned farm house near Bradford. The house was demolished since then. But, that was the start of photographing old farm houses around Ontario. The next camera I bought was an investment with more memory and a memory card for storage. It also had zoom so I could see details of buildings farther away or get a close look at a house I couldn't access. I started a group for rural exploration photographers in Ontario on Flickr. Its still there along with a few others. I met other people through my photo group and got together to meet a few in person too. I was still in my 30's and 40's then.
By my 50's I wasn't doing as much. But, I still like seeing other photos of old places in Ontario. I often search for history related groups/ organizations in Ontario. I keep a list of links from those I find. Most of them I added to the ODP site. I maintain the category for Urban Exploration there. Anyway, from looking for Ontario history this and that I found Ontario Barn Preservation. They were looking for volunteers. I knew I could not be someone who goes into barns, or help with knowing how to fix them up. But, I sent in my name anyway, just to see what would come from it.
That was about 3 years ago I think. I've been checking the emails, replying to them or directing them to the right people here. I write the newsletter every two months (not strictly on schedule), I post blurbs to social media accounts. Also helping out with memberships, posts to the website, running the site, finding possible contractors to add to the list, dozens of this and that as needed. Officially, I'm the administrative assistant.
When I was photographing the old farm houses I didn't really pay much attention to the barns. There were there and I got some photos, but it was the houses, the abandoned gardens, the structure and the weathering that I especially photographed. Since joining OBP I've learned more about barns and have a greater appreciation for them. Sometimes they call them cathedrals of the field and I think its a good name for them.
I began writing my own journals/ diaries as a kid in the early 1970's. There are at least eight books, most of them full of my thoughts, blabs, and so on. As I have moved from place to place along my life the books became collected in a plastic container with a lot of photos I'd taken from trips to BC, visiting my Aunt Emma and wandering around Vancouver, staying at hostels and hotels. Travelling on the Greyhound bus, which doesn't have that cross Canada route any longer. Family and cat photos too. the odd hand written page about this and that. Ephemera collected from my adventures.
I had seen the box, less than a year ago, stuck in the garage where my brother had put it. I didn't move it into the house, mostly because I live in one room and didn't have space for it. Of course, not every decision made due to laziness, indecision, etc. is not always the best choice. Earlier this year my brother began clearing out everything from the garage. He found the garage was infested with mice and rats from the past tenants leaving a lot of garbage in it, outside of the garbage put out in the regular pick up. I noticed the lid of my container was cracked, it wasn't before. But, again I put off doing much about it because I didn't want to figure out what to do with it. I looked at getting a new container for it, but didn't get one. So it sat outside in rain and I thought it was safe with another box on top of it to block water and it was under the roof of the garage, outside.
Today, my Mom opened it and found the water has gotten in. Mostly everything is damaged, some of it is ruined and it really stinks! I can see fungus/ mold on it. I can still smell it, even though I've washed my hands several times, changed clothes and left all of it out in the laundry room.
The plan is to sort through the photos and pick out what to keep. Most are ruined, all the ink/colour washed away from the paper. Some of them still have an image left in the centre. So, a few I have saved so far. Some (not many) are untouched by water. Ironically, most of them are from my wedding and I don't really care about them as much. There are a lot of them which were dripping wet still and hugely stink. I will try to sort them today. But, I have little hope for them.
I think I will bring my scanner out, hook it up to my laptop and scan all the old journals. Better than retyping them, I would have my original hand written pages, just made digital and less mildew and moldy. Then, sadly, I will throw away all those pages and books I've kept for so long.
The next thing is what to do with all those scanned pages. I guess I can post them here, as images with dates. That will make this a really long/ old blog. I think the earlies pages are from before the 1970's. One nice thing about scanning them is being able to see my penmanship over the years too. Retyping them can't do that. Plus, retyping them would mean guessing what some of them are. Instead of leaving it as original to figure out more than just once. Handwriting isn't as reliable as type, but its far more personal and artsy.
Anyway, that's what I will be doing over the next few weeks. I think it will be sad to dispose of the old journals themselves. All those originals. Some of them I still remember who gave me the blank journal or where I bought them from. I guess I can add that to the notes as I scan and post them.