Backyard Exploring

There are 32 posts filed in Backyard Exploring (this is page 2 of 4).

Lighthouses 

            Note - This was originally posted to a friend's site which has been taken down. The links have not been checked since 2015.

What is it about lighthouses that draws people? People collect lighthouses figurines. People paint and draw lighthouses. People will stop to photograph a lighthouse even when there could be something else more interesting which they did not even notice in the shadow of that mystical, lonely, stark looking building poking the sky. I think it is the romance, mystery, history and the feeling of adventure – surviving storms at sea and pounding waves. The idea of steadfast lighthouse keepers, daring rescues and pirates hiding their treasure exposed in the roving splash of a beam of light. They are kind of fun to draw. Even more fun to be down at the water, hearing it, smelling it.

Photo Galleries of Lighthouses:

Lighthouses as Art:

Lighthouses Visited/ Documented:

Dump Diggers in Toronto 

            <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-99" src="http://ontarioexploration.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/dumpdiggers.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="257" />

Just Rob Campbell on the site currently. The original link and photo were from 2008. Rob continues digging, finding and collecting old bottles (in his recent posts) and other Toronto based old treasures.

Dumpdiggers chronicles the adventures of low tech treasure hunters Rob Campbell (that’s me) and Tim Braithwaite as we research and recover antiques from forgotten historical sites.

Found site on Canada Blog Friends.

Graffiti Art Hearts

Paul Angel, in the UK, has made a project of photographing hearts carved or drawn in public places. A nice project for an urban explorer. Where could you find the oldest graffiti hearts in your local area? Have you ever created one yourself and if so, how did you make it and what did you make it on?
carvedheartA series Paul Angel, UK, has been working on since 2004, photographing graffiti love hearts and pairing them with the spaces in which they are found.

A book based on the Graffiti Hearts project.

Start Looking for Hand Made Lettering

Here’s something you probably haven’t thought to look for, calligraphy or hand made lettering. Not just for the written page but chiseled into stone or carved into wood or painted onto walls. Where else? Visit the blog and see what you may have been missing. (It’s typography when it’s machine made lettering, calligraphy when it’s created by hand).

calligraphySource: Calligraphy as Seen From my Bicycle –  Calligraphy in old churches and other places as seen during cycling tours around Europe. By Wlodek Fenrych. 

Fake Buildings

littlehouseI’ve seen at least a couple of small houses which have never been lived in. They were built to disguise equipment/ machinery for the telephone/ power company. It’s not so hard to recognize them because they all look about the same.

The image in this post comes from Google street view. This house is one I see every time I go to the local grocery store, it’s just a couple of streets away, in my neighbourhood.

Faux facades, fake buildings or whatever official name they have been given are interesting to find.

Have you seen any? You may not have noticed them. You may think your town is too small to have one, or any. It’s not the size of the town, however, it’s the location that counts.

  • power relay stations
  • cell phone infrastructure
  • train tunnels
  • ventilation
  • emergency access

Sources for other fake buildings:

Make Your Own Hinterland Who’s Who Spot

If you are Canadian (not too young) you will remember Hinterland Who’s Who on TV. I think this is a great idea for anyone wanting to make their own programs/ videos.

  • Pick a topic (animals if you want to submit it to Hinterland).
  • Do some research.
  • Make your film/ video.

Now you’ve got your own documentary on video.

The same idea can work for urban, rural or any exploring you do. No need to start with something exotic, look into the history of your own home, an interesting place on your own street, or the local park. Start documenting!

Make Your Own HWW Spot

Materials

  • camcorder or digital camera with video and sound recording (optional)
  • video editing software, such as:
    • MAC: iMovie, Final Cut Pro
    • PC: Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere Elements, Adobe Premiere Pro
  • voice recorder

Background

Most Canadians who had television in the 1960s or 1970s will remember it — the haunting strains of a lone flute, the trademark theme of Hinterland Who’s Who. The series of 60-second vignettes was created to educate the public about this country’s native wildlife through excellent film footage, natural sounds, and relaxed narration.

Now, more than 40 years after the series’ introduction, Environment Canada (EC) and the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) have relaunched Hinterland Who’s Who in an effort to connect another generation of Canadians with their natural heritage. The new public-service announcements carry on the classic theme of the original vignettes but also address the need to conserve and protect native species and their habitat.

Procedure

Here are some simple steps to make your Hinterland Who’s Who production a success:

  1. Decide on a Canadian wildlife species on which to make a video.
  2. Research basic elements about that species, including information such as:
    • appearance
    • where it lives in Canada
    • how to conserve the species

    Information on many Canadian species can be found at hww.ca

  3. If possible, take your own footage of your chosen species using a camcorder or digital recording device, or find available footage online.
  4. If possible take pictures of your chosen species, or find available photos online. Make sure you get permission from the photographer first!
  5. Combining all the above information, write a short (60 second) video script that ties the species information and imagery together.
  6. Record all audio and combine all elements together, including HWW music and logo, in video editing software.
  7. Submit your video to hww.ca, and where appropriate, videos will be posted online.

Source: Hinterland Who’s Who – Make Your Own HWW Spot