Canada

There are 128 posts filed in Canada (this is page 3 of 13).

The Camera as a Divining Rod 

            I found this description on a site, Worksongs (now 404) by Andrew Emond.

I had just been talking to my nephew yesterday about that feeling of talking photographs without looking at every detail not relevant to the photograph. While I’m photographing, my mind goes into a different place. I’m seeing everything as light, shadow, angles, clear versus blurred, and so on. I don’t catch the words on a gravestone but I see that they will (or won’t) turn out clearly enough to read in the photograph. I walk around to find the angle that catches the mood, without taking the time to decide what the mood actually is. At least not in words.

It is a different connection to your surroundings when you look at everything a little distanced and yet more connected in other ways. I liked the analogy of the camera as a divining rod. So I have reposted Andrew’s description, as a quote. He has another site: Andrew Emond.

Worksongs Photography

Name : Andrew Emond
Location : Toronto / Montreal

Intent : Worksongs is basically the end result of me trying to gain a better, more direct connection with my immediate surroundings. I look at the camera as a sort of divining rod. It helps lead me to things I wouldn’t normally consider examining or give much thought to, like industrial processes or the way communities are evolving. I’m particularly interested in how elements of the old world are fitting in with the modern world, or in some cases aren’t fitting in at all — essentially where our society has come from and the directions we might be headed.

Art & Home Reposted the Old House from Bradford 

            <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-56414" src="https://ontarioexploration.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/foundonartandhomenet.png" alt="" width="382" height="442" />One of my photos was included in an article about abandoned houses, on a site called <a href="https://artandhome.net/abandoned-homes/">Art &amp; Home</a>.

They added it from Pinterest, known for being a great source of photographs (I’m joking). So there is no attribute or link to me.

It bugs me that I don’t seem to have my original image file for this photo (and most of the others from this house) any more. Every image I have is shrunken, smaller than my original. I shrunk them for posting online and maybe the big originals were lost somewhere along the way. I keep hoping I will turn them up.

As far as the Pinterest thing, what can you do? There’s a lot of theft online, intentional and unintentional. Easier to just post the image than backtrack it to the source. Even if you find a source, how can you know it is the right source. Things are pretty messed up. This is why I am working on watermarking images before I post any more of them. Where ever they wander, at least there will be something to show where they came from. In theory.

Want to find this house? You won’t. It was demolished years ago. Bradford, Ontario.

Bruce Brigham Abandoned Ontario Books 

            I remember the original website, which you can still see (the front page and not much else) with the Wayback Machine. I could not find an update about Bruce Brigham and both of his web domains abandonedontario.ca and abandonedontario.com are parked/ 404 now. Not a good sign. I exchanged an email with him, once, long ago.

I did find one of his photos posted to Pinterest.  There is also a surviving link for a few pages and photographs on Tumblr. No new posts. I found another lost link which had posts about his books, pinball machines and working with Mac computers. But that domain was sold and is being using by another business now. I also found a pinball video, about collecting and maintaining the old pinball games.

There are also two books, which are very hard (which probably means expensive too) to find. Both are listed on Amazon but not available. I found a photo of the second book via ebay.

Kevin McElheran’s Abandoned Church Photo 

            I tried to find the photographer, Kevin McElheran online. No luck, just more abandoned or broken links. I did find a description which was posted with another copy of the same photo, on two other sites. So, some background information about how the photo was taken. But, I still don't know what happened to <a href="https://twitter.com/kmcelheran">Kevin McElheran</a> from Calgary, Alberta.

“This abandoned 100 year old church is what’s left from what was the rail town of Sorrento, British Columbia. I was driving through this area late one night when I noticed a train in the distance approaching which outlined this structure in it’s glow.”

I think the church is Notch Hill Church, not Saint Mary’s as the description says with the photo above. Notch Hill Church is in Sorrento, BC and it is located right at the train tracks. One sites says it is Tappen, BC.

One way or another, this seems to the the church photographed. It was being restored but the site stopped posting in 2014. In 2016 I read a report about building materials being stolen from the site. The project is on hold due to lack of funds to replace them. The photo below was taken before the renovations began.

DanOCan – STST2017: Notch Hill Church

Toronto Fire 1904 Postcard 

            I have heard about the fire in old Toronto. So long ago (before I was born) that I forget the year. But, <span class="removed_link" title="https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/919333738/toronto-fire-photo-postcard-1904-1905?frs=1&amp;cns=1">this postcard</span> says it was 1904, and this is where the fire started. None of those old buildings will still be standing. The others which survived in 1904 are mostly gone too. The don't make them like that any more, is certainly true. They were brick and beautiful, crafted. Now they seem utilitarian, plain and functional. Not fair to say they have no style, a different style is still a style. But, they lack the feeling that someone actually built them. Instead they seem to be something that just appeared, already formed.

You can read more about the fire and the history, but you can’t ever see it, just images and news reporting. The old grandmother buildings are gone. That always seems sad to me.

Bench By Bench with Rebecca Kennel 

            <a href="http://benchbybench.com/">Victoria: Bench by Bench</a>

Another idea for backyard explorers, public benches in parks, along trails, anywhere you can walk to. Some benches have been built for people to take a break during a walk. Some give people a place to sit, read awhile and admire the scenery or a great view. Some were donated as memorials with a plaque for a family member, local business or celebrity.

So far I can’t find a copy of the book, but that happens with local history books published by the author/ photographer. Rebecca Kennel lived in Victoria, BC. While there she wrote a book about the public benches in Victoria, BC. She photographed them, wrote about their history and the surroundings. It looks like a charming book and I have emailed her (if she gets email at that address still) and maybe I will be able to get a copy, if there are any still in print. I can find the book on Amazon, but it is out of print, no more copies expected. I was hoping for better news, but not surprised.

I found a personal site Rebecca kept, until 2018. She had moved from Victoria to a town in Saskatchewan. She was/ is looking after her Mother and her husband, Galen, has passed away. I don’t know what she has been doing since then. I found a YouTube channel, Twitter account, and a Facebook page but nothing is updated. I hope she is still ok herself. There are two posts about her book on her YouTube channel.

The site for the book has a backup link on her personal domain. I’m leaving that link in case the other site disappears.

Steve Skafte – Poet and Explorer of Roads, Cemeteries and Old Places in Nova Scotia 

            I found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7mZ8WAc6OAur81L0Ml7gdg">Steve Skafte</a> (YouTube video posts) today from a post on the CBC site. He was interviewed about his photographs and research of abandoned roads in Nova Scotia.

When he was a kid, his bedroom walls were covered in maps. He was fascinated with exploring Nova Scotia, so once he travelled all the roads he could track down in his community, his attention shifted to the roads that weren’t clearly marked.

The province categorizes these roads as K-class, meaning the roadways are owned by the province but not maintained and rarely used by the public. Skafte thinks most of the roads, which range from a few hundred metres to about five kilometres in length, haven’t been kept up for 50 to 60 years.

Before going out to explore, Skafte carefully studies property lines online to see where the abandoned roads may be. He then puts on a pair of hiking boots, grabs his camera and heads out.

Quoted from CBC – Meet the man mapping out Nova Scotia’s abandoned roads.

His books of poetry, photographs and history are available at his Etsy shop, Photofables. The books and calendars about exploring the old roads and places seem to sell out quickly.

Visit the groups he runs on Facebook:
Abandoned Nova Scotia
Abandoned Roads of Nova Scotia

Poetry with photographs.