A Day On The Ocean

“A bad day fishing is better than a great day at work” Maybe so, but a day on the water in Newfoundland with friends beats it all.

This week I was on the waters near Conception Bay South thanks to the generosity of friends in Newfoundland to try my hand with a reel and fish for cod. For someone who didn’t see the ocean until well past his teen years and has never actually fished before, I fully expected and accepted to be an object of amusement (OK, pity) but let the record show that I caught the biggest one that day! Not bad for a flatlander.

The cod fishery is just one of the many aspects of Newfoundland that make it a place truly its own, like nowhere else in Canada. It has a long fascinating history with some dramatic modern history and, much like wheat in my birthplace Saskatchewan, has shaped the culture there for many, many many generations.

I’ll happily state I love Newfoundland and it’s the people that make me so quick to say it. Yes, the landscape is spectacular and the ocean is powerful and compelling - but culture, history and art is made by people. So, to the people who have so generously helped this come-from-away build this respect and admiration - thank you.

Want to feel small? Just head out on the Atlantic Ocean!

Captain Gerry lets out line on a wooden reel on the back of his 20-metre boat “Salt Water Joy”

Gerry takes a seat at the interior controls of his boat. The life aquatic clearly agrees with him, as he has a steady hand and a ready supply of jokes even into his 80’s sailing the waters of Conception Bay South.

Joe Chase lets out some line while on the hunt for some dinner in Conception Bay South.

Gerry puts his feet up on the trip out to cod fishing waters aboard his boat, “Salt Water Joy” The gentle and soft spoken captain has sailed the waters here for decades.

Ken and Lori Ann cast their lines - rod and reel - into Conception Bay South waters.

What’s it’s all about: a cod fish has the line cut from its mouth after a prairie photographer caught it.

Seagulls careen and crash in the waters, eager to get any fish parts cast off from fishermen.

He Ho! Let's go (Voyageur Bop)

I’m not a fan of winter - anything you can’t drive a motorcycle in just doesn’t seem like fun to me. But the one event that can sway me (other than aurora borealis) is western Canada’s biggest winter festival, the wonderful Festivalé du Voyageur.

I had the good luck to photograph this year’s festival for online news outlet ChrisD.ca — my first time at the event since 2020. Go figure, the past few years have been eventful…

My favourite way of working - just wandering, packing just a few lenses - seems to produce my favourite kinds of photographs: small decisive moments that showcase people and light. Did I mention the light? As a festival devoted to the fur trade period of c.1815, the historical re-enactments in Fort Gibraltar have period lighting, namely lantern or window. I absolutely love it.
And you will too. I highly recommend checking out the FDV in the week it has remaining! The website linked has a full schedule.

Louis Gagne twirls a carefully groomed moustache in his role as a French Canadian fur trader at Fort Gibraltar, circa 1815.

Historical re-enactors portraying soldiers hired by Lord Selkirk fire muskets during a demonstration at Whittier Park.

Dancers with the Spirit Sands Singers await the start of a powwow, helping expand the understanding of First Nations presence during the early 19th century fur trade in Manitoba.

Participants in the international snow sculpture contest help their creation take shape near the gates of Fort Gibraltar, in Winnipeg’s Whittier Park.

The currency of the early 1800’s in western Canada - furs, on display in one of the historical re-enactment displays at Festivalé du Voyageur.

Cold air and hot tea, at a display in Fort Gibraltar.

Volunteer blacksmiths work on actual iron items exactly like those needed in everyday life at Fort Gibraltar in 1815.

Winnipeg trio Sweet Alibi performs at the 2023 Festivalé du Voyageur, joining local artists providing sounds from EDM to fiddle and jig to rock.

John Kosse lights up the first night of the 2023 Festivalé du Voyageur. Kosse was one of a group of representatives from the St. Paul Minnesota winter festival attending Winnipeg’s event.

The JD Edwards Band opens the 2023 Festivalé du Voyageur.

Friends, fire, festivalé.

A perennial festival favourite is maple taffy - just add snow and roll.

Initially an accident with leaving my camera on a different setting, I really liked the impressionist effect this had, to give a mood or feeling to this timeless scene. The irony is if I deliberately set out to make a photo like this, I probably wouldn’t do as well as this one!

A spire to faith and commitment

In Buddhist cultures, a ‘stupa’ is a focus of meditation, a structure that houses sacred objects. They’re a fairly common sight in Asia — in western Canada, not so much.
That’s why it was so gratifying to photograph the dedication of such a place this spring, as the local Sri Lankan Buddhist community came together to unveil the spire topping their very own stupa here in Winnipeg.

The ceremony marked many years of work by the ‘sangha’ -the community of monks, nuns and lay people - at the Mahamnevnawa Buddhist Meditation Centre who organized and built the structure themselves. Having also photographed the ceremony last fall when monks placed sacred objects inside the stupa, it was great to see how far the work has come to arrive at this point.

The weeks and months ahead will see finishing touches put on the site, but the structure itself now stands as a beacon of Buddhist faith, and a place for both the Sri Lankan community and the wider interested population to come to contemplate and be inspired.

Prayers

For the past several years, I’ve been pursuing a personal project on faith and rituals - producing images of the various things different peoples do to show their faith.
One of the first places I went to was St. Vladimir’s and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in the city’s North End. I was warmly welcomed and the priest was encouraging and open to my project. It was an invaluable confidence builder and paved the way for any subsequent work I did.

It was this familiarity that I took into returning to the beautiful landmark cathedral this weekend, as prayers were given new urgency with the war continuing in the Ukrainian homeland. I wanted to continue my work documenting faith but also see the faith being offered to those suffering from the current conflict.

By coincidence, a rally for Ukraine at the provincial Legislature was also taking place later that day, a chance for prayers of a different sort at a different landmark building — a ritual of faith to strengthen a common bond.

For those wishing to help, St. Vladimir’s and Olga Cathedral is accepting donations for Ukrainian citizens suffering under war. And of course, the Canadian Red Cross is also a trustworthy, effective organization to help those in need.

Kosmii and Mykhaila Liuba offer silent prayers at St. Vladimir’s and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral during Sunday mass.

Angels symbolizing peace adorn the altar as a congregant lights candles at St. Vladimir’s and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral during Sunday mass.

A rally at the Manitoba Legislature Sunday afternoon drew members and supporters of the city’s Ukrainian community.

Free Ukraine

As the world knows by now, months and years of rumbling has broken into full-out war in the Ukraine. Every day, the infrastructure of instant communications has brought a tsunami of powerful stories and images direct from the front lines, which like most wars now seem to be everywhere.
Canada has the highest amount of Ukrainian people living anywhere outside that country or Russia, and that community’s history runs very deep in Winnipeg, home of the fabled North End and adopted home to generations of Ukrainians. It is perhaps because of this that a rally held yesterday to offer support drew so many people and evoked such emotion.
I knew I had to bring a camera to this event, and with the privilege of not having a deadline (or, more to the point, an outlet) for my images I decided to use a few film cameras, in the hopes of bringing a different mindset to bear and overriding my ingrained newspaper-photography pattern.

A reminder to anyone wanting to help the civilians in this unfolding catastrophe, donations to the Red Cross will be matched by the Canadian government — a great way to make your money go farther!

Susan Boulter tears up while listening to the Ukrainian anthem, during a rally in Winnipeg, Canada Saturday February 26, 2022. Boulter has family in western Ukraine struggling to escape the country during a Russian invasion.

Walking The Path at the 'Heart of the Continent'

The final day of September this year marked the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a new federal statutory holiday to honour children who died while attending residential schools in Canada, along with the survivors, families and communities still feeling the reverberations of that long-running system.

Here in Winnipeg, several events were held for citizens including a powwow, sacred fires and several rallies and marches.

I had the good fortune to photograph the main march, which began at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and ended at St. John’s Park. From start to end, there was a positivity in the air (even given the many hard and solemn stories to be told) and a real sense of solidarity. There was no mistake about why all were there and who they were there for.
It was also an ideal chance to meet someone or talk to someone you might not normally get the opportunity to. And a simple conversation is a terrific way to learn more.

I’ve always found photography is my ideal way to learn and connect with the world. For this, I was fortunate to experience this first annual event with my cameras. I sense a real shift in public attitudes and awareness, and I feel safe in saying the country is changing permanently from this process.

On a related note: if you or someone you know see yourself in my images, please reach out — I’d be happy to share them with you as a way of saying thanks. I asked each person portrayed here if I could photograph them, but in the rush of the event I didn’t get any contact information, as I normally do in case someone wants a copy of my work for themselves.

People attending a march in the inaugural Truth and Reconciliation Day stream through Winnipeg’s iconic Portage and Main intersection, Thursday afternoon.

People gathered for a march in the first Truth and Reconciliation Day in Winnipeg leave the city’s Human Rights Museum to the city’s downtown. Some held pictures of relatives or loved ones who attended Indian residential schools.

Riley Brown, an Oji-Cree woman from Manitou Rapids First Nation, wears a shawl adorned with handprints of her classmates at Urban Circle Training Centre. She told CBC News she was dancing in the march for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, residential school survivors and those who did not survive their time in the schools.

An elder smiles as she awaits the start of a march for this country’s inaugural Truth and Reconciliation Day, Thursday morning at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Thousands of people gathered at the Forks in the centre of the city for the start of a march, as part of Canada’s national Truth and Reconciliation Day. An orange shirt is a symbol of the issue of residential school survivors.

‘Every Child Matters’ is a slogan that has grown out of the increasing national awareness of the issue of residential schools in Canada.

Thousands of people await the start of a march while taking part in national Truth and Reconciliation Day events in Winnipeg, Thursday morning. They almost universally wore orange, making a striking sight as they walked together through the city.

A group of drummers make their way along North Main Street among thousands of others, on their way to a powwow at St. John’s Park, one of the original parks in the city and long a gathering place for First Nations and European people.

A participant in Thursday’s rally spreads her spirit to people sitting in front of the Main Street Project in Winnipeg.

A woman watching a procession for the first Truth and Reconciliation Day raises her arms as thousands of people walk past on North Main Street.

North Main Street, first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Winnipeg Manitoba.

The grand entry to a powwow held in St. John’s Park makes its way past a capacity crowd gathered for festivities at the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg.

Young dancers join a long line of people of all kinds for the grand entry to a powwow held at the end of a march for Truth and Reconciliation Day in Winnipeg.

This year has seen a lot of opportunities to look up and find a picture, or just a sense of wonder (usually both, for me). Whether it’s been the Aurora Borealis or meteor showers or spectacular sundogs there are so many opportunities in 2021, and I’ve probably photographed the sky more in the past 6 months than I have in the past 6 years.

Part of that is from the pandemic erasing many of the people-centred photography I was doing previously. A lot of it is freeing up more time to be able to wander and wonder and focus on the natural environment.

I’ve seen a lot of Milky Way photographs this year, and it fired up the desire to do it again myself. The one and only time I’d photographed our galaxy was a few years ago during an epic night at a dark sky preserve, in Cape St. Mary bird sanctuary in Newfoundland. This weekend, a night with a new moon (preventing any light pollution from obscuring faint stars), a clear cloudless night and no work commitments the next day meant the time was right to try again!

A quick online search for dark sky areas in Manitoba turned up Spruce Woods Provincial Park. I knew of this park for its near-desert conditions and sand dunes, but wasn’t aware of its status among sky-watchers. Despite the 2-hour drive (each way) all doubts were erased the second I got out of my car and looked up. The star-scape was absolutely breath-taking! There really is no substitute for a complete lack of light pollution — the best camera, lenses or software won’t make up for the night sky being obscured.

This really is the most vital step — finding as dark a sky as possible. This can be as simple as a quick Google search, but don’t think that a quick half-hour drive away from a city will do it — if you’re photographing infinity a few kilometres won’t change a thing. Prep yourself for a few hours drive, and keep in mind that light pollution can also come from the sun. Depending on the time of the year, ‘true’ night won’t come until well after sundown and well before sunrise. (Right about now, true night comes after midnight until about 3 a.m., with the pictures you see here being taken from 1-2 a.m.)

A wide angle lens to cover a great expanse of sky is a must, but equally important is how much light it can gather. An aperture of f/1.4 or f/2 is ideal and help prevent the need to crank up your ISO to noisy extremes.
Don’t forget the flipside to your aperture: your shutter speed. A wider aperture allows a ‘faster’ shutter speed. Anything longer than about 25 seconds will introduce ‘trailing’ to the stars, from the earth’s rotation. So, try keep your time to about 20 seconds maximum.

If you’re curious to try your hand at photographing our galaxy, a little time spent researching ahead of time will save you a lot longer time dealing with potentially serious problems in the field later. Find a dark sky area and prepare yourself for working there in total darkness! Things like bug spray, a flashlight (having a red filter or red light will help you see but not ruin your night vision) and measures to stay safe among wildlife, if applicable (for example, keeping safe among black bear populations is a common issue in Manitoba parks) will go a long way to having a positive experience.

Good luck! Look up in wonder!

The Milky Way rises in the south sky above Marsh Lake, in Manitoba’s Spruce Woods Provincial Park. Adding a foreground element can add visual interest to your composition, and a very valuable sense of perspective.

A horizontal composition - and let’s be honest, a lot of luck in timing - allowed me to include some of the many fireflies blinking in the air around me during this photo session. A long 20-second exposure recorded them as the green wavy lines to the right.

I turned my camera away from the south, where the Milky Way was, towards the east where the earthly elements made a pleasing (to my eye) composition. I liked seeing the vast fields of stars and the different mood this represented. There is almost no enhancement to the colour balance on this and all shots presented here.

This slightly-surreal scene is an example of thinking and acting quickly to the unexpected during a photo shoot. Despite the late hour (2 a.m.) the occasional car drove past on a nearby road, and I noticed that when they did, their headlights lit up a few trees along this marshy lake. When I heard another car approach far off in the distance, I knew this lighting would repeat itself — sure enough, once I set my camera to this view the trees slowly lit up with a ghostly light and my timing ensured the actual car and headlights hadn’t intruded onto the scene yet. The result was an ambiguous scene with a vague sense of mystery — a picture of a mood or a feeling more than what was actually there.

A Very Different Canada Day

Back when photographing for a daily newspaper, Canada Day was usually pretty straightforward: lots of Maple Leaf flags, maybe some citizenship ceremonies and one of the few chances to photograph a fireworks show.

This year, though, a long pandemic and record-setting heat-waves gave way to the horrific confirmation of something long whispered but never really faced up to in Canada — the deaths of hundreds, maybe thousands of children in church and government run residential schools for First Nations children.

It has completely overshadowed any thought of observing the day, and hopefully it can be more an occasion of thoughtful introspection.

I thought I would take this thought in mind as I went to see a few places for myself today. Not with any preconceived ideas but just to see for myself and leave my thoughts open, as they can only be from a good long walk.
I went to the Forks, a place where rivers have met for millennia and people have also met for almost as long. And I ended the day seeing for myself the provincial Legislature, where a statue of Queen Victoria was toppled by a crowd at the end of a march to mark the coming to light this year of what most First Nations have known for a long time.

Lawrence Cormiere pauses on his walk to Portage and Main in Winnipeg to take part in a rally about hundreds of graves found at sites of former residential schools. Cormiere said he too attended one of the schools as a youth.

A statue of Queen Victoria lies on the ground at the Manitoba Legislature, Thursday evening July 1, 2021.

Flags representing young children who suffered and perished at residential schools in Canada dot the front lawn of the Manitoba Legislature, Thursday evening July 1, 2021.

A man takes a selfie atop a statue of Queen Victoria in front of the Manitoba Legislature, Thursday evening July 1, 2021.

Goddesses, Dragons and Ancestors

This past month has seen a lot of different photography for me, from portraits to street to even wildlife (OK, pelicans), but I’m returning to the topic of Northern Lights because…well, because magic doesn’t happen very often.

And that’s the only way to describe looking up and seeing the sky dance with softly glowing colours, in the kind of soft comforting silence you can only get from true solitude.

The aurora borealis is a result of solar radiation interacting with the Earth’s upper atmosphere — think of what happens to a neon bulb when you run electricity through it — but standing beneath it, it’s hard to reduce it to just that. There are a lot of legends surrounding the Northern Lights — from goddesses ushering in a new day, to dragons battling for good and evil and (most poetically, to me) the First Nations of North America seeing them as echoes of departed people moving and speaking to them in the infinity of the sky.

My latest aurora encounter began after a long day working. From the numbers coming in on solar activity, and an admin on a Facebook group far more versed in crunching the data, it looked like Friday night/Saturday morning would offer very good chances for spotting the Lights. Happily, the clouds and cold of recent days had departed and it looked ideal for trying one’s luck.
With that, I set out around midnight for a 2 hour drive away from the light pollution - and unfortunately increasing crowds - of the city. Several times I stopped by the side of a highway to gaze at the lights which already had made an appearance…I knew I’d made the right decision despite being on Hour 17 without sleep.

Pulling into my destination all weariness and doubt immediately fell away, as how right my choice was dazzled the sky overhead. Far from being confined low to the horizon, these lights were far brighter and covered at least half the sky. Like I said: magic!

Our sun is currently entering into an active phase of its regular cycle, so there’s a good chance these displays will return. My humble advice, if you want to witness them for yourself: approach them reverently and with respect and take the time to let it unfold. Aurora are unpredictable - they may show up early, or not until late into the night, and they may dance for hours, or minutes.
Set aside more time than you originally planned. It’s rare that we get an opportunity to sit in silence, with no demand to ‘do’ something or justify our time. Make the most of it!

Light Into Dark At Portage & Main

There are always impressive light displays on various homes this time of year - it’s a great way to overcome the much shorter daylight hours and put a bit of cheer into the cold of December - but it would be hard to top the show on this weekend at Winnipeg’s famed Portage & Main intersection.

The Fairmont Winnipeg hotel transformed its frontage into a multi-story Christmas tree - a photographer’s delight not only for the scale but also a welcome mild weekend left temperatures high enough to work comfortably with some night photography to capture it.

Also present nearby was a message of hope, literally, spelled out for all to see atop a downtown condo. I’ve actually seen this on a few other residential decorations too this week.

It’s been a rough year for many of us but it’s a lot of individual efforts like this that will, I think, turn things in a positive way for the most people.