Took a country drive this morning and happened upon a small dam.
photography
Visiting churches with my camera
One of the delights of this summer is visiting old country churches that, while no longer used by a congregation are lovingly kept up and open to the public. They make wonderful subjects for the camera.
My first visit was to Ste. Thérèse Church in Cardinal, an unincorporated community consisting of a handful of houses and the church.
This was the largest of the churches I found and the only Roman Catholic one. It was the “newest” church of the three I visited being constructed in 1927-1929.
This was the only church with statuary, with Mary on the right, Joseph and child on the left, and the namesake saint in the middle.
It had an impressive bell tower.
Late last week I visited two other churches south of Manitou.
St Luke’s Anglican Church - Pembina Crossing was built in 1922 to replace and earlier church that burned down.
The interior is lined with unpainted boards giving it a warm feel. It has an impressive altar and painted triptych.
I then moved on to St. Mary’s St. Alban’s Anglican Church. In what is now sparsely populated farmland these two churches are only 8km (5 miles) apart. This was the oldest of the churches being built in 1892 and an impressive 28 x 44 ft stone structure.
While the oldest structure it seemed the most modernized with carpeting on the flooring and quite hideous fluorescent light fixture at the peak of the ceiling. I’m curious if the curtains in the front were there when people worshipped here, or if there had been stained glass in those front windows. I find the cross design with the circle and the round ends curious, as well as the designs above the doors on either side. I’m sure these have some significance.
The thick stone walls were covered with plaster on the interior.
I was amused that the bible on the podium was opened to the Song of Solomon.
I went through the door on the right side and found a tiny room with this little setup. It seems like a space with stories to tell.
Visiting St. Therese, or, f/8 and be there
I often succumb to the temptation to sit inside and watch videos of photographers rather than going out with my camera and actually taking pictures myself. A video by YouTube photographer Thomas Heaton reminded me of the expression “f/8 and be there.” The expression is attributed to the photographer Weegee. It is most often used in documentary photography emphasizing the importance of being there and simply capturing the moment, over worrying too much about perfect technique. For me, however the phrase is similar to the quote attributed to Wayne Gretzky “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
The most important thing for me to do photography, and seemingly one of the hardest things for me to do is simply grabbing my camera equipment and heading out with the intention to take pictures.
So, motivated by that spirit I headed out Sunday afternoon to the tiny village of Cardinal, Manitoba, whose population may reach the double digits. It is home to the Ste. Therese Chapel, a restored old, prairie, Catholic Church. It is currently more of a museum piece than home to a parish. I also stopped and caught a few pics along the way.
(Thanks to Jolene at Pembina Valley Go for making me aware of this chapel.)
Along the way I drove through a large windfarm. I was particularly struck by the patterns in the field. I wish I could have made the windmills “pop” a little more.
Also along the way I stopped in Miami to capture some pics of their historic train station.
The Ste. Therese Chapel has a very impressive spire. The church faces north, which means the face of the church is mostly in shadow which is less than ideal.
I really liked the spire/bell tower.
Saint Therese of Liseaux was a 19th Carmelite sister also known as the Little Flower of Jesus. She is renown for her spirituality of the little way, or simple way of a life of doing little acts of love.
The simple rose window of the chapel. There is something about the presence of the ladder that I really enjoy in this picture.
On the way home I saw this empty road in my rearview mirror and needed to stop for the shot. f/8 and be there!
My year in pictures
I found this to be a very challenging year for me photographically. I feel like I didn’t take enough pictures, and I really didn’t take enough pictures that I like, and took even fewer pictures that inspire me to take more similar pictures. I also know that as I get better at this (which I hope I am) I am a harsher critic of my work.
Below are some of my favourites from the year. I would be hard pressed to explain what appeals to me about some of these pics, but these are the ones that still capture my eye.
I also did some portraits - some of myself, and some of others that I’m pleased with. The two portraits not of me were done for a local “Faces of Winkler” exhibit.
Despite this year’s photographic challenges I committed to this practice and have a bit of studio lighting equipment on order. I hope to do more with studio photography.
Picturing Winkler at night - Downtown
I got up at 4am this morning to explore some night time photography. Unfortunately, getting up at 4am is not much of a feat for me, as I often wake up around then. I’ve darn hardly any night photography and was curious how it might turn out.
Being out on the streets of Winkler at 4am on a Saturday is an introverts dream. I was out for more than an hour and saw maybe 5 cars and 1 person. I could plant my tripod anywhere I wanted to.
I thought I’d be converting most of these to black and white, but the colors are really intriguing.
Finally at 4 am people are paying attention to this sign.
The person at the right of the image is actually just a silhouette.
Access Credit Union drive thru
City Hall
Even at night the library offers a welcoming space.
Bethel Heritage Park
The nigh-time light is quite amazing to work with.
