Peripatetic Photographer
Singers and golfers and scenery, oh my!
The adventure continues. I would like to sell you an art-photograph. I would like to do a photography session with you. I would like to photograph your car or your factory. The possibilities are almost endless. Call me.
Art photography - An accomplished local art painter, Bob Shackles (check out the link and get some art which will continue to please), asked me to photograph a painting of his for entry into a competition. Like many artists, he usually photographs his own, but wanted help with this, and that went well.
I loved the work. It helped that I love the painting. It's too soon to know but he's got to be in strong contention - we won't know yet for several months.
-a fragment of the larger work, which I can avow is breath-taking and very moving
Photo-walk - I went for a stroll with a photographer-friend, still in the "brown season" when the snow was gone but the green hadn't emerged yet - difficult. I got this fragment of a creek which pleases me, partly because it's dissimilar from anything I have done before (depending what one means by "similar").
Confession: my friend did somewhat better than me that day. He does not however post a blog!
Sue Baker Jazz - The amazing local Brockville talent of Sue Baker asked me for a photography session with her bands (she has two, overlapping). I loved the work. Again, it helped that I so admire her singing. (Get the CD!)
We did some serious shots too ... but not this one!
An important point about this is that Sue recognized the importance of dedicated photography to support her work. She was highly organized, met beforehand with me to review what she wanted and what I thought about it all, devoted an entire afternoon, and when the day came, the troops were primed ... and dressed and groomed!
Chris Hébert - This fellow is going somewhere, and is establishing a strong Brockville presence. For reasons of his own, he wanted to talk with me. We had coffee and went over things which only photographers would find interesting, and had a great chat.
Portraits - I wish to say this about my latest portraits: I loved the work. The following I use of course with permission.
We did a variety of poses, from serious through silly, but ... I'm a sucker for tenderness.
I had a lot of fun photographing these two.
Fraser Radford - my entourage(!) and I attended an art-opening, at the O'Connor Gallery in Gananoque. The O'Connor is an amazing place, and the main thing to say about the owner, Dennis, is that he's a very generous, knowledgeable, cheerful person. Fraser is a (young) old family friend, and what a bonus that he is so skilled and knowledgeable about art. Check out his work. You've got to have one of his pieces on your wall.
Storming the Citadel -by Fraser Radford (used with permission)
Fraser and I share this situation: get some of our work before we're famous. I don't mean to rush you, but you don't have much time!
Gallery-crawl - A friend and I went to Kingston for some boating supplies. He consented to visit an art-gallery or two along the way. It was an engrossing experience for me, seeing four(!) galleries in one day, and getting a glimpse of the experience through my friend's eyes.
You will enjoy visiting any of these establishments:
Martello Alley (more on this possibly upcoming)
Heather Haynes Gallery
I could say so much more about that day, but it would require a blog of its own.
Antique Alley - On our way into Martello Alley in Kingston, we got lost and wandered down Antique Alley. My friend noticed first and suggested backing out quietly! I said, not so fast, buddy, we're this far, let's see what's going on.
What went on was that we discovered an antique store which has been there for millenia, room after room of fascinating and beautiful artifacts, from swords to juke-boxes, model ships, old tools, period-clothing (popular for weddings and costume-parties alike), furniture - it would be faster to list what they don't carry.
I got in touch with Gayle and she generously agreed to a shoot, planning for two hours and of course occupying three. What a blast! Apparently, over many decades, I was the first photographer to suggest such an enterprise. It makes me wonder what else I'm missing, right in front of me, every day.
Rockola
Anyway, next time in Kingston, make time (lots of time) for Antique Alley, tucked away beside Martello Alley, on Wellington between Princess and Queen. They've both been there all along, and many people simply don't know.
Before the Summer - This amazing annual art exhibit-and-sale did very well, I hear, and not surprisingly; Betty and John pour their hearts into creating a high-end experience with amazing artists and artisans exhibiting. Along with Before the Rush, each Autumn, these are two shows each year you want to see - great places to pick up a gift of art for yourself or for someone special.
On the way back to my car, I heard a voice ringing out, "Charles Low!" and I had an impromptu reunion with old friends from the other side of the galaxy who were attending a wedding in Gananoque. Amazing.
Amanda Keeley - Sam at Richard's Coffeehouse calls me up from time to time, and usually wants me to photograph a singer (once it was a politician). Amanda and Markus were agreeable, and as has happened before, I found an amazing talent and engaging performer whom I somehow had not heard before.
Paul Wash - Paul is a Kingston photographer whom I met recently at the group exhibition in which I participated at Gallery Raymond. He does quite a bit of industrial photography, but wanted to spend some time on personal work, so we spent an afternoon strolling through the Landon Bay Park. The season was still brown, but I clicked away blithely.
My favourite from that afternoon is probably this portrait. It has the association for me of a pleasant afternoon spent with a kindred spirit. Paul also has astounding art-photography for sale - click the link above.
Golf - Having done a charity-golf shoot once before, and being a member of the Ontario Medical Association (retired category), I offered to photograph a charity golf tournament organized by the Ontario Medical Foundation, the OMA's charitable arm. I learned more about the OMF than I thought there was to know, with the extent and importance of their work highly impressive and important.
Plus, for someone who still thinks an iron is for un-creasing clothes, I wasn't going to golf!
But I'm gradually understanding the game a bit more (the time, money, energy and emotion spent on getting a little dimpled ball into a hole in the ground! - T-zones, fairways, roughs, sand-traps, water-hazards, greens ... birdies, bogies ...), and I understand uncontrolled-lighting photography (of which this was a prime example!) fairly well, and the organizers were ... organized! ... and friendly, and cooperative, so again I simply had a great time.
Dr. David Esser, the Chair of the OMF Board
Other charities: please inquire.
Manitoulin - This is a family-reasons road-trip, a repeat from last year.
Gore Bay
The ferry. The name translates to "Friendly Spirits".
In Tobermory, waiting for the ferry, I was leaving a restaurant and, crossing the road, a woman crossed the other way. We both stopped and turned. I said, "Oh, c'mon!", and she burst into laughter - it was one of the same crowd I had bumped into recently in Gananoque. This particular individual I hadn't seen in decades, and now twice in close succession. We had a great catch-up on the ferry. I said, "Things come in threes - see you again soon!'
Art-delivery - On the way home, a few days later, I dropped off a piece of photo-art which a loyal patron in Southern Ontario had purchased. We squeezed in a lunch, and it was all good!
Langford Conservancy Schoolhouse - Then I spent a night on an organic farm with old friends ("old" as in "known each other for decades and decades") near Brantford, and they also volunteer with a conservation organization which, among other things, preserves and maintains an ancient schoolhouse. They asked me if I would photograph it, and I said no, not in this harsh afternoon sunlight I wouldn't, but that at sunrise tomorrow might be better, and that occurs at about 5:30 a.m. Sure, one of them said, so there we were, making art as the dawn sun peaked over the horizon.
I did enjoy my morning coffee a half-hour later.
This building deserves more photo-documentation. The distance of almost 500 km from Brockville is a minor obstacle. Anyway, you can rent it for parties, weddings, meetings ... a local photographer does model-sessions there, so your imagination is the limit.
Off-road Camaro - instead of taking me straight home, my host said, "Go down this road - I want to show you something." It was good that she is an old friend, because my Camaro does not do gravel otherwise, and as I crept along in 1st gear, she said, "Turn here onto this grassy laneway". Well, we've had a very wet Spring, and there were soggy patches, and I was envisaging a tractor towing me out of some bog, but she said, "I was raised here, these are my family's farm-fields, I know this path, you'll be fine." Somehow it was fine. But the moment did come when she said, "Park here - we'll walk the last two minutes to our cottage."
Well into a farm-field ... with a Camaro - not taking her down that wet hill!
And there in the middle of the woods, surrounded by farms, is a cottage, near a pond. Gracious.
This isn't the cottage, but it's near the cottage. I was struck by the high contrast of the strengthening sunlit pond reflections against the glowing green leaves of the woods.
And - sorry folks, but that's about all I've got. Surrounding all of the foregoing remains my happily-vibrant (i.e. busy) personal life, and much time Summer-commissioning and maintaining my for-sale sailboat.
I believe that the volume of activity suggests why the blog-gap!
While You're Here ...
Remember that I make photographs and that I sell photographs.
Art - Most of the photographs which you see on this web site are for sale. Prices at the time of writing, for example, for an 11x14" fine-art print with a generous white border would start at about $50, and you can go up or down from there. Check the rates page. More importantly, check out my gallery. I would love to provide you with a work of fine-art photography, or to discuss a commission.
Portraits - Book a sitting - the right frequency with which to commission formal portraits is a bit more often.
Anything (almost ...)! Please inquire for photography categories such automotive, industrial, charitable ...
Remember also to leave a comment, or to contact me. Note that on the main blog page you can sign up for new-blog notifications. I will very much appreciate recommendations to potential new subscribers. I am very careful and respectful with your privacy.
Thank you so much for reading.
Charles T. Low
Photographer
