#52weeksofWE - Theme 17 of 52, Hobbies

I have talked to people in the past who don’t like the word hobby. The thought was that it trivialized what can be an incredibly important and creative aspect of our lives. It is as if saying that photography is a “mere hobby” to us, when it is just as important as other aspects of our lives. Be that as it may, it is a word we recognize and something we can celebrate this week. What is your hobby? How important is it to you? Thank you for one of your fellow challengers suggesting this week’s theme.
Submit your photos on Flickr or Facebook, and send the picture files to me if you want them to be featured on my weekly reflections: essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom

Labour, Reflection on week 13 of 52 of #52weeksofWE

This is the description for this week's theme:

I hate to be a killjoy, but most of us engage in work or will have to participate in some sort of work in our lives. Unfair? Demanding? I know, but still worthy of a snapshot. I want to be clear that work does not necessarily have a paycheque attached, but is labour nonetheless. Capture something to do with you and your work, or maybe some other poor folk who are working hard while you are snapping shots of them.

"In the Line of Duty" by Frank Shepley

Labour by Lupita Amaya

I would have been surprised that more didn't come in for this week, but as I was taking my photograph for Labour several weeks later, I stop wondering so hard. There are plenty of examples of labour in Windsor - Essex, being an industry town. This week we were treated to workers on scaffolds, The Law on the side of the road, reporters, pianists, and my ode to the railway history at the foot of Aylmer Avenue.

Rail Labour by Patrick Firth

I am looking forward to writing the posts for weeks 14 (Green with ...) and 15 (Fenced Off) as there were a lot of great submissions. To see the rest of the photos submitted go to the Flickr site, and get other #52weeksofWE / arts related news at Facebook.

#52weeksofWE - Theme 16 of 52, Rail Ways

Slap together kilometre after kilometre of steel and wood (placed in regular intervals), throw in a bridge or tunnel or three, and you have a grand mythology of expansion, hobos, and - more recently - dangerous proximity to residential neighbourhoods. Luckily, in this shortened week (apologies due to my sickness), there are plenty of examples of Windsor - Essex's contemporary and historical railways winding their way through urban, suburban, and rural alike. Happy shooting!

Submit your photos on Flickr or Facebook, and send the picture files to me if you want them to be featured on my weekly reflections: essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom

#52weeksofWE - Theme 15 of 52, Fenced Off

Sometimes they can be pretty imposing. Other times they can be beautiful and ornate. Are they for mere decoration, or are they meant to keep you firmly on the public side of the property? If you touched it, would you get a shock, or would the fence fall apart? Feel free to take shots of the full gamut of those collections of wood and metal meant to separate one space from another this week.

Submit your photos on Flickr or Facebook, and send the picture files to me if you want them to be featured on my weekly reflections: essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom

Pictures with a Story - The 200 Plus Membership / 3500 Plus Photo and Story Milestone Post

These days a lot of my Flickr energy is taken up by the #52weeksofWE Windsor-Essex photography challenge that I am hosting. The reason why this has taken up more of my time is because: A. It requires me choosing and designing a weekly challenge; B. shooting at least one theme inspired photograph per week; and, C. it feels more like a real world community building thing.

However, hosting the Pictures with a Story #Flickr group (started back on January 25^th, 2014) has been a great experience. Much of the early days was spent browsing through huge Flickr groups with lots of submissions and inviting those photographers who included stories, poems, context in text with their photos to join the group. Many would, and as of today – April 10th, 2015 – there are 201 members. I cannot tell you how many are actively contributing, but I would say that at least 25 submit something at least once every couple of days. As with anything, some contributors who were regular in the early days I don’t see anymore, but they are replaced with new people who like to tell the stories of, or inspired by, their photographs.

Unfortunately, these days I do not have a lot of time to read the stories. More often than not I will spend some time browsing through the shots, “faving” the ones that conform to the rules and “Xing” the ones that don’t. I do want to say that there are some incredibly beautiful / inspiring / enlightening / informative / amusing stories attached to portraits / landscapes / wildlife / urban / rural photographs coming from New York / Durban / Oakville / etc that are worth reading / looking at. I can tell you it is a great group to be a part of, especially if you have the time to read and comment in a meaningful way with your fellow storytellers.

I had started up the #52weeksofWE photography challenge because I found that I wasn’t taking pictures. Life has a tendency of doing that to you, doesn’t it? Now I am taking many more pictures and really working on new skills in a self-teaching, very amateur way.

I would like to do something similar with this group. It will not be on a weekly basis for sure. It may not even be on a monthly, or bimonthly basis. However, I would like to recognize and celebrate some of the regular, and indeed, irregular contributors to Pictures with a Story through my blog. So you may be receiving a message from me at some point, requesting that you send some picture files and stories to my email address: essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom, so that I can feature some of your fantastic work and stories. I am also open to people contacting me with requests to be featured. 

Pictures with a Story has been an even greater success than I could have hoped. Thank you muchly to all of you have joined in on the storytelling and photo sharing.
(All photos featured are my own. Future posts will hopefully feature contributors to Pictures with a Story)

Things are Looking Up, Reflections on Week 12 of 52

Here is the description for this week’s theme:

Other than a slight sense of vertigo, 'looking up' can be a positive experience. This week we can choose something tall, or at least medium height, aim our lenses up, and snap a shot. Does it make you feel good to see how truly majestic those things are that reach to the heavens above, or does it make you feel small and insignificant? Either way, I'm looking forward to some beautiful and uplifting shots this week.

 Tall Ships - Windsor, ON by Keith Hawkins (Spankysworld.ca)

Under the Blades by Frank J. Shepley

So, what are some tall things in Windsor – Essex? The answer, according to the #52weeksofWE challengers, is flag poles, Caesars Windsor, fountain statues, churches, the Ambassador Bridge, the University of Windsor’s “rocketship,” the masts of tall ships (my personal favourite), and wind generating windmills out in the county. Great shots this week. 

Untitled by Shari Richard

Things are Looking Up by Lupita Amaya G.

Was I the only one that was wandering around with his or her camera, looking up to get a great shot, and tripping over curbs and walking into traffic? When I was looking up around the Scotiabank on Ouelette and Park in downtown Windsor, I happened to see myself staring back. I decided that this was a nice opportunity to do something a little unique with the Looking Up theme.

 Mirrored Ceiling by Patrick Firth

Lamppost by Patrick Firth

Next week we will be exploring the workers and labourers of Windsor – Essex. To see the rest of the photos submitted go to the Flickr site, and get other #52weeksofWE / arts related news at Facebook.

All Saints, Windsor, ON by Paul Thibodeau

#52weeksofWE - Theme 14 of 52, Green with ...

Green with envy, with life, with nausea? This is the week for looking and capturing all things green. Are you taking the nature route? You may be wondering why I didn’t save “green” until late Spring, or early pre-burnt foliage Summer, but sometimes those little snippets of green that start poking themselves out of the melted snow and yellowed grass are especially worth celebrating. Of course, feel free to be creative with the various greens (literal and figurative) that make up Windsor – Essex.

Submit your photos on Flickr or Facebook, and send the picture files to me if you want them to be featured on my weekly reflections: essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom