Photographic Tale of the Week - Snug as a bug

"Snug as a Bug" by Kevin Pashuk

Compared to the polar vortex of the last several years, Winter '15 / '16 has been downright balmy. Just last weekend I took my kids to the local park and it was as busy as some days in the summer. But winter rears its icy head still, just to remind us that I - and this week's featured photographer, Kevin Pashuk - live in Canada. I don't know what is happening on Lake Ontario which is closer to Oakville where Kevin lives, but within the space of two days 60% of Lake Erie froze. - check out the CBC article here.

It is no great lake, but Kevin - a long time and consistent contributor to the Pictures with a Story Flickr group - perfectly captured the feel of winter in "Snug as a Bug," a great focus on a bird house roofed with snow, a series of small feeders and houses behind it in the bokeh of the background. Read what Kevin had to say about the picture - another great argument for keeping your camera with you as much as possible:

It's the middle of February in Oakville, and we have spent most of the winter so far without snow. Today it's snowing, and no one seems to be complaining.

This shot was taken out of my home office window when I was packing my computer up to take into work. The red birdhouse on my neighbour's fence just popped out. Luckily, I keep my camera close and was able to capture the view. The image was tweaked in Lightroom to enhance the contrast a wee bit, but you see what I saw this morning.

Follow the link below to Kevin's photography that "capture(s) the small, hidden vignettes of everyday encounter." I'm a big fan of the small and hidden in any towns that we happen to live in, and this is definitely what I attempt to do in Windsor - Essex.
Kevin's Flickr Photostream. 

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 
Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - War of the Worlds: Nature vs Machine

War of the Worlds: Nature vs Machine by Joe Steinman

My photographic memory - and by photographic, I mean when I actually seriously started taking photos with the purpose of building on my self-taught amateur skills - does not go much past November of 2011. This is not quite five years ago. I can only expect, by the quality and beauty of Joe's work, that he may have been doing it a little longer than I have.

In this work he has used the majesty of the clouds to really bring out an ominous scene, bringing to mind visions of an aftermath of some overwhelming violence. But I will let Joe describe it himself:

It was five years ago when I last made the trip down to Sand Key Beach in Clearwater, Florida. Recently, I journeyed down to my old stomping ground to take some pics at sunset. On the way down the coast, I couldn't believe how much it had changed. It was so built up, with numerous tourist attractions, hotels, hi-rise condominiums... even a tropical theme-based miniature golf course. It's almost like visiting a mini Disney World now!
 Shortly after I arrived at Sand Key, a storm passed through. In its wake, it left some stunning and awesome cloud formations. I turned my camera towards the construction sites looming in the distance, and the stark ground and billowing clouds reminded me of a scene like out of a World War II movie. How appropriate? It's like the scene represents the demolition of our serene and natural beaches, dramatized with explosive, theatrical pyrotechnics!
 Here is the story behind the photo:
________________
 On 7/9/15, I made a trip to Sand Key Beach in Clearwater, Florida to take some nature shots. The weather was quite turbulent with lightning, storms, and clouds. The cloud formations and light were ever-changing and sometimes eerie and amazing! I just kept shooting and shooting and took hundreds of shots. Fortunately when the rain got heavy, I spied an over-sized, partially collapsed tent on the beach nearby [what was THAT doing there?], so I was able to take shelter and keep my precious Canon and Sigma lens from getting too wet [I had left my camera bag in my car parked far away to keep it from getting sandy].
 I took this shot after the storm passed through, sitting on the beach on the sand in my short-pants... note to myself - next time wear a bathing suit at the beach! :). I kept the tripod low to the ground, and took many many shots with slight variations in this position. The rest was nature's work!

I am not yet to the point of presenting these Photographic Tales of the Week in interview format, though it is a thought. However, others are that dedicated and thankfully Joe has already been interviewed by The Photography Workshop. Check out the interview here.

You can also find Joe on his Flickr photostream.

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 
Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - The Head Waiter

The Head Waiter by Linda Sue Kocsis

Just look at The Head Waiter by Linda Sue Kocsis and you will not be surprised that Linda's works of art could be considered some of the most lively and fun contributions that run through the Pictures with a Story group. Just like a couple of the other photographers who regularly share with the group, I could have chosen really any of Linda's works to be featured and they would have been just as strong. I very much look forward to seeing more snapshots from Linda's incredibly creative mind, and I highly encourage you to check out the rest of her work in her Flickr photostream. Here is what Linda Sue had to say about The Head Waiter:

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go." ― Dr. Seuss
Photography Challenge: Victorian-Style Headless Portrait
This was another self-assignment that I did as an accompaniment to my recent long-haired Victorian self-portrait.
It's a tribute to those great old headless portraits popular in Victorian studio photography: www.google.com/search?q=headless+portrait+victorian&b....

My husband (who kindly modeled for me) really lost his head over this one!

©2016 Linda Sue Kocsis

Here is how you can find Linda Sue online.
Studio Candelabra

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 
Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - "March 2015"

"March 2015" by Nick and Karen Munroe

The part of me that didn't have to drive for half an hour to work very much missed the snow over the holiday season. Having four kids, three of them very much aware that the clatter of reindeer hooves should also be mixed with the crunch of snow, Christmas just didn't feel the same without the white powdery (or even granular, or slushy) stuff as background. Maybe that is why I gravitated towards Nick and Karen Munroe's "March 2015" shot of a very dreary - and snowy - landscape for this week's (and a half at this point) Photographic Tale of the Week, from the Pictures with a Story Flickr group. 

Maybe it is just the aspect of my personality that finds beauty in the foggier, greyer, and oppressive aspects of life, but this shot is truly a beautiful one. It is all the more familiar since Brampton is a brief 368 km jaunt away from where I live - yes, I am Canadian and tend to think that these distances are short. 

So while I do not want to contribute to anyone's Seasonal Affective Disorder, I do encourage you to enjoy this wonderful shot and read what Nick and Karen have to say about it:

The dreaded winter cold has found me and sapped all my energy, housebound and unable to go exploring I find myself reflecting back on the year that was 2015; going through my photos files from last year. I have pulled a few of what I consider to be hidden gems... as I like to call "found on second sight."
 This photo is from March of 2015. it was taken at Brampton's Heart Lake Conservation area: which was covered in a thick blanket of dense fog. The line between earth and sky was so obscured as not to be visible. Karen and I wandered through the mist as the park around us faded into a surreal place of white fog and dull grey shadows.

Find the rest of Munroe Designs Photography work at the following sites:
Flickr
Facebook

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 
Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first!

Photographic Tale of the Week - "Naked Wrist"

"Naked Wrist" by Blue Funambulist

First, I feel a bit guilty for not getting this up earlier. One of the inevitable repercussions of waiting for a while after announcing privately to the featured photographer / storyteller is that the photo itself is no longer an option for the Picture With a Story cover photo. Blue Funambulist's "Naked Wrist" would have been perfect for this. So without any further rambling from me, here is the story behind this most excellent work of art (in more ways than one as you will read):

It was supposed to feel like liberation, but actually it hurts. After more than eight years wearing handmade braids on my right wrist they finally got off. Two cuts, no blood. My tendency for keeping memories alive and the fixation for giving extra-sensorial meanings to certain self-made things has made this more difficult, for sure. However, the bigger problem comes when they exhaust their possibilities. One, was not as certain, felt and concrete as it should be. And the other, which always was the one, was not beating anymore. The sense was lost, and I needed to show myself clearly and physically than these things can happen in Life. However, in this slightly thinner wrist, now there is a completely white skin portion. Full of absence.

Somewhere in the Baltic Sea.

Blue Funambulist is a Spanish photographer whose "feelings and thoughts through art is the best thing that I have to share with the world."
Follow this link for Blue Funambulist's Flickr and Facebook pages.
Check out more Essex Masque stuff on this blog and the following links:
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#52weeksofWE - 52 of 52, Beginnings

See what I did there? You thought I was going to end on a down note.
Feel free to interpret this in any way you want.
Thank you very much for spending the year in the digital #52weeksofWE gallery with me. While I did not necessarily take a shot every week, I am very happy to have been able to host others. I think we have done a very good job of capturing some of the beauty of Windsor - Essex, and I hope you had fun doing it.
At this point, because I am behind in lots of other things - and starting some new - I am not going to continue into 2016. Feel free to keep posting to the group, but there are several other groups that are Windsor - Essex based and open, so I won't be insulted if you don't. Also, if you have any suggestions for continuing on some sort of challenge that doesn't involve me having to post 52 weeks of themes on my own, I am open to suggestions as well.
Finally, some have suggested a meet up at some point. It was actually suggested during the fall, but my new baby stole the show during that time of the year. However, if people are interested feel free to comment on this photo, send me a message through Flickr, or send an email to essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom and I will try to coordinate something.
Thank you very much again. Hope you had fun. And who knows, I may start it up again in the future. 
All the best,
Patrick 
 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 - 51 of 52, Terminus ...

Not expecting such a downer during the week that contains December 25th? Have you never experienced the Ghost of Christmas Future? 
Honestly, though, in spite of the picture I have selected for this week's theme - not to mention the theme itself - this doesn't need to be a negative experience. The terminus is merely the end of something: a line; an appendage; a road ... It can also be where things end together, like an "all roads lead to Rome" idea. Have fun, and Happy Holidays! 
 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