Press Camera

Light and Shadow

Between assignments I have been capturing images using a pinhole camera. I used black and white 4x5 film. The primitive method requires slowing down and really looking at objects. The limitations of the medium are also its strengths, and the slow images of commonplace scenes are anything but commonplace. - Peter Lee
The Mayfair Hotel. Now demolished.  

 

Old wagon wheels for sale at vendor #97 Aberfoyle Antique Market. A stone bridge over Blair Creek in the village of Blair. The base of a hydroelectric tower in Kitchener.

 

Winter scenes

Winter definitely makes finding feature photos a greater challenge. The chances of finding people being active outdoors drops dramatically. It's much easier the other 3 seasons. There are opportunities but after a while it can feel like a repetitive exercise. How many times can you photograph skating, ice hockey or tobogganing? Dramatic light can be a huge help and a different angle sure changes things as well. While taking the two photos above I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to use some different angles. The shiny photo was taken from a high angle which I was able to get to by scrambling up a man made structure. The second photo was possible because of the contour of a popular trail which dips considerably at one point. I had my camera in the right position to capture the walker as she emerged from that low point.

David Bebee

Bangs

I was in Uptown Waterloo recently and noticed how shadows of pedestrians played across a storefront.  The storefront of Capri Salon & Spa displayed three large-scale photographs of a woman's face with bangs of hair hanging over her eyes. A woman in a red coat walking past the storefront from the left as a man's shadow approaches from the right, all under the unseeing gaze of the large faces. - Peter Lee

Enjoying the Cold Snap

Winterbourne is an aptly named location for the annual Dumart charity winter classic pond hockey tournament. Despite bone chilling wind that dragged the temperature down to bellow 20c, 12 teams of 80 players took part in the fundraiser on the Dumart family's frozen pond. Hot food and drinks with a dash of good humour helped keep the cold at bay as all day event moved towards evening.

Friends and University students Brooke McClelland, left and Rochelle Singer didn't seem to mind a icy breeze as they took sunny break on a bench in Waterloo Park during a walk. 

David Bebee

Keeping the pipes playing

Organ tuner from Mathew McCarthy on Vimeo.

 Joel VanderZee and Rich Hrytzak tune 2900 pipes of the Casavant Organ they restored for the Church of Our Lady Immaculate in Guelph, Ontario.

Mathew McCarthy

Above and Beyond

Mature workers like to work and volunteer for a variety of reasons, either necessity or personal passion.

Bernie Carroll, 70, drywall taper.

'I consider myself really lucky because I have a trade that's in demand, and as long as I'm able to do it, I'll probably continue to do it.'

Dennis Eaton, 78, volunteering and business consulting.

'I don't consider myself retired, I really consider myself having made a career change.'

Ross Hall, 82, Security Guard

'I'm working almost full-time. I want to continue working, I have no intention of retiring right now because I like what I'm doing.'

Sharon Ketchum, 66, church minister.

'You don't even think about retirement, you just think about living and doing all that you can with every day of your life.'

Fred Nichols, 82, Dean of Students Emeritus, Wilfrid Laurier University. 

'We should put a sign up, as you're leaving work at the end of the day, something encouraging to people - 'Did you accomplish what you wanted to today?' Because coming back tomorrow is a lot nicer if you felt you've done a good job the day before.'

Susan Kachik, 73, Hair Stylist

'I really have no intention of quitting as long as my body will hold out and I can keep going, and I have clients.'

Best of the Month - October

From Oktoberfest to cross country runners, here's our best of the month for October. 

Ralph Dagoseh holds his son Henrick, 3, next to Eddie Kowai as they talk about the effects of Ebola on their native Liberia. Local Liberians will hold a walk on Saturday in Kitchener to raise awareness about the disease. Photo by Mathew McCarthy.

Savanah Hooper fought at the MAS Martial Arts Oktoberfest Acts of Valour kick boxing fight card at the Cambridge Holiday Inn on October 11, 2014. Photo by David Bebee.

Former astronaut Chris Hadfield gives a lecture to a first year University of Waterloo geography class at St. Paul's lecture hall. It was Hadfield's first class teaching at UW. On the screen behind him is an image of  Pompeii, Italy he shot from the international space centre. Photo by David Bebee.

Travis Barron (19) and Tyler Hill (12) of the 67's compete with Justin Bailey (95) of the Rangers for the puck in the third period of play as the Kitchener Rangers take on the Ottawa 67s at the Aud in Kitchener on October 26, 2014. Photo by Marta Iwanek. 

Statistician Herb Morell poses for a photo during halftime at the Laurier vs. York University football game in Waterloo on October 4, 2014. Photo by Marta Iwanek. 

Left to right, Radhika Upadhyaya, 9, Khushi Vyas, 9, and Khushali Vyas, 9,  dance at Shri Ram Dham Temple in Kitchener on October 3, 2014 where local Hindus gathered to celebrate the last day of Navaratri. Photo by Marta Iwanek. 

Violet Uthayakumar, 2, dressed up as a fairy greets Gustaf Franzen from the Kitchener Rangers who was dressed up as a penguin for Halloween in the children’s outpatient unit at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario on October 31, 2014. Hospital staff dressed up and handed out candy in a parade for the children at the hospital. Photo by Marta Iwanek.

Celtics player #33 Bobbi-Sue Hentges defends against Saints ball carrier #21 Afifa Salaad. The Saints won 31-13. Photo by Peter Lee.

Les Henderson smiles as a gust of wind ruffles the feathers of his alpine hat during opening ceremonies at Kitchener Waterloo Oktoberfest. Henderson, a Kitchener resident has worn the same hat to every opening since 1969. Photo by David Bebee.

Robin Dove owns a barber shop near the dry docks in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. The Kodiak-owned Terra Nova boot factory in the town will be closing its doors in November and moving its production to Cambridge, Ontario. No one disputes that Terra Nova was good for Harbour Grace. It provided steady, year-round jobs in a region used to seasonal work, it sponsored sports teams and community causes and injected about $70,000 a year in property taxes into the municipality’s coffers. “When the fire department needed defibrillator, the company went out bought one and donated it, no questions asked,” said Dove. “The bottom line is a lot of families are going to be put in turmoil.” 

Samantha Whalen, 5, kisses her mother Brittany Garland as she plays outside in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. Photo by Marta Iwanek. 

Gary Sumak, part of team Molson Coors takes a shot during a game of the Oktoberfest human foosball tournament on King Street in Waterloo. Photo by David Bebee. 

From left, Jeff Willmer, Michael May, and Dan Chapman talk with outgoing Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr, far right, while the results were coming into city hall. The council chambers were open to the public to view the results on a big screen. Photo by Peter Lee.

Kathy Lawrence is a psychologist who spends some of her work week at Anselma House in Kitchener, treating women who have been abused. Photo by Mathew McCarthy. 

Dressed as a witch Pamela Anaka of Kitchener laughs at a joke by Canadian Blood Services phlebotomist Paula Ali while donating blood at the bloodmobile outside of Kitchener City Hall. Photo by David Bebee. 

Jacob Hespeler player Matt Quiring hits the ball towards the Galt players side during their boys senior volleyball game at Galt. Beside him is teammate Joel Rudd. Photo by David Bebee.

Ranger forward Justin Bailey collides with Owen Sound Attack defender Connor Walters
during the first period at the Aud on October 24, 2014. Photo by David Bebee.

Colton Bates SJAM player tries to tackle an Abersychan player, but is too late to prevent the visitors scoring a try at Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School in Waterloo on October 29, 2014. A team of players from Sir John A. Macdonald (light blue) played a friendly match against a touring rugby team from Pontypool, Wales. This school is called Abersychan Comprehensive School. They are bringing 38 students/players from Abersychan and also billeting with a number of students and staff. The team is in Ontario for about 9 days, playing schools in Stoufville, Pickering, Waterloo, and Mississauga. Photo by Peter Lee. 

Jena Hoffman, 16, of Elmira District Secondary School loses her footing on a muddy downhill section of a cross country course at Bechtel Park. Photo by Mathew McCarthy.

Local veterans gather at the Kitchener cenotaph in honour of Nathan Cirillo and Patrice Vincent. Veterans Bob Kopperson, 3rd from left, Steve Aubin, centre, Robin Habermehl, Chris Pickering, and Drew Davidson. Photo by Peter Lee. 

Firefighters stand at attention in front of a large flag during the fallen firefighter event in Kitchener. Photo by Mathew McCarthy.

 

Grade 11 student at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute Tyler Green helps build a Mega Menger using 3D fractals made of paper cubes in a repeating pattern at The Perimeter Institute in Waterloo on October 24, 2014. Photo by Marta Iwanek. 

Shannon Foley, 7, and Julia Papalia, 7, of the Cambridge Roadrunners A Team Novice celebrate a goal by the Toronto Furies in the penalty shootout as the Toronto Furies take on the Brampton Thunder in Canadian Women's Hockey League action at RIM Park in Waterloo on October 25, 2014. Photo by Marta Iwanek. 

Spectators huddle under umbrellas while watching a high school soccer game at RIM Park under threatening skies. Photo by Mathew McCarthy. 

Kitchener Public Library CEO, Sonia Lewis, walks past, Flux, an art installation in the lobby of the library's Queen street location. Photo by Mathew McCarthy.

Abby Beaton of Bluevale fires a shot during their game against WCI at the WCSSAA field hockey championships at Woodside. Bluevale won in overtime. Photo of Mathew McCarthy.

 

Kirsten Peterman, 16, works out at Revolution Gymnastics, Friday. Peterman is a member of the senior women's gymnastics team. Photo Mathew McCarthy. 

Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan at the Kitchener Eastern Synod. Photo by Mathew McCarthy. 

 

Diwali

Chander Gosain participates in Diwali celebrations at Shri Ram Dham Hindu Temple in Kitchener on October 22, 2014. 

Milan Caur and husband Gurjot Singh watch the fireworks during Diwali celebrations at Shri Ram Dham Hindu Temple in Kitchener on October 22, 2014. 

People watch fireworks during Diwali celebrations at Shri Ram Dham Hindu Temple in Kitchener on October 22, 2014. 

A thousand members of the local Hindu community were expected to celebrate the festival of lights known as Diwali at Shri Ram Dham Hindu Temple in Kitchener.

The festival is celebrated every year at Autumn and during the darkest moon on the calendar. Diwali signifies the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. After Puja (prayers) a festive mood of singing and family time ensues. Above Kristina Brijlall Baldeo sings with her daughter Aryana, 4 as they listen to the Swamis lead the song.

University of Waterloo student Ekta Jain helps with the ceremony at the temple. Food, sweets and fireworks were also part of the evening's festivities.

First three photos by Marta Iwanek

final three photos by David Bebee

Bishop Munib Younan

Bishop Munib Younan, a Palestinian Christian, has won the 2014 Civis Mundi Award for Global Citizenship from the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. The award is given to a person "whose engagement with the world exemplifies a commitment to building an inclusive global community where justice is for all, peace is a hallmark and the integrity of creation is safeguarded."

According to Waterloo Lutheran, Younan has worked to bring Israelis and Palestinians together through building relationships between the faith groups in the region. 

Mathew McCarthy

 

Carpet of Coloured Leaves

Fallen leaves cover a pathway through the woods in Waldau Woods park in Kitchener. I shot this photo on expired Kodak 200 Ektachrome colour transparency E6 film and "cross-processed" it in C41 chemistry at a local department store photo lab hoping for some different colour effects. The effect was fairly realistic though. I'm in the process of trying some Fuji slide film. Look for those results on my future blog posts! - Peter Lee