It has been said that music is the heartbeat of the universe. There is no denying its magic, and its force in the world. I took these photos in Toronto in the 1980s. They show people making music in everyday situations, giving the city a soundtrack.
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These are some things I saw today, taking a load of garbage to the local landfill. It’s always fun to take a little road trip–it doesn’t matter how far (the landfill is about 15 km from my home.) And it makes the photos look a bit better when there is a sunny sky.
In the community of Cogmagun, there is this tiny house. I don’t think anyone lives there year round, maybe just in the summer. I take a photo of it just about every time I pass by. It reminds me of the house of folk artist Maude Lewis that is on display in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
This rag-tag collection of signs caught my eye. I’m interested in the Stanley Airport which operated as a pilot training center during World War II. My mother grew up in the small community of Stanley and went to see movies at the base as a ten year old. When I was a boy in the 1960s it housed a parachute training school and I loved to watch the parachutists floating in the sky like dandelion seeds.
There was a very high tide in the Herbert River today. This part of the world has some of the world’s highest tides with tide water flowing in from the Bay of Fundy and filling all the connected rivers. This is a popular place for tourists to watch the tidal bore.
On my way home, crossing the Kennetcook River where I took more high tide photos. I love this view, looking up the hill with the utility pole in the middle of the road. It was a good day for getting things done, and getting a few photos–things I saw today.
In my younger days when the moon was full, I used turn off the headlights and drive the silver road. Naturally, I did this on quiet country roads where there wasn’t much traffic, and I drove slowly. I loved the silver glow of the road and how it was like driving in a dream world. I might still be doing it now except for the fact that most cars in Canada have daytime running lights–it is impossible to turn off the headlights completely.
I also enjoy the silver road in my photographs. These photos are usually taken in the winter when the road is wet, and the sun is shining directly over the road. It looks like a river of silver light and reminds me of a line from My Favorite Things – “silver white winters that melt into spring.”
My motivation for writing this post comes from Sarah Harmer song I have stuck in my head–Silver Road. It’s from the movie Men with Brooms (2002) and features accompaniment by The Tragically Hip.
“I’ll be way down a silver road I’ll go
Where the moon has it lit up
Turn off your headlights and go slowly
I don’t want it to let up”
I have been a fan of her music since her 1999 album You Were Here but until a few weeks ago had not heard the song, or seen the video (I hardly ever watch them.) Seeing her perform at Stanfest in 2009 was one of my all time concert highlights. I think this beautiful melodic song really matches the mood of driving at night with the headlights off, and hope my photos do, too.
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It is said that the mirror is the symbol of imagery or of awareness. The mirror has the ability to copy the visible reflections of the world in its own figural reality. I love the use of the mirror in photography, and no one does it better than Lee Friedlander who has incorporated it in his photos for the past sixty years.
Using car mirrors in photos is something I do regularly. I like having the ability to look ahead and behind at the same time, and also the chance to make interesting juxtapositions. I have included a few examples here.
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You can get interesting photos using car headlights. High beams which are intense and directed, can be especially effective. You can use them to create mysterious, fairy tale-like effects, because they can brightly light one patch while darkness seems to press in from all around it.
It’s a fun activity to fool around with when you’ve got some extra time. (The long evenings of autumn and winter are a great time to try this; and frost and fog, combined with the strong light, can give you even more interesting possibilities to explore.) Check out the differences between how your high beams and low beams look.
Using car headlights works well at twilight, with sunsets, and can be effective in illuminating reflective signs. You can see the results in these photos.
Just don’t, whatever you do, lose track of time and let your battery run down. (Been there.)
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