The Heart of Photography

A year ago, as the reality of the global situation sank in, I posted a photograph of a lone priest in the vastness of St Peter’s Square taken by my friend Cindi Emond. It spoke to the heart of what much of the world was feeling at the time: loneliness, confusion and abandonment. Almost a year to the day, a virtual exhibition of Cindi’s photographs has opened as part of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival.

A left click will take you to Cindi Emond’s FOR ALL THE “I LOVE YOU’S” WE FORGOT TO SAY.

A century ago a natural disaster brought loneliness, confusion, and abandonment to a small Italian village in the Abruzzo. FOR ALL THE “I LOVE YOU’S” WE FORGOT TO SAY tells the story of that village A century ago a natural disaster brought loneliness, confusion, and abandonment to a small Italian village in the Abruzzo.Cindi’s photographs and words are a melancholy but powerful examination of a world that changed in a heartbeat but also in many ways forged on despite the change. A left click on the entrance to the exhibition will take you inside.

Congratulations on a beautiful and moving photo essay Cindi and thank you.

The word for May 2^nd is:
Abandon /əˈbandən/: [^1. verb ^2. noun]
^1.1 Cease to support or look after someone or some thing; desert.
^1.2 Give up completely (a course of action, a practice, or a way of thinking)
^2. Complete lack of inhibition or restraint.
Late Middle English from Old French abandoner, from a- (from Latin ad ‘to, at’) + bandon ‘control’ (related to ban).

An Empty Square

Though I was never blessed with the gift of creativity I have been fortunate in my life to meet and be surrounded by creative people. People of incredible talent – singers, dancers, actors, artists, and writers – who have allowed me to view and participate as a spectator in their work.

My friend Cindi Emond, in Rome, is one of those creative people whose path has crossed with mine. She is an exceptional photographer and her life as an expat living in Italy and her travels have give her the opportunity to capture images from around the world. Her most recent series centred on Rome and were taken on March 11, 2020 – the day before total lock down. Several of them were published by Deutsche Welle including this touching photo of a young priest at the barrier closing off an empty St Peter’s Square.

St Peter’s Square, Vatican City – March 11, 2020
Photo: Cindi Emond

It captures, for me at least, not just the startling emptiness of a place that should be bustling with people but also a feeling of the loneliness of isolation. The young priest may be deep in thought or perhaps he is praying. One can only hope that the prayer he may be offering up is answered.

More of Cindi’s remarkable photographs can be seen on her website at: Cindi Emond Photography.

The word for April 30 is:
Photography /fəˈtäɡrəfē/: [noun]
The art or practice of taking and processing photographs.
From the Greek: photos (ϕοτοσ), light, and graphos (γραοσ), writing, delineation, or painting. Literally: Painting with light.
Although ‘heliography’, ‘photogeny’, and ‘daguerreotypy’, were first used as alternatives, ‘photography’ eventually gained universal precedence as the preferred name. .

Winter Is Coming

If I didn’t know better I’d say that animal photographer Steve McCurry was around our place this afternoon and captured the look on my face when I saw the first flakes of snow! Okay fine it didn’t stay but they are forecasting more for tomorrow!!!! All well and good – it is Canada and we do have four seasons but it would have been nice this year is Spring, Summer and Fall had lasted more than a month each!

Snow monkey in Jigokudani Yaen-koen park, Yamanouchi, Japan, 2018
Photograph: Steve McCurry – included in McCurry’s latest book Animal to be released later this month

A left click on the photograph this rather sour looking Japanese macaque the will take you to The Guardian slideshow of shots from Steve McCurry’s soon to be release book Animals.

And while you do that I’ll dig around looking for my gloves and snow boots!

November 7th is Stress Awareness Day – and believe me both Nora and I had one of those days when we were more than aware of stress. And Nicky wasn’t far behind.

Lantern Lights Festival

Walter over at Inquietudes tells us that sometimes 140 characters is not enough. In this case he’s given the characters a pass and spoken through his talented lens to share a bit of the Lantern Festival in Miami.

By tradition the Lantern Festival is the fifteenth day and last day of the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). In the Chinese calendar the night marks the return of spring and symbolizes the reunion of family. And it signals the end to the New Year’s taboos and all New Year’s decorations are taken down.

It is a festival that is said to trace it’s origins back almost 2000 years during the reign of the Emperor Hammingdi, an ardent follower of the Buddha. He was told that to show respect for Buddha that monks lit lanterns in the temples on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He ordered that all temples, royal palaces and households should follow suit. This Buddhist custom gradually evolved into a grand public festival with games, feasting and, of course, lanterns.

Perhaps that origin history is the accurate one but I choose to believe the version I recounted last year about a trick played on the Jade Emperor.

Whatever the origins the celebration that Walter captured is a bright ray of much needed light in a darkened world

On this day in 1834: US President Andrew Jackson orders first use of federal soldiers to suppress a labor dispute.

Ein bisschen Volkskunst II

Well all I can say is “Thank God for digital!”

27 gennaio – Sant’Angela Merici