Windsor Archives - The Image Journey

Published June 27, 2020 by avardw

The True Heroes

Sharmay Beals-Wentzell and her daughter Shartelle Lyon organizers of a Black Lives Matter community forum in Windsor, Nova Scotia © Avard Woolaver

I attended a Black Lives Matter community forum today in Windsor, Nova Scotia, and found it inspiring and thought provoking. As I listened to the speakers relate personal stories of racism and oppression, it dawned on me that it is the black and indigenous peoples who are the true heroes. To have your land taken away, or escape slavery, live in poverty, live with segregation and residential schools; and not only survive, but THRIVE —this should be celebrated, not ignored or downplayed by white people. Imagine being told by the white majority that you are not equal, that you are second class. And in extreme cases, not really human. Imagine this inhumane treatment happening for 400 years. It’s challenging for white people to try to comprehend the depths and reach of white privilege. We should all be proud of black and indigenous citizens and of how they have succeeded in spite of racism and oppression. There is so much white people can learn from them, from their resilience and community strength.

If whites had escaped enslavement or survived residential schools, they would have been lauded as cultural heroes and icons. It’s telling that many of our monuments are for the men who were the greatest oppressors. The colonialists, slave traders, land barons. Why can’t we have more monuments for those who succeeded even when everything was stacked against them?

Black Lives Matter is very important in 2020. For all those who say All Lives Matter, I say that’s true, but imagine living in a world where the playing field is slanted in the other team’s favor (and has been for hundreds of years). Could white people even survive in such an inhumane world?

I am a white man who has known white privilege his whole life and I’m happy to be part of this cultural change.

Blogging Documentary History Nova Scotia Photography

Black Lives Matter Community Forum Nova Scotia Windsor

Published January 17, 2019 by avardw

39 years later things look different

Windsor, Nova Scotia, before and after, 1980 , 2019, — Windsor, Nova Scotia, 1980 and 2019 © Avard Woolaver

Photography is a great way to show the passage of time. The top frame was taken in 1980, and the bottom one was taken 39 years later in 2019. It was taken in Windsor, Nova Scotia. The scene, that looks west toward the Annapolis Valley, was a farmer’s field in 1980. There was a gate which was an interesting illustration of Windsor’s status as “gateway to the Annapolis Valley.” There were oil tanks in the background and No Exit signs reminiscent of Hotel California.

The scene looks quite different 39 years later. Highway 101 on the left is being twinned–changed from a single lane to double lane highway. On the place where I took the photo, there is now a roundabout. There are power lines, a stop sign, and a pedestrian sign. But most notably, there is a Petro-Canada service station and Tim Hortons restaurant on the right.

Change is inevitable, and hard to say what constitutes progress. Small farms are disappearing and urban areas are on the rise. In these two photos we see a transition from agri-culture to pop-culture. At some point, around 2006 I think, the gate was left open and commerce came charging in. What will this scene look like 39 years from now? I can only hope it’s filled with wind turbines and solar panels.

Blogging Photography

39 years later before and after Nova Scotia Windsor

Published March 4, 2017 by avardw

Photography can be our therapy

photography, art, therapy, painting, — Photo Therapy, NS, 2015 © Avard Woolaver

You have probably had the experience of taking a casual walk with your camera and feeling your mood improve as you see and capture some interesting scenes. Or had a wonderful experience looking at an old family photo album. Art therapy has been used forever, and photography is just one of its applications.

When I was eighteen I came down with mono and had to drop out of my first year of university. It was a low point in my life. Walking outside with my camera made me feel better—it healed both my mind and body. Some forty years later, I’m still taking walks with my camera and still feeling the positive vibes.

Hungarian photographer Marton Perlaki, whose photos often have a surreal and quirky aspect that I admire, told British Journal of Photography interviewer Tom Seymour, “I think my pictures have a certain childish, absurd humour which plays an important role in my work. I think about photography as a sort of therapy for the mind. I am trying to understand something about myself through the process and the final work.”

Psychotherapist Joshua Miles observed, in a Counselling Directory article, “There is a meaningful and real connection between the creative and therapeutic processes.” —

Photo tip: Look for words on signs that can be used to used to make interesting juxtapositions–for example, a stop sign or a yield sign.

Colour Observation Photography Social Landscape

2015 art therapy Avard Woolaver Canon Rebel T3 colour Nova Scotia photography Windsor

Published January 23, 2017 by avardw

Long Pond Heritage Classic, Windsor, NS

Long Pond, Long Pond Heritage Classic, Birthplace of Hockey, Windsor, Nova Scotia — Long Pond Heritage Classic -photo by Avard Woolaver

The Long Pond Heritage Classic held in Windsor, NS, is a fundraiser for the Windsor Hockey Heritage Society and The Birthplace of Hockey.

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Photo tip: Look for graphic elements such as numbers or typography to add interest to your photos. Signs can also be useful in the future to figure out exactly where the photo was taken.

Colour Documentary Photography Social Landscape Uncategorized

Birthplace of Hockey Canada hockey Long Pond Long Pond Heritage Classic Nova Scotia pond hockey Windsor winter