Pillars of Commerce

Another oldie pulled from the bottom of some recently discovered shoe box. This photo was probably taken in the early '60s in Fort William, On. (now a part of the city of Thunder Bay). Arguably unremarkable (wish I had included more of the steamship on the right) except for one thing: note that the steamship on the right is belching smoke, a clue to it's mode of propulsion, coal. I wonder when the last coal fired steamship sailed on the Great Lakes? Best, LM

Not a bad shot Len! I don't think I've ever seen any thing under steam power outside of Heritage park in Calgary. This photo is testament to your years of experience in photography. I think its great that you managed to capture a quickly disappearing icon in time. I hear that the steam locomotives are quickly being pulled off the tracks in China in recent days.

Greg, This one is a testament to my INTEREST in and not necessarily my great skill in photography going way back. The last thing on my mind when I took this one was that I was recording HISTORY! Who thinks of that when they're 20? I was simply trying to get a nice shot of something within walking distance of my home. (or at least biking distance) Now I wish I'd been a bit more thorough. As for the Chinese, I guess they need the coal for all their new electrical plants. :-) Stay connected. Best, LM.

Len, I have two friends whom recently purged their shoe boxes of old slides and negs. Needless to say I was horrified; their response was "why would I want to keep pictures of squirrels and buildings that no one cares about?".

 

My mind wondered off for a good 15 minutes viewing this. There is indeed value in old pictures.

Michael, Long time no see. Thanks for responding. This one was taken during my early years in photography and I was trying to be 'fine artsy', for lack of a better term. The photo's compositional failings, for me, are more than made up for in large dollops of nostalgia. There is indeed value in old photos. especially for the photographer. It's a real bonus when others find value in them. Glad you liked it. Stay connected. Best, LM.

Forty five to fifty years after the fact I doubt I'll learn much from any

critique of this one but have at it anyway. You'll either enlighten me in

some way or confirm what faults I already know about this shot. It was

posted more as an historic curiosity in any case. Best, LM.