Black and White

Tax Season

Posted by Ellie

When I was about 3, I had photos of myself published in the Montreal Gazette. I was paid for this photo session, and was obliged to file my taxes. This tax preparation session was photographed as a series in the paper. I have no idea who took the photographs, but every year at tax season I am reminded of these photographs and how I feel no different now to how I felt then. Enjoy the session!

A black and white photo of a little girl with curly blond hair with a bow in it, and smiling blue eyes looking at the camera, She has a dress with puffy sleeves and a neat round collar and is smiling confidently. She is holding a pencil in her hand over some papers on a slatted table.
1. All ready to start working on my year end tax returns
A black and white photo of a little girl with curly blond hair with a bow in it, and big earnest blue eyes looking at the camera, resting her face between her hands. She is sitting on a wicker chair and on the slatted table in front of her are some papers with printed figures.
2. It seemed pretty straight forward, but now I’m not sure.
A black and white photo of a little girl with curly blond hair with a bow in it, and big earnest blue eyes looking at the camera as she speaks into the receiver of a toy telephone. She is sitting on a wicker chair and on the slatted table in front of her is an apple, some papers with printed figures on it, and what looks like a toy dog. She is holding a pencil in her hand.
3. I think I had better call the accountant
A black and white photo of a little girl with blond hair, scratching her head as she looks down, mystified, towards a receipt she is holding in the other hand, and she has a pencil held in her mouth. She is sitting in a wicker chair at a slatted table with a paper printed with figures on it.
4. I’m pretty sure I never bought this much software
A black and white photo of a little girl with blond hair that is becoming really messy from running her hands through it. On the slatted table in front of her are some messy papers with printed figures on them and a toy telephone. Her mouth is set in a tight line with a pencil held firmly in it and she is holding the receiver of the telephone in her left hand against the side of her neck, below her ears. Her eyebrows are down in a straight line across her intense eyes, matching the line of the pencil held firmly in her mouth. She might be holding a piece o crumpled paper in the other hand.
5. Yes, of course I’m sure.
A black and white photo of a little girl with messy flat blond hair held back, perhaps with a clip. She is sitting on a wicker chair and on the slatted table in front of her are some messy papers with printed figures on them, an apple, and the receiver of a toy telephone. Her mouth is set in a tight line and her arms are up behind her head in despair. She has a stare of defiance.
6. You can do it yourself, then! I’m not doing any more!

Congratulations to Ben on a Second Oscar

Posted by Ellie
Snow is slanting down on two young men staning in light jackets and shoes, not boots, with a film camera on a tripod in front of them. One is filming and the other is smiling and watching. There is a snowy field behind them and woods in the distance, with a couple of trees just behind them.
Ben and David filming for the Steven Kennard short documentary “Turns” in Nova Scotia, 2015

In 2015 we had a couple of inspired young filmmakers from California visit us to make a wonderful short documentary about Steven. (You can view that video here: https://vimeo.com/519088816) They were lovely guys and so much fun during the days they spent with us. It’s so marvellous to hear that Ben, along with co-director Kris Bowers have won the Oscar for this great short film.

Read about the film and the directors on this site, specially the story of Kris at the bottom: https://breakwaterstudios.com/the-last-repair-shop/

You can watch the award winning film here if you haven’t seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xttrkgKXtZ4 (40 minutes). It is incredibly moving.

More photos of their visit:

Two men are looking through a film camera viewfinder to the left.
Ben Proudfoot and David Bolen filming in Nova Scotia, 2015
It is a snowy scene, snow slanting down, with two young men staning in light jackets and shoes, not boots, with a film camera on a tripod in front of them. They are laughing together and their hands are blurred as they demonstrate the footage they plan to take. There is a snowy field behind them and woods in the distance, with a couple of trees just behind them.
Ben and David enjoying the snow, obviously!
A black and white photo of 3 men in a woodwork shop, with film camera and other equipment. Two of the men are discussing something, one has his finger to his face in thought. The one in the back is listening to the conversation.
Discussing how to make the film title shot.

Rainy Birches

Posted by Ellie
Rainy Birches - Ellie Kennard 2012
Rainy Birches – Ellie Kennard 2012

This gentle black and white photograph with its splashes of dark zigzags is another find from my 366 photo a day project in 2012.

original post: November 14, 2012 – 319/366 – Rainy Birches

Today was a day of rain and I spent some of it sitting in an industrial park while my car was being repaired. I stood outside with the highway traffic thundering over my head and thought I would photograph these birches with their few yellow leaves, planted in the embankment below the road. They seemed to be a pen and ink wash drawing

Carved in Stone

Posted by Ellie
Carved in Stone - Ellie Kennard 2012
Carved in stone – Ellie Kennard 2012

Another mini diary-like post rescued from social media reminding me of days gone by and the beautiful work of craftsmen.

Original post: July 12, 2012 – 193/366 – Carved in Stone

Days when we have a full work day followed by a midweek concert at the Evergreen Theatre at night (photographic session as well as wonderful music) are never easy when it comes to posting images, or even shooting them. It is an early start to the day and then a very long drive home, late at night, with constant risk of hitting wildlife or cats on the lonely country roads.. Last night we had such a concert and saw a wonderful singer, Alejandra Ribera, so the long day was well worth the exhaustion at the end of it.

While cooking supper before dashing out the door to drive to the theatre, I caught sight of these pears and apple on the dining room table. They have been carved by a Nova Scotia craftsman* and have graced our dining room for years. The light streaming in through the window produced a pleasing effect and accentuated the lovely carved texture on these fruits. So they are my entry for yesterday. Fruits that never rot.

*Nova Scotia stone carver Peter Parachnowitsch  from “Set in Stone’