Day 310 - Some downtown perspective

An exercise in perspective, this photograph depicts the front porch area of the barracks building on Officer's Square.

Located on Queen Street in downtown Fredericton, this building holds the local museum. I decided to take this picture because I liked the way the lamps line up and the look of the columns down the right side and the windows on the left. I had to play with the light a little bit, since it was a bright day outside but dim under this porch roof. If I recall correctly, I ended up having to slow the shutter right down in order to keep the aperture tight: f8 at 1/60th, if my memory serves.

As you're probably figuring out from this blog, the city of Fredericton has a lot of really lovely older buildings with some interesting architectural styles. And the community has done a fairly nice job of conserving the buildings and making them available to the public.

Day 276 - Angry Beavers

I'm not sure anything more needs to be said about this sculpture (in concrete, no less) of two angry beavers that sits in Officers Square in downtown Fredericton.

They're beavers on a mission alright but I have no idea why anyone would want to sculpt them with such angry expressions nor who would want to buy the sculpture and place it in a public place. Is it a protest against the devastation we've caused to the natural world? Are these beavers mad because we've taken their habitat and poisoned their water? I don't know and they're not telling.

Day 274 - On cannons and condos

I worked very hard to get this photograph right. I just wish I had the technical ability to airbrush that telephone pole out of the way.

Although I doubt that anyone living in that condo building across the river is at all afraid (or even aware, probably), it really looks like this cannon is aimed directly at their homes. The big gun is located on Officers Square, a part of the historic Garrison District in downtown Fredericton, and once provided the young town with much from all kinds of foes, including the French, the Americans and even the Aboriginal peoples who were forced from their lands to make way for European settlement.

I doubt this cannon ever had the power to fire a projectile all the way across the river (which is really very wide in this area) but I may be wrong. I don't think the condo dwellers have anything to worry about, at least. And it's amazing what a really narrow aperture will do for your depth of focus!

Day 273 - The Union Jack a-fluttering

I hope this photo doesn't offend any anti-monarchists reading this blog. I just happen to like the colours and shapes of this picture of the Union Jack fluttering against the wall of one of the historical buildings on Officer's Square in downtown Fredericton.

This stone-and-brick wall is part of the building that houses the local museum, which is actually surprisingly interesting for such a small place. And I like the way the brick section of the wall mimics the shape of the building itself. Blue skies never hurt a photograph either, do they?

Day 262 - Wrapping up the Harvest

I might have failed entirely to get a single photograph of the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival that just wrapped up here in Fredericton but at least I got this interesting shot of the clean-up efforts taking place today after the four-day event ended.

I had thought about trying to get a close-up of someone carrying something (maybe just their arms and hands, gripping their heavy load) but then I saw this nice combination of elements in Officer's Square, with the statue overseeing it all.

I also like the lines of porta-potties in the background: they kind of capture the overall tone of the day, I think.

Day 185 - Stepping back into Fredericton history

It's fantastic to have guests come to visit us for many reasons, including the fact that we explore our city with them. For example, today for the first time we took in some of the events and exhibits in downtown Fredericton that celebrate the history of the city.

We visited the old guard house and enjoyed an educational tour put on by some of the young people in the top photo. I'm pleased with this photograph, to be honest, because it catches the two women in sort of introspective poses, looking down. I like the columns and the fact that the musician is obscured.

We then moved on to Officers Square to watch the daily changing of the guard ceremony. It's a neat show, with drums and marching and even an inspection of the guard performed by some lucky spectator.

These photographs are interesting more for the content than for anything I did with the camera. The programs are well designed and nicely performed, a worthwhile attraction for any visitor to Fredericton.