A recent discovery on YouTube

February 3, 2025 by Howard Dale Posted in Photographers, Photography Leave a comment

Actually, it’s not all that recent. I’ve been following this channel for some time. It’s called “Sharing the Work of the Photography Masters” and its creator, Joel Ulises, describes it as follows:

On this channel, I share the work and stories of the greatest photographers—past and present. My goal is to bring their masterpieces to life and inspire a deeper appreciation for the art of photography. Whether you’re a fan of iconic images or curious about the stories behind the lens, you’re in the right place. Join me on this visual journey, and let’s explore the magic of photography together.

So, if you’re interested in the work of “Photography Masters” this might well be for you.

Daido Moriyama – Record

February 2, 2025 by Howard Dale Posted in Reading Leave a comment

An exceptional selection of photographs by Japan’s leading photographer from Record, the artist’s self-curated journal, published in the early 1970s and from 1996 to the present day. It has 230+ pages, 50+ in color. There’s a short (five page) introduction by Mark Holborn.

Inspired by Japanese photographers, as well as by William Klein’s seminal photography book on New York, Daido Moriyama moved from Osaka to Tokyo in the early sixties to become a photographer. He became the leading exponent of a fierce new photographic style that corresponded perfectly to the abrasive and intense climate of Tokyo during a period of great social upheaval. Between June 1972 and July 1973 Moriyama produced his own magazine publication, Kiroku, which was then referred to as Record. It became a diaristic journal of his work as it developed. Ten years ago, after a decades-long interval, he was able to resume publication of Record. Now this book collects work from all thirty published issues, edited into a single sequence, punctuated by Moriyama’s own text as it appeared in the magazine. After this volume was produced, Moriyama continued with “Record”. Subsequently, a second volume, the direct sequel to Record was created and called Record 2. This volume presents a selection of photographs from Daido Moriyama’s magazine publication Record, from issues 31 to 50 and spanning 2017 to the present.

The book is exceptionally well made. The reproduction of the photographs is of very high quality, and the whole book is contained in a slipcase.

If, like me, you’re a fan of Moriyama’s style (grainy, high contrast, not always ultra sharp images) you’ll love this book).

Three Sisters

February 1, 2025 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures Leave a comment

I’d taken pictures of all three of these houses (singly i.e. three separate pictures). I’d always wanted a picture of all three of them in a single image, but every time I passed by the road in front of them was covered with parked cars, which obscured and messed up the view. This time, when I passed and noticed there were no cars, I rushed over to get this picture.

According to the Village of Ossining Significant Sites and Structures Guide (Page 169):

Property Name(s): The Three Sisters
Street Address: 43, 45 and 47 Ellis Place
Section, Block, and Lot: Section 89.20, Block 3, Lots 29, 28 and 27, respectively
Architect/Builder: John O’Brien, Builder
Date of Construction: 1877
Architectural Style: Carpenter Gothic (1840s-early 1900s). Carpenter Gothic architecture, a subtype of the larger Gothic Revival movement, was a style that applied some of the forms typically associated with Gothic Revival architecture to cottage residences. This style was known for its use of board and batten siding, steeply pitched roofs, and elaborate ornamental features known as gingerbread that were made possible by the newly invented scroll saw, which allowed carpenters to cut wooden shapes that had been impossible previously.

The Three Sisters are each two- and one-half stories in height with a raised basement level and have a rectangular, side-hall plan. As originally built, the houses had their kitchens and dining rooms in the basement and a double parlor with side hall on the main floor level. The main façades contain two bays of pedimented one over one sash windows, with a pair of windows on the left side of each story and a single window on the right side of each story. The front porches that extend the full width of the façades contain a gable with a star motif that is repeated on the front-facing gable of each structure, each of which utilizes board and batten siding and contains a pair of small attic windows. All three structures contain asphalt shingle roofs with two side dormers and clapboard siding on all facings.

The Three Sisters are architecturally significant as examples of late 19th-Century Carpenter Gothic-style houses.

The Three Sisters, located at 43, 45, and 47 Ellis Place respectively, were built by John O’Brien, a local entrepreneur who owned and operated a stone and monument factory on Water Street. O’Brien built the houses from 1875-1877 for his three daughters: Birdie, Margaret, and Edith. All three houses have had a series of private owners since their construction and each is painted a different color: Number 43 is painted pink, Number 45 is blue, and Number 47 is gray.

Taken with a Sony RX100 MVII.

By the Ossining Boat and Canoe Club

February 1, 2025 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures, Memorial, Things, Wildlife & Animals Leave a comment

I went down to the river the other day. It was really too cold to take photographs. I had to take a few photographs, put my camera and my hands in pocket (luckily, I was using a very small, pocketable camera). Wait until my hands warmed up. Then take a few more quick pictures and repeat the whole process until I’d taken as many pictures as I could.

The pictures were taken around the Ossining Boat and Canoe Club. According to the Club’s website:

The Ossining Boat and Canoe Club was founded in 1915. At first it doesn’t sound like it was that long ago, but then we realize that cars were not all that common and that the highways in our area were not yet built. There were no malls or shopping centers and all goods where bought on Main Street or from a catalogue. The Tappan Zee Bridge would not exist to take us to the other side of the river for another forty years. Canoeing was an active national sport in those days and the club put a group in the water called the “Black Hawks”. This team competed as far away as Canada in a four-man racing canoe.

Building. The original clubhouse was erected by the members on the present site, just south of the Ossining RR Station on Westerly Road, in 1921. With the exception of some minor changes to the façade, the structure remains identical to its original frame. Some recent renovations to the club property include: a newly constructed ramp from the clubhouse to the docks, ample docking space for visitors and boaters in distress, and a completely refurbished upper deck offering magnificent views of the Hudson River and its shores. In addition to these, heating and air-conditioning were added to the club building.

Today the clubhouse is owned by the Town of Ossining and is exclusively licensed to the boat club.

Function. The boat basin itself is not so different from the days of the original site though modern moorings have replaced the wooden tree poles of the past. The club’s location on the east bank of the Tappan Zee has always provided sailors with miles of open water and fishermen with ample fishing spots. The club was conceived so that members could have access to the river at a reasonable rate. In order to maintain these reasonable rates all clubhouse maintenance and repairs are completed by the membership. There have always been two classifications of membership – working and associate. To accommodate schedules that do not allow for volunteer work hours, a third status was added as non-working. Our application form requests that the applicant list his or her skills and professions – in that way we make use of an invaluable pool of resources.