Watson’s Mill reflected, and a history lesson

There’s been a lot of coverage in the media this week of 24 Sussex Drive, the Prime Minister’s official residence. Did you know that the history of 24 Sussex Drive is linked directly with Watson’s Mill here in Manotick?

Watson's Mill

The mill was built in 1860 by partners Moss Kent Dickinson and Joseph Currier. Shortly after it was built, Joseph Currier met his second bride-to-be, Anne Crosby, in Lake George, New York. She had never been to Manotick, and after their January 1861 wedding and month-long honeymoon, he brought her home to celebrate the Mill’s first year of operation. The very day she arrived, tragedy struck: as she was ascending the stairs to the second floor of the mill, her long, hooped crinoline got caught one of the turbines powered by the river, and she was flung against a support post and killed instantly. They say her spirit still haunts the mill.

Currier never set foot in the Mill nor Manotick again. He went on to become a Member of Parliament, and eight years later married his third wife, the granddaughter of Philemon Wright. He commissioned a house be built for her as a wedding gift, and called it Gorffwysfa, Welsh for “place of rest.” The address? 24 Sussex Drive.

Photo(s) of the day: Pumpkin picking 2015

Ever since we moved to Manotick, one of our favourite family traditions has been our autumn trip to Miller’s Farm to pick our Halloween pumpkins. I don’t know whether it’s the October light or the fact that the boys genuinely love the excursion, but there are always fun photos to be found.

I particularly like this one: which one is the jack-o-lantern with the gap-toothed smile?

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He’s almost as tall as his dad, and can carry his own (ridiculously large) pumpkin.

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They’re still pretty patient about posing for me. And cute, to boot!

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We interrupt this post for a flashback to 2011:

302:365 The boys in the Pumpkin House

Oh my goodness! Just a few changes in four years, right? Sigh. Some things don’t change, though. The boys went to play parkour on the hay bales while I entertained myself taking photos of not-them with my fish-eye lens.

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And since I’m searching the archives, here’s another pumpkin trio — from 2009!

271:365 The cutest pumpkins in the patch

I am grateful to have such sweet boys to indulge me, for family traditions, and for this blog to archive my memories and share them with you. 🙂

Photo(s) of the day: Autumn abstracts

Although one never really gets tired of taking photographs of beautiful autumn leaves, sometimes it’s good to find new ways to approach them and stretch one’s creativity. I took these photos with a slow shutter while moving my camera slightly (or not so slightly) so the autumn trees are intentionally blurred and rendered somewhat abstract.

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I happen to be a reasonably literal person without formal art training, so it’s hard for me to evaluate what makes an abstract painting work. I can tell you that they have elements that most photography books will tell you are pleasing: repetition of pattern, rhythm, motion. The colours and tones are pleasing. In two of the three, it’s quite clear that you’re seeing an abstraction of trees, and it’s not hard to guess with the third what you are seeing.

autumn abstract

Still, I’m not sure. Are these good? I think they’re interesting, at least. If they made you pause for a second and study them, wonder about them, then that’s good, right? But what story do they tell?

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Hmm. Art. The more I know, the more I feel like I have so much left to learn. What do you think?

Photo of the day: Autumn glory on the Rideau Canal

A few days ago, I posted a beautiful (if I do say so!) image of autumn leaves reflected in my end of the Rideau River, up near Watson’s Mill. Here’s a shot of the downtown end of the river, or more specifically, the Rideau Canal.

Autumn on the Rideau Canal

Golden and amazing, right? It’s like a parting gift from summer, bidding us adieu until the yellows of April’s flowers.

Photo(s) of the day: Matt and Jasmine got married!

Even though I’m a hopeless romantic and love everything about weddings, I don’t photograph too many of them. Weddings, especially big weddings, are terribly intimitading – long, elaborate and stressful affairs that tend to go on long into the night. However, when Matt and Jasmine asked me to take pictures at their courthouse wedding, I was charmed and intrigued. They simply wanted someone to capture the ceremony and a few candid photos afterward, and asked me simply “to get the stuff that you think is amazing and beautiful.”

How could I resist an offer like that? Things that are amazing and beautiful are my very favourite things to photograph. Here’s a little taste of their day:

M and J got married!

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This is J.He’s Matt and Jasmine’s son and he wasn’t feeling too well, so he’s looking a little peaked. Is he not adorable, though?

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There were shots of the kiss, but I personally love a wedding that seals the deal with a high five.

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What, you don’t have pictures of you playing in the leaves in your wedding finery? I thought that’s why people got married in October!

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I just had a feeling when I first heard from Matt and Jasmine that they would be a fun couple to work with, and I was totally right.

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Short and sweet, with family and friends and sunshine and autumn leaves – what a perfect wedding. It was truly an honour to be a part of your day, Matt and Jasmine, and I wish you and your beautiful family years of joy and laughter together.

Photo of the day: A rainbow over the Rideau Canal

It’s dark this time of year when I leave for work, but light creeps into the sky as I make my way downtown. On this particular morning, I had a feeling that sunrise would be spectacular – even before the sun broke the horizon, I was intrigued by the textures of the clouds that mostly covered the deep gray sky.

By the time I’d parked and was walking to the office, the clouds were afire with pink and orange. I had my camera with me, as I’d been thinking of shooting some pretty leaf shots on my lunch break, and I started looking for a good spot with an open sky and interesting downtown skyline for the foreground.

Instead, to my delight, I found this!

Rainbow over downtown

Look at the light on those Gatineau hills in the background! I actually kept walking, after fawning over the rainbow for a while and actually stopping passers-by to point it out to them, and tried to get a better vantage spot to photograph the hills. Hmmm, where near the Canal and downtown can I get a clear shot of the Gatineau Hills? And off I ran to Parliament Hill. Like, RUNNING, because that light was not going to last. And to my great dismay, the construction on the Hill had completely blocked off all access to the view across the river and on to Quebec. Boo!

Also, more than one person has asked me if I’d ever consider giving up my dSLR now that camera phones are so sophisticated. It’s true, the iPhone 6S has 12 megapixels, same as my trusty old D40 starter dSLR. I would never rely solely on an iPhone, unless it was the only camera I had with me, no matter how big the sensor – here’s why:

It looks a little bit like the fountain at the Lac Leamy casino has gone nuclear, doesn’t it?

The dynamic range, the subtle variation from one tone to the next, is just non-existent in low light for the iPhone, as compared to what my D600 can do. But you sure can’t beat it for instant gratification! I had to download the “good” photos from my camera to my computer, edit them and then upload them, so it took more than 24 hours so I could share them with you.

And rainbows at sunrise are definitely worth sharing, right? 🙂

Big announcement: Holiday Photo Mini-Sessions!

I am so excited! After years of contemplating holiday mini-sessions, I’m finally organized enough and out ahead of the season enough to be able to offer them. This is going to be so fun!

Christmas photo sessions by Ottawa photographer Danielle Donders

Fun, right? These photo sessions will be perfect for families looking for quick and fun portraits for holiday cards and seasonal newsletters. Sessions will be held outdoors here at my home in Manotick. They will be short and sweet, with holiday-themed props available like a vintage sled, decorations, holiday lights and cozy blankets, so our autumn backdrop will have a festive holiday feeling. Bring red mittens, scarves and toques to really bring on the festive spirit and make your photos pop!

If you’re feeling especially fun, let me use the magic of photoshop to add a reindeer to your photos! No extra charge for reindeer. 🙂 Remember this?

Christmas family photos by photographer Danielle Donders in Manotick

This is a shorter and more streamlined version of my popular porch portrait package, with fewer poses but a few extra downloadable files. Your package includes a 20-minute outdoor photo session, an online proof gallery from which to choose your favourites, and FOUR downloadable digital images. All that for only $150! And you can add 25 custom-made premium two-sided holiday cards for an additional $50 per package.

For more details, please visit my holiday mini-session page on Mothership Photography. There are only a few sessions available, and since I rarely offer discounted packages like this, I think they will book up quickly. Also – they start NEXT WEEK! *gulp!*

If you’d like to book or would like more information, please get in touch soon!

Photo of the day: Watson’s Mill in autumn splendor

I have a lot of photos of Watson’s Mill in Manotick. No really – a LOT! And yet, this might be my favouritest one yet:

Watson's Mill in autumn

Bright autumn colours, brilliant cyan sky, calm reflections on the Rideau River, and all those converging diagonal lines drawing your eye right back to the beautiful mill. I don’t think it gets any better than this! (Heh, but that won’t stop me from trying.)

I like having photos like this one in my collection, because people have been asking me for gift prints they can frame and give as gifts for retirements, congratulations, thank you gifts, etc. If you’re interested in purchasing a framed gift print, please get in touch. I’m building a gallery of photos I think will work especially well for this purpose. Stay tuned!

And speaking of Watson’s Mill, did you know it’s hosting three “haunt nights” next week, on October 22, 23 and 24? Check out the Watson’s Mill event page for details.

Photo of the day: Thanksgiving trio

I have a lot to be thankful for, not least of which is the fact that I can occasionally still talk these guys into posing for my camera.

Thanksgiving trio

We took a Thanksgiving wander (calling it a hike would be a bit of an overstatement) through the trails at the Lime Kiln to feed the chickadees. The chickadees weren’t too interested (I’m guessing they were as stuffed as we were after turkey dinner at Granny’s house) but dang that is a beautiful place this time of year.

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for family and friends, for strong, healthy bodies and belly laughs, for beautiful places to walk and the gift of sharing them with you.

Happy Thanksgiving, my fine bloggy peeps! May you be overwhelmed with infinite wells of joy and turkey.