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What’s New In Kemp’s World!!!
Kingston Sail Loft Resumes Service
Gates Story Gains Worldwide Attention
The highly esteemed Wooden Boat Magazine from Maine just ran a new version of the Rideau Lock Gates story in its opening column, Currents. Senior Editor Tom Jackson liked the piece enough to give it a global reach. The full story is visible in the editorial section of my website.
New and Meaningful Work
Just as the pandemic was starting to collect steam, I was privileged to be allowed to photograph the construction of the huge lock gates that control the waters of the Rideau Canal. These gates represent a piece of working history preservation and heritage carpentry techniques. Not everyone’s cup of tea, I know, but vastly important in terms of the Canadian landscape. After nearly four months of working with the Parks Canada Gate Shop carpenters who build and install these gates, I ended up with a collection of historic documentary photographs – the first time (to the best of my knowledge) that this has been done. But it wasn’t enough just to document the building process. Documentary work is like the tree falling in the forest – there has to be someone who hears it. After a bit of a search for an outlet, I came across Rob Brown and Canadian Woodworking and Home Improvement Magazine. CWHI was gracious enough to take the complete story (not all the pictures, however, as that would require at least a full book) and has just published a nine-page story in the April 2023 edition. I am including four pages from the story here and to see the full story, go to CWHI’s website at:
Canadian Woodworking Magazine
Legacy Books
Legacy Books tell a family story or the adventures of a single member – like a veteran who served in a great battle. Unlike digital records (can you still use that five and a quarter inch floppy disk?) books are permanent. At Waypoint Custom Publishing, we can help you with everything from editing to printing. If you have a Legacy Book Project and you are not sure how to begin, get in touch – we can certainly help. Write us at: [email protected] or visit our website at: www.brucekempphotography.net/waypoint to see what we have done for others.
Waypoint Kicks Off New Custom Publishing
We are pleased to announce that Waypoint Press Custom Publishing has just completed its first custom project – a 258 page book entitled, “The Love of God” It was printed in both hard cover (w/dust jacket) and paperback versions. “The Love of God” has been published as a short print-run for private distribution. Waypoint is actively seeking other custom publishing projects. For more on the Custom Publishing Service click on the picture.
Catalogue Imagery
Earlier this spring I was privileged to work with Ann and Nancy from the Merrickville and District Historical Society. Our task was to create a new inventory catalogue of the Society’s collection of artifacts. These treasures are housed in the Blockhouse Museum in the lovely village of Merrickville. We photographed several hundred items ranging from a very cunning, homemade rat trap to an elegant rapier along with hundreds of agricultural implements and tools used in various trades. There was even a nicely boxed collection of tools used in the building of the original Rideau Canal in the 1830s. (Click on the image to see a small gallery)
I was pleased with the results and would encourage you to stop by the Blockhouse to see the real thing. If you operate a business anywhere between Ottawa and Kingston, my services are always available to you – you can contact me through this website or by calling 613-285-7311,
One of the most human and informative travel books of the year. It’s a voyage everyone wants to undertake, but few get to make. Journalist Bruce Kemp sailed aboard a Laker from the heart of the continent to its eastern edge and back. Funny, uplifting and revealing. Mix a little Bill Bryson in with some imaginative whales and you’ll laugh your ass off. The Whales of Lake Erie is a must read for anyone fascinated with our Great Lakes. (Click on the image for more info)
Whales of Lake Erie Now In Print
The Whales of Lake Erie Now Available on Amazon.com and iBook
We were surprised at the interest and response to our eBook, The Whales of Lake Erie. We had so many requests for a print version that it made sense to put it on paper for those who like the feel of a book in hand. Whales, as we refer to it around the shop, will be available from The Nautical Mind in Toronto, The Sarnia Book Keeper, FIncher’s Books and Gifts in Goderich and Kincardine along with other select bookstores throughout Ontario and Michigan.
For more information click here for the Waypoint Press pageWaypoint Press
New Story About Bruce In Toronto Star…
I was delighted and extremely flattered when this appeared in the Toronto Star’s Weekend Edition on Thursday, Jan.7. Many thanks to Heddy Sorour, a good journalist. It is a terrific 70th birthday present.
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Visual History Tells Your Story
Only one thing tells your corporate story so potential and existing clients will think of all that your company can do for them, and that is a complete visual history of the projects you undertake. Project documentation is a necessity in today’s corporate world when just saying you can do something is not good enough. Great photos show what you have accomplished and will sway the decisions of people considering you as a builder or supplier. (Clink on the picture to link you to our new gallery)
Bubble Cruising Along The Lazy River
The Covid 19 lock down doesn’t mean you have to give up having fun – you just have to be smart about it and take precautions. One of the coolest ways to dodge the lock down is to form your own bubble and the best way to do that is on your own boat (or at least a well-maintained and cleansed charter yacht). We recently formed our bubble to make a safety-first cruise aboard aa LeBoat 42 on the Rideau Canal and enjoyed every minute of it. Click on the picture to see the full gallery of images from that trip.
Artist in the Ascent
We are pleased to present the work of our colleague, Meighen Jackson, in a new mini-gallery on our photojournalism page. Meighen is an established American artist with a growing following throughout the United States. Her work appears in Canada at art fairs in Toronto. She’s worth checking out. The paintings and 3-D paper sculptures in this show are both joyful and whimsical. More of her work can be seen on her website at: www.meighenjacksonart.com
The Fugitive’s Son Is Now Available…
The Fugitive’s Son is now available from Amazon.ca and a select, independent bookstore near you.
Weather Bomb 1913 Still Being Praised 3 Years After Launch…
Nearly two years after its launch (November, 2017), our Great Lakes history offering, Weather Bomb 1913: Life and Death on the Great Lakes, is still getting great reviews from highly regarded publications. This morning, Mr. Rideau – Ken Watson – sent me this review that just appeared in the August edition of the Ontario Historical Society’s Bulletin. It speaks volumes for the work…Waypoint Press
Now In Wooden Boat Magazine
After more than eighty years underwater, Roald Amundsen’s last Arctic exploration vessel has been raised and brought home to Norway. Read about this epic endeavour in my latest feature for Wooden Boat Magazine on my editorial page https://brucekempphotography.net/editorial/
Check out this month’s issue (August 2019) of Lakeland Boating where my story on Lake-of-the-Woods’ legendary lady, Grace Anne II is a major feature.
Praise For Weather Bomb 1913 from Reviewers
“Weather Bomb is especially fine when Kemp describes the real scene of desperate sailors and the near shore. After this book, I am not sure that there is much left to tell about the Storm of 1913. But there is much left to say about subsequent blows on the Great Lakes, stories left to tell.”
Andrew Armitage, Read This – Owen Sound Sun Times, 16/06/19
Read the full review on our Waypoint Press Page
And A Reader Writes…
“Weather Bomb 1913” by Bruce Kemp was the first book I had picked up in 5 years and I was barely able to put it down. Read it cover-to-cover in 2 days and have re-read it again since.” – Blake Pite, Sarnia, Ontario
New Work
Laurie Carter: Author’s Bio Pic
Author bio pic for Laurie Carter who has just launched the third book: Emily Carr’s BC – South Coast to the Interior — in her Emily Carr’s travel series. It was shot with a Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-300mm, on Auto White Balance and Centre-weighted Metering. The ISO was 1250 and the exposure was 1/50 @ F8. The lighting was natural light in a small room.
Jalapeno Season
Fresh jalapeños from the garden. Taken with a Nikon D750, 90 mm Tamron Macro, natural light on Auto White Balance with an ISO of 1,250 and an exposure of 1/50 @ 3.5. At this time of year you don’t have to go very far to get good photographs. A walk in the garden will suffice. This one was shot in our kitchen on a dollar store backdrop with a handmade cutting board for the base — simple, simple, simple!
Fox Snake
Last fall while hiking across the Merrickville over the Rideau River I ran into this snake. It was about a meter long and was sunning itself on the wooden planks of the pedestrian decking. I know the planks were warm because I got down for an eye-to-eye. My best guess is that it was a rare Ontario Fox snake. I shot this image with a Nikon D750, Tamron 90mm macro and a small ring light. The exposure was 1/60 @ f11, ISO 320, Meter mode: Centre Weighted and white balance set on Manual/flash. Only light processing in Photoshop (contrast, sharpening and cropping). Lovely snake (although my wife screams when she even sees a snake picture). If you ever run into one of these beautiful creatures, please don’t harm it. They are rare and excellent at controlling mice, rats and other vermin. You might also report any sighting to the Ontario Federation of Naturalists.
SweetWater Lives Seeking Other Venues
After a highly successful showing at Vistek Ottawa, my show is now available to other galleries and museums around Ontario. It is comprised of 14 – 16 X 20″ prints portraying life in the merchants fleets of the Great Lakes. The above shot, called “Deck Work” is the lead photo in the show. It was taken in Thunder Bay at the grain terminal in December of 2012. Originally shot in colour, I found the action in the image so compelling that I dropped it into black and white. The shot was taken with a Nikon D700, 24-120mm Nikkor lens at 800 ISO. Camera was on manual mode and the exposure was 1/60 @ f8 producing a 16 bit NEF (Raw) image. Despite my chattering teeth the camera was hand held. For more information on how to host the show, please contact [email protected] or call 613-269-3810
Purcell Mountains, above Golden B.C.
Reaching back into my salad days of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, I recently reworked a not very old image from BC for part of my contribution to the Merrickville Artist Guild’s annual Studio Tour. The image was taken with a Nikon D200 and a 24-120mm lens set at 1/500, f8 with an ISO rating of 200. The white balance was handed over to Auto, but the image was taken as a full colour 16bit shot then reduced in Photoshop with the desaturation slider. I played with the contrast until I was happy with the sharpness of the mountains and quality of the sky. The long and short of all this is “never be afraid to go back and revisit historic images from your files.”
Re-Enactor Project Continued…
I was privileged to photograph my friend Vic Suthren for a project I am doing about historic re-enactors. Vic is an historian and writer. His most recent book Black Flag of the North, the story of the great Atlantic pirate Roberts, was just released by Dundurn Press and Vic’s account makes Johnny Depp’s pirate character look like a rank amateur. Worth the read. Vic is one of those guys who is a true keeper of our history.
Photo data: Taken with a Nikon D750 and a 50mm Nikkor lens. Manual exposure, at 800 ISO, Auto White Balance, shutter speed 1/50 sec and aperture F14. The lighting was natural daylight with gold and white reflectors (not apparent here) with a plain white fabric (custom made) backdrop. The finished image was minimally processed with Photoshop. We took nearly 125 images during the session resulting in a selection of 65 portraits.
Harbour Sunset
This image was taken on a visit to my hometown of Sarnia, Ontario. As I often do, I took a drive down by the government docks and spotted a freighter loading grain at the elevators. The image was taken on a D750 with a 70-300mm Nikkor zoom at 1/1000 secs. F11, ISO 500 on manual exposure and centre-weighted metering. No filtration or extreme saturation. This is exactly what my eye saw. I love the beauty that even industrial landscapes can offer, and do not condemn or promote them. For me, they’re just there – a part of the modern world we live in, like the mountains and forests.
Breaking News!!!
Waypoint Press was honoured this week with an invitation from the Michigan State Library to submit Weather Bomb 1913: Life and Death on the Great Lakes to their Notable Books competition. We believe this is the first time a Canadian work has been recognized.
Organizations We Support
Save Ontario Shipwrecks [email protected]
Merrickville Artists’ Guild http://www.magartists.ca
Friends of the Rideau http://www.rideaufriends.com
Merrickville & District Historical Society http://www.merrickvillehistory.org
Rideau Valley Archaeological Society http://facebook.com/rideauvalleyarchaeologicalsociety
Toronto Brigantine http://www.torontobrigantine.org
Shellbacks http://www.shellbacks.weebly.com
On The Newsstands
Good Choices Save Lives
Sailing, boating, whatever you want to call it, can be a dangerous sport at times and downright uncomfortable a lot of the time if you’re not prepared for it. Good Choices Save Lives is a feature-length story that just appeared in the May/June edition of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt Magazine. It lists the things you need to think about when you decide to splash out on good foul weather or survival gear. Written from a lifetime of water trickling down my neck, it is good advice for the gear you don’t think much about until you’re stuck on the rail in a blistering gale.
What Writers Read…
Cycle Cruising Through The West African Bush
Follow Neil Peart’s cycling adventure in the West African bush country of Cameroon. From bagged out bordellos to dusty, nearly non-existent cycling paths, Peart takes the reader on a journey of discovery through this little known part of the world. A real must for travellers and cyclists alike.
Click the pic…
New This Month…
We’d like to welcome our first guest reviewer to What Writers Read… Ron Brown. Ron is a well know travel writer who has worked around the world, but he is probably best know for his books about undiscovered places in Ontario and across Canada. His review will give our readers an insight into the mind of the working writer. The concept behind What Writers Read… is to show our readers what has influenced the writers they read. What Writers Read… will be welcoming many more well known scribes in the coming editions…
If you are a writer and want to contribute a review of any book that has had an impact on your career or life, please click here for Writers’ Guidelines
January/February and March/April featured new stories by Bruce on the Trent/Severn Waterway in Great Lakes Scuttlebutt Magazine and build reports from two Ontario builders – Clarion Boats and Sirens Boatworks – in Wooden Boat Magazine. Look for more in the coming months.
About Bruce
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Waypoint Press
Weather Bomb 1913: Life and Death on the Great Lakes is Waypoint Press’ first publication.Visit this page often to check out our latest offerings.