Friday, July 1, 2016

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Look Down

The first day of the month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo. For July, the theme is Look Down, a theme selected by Stuart, who you can find at Amboise Daily Photo. You can see how others are interpreting this theme here.

I started choosing several of these over the last few months. On Easter Sunday I was up on Plaza Bridge, and looked down on the empty Ottawa Locks of the Rideau Canal. People crossing the closed lock at the top made an ideal photo subject.


Nearby, but more recently, I was passing by the War Memorial when I looked down at the sidewalk. This directional arrow pointing north is embedded here. I've passed this spot countless times and hadn't noticed it until the spring.


I paid a visit to the Museum of Nature in late March and featured a series on it back in April. It's a place I'll be visiting again today as part of Canada Day celebrations. The central atrium from the fourth floor seemed right for the theme.


I have recently been doing a series on Doors Open, an event here in Ottawa that took place on the first weekend of June, and which I'll be getting back to in a few days. One of my stops was the Supreme Court of Canada, where the initials of the building can be found in this mosaic on the lobby floor. 


My last shot is from Parliament Hill, and the Centennial Flame, which stands out in front of Centre Block. It was created for the centennial year, 1967, and features crests and dates of the provinces and territories at that time surrounding the flame. Nunavut, which was organized in 1999, is absent. This particular crest is for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which came into Canada in 1949. It's fitting for today, as this date marks the centennial of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. On that day, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment were among the Allied forces sent against German lines. Of the nearly eight hundred soldiers in the regiment, 110 survived unscathed, and only 68 of them were available for roll call the next day. The regiment was nearly wiped out within minutes, and the effect on Newfoundland, which at that time had been a separate British colony, still resonates to this day. You can read more about them here. There will be a ceremony marking that anniversary at the War Museum today.

38 comments:

  1. What a cool series, William! I really enjoyed your photos, thanks so much for sharing.

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  2. Very well done! Thanks for the credit line.

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  3. Only two words, ¡¡ Viva Canadá !!.

    Tomás.

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  4. Good series of photos. I have been in a empty lock but it was a dried up canal and not used any more, That one looks very imposing

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  5. You covered the Looking Down theme well with your splendid photos. Happy Canada Day!!

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  6. Happy Canada Day! Nice series of photos!

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  7. You make me dizzy with those depths!

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  8. Specially the pictures of the locks and the Museum of Nature are impressive and very well chosen for persons with acrophobia.
    Happy Canada Day, William!

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  9. Some good choices for theme day photo(s) I like the elegant "letter" on the floor.
    I also felt dizzy looking at some of them:)

    (from : www.stavangerdailyphoto.com)

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  10. Great photos for the theme! I love the view of atrium from the 4th floor!

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  11. Happy Canada Day William.. super series of images for the theme, excellent view down into the empty Ottawa Locks from the bridge..

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  12. These are some scary "look down" photos. You were up high in those first few!

    Janis
    GDP

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  13. @Linda: you're welcome.

    @Halcyon: thanks!

    @Stuart: you chose a good theme.

    @Tomas: thanks!

    @Bill: it looks different now.

    @Bill: thank you!

    @Nancy: thanks!

    @Marianne: I assume heights might be a trend for the theme day.

    @Jan: thanks!

    @Gunn: I will be showing the Court in a few days.

    @Tamago: it is a visual delight, that atrium.

    @Grace: thanks!

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  14. Looking down we never know what we may find. I do like the "looking down" at the locks.
    MB

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  15. Good theme and great photos. We don't have the great atria here but I like them.

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  16. I really like the photos looking down at the lock. That's not a view that many people see, perhaps.

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  17. This is definitely looking down!

    Happy Canada Day!

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  18. @Janis: fortunately I have no problems with heights.

    @MB: thanks!

    @Red: as of this writing I am standing in that atrium. It is very busy!

    @Lowell: but well worth photographing!

    @Tammie: thanks!

    @Norma: thank you!

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  19. Quite a selection of photos from on high!

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  20. How did you manage to get those two people in matching pink outfits? Fantastic.

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  21. i enjoy the pink attire too. Happy Canada Day!! or is it Canadian Day, which ever ... celebrate all the moments you wish to do. take care. ( :

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  22. i like your choices, especially the directional arrow.

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  23. Enjoy the day! I have my "O Canada" t-shirt on!
    Good pics for the theme!

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  24. Living in the desert, I'm always fascinated by the idea of locks. Thanks for the pictures.
    Happy Canada Day, William!

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  25. Quite a collection, William. The shots looking down at the locks are pretty special.

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  26. Don't you love it when you find something that was under your nose all the time? I'm looking forward to your Canada Day photos! We did not partake this year. Just a quiet time. The kids are coming today, though!

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  27. @Sharon: thanks!

    @Mo: good timing!

    @Beth: it was a good Canada Day.

    @Tex: I am baffled as to why I never noticed it before.

    @RedPat: thanks!

    @Dina: thank you!

    @Jack: they really suited me for the theme.

    @Jennifer: I did the museum tour and a concert with the NAC... which had a rain interruption!

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  28. Sensational post! Love the empty lock, the new discovery and ALL of it!

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  29. You have put this together beautifully. To 'Look Down' has been a rewarding experience. Thanks for leaving a comment, William.

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  30. Fantastic series of photos for the theme. I like all of them!

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  31. Oh, I love those central atrium shots from the museum! And what a great directional sign to discover. Nice post for the theme.

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  32. Excellent shots! You rose to the challenge and mastered it.

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  33. Terrific photos for the theme! I enjoyed the very top photo with the pedestrians looking down on the lock; the pink clothing really stands out in the snapshot!

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  34. @Cloudia: thanks!

    @Lauren: you're welcome.

    @Lois: thanks!

    @Kay: thank you.

    @Linda: I enjoyed the theme.

    @Kate: it was good timing getting them together.

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  35. The "up" ones provided a nice contrast.

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