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Photographer William McElligott is hoping that a recent and unexpected incident involving his partner, Norma Lu Brown, will repeat itself over and over throughout the city.
Brown — who did the research and writing for Ottawa II Canada, McElligott’s just-released coffee-table book of photographs and history of the Ottawa area — had parceled up a copy and taken it to the post office to see how much it would cost to send to out-of-town customers. She hadn’t wrapped the book all that securely, as she wasn’t actually mailing it anywhere. The postmistress, after listening to Brown’s explanation, asked if she could take a look.
When Brown left the post office a couple of minutes later, she no longer had the book with her; the postmistress had bought it. “She said, ‘Oh, this is amazing. Can I buy one? I need one for my sister,’” Brown recalls.
This is McElligott’s second giftbook devoted to commemorating the capital region. The first, Ottawa Canada, came out in 2011 and featured more than 150 of his photos, divided by the seasons. The theme of the sequel is History, Culture, Sport — Past, Present, Future, a challenging and far-reaching thread that begins with Canadian Confederation and ends with the Confederation Line, Ottawa’s light rail transit route currently under construction. Bridging those bookends are a dozen other topics, including Ottawa’s founders and innovators, the Centennial celebrations, amalgamation, parks, neighbourhoods, festivals, Parliament and bridges and neighbourhoods.
“Really, it’s a story on how Ottawa evolved as a capital,” he says. “Everybody knows that Queen Victoria picked it to be the capital, but then what happened next, and who were the key playmakers who made it a capital city? Initially, this was just a big sawmill; it wasn’t a pretty city.”
Much of McElligott’s work, though — his gorgeous panorama of Meech Lake in winter, for example, or his bird’s-eye view of the Portage, Chaudière and Prince of Wales bridges, shot from atop the Peace Tower — will disavow readers of the notion of Ottawa as grey and drab.
“The big capital cities, like London or Paris or Berlin, it took those cities about 150 years to evolve as a real capital city. And the changes Ottawa is going through right now are unbelievable.
The Rideau River flows past the uOttawa Gee Gees field in autumn. From William McElligott’s new book, Ottawa II Canada.
A stunning autumn aerial shot of the University of Ottawa Gee Gees football field, meanwhile, surrounded by the Rideau River to the south, the Queensway to the north and the downtown core to the west, almost captures the city’s history in a single frame, from the waterways of the pioneers to the asphalt ribbons, currently plied by residents, that were built atop Ottawa’s old railway lines. His gritty black-and-white photos from the LRT tunnel provide a view of the machinations of city-building that very few will ever see in person.
“I learned so much about the history of Ottawa, and it just gives me more of an appreciation of where we live.”
Unlike his first book, Ottawa II Canada benefits from archival visuals. Accompanying McElligott’s roughly 120 images are a couple dozen historical photos, maps and a handful of shots by other photographers.
“With my first book, I thought that as a photographer doing a book, the pictures should be all yours, right? I mean, to introduce yourself as a photographer.”
Not that McElligott, 67, needed an introduction. A former team photographer for the Ottawa Rough Riders, Renegade and Senators, his career of more than 35 years has chiefly been as an architectural photographer, for which he has won numerous awards. His photos have featured prominently in several successful architectural bids in Ottawa, including Lansdowne Park’s revitalization, the World Exchange Plaza, the Convention Centre and LeBreton Flats.
“When I was doing the first book, I was already thinking of the next book,” he says. “I didn’t know what it was going to be; I didn’t know the theme. But it opened my eyes to not just shoot how I normally shot. Being an architectural photographer, I’d always scout the project, and then I’d talk to the architect and do a walk-through. And then I’d shoot it, sort of jointly between his eyes and my eyes. Whereas with this book, everything was just through my own eyes.”
Yet he didn’t sacrifice any of the meticulous preparation that typically goes into his commercial work. He set aside two years to complete Ottawa II Canada, which, without explicitly being stated, is a 2017 sesquicentennial project. His initial visits to places he wanted to photograph were typically made without a camera, just to study angles and light. “Sometimes a camera gets in the way,” he says. “First, I just want to absorb what I see and process it, and then go back with a feeling about how I want to shoot it. Sometimes, I went back six or seven times to get the shot I wanted. I feel more comfortable that way.
“I’ve been doing this for 36 years, and I probably have a bigger passion for photography now than when I started, and I want to keep that, so I need time to process what I’m doing. I don’t want to be rushed. I want to enjoy it.”
He estimates that he took more than 15,000 photos in making the book, and cites New York photographer Jay Maisel’s advice: “You’re only as good as how full your wastepaper basket is.”
As was the case with the first book, McElligott paid for the production, printing, shipping and storage costs of 10,000 copies of Ottawa II Canada himself.
“I made the books so people could buy them to give away,” he says of their respective $50 and $60 price tags. And while he’s delighted and grateful for the support of postmistresses and other individuals, he estimates that 60 per cent of his sales come from corporations, who buy copies by the hundreds for clients. When his first book was launched at the Convention Centre, PCL Constructors, who built the centre, rented the entire Westin Hotel and put a book in each room for its guests.
“I’ll also do different dust-cover jackets,” he adds. “So companies can personalize them. And Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson gives a copy of the book to anyone who turns 100.”
For those not fortunate enough to be born during the Great War, McElligott’s books are available for purchase online, at mcelligott.com, and through independent bookstores, such as Books on Beechwood and Octopus Books. There will also be a number of public signings and other events, the first from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Perfect Books on Elgin Street. Visist mcelligott.com for a complete list of events.
bdeachman@postmedia.com
查看原文...
Brown — who did the research and writing for Ottawa II Canada, McElligott’s just-released coffee-table book of photographs and history of the Ottawa area — had parceled up a copy and taken it to the post office to see how much it would cost to send to out-of-town customers. She hadn’t wrapped the book all that securely, as she wasn’t actually mailing it anywhere. The postmistress, after listening to Brown’s explanation, asked if she could take a look.
When Brown left the post office a couple of minutes later, she no longer had the book with her; the postmistress had bought it. “She said, ‘Oh, this is amazing. Can I buy one? I need one for my sister,’” Brown recalls.
This is McElligott’s second giftbook devoted to commemorating the capital region. The first, Ottawa Canada, came out in 2011 and featured more than 150 of his photos, divided by the seasons. The theme of the sequel is History, Culture, Sport — Past, Present, Future, a challenging and far-reaching thread that begins with Canadian Confederation and ends with the Confederation Line, Ottawa’s light rail transit route currently under construction. Bridging those bookends are a dozen other topics, including Ottawa’s founders and innovators, the Centennial celebrations, amalgamation, parks, neighbourhoods, festivals, Parliament and bridges and neighbourhoods.
“Really, it’s a story on how Ottawa evolved as a capital,” he says. “Everybody knows that Queen Victoria picked it to be the capital, but then what happened next, and who were the key playmakers who made it a capital city? Initially, this was just a big sawmill; it wasn’t a pretty city.”
Much of McElligott’s work, though — his gorgeous panorama of Meech Lake in winter, for example, or his bird’s-eye view of the Portage, Chaudière and Prince of Wales bridges, shot from atop the Peace Tower — will disavow readers of the notion of Ottawa as grey and drab.
“The big capital cities, like London or Paris or Berlin, it took those cities about 150 years to evolve as a real capital city. And the changes Ottawa is going through right now are unbelievable.
The Rideau River flows past the uOttawa Gee Gees field in autumn. From William McElligott’s new book, Ottawa II Canada.
A stunning autumn aerial shot of the University of Ottawa Gee Gees football field, meanwhile, surrounded by the Rideau River to the south, the Queensway to the north and the downtown core to the west, almost captures the city’s history in a single frame, from the waterways of the pioneers to the asphalt ribbons, currently plied by residents, that were built atop Ottawa’s old railway lines. His gritty black-and-white photos from the LRT tunnel provide a view of the machinations of city-building that very few will ever see in person.
“I learned so much about the history of Ottawa, and it just gives me more of an appreciation of where we live.”
Unlike his first book, Ottawa II Canada benefits from archival visuals. Accompanying McElligott’s roughly 120 images are a couple dozen historical photos, maps and a handful of shots by other photographers.
“With my first book, I thought that as a photographer doing a book, the pictures should be all yours, right? I mean, to introduce yourself as a photographer.”
Not that McElligott, 67, needed an introduction. A former team photographer for the Ottawa Rough Riders, Renegade and Senators, his career of more than 35 years has chiefly been as an architectural photographer, for which he has won numerous awards. His photos have featured prominently in several successful architectural bids in Ottawa, including Lansdowne Park’s revitalization, the World Exchange Plaza, the Convention Centre and LeBreton Flats.
“When I was doing the first book, I was already thinking of the next book,” he says. “I didn’t know what it was going to be; I didn’t know the theme. But it opened my eyes to not just shoot how I normally shot. Being an architectural photographer, I’d always scout the project, and then I’d talk to the architect and do a walk-through. And then I’d shoot it, sort of jointly between his eyes and my eyes. Whereas with this book, everything was just through my own eyes.”
Early-evening light in May guides the Ottawa Race Weekend's 10k runners along the Queen Elizabeth Drive bordering the Rideau Canal. This photo is among those from William McElligott's new book Ottawa II Canada.
The Gatineau Park. From William McElligott's new book, Ottawa II Canada.
A veteran lays a poppy on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. From William McElligott's new book, Ottawa II Canada.
Looking northwest from the north end of Meech Lake to Harrington Lake, in the Gatineau Park. From William McElligott's new book, Ottawa II Canada.
Winterlude on the Rideau Canal. From William McElligott's new book, Ottawa II Canada.
The Rideau Canal, Chateau Laurier and Shaw Centre. From William McElligott's new book, Ottawa II Canada.
A first snow at Meech Lake in Gatineau Park. From William McElligott's new book, Ottawa II Canada.
Lansdowne Park's Great Lawn during CityFolk Music Festival. From William McElligott's new book, Ottawa II Canada.
A statue of Sir Wilfrid Laurier stands above the former Union Station and his namesake hotel, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. From William McElligott's new book, Ottawa II Canada.
The Rideau River flows past the uOttawa Gee Gees field in autumn. From William McElligott's new book, Ottawa II Canada.
Photographer William McElligott and his dog, Quincy, at their Meech Lake Home. Bruce Deachman / Postmedia
Yet he didn’t sacrifice any of the meticulous preparation that typically goes into his commercial work. He set aside two years to complete Ottawa II Canada, which, without explicitly being stated, is a 2017 sesquicentennial project. His initial visits to places he wanted to photograph were typically made without a camera, just to study angles and light. “Sometimes a camera gets in the way,” he says. “First, I just want to absorb what I see and process it, and then go back with a feeling about how I want to shoot it. Sometimes, I went back six or seven times to get the shot I wanted. I feel more comfortable that way.
“I’ve been doing this for 36 years, and I probably have a bigger passion for photography now than when I started, and I want to keep that, so I need time to process what I’m doing. I don’t want to be rushed. I want to enjoy it.”
He estimates that he took more than 15,000 photos in making the book, and cites New York photographer Jay Maisel’s advice: “You’re only as good as how full your wastepaper basket is.”
As was the case with the first book, McElligott paid for the production, printing, shipping and storage costs of 10,000 copies of Ottawa II Canada himself.
“I made the books so people could buy them to give away,” he says of their respective $50 and $60 price tags. And while he’s delighted and grateful for the support of postmistresses and other individuals, he estimates that 60 per cent of his sales come from corporations, who buy copies by the hundreds for clients. When his first book was launched at the Convention Centre, PCL Constructors, who built the centre, rented the entire Westin Hotel and put a book in each room for its guests.
“I’ll also do different dust-cover jackets,” he adds. “So companies can personalize them. And Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson gives a copy of the book to anyone who turns 100.”
For those not fortunate enough to be born during the Great War, McElligott’s books are available for purchase online, at mcelligott.com, and through independent bookstores, such as Books on Beechwood and Octopus Books. There will also be a number of public signings and other events, the first from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Perfect Books on Elgin Street. Visist mcelligott.com for a complete list of events.
bdeachman@postmedia.com
查看原文...
