Dartmouth Ice Festival 2025

It was a cold day in downtown Dartmouth today, which was probably just as well for the 2025 edition of the Dartmouth Ice Festival underway on Portland Street and outside the Alderney Ferry Terminal from January 31st to February 2nd. I've gone down the last two years to try my hand at capturing some of the ice sculptures.

The black & white medium seemed to suit most of these images - I needed to boost the contrast to bring out the features of most of the ice sculpture - although I did process a few in colour.

This bear sculpture is wearing a blanket of light snow from earlier in the day. 

Every time I look at this particular sculpture I can't help but think that ET is making a rude gesture at the record store in the background.

I was fortunate to time this image with the passage of a child in a colourful winter jacket behind the sculpture.

There were several bears.

The lights in the business establishment behind this sculpture added some yellow light to the mix so I kept this one in colour.

Alleyway horse.

Peace sign.

This particular sculpture provided the novel opportunity of capturing the sculptor himself working away behind the block of ice. 

Ultimately, I hope my photographs do justice to the various sculptures that I captured, and many thanks to the sculptors themselves for providing the subject matter! The images can also be found in a gallery on my Smugmug site here. 

Maiden Voyage of Norwegian Bliss

While not the largest cruise ship to visit Halifax, Norwegian Bliss is certainly getting up there, boasting 303 metres in length, 168,000 tonnes, and up to 4,004 passengers. She also boasts a more than 300 metre long go-cart track that spans two levels and large water slides that actually hang over the side of the ship.

Watching Norwegian Bliss pull out from behind George's Island in the fog reminded me of the opening gag in the movie "Spaceballs" where, in a parody of the opening of "Star Wars", there is a seemingly endless reveal of a space ship.

OK, I think that's all of her.

 No, apparently the fog bank was hiding the upper decks.

This angle isn't any better.

As impressive as these ships undoubtedly are, the artwork on the bow of these ships is presumably intended to distract the viewer from the fact that the age of beautiful ocean liners is long past.

Another look at the bow artwork.

Another "Spaceballs" type shot.

This is probably the most flattering angle on one of these ships.

One would trust that prices for cruises at this time of year are heavily discounted - for their visit today, passengers could look forward to heavy fog, heavy rain, and a chilly wind. Not exactly the weather for sunning oneself on the upper deck or taking in the water slides.

After leaving Halifax in the evening, Norwegian Bliss is headed to New York. 

Some information here was cribbed from this CTV story.

A Visit to the National Gallery of Canada

Aways a sucker for photographing impressive architecture, I made a point of heading to the National Gallery of Canada during a recent trip to Ottawa. Although I have photographed the exterior as recently as 2008, I hadn't been inside the building since about 1991. Some things were just as I remembered them.

In town for a wedding back in 2008, and staying at the nearby Chateau Laurier, I got up early one morning to get photos of the gallery in the morning light. This panorama was stitched together during post-processing.

A casting of Louise Bourgeois' sculpture Maman is in front of the museum. The glass tower framed by the spider encloses the Great Hall, with the Colonnade leading away to the right. If you look closely, the moon is making an appearance.

The interior is just as impressive. I'll start with some of the grand access hallways, ramps, and stairs. The National Gallery's website has a handy floor plan for reference.

Looking up in the main entrance hall.

After entering the building and paying your entrance fee, visitors are greeted by an impressive Colonnade that leads to the Great Hall. It occurs to me that I'm going to have to be careful not to over-use the word "impressive".

Looking up the Colonnade towards the Great Hall.

Vertical panorama looking from the Great Hall down the Colonnade towards the main entrance.

Closeup of the peaked glass roof over the Colonnade.

The Great Hall is an imp.... a towering hall supported by concrete and clad in a considerable amount of glass.

The Great Hall.

Looking straight up, the Great Hall looks like a kaleidoscope.

A stairway off of the Great Hall.

Stairway off the Great Hall.

Leading away from the Great Hall is another day-lit hallway that terminates at the Upper Rotunda.

Hallway to the Upper Rotunda.

Stairs to the Upper Rotunda. I placed the camera down low to get this angle on the "stairs", which are actually a series of ramps with a small rise between each. Not exactly wheelchair friendly, but there are elevators.

Looking back towards the Great Hall from the Upper Rotunda. I balanced the camera on the mirror-surfaced railing in order to get some reflections of the ceiling and skylight.

Another elegant stair is located off the end of the Upper Rotunda.

Other large open and day-lit spaces within the National Gallery include the Garden Court and the Water Court.

Garden Court.

Water Court.

One of the few things I remember from my visit in 1991 is the Water Court, which is kind of special. Under the centre of the water pool are 9 plexiglass panels that form the ceiling of the foyer below, from where you can look up through the panels to the skylight above.

The surface of the water pool in the Water Court.

Looking up from underneath the Water Court to the skylight above.

Being an art gallery, and aside from the architecture, there were of course some rooms filled with art. Some of these areas allow photography, while others do not. Flash photography, of course, is prohibited.

A hall in the International Art area. As I recall from many years ago, all the skylights have sun shades that open and close automatically during the day to prevent sun damage to the artwork on display.

A panorama in the International Art area.

A sculpture in the International Art area.

Whether you enjoy art or architecture, the National Gallery of Canada is well worth a visit.