Louella Lester – Seeing and learning while holding camera and pen between me and the world.
My writing desk is beside my balcony window and the door that opens out to that balcony. Every time I take a break and look up, or when I open the door for some air, I see the view beyond it. And this includes the house directly across the river. I sometimes wonder who lives …
Winnipeg has lots of lovely old buildings, but it seems like more and more of them are disappearing. I often see a hole along a street and then can’t remember what was there before. I feel sad when an old building is shuttered, even if it has historic status and won’t be torn down, like …
When I was a broke student, back in the day, I trudged past the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) on my way to the University of Winnipeg, and I visited it a lot, on the free admission days because I had no extra money. I loved the WAG. Loved its brutalist design and the way, when …
When I’m out wandering and looking for photo opportunities I’m not just looking for beauty—I’m looking for something I haven’t seen or noticed before. And if I find something that combines beauty and grit, so much the better. Oh, and by the way, this holds true for writing. Nothing better than combining beauty and grit …
The lettering of the words, seen in the featured photo and the two below, is elegant. More elegant than the building. Its paint is flaking. It’s tired and empty. It’ll likely be demolished and replaced, soon. Sometimes it’s the words in the photos that catch you more than anything. Words can be beautiful or ugly, …
Back in early January we had a few foggy misty mornings in Winnipeg, so that meant coats of frost on plants and trees. And photos, of course. I don’t have fancy lenses, just one small attached zoom lens, for my little camera, so I can’t get the super closeup frost photos. But that’s okay with …
When you get used to things, you sometimes stop noticing them. But carrying a camera keeps you alert and open to seeing common things in a different way. If you live in Winnipeg, Canada, in the winter, you can get tired of the cold and snow. You'll likely be forgiven for not noticing its interesting …
When there’s snow overnight, I like to get out to enjoy its freshness before everyone else. I want to get photos before footprints and dog pee ruin the opportunities for good shots. It’s beautiful when leaves or branches on the ground are almost covered, but still there for us to see, all delicate and minimal. …
The kitchen in my apartment has no windows, but in late fall and early winter the sun sinks directly outside the window next to my writing desk. Then the light sneaks through the doorway into the kitchen and shows itself off. No need for Christmas lights here.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never liked pigeons, especially after I once woke up to a large one, cooing and bobbing its head, as it stepped into my unscreened apartment window. I lay still, thinking of an article I’d read about an awful disease you can get from pigeon poop, hoping it would bob its way …
