Khupa

Ron Wood — Mon Jun 16 10:43:00 -0700 2008

Below are photographs of a beautiful khupa that I took at a recent wedding. Jewish weddings are rich with symbolism. The khupa or wedding canopy is both a beautiful work of art and a symbol of many things. Rabbi Dina-Hasida Mercy says on her website http://www.rabbi-mercy.com/marriage.htm that the khupa "is a home, a garment, a bedcovering, and a reminder of the tents of nomadic ancestors. It is understood as a sign of divine presence at the wedding. Khupa means that which covers or floats above, and the space beneath it is said to be spiritually charged."

On Pointe: The Rise of the Ballet Shoe

Ron Wood — Tue Jun 10 11:15:00 -0700 2008

I am very pleased to be the photographer for this fabulous exhibition celebrating ballet at The Bata Show Museum in Toronto. I photographed beautiful dance slippers belonging to ballet divas like Veronica Tenant. Exhibition Opening, Tuesday, April 15

Ballet Shoes - The Bata Shoe Museum

Ron Wood — Tue Jun 10 06:51:00 -0700 2008

Ballet Shoes - The Bata Shoe Museum

South Asian Wedding

Ron Wood — Fri May 16 07:41:00 -0700 2008

I had the honour of photographing a beautiful South Asian wedding. Here are a few pictures.

Ron Wood — Wed May 14 14:22:00 -0700 2008

Algonquin Park Micro Environments

Ron Wood — Mon May 05 13:38:00 -0700 2008

I am working on a documentary series on Algonquin Park. I am very interested in micro environments. The subjects of these three photos are quite beautiful.

South Africa Wedding

Ron Wood — Mon May 05 12:50:00 -0700 2008

These are a few photographs of a wedding I shot in South Africa. What a spectacular location for a wedding!

Ron Wood — Mon May 05 09:55:00 -0700 2008

MEMORY BOX Photography Exhibit Opening

Ron Wood — Mon May 05 09:55:00 -0700 2008

First of all, thank you to all who attended the opening! Thanks for all your positive comments. It seems that J.D.'s portrait was a big hit. Everyone loved his quote. Six year old J.D. said, "The things in my memory box are important because they are the first things I collected. I can pretend I am in a movie with them."

Wedding Cakes

Ron Wood — Tue Apr 29 14:11:00 -0700 2008

I have to say that I really like photographing wedding cakes. This cake looked amazing against the Toronto skyline. The wedding took place at Canoe.

Ron Wood — Tue Apr 29 14:09:00 -0700 2008

Ron Wood — Tue Apr 29 13:47:00 -0700 2008

Installing My Exhibition

Ron Wood — Tue Apr 29 13:47:00 -0700 2008

The images for my CONTACT 2008 exhibition are printed and framed and ready to put on the walls! Very exciting. The images share star billing with touching stories. Here is what George says about his memory box: This project of identifying moments of long ago is important in that it brings to memory events that shaped our lives. Here are a few of my moments. The first is the silver cigarette box, which takes me back to the 30s & 40s, a time in which cigarette smoking was ‘cool’. Thank goodness those days are gone forever. Nearly every home had a box of cigarettes offered to guests as a courtesy. In the box on the left side you will see a brass mouth piece of a bugle which Jimmy played in the military band of the Toronto’s own famous 48th Highlander Scottish Regiment. Jimmy was my oldest brother. He and my father had joined as Reservists when Jimmy was seventeen years old. Fortunately at that time, they were never called for military action. They were known as ‘Saturday Night Soldiers’ as they usually paraded around on weekends. Herewith is his mouthpiece for his bugle. The ribbons are not military but came with some medals that Jimmy had won as crewmember of a sailing boat, which won some champion races on Lake Ontario. One cold and blustery day in April, 1918, Jimmy and others of the crew were readying the boat for the coming season. The boat was anchored on the dock at Ashbridges Bay (the beach area of Toronto). Some young lads volunteered [to help] and they all got into a small row boat to get to the [sailing] boat. Suddenly heavy waves hit the row boat and it capsized. Jimmy was hit on the head and sank immediately. The young boys who could not swim were all rescued, but Jimmy, a good swimmer, was drowned. His body was taken to our house at 567 Pape Avenue. Of course, mother was traumatized and I believe she never recovered and was haunted throughout her life. Father never mentioned his name again. This incident somehow altered family relationships. The metal badge is simply a relic from [the] 48th Highlanders and is a remembrance of the time when I was one year old. Now more up to date, we have a small ceramic vase made by a world famous ceramic artist. She was a close friend, being in Canada on a teacher’s exchange program. My teacher friend introduced me to her. She had a most remarkable career, surviving the war by catering to the various occupying armies as they invaded her home in Germany. On one visit to her in Germany, as I was leaving, she gave me this priceless gift – a most memorable and inspiring moment. With many thanks to Ron for including me in recollecting a few stories of my life – an antique true story. George.

Ron Wood — Tue Apr 15 12:21:00 -0700 2008

MEMORY BOX Photography Exhibit

Ron Wood — Tue Apr 15 10:14:00 -0700 2008

I am very excited to announce the opening of my new exhibition MEMORY BOX which is part of the Contact 2008 Photography Festival. The exhibition explores the power of collected objects as touchstones for memory and history. Each photograph invites the viewer to look inside a memory box, and into a private area in the life of its owner. The collected objects reverberate with meaning. Some are talismans of luck, while others speak of rites of passage, people, places and events. They transcend the obvious: They are signifiers of concepts such as love, possibility, growth and loss. Since collecting objects is a shared universal experience, the exhibition asks viewers to consider the meaning of the objects that they also collect and preserve. I am inviting you to send me photographs of the things that you collect. I will publish your photographs on my blog and one my Flickr.com photo stream. You can send your photgraphs to: info@heartlinepictures.com In the meantime, I hope you can make it to the gallery to see the show. May 1 - 31, 2008 OPENING: May 1, 6 - 9 p.m. The Roastery Café 401 Richmond St. W. | Toronto | ON [S.E. corner of Richmond and Spadina] Photographer: Ron Wood Curator: Angela Wood