A Maritime Mosaic

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

This album of 85 color plates is a combined portrait of Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. The emphasis is on landscapes,
with a token nod to architecture and tourism. Water is rarely absent
from the photos —not surprisingly, since it is seldom out of sight in
the Maritimes.

The photographers make good use of depth of field and depth of focus.
They have a strong sense of composition and a sensitivity to the special
qualities of Maritime light. The photos are professional work in every
respect. With a few exceptions (when they’re a bit literal), the
photos have an uncanny ability to reach out to the viewer. It is as if
they were cracking ajar a door, giving the viewer the confidence to slip
through and experience the photographers’ emotions and their feeling
for the landscape frozen in the camera’s eye.

Except for a few tourist-type shots, Barrett and MacKay have
captured—and share—the essential tranquility of the Maritime
experience. These are photos of feelings, of moods, of acceptance of
humankind’s small place in a majestic universe.

The collection can be enjoyed either as examples of photographic craft
or as an emotional journey home for ex-Maritimers.