Author-photographer George Czerny-Holownia has been taking aerial views in the southern Georgian Bay region of Ontario, Canada, since the late 1970s. In that time, manufacturing concerns have come and gone and residential development -- especially in the Collingwood and Blue Mountains areas -- has exploded in this popular region.
George, as he likes to be known, brings to your fingertips photographs of the Collingwood Shipyards, once an economic powerhouse locally and an industry which closed in 1986.
Collingwood still has industries but residential growth has taken this waterfront community to a population of 22,000 from the 10,000 population of the 1970s.
"If you can't find your house in my Collingwood photographs, you will likely be able to pick out a bird's-eye view of your neighbourhood," said George.
Other aerial photographs, show areas of Blue Mountain Resorts before the popular "Village at Blue" was built and since. Some of George's most-recent photographs of Collingwood and the Blue Mountains' area were taken November 3, 2022.
In addition to his aerial photographs in "Our Changing Collingwood", George includes historically-important ground-level photographs of such things as spectacular side- launchings at the Collingwood Shipyards. The shipyards closed in 1986 and the land on which this industry operated has been redeveloped with condominiums. You can see before and after views in "Our Changing Collingwood".
There is nothing like "Our Changing Collingwood" when it comes to comparing various aerial views of parts of Collingwood and Blue Mountains, says George.
George is a retired newspaper publisher/reporter-photographer who continues to write and take photographs both from the ground and from the air. He lives in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada with his wife of 54 years, Nancy.