Rudecombe: When a Photograph Becomes a Friendship

Some assignments stay with you long after the photographs are made.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to document a remarkable event called Rudecombe, an immersive medieval village hidden in the woods near Vankleek Hill, Ontario.

For one weekend, the modern world disappeared.

Participants arrived in handmade costumes and stepped into carefully crafted characters. There were witches, monsters, merchants, adventurers, musicians, and storytellers. Quests unfolded throughout the village. Community meals were shared around long tables. Bonfires lit the night. For those few days, everyone committed fully to the experience.

There were no cell phones, no modern distractions, and very little to remind you of everyday life.

As the event photographer, I occupied a unique place in that world. While everyone else remained in character, I wandered through the village with a camera, documenting the creativity, craftsmanship, and imagination that brought Rudecombe to life.

What I didn’t know at the time was that the photographs would become the beginning of something much larger.

Through Rudecombe, I met Chantal and Mario, two of the creative forces behind the event. Over the years, our connection grew into friendship.

A few years later, after I had moved to Québec City and begun teaching visual arts, that friendship resurfaced in an unexpected way.

As part of our first Dare Art exhibition, my students were invited to create original mythological creatures. Chantal and Mario agreed to help judge the project and select a winning design.

The winning student had imagined an extraordinary creature, full of detail and imagination.

What happened next surprised all of us.

Without telling the student, Chantal and Mario built a full-scale costume based on her design. When the exhibition opened, they arrived in costume, bringing her creation to life before her eyes.

Watching that student realize that something she had imagined on paper was now standing in front of her was one of the most memorable moments of the exhibition.

It reminded me that creativity is often a chain of connections.

A photograph leads to a conversation.

A conversation leads to a friendship.

A friendship inspires a student.

And a student’s imagination becomes something real.

When I look back at my photographs from Rudecombe, I still see the costumes, the characters, and the spectacle.

But what I remember most are the people.

The photographs captured a medieval village in the woods.

The real story was the community that continued long after the weekend ended.