Paradise Lagoon. A world of its own
The sound of running water
Pristine and turquoise
Beautiful colored rocks
Surrounded by Cedar and Pine trees
I made a number of trips here.
To capture the beauty to be found here
Hoping for the right lighting
To create the right compositions
Cameron Falls, Aux Sable River North of Massey, Ontario.
Beautiful rock structures. Late evening to bring out detail. Low shutter speeds to put character into the flowing water to make it appear alive.
Cameron Falls has many small waterfalls to work with.
This is My favorite time to photograph. The sun at tree level. The lighting is soft and warm. The color is outstanding.
This is the magic moment.
Up close and personal
Cascada-Blanca
Oh So Lonesome
Have you ever gotten
That feeling, of feeling lonely
Of feeling,oh so lonesome
In a cold,cold home
Her love is gone
Her heart turned cold
As cold as a stone
I think I’m in the Arctic
I feel so benumbed
Her angry words frosty
Like the cold North wind
You left me behind
I know I am to blame
I asked for your forgiveness
But you had no mercy
I know we have been
Through troubled waters
She told me, she had no trust
I was like the dust
Blowing in the wind
She had made up her mind
To leave me behind
Have you ever gotten
That feeling, of feeling lonely
Of feeling,oh so lonesome
In a cold,cold home
Oh so lonesome
In a cold,cold home
Oh so lonesome
In a cold,cold home
The Rio Blanco River, Nicaragua. I spent part of a day in Rio Blanco with Ira Stephenson, an American Expat friend, exploring the town. The Rio Blanco River flows through this town. We walked to the end of a street where we found a muddy and slippy trail leading down to the river. It was a cloudy day. Misty at times. This made the colors in the landscape saturated. I kept this shot tight with a vertical alignment. There by not to allow a large amount of rocks to be shown. Rocks in the foreground for added depth. The proper shutter speed to show motion in the water. The top one third of the composition is a solid green. This is to tone down the rock colors.
At this time of year the water levels are low. Well that is it for this week. Until next time happy trails
A fine light mist
Hangs over a Northern lake
Draping the surrounding forest
Moisture laden branches dripping
Onto the lake’s surface
The remnant of a late summer storm
No winds blow now
The lake surface calm
The sound of running water
Can be heard not far off
A beaver dam holds
Back the rising water
Induced by the storm
A beaver can be seen
Repairing the leaking dam
The water drips through
The dam of sticks and mud
The dripping water
Becomes a trickle
Of a small flowing stream
The stream menders through
A grass filled swamp
Gnarled tree trunks
Grey with age
Stand like aging sentinels
Among the green grass
Waterfowl frolic and feed
The stream flows on
The sky is clearing
By late morning
The sun warms the land
Emerging from the wetlands
The river’s edge becomes rocky
The hills close in
Old growth pine and cedar
Dominate the rocky shoreline
With quicken of pace
The river flows onward
The merging of streams
Swells the strengthen river
The speckled trout abounds
In the clear and cold water
Of pools and rapids
A wide bend appears
A grove of Birch trees
In a burnt over area
Grace the river’s edge
The white bark luminous
In the late afternoon
There is a noticeable
Increase of water flow
The roaring sound of water
Can be heard ahead
Mist is seen in the distance
The river plunging vertically
Over a steep precipice
Into a swirling pool
Jagged cliffs are raised
Above the violent water
A family of Otter rollick
Below the misty falls
The river tumbles and surges
Through a rock infested gorge
To emerge into quiet waters
Leaving behind the towering hills
To flow through level land
A scattering of Maples
Are now a common sight
A grass filled meadow
Appears in the distance
A Common Merganser hen
With her half grown brood
Following helter-skelter behind
As she hurries downriver
A cow moose noiselessly
Steps to the river edge
Two calves follow behind
Lowering their heads
To drink their fill
Of the clear water
Before merging back into
The shadowy forest
The river flows on
Small birds in splendid color
Twitter and dash among
The overhanging tag alders
A hawk perched high
Watching for an unwary prey
A mink dark in color
Follows the rugged shore
With a bounding gait
Foraging for a meal
In the far distance
The shimmering waters of
Lake Huron is glimpsed
The river twists and turns
Through heavily forested land
To emerge through wind swept rocks
Merging into the vastness
Of Lake Huron
This composition is about combining rocks with with water to create depth. By using rocks in the foreground, middle ground and a waterfalls in the background I was able to achieve the effect I was looking for. The rocks have a variety of color along with the ever present lichen found on the rocks. Using a slow shutter speed creates patterns in the water for the eye to follow. There is some greenery to add a little more contrast. Another important factor is the time of year and the volume of water flowing has a big impact on what type of composition you will get.
Sitting by flowing water is about listening to the flow of water around you and the sense of peacefulness. That is what I attempted to capture when I shot this photo.
That is it for now. Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful Mothers out there. May your day be great. So Until next time happy trails.
What a beautiful day this past Sunday. Plus 6 C and lots of sun. I spent a late afternoon and evening exploring High Falls looking for possible compositions. The above capture was the last photo I took that evening. The shapes and patterns of the snow and ice are very interesting. My goal here was to put all theses forms into a composition. When you look at the sculptured snow and ice you can see a tremendous amount of detail. On the snow on the left you can see scoured lines leading down and towards the middle of the scenes. I placed a bit of water in the left bottom to give some color contrast. There are remarkable amount of detail along the waters edge. By placing the right hand curved piece in the foreground I accomplished more depth to the scene.
Do not forget to join me and my fellow artists at the Sudbury Art Club’s Spring Show and Exhibition on April 11TH, 12th, 13Th, 2014
Well that is it until next time. Happy trails
Waterfalls are a unique blend of rushing water, rock structures and trees. The most common trees found near waterfalls are pine and cedar trees. Most notably in Northern Ontario. You can find pockets of broad leaf trees such as Maple, Oak, Poplar and Birch. In the Fall broad leaf trees can add a dash of color to your composition as shown above.
The height of a waterfalls can vary as to location. The color of the rocks are different from location to location. At this particular waterfalls the rock formation is basically black to grey. Other waterfalls you will fine granite that is a reddish color. By photographing in the Fall you can offset bland rock color with orange and red from the Fall leaf color. This particular shot was taken late evening to eliminate harsh lighting. Take a look at the Pine in the upper part of photo that partially overhangs the waterfalls. You will notice the beam of light catching some of the branches. You can pick up sunlight on the upper part of the falls. This adds a nice touch to the composition.
By putting the red Maple on the right hand side of the photo, I am able to create some depth. I try to shoot waterfalls at an angle to give more of a dimensional look as appose to shooting direct on. Shooting a waterfalls dead on will give you a more flat look.
Now for the flowing water. You want to give the water life in your photo. By shooting later in the evening you also achieve lower shutter speeds. When processing the work you want to be able to bring detail to the water. Give it life and action. I accomplish this by setting my shutter speed between 1/10, 1/8, 1/6, 1/4 range. Whatever works at the time. Remember as the evening wears on the light becomes less and less. My f- stop is constant at f22. A good tripod is a must, along with a polarizing filter. One other point is that the volume of water coming over the drop. If their is too much water, most of the rock structure will be underwater. Totally different affect. Myself I prefer as much exposed rock as possible. That means that I pick my times to go during the course of the year.
Well that is it for now. Until next time happy trails.
You take a small waterfalls. Then some lovely textured rocks. Wait for the right lighting. Shoot from a low angle to give the waterfalls the illusion of height. You then can create a magic and mystical place. Yet all in all this scene is only three feet high, depth about six feet and maybe five feet wide. There is not a whole lot of water cascading over the rocks. Thus a shutter speed of one second and the f-stop set at 22 for that added depth. Looking at this photo, you say to yourself, wow I would love to sit on those rocks to let the water cascade over and around me. But you will discover that you are bigger than the scene. This is what I call a micro landscape. Many scenes can be found within the big picture. In this location we have a large waterfall with water flowing where ever there is a path to follow. This is due to the erosion of the rock formation over time. At this particular waterfall the water drops in a series of drops. So you have your main waterfalls along with a host of mini waterfalls to work with. You wait till late summer for the water flow to decrease and expose more of the rock structures.
When shooting this close you will discover the intricate detail in the rocks. Depth is very important here to give the scene some dimension front to back. Another important factor is to shoot the waterfalls at an angle, not dead on. This allows you to create more dimensional depth to the waterfalls. Remember your photo is two dimensional, thus you need to give the illusion of three dimensional.Nature provides the material. It is up to you to make it happen. This is also a scene that requires the right lighting. Be able to recognize that. Be patient and wait. Enjoy the environment and then you may get your chance.
I would like to wish all my friends who come here for a visit a very Merry Christmas and be safe. So until next time happy trails.
Ken Bennison's Photography 