Photography

Color My Rocks

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Colorful_Rocks

 

Sunday June 22, Maureen and I traveled to Lake Superior Provincial Park. This large and beautiful park is North of Sault Ste Marie. Here is a great opportunity to explore the shorelines of Lake Superior and the interior wilderness with many lakes and hiking trails. We decided to set up a base camp at the Rabbit Blanket Campgrounds. Thus allowing me to photograph the North half of the Park. Being close to Wawa allowed for getting gas easily.

The tent and screen tent were soon gracing our campsite. The screen tent is a real bonus. The mosquito population was here. Supper was soon over and we drove the fourteen mile gravel road to Gargantua Bay. This is a narrow road with a couple of newly built bridges. It is a nice drive through open forests in many places. At the parking lot we took the hiking trail to the South. A bridge was crossed and we emerged on to a stony beach. Before my eyes was this small stream flowing over these colorful rocks into Lake Superior. This little stream had to be only ten feet across. Being a long day as it was we headed back to camp for a good nights sleep.

I returned to Gargantua Bay the next evening. The above composition is one of the photos I captured that evening. This was about capturing the beauty of the rocks with the stream flowing around and over them. At the same time the setting sun gives a dramatic effect to the overall scene. If you look close you can see specs of red sunlight on some of the rocks. You need low light or cloudy days to bring the color out on these rocks.

One of the things that I like to empathize is for one to stop for a moment and see the beauty that can be found in the little things around us. The colorful rocks.The sound of running water. Rising of fish during their evening feed that occurred while I sat on the beach. The changing of the sky as dusk approached. Waterfowl floating on the water surface like silhouettes.  So many little things that happen when one becomes aware of his or her surroundings. Give yourself to Nature and you will be at peace.

I did a interview over at Exhibition Without Walls. You can read it here.

http://www.exhibitionswithoutwalls.com/ken-bennison-fine-art-photographer-author-sudbury-ontario-canada/

This Friday is the opening of the La Cloche Art Show at Whitefish Falls. This is show is in its 37th year. It runs from July 5 to July 13.

http://laclocheartshow.wordpress.com/

I am still in the process of working on my photos from the Superior trip. There will be more to come. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

A Unique Rock

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BassfinLake_1013

My daughter Maryjean and I spent  last Sunday evening canoeing Bassfin Lake, off the Matagamasi Lake Road. She fished and I photographed. The bugs were there, thus requiring a bug jacket. The wind was here and there. Never totally calming down. I was dropped off on the largest island on the lake. As I walked the shoreline, I spotted this reddish colored rock in the shallow waters. It was ringed with Pine pollen. It has a face effect to it. The blue water gave me good contrast with the reddish rock. You can just observe the lake bottom on the left side of the photo. I utilized the water vegetation to create the odd number of objects.

It was a nice evening canoeing and photographing. It was a fitting way to finish off Father’ Day with my daughter enjoying a couple hours outdoors. I am off to Lake Superior Provincial Park for a week of photographing. So until next time, happy trails

Photography

Norway Lake Part 2

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NorwayLake_0957

 

Saturday dawned as another beautiful day. Tim and I enjoyed a leisure breakfast of bagels and coffee. The lake was fairly calm. The past evening I had explored a small stream flowing a couple hundred feet from Norway Lake. It crossed the portage. The water was clear and cool as it flowed over gravel and stones. This was were we obtained our drinking water by filtrating it into our drinking bottles.

Tim and I canoed over to the portage. We walked along the stream until a steep slopping rock ridge appeared. Here the water flowed down through a crevice in the rock structure as a series of very small waterfalls. The crevice was no more than four feet across. The tiny pools were clear and colorful. There was a green tinge to everything in the crevice. One of the problems I had here was very low light. I would say that there was very little sunlight appearing here. Thus I was shooting with very low shutter speeds. I used the small rocks in the foreground to give the sense of depth. The little waterfalls in the background added to the magic allure to the scene. You can see how the rock face on both sides are slanted.

Tim and I had agreed to portage back over to Killarney Lake the next morning.  This would eliminate the hardest portage on Monday. Sunday morning on another beautiful calm day we packed up our gear. We soon had our gear over the portage, leaving the bloodthirsty bugs behind. A short paddle brought us to the first island at the East end of Killarney Lake. I had camped here two years ago. The campsite has a beautiful view looking West. Minnows were present along the shore. We observed one of about four inches long. It was deep bodied like a bass. But then we saw a flash of silver like you see on a shiner.

Monday morning at dawn we did our morning shoot. The wind was very light. Just enough to mess up the photographing. It was not long before we were on our way out. The winds again were good, making for relaxing canoeing. As we approached the last narrows to the portage landing a yearling black bear was walking the shoreline. Letting the canoe drift, Tim took a few shots of the bear. As we passed the bear, it came down off the rock structure and swam across to the other side, disappearing into the woods. The trek across the portage was uneventful and we were soon paddling on Freeman Lake. As the next portage over to George Lake appeared, a yearling doe was spotted in the water feeding on underwater vegetation. There was a pair of loons to the South of us. The female climbed up on a small mud island followed by the male. The male mounted his mate. This to me is late as I have seen eggs in there nest by late May.

It was not long before The vehicle was loaded and another wonderful trip over. Tim and I bid farewell until the next trip and we headed off on our separate ways. Well that is it for now. Until next time happy trails.

Photography

Norway Lake

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NorwayLake_0871   Friday June 6 Woke up at 6:00 am. Loaded the canoe onto my Ford Escape. I was soon on my way to Killarney Provincial Park. I arrived at 8:00 am as they were just opening the office. My cousin Tim Bennison pulled into the parking lot shortly after. Tim and I had not seen each other for many years. Obtaining our camping permits, we were soon paddling on George Lake. It was a beautiful sunny day with the lake waters being calm. After a leisure paddle we arrived at our first portage into Freeland 188 Lake. This is a 80 m portage. Easing out into Freeland 188 Lake Tim spotted a yearling Black Bear  ambling along the shoreline. We soon approached the portage into Killarney Lake. Unloading our gear we hauled our equipment over the 380 m portage. The creek between Killarney Lake and Freeman 188 Lake was running quite high. Here we encountered our first taste of Northern Ontario, bugs. They were out in force.

Tim and I did not waste much time here and were soon on our way. It does not matter how many times I have paddled here, that I am in awe of the scene before me when you arrive onto the open water of Killarney Lake. It is very awe inspiring to see the turquoise blue waters nestled among the white quartz of the La Cloche Mountains rising on either side of Killarney Lake. This was Tim’s first trip to Killarney Provincial Park. We paddled East down the length of Killarney Lake on calm waters. Paddling slowly and indulging in the vista before us. Upon reaching the Norway Lake portage, the canoe was unloaded. Being lunchtime we ate sandwiches. It was a good size clearing here that looked like there may have been a building here at one time. Tim discovered a small patch of rhubarb growing in the clearing.

Well it was time to move gear over this 1390 m portage. Neither one of us had undertaking this portage. It was getting warmer and the bugs were waiting. The portage had a series of mud holes at the beginning to slog through. The portage then became dryer as we pushed on. The forest was fairly open here with Maple, Hemlock and some Yellow Birch. After battling flies and uneven ground we made it to Norway Lake. It took us two trips to get everything over the portage. It seems that we always have too much equipment. Tim and I were both now tired and sore. The first island had a campsite, so that is where we headed for. With the tent up and everything layed out, it was time for a nap. Norway Lake is very nice, but in terms of photographing not very good.

The canoe was launched after supper to explore the lake. Concluding our trip around the lake I was of the opinion that we had our work cut out to obtain any good photographic works. With the sun gone down and darkness descending we were soon nestled in our sleeping bags for the night.

That is it for now. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

NW Corner

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GeorgeLake_0671

I ventured into the Northwest corner of George Lake last Friday evening and Saturday evening to photograph the quartz rock ridge that is located in a small bay. This quartz rock formation has great detail to work with. Friday I canoed here with a friend and then Saturday I hiked in. I must say the bugs are bad at this time of year. They can cause a few problems with photographing by leaving streak marks on your photo or just a nice blurry blob.

There are just enough trees and shrubs on the side of the rock face to add depth and contrast. I framed the rock with a portion of the forest at the top. I tied this rock structure in with a portion of the La Cloche Mountains . There was a lone cloud in the upper right corner surrounded by blue sky. There was also some mist like cloud cover that can be seen.

While that is it for this week. I am off for a four day canoe trip tomorrow into Norway Lake in Killarney Provincial Park. So until next week week happy trails.

Photography, Poetry

Art by Nature

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Killarney_0553

 

The forest in shadow

Beside a small lake

On a Spring morning

Dawn is now breaking

The sky is brighter

A trickling of sunlight

Coming unexpectedly

Through the dark  Pines

Edging the boughs gold

The rippled lake surface

Creates a colorful abstract

Of gold, green and black

Of the forest reflection

A dazzling array of color

Radiant before your eyes

Mother Nature’s own art

For those who see

Soon lost in time

 

We can be totally overwhelmed by the grand scene before us.But if you were to look within that scene, you will find small things happening around you. The lighting is ever changing. Look for the small details of what that lighting is doing. Many times I have gone out to photograph a scene and as I am capturing that composition  my eyes pick up on another possibility. Train your eyes to be constantly on the move. Lighting is fickle. So be prepared to work quickly. Make light and shadow work for you.

That is all for now. Until next time happy trails

 

Photography

A Y Jackson 2014

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Killarney_0534HR

4:20 AM. I loaded up my gear into my Escape. First stop was Tim Horton to pick up a coffee and a bite to eat for the road. Traffic was light as I drove down to Killarney. Wildlife was scarce on the Killarney highway. This trip I saw one yearling Black Bear and a Fox. I arrived at Killarney Provincial Park and parked at the East end of George Lake. Loading up my gear I walked to the trail that would take me to A Y Jackson Lake. I climbed up the ridge huffing and puffing. This is a fairly steep ridge that you have to tackle right away. It is only a ten minute hike into George Lake.

As I arrived at my destination I saw that the lake surface was calm. This was my first chance to use my new tripod. I had purchased a Gitzo GT1541 carbon fibre Tripod and a BH-40 LR from Really Right Stuff. As soon as the camera was set up on the tripod the wind started to ripple the lake surface. Go figure. I waiting I succeeded in getting the above capture with the morning sunlight illuminating the shoreline on the left and just catching the tree tops on the right. The La Cloche Mountains in the background had a bit of mist. This is one of my favorite lakes to photograph. The best time to get a composition is early morning. My next trip means I will have to get up at 4:00 AM to get the most out of a morning shot. There was a few mosquitoes around but for some reason they were not biting. The black flies were   scare this morning.

That is it for now, so until next time happy trails.

Photography, Poetry

The River Runs

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BirchCreek_1997

 

The Fall rains have come

The Fall colored leaves

Hanging low over the river

They are laden with moisture

The rivers are swollen

With tea – stained water

The turbulent waters crash violently

Over the submerged rocks

Lichen covered rocks withstand

The swift currents rage

A restless river galloping

To its final destiny

At the river’s mouth

The  Sun emerges to dry

The water logged land

In time the surging river

Recedes in depth

No longer violent and swollen

The clean fast water

Scouring the gravel bottom

Fast water trickles  through

The shadow gravel beds

Alive with returning Salmon

To begin a new life cycle

It was a great weekend for me as I won the following awards

The Exhibition Without Walls Award – Manhattan Arts International Celebrate The Healing Power of Art 2014 

http://www.manhattanarts.com/Gallery/Healing-Power-of-ART/Winners.htm

An award of Excellence from the Exhibition Without Walls Impressions 2014

http://www.exhibitionswithoutwalls.com/impressions-finalist/

 

That is all for now, so until next time happy trails.

 

 

 

 

Photography

Creating Depth

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GordonChutes_0252

 

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.

Photography

A Neat Composition

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MeardeauFalls_0344

 

Take a very unique rock structure, Draping  trees and a touch of water to create a very nice composition. I was traversing the Aux Sauble River when I came upon this great piece of rock along the river’s edge. It had detail and color. What was neat was the trees cascading down the side of this rock. In the back was a Birch tree that was flowering.  The scales of the staminate aments are a yellow to orange color on the Birch tree. This adds contrast from the green leaves and offsets the color of the rock. It also helps when a beam of light illuminates the Birch tree for more effect. When you wait and watch good things can happen. I added some rock structure in the bottom right corner for added depth. Then the water gives a sense of location to the fact that this location is a river.

A selection of my works will be on display at the Sudbury Arts Council ArtsSPACE, South End Library, Sudbury, Ontario  until the end of June.  It will open sometime this week. I will be posting the open date. So until next time happy trails