Photography

A Great Day at The Park

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4:00 am comes early.I had about an hour and a half drive to Killarney Provincial Park to catch the dawn shooting.Stopping at Tim Hortons for a take out coffee I was soon on Hwy 69 heading South. The drive was uneventful and I was soon parked at the main campsite on George Lake.The wind was blowing over the lake which meant no photographing that morning.I now had to wait till evening and hope that the wind would calm down.

I past most of the day by going into the village of Killarney and parking in the Park by George Lake and reading my ebook.At 3:00 pm I loaded up my gear and started hiking into Little  Sheguiandah Lake. It was a hot,humid afternoon.The mountains were hazy.As I breasted the first ridge puffing a bit I met a couple coming back out.We chatted about photography for a few minutes before I continued on.At this time of year Killarney Provincial Park is a very busy place.I made my way around to the East side of Little Sheguiandah Lake. As I approached the shoreline of George Lake I noticed a fair number of people swimming.There is only a very narrow piece of worn rock separating Little Sheguiandah Lake from George Lake.I found myself a shady spot under a Pine tree and now had to wait till evening

By evening the wind calmed down and I proceeded to photograph around Little  Sheguiandah Lake.Once done I made my way back to A Y Jackson Lake. I arrived  at A Y Jackson to a nice calm surface.There was a couple sitting on the rock that I usually set up to do my shooting.I asked if I may set up my tripod beside them.They responded that it was okay.As I was setting up  the couple were asking about the North Country.This was there first trip this far North and were heading to Sault Ste. Marie  the next day

As I was standing there my eye was drawn to a point on my right.The trees were glowing on this small point of land.The sun near the horizon was going in and out of the clouds.Being hot and humid there was some interesting lighting being created on the scene that I composed as shown above.Darkness was soon approaching as I made my way back down to my Ford Escape.Happy and tired I was on my way home.Another great day at the park.

Well that is it for this week.Thank you for stopping by and until next time happy trails.

Photography

Early Morning Light

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As Gerard Leduc and I were slowly moving around a group of islands I noticed the early morning sun highlighting the rocks you see above. Onaping Lake is home to a large number of islands and channels to explore.Easing the boat to shore and cutting the motor we hopped onto the rock outcrops on the shoreline.

Placing the sunlit rocks in the foreground along with a lone evergreen tree.There was just enough reflections to add depth to the water.The rocks in the middle ground were a nice shade of light grey.The background consists of the forested shoreline and clouds in the sky.

Well that is it for this week so until next time happy trails.

Photography

An Interesting Point

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On my previous trip to O S A Lake in Killarney Provincial Park we camped on a large island.The island is large enough to allow many photo opportunities. Walking the shoreline I spotted this interesting little point jutting out into the lake.It contained beautiful structure detail that was enhanced by the reflections created in the water.So using the point as my foreground,the small rock island as my middle ground and the forested La Cloche Mountains for the background I was able to create the above composition.

The late evening sun was highlighting the Maple trees on the hillside giving a nice yellowish glow to reflect into the water.Looking at the point in foreground you will see blue on certain parts of the rocks.If I was to remove this blue you would get a dull grey color.I do not know if this is due to the camera’s sensors or the late evening lighting.I have come across this many times with the type of rock structure found in the La Cloche Mountains.

Well that is it for this week as I have been busy preparing for The Killarney Art Show this coming Saturday and Sunday.If you are in the area stop in at the show.There will be many very good artists there.25 %  of all purchased art work goes to The Friends of Killarney to help them in there many projects at Killarney Provincial Park.You can check there website here.

http://friendsofkillarneypark.ca/joomla/

While you are in Killarney enjoy some of the best fish and chips at the waterfront. Till next time happy trails.

Photography

What is Behind the Campsite.

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This past Friday myself,my daughter and son-in-law headed for Muriel Lake in Killarney Provincial Park.We had to cover 5 lakes and 4 portages to the campsite.We did not get away till 4:00 that afternoon.A quick check into the park office for camping permits and we were soon loading the canoe at the George Lake beach.We decided to eat a quick supper before we left.It turned out to be a very hot weekend.

Launching the canoe we were off on our adventure.George Lake is about a 40 to 50 minute paddle to the first portage of 90 meters. Off loading our gear we quickly carried over to Freeland Lake and headed to the next portage.The wind was light so the going was easy.Freeland Lake has a fair amount of vegetation in the form of lily pads.

The Killarney Lake portage soon arrived and we carried all our gear and canoe over.This was a 380 meter carry over.You could feel the heat.Once out into the open water the beauty of the La Cloche Mountain system is much evident.We had a short canoe paddle at the upper end of Killarney Lake to get to the carry over into O S A Lake.There are a lot of campers at this time of year and most folks are friendly.

We quickly hauled over the 455 meters to O S A Lake.This lake is one off my favorite lakes to photograph.Launching into the turquoise blue waters,the sun fading,we made our way to the West end of the lake.Arriving at our last portage we made haste to make it over to Muriel Lake.This portage was 595 meters.By this time it was now dark.There was enough light to make our way to the West end of the lake.There are two campsites at this location.We chatted with one of the campers who told us were the campsite was.

We arrived at the general location of this campsite and proceeded to search for it on shore with flashlights.My son-in-law located it and we unloaded and got the tent setup.The mosquitoes are bad here once the sun goes down.I was tired so off to bed I went.

The above photo was a panoramic that I took the following evening.At the time it was hot and muggy.As I strolled along a path behind our campsite I came across this beautiful,serene scene.This would make a different take on what I usually photograph.I set the Canon 7d to take multiple exposures at different shutter speeds.With The camera set at vertical I proceeded to do six shots to cover the whole scene that you see above.

When I got home I processed each set of exposures in HDR.Then I did a photo-merge in Photoshop to create the 20″x60″ photo.I did not do any processing in HDR.This is a great way to bring out the shadow details.With the La Cloche Mountains in the background and reflecting into any open water,the various shades of green and grey deadheads over the swampy area added up to an interesting shot.

Well that is it for now.I will continue the story at another date.So until next time happy trails.

 

Photography

Looking Back From Where We Came

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I had been busy photographing the scene in the previous post.It was such a beautiful evening.The wind was co-operating for a change.It was now getting on to late evening.My partner Gerard Leduc and I  had gone ashore at another location to photograph some small islands.Struggling through the shoreline bush ,looking for an opening,I happened to look back towards where we had come from.

A marvelous scene was before me.Clouds,Reflections and rocks.Beautiful.But what also caught my eye was the sunlight on the trees in the background.Wow.I quickly set up the tripod,mounted my Canon 7D and proceeded to create the composition you see above.

I used the reflections in the foreground to lead your eye to the sunlit background and cloud formation.

Well that is it for this week.I would also like to thank the folks who have subscribed to my blog.The subscriptions are now at 104.So thank you very much.Your comments are welcome.If anyone has any questions be free to ask.

I was selected to the 35th La Cloche Juried Art Show with a first place showing.This is a great show put on by wonderful people.It is a week long event.

Well that is it for this week.So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Around The Bend,Onaping Lake

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As Gerard Leduc and I slowly motored in and around large and small islands.I was on the lookout for photographic compositions.We had already eaten supper and it was still early evening.As we moved in and out of various channels I noticed the above location.At the moment the lighting was still harsh.I figured another hour would be needed for the sun to get lower in the sky and soften up the scene.This particular set up had very strong side-lighting.I truly love this type of set up when I can find it.

After a waiting for the sun to get lower on the horizon we headed to a predetermined location to set up our camera gear.With the suns location we had the background a bit darker and the foreground awash with sunlight.This gives separation front to back.The rocky shoreline breaks up all the green and yellow that predominates the scene.The calm waters gave a lovely reflection adding to the overall scene.

I shot the scene by bracketing.There being so much differential in the lighting.When I returned home I was thus able to process the images in a HDR program.But I went straight into Photoshop to finish it off.I did not want to create a HDR image.I only wanted to open the shadow areas.

Well that is it for this week.So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Onaping Lake

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Last Friday Gerard Leduc and myself loaded up my Ford Explorer with camping gear and photographic equipment.We departed at 6:00 a.m. and headed North on Hwy 144 to Onaping Lake.This is a lake that is 48 miles long with 2200 miles of shoreline.A lake of many channels and islands.Well known for its Walleye fishing.

It was a pleasant one and a half hour drive,with one stop to grab a Tim Horton‘s coffee.We turned off onto the Onaping Lake Road.After a short drive we were soon at the Lake Onaping Lodge owned by George[Jack] & Sandra Element.After a pleasant conversation with Jack ,we were set up with a boat and motor for the trip up the lake.

We had a 25 mile trip by boat to East Bay.Gerard drove the boat while I sat up front with a map,navigating. We had a good trip up other than going into a dead end  bay.We backtracked and I soon had us back on course. This is a lake of many channels and islands.It was not long before we reached East Bay and started searching for a campsite.The MNR maintain campsites on Onaping Lake.We discovered a campsite on large island that also had two cabins maintained by one of the lodges.

Unloading our gear we soon had our campsite set up and sat back to enjoy the scenery.As we were relaxing,a bald eagle flew overhead.As late afternoon approached we headed out to do some fishing .One of the things we wanted to do was catch fresh fish for our suppers.That we succeeded in doing.The evening turned out not suitable for photographing.We explored our immediate surrounding looking for suitable composition that evening.When darkness came the mosquito came.Most evenings we were in bed at nightfall.The mosquito made it uncomfortable to sit outside.

With daybreak arriving we had calm waters. The above photo was one of the many compositions I made that morning.The sun was just peering over the East horizon,casting a yellow,orange glow on some of the trees.This lake is blessed with lots of rocky shoreline to add some real character to the photos.After about an hours shooting we lost the good shooting light.It was now time to head back to camp for a good breakfast and hot coffee.

While that is it for this week.Thank you everyone for your comments and to those folks who have subscribed to my blog.Much appreciated. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

When The Rains End

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I awoke one rainy morning to the sound of rain drumming on the tent fly.Peering out the tent door I could see fog on the La Cloche Mountains,the wind was picking up and there was a chop on the surface of O S A Lake.Emerging from the tent I ducked into the tarp we had set up for days like this.Soon I had a hot coffee brewing and along with a bagel had breakfast.It was now just a matter of waiting.

By mid morning the rain had quit and the wind was not as strong.The hills had some nice mist and there was stiil  stormy clouds on the horizon.I set up for the above composition to capture the moment.There was a large expanse of water in front of me that I did not want to show.Using the narrows as the foreground,thus eliminating unnecessary water I took a series of shots.I liked the fact that the foreground was dark which gives contrast to the over all mood and adds to the depth.It was also a matter of watching the mist moving through the hills and waiting for the right amount.

By noon it cleared up.It became another beautiful day on O S A Lake.Well that is it.Until next time happy trails.

Photography

An Iris It Is

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It was a hot late afternoon on Manitoulin Island.I decided to take a hike along a creek that I had walked over 30 years ago.At that time I had discovered a very large growth of ferns growing along this creek.I had spoken to a friend of mine whose property I had to traverse and he said they were still there.

So with his permission I walked along the edge of a hayfield with a hot sun beating down.Finally reaching the back end of the field, I went through an open in the split rail fence. had to walk into the bush a ways to pick up the creek.This little creek  was drying up.

I noticed these blue Iris growing here and there.I continued walking and soon discovered the Iris you see above.It was shaded by trees,but there was very good lighting around and behind it. Quickly setting up my 7d Canon on the tripod I took the composition you see above.The green can be seen in various shades and the Iris stands out brilliantly.

This was a case of recognizing a shot and then proceeding to get it.Lighting is very fickle.The Blue Isis or Blue Flag is common in wet areas and is thus quite common in Northern Ontario and Manitoulin Island. I did not find my ferns I was looking for so will leave that for another trip.So until next time happy trails.

Photography

The Showy Lady Slipper

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This past weekend I traveled over to Manitoulin Island to spend the weekend visiting my Mother.While I was there I decided to do some exploring to see if I could find some Showy Lady Slippers to photograph.Jumping into my Ford Explorer I headed out to search for these beautiful Orchids.Mom had told me where we use to find them many years ago.

Upon arrival I found them growing by the hundreds in the area mentioned by my Mother.Unloading my camera equipment I set out to search for some suitable subjects.The first thing I noticed was the flowers had faded in color.I appears that I was a week too late.Searching around I discovered that there were still a few in full color.I was able to the capture the above set of Showy Lady Slippers in a group of four.

I discovered this single Showy Lady Slipper all by itself with an uncluttered background.When you see these Orchids you are enthralled by there size and color.Needless to say they are beautiful.

The Showy Lady Slipper inhabits wet lands and open wooded swamps.This is not a common plant and has vanishing from its historic range.Manitoulin is the only place that I am familiar with this Orchid.I have never seen them in Northern Ontario

Well that is it for this week so happy trails