An Evening at Dora Bay, Lake Superior.
Just South of Wawa
I drove into the Michipicoten First Nation for a photo shoot.
There was a beautiful sandy beach here
A number of rock islands not far from shore attracted my attention
I spent the evening photographing along the shoreline
When we explored Gibson BC we headed to the beach to explore. My niece April and I sauntered along slowly enjoying the sun and smell of the Pacific Ocean.
It was late afternoon. I looked at the rock formation and plant life to be found at the end of the beach. There was very strong lighting here causing problems. I used the tree branches to help block the sunlight as much as possible. But I managed to capture the lighting highlighting some of the structure to make the scene more interesting.Green and yellow are the dominating colors here.
The rhythm of the drums
The setting of the sun
Over the quieting ocean
A hint of the color red
On the far horizon
Caught up in the mood
Swaying to the beat
Of many beating drums
The sound of waves
Rolling upon the beach
Receding before the next
Oncoming wave
The pebbles on the beach
A rainbow of colors
As they glistening in the sun
I had a dream
That I was walking
On a lonely beach
The sky was blue
The clouds moving on
The hills far in the distance
Covered in a dark mist
The beach stretching to infinity
I had a dream
That I was walking
On a lonely beach
The sun is settling
Over the vast waters
Of an ever moving
Lake Superior
The lowering sun is
Casting its Golding light
Upon the beach
I had a dream
That I was walking
On a lonely beach
The waves wash upon
The wet sand
Before receding
Leaving a golden pool
In its wake
The next wave appearing
And slowly receding
A pool of golden light
Remains in its path
I had a dream
That I was walking
On a lonely beach
The sun ever sinking
In the far horizon
Clouds a pink glow
With the sun’s demise
The darken sky
Turning a rich red
To be reflected
As a mirrored image
On the gently rolling
Surface of Lake Superior
I had a dream
That I was walking
On a lonely beach
Night has come
The stars beckon
In the night sky
The moon casting
A slivery Path
Upon the moving waters
The trees mere shadows
The hills dark on the horizon
The moonlit beach beckons
I had a dream
That I was walking
On a lonely beach
Walking the beaches at Pukaskwa National Park on an August evening 2013 turned up some interesting subject matter. With the lowering sun creating warm and interesting lighting on the surrounding landscape. I came across this rock just out from the beach. The waning sunlight brought out the colors on this particular rock along with the intricate patterns on the rock surface. The constant pounding and flow of water over this rock creates smoothness and patterns. The water was not calm that evening. But with the lowering light comes slower shutter speeds to give that dreamy effect of the flowing water. You can see the light touching the back right corner of the rock bringing out the colors. These are the little things that I look for when looking for subject material.
While photographing at Pukaskaw National Park I became fascinated with the rock structures that can be found along the Lake Superior shorelines. The coastline here is broken and rugged. This is a result of relentless wind and wave action. The rocks are volcanic in nature and very smooth. The color of black is very dominant in theses rock structures.
I found this rock structure at the West end of the largest beach near the Pic River. I set up low and close to the rock structure. I had a brownish color in the rocks in the foreground that became a rich brown or slightly golden as the sun retreated below the horizon. The sun was actually setting opposite to me below the rocks. If you follow the rock s you will notice that it tapers down in the background. The sand is no longer white at the time I took this composition. It has taken on the color hues of the sky. You have a sense of habitat with the sand, a little bit of Lake Superior in the background and scattered driftwood.
On July 27,28 is the 2013 Friends of Killarney Art Show and Sale. Come for a visit and chat with the many artists who will be there.
http://www.killarneyartshow.com/index.html
Well that is it for this week. I will be floating the French River this week for 3 days with my canoe. Thank you for stopping by and the wonderful comments that have come my way. Until next time Happy Trails.
My last evening at Pukaskaw Provincial Park. I decided to check out the beach nearest the mouth of the Pic River. This beach is the largest near the campgrounds. The beach was covered with driftwood at the high water mark. As I traversed the beach looking for a photographic composition, moose tracks could be seen in the sand. They were old, as debris was filling the tracks. The sun was slowly setting, a nice breeze was wafting in from the Lake Superior. Half way down the lake there was a rock outcropping all by itself at the edge of the beach. In the background was an island.
I set up my tripod low so that I could eliminate as much of the water surface between the rock outcrop in the foreground and the the far island. There is a bit of color in the late evening sky. But nothing dramatic. There is a stark contrast between the black of the volcanic rock and the bold colors of the lichen that forms on theses rocks. Add a couple little plants to the recipe to create this composition. This location is worth a few more trips to photograph.
Well that is it for now. The 36th La Cloche Art Show is now in full swing. It runs till Sunday July 14th from 11 a.m. – to 5:00 p.m.
Two of my works is on display there.
Thank you everyone for stopping by for a visit. Until next time happy trails.
As I strolled the beaches in Pukaskaw National Park, I was on the lookout for something unique to photograph. In Horse Bay I came across a large chain attached to a piece of driftwood and buried in the sand. This chain probably comes from the time of logging in this area. The chains were used to hold the large timbers together to create log booms to haul to market.
I elected to shoot this composition vertically to keep things tight and not become over crowded. Thus the focal point is the chain and driftwood piece. At the same time you get at sense of the location. Which is a sandy beach, lots of driftwood, shoreline and sky. There is even rock in the background. The beaches on Lake superior are loaded with driftwood at the high water mark.
This weekend is the start of the 36th La Cloche Art Show. If you are in the area go and check it out. Well that is it for this week. Until next time happy trails
I drove into Paul Smith’s yard and told him he had three choices,stay home and do his own thing,Go photographing Sandhill Cranes or go to Killarney.It did not take Paul long to make up his mind.Killarney it was.We both enjoyed a cup of coffee before hitting the road to Killarney.This was not a well planned trip as we did not pack any lunch or water.It was a spur of the moment adventure.
The sky was cloudy with a light breeze,but there was no rain in the forecast.I drove into the Killarney Provincial Park parking lot.We proceeded to walk into the office and store where Paul conversed with a park official whom he knew.He showed us where to go to get good scenic views on George Lake and off we went.I drove through the camping area down to the beach area and parked.I noticed that there was a few campers here.
We noticed a rock outcrop in a small bay and headed in that direction.I fell in love with the parallel lines the rocks made into the water and if you count you will find there are eight points projecting into the bay.I set up my camera and tripod to capture the angle that you see and I also photo tight.I did not want to show broad leaf trees as they are still bare at this time.The wind was very light so it was a matter of waiting for a calm moment to capture some reflection in the water.I probably spent an hour and a half in this set up as the lighting kept changing.I shot the above photo with a zoom setting of 70 mm, the shutter speed set to 1/6 sec @ f22,I was able to capture this pleasing composition.
Walking along the beach I noticed two rocks positioned one ahead of the other in front of a point of land.The water was calm and the reflection was perfect.I took three shots here to create a panoramic. I also kept things tight here as there was swathes of leafless trees in the background.I shot this series of photos with a zoom setting of 100 mm nd the shutter speed set at 0.3 sec @ f22.
As I scanned the far shoreline I noticed this beautiful rock reflecting into the water.But what really caught my eye was the clump of birches also reflecting into the water.I put the two elements together in this photo by adjusting the position of the camera and tripod and came up with this composition.Unfortunately there is a dock in front of the rock,but I can live with it.
The Poplar are now in flower while the Maple and Oaks have a reddish tinge to them now.It will not be long until Spring will be in full swing.Please check out my good friend Jan Winther’s new photographic blog.I am sure you will enjoy it.
So until next time,happy trails.
Ken Bennison's Photography 