The Fall of each year brings out the muted earth colors of the vegetation in the north country. The spectacular display of the Maples and Oaks are mostly finished. The temperatures are getting colder. What is left?
The rich yellows and browns of various grasses growing in swampy areas. Black Spruce is common in wet areas. Therefore giving you green color in the low light of afternoon. spectacular, no. Just a nice soft blend of color pleasing to the eye.
There is a small lake in Superior Provincial Park alongside Highway 17. It is named Moose Lake. There is a clump of skeletal Black Spruce that caught my eye. I first saw this set up in 2013. We were always passing by at the wrong time. Bad lighting. This year Maureen and I spent 5 days at Superior Provincial Park in late August.
What attracts me to this scene. The Black Spruce. As the sun lowers in the sky, the grayish color of the dead Spruce becomes more intense. The grey color stands out in a sea of green. The channel leading back to these skeletal trees gives me a lead in. An added bonus is that the late evening sun was highlighting the hill in the background. This in turn created a golden reflection in the foreground. Now I did not want to show to much of this golden reflection. Therefore I kept it tight. Doing this allowed for more lead in to the Black Spruce. Showing too much of this colorful reflecting would lead to a distraction. For depth we have four layers here. The shoreline, Black Spruce, The evergreens behind and then the sunlit hill in back.
You may ask me if I knew that the hills would light up. The answer would be no. But I have also seen this many times . I had set my composition in the camera on the tripod. Taken a few shots. Then low and behold the hills lit up. I quickly started shooting and shortly the lighting was gone. Be there. That is all I can tell you. The Black Spruce always adds drama to your work. You can not miss them when they are in the dead form.
Another week has gone by, so until next time happy trails
I was exploring the logging roads in back of Batchawana. It was a wonderful feeling to watch the road ahead. I was driving through a canopy of vibrant fall colors. Cresting hills to a view of hill tops alive with dynamic colors that only Fall can give. Making my way along the side of theses hills with a stream flowing far below. Looking past the stream to the craggy rock faces through the tree canopy. The road was in good repair as they were hauling logs here. As I approached the Y in the road I turned right onto a narrower gravel road. Both sides of the road had been cut over. With it being late evening I had no worries of meeting a log truck. I had conversed with the logging people. From them I learned that they were finished each day by 6:00 PM. This piece of road had very few pull offs and it was relatively new.
I came upon this composition in the cutting area. With some vibrant color in the background. The ghostly appearance of the Black Spruce in decay reflecting upon the water. Small boggy islands in the middle ground for added depth. Then the total reflection in the foreground. I purposely left out the sky for more even lighting over the scene. This is one of those compositions that can seem busy.This is a very detailed scene overall. But at the same time alive and peaceful. These locations are one of my favorites to just sit and absorb the wealth of color and patterns involved. But overall I like the final composition. Remember rules can be broken.
That is it for this week. Until next time happy trails
Sitting on a moss covered rock
Surrounded by Black Spruce
Squashing a skeet now and then
The pesky critters would dive-bomb
To sting the back of my neck
A well beaten moose trail
Traverses the swamp edge
A scene of stillness
The open water quiet and benign
The ghostly dance of mist
Transforms the summer morning
The sun not yet risen
A channel leads one’s eye
To the far hills
The Black Spruce dark and ominous
At the shore’s edge
Protruding rocks break the shoreline
A cliff rises in the channel
The sun’s rays slowly creep
Over the shadowed land
Light filters through the mist
The far hills unfold
In the morning light
Fingers of light creep
Through the dark shadows
The mist is still swirling
A pair of Loons appear
Dark shapes in the mist
The warmth of the morning sunlight
Chasing the night shadows before it
The mist now dissipating
Exposing the Boreal Forest
Rising from my moss covered rock
I quietly trudged up the hill
With one last look
As I crested the hill
Another memory to preserve
Ken Bennison's Photography 