Lighting is the one most important aspect of a good landscape composition.
You must be observant at all times
This composition was captured on the French River
Tag Archives: French River
Morning On The French
Morning on the French.
During the night it had rained
Creating excellent detail on the rocks
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The French
The mist is rising
From dark moving waters
Of a river from
Times gone by
Sculptured rocks materialize
Through the fine mist
Tall stately pines
That guard the rugged shorelines
Of the dark moving waters
They were mere saplings
In the time of the voyageurs
Who paddled the dark
Moving waters of the French
Onwards in their yearly journeys
To and from their destinations
The dip of the paddles
The sound of canoes
Slicing through the dark waters
The shear rock walls
Like the halls of time
Echo with voyageur’s songs
A young bull moose
Emerges from the darkness
Of the receding night
Its horns glistening with morning dew
In search of a drink
From the dark moving water
A river otter quietly surfaces
From the dark moving waters
To feed on clams from
The dark river bottom
Cracking open its prize
To feed on the flesh
To be found within
The day is slowly emerging
From the shadows and mist
The eerie lonesome call
Of the Common Loon
Is heard in the distance
A Bald Eagle drifts
The warming air currents
Looking for a meal
To feed its hungry siblings
A warm South wind
Whispers through the trees
The mist has risen
From the dark moving waters
Scattered islands and rocky points
Appear in the morning light
The land is now awaken
To the coming new day
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An Evening At Recollet Falls
Last Friday I had to deliver greeting cards to Killarney Provincial Park. It was a leisure trip. My intentions originally was for a dawn shot in the Park. But due to a back issue I decided to hike down to Recollet Falls on the French River. I would do some evening shots. I arrived at the French River Visitor Center late afternoon. Before hiking the trail to Recollet Falls I stopped in at the visitor center for a coffee and say hello. I will have my work set up here for the upcoming long weekend.
Shouldering my camera bag and grabbing the tripod I made the trek along the hiking trail to Recollet Falls. I passed a number of people along the way who were returning from the falls. Upon arrival I followed the portage trail to the bottom of the falls. I would not truly call this a water falls as the drop in elevation is low. Unloading my gear I found a spot in the shade to sit on some rocks. I also had brought my e reader to pass some time. It was 4:45 and I had to wait until around 9:00 before I would begin shooting. As I sat there a gentleman came along. He was capturing the falls with his point and shot camera. We converse for awhile and we exchanged our names. John is from Southern Ontario. He and his wife were travelling back home from a two week vacation to various Provincial Parks.
As I sat there I got to thinking about the Indigenous peoples who traveled through here in ages long ago. The Voyageurs hauling there Montreal canoes and launching them were I sat as they made there way West with trade goods. The Jesuit missionaries also passed through here to spread there religion. There is a lot of history in this location. It was nice to sit back and listen to the sound of running water that is soothing to the ears. The sun slowly dipping to the West. The changing light patterns. A little House Wren appeared beside me as I lounged on my rock seat. I have not seen one of these little birds in years. The House Wren is a plain brown song bird that is small in stature. Our meeting was over quickly and I was left with the memories of a chance encounter with a quaint little bird.
As the sun disappeared behind the treeline I set up my Canon 7D on the tripod and recorded the above shot. I put a bit of rock structure in the foreground. There was just enough vegetation to add contrast. The vegetation was small so as not to overpower. There was just a hint of lighting on the vegetation. In the background There is also a hint of lighting from the setting sun. These little attention to detail add to the overall effect of a composition. With out the sun blasting the rock face you achieve a nice warm color on these rocks. The lighting was not the greatest but I got what I wanted. I am sure I will return again.
As the evening darkened I packed up an made my way back along the trail to my Ford Escape. Well that is it for now. As I mentioned I will be at the French River Visitor Center this coming long week end. If you are in the area stop by for a chat. So until next time happy trails.
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Sunken History
Thursday morning of our three day French River trip to The Elbow was a little calmer. The waters were quiet in pockets. At the edge of the beach at our campsite was a piece of machinery sunk in the water. Don and I could see the remains of a boiler. There was a drum with gears at each end. Probably for holding cable. Where we were camped was were the loggers released the logs from the booms. The logs were then sent through the Dalles Rapids to continue the journey to the river’s mouth.
So I set up the scene with the rusted out equipment in the foreground. The green of the trees and their reflection created a frame of sorts. The reflecting rocks added contrast and depth to the composition. I had to quickly set up for a shot as the wind came back within minutes.
Thursday night after we had crawled into our sleeping bags, Don and I were treated to a display of lighting and thunder. It rained quite heavy. When the next morning arrived everything was very wet. The trees were dripping and the wind was picking up. We had breakfast and were soon loading the canoe for our journey home. As we launched the canoe the skies were getting darker. After a half mile of paddling the heavens opened and it did not take long before we were soaked. There was some lightning and thunder in the distance, but it was soon heard no more. We were going with the wind this time, so that was a bonus. We made it back to Hartly Marina in good time. Just a bit stiff and wet.
The gear and canoe were loaded into my Ford Explorer well it was raining. I paid our bill before heading to The French Trading Post for some hot soup and coffee. We had a great trip. I am looking forward to doing some more exploring on the French.
A friend of mine Ray Thoms has published an interesting book called SUDBURY -A Retrospective View, comprises of a series of images that show the evolution of our City over the years. More info can be obtained on Ray’s site here.
I will be in Killarney this coming weekend at the Killarney Art Show.
More info can be obtained here.
http://www.killarneyartshow.com/index.html
Well that is it for this week. Thank you for stopping by and visiting. Thank you for the comments.
Until next time Happy Trails
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The Elbow,French River
Received a phone call from a formal co-worker about going out on a 3 day canoe trip. Don Dupuis loves the outdoors, camping and canoeing. Don is also a member of the Search and Rescue Group. I suggested that we float the French River down to The Elbow. Don agreed and on Wednesday July 17 we arrived at the Hartley Bay House and Marina.
I payed our fees and we loaded up the canoe. It was a beautiful sunny day and hot. There was a chance of rain and thunderstorm activity in the forecast for the three days of our trip. It was 10:00 AM when we finally launched. As you paddle the French River you soon come to realize that this is not a small river. There are so many islands and bays to explore if one had the time. I estimated that we had approximately seven or eight kilometers to reach our destination. The wind was blowing towards us, but light. At about three kilometers from The Elbow we landed on an island to enjoy a shore lunch. As we ate the wind was picking up pretty good. So heading down stream we were now paddling into a strong wind that would gust from time to time. I have to tell you we where glad to spot The Elbow and look for a campsite. We chose campsite 625. It had a nice sandy beach. Don and I quickly unloaded the canoe and unfolded the camp chairs. A rest was in order. We both were feeling sore and hot. Must be getting old.
We finally got the campsite in order. It was time for a swim to cool off. That evening the wind was still blowing good and no possibility of photographing. The next morning we headed down to Dalles Rapids to explore around. Don and I pulled into the portage and walked it through. Then we hiked along the ridge until we came back to Dalles Rapids. We filtered water at the rapids as we had drank everything the day before. We returned to camp and after supper returned to Dalles Rapids for a little fishing until the sun lowered before doing some photographing. I managed to catch a couple smallmouth bass. The above composition is a result of my evenings photographing.
I was really turned on by the rock structure I found here and I had a large bent tree to add to the composition. There was beautiful detail and color to be had as the sun lowered.
Well that is it for this week. I will be in Killarney this weekend at the Killarney Art Show. For more info check here.
http://www.killarneyartshow.com/
My photo daybreak went live a week ago at the Exposure 2013 Exhibition at Long Island City New York.
I had an interview over at Exhibitions Without Walls that is now posted.
http://www.exhibitionswithoutwalls.com/?page_id=5934
So until next time happy trails
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Missing Ball
I came upon this composition on the French River one late summer morning. The rock structure in front of me was fabulous. It had color and a great amount of texture to go with it. I also put a bit of green grass in the foreground to add contrast. There was an island in front of me. I used a small portion of this island as my background. There is lots of color on and around theses rock formations. In between the water was calm. This gave me great reflections to tie in everything from front to back. You can also see the bottom of the river in the foreground for a nice effect. When I first looked at this composition I noticed a small beach ball by the grass, floating in the water. I can not remember whether I had seen this when I took the composition.
Thank you everyone for stopping by. So until next time happy trails.
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Morning On The French
A beautiful late summer morning on the French River, French River Provincial Park. As you can see in the composition above the early morning light is illuminating the scene on the left. The rocks on the far shore are now highlighted by the morning light. A touch of mist to add to the mood.You will notice that there are rocks in shadow where the sun has yet to appear.
Our snowstorm is over and looking forward to warmer weather now. Well that is it for now. Until next time happy trails
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Daybreak on the French
This photo dates back to last August. I was blessed with two mornings in a row of some exceptional lighting and atmosphere.The location was the French River at the Flat Rapids Campsite in The French River Provincial Park. The early morning sunlight started to filter through the trees on the point.This gave a beautiful glow in that area.Mist in the background,calm waters and colour in the sky on the left. The rock detail in the foreground is very detailed.
I was able to set my Canon 7D and tripod on a bit of slope to give me elevation and create more space between the two points.One thing I will point out is that being out on location time and time again is how you will get these kind of shots.Also take lots of shots.
I received a 10th place finish out of 455 entries at the Countryside Art Exhibition last week.I am much pleased with the results.You can check the website here.
http://www.lightspacetime.com/countryside-art-exhibition-november-2012/
Those of you who like a challenge should enter these shows.Well that is it for now.Until next time happy trails.
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The Dramatics of Lighting
This post continues my series of works dealing with the French River in the French River Provincial Park,Northern Ontario.With rainfall the previous night the early morning lighting is intensified as the rocks and vegetation are wet.There was heavy,dark cloud cover that morning.The sunrise was to my left.There was a small amount of mist on the water.Not a breath of wind to be had.
Suddenly a beam of light broke through the clouds creating the effect you see above.Golden yellow in color, it highlights the morning mist,illuminates the vegetation and creates an awe inspiring composition. These type of shots do not come everyday.But it sure makes for some interesting photographing when it occurs.It is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.It also helps to get splashes of lighting on the trees on the far shore to create the extra dramatics to the composition.
Well that is it for this week.Thank you for visiting.Until next time happy trails
Ken Bennison's Photography 