The morning mist in rolling
The morning sun arriving
The rocky shoreline ghostly
Full of color in the low light
The lichen showing bright
The mornings cool lighting
Mother nature’s palette of colors
Of an artist’s earth tones
This composition was created one morning at the lighthouse near Killarney on Georgian Bay
Exploring the Georgian Bay shoreline in Killbear Provincial Park on a cool Fall evening, a series of small rocks appeared before me. I thought now this would make an interesting composition. The rocks were of different color and texture. The sloping rocky points in background gave depth along with added color. It was still early evening and I decided to keep on exploring. I would return later when the lighting would be much improved.
Returning just after the sun had lowered to the horizon, the above scene was captured with much warmer lighting to enhance the color of the rock structures. I set my tripod up very low. I was on my knees to get the effect I wanted. With a slower shutter speed I was able to smooth out the water to a nice pleasing ripple. The setting sun created a nice yellow glow on the water. The lichen scattered on the slopping rock adds a nice touch. It is all the little things that add up to a good composition. This is a place to just sit and relax to enjoy the view before you before darkness sets in.
I would like to share with you the work of Carole Rodrigue. Carole is a still life artist specializing in contemporary realism. She is a proud member of the International Guild of Realism.
To view still life art at its best, check out Carole’s Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/CaroleRodrigueartist
It is getting cold in my part of the country. Christmas is coming. I have to get my Christmas shopping done. I am working on another book to be published next year. I have been accepted at the American Juried Art Salon’s 19th International Art Contest. One of my photos received a perfect score. More to come later.
For that unique Christmas gift check out my Fine Art Print Page.
https://kenben.org/fine-art-prints/
Or maybe a book of photos and poetry of Northern Ontario wilderness.
Thank you for stopping in. Until next time happy trails
The above photo was taken on my last trip to Killbear Provincial Park. I had been exploring the West end of the park when I came across the scene above. It was just a matter of waiting for dusk to come. This is a tight shot going to infinity. I wanted to emphasis the boulders here. There is a touch of Fall to be seen in the trees flowing down to the water. The background has beautiful color from the setting sun to give a nice touch to the clouds. There is a tremendous detail to be found in these boulders.
On a previous trip to Nares Inlet Gerard Leduc and I were walking the shoreline exploring for photo opportunities. Nares Inlet is part of Georgian Bay. I had parked my Ford Escape in the parking lot of Springhaven Lodge. As we walked the shoreline Gerard pointed out an interesting rock structure that jutted out into the bay. It had the shape of an Indian head. This was pretty cool. In my travels I have come across many such faces created by Mother Nature. Whether human or animal they are out there if you look. They are also called the faces of the Grandfather by native people.
I set my tripod up for the best angle to portray this feature. The water had a blue color that would really make the head stand out. The rock formation had a lot of detail from the colors available to the rock formations themselves. There was a clump of small rocks that I used for my foreground to add depth. If you look closely you will see a small brownish rock in a depression that gives the impression of an eye on the head.
Well that is it for this week. Thank you for stopping by. Until next time happy trails.
The above photo was captured on my first trip to Killbear Provincial Park. It was now getting late in the evening. The rock color and texture here are truly beautiful. There is something to be said about rocks that have the texture and detail.With the right lighting they become a work of art. I used the rock in the foreground for added depth. I included part of a Pine tree and ground vegetation in the upper right corner to break the color. You can just see the far horizon with an island. When your eyes go there you may want to know what lies beyond. As it was getting late my shutter speed was at 6 sec and f22. With that said, the water will appear smoother and the clouds have a nice affect. Using Photoshop I added a touch of color in the sky to break up the blue and also to complement the coloring of the rock.
Thank you all for stopping by. Also thank you for subscribing to my blog. I am fast approaching the 500 mark. Again thank you. Until next time happy trails
Come sit with me
By the meandering stream
That flows through the forest
Listen to the water
Flowing freely among the rocks
Listen to the wind
Singing in the tree tops
Inhale the rich earthly smell
Of the forest around us
See the dainty wildflowers
Nodding in the wind
An array of vibrant color
A moss coloured log
Lies before us
Rich in green and brown
Slowly being reclaimed
Back to the earth
The voice of a songbird
Singing his colourful melodies
Amongst the low growing shrubs
Declaring his everlasting love
To his nearby mate
High up in a Red Pine
A noisy red squirrel
Chatters and scolds a chipmunk
With puffed out cheeks
Sitting on a stump
A cotton tail rabbit
Hops into the clearing
Feeding along the forest edge
Always alert to danger
A chorus of song
Can be heard by the stream
It is the music of frogs
Quietly a whitetail doe
Steps from the forest
Approaches the streams edge
Alert for danger
She turns her head
Two spotted fawns emerge
From the forest shadows
To join their watchful mother
The doe lowers its muzzle
To the clear cold stream
Quenching her thirst
As the fawns explore
Then silently as they came
They faded into the woods
Evening is fast approaching
The woods are darkening
The sun is lowering
Soon to be gone
Shadows have lengthening now
It is time to head home
The trail beckons us
The stars will guide us
On our journey home
This poem is about slowing life down and enjoying the intimate world of nature.
To enjoy your surroundings and a relaxing way to observe the woods in your area away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The above photo was taken in Chutes Provincial Park.
There was a nice bit of color on the far shoreline.
Using the rocks in midstream of the Aux Sable River as my lead in I created the above composition.
Well the weather has changed here to rain and in the upcoming week snow flurries. The temperatures are now dropping.
So until next time happy trails
Wednesday morning I crawled out of bed at 4:45 A M. Loaded my cooler with food and water for the day. Grabbed my camera bag and tripod. My goal was to arrive at Killarney Provincial Park at daybreak. I stopped at Tim Horton’s for my coffee and was soon on my way. I arrived at the park a little after daybreak . The first thing I noticed was that a slight breeze was dancing here and there on the lake surface. Hmm not so good.
I unloaded my camera gear and set up my equipment behind Turner Point on George Lake. This is a very unique rock point with its own character. Many times what I have seen with this type of conditions is to just create your composition in your viewfinder and wait. It was not too long before the water became smooth again. I was then able to get my shot. One of the problems I had here was that Turner Point was getting a lot of sun. The rock could easily have blown highlights. On the other end of the scale the right side of the photo was in shadow as was part of the mountain side. On the plus side you can see the sunlight highlighting some of the trees on the mountains.
By 8:00 A M the photographing was finished. I packed up and headed for the Chikanishing River. I left the Escape at the parking lot. I picked up the hiking trail that would take me down to the mouth of the Chikanishing River. This river empties into Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. There are beautiful time worn rock structures along the shore line plus some islands dotted here and there. By now it was getting hot. I found a nice spot to rest out of the sun under an evergreen tree with a flat rock to rest my back. I had brought my e reader with me to pass the time. As I was reading I sensed something in front of me. It was a fairly large Garter Snake eyeing me. It stayed there for short time before moving off to my left and going under a rock.
Evening soon came, but no respite from the light breeze. I finally gave up around 8:00 P M. I wanted to be back at my Escape before dark. I was soon on my way home. While traveling on the Killarney highway I came upon a Moose cow with her twin calves from last year. They are quite scruffy at this time of year.
Well that is it for this week. It was great to finally get out in the outdoors and do some shooting. I will be at the Rubber Boot Festival in Noelville tomorrow.
So until next time happy trails.
Ken Bennison's Photography 