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Photography

Wolf Lake Part 4

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Monday morning dawned with no photo opportunities available.  Toasting bagels for breakfast with a steaming cup of coffee sure started the day right. It was a relaxing morning. But all good things come to an end. Thus we packed up, loaded the canoe and made our way to the landing. Pulling up on shore a young couple pulled in behind us. Tim and I quickly unloaded to give them room to pull in. This was a young couple hailing all the way from Pennsylvania USA. They were on a one week canoe trip here. The  lad had ripped his knee open on the rocks somewhere. He was toughen it out though. Tim and I soon had my Ford Escape loaded with the canoe tied down. Before long we  where  at Highway 17E . Tim loaded his gear into his SUV. Shaking hands and saying our goodbyes we parted once again. A great trip. I told Tim I was stopping at the first Tim Horton’s for lunch.

I ordered a soup and chicken salad sandwich.  As I was busy eating my lunch, I noticed Tim standing there with a very worried look on his face. Tim asked me if I had seen his camera bag in my Escape. Saying no, I headed out to check. We were worried that the camera might be back at Wolf Lake. A quick search did not reveal his camera bag. Tim then checked his backpack and there was his camera bag. So all ended well and we parted once again.

I first saw this scene from our campsite. I love it when you can find side lighting as such. It  adds such magic to a composition. What you really have to watch here is that you do not blow out the highlights on the rocks. With the rocks a light grey and the lighting being a little harsh this can happen.

This concludes my first trip into Wolf Lake. It was very enjoyable. I hope to be back soon. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Wolf Lake Part 3

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WolfLake_1367

 

With breakfast over and drinking tea made with blueberry leaves and a couple cut up strawberries, the canoe was soon gliding over the calm waters. We headed towards the landing. Tim and I had decided the evening before to haul the canoe over into Dewdney Lake for some bass fishing. I walked to the truck for our fishing gear. I saw a bag that had spices in it. Opening it I spotted the coffee and tea there. Wow that was so good.  Launching the canoe, slowly paddling the shorelines we were soon casting our fishing lines towards shore. In the process we caught and released 30 to 40 Smallmouth Bass. Most were not of any size, but a pleasant diversion for the day. After a couple hours it was time to head to shore for lunch. There was not much wind and it was getting hot. Tim commented that the sun was getting to him and I was beginning to have a headache. Not to complicate things we headed back to camp. At the campsite I laid down in the tent for a nap while Tim went for a swim. When I woke up and met Tim at our chairs we both had cooled down. Tim spoke about how cold the water was and as he dove deeper it got colder.

Evening arrived and photographic wise you could not ask for better. The wind became calm, lighting became great, just an awesome time for a photographer. We set up among the islands to capture the compositions. The one above is one of the results. Finally the wind came back, but that was okay as it was becoming dark and time to head back to camp.

Photography

Bog Pond

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Launching the canoe onto Bassfin Lake on a warm sunny afternoon, Don Duprius and I glided over the rippled lake surface. We entered a world of quiet and beauty. We paddled  lazily along heading for the North shore. Having brought our fishing gear along, we were soon drifting along with the breeze catching 4 to 5 inch perch. Nothing to write home about. A good way to past time until the evening shot started.

Removing my watch from my pocket, I noticed that it was now 5:30 p.m. I suggested to Don that we go head to shore for supper. Don was in agreement and the canoe was soon beached ashore. Grabbing our lunch bags we sat along the shore and ate supper. The bug population has been dramatically reduced so it was a pleasure to sit on the rocks in the shade looking over the lake before us. Having finished eating, Don stretched out for a nap and I commenced to explore the shoreline. As I entered a small cove a small stream appeared ahead of me. Upon approach it, I noticed how clear the water was as it entered the lake. Kneeling down I ran my hand into the water. It was quite cool feeling specially for this time of year. I called Don over and he suggested we backtrack the stream to its source. So off we went walking on higher ground as the stream was in dense vegetation.  As we made our way with the stream to our left, an opening appeared ahead of us. Don and I made our way down the sloping ground to the woods edge. We emerged upon a small bog pond surrounded by lush vegetation and tiny white flowers.

I quickly returned to my canoe to gather up my camera equipment. Reappearing at the pond’s edge, the camera and tripod in hand I made a quick survey of my surroundings. With the sun settling to the west, I decided to move around the pond to my left to eliminate sun glare on the camera lens. Now this pond was dominated by the various shades of green. I was cast in shadow around me which would also effect my foreground.I felt this would add to the depth of the photo. I also thought that the best way to portray this scene was by doing a panoramic to capture the sense of the mood. That it was quiet and peacefulness. There was also a feeling of serene beauty about this location. Like an oasis in the woods. With the lush vegetation and clear waters, I was of the  impression that this was a spring fed pond. As I walked along the pond edge I had the feeling of walking on air. The vegetation underfoot was holding me up. I had to remain completely still to allow everything to settle down. I have my camera set to 2 sec. after the push of the shutter button. Thus helping to eliminate vibration. Completing my series of shots I took one last look at this little oasis in the woods and hiked back to Bassfin Lake. I believe that I will return here in the near future.

This coming week-end I will be set up at the Killarney Art Show along with many other artists. The show runs Saturday and Sunday. For more info go here.

http://www.killarneyartshow.com/

Till next time happy trails.

Photography

River’s Curature

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Sudbury_0167

The above photo was captured on my short hike last Monday. The same river that flows out of Kelly Lake. This composition is about using the river’s curvature to create a composition. I love the effect of snow on the cedars and evergreens for added detail. That was one reason I added part of the evergreen in upper right hand corner. Last years vegetation adds contrast with the snow without being messy.

That is it for now. Thank you for stopping by. Until next time happy trails.

Photography

Winter Shoreline Patterns

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With the weather warming up I decided to go on a mid morning hike. Gathering up my camera gear, I drove to the Fielding Park parking lot. It was a bright cloudy day. Thus making for even lighting. I crossed the Fielding Road and picked up the trail that follows  the river flowing out of Kelly Lake. It was a beautiful morning. There was no wind. There was fresh snow on the ground. The evergreens had a blanket of snow. So nice to be there.

As I traversed the trail I was met by a lone chickadee flirting from branch to branch above my head. On the river ahead of me was a large flock of Common Mergansers. Walking on I spotted a dip in the far shoreline with interesting patterns. There were tracks following the shoreline that could add interest to the scene. Those tracks had to be an old set of tracks as there was a covering of snow in them.

I set up on the trail with my tripod. If you stepped off the trail you were in deep snow. I set this up as a tight shot. Up in the left hand side their is a clump of vegetation. But most important you will see a diagonal line running down to the water’s edge. This will help give more depth to the photo. I kept the water to a minimal to just allow the reflections to show. There is tremendous detail to be had in this composition. I must say that the tracks help create this scene.

The weather is changing here. It is warming up. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

An Evening at Bassfin

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BassfinLake_2508

This is a photo that I composed when Maureen and I spent a wonderful evening canoeing on Bassfin Lake. We were paddling out of a secluded bay through a narrow channel leading to the main lake. The bright red coloring of the rocks caught my attention here. I motioned to Maureen that we would pull up to the red colored island. Gathering my camera equipment I was soon set up and composing my shot. The sun was below the horizon now. The water surface like a mirror. Mother Nature was at her best in providing cool geometric shapes created by the reflections. There was a touch of clouds in the background to offset the blue sky. A perfect ending for a lovely evening spent with my wife in a back bay isolated from everything but nature.

Well that is it for now. Until next time happy trails.

Photography

A Humid Day

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Tuesday morning came as a wet cloudy affair. I spent the morning getting caught up with my work. Just before lunch I looked out the window to notice that it had stopped raining. There was a mist to be seen and the wind was almost non existing. With a quick lunch, I loaded up my gear and headed up to Paradise Lagoon. As I traveled the Matagamasi Road I stopped here and there to capture various scenes that attracted me. The humidity was high. It was a bright cloudy day. Everything was wet and there was a mist in the air. This made for some intense colors. The forest vegetation is changing color now.

As I was photographing by a lake, a truck came around the bend in the road. They stopped and I was asked if I knew the way to Wolf Mountain. Giving them directions I told them I was going to Paradise Lagoon. If they liked I would take them there. I loaded up my gear and off we went. We soon arrived at the side road and parked. Loading up my gear I lead the way up the bush road to the trail that takes you to Paradise Lagoon. Being so humid we were all soaked from sweat and the water coming off the trees. After our arrival and quick look around we parted company.

The above shot was a location that I wanted to capture previously. Due to high water I was not able to. I removed my running shoes and socks, but then after observing the rocks in the water I decided to put my running shoes back on. There was some pretty sharp looking rocks under the water. Using my tripod as a walking stick I cautiously waded the stream till I was in position. I now was knee deep in water. The intensity of the rock colors was vibrant There is enough greenery to offset that with the water being on the dark side due to the cloudy skies. The water felt good running around my legs and was not cold.

No matter how many times you return to a location there is always something new to find. The lighting is different. The water levels change and the various seasons have an effect.

Well that is it for this week. I am busy getting ready for the Anderson Fall Fair this Saturday. The Anderson Farm Museum is located in Lively Ontario. I will be set at the stable with my work from 10 to 4. So if you are in the area stop by for a fun time. My running shoes are still drying out from the episode in the river, but I got the photo that I wanted.

So until next time happy trails

Photography

Keep it Simple

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FoxLakeRd_1956

 

It was late Sunday afternoon when I turned off Hwy 144 North of Onaping onto the Chicago Mine Road. It was a beautiful sunny day with cloud cover. The wind was minimal. I drove past Windy Lake Provincial Park. It seemed to be closed for the season. There are a number of small  lakes along this stretch of road. I was heading to the Ladder on John’s Creek. It is located off of Fox Lake Road.

As I drove along I spotted the above scene on the far shore of a small lake by the road. The lighting was beautiful and it was fairly calm water with the slight ripple. I set up my tripod. Mounted my Canon 7D. I switched to the Canon 70 to 200 L Series lens. My objective here was for a tight vertical shot without overloading the composition. Keep it simple. We have a lot of vertical lines here in the form of tree trunks. They add a grey cast to offset the greens and yellows.

On the shoreline there is a nice clump of shrubs growing to give depth. The sun is to the right and as it is getting later in the year it is much lower to the horizon, allowing for some very good lighting. The sun is casting light on various parts of the scene. I used only a small portion of the reflections for a better effect. What you have here is basically 1/3 water and 2/3 forest. This is like taken a pair of scissors and cutting out the part of the scene you want.

I have added a new print available for sale. It can be found in the Fine Art Prints section on my blog.

I received an honorable mention at the My Art 2013 juried Landscape Completion

http://myartcontest.com/winners-feb.html

I will be set up at the Anderson Farm Fall Fair in Lively Ontario this coming Saturday.

Well that is it for now. Until next time happy trails.

Photography

An Evening in Paradise

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ItParadise_1517

Tuesday afternoon I had decided to go back up by Wolf Lake to where I had photographed in June. The location was the series of waterfalls at Lagoon Paradise. By now the water levels will have dropped exposing the colorful rocks that were underwater. I picked up Gerard Leduc mid afternoon and we were soon on our way. We stopped at Tim Horton’s to pick up our coffee and then we headed East on Highway 17. It was a nice sunny day with a slight breeze. Just great to be out. It was not long before we turned off onto the Kukagami Road. We were now traveling on gravel roads. As we approached the Y, I turned left onto the Matagamasi Road. We drove past Bassfin Lake heading North.

It was an uneventful trip to our destination, but always some nice scenery to observe. We were soon at the drop off point and I parked the Ford Escape. Gerard and I loaded up our camera gear and started hiking up the logging  road. Picking up the trail off the road, the sound of  running water soon reached our ears. The humidity appeared to be high here among the trees and both of us were sweating. It is a fifteen minute walk to the waterfalls. We arrived at the water’s edge and found a good place to sit by the upper pool. Gerard and I ate our sandwiches while we waited for the sun to drop lower. Just being here observing the scene around us was a pleasure. I always enjoy the sound of running water.

There was some heavy cloud cover overhead that hid the sun for brief periods. I set up my tripod and 7d to capture the scene you see above. I now had a chance to try out my new 70 to 200 f4 Canon L series lens. It allowed me to get a better and tighter composition than my Canon 24 to 135 zoom would do. Especially for this particular photo. I loved the color of the rocks in this scene. Also I fell in love with the fern in the upper right hand corner. It is these little attentions to detail that can make or break a good composition. You also get a wide variety of earth  colors. I using a faster shutter speed I was able to get some very unique patterns in the water. It was then just a matter of waiting for the sun to hid behind a cloud to start shooting.

Suddenly the quiet was interrupted by a splash of water to my right. A young couple with their son and daughter had just arrived and were soon swimming in the pool. In conversation with the Father I learned that this was there first time here. They had learned about Paradise Lagoon from a guy on CBC Radio One talking about this location and the fact that it was located within the Greater City of Sudbury. I am also starting to see evidence of garbage in the form of water bottles and so forth. The price you pay for too many people finding these locations. Shortly afterwards five teenage boys showed up and were having a great time at the pool. This pretty much put an end to photographing for this evening. Also the fact that I had forgot to charge my batteries for the camera didn’t help.

While that is it for this week. Thank you for the comments and stopping by. Every one have a safe Civic Holiday long weekend. Until next time happy trails.