Tag Archives: Killarney Provincial Park

Photography

NW Corner

Leave a comment

GeorgeLake_0671

I ventured into the Northwest corner of George Lake last Friday evening and Saturday evening to photograph the quartz rock ridge that is located in a small bay. This quartz rock formation has great detail to work with. Friday I canoed here with a friend and then Saturday I hiked in. I must say the bugs are bad at this time of year. They can cause a few problems with photographing by leaving streak marks on your photo or just a nice blurry blob.

There are just enough trees and shrubs on the side of the rock face to add depth and contrast. I framed the rock with a portion of the forest at the top. I tied this rock structure in with a portion of the La Cloche Mountains . There was a lone cloud in the upper right corner surrounded by blue sky. There was also some mist like cloud cover that can be seen.

While that is it for this week. I am off for a four day canoe trip tomorrow into Norway Lake in Killarney Provincial Park. So until next week week happy trails.

Photography, Poetry

Art by Nature

4 Comments

Killarney_0553

 

The forest in shadow

Beside a small lake

On a Spring morning

Dawn is now breaking

The sky is brighter

A trickling of sunlight

Coming unexpectedly

Through the dark  Pines

Edging the boughs gold

The rippled lake surface

Creates a colorful abstract

Of gold, green and black

Of the forest reflection

A dazzling array of color

Radiant before your eyes

Mother Nature’s own art

For those who see

Soon lost in time

 

We can be totally overwhelmed by the grand scene before us.But if you were to look within that scene, you will find small things happening around you. The lighting is ever changing. Look for the small details of what that lighting is doing. Many times I have gone out to photograph a scene and as I am capturing that composition  my eyes pick up on another possibility. Train your eyes to be constantly on the move. Lighting is fickle. So be prepared to work quickly. Make light and shadow work for you.

That is all for now. Until next time happy trails

 

Photography

A Y Jackson 2014

3 Comments

Killarney_0534HR

4:20 AM. I loaded up my gear into my Escape. First stop was Tim Horton to pick up a coffee and a bite to eat for the road. Traffic was light as I drove down to Killarney. Wildlife was scarce on the Killarney highway. This trip I saw one yearling Black Bear and a Fox. I arrived at Killarney Provincial Park and parked at the East end of George Lake. Loading up my gear I walked to the trail that would take me to A Y Jackson Lake. I climbed up the ridge huffing and puffing. This is a fairly steep ridge that you have to tackle right away. It is only a ten minute hike into George Lake.

As I arrived at my destination I saw that the lake surface was calm. This was my first chance to use my new tripod. I had purchased a Gitzo GT1541 carbon fibre Tripod and a BH-40 LR from Really Right Stuff. As soon as the camera was set up on the tripod the wind started to ripple the lake surface. Go figure. I waiting I succeeded in getting the above capture with the morning sunlight illuminating the shoreline on the left and just catching the tree tops on the right. The La Cloche Mountains in the background had a bit of mist. This is one of my favorite lakes to photograph. The best time to get a composition is early morning. My next trip means I will have to get up at 4:00 AM to get the most out of a morning shot. There was a few mosquitoes around but for some reason they were not biting. The black flies were   scare this morning.

That is it for now, so until next time happy trails.

Photography

Morning at Cave Lake

Leave a comment

CaveLake_5651

 

On my trip to Cave Lake I had hiked there on my own. I spent the night in my tent alone. It actually went better than I expected. A person seems to develop acute hearing during the night and I am deaf. You can start hearing sounds that are real or imaginary. But all in all I survived the night. I woke up to a beautiful morning with the local black fly population waiting for me. They were thick.

Walking along the shoreline I came across this small rock point jutting out into the lake. There were no clouds in the sky as per usual. I set up my tripod and Canon 7D to place the rock point to the right in my composition. By chosen to have the rock point angled to the center of my composition you can get more of a 3D  effect in your work. It also allowed me to eliminate some of the lake surface.  I showed just a touch of shoreline in the foreground bottom right. There were some small rocks and grass there. The small rocks allowed for a comparison of boulder size in relationship to the rock point. There is a lot of detail in the rock structures to be found. The reflections allow for an almost 3D effect of the rock point. There is a piece of broken wood on the rock edge for added interest. The green vegetation breaks up the rock color for a better appeal.

I was able to have the far treeline angle down into the center of the composition from the top left. I kept the sky to a minimum here. You can notice the fresh green of the Maples among the evergreens. You get this effect well into June. This gives you various shades of green for better contrast. One of the things you have to be aware of is that you have to disturb the blackflies in front of your lense. If not you can get a nice looking blurry spot on your photo.

Well that is all for now. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Cave Lake, Killarney Provincial Park

2 Comments

CaveLake_5635

The above scene was taken at Cave Lake, Killarney Provincial Park. This was the only trip I had made so far. It requires about a 2 hour hike to reach with two campsites available. I hiked here in June of 2012. The bugs were very bad. Mosquitoes on the rampage in the evening, then dawn I was assaulted by Blackflies. This is not a big lake. The East shoreline is completely forest covered. It appears to be fairly good incline from the top of the La Cloche Range to Cave Lakes water edge. But there is a small section of rock protruding among the evergreens down to the water’s edge. The neat thing about it was that when the lake’s surface calmed, you would swear there was a cave at the base.

This was a dawn shot that I composed. I put some rock surface in the foreground to eliminate so of the water and to add depth. There is some green vegetation in the bottom right corner. Very nice detail of lichen on the rock surface. At this time of year everything is fresh looking. There are some Pine boughs along the edges to add more depth. I wanted to create the feeling that you are standing on that rock and looking towards that hole in the rock on the far shore. With the dense forest across the way there is a combination of low morning like striking the evergreens plus the lighter green of new growth. This will give you beautiful contrast and effect. Plus this is all reflected into the water.

CaveLake_5644

I created a close up shot of that rock structure and was rewarded with the tiered effect going diagonally to the water. An interesting bent Pine is growing on the bottom part of the ridge. Now we can get a better view of the cave effect. Again utilizing the low early morning light and new growth for contrast and break up the all green effect.

Well that is it for this time. So until next time happy trails

Photography

The David Lake Series

4 Comments

DavidLake1

 

The above composition is another panoramic that I captured at David Lake, Killarney Provincial Park. It was late Sept. The Fall colors were not in there full glory yet. This composition contains two overlapping photos to achieve the desired scene that I wanted. The dark scudding clouds added to the mood.  The blown highlights do not turn me on. That is were the morning sun was risen. The little rock islands have great texture that is common in this area. The addition of mist adds to the mood. The mist was coming off the land and moving from left to right. I believe the added colors of Fall in the forest in the background gives added contrast. You can just glimpse the La Cloche Mountains in the background.

The weather here is getting warmer, snow is melting. Happy Easter to everyone. So until next time happy trails.

Photography, Poetry

Entrance To Killarney Lake

3 Comments

KillarneyLake

It is late June.

The evening sun low

In the western sky

Sunlight filters through

The shoreline Pines

Pine pollen drifts on the quiet waters.

The La Cloche Mountains

Visible through the narrows

Clouds are scudding overhead

Moose tracks are visible

Along the muddy shoreline

Only hours old

A scene that greets

Many a portaging canoeist

As they journey into

The heart of the

White quartz La Cloche Range

Threading their laden canoes

Through narrow channels

Paddling gently to observe

The quiet evening beauty

Before emerging into the

A clear, sapphire lake

That is Killarney Lake

Set among Jack Pine hills

White quartz ridges rise

High on either side

Pink granite scattered haphazard

Along the rugged shorelines

A tranquil scene

Of turquoise blue waters

In the even stillness

Before the last rays

Of the setting sun

Spring is here now in the North Country. It is getting warmer. But the snow is deep.

Until next time happy trails.

Photography

A Quiet Place To Be

9 Comments

DavidLake_12x44a

This is a scene I captured at David Lake, Killarney Provincial Park. The clouds were fast moving here. The wind was kicking up a fuss here and there. It was one of those trips where  photographing was very sporadic. On the left is a point of land that I placed to the left of my composition. A small rock outcrop in the front adds a sense of depth. Two rock islands with vegetation in the middle ground. Then in the background is the far shore that is just starting to show Fall colors. The sun is rising at the far left corner.

There is a touch of mist on the lake’s surface for added affect. The reflections tie in the composition nicely. This is a place where one could sit on a rock by the shore and enjoy a morning coffee. At the same time absorbing the surrounding landscape.  A few minutes later the wind picked up and the effect was gone.

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

Photography

A Morning At The Beach

13 Comments

George_Lake_0123b

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.

Photography

A Late Morning Composition

Leave a comment

OSALake4250

The above photo was taken last Fall at O S A Lake in Killarney Provincial Park.

It was late morning at our campsite. The La Cloche Mountains were ablaze in color.

Paul Smith and I were relaxing with our coffee after a dawn shot.

I happen to look across to the far shore. There is a small cove there.

A small group of evergreens grew here. The sunlight was highlighting these small trees.

I quickly set up my tripod and Canon 7D. My zoom lens is a Canon 28 to 135.

The resulting composition is quite pleasing with the color and lighting.

I will be at the Rubber Boot festival in Noelville this coming Saturday.

http://rubberbootsfestival.com/festival-2013/

I had 4 Special Recognition at the 15 th Annual Contemporary Art Juried Online Juried Art Exhibition by Upstream People Gallery

2 of my works were selected to the RBC Dominion Securities “Art Impact”
Juried Art Show in Sudbury Ontario

This show is up coming sometime in June.

Looking for a Mothers Day gift for Mom.

Check out my books by clicking on the buttons in the top right hand corner.

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