Tag Archives: landscape

Photography

Unique Rock Structures

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One of my favorite pastimes is hiking along lake shores looking for interesting rock patterns to create a photographic composition.More so if the rock structures are unique.I came across these unique rocks in a small back bay on a small lake in Killarney Provincial Park.The rocks are a reddish granite material.The rocks in the foreground had very interesting lines streaking the surface,adding a nice touch.Also there was a nice pine tree growing in the middle of the rocks with some interesting color effects.the reflection of the foreground rocks was perfect.Now in the background was another interesting granite rock formation that was of a different nature.I had a bit of a problem in that area with the wind so that a good reflection was not possible.By combing the two elements I was able to come up with the above photo.The photo was also taken late evening to get the nice soft lighting.

Well that is it for this week.I thank everyone for the lovely comments.Much appreciated.There is now a link on my blog to Fine Arts of America where by you can purchase some of my selected works.So until next time happy trails

Photography, Poetry

Four Sisters

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Not a breath of wind

Is to be had

The sky all red and orange

The dawn of a new day

Is upon the land

The Four Sisters eroded descendants

Of peaks once young in height

With quartz cliffs that gleam

Like snow from a far

A craggy imposing landscape

That others have passed

Many thousand of years before

Covered with jack pine ridges

Descending oak,maple and pine

Cover the mountain side

In the bowels of the mountains

Sapphire lakes gleam in the morning light

Mirroring the surrounding landscape

On their glass like surface

Sloping red granite offset

The stark white quartz

Upon a windswept ridge

A twisted pine braves the elements

Having landed there as a seed

Growing up as best as it can

Now part of the landscape

Bit by bit the Four sisters

Are revealed as rounded humps

Against the  glowering sky

Revealing their everlasting beauty

To paddlers and hikers now passing by

Being among the La Cloche Mountain system is a very inspirational experience for anyone who has been there.There is much beauty to be found as one canoes or hikes this mountain system in Killarney Provincial Park

The above scene is a series of photos put together to create the composition.I photographed the panoramic at O S A Lake in Killarney Provincial Park last Fall.At one point the mist was lifting and the sky was a gorgeous Orange and Red for a few minutes.In this particular section of the La Cloche Mountains their are four rounded humps visible on the South side of O S A Lake.The name Four Sisters is my own doing.

Photography

CONVERGENCE 2012

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With my wife Maureen and daughter Maryjean we drove to Owen Sound to attend CONVERGENCE 2012
49th Annual Juried Exhibition on January 15.We arrived late Saturday afternoon and booked into the Best Western down by the bay.

Before the evening got too dark Maryjean and I went out on the town to do some photographing.I had left my tripod at home. As the light decreased I started to run into problems with shutter speeds. Owen Sound has a lot of various churches that have beautiful architecture.I managed to create a composition with the above church before the lighting got too low. The biggest problem was to find an angle to capture these buildings without wires,stop signs,traffic lights and vehicles.

Sunday we arrived at the Tom Thomson Gallery for the open reception at 2:00 PM.It was well attended by about 300 people. I had two of my photos selected for this show.I received the Dr Allen Pollock Award for one of my photos.This was quite an honor. I met some great folks at the reception and the gallery is very well run by very great people.We had a nice weekend in Owen Sound.It was a nice break in the middle of winter.

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

Photography

Catch The Light

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By catching the light you can create an almost three – dimensional look to your photo.By utilization of the rock structure and evergreen trees to create the effect.Look at the evergreen trees and you will see that they really stand out as the result of the lighting upon them.The shadows around the lighted branches create this wonderful effect.This photo was taken at day break so you had very calm water with lovely reflections adding to the depth you wanted.By being patient and watching what is happening around you,the landscape is ever-changing in terms of the lighting.As the sunrises the light patterns will change.In this particular scene the sun is casting a lovely beam of light on the left side of the photo to highlight the trees.Yet still maintaining shadows in the middle of the photo.In turn this is all reflected on to the water’s surface.

As the morning progresses the whole scene will be lit up and you will lose the balance of shadows and light.I think this is very important if you want to take your photography to the next level.To recognize the lighting before you along with the shadows.You must know the area you are photographing.The direction of lighting at that time of day.Be patient. These shots are not available everyday.But with persistence you will be rewarded.

I captured this scene last Spring on A Y Jackson Lake in Killarney Provincial Park.By setting my Canon 7d on a tripod I was able to capture a great many shots as the conditions changed by staying in the same setup. The above photo also consists to two photos joined together.

Well that is it for this week.I hope everyone had a great Christmas as my family had.I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving comments.So until next week happy trails.

Photography

A Dog of A Stump

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As I am out photographing I am always on the lookout for something unique.Last June while camping on Killarney Provincial Park, Paul Smith and I were canoeing along the shoreline.The lake we were on was Killarney Lake.This is a large lake with clear turquoise blue water.We spotted a group of stumps along the shoreline in a little cove.I selected this particular one where the top of the stump was in the shape of a dog’s head.I set up the tripod and Canon 7D at the waters edge.By placing the stump in the foreground and the lens at f22 for depth I captured this composition.The water is so clear here that you can see the texture of the rocks underwater.

With an eye for detail you will be able to spot many such subjects such as this.Also bear in mind that it is the angle that you look that has a bearing on what you see.While that is it for this post.I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe one.I would like to thank everyone for coming for a visit.So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Late Summer Storm

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From out of the North

A cold wind blows

Churning the lake’s surface

Into a frothy turmoil

A Common Loon bobbing

On the surface of the lake

Paying no heed

Over the far horizon

Dark and ominous clouds appear

Soon to engulf the land

The sound of thunder

Off in the distance

Mother Earth’s warning

Of a storm fast approaching

The thunder rolls

Echoing through the mountains

Lighting flashes

Illuminating the landscape

In its momentary light

The rain dapples the lake’s surface

In endless patterns on the water

The rain falling steady now

To drench the landscape

The thunder rolls

The lightning flashes

As quickly as it came

The storm passes on

The sky is clearing itself

Of high scudding clouds

The sun has returned

To warm the land

The above photo was taken early one morning on O S A lake in Killarney Provincial Park.The early morning lighting and mist was great.I chose to create a panoramic view with the La Cloche Mountains.I also elected to create a black and white Image for effect.

Check out this blog by Danita Cahill who is a very talented lady.

http://miracahills.wordpress.com/

http://www.danitacahill.com/

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

Photography

A Northern Spring

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The smell of the earth is upon the wind

As the sun’s rays warm the land

Mother Earth awakens

From her cold slumber

The lakes once covered in ice

From the long Northern winter

Now home to migrating waterfowl

Rollicking on the lakes surface

The loons have returned

To their northern haunts

The bare trees now budding out

Soon to be dressed in a coat of new leaves

A moose calf born the year past

Foraging in a swampy bay

Ever alert for the presence of danger

A Blue Heron stalks the shoreline

In search of its elusive prey.

Song birds in a variety of color

Fluttering among the flowering shrub

Voicing their songs for all to hear

The sound of running water

From the hills above

Rushing down to merge into the lake

The first of the Spring flowers

Blooming on the forest floor

Heralding the return of Spring

Spring in the North Country is a joyous time.When the weather warms,everything grows anew after a long cold winter.

The above scene was recorded last Spring on A Y Jackson Lake in Killarney Provincial Park.I was attracted by the bent Pine tree and the rock formation.It took me a couple of attempts to photograph this composition.For what ever reason the wind would channel into here and I would feel it on my face as I walked down a beaver trail to the lake shore. But as you see I did manage to capture the photo.

Please check out David Gadreau’s blog .David specializes in wedding and portrait photography

http://davidgadreauphotography.ca/

Well that is it for this week’s post.So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Carlyle Lake

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The above composition was taken last May.Paul Smith and I launched our canoe at the West end of Carlyle Lake.This lake is one of the lakes in Killarney Provincial Park that is easily accessible.It was a beautiful warm sunny Spring day.The wind was light.It made for a day of leisure canoeing and exploring Carlyle Lake.The forest for the most part grew down to the shoreline with little rock structure of interest.Using our GPS we paddled into a bay about half way up the lake on the North shoreline.Not finding any possible photo locations we paddled across the bay to a small lake that we had seen on the map.There was also a camping site available between Carlyle Lake and Terry Lake.

Paul heard running water up ahead and sure enough there was a small creek running down into Carlyle Lake from Terry Lake.Beaching the canoe we explored the layout between the two lakes and had a look at the small lake.This lake turned out to be a swampy type of lake. Being lunch time we grabbed our sandwiches and water.We found a nice shady spot beneath a large White Pine.These White Pine are common to this area.It is so nice to just lean back against these large trees and just relax as you munch on the sandwiches. It is an opportunity to lot around and study the land.The above scene caught my eye.I was intruded by the sun highlighting a grassy point across from us.My biggest problem would be wind.

Having finished eating I grabbed the tripod and Canon 7D.First I looked to see what I could put together with that beautiful point of grass.I then noticed the rocks that you see on the right.This rock had character and structure.I also used the White Pine growing off the right hand rock as a fill in plus the lighting on the branches was beautiful.You will also noticed spots of light on other shrubbery as well as on the rock itself.Boy this was sure creating a very interesting composition.But as I mention before, I had a problem with the wind.The wind was light but it would ripple here and there but would not calm down.Finally after what seemed like hours I did manage to get the above shot.One thing about a not real sharp reflection is that you get a nice painterly affect.

So by using the rock structure on the right as foreground leading into the photo along with the greenish reflection on the water, I created the above composition.I thought it was pretty good for a middle of the day.

This week I would like you to check out Blue Maple Photography by Brian K Mollenkopf.Brian is an excellent photographer

http://www.bluemaplephotography.com/

Well that is it for this week,so until next week happy trails

Photography

Sitting By The Campfire

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Sitting by a campfire on a quiet summer night

The lake is now calm

With hardly a ripple

The stars are twinkling in the far heavens

A shooting star with a trail of light

In the darkness of the night sky

The light of the moon

Casts a silvery path on the surface of the lake

Beyond the light of the blazing campfire

Moonlight filters through the forest

Creating ghostly shadows upon the forest floor

The night creatures stir

Their nightly foraging just begun

The sound of an owl not far off

I hope this little poem invokes memories of summers past where we all sat around a campfire by the lakeside.Enjoying peace and solitude.

I have created a gallery with a small collection of fine art prints for sale.They would make very good Christmas gifts for friends and family.If you like please check them out here

http://kenbennison.wordpress.com/blog/

While,that is it for this post.So until next time happy trails.

 

Photography

Painting With Frost

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This post is a continuation of the post A Frosty Morning with my daughter.As we drove North on the Westbranch we spotted Rough Grouse on the roadsides.They would disappear back into the woods fairly quickly.I guess you would too if you were constantly being hunting.We soon left the Wakanasin River behind and were now following a much smaller river that meandered back and forth across the road.All the bridges appeared to have been repaired this year.

Looking down an  embankment we saw the above scene and decided to investigate.Gear in hand we carefully made our way down the loose gravel that was still slippery from frost.I still managed to slip and slide down the last third of the embankment on my butt though.

Upon arrival by the creek bank I quickly surveyed the location for a setup.There still was no wind.The clouds were moving quickly.The sun would pop out every now and again.The frost was covering the vegetation nicely.The water was shallow and very clear.This created tremendous depth to the reflections.I choose two clumps of grass on the left to lead you into the picture as well as to add depth. There was a small clump that was different in shape that drew my attention.With that in mind I captured the above photo by waiting for the sun to come out.I had to be quick as the clouds were still moving very fast.When the sun did come out the frosted vegetation would light up.

There was some dead wood on the far shore that I found to be annoying.But at times there was nothing you can do.I purposely did not show a lot of forest in the background.This was to keep things simple as best as possible.You will notice the earth tone colors at the waterline of the plants.This adds a very nice contrast and gives added life.There is a lot of depth in the reflections caused by the clear water.The sun highlighted the evergreens in the background to add a nice touch. I shot this photo with a shutter speed of 0.5 seconds @ f22.

The air was now warming up and finishing up our shooting we headed back to the vehicle.The wind was now picking up with the cloud cover dispersing.We drove further North until we came to a small lake by the roadside.Here we pulled over,unloaded the camp chairs to relax and enjoy a cup of tea and a sandwich.

That is it for this post.I would like to thank all you good folks who commented,hit the like button or simply came for a visit.It is much appreciated.So until next time happy trails