Tag Archives: Massey

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Aux Sauble River

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As you have noticed most of my photographic work is in and around water. Paul Smith of Whitefish,Ontario and I have spent the last few months hiking into and along the Aux Sauble River North of Massey Ontario.This wilderness area offers excellent photo opportunities. The river system flows out of  Aux Sauble Lake,52 miles North of Massey and twists and turns until it empties into the Spanish River in Massey.The Spanish River in itself empties into the North Channel, which is part of  Lake Huron in the Great Lakes System.

There are many scenic locations to discover with beautiful rock formations.The river has a number of rapids and waterfalls along its length. We use a hand held GPS to explore the region.The terrain is rugged so you have to be in reasonably good shape.

The vast majority of my work is created in the evening.The drawback is that you have to allow enough time to get back to the truck before it gets too dark.The above photo was shot with the zoom lens set at 30mm and a shutter speed of  2 sec at f22. In setting up this photo I used the water as an S curve to lead your eye into the photo.Framing with the rock formations also helps when creating your photo.

The above photo was shot with the zoom set at 28 mm and a shutter speed of 0.4 sec at f22. This is the same location as the first photo but taken  a couple weeks before. You will notice that the lighting is very different in these photos,creating different effects and tones.The first photo is much warmer and the color stands out.The 2nd photo was also taken earlier in the evening allowing for a faster shutter speed of 0.4 sec.You must go back to the same locales many times and observe the behavior of the lighting and also the time of year.

Just to be able to be in these locations is a blessing for me.To listen to the water rushing over the rocks and enjoy the serenity….pristine silence and beauty of these locations is well worth the effort to capture.Till next time happy trails.

Photography, Uncategorized

Exceptional Lighting.

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One of the things I am always on the look out for when I am out hiking is Lighting effects on various trees.This usually occurs late afternoon and into the evening.The trick is to fine a composition to fit the tree into.The above photo shows an example of what I did to show the best effect of the side lighting.I created a very tight composition showing quiet water along the river’s edge,some green reflection of the tree in the foreground and reddish rocks to add depth and color.This photo was shot with the zoom lense at 80 mm.The shutter speed was set at 0.6 sec @ f22.

Early evening lighting filtering through the trees and side lighting  the evergreens atop a cliff was the subject of this composition.Using the rocks as a base and the water in the foreground I was able to complete this photo.Shot with a zoom lense set at 100 mm and a shutter speed of 25 sec and f 5.6.

There are many lighting effects to be seen as you hike along trails and rivers edges, you just have to learn to observe the various effects and see what type a composition you can come up with.So until next time happy trails.

Photography

McGee Falls

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Happy Easter everyone and your families.

A couple weeks ago Paul Smith and myself stopped in at the East Bull Lake Wilderness Lodge.The lodge is located 22 miles North of Massey in a  beautiful wilderness area.You may access there website for more info and plan a beautiful photographic experience.

http://www.thunderbearlodge.com

The hospitality is excellent.We stayed for coffee and Jerry the owner of the lodge told us about McGee Falls. We headed out there yesterday with two quads from the lodge as the falls is 5 miles off the main road. Paul and I are novices at driving quads so we took our time driving over some pretty rough trails.On arriving we where not disappointed  in the scenery.An area of pristine beauty lay before us with rushing water and colorful rock structures.

The day was cloudy with a threat of rain and very windy.It was difficult photographing at best.We were able to get some photos by not photographing any trees in the photo as you can see in the above photo.The photo was shot at 135 mm with a shutter speed 0.3 sec at f 22.

The next photo was shot with the zoom lense set at 56 mm and a shutter speed of 1 sec at f 22. There is some nice lighting in this photo and I wanted to show the rocks to good effect.The cloud cover got darker and it started to rain so we thought we had better head out and back to the lodge.

If you are ever in the area stop in for a coffee with Jerry and enjoy the scenery.For those looking for a different photographic adventure call Jerry at the East Bull Lake Wilderness Lodge and make arrangements.

East Bull Lake Wilderness Lodge

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Northern Spring

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Spring appears to have arrive in the North country.The rivers are starting to open up and Paul Smith and I headed out to Chutes Provincial Park,Massey. It was a beautiful warm sunny late afternoon.The photo possibilities were scarce but I managed to get some shots in.We found an interesting piece of ice sculpture and I created the composition above with the ice along the shore line as a lead in. The water is very dark at this time of year,which allowed for better contrast in the photo.I shot this photo at 1 sec at f22 with the zoom lense set at 30 mm.

This photo was taken in the same locale but at a different angle. The ice formation is very prominent here and you can use your imagination as to what you see.I used sections of ice in the foreground to add depth and low shutter speed to give the water a soft look. Again the dark water adds contrast with the snow to create a pleasing effect.The photo was shot at 0.4 sec @ f22 with a zoom setting of 28 mm.

I find that at this time of year there is not much color and the lighting can be harsh off the snow. We waited till late evening to do most of our photographing.

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The Magic Moment

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The sun has disappeared below the horizon,the sky is clear. There is about 30 minutes of shooting left. The rocks transform into a beautiful warm reddish glow.The Magic hour.I looked at this particular setup and I wanted to show the color and detail of the rocks. The rushing water helped create depth but at the same time I didn’t want the water to overpower the composition.I created a very tight photo. The settings are 80 mm set at 10 sec @f29. This created the silky and misty feel to the water.

Remember to carry a flashlight with you as you will be walking out in the dark when shooting this late. It can get tricky when walking rough trails in the dark.

Photography

The Lone Strawberry Plant

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It was a cool mid November,when my partner Paul Smith and I had trekked into Cameron Falls ,North of Massey Ontario. The cloud cover was moving in that evening making for poor lighting on the waterfalls areas. As I walked among the rocks I spied a lone strawberry plant growing on a small ledge. Its location probably created a micro-climate in order for it to survive this late in the Fall. The reddish color of the leaves along with an interesting backdrop of yellowish rock would create an interesting composition. Setting up as close as I could with the tripod, I was maxed out at 135 mm and the camera was set at 2.5 sec @ f29. The cloudy skies and low lighting provided the soft light. Placing the Strawberry plant to the left in the photo and the small water puddle in the lower bottom right corner tells us that this plant has light and water to survive.Even when conditions are not ideal you can always locate interesting subjects to photograph.

I would like to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Photography

Exploring New Surroundings

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One of the things I like to do is explore new surroundings. Birch Creek  flows East of Massey Ontario and there is a lovely waterfalls to photograph. My partner Paul Smith and I have made a number of trips here during the fall, but always bypassed the lower end of Birch Creek. We kept saying that we should check that area out. On our last trip late in the fall we walked down to the creek and started walking along it towards the waterfalls. This was late fall and most of the colored leaves had already fallen. With this in mind we would explore the area for photographing next year. Walking along the creek I spotted the golden sunlight coming through the trees up ahead and the creek bent to the left creating the around the bend effect.I quickly looked for foreground and found greyish colored rocks covered with lichen and moss. I also was able to get some leaf color into the photo also.This photo was shot at 50 mm with the zoom lense set at 1.6 sec. @ f29. We explored further along and found some more areas that will be worth checking out at a later date. By this time the creek area was becoming heavy in shadow.Needless to say we will come back next fall to do some more photographing here.

Photography

Late Evening Reflections

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Water takes on a life of its own when you have the right evening conditions.The sky is clear and the sunlight is   filtering through the trees, illuminating the reddish rocks in this particular photo.The reddish coloration will then turn the water into a reddish hue. The lighting is also very soft. It is almost dark when this occurs so you have to quickly set up your shot or lose it.The photo was captured at 28 mm with settings of 1 sec @ f22.The rocks in the background are also highlighted into a nice warm glow giving the photo added depth. The water goes from a reddish tone in the background to a more copper tone in the foreground.