Tag Archives: nature

Photography

Photo Op Sudbury.

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RoadToVarcaron_2986

 

 

As I was driving to Val Caron the other morning on a business trip, I spotted this lovely scene with Tamarack trees. I thought to myself that this would be a worthwhile opportunity come evening. Thus I made an early supper, loaded my gear and headed out. I drove to the Notre Dame, Lasalle Blvd  corner and headed North onto Regional Road 80. A few kilometers on I parked by a small body of water.

The Tamarack were a nice yellow, orange color in the low light. The sky had a touch of pink in it. I needed some foreground for a better affect. There was a huge transmission tower at the back of the scene. I sure did not want that. It was even reflecting on the water. I then spotted a Tamarack to the South. I headed over there and set up my tripod. I mounted my 28 to 135 zoom lens to my Canon 7D. I was all set to go. The traffic was fairly heavy here, but the shoulders of the road were wide. The lighting was retreating fast. So now I composed with a small portion of a point that contained the Tamarack for my foreground. The reflection of the Tamarack filled the bottom right corner of the photo for a lead-in. A beautiful collection of colorful Tamarack in the middle ground. The darker evergreens allow the Tamarack to stand out better. There is one little white cloud on the horizon. Being late in the evening there is a pink glow in the sky and water. All of this within the City of Sudbury.

Thank you for stopping by. Tonight I am off to the Sudbury Arts Council for Arts After Five at the Art Gallery of Sudbury Wednesday at 5 pm. It is a networking for artists and art patrons. There will be music by Sweet Jive, refreshments, and door prizes!

Until next time happy trails

 

Photography

The Magic of Rocks

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KillBearProvPark_2840

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

Photography

Island In The Sun

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Littleisland4905

A little island on a lake in the Wawa area. It is located just outside the Lake Superior Park Boundry. I had seen this scene a number of times in my travels up here. I have a soft spot for these little islands. This little island is almost like a dot on the lake’s surface. So the morning before Maureen and I headed out for Treeby Lake I headed out from our motel to see if I could capture a nice composition. This lake is right along Hwy 17 so accessibility was easy. There was a small open on the shoreline where I was able to set up. The forest pretty much comes down to the shoreline here.

So I had an island. I needed the right lighting to make this work. There was also a lot of yellow here too. As I waited I watched as the morning light engulfed that little island. You could not ask for anything better. The island is now separated from the lower background which consisted of dark evergreens, having not been touched by the light. By positioning my tripod I was able to enhance this separation to gain more of the darker background. I did a partial framing on the right with the colorful sunlit trees on the right. The upper edge of the background is now being touched with the morning light.  A very attractive composition.

I will be set up at the Beaver Lake Fall Fair this Friday and Sat. It will also be a time to chat with old friends. So until next week happy trails.

Photography, Poetry

Come Sit With Me

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ChutesProvincialPark_2705

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

Photography

My Home In The North

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I have worked with singer, songwriter Andy Lowe to produce a music video with his song My Home In The North along with my photographic work. The music video has been posted on YouTube for your viewing.

 

Photography

Watch Your Lighting

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_MG_5112

Maureen and I awoke Tuesday morning to a beautiful sunny day. A quick breakfast at the restaurant of the Best Northern. We were soon off to Fenton Lake. Then portaging over to Treeby Lake. These lakes were within Lake Superior Provincial Park. From the parking lot it is a 150 meter carry down to the lake. We soon had our gear loaded into the Quebecor 17 canoe. Edging out from shore, we paddled along the East side of the lake. The wind had picked up by now. The good thing was we were going with it. We soon reached our first portage and unloaded. This is a 50 meter portage. With all the gear hauled over. Maureen and I relaxed for a few minutes. Maureen was still suffering from her cold. We now had to make our way along a strip of water towards the Treeby Lake portage.

The Treeby portage is 150 meters in length. The ground and rocks were still wet from the previous rains. There were fallen leaves on the trail. With care we hauled our gear over the portage into Treeby Lake. We encountered a couple of downed trees on the trail. Pushing off from shore it was time to find a campsite to spend the next couple days. The wind had by now become stronger.

Treeby is a lake with approximately 23 islands. That was one of the reasons for coming here. Maureen and I set up camp on a point of land on the West side of the lake. The winds blew and gusted day and night until Thursday morning.  I awoke Thursday morning at daybreak. Peeking my head out the tent I saw the leaves were not moving. Looked out upon  the lake to behold the calm water surface. All was not perfect as there was a slight breeze skipping and dancing here and there on the lake. From past experience you learn to be patient and wait. In the mean time you set up your gear. The sky was getting brighter by now.

The above photo was captured as the sun splashed the hillside to illuminate the Fall colors. That is an island in front. I needed sunlight on this little island to make it stand out. Again you wait. This is what makes wilderness landscapes challenging. The long waits, the right conditions. When all the pieces fall into place, you have achieved your goal. The most important thing is you are standing on the shorelines of a lake taking in all the beauty, color and grandeur that can be found in our North country.

Well that is it for this post. Until next time happy trails

Photography

Killbear Provincial Park

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KillBearProvPark_2807

Gerard Leduc arrived at my apartment  around 2 pm. Loading up we stopped at Tim Hortons to pick up some coffee to enjoy well we headed South. We were on our way to check out Killbear Provincial Park just North of Parry Sound. Upon arrival I was immediately impressed with the Park. Beautiful scenery, wonderful sand beaches. There are thoughts of bringing my grand kids here next summer. The beach had nice fine sand. There is one very long beach and a short one. There are some interesting evergreens among the smooth rock structures.

With a bit of time to spare, Gerard and I parked at an empty campsite by the beach. We enjoyed a nice bite to eat before heading off to photograph. Now I had been watching the sky. There was some very unique cloud cover that I wanted to utilize in a photo. I had and island in the distance. Sandstone colored smooth rock in front of me and some interesting tree shapes. I set my tripod up as low as I could get it. This way I eliminated a lot of water in the foreground. The emphases here was the sky. The rest of the material such as island, trees and rocks were used to create the final composition. I gotta tell you my ole joints get a little stiff after crouching down that low. The added bonus was the bit of sunlight appearing on the left.

I plan on coming back here in a couple of weeks. There were a lot of trees here still not in color. Maureen and I are heading back up to Superior for a week of photographing. We are planning a canoe trip into a series of small lakes for a few days near Wawa. Then hopefully I will be able to work the Superior coastline.

So until I get back, Happy trails

Photography

Chutes Provincial Park

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ChutesProvincialPark_2756

Late Monday afternoon I loaded up my gear and drove up to Massey, Ontario. Chutes Provincial Park was my destination. After parking my Ford Escape I hiked the trails along the Aux Sable River. Being too early to photograph, I searched along the river for compositions to work with later in the evening.

The river was running high. The moss on the rocks were wet. You could see were the water was seeping out of the moss and wetting the rock faces. The Fall colors here were not the greatest. But there was enough to work with. The rocks along the river here have character due to water action over the years. After completing my hike, I had a couple hours of wait time. I drove up the Massey Tote Road to visit a good friend Rob Bouchard. Rob is very knowledgeable about the area. It was soon time to head back to Chutes Provincial Park for my evening shot.

Upon arrival I sat at a picnic table to enjoy a quick sandwich. Then it was time to gather up the gear and start photographing. As I hiked the trail I would stop at the various locations and set my tripod and Canon 7D to get the photograph. I soon made my way up to the bridge at the North end of the Park. The sun was now below the horizon and there was a pink cast in the sky.

I had observed this spot earlier and loved the way the water flowed, The rock formations, a little bit of Fall color. As I stood there now I spotted a touch of pink here and there in the water. There also was a pink glow on some of the rocks. This was a result of parts of the rock surfaces being wet. I quickly set up the Canon 7D on the tripod and went to work. This is a 20 second shot at f22. With Photo shop I was able to bring out some detail in the water to give the feel of motion. Where there was white water you are able to observe that too. The pink coloring in the water is from the evening sky. I showed just enough sky to tell you the sunset was a pinkish glow.

As I was photographing an American couple came by and we started chatting. I now was finish photographing, so I said I would walk out with them. They were staying the night at the campsite. We parted company when I reached my vehicle. One of the joys of my work is meeting wonderful folks along the way. It is always a pleasure to chat with these people.

Well that is it for this week. Thank you for stopping by. Always look forward to your visits. Until next time happy trails.

Photography, Poetry

A Mind in Time

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Recollet_2653

Sitting upon a flat rock

As I relax on a warm

Summer evening

The sound of running water

Is music to my ears

The sun is lowering

Towards the westerly sky

The French River is cascading

Over the historic Recollet Falls

The portage before me

Brings thoughts of ages past

As my mind goes back in time

An Ojibwa warrior dressed in skins

Appears around the bend

With his birch bark canoe

Upon his broad shoulders

Followed by his  wife

Packing over their belongings

Two young children laughing

And giggling as they near

The end of the portage

The canoe is soon loaded

The warrior, paddle in hand

Looks at his children

Seated among their belongings

With a smile on his face

He tells them gi zah gin

As he launches the canoe

Into the flowing river

To quietly disappear around

The next river bend.

The evening lighting was dwindling

As I looked around me

The shadows were creeping upon

The surrounding hillsides

A mist appears on the river

The French River ever flowing

As it has for many ages past

Well that is it for now. A great time to be photographing. The Fall colors are still coming on. The weather is co-operating for the most part. Until next time happy trails.

Photography

Hanging Out

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BassfinLake_2485

 

My wife Maureen had a day off last Wednesday, so I suggested that we load the canoe and head for Bassfin Lake up the Matagamasi  Lake Road. I had photographed along the lake by the road many times. I wanted to find out what else the lake had to offer. With that decided we packed a lunch and headed out. This is a short trip from Sudbury to the lake. We quickly loaded our Quebecor 17 canoe and pushed off. It was a wonderful afternoon. Bright blue skies and warm temperatures. The wind was light.

Maureen and I paddled across the lake and turned into a small channel that opened onto a bay. This is one of those locations were you enter a new world and mysteries. The rock structures were unique. There was a lot of detail in the rock faces. We paddled to the end of the bay. I located a spot to land the canoe. Quickly unloading, we walked up an exposed rock formation that slanted towards the interior of the surrounding landscape. Where I was set up I was overlooking the bay from a height advantage.

By now it was late afternoon. I set up my tripod in a favorable location and waited. This was like sitting in your own little world. No other people around. A beautiful sight before you. I sat their just watching the play of light among the trees. This is a good way to become knowledgeable in the ways of lighting in a wilderness setting. The wind was dancing lightly here and there before setting down. It was not long before the reflections began to appear. I took a number of photos as time progressed. The above photo is the last one I shot where there was just a bit of lighting striking the tree tops in the background. You can also see a sprinkling of light to the left. The sun was setting to my left.

Maureen and I enjoyed a great evening here. Just soaking up the beauty of this scenic location, plus hanging out together.Well that is it for this week. I hope everyone has a good weekend. Thank you for stopping by. Until next week happy trails.