Tag Archives: nature

Photography

‘los Hermanitos’

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The ‘los Hermanitos’  is what I dubbed the little pine tree and small juniper bush. I came across this Spanish phrase in one of the novels I am reading. It means the little brothers. Perched side by side on a small cliff over looking the lake. This set up was located behind our campsite on O S A Lake last Fall in Killarney Provincial Park. I had first noticed these two pint-sized trees on an earlier trip in, but the lighting had not been right or we were off photographing somewhere else. They look like two people enjoying the evening view high on the rocks. The wind was calm, the water smooth and the beautiful Fall colors before them.

I set up my tripod behind the little ones. The height of the tripod was lowered to the height of the trees and I wanted to show enough rock detail for added depth and habitat. I also chose a vertical format to keep things tight. The objective was not to lose the miniature trees in the scene.   Across the way is the La Cloche Mountains in their Fall glory. Locating objects like you see in the above photo do not come by everyday so when the opportunity presents itself I try to make the most of it.

That is it for now. Thank you for coming by and thank you for the comments. I am now settled in the apartment. I have my work on display. If you are in the vicinity stop by for a viewing and maybe you will buy that special gift for a love one or good friend. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Autumn on The Vermillion

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This is one of my favourite locations in the Fall to capture the Autumn colors. The Vermillion River just West of Sudbury, Ontario provides me with some very unique opportunities to photograph. I was driving home on Hwy 17 from Sudbury late one evening .I slowed down as the bridge over the Vermillion River came into view. Parking my Ford Explorer  on the side of the highway I grabbed my camera and tripod and scrambled down the embankment to the river‘s edge. The river was as smooth as glass and there was a great deal of saturation in the colors. Across from me is a rock point that has always been photogenic over the years. There was enough color to be had, but not overpowering. I myself prefer scattered Fall colors that can work in a composition. With the evergreens and the white Birch trunks to add contrast I composed the above composition.

‎’La Cloche Spirit’ by Jon Butler is now in Sudbury. Jon is a very good photographer who has over the years captured the many moods of The La Cloche Mountains. For more information go to Jon’s website.

http://jonbutlerphoto.com/

Well that is it for this week. My wife and I have just finished moving into Sudbury. It was a hectic past week. I am now set up to proceed with my work. If any of you are in the area please stop by for a viewing of my work. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Morning on The Manitou

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The Manitou River starts its journey at the South end of Lake Manitou on Manitoulin Island,Ontario.Manitoulin Island is the largest fresh water island in the world.The Manitou River is approximately 15 km long,The river ends at Michaels Bay on the South side of Manitoulin Island into Lake Huron.I had previously explored the Manitou River the evening before.I had determined that the best shot was to be had in the early morning.

Paul Smith and I arrived on location before daybreak and set up our photo equipment.It was a great morning.This portion of the river forms a S shape.With that in mind I placed the cedar tree at the top of the photo for depth.The sun actually lit up this tree first.The real bonus was when he morning light highlighted the clump of grass on the shore giving off a yelow orange effect plus a bit of reflection.You never know what you will get at times.There was mist on the river that morning.As time progressed a beam of light started on the right hand side of the photo.As I waited the beam of light slowly made its way to the left.The composition was slowly coming togrther.The last piece of the composition occured when the water turned golden in the foreground.After that happened the highlights on the water got too harsh.Now I took approximately 40 shots of this location.I used the second last shot to get the composition you see above.

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

Photography

Rushing Water

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Jan Winther and I crossed over from the Westbranch to the Tote Road North of Massey.We came on to the Massey Tote Road at the 28 mile mark.It was early afternoon as we headed South.This is a very windy and hilly road for many kilometers. Jan loves photographing waterfalls, so I figured we would check out Cameron Falls on the Aux Sauble River. I had hiked into this falls last June.I was very much disappointed when I had arrived.There was no water going over the falls at all.What a disapointment.

So with that in mind we walked into the Cameron Falls.Upon arrival we saw a fair amount of water to make it possible to get some photos.The water level was still low from previous years.Jan was sure happy though so I left him to his thing and started exploring.I have been here many times, but am always fasinated by the unique rock structure found here.There is black rock and red granite rock.Due to the running water over time has reshaped many of the rocks surfaces.

I love doing close up compositions of running water and rocks.The above photo is a typical example.By using various shutter speeds and f22 I am looking for character in the water flow.I want detail in the water and colour.Now color is obtained late in the evening as while as the rocks lose their harshness due to the bright sunlight most of the day.I also found from expierience that clear blue skys with give better effects.You will notice the water at bottom left of photo is a dark blue. This created by clear blue skys above the water.

We stayed as late as we could.But had to get out with enough light to see.I always carry a couple small flashlights in case I get carried away photographing and let the darkness creep up.

That is it for this week.So thanks for coming to visitThe tea is always on.So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Daybreak on the French

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This photo dates back to last August. I was blessed with two mornings in a row of some exceptional lighting and atmosphere.The location was the French River at the Flat Rapids Campsite in The French River Provincial Park. The early morning sunlight started to filter through the trees on the point.This gave a beautiful glow in that area.Mist in the background,calm waters and colour in the sky on the left. The rock detail in the foreground is very detailed.

I was able to set my Canon 7D and tripod on a bit of slope to give me elevation and create more space between the two points.One thing I will point out is that being out on location time and time again is how you will get these kind of shots.Also take lots of shots.

I received a 10th place finish out of 455 entries at the Countryside Art Exhibition  last week.I am much pleased with the results.You can check the website here.

http://www.lightspacetime.com/countryside-art-exhibition-november-2012/

Those of you who like a challenge should enter these shows.Well that is it for now.Until next time happy trails.

Photography

A Beam of Light

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Jan Winther and I had arrived at our destination lake shortly after dawn. This jewel of a little lake is 80 km up on a gravel logging road.As you travel North you steady climb to a higher elevation.Which means at this time of year it is colder here than at home.We had been observing frost on the trees,but no ice on the lakes and swamps we passed.

After a five minute hike into where we were going to photograph,Jan and I set up our photographic equipment.There is a small island at one end of this little lake that we wanted to work with.I will talk about this island in another post.The lake surface was mirror calm,there was some mist and the air was crisp.The sun was just coming through the trees.

I am always watching around me at all times.The lighting is constantly changing dramatically or very supple.So be aware and you may rewarded with that award winning composition. Many times it is never the shot you came to get.The above scene is an example of that.I relocated to capture the beam of light coming over the water.I put the point on the left side as my lead in.There was just enough mist to create some mood.The real highlight of this photo is the sunlight filtering through the trees on the far shore.This is when it feels good to be a photographer capturing that moment of lighting.I had already made four trips here in the past two weeks to get the exposures I want.The only hang up I have with this photo is the blue tinge on the evergreen trunks.But that is the way it is so I leave it be.At this time of year the shoreline vegetation is a reddish brown in colour.This helps to offset the vast amounts of green due to the evergreens.

Well that is it for now.Thank you everyone for coming and visiting.So until next time happy trails.

Photography

On The Hillside

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Jan Winthers and I continued driving up the Westbranch, looking for a photo opportunity we spotted a location that was interesting.The camera gear was quickly set up.It was approaching lunch time.The day was great and it was warming up.I composed a few shots and headed back to my Ford Explorer to pack the gear away.

I looked down the road and noticed the lighting on the evergreens.The branches of the Birches were sparkling.Taken note of the Birches beside me,they were not covered in frost.The hillside before me was beautiful.So,I rest up my Canon 7D and tripod and made the above shot.I did not want the gravel road in the scene.This shot is all about light and shadow.The dark evergreens contrasting with the Birch trees along with the sunlight highlighting the trees to a yellowish tinge.As many times you travel a location,it is always amazing the shots that are available for you to take.Whether it is the time of year,the lighting available or something you may not have noticed.Even the angle you look at a subject will give you a different perspective to the composition.At this time of year the sun is lower in the sky and the air is colder.Those two conditions will have an effect on your compositions.

Finishing up our shooting,it was time to find a campsite up the road and have lunch.A short way on, I pulled into a campsite under the Jack Pines.A small lake was across the road for our viewing pleasure.Before long I had water boiling in a pot on my Coleman camp stove.With our camp chairs set up,Jan and I enjoyed our lunch with a hot tea.

Well that s it for now.Thank you everyone for stopping by.The tea is still hot so until next time happy trails.

Photography

A Reflective View

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This past Saturday, myself and fellow photographer Jan Winters journeyed up the Westbranch,North of Webbwood. Our aim was to have a fun day as we travelled forestry roads looking for photographic opportunities, It started out cold,a chilly -5 C.The trees were frost covered.

On our way back down the Westbranch I had promised Jan we would stop at Gordon Chutes for him to photograph.Jan has a love for waterfalls,so this was a good chance for him to get some shooting in.It was now late evening and there was not much daylight available.I have photographed here many times.Whether for a day or just a quick stop in.The water level of the river was low.

As I was crossing the smooth rocks that are normally covered with flowing water I looked up at the rock face on the far side of the river.There was a beautiful glow from the setting sun.With not much time to spare,I did a quick set up to capture the scene before me.But as I looked ahead of me I noticed this beautiful reflection in a pool ahead of me.Wow this is really getting interesting.So now I re-aligned the camera and tripod to capture the reflection and the rock face.I also noticed that there was pink edged clouds moving in.I checked to see which direction the clouds were moving and waited.The clouds were coming towards me.Then it all came together.The result was the photo you see above.

It never seems to matter how many times you photographed a location,there is always a possibility for a shot. I have always liked that rock face but could could never do anything with it. Well low and behold it happened.The warm glow on the rocks did not last long.It was now getting darker and time to head home.It had been another lovely day in the backwoods.Jan enjoyed the experience.Jan has a great blog,so check it out here.

http://imagesbyjw.com/

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

Photography

Awash in Colour

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On my last trip into O S A Lake,Killarney Provincial Park the weather was cool,wet and windy.The above locations is one of my favourites for the structure of the La Cloche Mountains.This particular rock face had a necklace of Fall colours adorning it. It had stopped raining late that afternoon leaving the landscape wet and saturated.The cloud cover was heavy and grey.The sun had not come out yet.

I used the two points as my lead in, showing just a touch of reflections in the foreground.This should make my good friend Bill Whittaker smile in regards to water and reflections.This is an ongoing topic we have.Past the two points is more water.There is a pink tinge on the rocks that gives a unique feel to the composition. Two days later there was large areas bare of colour due to the weather.

I received an email that my artwork titled “Daybreak”  has been selected as an Honorable Mention of the 2012 Landscape Art Contest, an international juried art competition. Mywork will have a full page feature in Artist Portfolio Magazine Issue 10.

Bill Whittaker has a website you may like to check out.

http://billwhittaker.scarf.ca/

Well that is it for this week folks.Thanks for visiting and till next time happy trails.

Photography

Tamarack

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This is the time of year that the Tamarack are in their full Fall color before shedding.Tamarack are a species of Larch that is native to Canada.The name Tamarack is the Algonquian name for the species and means “wood used for snowshoes“.The leaves are needle like and turn bright yellow before falling in the Autumn.The Tamarack are commonly found in swamps, bogs, and other low-land areas.

Gerard Leduc arrived shortly after 7:00 A.M. and we were soon on our way to the Westbranch North of Webbwood in Northern Ontario. A quick stop for gas at the Espanola turn-off and a couple of Tim Horton‘s coffee to start the day,we were soon traveling up the Westbranch searching for Tamarack to photograph.There are lots of Tamarack to photograph but find a composition to work.

We stopped at Gordon Chutes at the 20 km mark and Gerard took a few shots of the waterfalls.The falls is part of the Wakanashing River.We continued North photographing as we went.At the 70 km area there are a few lakes to photograph by the road.The moose hunters were out in full force.That meant we had to wear orange jackets for protection.

Since the last rains the water levels of the various creeks had risen,but still not a normal levels.As we drove along we spotted a male Spruce Grouse doing his display.I pulled over so that we could observe this very pretty bird in all his glory.There must be a female nearby.A large creek was now running along the West side of the road.I spotted the Tamarack on the far creek bank. Pulling over Gerard and I set up the tripods and cameras to start photographing.It was a cloudy morning with the sun coming out now and then.I opted to do a close up shot of the bottom of the Tamarack and the resulting reflection to create my composition.There was a nice pattern to be had here.It was just a matter of waiting for the sun to pop out and light up the leaves,turning them a golden yellow.The sun would go back behind the moving clouds and one would wait once again for it to come out again.The thing is you do not want to much sunlight or you will blow out the highlights.

Well that is it for this time.Thank you for visiting and until next time happy trails