Tag Archives: Outdoors

Photography

Sculptured by Nature

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HighFalls_0413

 

What a beautiful day this past Sunday. Plus 6 C and lots of sun. I spent a late afternoon and evening exploring High Falls looking for possible compositions. The above capture was the last photo I took that evening. The shapes and patterns of the snow and ice are very interesting. My goal here was to put all theses forms into a composition. When you look at the sculptured snow and ice you can see a tremendous amount of detail. On the snow on the left you can see scoured lines leading down and towards the middle of the scenes. I placed a bit of water in the left bottom to give some color contrast. There are remarkable amount of detail along the waters edge. By placing the right hand curved piece in the foreground I accomplished more depth to the scene.

Do not forget to join me and my fellow artists at the Sudbury Art Club’s Spring Show and Exhibition on April 11TH, 12th, 13Th, 2014

Well that is it until next time. Happy trails

Photography

High Falls, Levack

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High_Falls_Levack_0307b

Last Sunday I took an early evening trip up to High Falls. I parked where the locals slide down the hill. There were a couple families having fun. It was a nice sunny day with moving clouds. The temperature was -8 C with some wind. Gathering up my gear, I trudged up the hill, located the path to the bridge and started a downhill journey that appeared to be slippery at times. The bridge soon appeared ahead and I was greeted to a display of streaking shadows and sunlight over the undulating snow bound river. It was very easy to notice the many shapes and forms that the wind had created in the snow. There were open areas of rushing water that cascaded between the snow and ice. As I walked to the middle of the bridge, I spotted something black moving across the white snow. It was a mink going from one open stretch of water to another.

The best photographing here is between 4 and 6 in late afternoon. At this time of day the shadows are becoming long. The sunlight is filtering through the trees to create an ever changing patterns with the sculptured snow forms. You can get tremendous depth with this type of scenario.

The trails were well beaten here. Near the end of my stay I took a trail that followed the river on its downward descent. I had just finished photographing from the bridge. As I walked the trail, I spotted some gold reflection in the water ahead of me. I walked off the trail about ten feet packing down the snow as I went. I found a spot to set up my tripod and Canon eos 7D. I set up for a vertical shot. I had some branches ahead that I had to remove in Photoshop. The main reason for the vertical was to eliminate as many branches as possible. At the same time I wanted to put in the foreground the beautifully formed snow with its curves and lighting. Vertical shots of flowing water seem to add to the direction of movement by the water coursing on its journey.

The golden reflection in the water creates a very unique aspect along with the blue on the snow and ice. Now I purposely left the blue coloring on the snow in the foreground. I feel it adds to the overall sense of the composition. You will not see the blue with the naked eye. The color blue is common in shade areas.   Correcting for blue snow can be as easy as selecting the “Shade” white balance setting on your camera before you begin shooting. You can also remove the blue cast in Photoshop and Lightroom by moving the blue saturation slider to the left. I love the effect of the blue in this composition. Thus I have taken artist licensing with this piece of work.

Well that is it for now. Join me and the Sudbury Art Club at the annual Spring Art Show. For more info check there website.

http://sudburyartclub.blogspot.ca/

I have updated my Fine Art Page with a new addition. So check it out

Until next time happy trails.

 

 

Photography, Poetry

Entrance To Killarney Lake

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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

River’s Curature

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Sudbury_0167

The above photo was captured on my short hike last Monday. The same river that flows out of Kelly Lake. This composition is about using the river’s curvature to create a composition. I love the effect of snow on the cedars and evergreens for added detail. That was one reason I added part of the evergreen in upper right hand corner. Last years vegetation adds contrast with the snow without being messy.

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

Photography

Winter Shoreline Patterns

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Sudbury_0162

With the weather warming up I decided to go on a mid morning hike. Gathering up my camera gear, I drove to the Fielding Park parking lot. It was a bright cloudy day. Thus making for even lighting. I crossed the Fielding Road and picked up the trail that follows  the river flowing out of Kelly Lake. It was a beautiful morning. There was no wind. There was fresh snow on the ground. The evergreens had a blanket of snow. So nice to be there.

As I traversed the trail I was met by a lone chickadee flirting from branch to branch above my head. On the river ahead of me was a large flock of Common Mergansers. Walking on I spotted a dip in the far shoreline with interesting patterns. There were tracks following the shoreline that could add interest to the scene. Those tracks had to be an old set of tracks as there was a covering of snow in them.

I set up on the trail with my tripod. If you stepped off the trail you were in deep snow. I set this up as a tight shot. Up in the left hand side their is a clump of vegetation. But most important you will see a diagonal line running down to the water’s edge. This will help give more depth to the photo. I kept the water to a minimal to just allow the reflections to show. There is tremendous detail to be had in this composition. I must say that the tracks help create this scene.

The weather is changing here. It is warming up. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Creating A Composition

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As I walked the shoreline of Lake Superior at Pukaskwa National Park late one evening, I envisioned the scene above. It was a late evening with poor lighting. The photographing had not been great. There was some wave action upon the rocks. I came to a sloping rocky shoreline with jagged rocks. The color varied from black to golden brown in color. So I decided to set up my tripod and Canon EOS 7D and see what I could come up with. Shooting tight and set up low I was able to get the above scene. The shutter speed  was set to 8 sec and to get the depth of field that I needed at this range, my f-stops was at f22. This is a nice soft and moody composition.

By waiting for the right amount of wave action I was able to get that capture, I was looking for. By shooting at 8 sec. I was able to create a moody scene where by the water now appears misty like among the rocks. The transition from water to rocks is smooth. By smoothing out the many body of water and getting the right lighting and shadows on the rocks I find this to be a very nice scene that will give you a soothing effect. The other way around would be having the waves crashing upon the rocks at a faster shutter speed.

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

Photography

Capturing Waterfalls

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BirchCreek_2037Work

Waterfalls are a unique blend of rushing water, rock structures and trees. The most common trees found near waterfalls are pine and cedar trees. Most notably in Northern Ontario. You can find pockets of broad leaf trees such as Maple, Oak, Poplar and Birch. In the Fall broad leaf trees can add a dash of color to your composition as shown above.

The height of a waterfalls can vary as to location. The color of the rocks are different from location to location. At this particular waterfalls the rock formation is basically black to grey. Other waterfalls you will fine granite that is a reddish color. By photographing in the Fall you can offset bland rock color with orange and red from the Fall leaf color. This particular shot was taken late evening to eliminate harsh lighting. Take a look at  the Pine in the upper part of photo that partially overhangs the waterfalls. You will notice the beam of light catching some of the branches. You can pick up sunlight on the upper part of the falls. This adds a nice touch to the composition.

By putting the red Maple on the right hand side of the photo, I am able to create some depth. I try to shoot waterfalls at an angle to give more of a dimensional look as appose to shooting direct on. Shooting a waterfalls dead on will give you a more flat look.

Now for the flowing water. You want to give the water life in your photo. By shooting later in the evening you also achieve lower shutter speeds. When processing the work you want to be able to bring detail to the water. Give it life and action. I accomplish this by setting my shutter speed  between 1/10, 1/8, 1/6, 1/4 range. Whatever works at the time. Remember as the evening wears on the light becomes less and less. My f- stop is constant at f22. A good tripod is a must, along with a polarizing filter. One other point is that the volume of water coming over the drop. If their is too much water, most of the rock structure will be underwater. Totally different affect. Myself I prefer as much exposed rock as possible. That means that I pick my times to go during the course of the year.

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

Photography

Sand River

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Sand_River_1109

The above photo was captured when Maureen and I traveled up to Wawa for our three day canoe trip into Treebe Lake at the Northern  edge of Lake Superior Provincial Park. We stopped at the parking lot by the Sand River for a break. This river has some interesting rock structures to work with in a composition.

The day was cloudy so the lighting was even. It had rained the previous day and night. Thus I had nice color and detail to work with. There was not much for Fall color here as the cedar and evergreens predominated. There is a trail that follows along the river. As you walk here, you are above the river. With the sky being bland I showed only a spot of the sky in the background. My interest was in the rock structure on this river. So I put the broken boulders in the foreground for depth. The cliff edges are for lead in as your eye traverses the river. There is wonderful amounts of lichen covering these rocks to give better contrast.

Well that is it for this week. Spring is not far off now. So until next time, happy trails.

Photography, Poetry

An Ole Shed

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SanPoche_Tone_vig

A beautiful Fall day

The air is warm

A mist upon the air

No hint of the cold temps

That will soon come

It is a late afternoon

The sun hangs low

Over the colourful hills

A lone shed nestles

Among the white birch

Having fallen into neglect

The door stands ajar

The metal roof aging

Into a rusty red

The weather beaten walls

Becoming a sombre grey

The encroaching forest slowly

Enclosing the old building

The vibrant forest behind

Of green, orange and yellow

Has taken on a soft glow

From the late afternoon sunlight

Filtering through the trees

The surface of the lake

Has a  a soft ripple

From a caressing wind

Creating an artist’s palette

Of reflective Fall colors

Photography

Follow A Path

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GrundyProPark_ClearLake_0046

On a late evening shoot at Grundy Provincial Park the sun was starting to settle on the horizon. The water was calm in this side of the lake. Clear Lake is one of a number of lakes in the park. I had this very interesting rock form to work with. There is a lone Pine tree ahead. The Pine tree is not that distinct but is noticeable. So I had the background and the foreground. I now needed to tie all this in.

I set my tripod up low enough to allow the tree reflections to touch the foreground. My eye now could go from the foreground rock and following the tree reflection to the background.  There is also cloud reflections in the water as a fill in.

That concludes this weeks post. So until next time happy trails.