Sitting on the deck of my cabin in Nicaragua. Early morning and late evening I sit and observe the cloud formation and lighting coming over the mountains. Just waiting for that right shot. Thus a few evenings past, a magic moment occurred. The big thing here is patience. As the above shot shows it finally occurred. Beautiful cloud formation. Awesome lighting and darkening landscape. All these ingredients created a beautiful photo.
Well that is it for now. So happy trails.
While exploring the shores of Lake Superior, I came across this location that was all rock. I had dark skies to eliminate the blown highlights. There for I was able to shoot straight through the crevice without concurring light problems. The stunted growth at the top of the photo broke up the predominately brownish color of the rocks. Lichen is always a nice addition to the scene being orange. Another magical location found on the shores of Lake Superior.
Well that is it for now. Happy Trails.
You are blowing softly today
I feel you on my face
Like the caress of a loved one
You have come from far away
A breath of freshness
Hello trees
I hear you murmuring
Sounds like the one I love
Whispering in my ear
You are still standing
Though many have gone
Hello flowers
You brighten the forest
With your vibrant colors
Like a lady I once cherished
Hello stream
The sounds you make
As you journey through the forest
Gurgling and burbling carefree
To an unknown lake
Reminds me of my love
In happy moments
Hello sun ray
Filtering through the trees
You bring a ray of hope
For those who can’t cope
Of a long lost love
Good Morning
Good morning sun
I greet you this day
I feel your warmth
You brighten the day
Good morning wind
You are blowing softly today
I feel you caressing my face
A breath of freshness
On this morning
Good morning trees
I hear you murmuring
Like a whisper in my ear
You are still standing
Though many are gone
Good morning flowers
You brighten the forest
With your vibrant colors
Gently nodding in the wind
Good morning stream
The sounds you make
As you journey through the forest
Gurgling and burbling carefree
To an unknown lake
Your water pure and pristine
Good morning sun ray
Filtering through the trees
You bring a ray of hope
To this new day
I rejoice in what
You all have given me
The feeling of spirituality
That can only be found
In the untamed wilderness
The feeling of peace and quietude
The following morning after my evening photographing, I returned to the Montreal River. This time it was at dawn. The river was thick with mist. The morning temperature at my campsite in Sawpit Bay, Lake Superior was 12 Celsius. On my arrival at the Montreal River the temperature was 5 Celsius. The distance between the two locations was only 40 Kilometers. I set up at the same location from the previous evening. It was a matter of waiting for the right lighting. Waiting for the fog to lift was a factor. The fog helped eliminate all that blue sky with no clouds. It was a nice setup watching the morning evolve. The crispness of the morning air felt good. It was a fall feeling.
The temperatures are beginning to drop here. Maybe the colors of fall will come on. Fall is the time of year when the air is cool and crisp. The beauty of the land is before you in a spectrum of color.
The fall colors up here in northern Ontario are late this year. I arrived at Sawpit Bay, Lake Superior, late afternoon on September 16. Sawpit Bay has a number of campsites on crown land that are free. It was not long before the campsite was set up, supper started to the sound of waves crashing upon the beach. One of my goals was to explore the Montreal River up the highway.
The Montreal River is a large river with a number of large dams at various locations going inland. Windmills have been going up at a steady pace, thus the need for more and more roads in the back country. This creates more opportunities for photographing.Therefore I was able to explore along the river where ever I could. The first two days were lost due to rain and one thunderstorm overnight Strong winds prevailed. It was not till the evening of the September 21 that I was able to capture any decent photographic work.
The above photo was at a location that I discovered on the Montreal River. I had previously found this location early in my trip by driving a short piece off the main gravel road down to the river’s edge. It turned out to be a nice campsite with a good place to put a boat in. The wind had finally gone quiet after six days. The river here was like a piece of grass. To finally get to capture a photo.
Well that is it for this week. Thank you everyone for stopping by. So until next time, happy trails.
My exploration of Lake Superior revealed many hidden little coves, unique rock structures that have personality. It is with wonder when one comes across a scene such as above. The growth of small evergreens and stunted cedar clinging for life on the protruding rocks. The smear of lichen covering the rock faces. The shape of the rocks that are volcanic in nature. The dark clouds overhead bringing out the detail of the rocks. Just to sit down and admire the scene before you is in itself a great experience. What you see is the work of nature over thousands of years creating a piece of artwork that is forever evolving.
Thank you for stopping by. Until next time happy trails
Sawpit Bay, Lake Superior
Sawpit Bay, just north of Pancake Bay Provincial Park is a popular destination to spend the day walking and swimming. In places the shoreline is rugged. I spent a couple evenings exploring this area. I arrived one evening to the sound of waves crashing the shoreline. I made my way to a small cove with a stone beach. As I stood on a small outcropping, the feel of the wind against my body was noticeable. The wind was picking up in velocity hour by hour. The waves were now five to six feet in height. To date these were the largest I had seen so far on Lake Superior. In the cove the time worn stones were stacked up from the forces of the lake. The constant pounding by waves a constant thing.
Setting up my tripod at one end of the cove, I proceeded to capture many shots of the incoming waves. The stacked stones were about five feet high from the present waters edge. This afforded me a bit of elevation to get my compositions. The evening was becoming late. The cloud cover was moving steady. There was a hint of pink in the sky with the sun lowering in the west.
Hopefully, I can be here when the waves are much higher. For now I am happy with what I witnessed that evening. So until next time happy trails.
My two week trip to Lake Superior has concluded. A base camp was set up at Pancake Bay Provincial Park. I highly recommend staying here. Beautiful beach at this park. I spent many hours exploring the coastline and photographing. It is always a joy to walk the sandy and stone beaches. I climbed over rocky structures looking for the next shot. If you are observant, there are many geological observations to be made here.
I had seen the worn ribbon tied to a tree just off the highway a number of times. Therefore one evening I decided that I had to check it out. Normally marker ribbons are placed for a reason as a marker. Gathering up my photo equipment, it was time to check it out. Sure enough a well beaten trail materialized through the grass leading into the woods. This trail weaved its way through the dense woods of lichen covered trees to emerge upon a small cove. The beach was of pebbles. There were free standing rock forms scattered around. I walked behind a huge rock formation onto the scene you see above. It is amazing what the forces of Lake Superior can create. If you let your imagination loose, you can imagine that you are observing rock sculptures in the form of prehistoric animals. A very unique location indeed.
It was still early evening. I did create a few compositions. The best lighting was yet to come. It would be a couple hours of waiting to get the compositions I wanted. Meanwhile I checked out the composition of these rock forms. They appear to be sedimentary in structure. One thing of note was the fair size stones embedded in the material. As erosion occurred the stones would fall out. What remained was small cavities where the stones had been.
I photographed the above scene before the sun left. Wonderful lighting with a touch of good sky for the background. I actually climbed up another rock to get this composition. At times a bit of height improves upon your shot. Well that is it for now. Just waiting for the fall colors to appear. Then back up to Lake Superior again. Until next time happy trails.
The glimpse of a small tent
Of orange and red
Among the dripping trees
I crawled out of the tent
To breathe the pure morning air
The smell of evergreens
The smell of the hardy cedar
Greets me before the dawn
The forest is filled with mist
Dawn has not yet come
It had rained during the night
A grey-blue light
Before the coming of dawn
Like a mysterious half light
Over the turbid waters
The song birds quiet this morning
The sky is lowering
Black clouds to the west
The sky to the east
A pale slate-blue
The only moving thing
Was the moving water
The shadows are lifting
From the rocky shoreline
Tree tops visibly green
The stark rocks begin to glow
Their colors warming to life
Still nothing moved
But the moving waters
The birds still silent
A warming sensation
Of the sun touching my face
The day has come
A dazzle of green, yellow and blue
The now singing birds
Bring joy to the forest
The rough bark of evergreens
Glistening black with wet
Ken Bennison's Photography 