Tag Archives: Photography

Photography, Poetry

I Am

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I am a White Pine

Perched high on a ridge

With a panorama view

Of the pristine waters

That flow below me

I am a prodigy

Of Mother Nature

I am old before my time

Stunted,bent and twisted

By the ravages of time

My roots like tentacles

Struggle to gain hold

On the rocky ledge

I am deprived of nutrients

In the shallow soil

I am a perch

For my feathered friends

A squirrel feeds on my seeds

But I am strong in spirit

With the will to survive

The above photo was taken at the Cranberry Bog in Killarney Provincial Park.The small pine tree attracted me along with the granite rocks.Using the grass and Lilly pads as a lead-in I created the above composition.

I would like to thank everyone for visiting and for those who have left a comment,thank you.So until next time happy trails.

 

 

 

Photography

Something Unique

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I had my eye on that little clump of grass you see on the black rock the evening before,while I was exploring the French River.The next morning dawned as I was going about photographing scenes I kept my eye on that clump of grass.When I noticed the sunlight appearing in the vicinity of the grass clump I quickly set to get the above composition.

I used part of the rock above to get the golden glow from the sun.The eye is lead into the scene from the right with the reflection.The clump is not the main subject but part of the overall scene.The small black rocks appear to be floating in space.I did not notice the coiled rope until I got home.
Well that is it for this week.So until next time happy trails

Photography

The French River Provincial Park

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Friday August 17 With all my camping gear,easels and my art work I finally got on the road by mid morning.I stopped in Sudbury to pick up some last minute supplies as was soon heading South.I was on my way to the French River Provincial Park visitors center.

I will give you a little bit of history of this large water system.The French River flows for 110 km from its Lake Nipissing source to Georgian Bay.For thousands of years the First Nations people followed the river system fishing and hunting.The French River was a major highway for explorers,traders and Jesuit missionaries as they pushed into the West to open up the country.Later the timber barons sent rafts of White Pine South along the river.Today many people paddle and boat on the French River camping and fishing.In 1986 The French River was designated Canada’s first Heritage River.A prime example of a glaciated Canadian Shield river environment.The above info was taken from the French River Visitor Information Guide.

My first stop would be the Flat Rapids Camp on the French River.Turning off the highway onto the Hartley Bay Road. Arriving at the campgrounds I checked in and soon had the camp gear set up.The Flat Rapids Campsite is run by very wonderful down to earth folks.I truly enjoyed my weekend here.I had a quick supper and soon was back on the road.

I crossed the bridge over the French River and turned off onto the road leading into the French River Provincial Park Visitor Center. This is a magnificent building that is well worth a visit.The layout inside is very well done.There is a lot of history to learn here as well as enjoying the visual display.The people that work here are wonderful folks and they go out of there way to help you.I can not thank them enough for their help and hospitality well I was there for the weekend.

Returning to Flat Rapids Camp that evening I hiked along the river shoreline looking for photographic opportunities.It was not a good evening and it was soon dark.

I awoke at dawn and was greeted by some spectacle scenery on the river.On this section of the river there are islands and exposed rocky shoals.There was mist to be had,heavy cloud cover.I set up for the above shot by using the point of one island in the foreground  and keeping another island in the middle ground.I then had the far shore and sky for my background.The sunlight was highlighting various sections of the scene when it would pop out.This is very important in getting that special composition.Just be aware of your surroundings.You will also note the position of the far island and the point were by I have created a S curve to lead the eye.At this time of day with the cooler morning temperatures that creates mist over the warmer water temperatures you can create mood in your composition.The rocks were wet and along with the reflections in the still waters created wonderful detail in the rock structure.All in all it was a great morning to be there.

Well that is it for now.So until next time happy trails.

Photography

The Cranberry Bog

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As I was driving South to Killarney Provincial Park late yesterday morning,I decided to hike the Cranberry Bog trail.As I was making my way along the Killarney highway a black bear  dashed across the highway,disappearing into the bush.

Entering the Park I drove down to the parking lot at George Lake.The parking spaces are at a premium at this time of year,but I managed to get my vehicle parked.Being near lunch time I grabbed a sandwich and bottle of water and sat at a picnic table on the beach.

The Cranberry Bog trail is a 4 km loop trail that is about 2.5 hours in duration.I decided to start at the hike by going up to A Y Jackson Lake.As I approached A Y Jackson Lake I noticed a couple sitting on a rock enjoying the afternoon scenery.Continuing on I turned off onto the left trail.A ruffed grouse ran across the trail ahead of me.The neck feathers were ruffled out,so this may have been a male.I was soon going uphill again.This end of the trail is the most rugged to traverse.The forest here is covered with large White Pine,Maple,Birch and oak.Another couple was hiking towards me and I was asked if I had seen any deer.They informed me that they would like to see a deer.After further discussion I continued on.As I was walking along I noticed acorns on top of flat rocks now and then.There was an abundance of chipmunks to be seen along the trail.The acorns were broken into pieces.Another critter that was quite common this day were half inch or smaller frogs hopping to the side of the trail.All told I must have seen four or five of them.

The trail was now skirting the Cranberry Bog.This is a very large wetland.The first thing I noticed was the beautiful Granite rock outcroppings situated here and there.This would be a great place in the Fall for fall colors.The North side of the bog is pretty much all Oak and Maple.You can also see a bit of the La Clothe Mountains in the background.

Following the trail I came across two ladies from Hamilton sitting on a rock outcrop painting.After a brief chat I continued on until I came upon a small wooden bridge running parallel to a beaver dam.The scene before me is what you see above.But taken in the evening.Heading back out the trail was easy going.I spotted a clump of mushrooms growing at the base of of White Pine.I setup the camera and tripod and produced a series of photos.

The trail exited near campsite 103 of the main campgrounds.It was now 3:00 pm.With time on my hands till evening I headed into the town of Killarney for a coffee.There is a restaurant on the waterfront that serves good coffee and fresh cinnamon buns.Returning to the park I set up my chair on the beach and read my novel

By early evening I was heading back into the Cranberry Bog.I went in by campsite 103.Upon arrival at the bridge I set up to take the above photo.There was heavy cloud cover moving in and the wind as not letting up yet.As I waited lily pads started moving in front of me.There was something moving underwater.I was able to follow its movement by watching the disturbed lily pads.Then in a small opening among the pads I made out the form of a turtle.I could just make out the moving feet.You never know what you will see.Around 8:00 pm I had a window of about 20 minutes to work with.With that said I set up and composed the above photo.The bridge is to my left out of sight.As you come up to the bog there is a rise of rock which I used for may foreground.Some of the beaver dam is seen on the left.This is a very nice rock structure here.It had caught my eye when I was first here.The wind was soon causing problems and it was time to head home.

While that is it for this week.I will be setting up my art work at the French River Provincial Park for two days this weekend.If you have time come for a visit.That is it for this week so happy trails.

 

Photography

Blue Skies and Rocks

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I will continue discussing my day trip into Killarney Provincial Park last Friday.One of my goals was to do some shooting in Little Shageleander Lake.I love this location for its rock structures along the shoreline.I have also produced some award winding photos here.

I set up for this composition at the only campsite on this lake.I added shoreline in the foreground and the left side of photo.There was a beautiful blue sky along with nice white clouds.This composition was a two shot pano.I darken the sky a bit to enhance the tree line for better effect.When you have reflections in the water you will find very interesting patterns with a rocky shoreline.Being well into summer there are now lily pads floating on the surface.Some folks may consider them a nuisance in this type of photo.I consider the lily pads a part of the scene and at a later date you will know that you took this photo during mid summer.

Well that is it for this week.Thank you for visiting and I enjoy the comments.So until next time happy trails.

 

 

 

Photography

A Great Day at The Park

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4:00 am comes early.I had about an hour and a half drive to Killarney Provincial Park to catch the dawn shooting.Stopping at Tim Hortons for a take out coffee I was soon on Hwy 69 heading South. The drive was uneventful and I was soon parked at the main campsite on George Lake.The wind was blowing over the lake which meant no photographing that morning.I now had to wait till evening and hope that the wind would calm down.

I past most of the day by going into the village of Killarney and parking in the Park by George Lake and reading my ebook.At 3:00 pm I loaded up my gear and started hiking into Little  Sheguiandah Lake. It was a hot,humid afternoon.The mountains were hazy.As I breasted the first ridge puffing a bit I met a couple coming back out.We chatted about photography for a few minutes before I continued on.At this time of year Killarney Provincial Park is a very busy place.I made my way around to the East side of Little Sheguiandah Lake. As I approached the shoreline of George Lake I noticed a fair number of people swimming.There is only a very narrow piece of worn rock separating Little Sheguiandah Lake from George Lake.I found myself a shady spot under a Pine tree and now had to wait till evening

By evening the wind calmed down and I proceeded to photograph around Little  Sheguiandah Lake.Once done I made my way back to A Y Jackson Lake. I arrived  at A Y Jackson to a nice calm surface.There was a couple sitting on the rock that I usually set up to do my shooting.I asked if I may set up my tripod beside them.They responded that it was okay.As I was setting up  the couple were asking about the North Country.This was there first trip this far North and were heading to Sault Ste. Marie  the next day

As I was standing there my eye was drawn to a point on my right.The trees were glowing on this small point of land.The sun near the horizon was going in and out of the clouds.Being hot and humid there was some interesting lighting being created on the scene that I composed as shown above.Darkness was soon approaching as I made my way back down to my Ford Escape.Happy and tired I was on my way home.Another great day at the park.

Well that is it for this week.Thank you for stopping by and until next time happy trails.

Photography

Early Morning Light

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As Gerard Leduc and I were slowly moving around a group of islands I noticed the early morning sun highlighting the rocks you see above. Onaping Lake is home to a large number of islands and channels to explore.Easing the boat to shore and cutting the motor we hopped onto the rock outcrops on the shoreline.

Placing the sunlit rocks in the foreground along with a lone evergreen tree.There was just enough reflections to add depth to the water.The rocks in the middle ground were a nice shade of light grey.The background consists of the forested shoreline and clouds in the sky.

Well that is it for this week so until next time happy trails.

Photography

An Interesting Point

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On my previous trip to O S A Lake in Killarney Provincial Park we camped on a large island.The island is large enough to allow many photo opportunities. Walking the shoreline I spotted this interesting little point jutting out into the lake.It contained beautiful structure detail that was enhanced by the reflections created in the water.So using the point as my foreground,the small rock island as my middle ground and the forested La Cloche Mountains for the background I was able to create the above composition.

The late evening sun was highlighting the Maple trees on the hillside giving a nice yellowish glow to reflect into the water.Looking at the point in foreground you will see blue on certain parts of the rocks.If I was to remove this blue you would get a dull grey color.I do not know if this is due to the camera’s sensors or the late evening lighting.I have come across this many times with the type of rock structure found in the La Cloche Mountains.

Well that is it for this week as I have been busy preparing for The Killarney Art Show this coming Saturday and Sunday.If you are in the area stop in at the show.There will be many very good artists there.25 %  of all purchased art work goes to The Friends of Killarney to help them in there many projects at Killarney Provincial Park.You can check there website here.

http://friendsofkillarneypark.ca/joomla/

While you are in Killarney enjoy some of the best fish and chips at the waterfront. Till next time happy trails.

Photography

What is Behind the Campsite.

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This past Friday myself,my daughter and son-in-law headed for Muriel Lake in Killarney Provincial Park.We had to cover 5 lakes and 4 portages to the campsite.We did not get away till 4:00 that afternoon.A quick check into the park office for camping permits and we were soon loading the canoe at the George Lake beach.We decided to eat a quick supper before we left.It turned out to be a very hot weekend.

Launching the canoe we were off on our adventure.George Lake is about a 40 to 50 minute paddle to the first portage of 90 meters. Off loading our gear we quickly carried over to Freeland Lake and headed to the next portage.The wind was light so the going was easy.Freeland Lake has a fair amount of vegetation in the form of lily pads.

The Killarney Lake portage soon arrived and we carried all our gear and canoe over.This was a 380 meter carry over.You could feel the heat.Once out into the open water the beauty of the La Cloche Mountain system is much evident.We had a short canoe paddle at the upper end of Killarney Lake to get to the carry over into O S A Lake.There are a lot of campers at this time of year and most folks are friendly.

We quickly hauled over the 455 meters to O S A Lake.This lake is one off my favorite lakes to photograph.Launching into the turquoise blue waters,the sun fading,we made our way to the West end of the lake.Arriving at our last portage we made haste to make it over to Muriel Lake.This portage was 595 meters.By this time it was now dark.There was enough light to make our way to the West end of the lake.There are two campsites at this location.We chatted with one of the campers who told us were the campsite was.

We arrived at the general location of this campsite and proceeded to search for it on shore with flashlights.My son-in-law located it and we unloaded and got the tent setup.The mosquitoes are bad here once the sun goes down.I was tired so off to bed I went.

The above photo was a panoramic that I took the following evening.At the time it was hot and muggy.As I strolled along a path behind our campsite I came across this beautiful,serene scene.This would make a different take on what I usually photograph.I set the Canon 7d to take multiple exposures at different shutter speeds.With The camera set at vertical I proceeded to do six shots to cover the whole scene that you see above.

When I got home I processed each set of exposures in HDR.Then I did a photo-merge in Photoshop to create the 20″x60″ photo.I did not do any processing in HDR.This is a great way to bring out the shadow details.With the La Cloche Mountains in the background and reflecting into any open water,the various shades of green and grey deadheads over the swampy area added up to an interesting shot.

Well that is it for now.I will continue the story at another date.So until next time happy trails.

 

Photography

Looking Back From Where We Came

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I had been busy photographing the scene in the previous post.It was such a beautiful evening.The wind was co-operating for a change.It was now getting on to late evening.My partner Gerard Leduc and I  had gone ashore at another location to photograph some small islands.Struggling through the shoreline bush ,looking for an opening,I happened to look back towards where we had come from.

A marvelous scene was before me.Clouds,Reflections and rocks.Beautiful.But what also caught my eye was the sunlight on the trees in the background.Wow.I quickly set up the tripod,mounted my Canon 7D and proceeded to create the composition you see above.

I used the reflections in the foreground to lead your eye to the sunlit background and cloud formation.

Well that is it for this week.I would also like to thank the folks who have subscribed to my blog.The subscriptions are now at 104.So thank you very much.Your comments are welcome.If anyone has any questions be free to ask.

I was selected to the 35th La Cloche Juried Art Show with a first place showing.This is a great show put on by wonderful people.It is a week long event.

Well that is it for this week.So until next time happy trails.