Tag Archives: rocks

Photography

Georgia Lake

1 Comment

Gerogia Lake_3750

 

I loaded up my gear Sunday morning and hit the road. Heading west on hwy 17 towards Webbwood. I then turned onto the Agnew Lake road heading north. I  soon reached the turnoff onto the Westbranch  road. This is a well used logging road. I had to now watch out for logging trucks. With a plume of dust behind me, I was cruising. I truly enjoy travelling these logging roads with the forest on either side of me. Very little traffic. 

My next turn was onto the Charcoal Lake Road. I am now seeing more cut over areas. These are areas that the loggers have clear cut for many acres. Before long I was at the Georgia Lake campsite, being welcomed by an ole prospector named Terry. This gentleman spends his summer here every year. A knowledgeable gentleman that knows the area like the back of his hand.

The tent was soon set up and all the camp gear in place. It was time to unfold the camp chair and join Terry by the lake shore. It was 28 C in the sun. We were sitting in the shade of the trees with a cool breeze off the lake. Very comfortable, plus the bugs were not bothersome. We both chattered away the afternoon. It is with great joy to sit there in the peace and solitude around you. A loon drifted by. The small head of a painted turtle would emerge now and again in front of us. We watched as a beaver made its way by us. There was a Robin making quite a fuss nearby. There was a squirrel nearby disturbing the Robin. The sound of small waves upon the shoreline. Good way for a pair of old-timers to pass an afternoon.

As evening approached the wind was still blowing. By morning the wind was calm. The lake surface still This allowed me to capture the above scene on the far shoreline. Georgia Lake is a small lake in size. The boulders seen here are only located on one side of the lake. This is very common in this part of the country.

While that is it for now. As I will be repacking to head back up to Georgia Lake for more photos. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

The Northern Scourge

1 Comment

MarthaLake_Island

 

We made it back last Friday evening to Martha Lake, Algoma. As expected our northern hosts the mosquitoes were awaiting our arrival. They are not called northern scourges for nothing. Blood is what they want. The first thing Maureen and I did was set up the screen tent. The screen tent affords us an area of peace from the bugs. The mosquitoes would line up outside the screen waiting for a victim. You.

Next step was to get our sleeping quarters ready, namely the tent. With practiced precision the tent was erected. The sleeping cots set up and our beds were made. Maureen lit the bug coils for each location and had them placed in the sleeping tent and screen tent. Donning my bug jacket I set up the barbecue and stove. Both these essential items run on propane. I left the cooler in the Ford escape for the night. No need inviting unwanted guests to the feast overnight. Namely bloody bears. We had the whole lake to our selves. Not a soul in sight. Amen. I wonder sometimes who is smarter, me or the folks who stayed home. I must be a true northerner.

It was getting near dust now and the lake was quite calm by this time. Out came the tripod and camera. Let me tell you when you stand by the lake shore, you become surrounded by the mosquito hordes. To take a photo you have to be quick about it. I have to remove the head portion of my bug jacket to photograph. Before shooting I wave my hand in front of the lens to clear these bugs. If not, you will find round splotches on your photo.

Darkness was fast approaching. Camera gear was put away. Time to hit the sack. Crawling into my sleeping bag was a relief. A small light hanging from the tent ceiling revealed the mosquito hordes on the outside of the tent screen. I had the feeling of being the only bloody piece of meat for a hundred miles. I guess in the turn of things we all have to survive. Thus I fell asleep with the droning of the north woods mosquitoes in my ears.

Tomorrow is another adventure. So until next time happy trails.

Photography

Bathtub Island, Lake Superior

6 Comments

Bathtub_Island_Superior

 

Bathtub island is a typical little island found on Lake Superior. Time worn with sparse growth of stunted trees. It is located at Lake Superior Provincial Park a good walk north of the Sand River mouth. There is a fairly large sandy beach here, along with sand dunes. Just north of this cove is Katherine Cove. I have walked from either direction. There is a trail off the highway that you can walk straight in to Bathtub Island. It traverses through sand dunes that are protected. So do not walk in the sand dunes. Very fragile.

This area is popular with tourists to swim in the clear waters of Lake Superior. Access to the little island is to walk along a sandbar just below the water’s surface. Very short walk. The reason this island is named Bathtub Island is that when you look on left of photo you will see the low rocky part of island. This creates an enclosed pool that is kept filled with lake water. As the waves surge in, the enclosure fills with water. I have made a number of trips in hopes of capturing this scene with the right lighting.

As I hiked into the beach one August evening, the sky was very dark and threatening. There was a bit of wave action to disturb the lake’s surface. The sun was settling to the west. This would be on the right side of photo. This gave a lovely warm glow to the rock face on the island. There were white clouds passing overhead at considerable speed. This created a problem due to low lighting creating slow shutter speeds. Thus I upped my iso to 400. Waited until there was fewer clouds sailing by, But at the same time mindful of the evening getting late. The result was as shown above. Take note of the lighting on the small shrub. A nice touch.

Well that is it for this week. Until next week happy trails

 

Photography, Poetry

A Whimsical Isle

8 Comments

Superior_2014

 

A whimsical isle offshore

Evergreens crowd the center

Struggling to maintain hold

Among the worn rocks

The trees are dwarfed

With inadequacy of food

Time and time again

The ravages of Lake Superior

Overwhelm the tiny island

After each bout of ferocity

The little trees still stand

A testament of strength

To withstand the brutality

Of the unforgiving waters

 

With a lowering sun

The water is calm

A rare moment it is

The trees stand bold

In the evening solitude

White clouds flirting

Across the blue sky

Reflecting upon the water

The horizon turning pink

From the sun’s glow

 

The shadows are creeping

Over the reposing land

Darkness has now descended

The isle mere silhouette

Upon the placid waters

The sky is clearing

The stars luminous in the night sky

The moon casts a silver glow

Over the diminutive isle

There is a sense

Of quietude and peace

Along the rugged shoreline

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography

A Red Glow

8 Comments

Batchawana_2906

 

I wrote about this particular scene a few posts back. There is an ancient lava flow here that has been preserved over time. The location is Mica Bay, Lake Superior. I had climbed up unto an outcropping of rock and photographed the location. The sun was on the horizon to my left. It was rapidly sinking below the horizon. As I sat there, the rocks took on a reddish hue that was really fascinating.  The red hue was very powerful on the rocks. Withing a couple minutes it was gone. Another episode of what nature can produce before your eyes. The camera and tripod were already set up, thus it was only a matter of setting the exposure and click away. The clouds had a reddish tinge to them. The rocks in foreground stayed dark due to an outcropping of rocks to my left. That was good as it provided good contrast with the rest of the scene.

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

 

 

Photography, Poetry

Tranquility

5 Comments

GeorgeLakeFall2014

 

A quiet peaceful morning

An overcast sky above

Calm waters prevail

In the quiet nooks

A touch of mist

Floating on the water

A dampness in the air

A place to retreat

To discover nature’s simplicity

The maples orange and red

The angled rock lines

Flowing into the water

The mark of glaciers

Scouring the shoreline rocks

A touch of color

On the time worn rocks

The morning sunlight

Edging the pine needles

A dreamy quieting morning

A soothing restful place

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography, Poetry

A River’s Destiny

3 Comments

MeaudeauPano

 

 

 

A fine light mist

Hangs over a Northern lake

Draping the surrounding forest

Moisture laden branches dripping

Onto the lake’s surface

The remnant of a late summer storm

No winds blow now

The lake surface calm

 

The sound of running water

Can be heard not far off

A beaver dam holds

Back the rising water

Induced by the storm

A beaver can be seen

Repairing the leaking dam

 

The water drips through

The dam of sticks and mud

The dripping water

Becomes a trickle

Of a small flowing stream

The stream menders through

A grass filled swamp

Gnarled tree trunks

Grey with age

Stand like aging sentinels

Among the green grass

Waterfowl frolic and feed

 

The stream flows on

The sky is clearing

By late morning

The sun warms the land

Emerging from the wetlands

The river’s edge becomes rocky

The hills close in

Old growth pine and cedar

Dominate the rocky shoreline

 

With quicken of pace

The river flows onward

The merging of streams

Swells the strengthen river

The speckled trout abounds

In the clear and cold water

Of pools and rapids

 

A wide bend appears

A grove of Birch trees

In a burnt over area

Grace the river’s edge

The white bark luminous

In the late afternoon

 

There is a noticeable

Increase of water flow

The roaring sound of water

Can be heard ahead

Mist is seen in the distance

The river plunging vertically

Over a steep precipice

Into a swirling pool

Jagged cliffs are raised

Above the violent water

Manitoulin63

 

A family of Otter rollick

Below the misty falls

The river tumbles and surges

Through a rock infested gorge

To emerge into quiet waters

Leaving behind the towering hills

To flow through level land

 

A scattering of Maples

Are now a common sight

A grass filled meadow

Appears in the distance

A Common Merganser hen

With her half grown brood

Following helter-skelter behind

As she hurries downriver

 

A cow moose noiselessly

Steps to the river edge

Two calves follow behind

Lowering their heads

To drink their fill

Of the clear water

Before merging back into

The shadowy forest

Norway

 

The river flows on

Small birds in splendid color

Twitter and dash among

The overhanging tag alders

A hawk perched high

Watching for an unwary prey

A mink dark in color

Follows the rugged shore

With a bounding gait

Foraging for a meal

 

In the far distance

The shimmering waters of

Lake Huron is glimpsed

The river twists and turns

Through heavily forested land

To emerge through wind swept rocks

Merging into the vastness

Of Lake Huron

Photography

Sculptured Rocks

10 Comments

Superior_1852

 

I am always looking for something different in terms of a composition. Something that is opposite to what I normally do in photography. I was walking along a beach in Lake Superior Provincial Park. The evening was getting on. Just a lovely evening to enjoy. Looking at the far far scenery and trying to figure how to get there. I seem to do a lot of that in this Lake Superior country. I was strolling South on the sandy beach. Then I noticed that at the south end of the beach the shoreline became mostly boulders of different sizes and descriptions.

Now I had patterns here in the form of vertical lines. Actually they angled a bit. Also there is rounded shapes. Therefore I set up my tripod without opening the legs. I sat on my butt. Now I was down getting the true angle of my composition. I placed the first rock in the foreground due to its difference in color. You can see a zombie like head emerging. How cool is that. Then after staring at the emerging zombie, your eye goes to the next rock. Now this one is oblong in shape, but maintaining the vertical lines. Then you have smaller rocks in the water. This will tell you that this is part of a shoreline with a sandy beach. To keep everything simple I used the large rock in the background to eliminate clutter. You will also notice you will only see part of that rock. There are vertical lines there also. Your eye is going to follow a diagonal path to the background. Yet the two main rocks overlap the central line of the diagonal. There is very good earthy color and balance here.

I had a radio interview  over at Contemporary Art Gallery Online. It aired last Sunday. You can catch it here

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cagmedia/2014/12/07/an-artist-speaks-season-3-episode-17-with-guest-ken-bennison-1

Leanne Cole from Australia did an interview  and was posted on her blog

http://leannecolephotography.com/2014/12/08/introductions-ken-bennison/

Photography

Stream Side Maple

6 Comments

Batchewana_2559

 

There was a lovely maple tree overhanging a small stream that I passed many times on a logging road. The logging road was near Batchawana. I do not know the name of this stream, other than it flowed into the nearby Carp River. On a return trip from photographing other locations, I stopped on the side of the road to capture this scene. There is a small bridge that the stream flowed under. This is where I set up my tripod and camera. At this late in the evening it was calm and subdued. There was also no danger of a logging truck appearing.

The maple tree in the foreground gives you the eye popping colors. The stream was used to give a sense of peace and tranquility from the bold maple tree. A large rock is in the foreground to give a sense of depth and size. Most of the forest in the background has been eliminated by the maple tree. Thus also reduces the color green. There is a shallow pool in the background with muted reflections. Again quiet solitude. Then the stream disappears around the bend.

I received an honorable mention at the Art Competition Seeing The Land.

While that is all for now. I am preparing another book at the moment. It is taken up most of my time. The weather here has been crappy at the moment. So until next time happy trails

Photography, Poetry

Morning Solitude, George Lake

7 Comments

GeorgeLakeFall2014b

 

The wind is calm

The air being crisp

A clear blue sky

The exposed hills aglow

With the morning sunlight

A touch of color

Decorates the ancient hillside

 

Shadows are opening up

A light mist roams

The quiet lake waters

The grass filled shallows

Resplendent in rusty brown

A stray beam of light

Filtering throw shadowy trees

Casts a lustrous glow

On the sunlit  grass

 

There is a stirring

Of a north wind

From over the hills

Rustling through the trees

The morning mist dispersed

The lake’s surface ruffled

By the strengthening wind