Evening is fast approaching
The river opening up
A reflecting of color on the water
Wind shaped snow drifts
The art of nature
A touch of blue
Tag Archives: Winter
Spring Thaw
A freshening south wind
Caresses the frozen land
A bright and sunny day
The warmth of spring
Blankets the snow bound terrain
The spring thaw has begun
A river flows beneath
The burden of winter
The snow laden evergreens
Line the river’s edge
The relentless winter winds
Has turned the exposed snow
Into sculptured forms of art
The smooth crust of snow
Formed into humps and valleys
Where the shadows play
Embellishing the exposed snow
The river has burst forth
From its winter blanket
Surging water slowly appears
Creating pools of tea colored water
To disappear once again
Beneath the melting ice
To reappear downriver
Charging on in the
Warmth of spring
With the sun dropping
Below the distant tree line
There is a chill
In the spring air
Long shadows are cast
With a hint of blue
Upon the stark white land
Interspersed with exposed rocks
The approach of evening
Heralds the end of the day
With a display of subdued lighting
Share this:
High Falls, Levack
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.
Share this:
River’s Curature
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.
Share this:
Simple Effect
I shot this composition for its peacefulness and quiet dignity. The stream took a bend here and there was some reflections. A cloudy sky with even lighting. I kept it tight so that the emphasis was on the stream. You have the around the bend effect. The water is blue from the sky even though it is cloudy. An overall lovely scene to look at. It was kept quite simple.
Well it has been quite a busy week for me. I have spent a great deal of time promoting my new book A Wilderness Experience Through Photos And Poetry. I thank those folks who have purchased the book. You can view it here.
http://www.blurb.ca/b/4071212-a-wilderness-experience-through-photos-and-poetry
I would also like to thank those who stopped by for a visit. Until next week happy trails
Share this:
Swans Revisited
The above photo is the combination of early morning lighting and a good pose by the Swans.I was able to frame this pair of swans with golden reflections in the water.I always try to capture these birds in action,whether it is preening or dipping heads into the water.
To get these types of shots means many trips to where the subjects are whether it is wildlife or landscapes.Every trip is different,the lighting changes and there are opportunities for different poses.
I shot the above photo at 1/100 sec at f13 and the zoom at 112mm
I love taken tight shots of these swans showing the breast,neck and head.There is so much detail in the feathers to be had here.The black beak is a strong point.You must always get a glint in the eye to make these photos work.You will also will note a drop of water coming off the bill.This adds to the story that the swan has just dipped its bill into the water and you will observe that there is ice on its bill also.This will tell you that it is cold at the time I took the photo.The actual temperature that morning was -25 C
I shot this photo at 1/125 sec at f10 with a zoom setting of 100mm.
The above photo is a result of the swan coming and laying down beside.I shot this one in a horizontal format to show the curves in the swans body and the intricate detail of the feathers.You can just make out the background that tells you it is frosty and winter time.
There is a glint in the eye to add character and I shot this photo at 1/30 sec at f16 with the zoom set to 135 mm.I also converted the above shot to Black and White.
I went back to Fielding’s Park the other day but the swans had left.The ice had closed in too much so that the swans could not fly in.I watch a pair of swans fly in once and noticed that they needed a large amount of open water to land.
So until next time happy trails.
Share this:
Photo Oppurtunities With Swans
I have had the oppurtunity this past month to photograph Whistling Swans.A short 20 minute drive from home is a lovely park called Fielding Park The park borders the West end of a lake where a small river runs out.A stretch of this river is open and it is here that you will find 6 of these large Swans.There is also a very large population of Mallards and Black Ducks.The waterfowl are feed every morning by local folks with corn.
The above Swan is named Goofy and she is the most humanized of the Swans.She will come up to me and lay down beside me.This allowed me to capture the above photo from very close range.I shot tight so that your eve will follow the valley between the wings up to the eve and beak.An interesting note is the small feather sticking up by here beak is a result of here breathing.I also wanted to emphasize the very fine detail of the feathers the Swans have.Goofy also has 2 large yellow tags on here wings that I did not want in the photo.The zoom was set at 132 mm and the shutter speed at 1/500 sec @ f10
The other thing that I look for is various patterns when I am photographing these Swans.They have such beautiful long graceful necks that can create beautiful forms as you photograph.This pair created an inverted T along with nicely arched necks.You will also noticed that there is some feathers out of place that helps to add depth to the photo.I shot the above photo with a zoom setting of 130 mm and the shutter speed set at 1/500 @f13.
You will also notice a piece of ice sticking up from the bill of the Swan in the foreground.The temperature most mornings was -25 C with a wind blowing.
As I was standing on the shore trying to stay warm, I watched the above pair of Swans grooming.The next thing I saw was they were one behind the other creating a neat pattern that I shot in vertical.The dark colored water allows the Swans to stand out.When I talk about patterns this is a pattern at its best.These Swans have yellow in there heads that add contrast to the photo.I shot the above photo with a zoom setting of 65 mm and the shutter speed set to 1/125 sec @ f10.
I will continue this series on the Swans next week and until then happy trails.
Ken Bennison's Photography 