“Resistance”
“The forces of nature affect everything. Though the mighty may resist, over time, nature still leaves her mark.” – Ed Lehming
This image may be the departure, for a while at least, from my re-imagined series of photos which I have shared over the past few weeks. With spring on our doorstep, the colour shift is already underway and that change affects the colours of the modified images. I find them less appealing.
The scene portrayed above is from a recent trip to Burleigh Falls, Ontario. As I have noted on a previous post, these falls are at the very edge of the Canadian Shield, a vast and ancient rock formation that covers much of northern Canada. The Shield and its forests are what many people envision when they think of Canada. The exposed granite outcrops, lakes, rivers, and stands of tall White Pine evoke images of Canada in its natural state; all those elements are present in this image.
It is quite incredible though, when you look at this image, just how much impact the natural environment has in creating these scenes. For example, the granite outcropping has been worn smooth over centuries, if not millennia by the constant flow of water , plants have invaded the cracks in the rock itself, allowing water and ice to spread those cracks even farther. The wind, has been blowing through the narrow channel that forms the Burleigh Falls cascade, slowly but steadily causing the massive White Pine to lean in the direction the wind blows. These elements, the rocks, the water, and the trees are all mighty of their own accord, able to resist most temporal forces, but still succumb to the slow and relentless forces of sun, wind, and water.
I find myself spending more and more time in my photographic practice truly appreciating that many of the scenes that I capture have taken a very long time to create, particularly those where nature is the creator.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 24-70 mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 40 mm
1/125 sec, f/20, ISO 400
Ed Lehming Photography 
And, I think I can guess which way the prevailing wind blows. It looks cold in this photo but you’re so right about the effects of the forces of nature.