“Spring is like the opening of a window on a bright sun-filled day. Freshness replaces the stale air and fills us with energy and promise.”
– Ed Lehming
Ferns are a real pleasure to watch in the spring. Seeing them gently unroll on the forest floor is an active part of the spring. For me, it symbolizes the season so well. It’s a gradual, carefully timed. and repeated process.
This image captures the ‘fiddlehead’ of an ostrich fern as it begins to stretch upwards to the warming sun. The more it open, the more energy it absorbs in early spring, developing the plant before the canopy of trees high above blocks the sun’s light and puts the ferns into shadow for the summer.
I used a fairly narrow aperture to keep most of the fiddlehead in sharp focus while allowing some softness further down the stalk.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/40 sec, f/14.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Delicate white flowers hover above the deep green leaves as the next wave of spring flowers emerges, replacing trilliums and bloodroot. The canopy overhead thickens, and filters the light that makes it to the forest floor. Starflowers now add drops of brilliant white into the deepening gloom of the undergrowth.”
– Ed Lehming
As the trilliums mature and fade to soft pinks and magenta, the forest floor is once more transformed. The light is now filtered by maturing leaves. I’ve been noticing the starflowers along the trails for a few weeks now. They are quite unique with their seven pointed leaves.
They seemed to sit there, poised to bloom but needing a bit more warmth to start the cycle. Yesterday, they all seemed to bloom at once, the forest filled with these lovely small white flowers.
Here I was able to capture a group of three, growing on a moss covered stump and touched by a narrow shaft of sunlight. It was a good day to be in the forest, the air was filled with a warm and gentle breeze and the mosquitoes and blackflies were pretty much absent, a blessing at this time of year, especially when getting down low to make photos of the smaller wildflowers.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/60 sec, f/9.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“A blanket of white blossoms flowed across the forest floor in an endless sea of trilliums that filled my vision with it’s beauty.”
– Ed Lehming
This spring, I set out on a few occasions, hoping to get some spring wildflower images and after a few fairly disappointing visits the forest erupted with trilliums like I have never experienced before.
I think this is primarily due to the cool, wet weather conditions this year. Flower development was delayed or just slow but it seems that everything just ‘pooped’ at once. Where a few days ago the forest floor was simply a mat of dried leaves, thousands upon thousands of wildflowers pushed through and bloomed. It was quite a stunning transformation that reached as far as I could see. The woods were literally blanketed in wildflowers, with the trilliums brilliant white dominating.
In the image above, I got down low to depict the trilliums as a wave that flows across the small rise and continues to the horizon. I tried numerous shots at various aperture settings to try to capture this stunning scene and finally settled on this one, though it still does not do justice to what I witnessed.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/320 sec, f/7.1, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“As the days warm, fond memories of spring walks remain with me. Bright greens and the freshness of wildflowers whisper from a recent past.”
– Ed Lehming
Memories of this spring will stay with me for some time to come. The cool and damp days provided ideal conditions for the spring flowers to emerge and remain fresh for a long time. It was as if a month was compressed into a week.
There is also the freshness of the new leaves forming, a kind of lime green with splashes of orange. It’s like no others colours in the year; it’s just ‘fresh’.
The photo above is a scene I see quite frequently as I hike the ‘perimeter’ trail in Ontario’s North Walker Woods near my home. I go there frequently because they are so close, access is easy, and the woods offer me a great amount of subject matter for my photography. The woods also provide me a peaceful place to be when the stresses of life build. I’m able to easily immerse myself in these woodlands and criss-crossing trails.
This view has now changed, the trilliums are almost all gone and the undergrowth has thickened to a deep green wall of leaves, limiting the view deeper into the forest.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/60 sec, f/9.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“What season is it?, I ask. The cooler parts of the forest are still a bit subdued compared to others, with just a blush of colour, a snapshot in the forest’s story.”
– Ed Lehming
Over the span of a week and a few kilometers of trail, there are vast differences in how quickly parts of the forest mature at this time of year. In stark contrast to the wildflowers and bright leaves I shared a few days ago in my “Spring Forest Trilliums” post, this part of the forest is showing a significant delay.
I can’t recall the exact location along the trail but I do remember stopping because I was struck by how little colour there was and the fact the the forest floor was mostly leaf covered, with very little ground cover emerging. It felt like I had stepped back a week in time. The two images do show just how fast things progress in spring, though this one does have a subtle watercolor appearance, thus the title I chose for it.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90m
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Along forest paths, bright wildflowers dance in the gentle breeze, and an ever changing dance of colours, fragrances, and textures.”
– Ed Lehming
This spring has been a joy for me, as I really enjoy the multitude of spring ephemerals. Those first few green leaves and bright flowers are such a welcoming sight after months of snow and dull days.
What I have found most enjoyable is the experience of discovering new plants every year and expanding my knowledge of those plants. I’m constantly surprised when a species that I had not noticed before seems to spring up when least expected.
This year, that plant was the Large Flowered Bellwort, a plant that I have only experienced in the boreal forests near Bancroft, Ontario and even then, only as single isolated plants. Last week I came across several large clusters of them, right night to the hiking trail and I wondered why I not not noticed them in the past. Now, they seemed to be everywhere, not as profuse as the trilliums but in larger quantities than I had ever experienced before.
Despite having hiked this trail for many years, it still offers me surprises,every time I return.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/60 sec, f/9.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Preparations are underway, chlorophyll fills the cells, rust turns to green, and leaves mature, ready to feed hungry trees, and produce oxygen.”
– Ed Lehming
Spring is truly underway when the slight yellow and rusty new growth turns deep green. As the leaves develop, the emergent colours fade, ever so slowly, except to those who are with them regularly.
The cycle continues, largely unnoticed by most these days, but when you spend time with the trees this conversion to mature leaves is a wonderful process to observe.
In the image above, faints patches of the former dark reds, which were so prevalent a few days ago, are still visible but are being replaced by the summer greens. As days get longer and the air warms up, each species in its time will be preparing to greet another summer.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Opening ferns in spring remind me of that first stretch when waking up. You can almost hear them yawning after their long rest”
– Ed Lehming
It’s a joy to watch the grand opening of the forest, that time of year that we have named spring. The plants seem to be in a race to see which one can reach the highest, the fastest. Ferns are no exception to this.
For the past few days, the ferns have been small knobs on the ground waiting for the sunshine to warm the ground enough to signal them to start growing. The knobs soon expand into their ‘fiddlehead’ stage where they seem to pause once more, still close to the ground and shelter of the layer of fallen leaves; it seems like they are waiting for signs of frost to disappear, protecting the delicate leaves from freezing.
Then, suddenly, they begin to stretch up and unroll, the once tight fiddleheads riding atop ever expanding stems. In this image, the leaves within the fiddleheads are clearly visible and are just about to open. Within the next few days they will expand to their full size, drinking in the sunshine and adding more greenery to the lush forest floor.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/160 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“High above, the raven skims the treetops, gliding silently on wings of dark silk”
– Ed Lehming
After some time in the woods of Secord Forest, a local conservation area, I emerged into the brightness of an overcast sky and watched two ravens circling above me. After awhile they both perched at the top of trees near the forest edge and began ‘talking’ to each other.
Those familiar with ravens will know the broad variety of sounds these interesting birds can make. That is to say, they were not simply ‘cawing’ but were involved in a complex exchange of sounds high above. It almost seemed they were having a conversation about what lay beneath them. I’m not sure if they saw me, as I stood at the forest edge, obscured by low branches.
I watched them and listened for some time, simply enjoying the experience and decided that the raven on the closest treetop would make an interesting photo. The light made the shot feel a bit lackluster, since it was so flat and dull but I proceeded to compose the image anyways.
The first few shots I made were “OK” but not quite what I had envisioned. This soon changed as the one raven took off and the other stirred as well, about to follow the first one. It took this opportunity to compose a shot, anticipating the take-off and managed to snap the shutter at just the right moment in flight to show it with wings fully extended.
This image may appear to be black and white, but it’s full colour, simply the result of the lighting conditions and the stark contrast between the black bird and the bright sky.
What made this even more challenging was the fact that I had gone to the forest to get some close ups of the spring flowers, so only had my 90mm macro lense with me to make this image and my camera was still set at a fairly high ISO for lower light. It all worked out alright, I think.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/2000 sec, f/10.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The vibrant greens and rust of new foliage competed with the pure white of the forest floor, carpeted in Trilliums”
– Ed Lehming
Over the past few days, which have remained cool and slightly overcast, I’ve taken advantage of my proximity to the local forests to spend my lunches on the trails simply enjoying the beauty of the spring forest.
Everywhere new life is appearing and the cool spring is taking it easy on the native wildflowers, prolonging their bloom. Plants that normally bloom in a bit of a sequence over a month are all blooming at the same time providing me with the opportunity to enjoy and photograph them all at the same time.
Dominating this scene are trilliums. These beautiful flowers fill the forest floor in such a pure white that you can’t help but stop and admire them. Parts of the forest are literally awash with them.
I tried to capture that vibrance in this image, using my vertical pan technique. The slight movement and longer shutter speed adds a life to the image that is missing in typical static photos.
As I consider the image, I can imagine myself back in that place a few days ago, the smells, sounds, and colours of the spring forest return once more and I find it so peaceful.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90m
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Spring is the time of new birth, new hope, and a time to restart.”
– Ed Lehming
I simply love those first few walks in the forest as the ground warms and new life emerges from the recently frozen ground. From the compressed blanket of dead leaves plants press through this thick layer with surprising strength and abundance.
New and fresh leaves unfurl from small buds and tight clusters which can no longer contain them. These new leaves, freshly exposed to the spring air rapidly expand, revealing wonderful structures and textures.
Among the fresh and pale green of the forest floor are new maple saplings, leathery orange and striped with bright green veins. They stand out because they are such a different colour than the rest of the emerging plants.
Within the next few days, the leaves will be fully opened, deep green, and will start to drink in the sunshine for another season.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/160 sec, f/9.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Nature is filled with surprises. It’s the unusual that we notice. That’s what I love about being in it, there is always something new to make you wonder, How did that happen?”
– Ed Lehming
This is a new one to me, and as I stated in the quote above, nature always has surprises for me. Now, I have seen a single variant like this. Right behind our camper and directly outside the window, there is a single trillium which has blossomed green and white for the past few years.
Recently, I came across a variation of this where the entire flower was green. Here I found a bonanza, all the variations in one spot, though unfortunately, the white blossom had not opened fully.
Of course, once you spot a variation like this, in a forest filled with thousands of trilliums, you come to expect the unexpected and notice it far more often.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/400 sec, f/9.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Life and colour emerged from the ground with such abundance, you could fairly hear the leaves rustling with activity.”
– Ed Lehming
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love this time of year, when wildflowers erupt from the carpet of dull brown leaves. Within a few days, the dull and seemingly lifeless forest floor is festooned with colour.
Among the first, in my area, are the delicate Sharp Lobed Hepatica. Some locals call it “Mayflower”, which is incorrect botanically but so appropriate given its abundance in May.
As I made this image, I sat on a hillside absolutely covered with them. I chose this composition because I liked how they grew around the dead branch and it showed the old and new leaves nicely. This particular cluster is pure white, though I saw many variances of light pinks, purples, and blues as well.
It was a wonderful and relaxing experience, sitting on the warm forest floor, surrounded by this bounty of wildflowers which also included Trout Lily, Trilliums (not yet blooming), Spring Beauties, Wild Leeks, Wild Ginger, and Blue Cohosh. There will be several more photos and stories to follow this one.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/640 sec, f/10.0, ISO 250
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Barely visible on first glance, it’s alien form surprises the first time viewer”
– Ed Lehming
It is so nice to finally make images with no snow. The past few weeks have been cool, wet, and miserable, with more rain than I care for. But, the rain melted the snow and ice away and provided lots of moisture to promote plant growth.
Over the past few days, the sun has been out and the ground has warmed up to the point where wildflowers are everywhere. The plants are emerging so quickly that you can almost hear the leaves rustling with the rapid growth.
Among the first to emerge for the duff and loam is Blue Cohosh, which is actually purple. As I began understanding the local wildflowers a few years ago, I was always intrigued by this strangely wonderful plan. Then, I made my first image of the flower, completely by accident, as I did not know they flowered. Since then, I have made many images of the flowers, each one revealing more detail than the last.
This close up shows all the wonderful detail of the almost alien looking flower against the soft tan background of the leaf covered forest.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/250 sec, f/10.0, ISO 250
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“It’s so curious: one can resist tears and ‘behave’ very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer… and everything collapses. ”
―
Today, I grieve the loss of a dear soul. My wife’s cousin and my friend, Paul, passed away suddenly today after a valiant fight with the beast we call cancer. It’s a very sad time as I consider that tomorrow, I will see the dawn break, take a breath, and carry on with my day, a privilege denied to Paul.
Today, I think of my recent times with Paul, always aware of the illness within him, but always putting off what may happen tomorrow, till suddenly, tomorrow arrived and he is gone.
I consider the past few years of Paul’s life. Always a caring and deeply ethical person, he spent his last years largely rejected by the people who claimed to be his friends and support. Namely, the church he attended. The people who should have been his refuge and strength distanced themselves and put him down when all he sought was acceptance and caring. His church community took away everything that Paul cared for and gave him purpose. It makes me even sadder knowing that this situation went on, unresolved and my hope is that those who sought to harm him consider what they did to him.
For myself, I will miss his sense of humour, genuine caring, and commitment to anything he undertook. And while he may not always have had a bright smile on his face, he was a beautiful soul and the world is a lesser place with his passing.
I chose one of my recent paintings to share in Paul’s honour. The painting, named “Distant Shores” reminds me that we will meet again, though we don’t know where or when, but that meeting will be joyful.
“As the seasons changed, winter slowly released its hold on the land, receding in patches and revealing the first signs of spring, like a curtain being slowly drawn.”
– Ed Lehming
I chose this image today because I was very pleased with the composition and the elements that I wanted to communicate. I also did something that I often experiment with but rarely publish. The original photo was processed using the Prizma app on my iPhone. It allows me to apply art filters which render the image into something a bit more painterly and accents the mood I was after.
In this case, the image becomes a bit more ‘crunchy’ and looks a bit more like a coloured wood-cut. I played with several filters, all of which produced nice results, but in the end, I chose this as the most appealing option. Being able to test the image with several filters also revealed that I had a really nice composition since it read well with all the filters.
It’s not something I will be doing on a regular basis but it does allow me to employ some artistic interpretation of a photo.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/3425 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
Prizma filter for iPhone
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The pines stood defiantly on the hillside, their bark long since stripped by disease and the elements; exposed to the sun, and rain; vulnerable. Yet, they stood, despite what had befallen them.”
– Ed Lehming
I’ve photographed this grove of pine trees on many occasions over the past few years. Their appeal is that they stand out against the rest of the forest. They are a strong contrast to their surroundings; tall and straight, clearly dead for some time, but showing little sign of falling any time soon.
They appear skeletal, the bark has mostly fallen off, exposing the smooth gray and sun-bleached wood beneath. There are few signs off rot, though smaller branches are missing. They are simply ‘posts’ on the hill, standing tall against the background of their still living relatives and the delicate undergrowth which is beginning to fill the spaces between them.
I’m not sure what killed them as it is limited to these few trees, on the edge of a larger grove, but they have provided me many photographic opportunities as I pass them in different seasons and varying light. I’ll miss them when they finally fall, but I expect that will be many years from now unless someone deems them a danger and cuts them down.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The ghosts of winter cling stubbornly to thin branches, fluttering as bright reminders of days gone by.”
– Ed Lehming
As the days warm, the ghostly and diaphanous leaves of the beech begin to fade. Throughout the winter their brightness was a welcome respite from the cold, gray, and seemingly lifeless forest.
They have survived the winter winds, snow, and ice, though the season has clearly taken its toll. The leaves, once a bright coppery gold, are now thin, bleached, and ragged. Yet, as we await the freshness of spring, even these tatters provide a most welcome brightness to the otherwise drab forest.
This particular beech tree, with its now faded and ghostly leaves, stands before a tree which fell to the ground over the winter, evidenced by the bright, exposed wood on the stump. The limited sunlight played on the ground and the last remnants of snow lay in the shadows. It’s a snapshot which nicely captures a very brief moment in the forest. A scene which plays out for me year after year and also provides a real challenge in lighting, contrast, and composition to communicate the mood adequately.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/4 sec, f/29.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Memory serves to remind us of the cycles we live in. Nothing is permanent, ever repeating; familiar, yet never quite the same.”
– Ed Lehming
As spring slowly takes hold, traces of winter still linger in the shadows and low places of the forest, a reminder of the days gone by. Yet, the warming air brings forth the promise of a new season, in yellows, browns, and greens, as the sun touches the ground once more.
The trails, though melting quickly this past weekend were still largely ice covered and treacherous and I found myself dealing with a mix of mud and ice which meant tricky footing, despite my wearing crampons.
I’m hoping by next week to see life returning among the winter detritus and a bit of greenery. For now, it’s a waiting game, but all the signs are right for things to pop soon.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Winter’s parting left us traces of its touch; a bit of snow, a hint of frost, and cool breezes, as if someone had left a door open.”
– Ed Lehming
I wanted to revisit my beloved beech trees one last time before they wither into spring. Here, a closer look at the beautiful structure of the leaves, dusted in snow, from this past weekend’s unexpected dumping.
The brightness of the pure white snow almost enhances the golden glow of the leaves clinging to a single branch.
Many times I find myself spending particular attention to these leaves, always looking for the best angle to photograph them from, as light and background play a large part in the final composition. In this case, I used a moderate aperture setting to ensure the entire leaf was in focus while softening the background details, comprised mostly of snow-covered branches.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Through our dark times, if we have eyes open in hope, we can see glimpses of what might be, in what was.”
– Ed Lehming
The beautiful brightness of beech leaves in winter, and early spring for that matter is always a welcome sight. Even on the dullest snow-filled days, they glow with soft gold, a reminder of the rich colours of autumn. The sun, even in limited amounts, makes them seem to shine with an internal light.
Beech trees tend to hang onto their leaves throughout the winter, despite snow, and wind, most survive well into early spring, when warm and damp days tend to cause them to finally decompose. Many look pretty ragged by the time April arrives, yet some weather the seasons with surprising tenacity.
I’m always happy for them. They remind me of mild and colour filled autumn days and their shine is like a small beacon of life among the dark and frozen branches.
In this image, a recent, and unwelcome early spring snowfall on the final day of March clings to the delicate branches of a beech sapling, making the remaining leaves seem all the brighter against the snow-encrusted forest in the background.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 135 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“March teased and taunted with hints of spring, but ended with a reminder that nature is in command, not the calendar, as warm rains turned to sleet and snow”
– Ed Lehming
It has been a very odd March, a very odd March indeed. The month started out as many Marches do in this area: with lengthening days interspersed with snow storms and sunshine as the weather patterns swing towards milder days, yet winter hangs on with tenacity.
The trails I travel are covered with ice, slowly receding and turning to mud. This often leads to a much slower pace as I step carefully along the paths, here and there is an indication of life returning to the world.
It’s a time of transition, of change. This year more than any others, especially in my work life. Mid-March I got the notice that my job of 33 years was being outsourced and I found myself in the uncharted world of premature retirement and having to make some difficult choices in a very tight timeline. In the end, it all worked out and I retired from my previous employer and was hired by the company that the work was outsourced to. It turned out to be a happy ending but caused much stress and anxiety as my world was turned upside down.
So, I chose this image, made yesterday,. Something for me to reflect on, as my work world calmed down, the natural world was thrown backwards once more.
For me, the message is that the natural cycles always work out, eventually and what we consider normalcy returns.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/500 sec, f/11.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“When you can take pleasure in the simple beauty life offers, then you are truly blessed.”
– Ed Lehming
Often, even the most mundane things draw my attention. Though I have stood on rugged vistas and surveyed sights that have left me in awe and speechless I’m still fascinated with the very simple beauty of my everyday surroundings.
In this case, a single small red berry hangs from a vine in the sunshine in early spring. A drop of dew clings tenaciously to it, further enhancing the feeling of freshness. The isolation of this single berry, the last one remaining on the vine is in such contrast to the dull gray world around it.
In the background, the world is awakening from its winter slumber, colour slowly returning, yet traces of snow remain to remind us that winter is not such a distant memory.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/60sec, f/4.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“As winter releases its grip, memories of warmer are revealed”
– Ed Lehming
I’ve spent a lot of time recently walking around my town. Primarily due to convenience and partly because the late winter forests have been fairly uninspiring. I’m always looking for unusual things that might make for an interesting photo.
Many times, I will see something that catches my eye and I spend more time observing the scene or object, trying to understand why it stood out. I also see things as they may be. What I mean by that is that I use a bit of an impressionist’s eye to extract more than just the object itself.
Here, I came across a boulder emerging from the ice along the path that I was walking on. The way the light played on the ice, and a bit on the rock, made for an interesting composition.
I’ve also started to paint, so I’m looking for subjects that may lend themselves to this treatment. Often I’m not sure exactly how I may create a painting, but have the advantage of several plug-ins that allow me to ‘play’ with the image to form my final approach.
That’s what I did here. I took the photo from my iPhone and applied a few filters to get me to where I want to go with an eventual painting.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4 mm
1/15 sec; f/1.8; ISO 1600
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Amidst our comfortable habitations, we need to be reminded that nature is always wanting to take back what is hers”
– Ed Lehming
As a photographer, I like contrast, I look for it as I create my images. So, when I’m faced with other contrasts, I take notice.
While on vacation in Cozumel this past January I could not help but notice how the resort had been literally carved out of the surrounding jungle. I hope this was done deliberately, as I have seen many resort properties bulldoze the surrounding lands to make the resort look ‘civilized’. I’m not sure that’s even the right word or their actual intent.
I loved this sharp contrast between developed and undeveloped land as I walked along an outer walkway, the bustling resort on one side and the natural landscape to the other side. A fence acted as a secondary boundary. Judging by its height, it was designed to keep two-legged trespassers out, as the birds, rodents, and lizards hardly seemed to notice it.
The ‘wall’ of the jungle is impressively imposing and seemingly impassable, reminding me of the old Tarzan movies where the guide hacks a passage through the undergrowth with a machete. I stood, transfixed, a few times, simply letting my eyes drift through the tightly interwoven plants, loving the many values of green before me. That, and the wonderful variation in textures. The one element missing, and I am grateful for it, is the swarms of mosquitoes, nicely controlled by regular spraying.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/30 sec; f/1.8; ISO 32
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Among the detritus of winter lay the signs of resignation and defeat”
– Ed Lehming
Oh, I am so done with this winter. March is hanging on, raw and ragged, teasing with hints of warmth and melting the snow into dirty gray piles of grime. As the snows recede, the history of the winter gradually reveals itself. Usually, this is in the form of garbage, trapped in the layers of snow.
This scene did strike me as funny though. Sometime over the winter somebody had broken not one but two snow shovels and discarded them on the very thing that defeated them. There’s likely more to this story, but as I walked past it, a smile crossed my face and I made up my own story to explain this scene and I decided to stop and grab a quick image.
You may notice the Canadian flag, high and in the distance. The flag was deliberately placed within my frame. It made me think of mountain climbers leaving their flag at the top of a mountain, though not all manage to ‘summit’ and are also resigned to walk back down the hill, defeated, as someone else’s flag waves proudly above them. It also serves as a reminder of winters in Canada.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4 mm
1/590 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The most amazing thing about the winter is that even a frozen world may be perceived as a heaven!”
―
Here we are in March and the temperatures are finally starting to moderate. What better time than today to post this self-portrait I made back in late January.
It seems to me to have been a particularly harsh and too oft ice-cold winter in Southern Ontario this year. That weather has not deterred me from getting out there and making images, as evidenced from the included photo, which reminds me of those vintage images of the Antarctic explorers, so I ‘grunged’ it up a bit for effect.
I recall that day well, having spent a few hours out in the ridiculously cold weather. A day where my long lens seized up because it was so cold out. On my return to the truck, I stopped for a moment to snap this self-portrait to remind me just how cold I felt.
Yet, despite the deep and intense cold that day, I was able to capture a few images that would otherwise have gone unrealized. Like the accompanying quote states so well, there is still stunning beauty to be witnessed, even on the coldest winter days, yet only those of us brave, or stupid enough to go out in it bear witness.
iPhone 7 front camera @ 2.87mm
1/20 sec; f/2.2; ISO 250
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Beneath the rust and grime which dulls the shine of our weathered hearts, joy patiently waits to be rediscovered”
―
For my photography, image titles often come quite easily. As I venture into the world of acrylic painting, I’m finding that that’s not the case. Perhaps it’s the extended creation process, where I am spending a longer period of time creating the art itself?
Photos come naturally to me. I see a scene before me that is interesting, compose the image, set lighting, exposure and depth of field, and voila! I have a photo that I am generally pleased with.
The same holds true with painting. There is a lot of thought that goes into the process that I had not considered until I started painting a few short years ago and I have not been doing much lately. But now, I have taken a course and understand that the creative process is very similar and all the elements that make a good photo also hold true for painting.
I’ve always enjoyed impressionist paintings and have striven for that same feel with my photos. Now, I’m trying to merge the two, simply to stay creative, especially in winter months where outdoor activity can be quite limited. So, I’ve pushed myself a bit, trying to add some texture to my work by doing an entire painting with a palette knife, way out of my comfort zone, but so very satisfying.
Once again, I remind myself this is my photo blog, but I think that painting is helping me in my creative process for photography and this is, after all, a photo of a painting.
“Hark, now hear the sailors cry,
Smell the sea, and feel the sky,
Let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic.”
– Van Morrison
During the days I spend sitting on the shores in Cozumel this past January, one thing that was every present, except one stormy day, was the non-stop traffic of boats going by, just offshore. It was a mix of dive boats, fishing boats, and pleasure craft, but it was ceaseless.
From the break of dawn till early evening, the boats floated by, some lazily and others seemingly in a race to get the best spot first. And all the while, their wake rolled gently to the beach, long after their passing.
There was a certain pleasure in the act of simply resting on the beach and watching this activity, which was the only real measure of time, simply through its regularity.
I tried to capture that lazy feeling through a timed horizontal pan, rendering the photo a deliberately blurry and abstract image, as if waking from a dream. The red boat, just passing, is visible, but not immediately, as your eyes scan the scene presented.
It’s very calming for me now, reflecting back on these lazy, sun-baked days, with not a care in the world where, like the Van Morrison song, my soul and spirit did fly, into the mystic.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
Ed Lehming Photography 
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