“Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.”
― Louis D. Brandeis
I find myself drawn to anomalies, things that are out of place. This boulder amid the tumult of Bancroft’s Egan Chute is no exception. I have a feeling I have photographed it before, in slightly different conditions, but haven’t checked back to older photos. I’m certain the light on that occasion was not as nice and the waters a bit calmer.
It surprises me that this rock can hang on with the constant rush of water around it. Sure, it’s heavy, but the current is a force to be reckoned with. I also consider the force of ice in the winter, yet it hangs on.
I had a great day at Egan Chute, photographing the powerful churning waters and a few gentle side rivulets. Standing there, watching the might of this cascade, as the York River squeezes through a narrow defile and drops some 30 meters is simply breathtaking. A return visit in the autumn is definitely in order.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 100mm
1/3 sec, f/20.0 ISO 64
“I liked watching more than I liked being part of it and for the first time I realized that it was OK to just be an observer. Some of us were actors and some of us were the audience. Both were important roles.”
― Peter Monn
This photograph caused me a lot of conflict. As a photographer, ‘selfies’ really irk me. I’ve stood overlooking beautiful vistas only to be roughly shoved by crowds of tourists, each bearing a ‘selfie-stick’. There does not seem to be any appreciation for the beautiful views, rather, a desire to show that they were there, with no regard for the place itself.
In this case, I had returned to a beautiful waterfall near my camper. I went to enjoy the raw beauty of the place and capture some of this through photos.
When I arrived, a group of women pull up behind me and we greeted each other. I hiked in, hoping to get ahead of them to enjoy the place privately for a few minutes and then to make some photos.
Shortly after my arrival, the women and their daughters arrived and proceeded to spend the next hour taking pictures of each other, in various poses, with the beautiful waterfall in the background. They then proceeded down the steep slope and edged closer to the water, clambering over the sharp and slippery rocks to get Instagram worthy images. They even went so far as to get into various yoga poses among the raging waters. It was quite nerve-racking to witness this risky behaviour.
Despite this, I was able to make some quite interesting images from my vantage point. That’s where I’m conflicted. Despite the danger present before me, the opportunity for some very beautiful images also presented itself. To the point where I was not sure if I would post the photo at all. In the end I have decided to post the image, with my observations, since it is quite a lovely image.
It should be noted that this is a single, time exposed, image. Because the girl was sitting relatively still, she appears fairly sharp, the water is blurred by its rapid movement.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 100mm
1/3 sec, f/32.0 ISO 64
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“A large drop of sun lingered on the horizon and then dripped over and was gone, and the sky was brilliant over the spot where it had gone, and a torn cloud, like a bloody rag, hung over the spot of its going. And dusk crept over the sky from the eastern horizon, and darkness crept over the land from the east.”
― John Steinbeck
Today’s post will be simple and short, accompanied by one of my favourite Steinbeck quotes. The image above was made two weekends ago at the end of a beautiful, hot day at the beach. The crowds are gone and a few people remain to enjoy the last few moments of sunlight.
One mad stands at the shore , the waves lapping at his feet and in the distance, a paddle boarder enjoys the relatively calm waters beyond the sandbars, which extend out almost that far. A very nice way to end the day.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/750 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.”
― Jo Walton
I never get tired of sunsets, though I have to admit, I often miss sunrises.
This sunset, simply titled “Sauble Sunset 2018” is one of many photos of the sunset that evening, mere days ago, and is now one of many in an annual series.
Sauble Beach has been as summer destination for my family for the past few years and always delivers at least one spectacular sunset. This was no exception. We spent early evening and dusk playing various sports on the beech and swimming in the surf, our eyes on the sky, awaiting this moment. Many of the beach visitors had already left, heading home to distant towns and cities, leaving only a handful of observers on the shoreline to enjoy this in relative peace.
Despite the slight ‘chop’ on the water from the persistent winds, it was still hot, well into the evening, so a refreshing swim in the sunset was in order.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/250sec, f/8.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The summer waters caressed the shore,
like a lover, gently stroking the beach,
in sheets of warm silk”
– Ed Lehming
I fell in love with this image almost as soon as I made it. It captured the feeling of that hot August dusk along the shores of Lake Huron.
What had been quite a windy day throughout most of the daytime hours, turned soft and gentle, as the sun began to set slowly in the west. A calm descended and the throngs of beach goers departed, leaving a handful of us to revel in the final, beautiful, moments of the day.
It was still very hot, even for early August, and the retreat of the winds made this heat more evident. Yet a gentle breeze carried pockets of cool lake air over the sunset watchers arrayed along the beach. It was a time of quiet reflection, each in their own world, recalling the events of the day. It was also a time of cell phones and cameras as the observers tried to capture a piece of this singular moment to take with them into their busy work-weeks.
For me, reflecting back on this photo, brings me back to that exact time and place, where land, and water, and sky combined to create something so wonderfully soothing. I am so thankful for these moments.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
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
“One day, all your worries will set like the sun does and deserved happiness will come gushing like waves at the beach do. All you need to make sure is that your trips to beach never end.”
― Jasleen Kaur Gumber
Another glorious end of day at Sauble Beach. Even the gentlest dusk breezes move the water into waves that endlessly lap at the shore. Some, a bit more aggressively than others.
I spent the day at the lakeshore, watching the character of the waves shift throughout the day; from powerful, rolling, two meter swells to the gentle rollers of twilight. It was, basically, a day for doing nothing other than experiencing the movement of water and sharing that time with friends and family. A rather nice way to spend the day.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/16.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“I love to feel the temperature drop and the wind increase just before a thunderstorm. Then I climb in bed with the thunder.”
― Amanda Mosher
I wanted to revisit this storm cloud. This image was made mere seconds after my previously posted photo. Seconds make all the difference in the nature of these clouds. The form changes and the light shiftsdramatically. The other thing that changes rapidly, as noted in the quote I chose for this image, is the temperature. One minute its hot and humid and within seconds the wind whips harsh and chilly.
I simply loved watching this cloud change form. It was a rapid and significant change and I’m committed to trying my hand at time-lapse next time I get the opportunity. Even the tonal shift is startling, yet barely noticeable while observing it live. Yet, the photos show a big difference across a span of mere seconds. This cloud just boiled and seethed as the winds within it pulled and churned inside it. It makes me wonder just how intense those internal winds really are, given how fast things changed?
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 100mm
1/400 sec, f/10.0 ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Every season has an end~for a harvest to begin. Embrace the process!”
― Dina Rolle
The ripe wheat stretched to the horizon, bathed in late day sunshine. It was a still and hot day in late July when I made this image with my iPhone, not having my Nikon with me. It was quite a sight and I wanted to do it justice in portraying how vast this looked. Not Prairie vast, but vast by local standards.
I deliberately cropped this to remove the horizon, creating a frame of endless wheat, the photo frame creating a false horizon. It really wasn’t much of a crop but improved the message I wanted the photo to convey.
The photo frame encompasses about 100 acres of wheat, which is a typical single farm plot in my area. The wheat was dry and just about ready for harvest at the time. Since then, a heavy rain has knocked it down quite a bit, one of the many factors that affect harvest and yields. Timing is everything.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/170 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
“Sometimes life is hard … so we have to squeeze it, touch it, play with it, and make it soft like a dough! Now it’s soft enough to be shaped in any way we want! Keep moving, touching life, as this will keep it smooth and fun!”
― Karina Fonseca Azevedo
This photo as sat in my draft folder for many months. I made it with my iPhone, as I hiked a favourite trail with my wife and daughters. I’m not sure what it is about this image that has kept it ‘on hold’ for so long.
I was experimenting with long exposure with my iPhone, seeing if I could recreate the abstracts that I make with my main camera. The resulting image is a bit softer, without the saturation I get with my Nikon, bit the image is still pleasing and effective. The real trick to achieve the effect I enjoy so much is in the movement of the camera itself. Basic settings remain the same, but the ‘feel’ of the pan or vertical ‘sweep’ that I use is different. With more practice I could probably get close.
iPhone 7
“There is peace even in the storm”
― Vincent van Gogh
I’m one of those people who loves storms. There is something in the unbridled power of them that fascinates me. I love the many forms that the clouds take as the winds whip and shape them. There is also something glorious in the way the storm changes the light.
A few days ago, after coming home from a nice dinner with my wife, I saw this storm cloud forming behind my house. I ran inside, grabbed my camera, and made a few images as it quickly billowed higher into the sky, changing form every second, hoping to capture it at it’s peak, before it tore itself apart or diffused. I was also working with great light and did not want to miss the bright rays playing off the sky behind it and within the cloud itself.
My goal is always to capture an image representative of what I saw, as well as how I perceived it. Here, I was trying to capture the play of early evening light within the cloud as well as the ominous feeling of the deep tones within the cloud. I think I succeeded in both and am very pleased with the results of a quickly composed shot.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 100mm
1/400 sec, f/10.0 ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Let me bring you songs from the wood:
To make you feel much better than you could know
Dust you down from tip to toe
Show you how the garden grows
Hold you steady as you go
Join the chorus if you can:
It’ll make of you an honest man.”
– Jethro Tull
Strangely, the Jethro Tull song that I chose for my quote kept going through my head for much of this hike. How appropriate is that?
One of the things that I really notice as I hike is the marvellous play of light through the canopy, high above. I’ve talked about this before, how the forest floor fairly glows as beams of light penetrate the leaves.
This light is nearly always present, wit the exception of overcast or rainy days, and even then some stray light seems to make it through.
On this day, an extended 14km hike gave me lots of time to drink in this light as it reflected off the trail and cast a warm glow on the surrounding trees. It’s this wonderful contrast of light and shadow that I enjoy so much as a photographer and participant in the life of the forest. This was a fairly hot yet breezy day and the light was constantly shifting. As I did not have my wide angle lens handy, I resorted to my iPhone to try to capture one of these moments along the trail.
The resulting image was OK, but as I find with many stills, they fail to portray the light an energy of the living forest, so I used a Photoshop plug-in called Topaz Impressions to modify the photo till it ‘felt’ right. Which reminds me, I need to pick up my paint brushes again 🙂
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/30 sec; f/1.8; ISO 25
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair”
― Kahlil Gibran
The earth does delight in our bare feet and the trail rises ahead to greet me. I’ve spent the past couple of weekends back on the local trails, enjoying the fresh air and sound of the wind shaking the branches high above me, the air is filled with birdsong and the scent of tree sap.
One of the things I try to communicate through my abstract photography is that the forest is a living breathing thing, it’s seldom still and especially so on windy days. Last weekend, as I was making a series of images on the trail, a gust of wind caught me, just as I snapped the shutter. I make these images freehand, as I like the natural feel and control I have of the creative process. The effect of this ‘gust’ was a very slight shift in the first portion of the my upward sweep, which at first bothered me, but the more I considered the final image, the more I liked it. The movement is a bit more distorted but adds a different axis of movement, caused by the wind which seems to make the whole scene spring to action, as if rustling in that same breeze. It’s like witnessing a deep exhalation of the forest, for a brief moment, and then it all settles back to the norm.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/25.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.”
― Steve Maraboli
Some strange things happen when plants are stressed. One of those is a switch to dormancy and loss of the chlorophyl that gives the leaves their green colour. The result, is fall colours and shedding of leaves.
In one particular patch of forest, some of the poplars have started to drop leaves due to the recent heat and drought-like conditions, littering the ground with brightly coloured leaves, which really stand out against the dry, sandy soil. They are quite stunning, and even more so because they are so spread out and out of season.
For humans, stress manifests in different ways, and in most cases, they are far from beautiful. So, I need to spend some time, in my stress filled life to appreciate the beauty I find along my journey, where I find it, and seek out more, to balance my own life.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Don’t look for peace. Don’t look for any other state than the one you are in now; otherwise, you will set up inner conflict and unconscious resistance. Forgive yourself for not being at peace. The moment you completely accept your non-peace, your non-peace becomes transmuted into peace. Anything you accept fully will get you there, will take you into peace. This is the miracle of surrender”
― Eckhart Tolle
I find my life, at present, troubling, I struggle for direction and find myself torn between a multitude of emotions: anger, sadness, grief, disappointment, and betrayal to name a few. I am uneasy about the future, the world around me. It’s a maelstrom of sensations I have not felt before. It seems like negative thoughts and emotions may at any time overwhelm me. And then, beacons of brightness remind me of the path forward. My family is there, trying to comfort me and I hear their words and feel their concern. This is a temporary moment, a juncture of the unfamiliar, yet ahead is brightness and hope. I know this in my heart and need to get my head to follow.
I have been blessed with not just abilities and skills but good and caring people, and as I sit writing these words, trying to make sense of things that make no sense, I’m able to draw on my art, my images, the words and actions of the good people in my life and put things in perspective.
The world I live in is alive and filled with good and joyful things, I just need to remember them, constantly. Images, like this one, as I let the image fill me, remind me of so many of those experiences, they help ground me.
There is a reason for me being in this place and time, just like there was a reason for me being at the place and time when I made the photo, and I find they are weaving together to help me make sense. The word “surrender” echoes through me, not in an “I give up” sense, but rather, I “accept” this moment for what it is, a mere step on the journey. I may have stubbed my toe, but that will heal and I will move forward, stronger for the experience. Despite what feels like darkness, there is always light, I just need to keep focussed on it and appreciate it for what it is, then the darkness seems less dark.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/22.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Three things are needed
For humanity to co-exist:
Truth, peace and basic needs.
Everything else –
Is irrelevant.”
― Suzy Kassem
A reminder, along the way, of what is important. This cluster of tree brought to mind the quote above by Suzy Kassem. So relevant in these complex times.
I have a friend who builds hand crafted furniture, all his work, tables and chairs, have three legs. He jokes, two is just not enough, and four is too many. The number three, is balanced and just enough. The number three is in my mind. So, when I saw this grouping of trees, it triggered thoughts of balance, life, and the events happening in my world, outside the sanctuary of the forest.
Our world seems to be lacking any semblance of truth, peace is just a dream to many, and in a world of excess, basic needs seem to be forgotten, as we pursue the latest fad. Yet, it seems so simple, doesn’t it? We need all three, in balance, and it feels like one is always lacking, or diminished. concept.
At this point in time, as I place myself back in the forest vista, I hold onto this image and try to picture it with one tree missing, and it just isn’t the same. Three are needed.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/11.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Taking time in stillness is an essential part of my every day. It saves my sanity, it grounds and centers me. I can carry that peace with me wherever I go.”
― Akiroq Brost
Welcome once more to a moment in the forest, this time a warm, dry, and largely mosquito free sojourn into the green.
As I hike these trails, often 10-15 km at a time, I pass many wonderful scenes and many, many trees, yet every so often a scene presents itself which makes my pause on my journey and a photo come together.
In this image, a large sugar maple dominates the scene just on the edge of a hemlock grove.
Titles for my images often come to me as soon as I start composing the image and I often find myself wondering what particular elements of the image prompted that though process. So, I consider this image. Dominant. Yes, this maple is the largest tree in the scene, it has more texture, and is in the foreground, but I see these scenes many times along my hikes. So, what is it about this particular tree that brings that word to mind above the rest of the moments I experience?
I think, in this case, it’s simply the placement of the tree, just to the left of a game trail. It almost welcomes me to enter an partake. The next thing I see is an exposed rock, reflecting the warm sunlight, followed by the glow of an exposed stump, and the journey continues. In the end, it’s the combination of light and line that seems to start with this one tree. It’s the anchor and the beginning and dominant, yet not imposing or threatening. Interestingly, a made another image of it from a slightly different angle and the scene lost all it allure.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/14.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“It is in the shade that you look up at a tree and appreciate its efforts.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo
The versatility and adaptability of nature is endless. Here, a small fern has found a place in the shade that allows it to grow, protected for the heat, and largely isolated from competing plants.
I often see theses mini gardens, some filled with ferns, others with small trees or mushrooms. It seems that all it takes is for a little soil to form and a seed to fall in the right place to create these private places of growth.
This one caught my attention along the trail as the sun was reflecting brightly from the fern’s leaves and the moss encrusted bark of the fallen tree in an otherwise shaded and green forest floor. As you can see, the moss is quite dry since we have had very little rain over the past few weeks and the forest is showing the stress of this weather. But, this little fern seems to be doing quite well init shelter.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/50 sec, f/3.5, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.”
― Fred Rogers
Many times, I find these ‘secondary’ photos. Meaning, photos I had not set out to make. In this case, I had gone out to photograph local wheat fields, see yesterday’s post “Abundance“. As I had completed the photos I had set out to make, I was greeted by this lovely scene along a fence row, late day sunlight penetrating the shadows.
The first thing I noticed was the beautiful soft light and then, as I considered the scene further, the bright reds of the woodbine vines held my attention.
It’s late June, and we have been in an extended period of hot and humid weather, not quite a drought by definition, but close to it. One of the effects of this weather is that plants become stressed from lack of water and that stress often manifests in a colour change, similar to autumn. Only a few leaves have changed here but I have seen other plants go completely yellow, such as is the case in another recent post, “Grounded Sunlight”
The whole scene here gives an impression of lush summer growth and belays the reality of a hot and dry evening at the edge of a wheat field.
iPhone 7 back camera
“Squabbling over too little is just human nature. But it says a great deal about a person, what they do with abundance.”
― Tessa Dare
Today, some time spent out of the forest in in the farm fields around my home. It’s hard to believe, but it’s already late July and the wheat fields are seas of golden waves, swaying in the hot summer breezes.
As I stand among the soon to be harvested crops, I’m overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of food these fields will produce. As far as I can see, the bounty of grain fills my senses. There is the gentle movement, the rich golden colour, and the warm scent of wheat in the air. It surrounds me and makes me smile to see this much life and this much potential surrounding me. It also bring back memories of helping family members who have farms in collecting and storing what felt like an endless supply of straw bales after the harvest, always on the hottest days.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/320 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
“Shafts of delicious sunlight struck down onto the forest floor and overhead you could see a blue sky between the tree tops.”
― C.S. Lewis
Light does some amazing things. As a photographer, light is everything and my eyes are quite tuned to the unique characteristics of light. Anything out of the ordinary resonates with me and automatically draws me to it.
This was the case on a hot and rainy hike this past weekend. Despite the rain, sunlight regularly broke through and the effects were often magical.
In this scene, the sun caught a patch of undergrowth whose leaves had turned yellow from our recent drought. It’s like the sun saying, “Wake up!” or simply pulling me towards this patch of ground to spend more time considering it. Which I did, as I was curious about the early colour change among the canopy of deep summer greens. What was not apparent to me at the time was just how much of this golden light reflected back up to bathe the bases of the trees. This effect hows up nicely in the photo.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/11.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“It doesn’t matter whether you are looking for a reason to be happy or sad, you will always find it.”
― Kamand Kojouri
In this hectic world, I am usually looking for things that bring me peace. I find this peace in simplicity and often in the most obscure things.
Last weekend I went out with the intention of going on an extended hike and make some photos of my experience. It’s been too long since I have been on the trails. Between extremely hot weather and a chaotic work schedule, finding the time and conditions to get out has just been a challenge lately. So when I found a few hours, I decided to take that time and get out there, simply to recharge. It was still hot and humid, but bearable. As I entered the familiar forest trail I was greeted by a cloud of mosquitoes unlike anything I have ever experienced. Despite a healthy application of bug spray, I was still overwhelmed by them and resigned myself to head back to the car.
Disappointed in the conditions, I decided to head to a different trailhead and try my luck. Despite this disappointment, my eyes are always drawn to something unique, some play of light, or interesting from, and as I walked back to the car I noticed this tamarack branch, covered in cones with a large pond in the background. I looked through my viewfinder, the composition formed nicely and offered me this image.
Such a simple moments brings peace to me and looking at the photo now, a few days later, it transports me back to that moment and the calm that ensued.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
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
“Sometimes you just had to crawl through the dark before
you could see the light.”
― E.L. Montes
Butterflies can be a challenge to photograph. They are quite shy and their irregular flight makes them tough to track. But, it’s that irregular movement that makes me notice them.
This wood nymph first appeared in my peripheral vision and floated around me for some time before finally landing, far away from me and in the darker recesses of forest along the trail.
Over time, I got closer, and it flew away, always staying out of range for me. After some time of pursuing it, the butterfly finally landed close enough for me to approach it, slowly, with my macro lens. I was more concerned with capturing an image than fiddling with aperture settings, so depth of field is a tad shallow for my liking. Nonetheless, I was able to get a decent image of it, as it sat near its dark retreat, staring at me. As soon as I snapped the shot, it was off again.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“My love affair with nature is so deep that I am not satisfied with being a mere onlooker, or nature tourist. I crave a more real and meaningful relationship. The spicy teas and tasty delicacies I prepare from wild ingredients are the bread and wine in which I have communion and fellowship with nature, and with the Author of that nature.”
― Euell Gibbons
Every hike seems to bring a new discovery. As I walk familiar paths, some splash of colour or unusual shape pulls me deeper into my relationship with nature. This past week, I discovered this wild basil plant. Frankly, I did not know it grew in my area and this is the first time I’ve seen one. Strange, it seemed so familiar but I did not make the connection till later.
Since I did not know what it was till I researched the photo, I did not take the time to test the smell or taste. That will have to wait for a subsequent visit. For now, I’m happy to have the photo as a reminder to return.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/400 sec, f/10.0, ISO 320
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Beware of those who are bitter, for they will never allow you to enjoy your fruit.”
― Suzy Kassem
The gooseberries are not just bitter, but well protected. I imagine birds would do alright with these but I’m trying to picture a squirrel or some other rodent trying to deal with these spiky berries.
This native fruit bearing shrub is a new one to me, even though I have hiked past this location hundreds of times. Why I did not notice something so unique puzzles me, as I’m always on the lookout for something unique along the way. Perhaps I’ve walked past before the fruit was formed or after the birds had stripped the berries already.
The image is quite green in tone, the result of a lush green canopy overhead filtering the sunlight. Rather than trying to colour correct the image, I decided to leave it as is, a reminder of this warm day among the greenery.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/100 sec, f/5.0, ISO 320
“When you reach for the stars, you are reaching for the farthest thing out there. When you reach deep into yourself, it is the same thing, but in the opposite direction. If you reach in both directions, you will have spanned the universe.”
― Vera Nazarian
It’s late June, yet many of the plants are still growing. This fern along the trail is a good example of this. In the warm breezes of early summer the fronds are still unfurling, still reaching for sunlight.
I chose the quote to go with this image to align with the concept of reaching outwards as well as the growth I experience, internally, every time I partake in these moments on my hikes. I reach within myself, trying to understand what I am experiencing. There are always surprises and I enjoy these. All this life and movement is energizing to me, the solitary hiker.
In the image above, if you look very carefully, there is an insect lurking behind the terminal frond. I don’t usually notice these when I make the image, they reveal themselves when I process the image. It would seem almost every plant and flower has an insect lurking somewhere. This one seems to be deliberately hiding from my lens.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/400 sec, f/100, ISO 320
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The beauty of that June day was almost staggering. After the wet spring, everything that could turn green had outdone itself in greenness and everything that could even dream of blooming or blossoming was in bloom and blossom. The sunlight was a benediction. The breezes were so caressingly soft and intimate on the skin as to be embarrassing.”
― Dan Simmons
Here we are, freshly into summer. I have found myself longing to get on the trails, to explore the changes the past month has brought. I sought to find the many groves of wildflowers, so familiar to me these past few years. Most of all, a craved the crunch of the ground beneath my boots and the sweet smells and familiar sounds of the forest.
Work has consumed my time, has left me drained and uninspired. I’ve been out walking, in town, just to clear my mind and then back to the routine. My free time has been spendt simply trying to catch my breath and come down from the non-stop urgency of my job.
As I sat reviewing some of the photos from last year, it became clear to me that I was sacrificing something precious. I was abandoning the very thing that gives me energy and creativity. I was giving up being ‘in’ nature. How I got to this point is simple, it was a slow and steady increase in keeping up with the increasing demands of a job that requires years of acquired knowledge and a great deal of creativity, combined with increasingly tight deadlines. But, I have come to realize, that the pace is only sustainable for so long. I began feeling tired, irritable, and uninspired in other aspects of my life. A few times, I took the time to set up a studio shot or two, grabbed some quick images with my iPhone, but that was it.
As I sat looking at the calendar this past weekend, I realized that it was Orchid time. The brief period in late June when the Showy Lady Slipper Orchids bloom in a local conservation area. I simply had to get out to check on them. So today, I made a point of starting my day early and taking time at lunch to step away from the desk and into the forest. As soon as I stepped off the trailhead and into the forest, the outside world slid away around me and I felt the ‘oneness’ of the trail. Even the clouds of mosquitoes were welcome, though only briefly. I was blessed by a cooler day and a slight breeze, just enough to cool me and disperse the biting insects. Within 20 minutes I stood before these lovely flowers once more. The conditions were perfect and I was able to get the shots I wanted. It’s so good to be back!
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/200 sec, f/11.0, ISO 320
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”
― Maud Hart Lovelace
I noticed, as I wrote this post, that I have not posted an image since May 31st. That’s what happens when you step away from something for too long; the time gets filled with other things.
The discipline of posting every day has been a very fulfilling experience for me. It forced me to be inspired when I was not and has taken me into the world of writing, which is not something I believe I am very good at. Posting and writing daily has caused me to consider my photos on a much deeper level. Writing about them has allowed me to go back to photos and the words that wrote and reflect back on that time and place. It has become a journal of my journey into me deliberate photography and has expanded my ability to explain much of the ‘why’ behind the photograph as well as the ‘how’.
So, today, as the rain finally falls outside, bringing much-needed moisture, summer is upon as, and so too, are roses.
As those who follow my blog will realize, I have a love for gardening and most plants do very well in my gardens. The one plant I have not been really interested in is the rose. I love the look and fragrance of them, but have not felt a desire to grow the. My father was an avid and successful rose gardener, but for some reason, I never picked up on his particular passion. Perhaps that will be my challenge for next season.
The rose pictured above is actually named Garden Sunshine by the Richmond Hill Horticultural Society and is described by the hybridizer as ” “brilliant yellow, like sunshine in a plant,”. That is an apt description for this beautiful rose. What the description leaves out is the magnificent fragrance. I’m actually looking forward to having them in may garden.
The blossoms I photographed were given to my wife by a family friend who has several of these roses in his garden.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
3.0 sec, f/29.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“I miss your fragrance, sometimes I miss it this much that I can clearly smell you in the air.”
― Qaisar Iqbal Janjua
Just in time for the last day of May. This has been a very delayed year for many of our spring flowers, here in Ontario. These just started blooming last week and I was happy to see a few remained for me to photograph.
The fragrance of lily of the valley is among my favourite scents and the memory of that smell brings back so many special times for me: gardening as a child, with my grandmother and father, my wedding day (we had lilacs and lily of the valley from our home and my wife’s family home as our flower arrangements and in the bouquet), as well as the birth of our first child, in May, 26 years ago. Lily of the valley and its wonderful sweetness was part of all those moments. I do miss it, when it’s not blooming, but the memory remains.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
3.0sec, f/29.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Time moves forward don’t live backwards”
― E’yen A. Gardner
Spring, that time of year when the Earth groans and stretches after a winter slumber. Freshness is everywhere and the forest is transformed as branches begin to fill with fresh green leaves. Buds open and expand their contents to the sun, reaching for nourishment.
This ‘greening’ only seems to last a few days and the forest is a soft canvas of greens and yellows and every shade between. It’s a few days of completed freshness, before the insects begin feasting and the sun slowly dries and bleaches the colours. Many of the leaves, like these, will darken more as chlorophyll fills the cells. But for now, for this brief time, I will revel in the soft ‘greening’ of spring.
It’s a reminder to me, as the quote states, that life and time move forward, without exception, as the cycle continues toward summer, never the same, always new and slightly different.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/1000 sec, f/7.1, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Even the tiniest of flowers can have the toughest roots.”
― Shannon Mullen
Wildflowers constantly amaze me, in their endless forms and the environments they thrive it.
The columbine above, is a native to Ontario and this particular plant was growing from a thin crack in the bedrock. I suppose there was just enough organic mater accumulated in that crack to create the rich soil the columbine prefers and a seed from nearby pants happened to land in just the right place. It’s surprising that such a seemingly delicate plant can thrive in the northern wilderness, in a region where there was still frost in the forest when I made this image.
My biggest challenge in creating this image, as with most macro images, is trying to get a shot between the breezes that kept moving the flower back and forth. Even slight movement makes the shot blurry.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/40sec, f/7.1, ISO 400
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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