“If only these treasures were not so fragile as they are precious and beautiful.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I find myself surveying my gardens, as the cycle of spring takes a firm hold. Tulips and daffodils are now dried remnants, these once beautiful ‘first’ colours. They welcomed the first few mild days with their bright faces and filled our sense of smell with their sweet fragrance.
Now, the next wave of flowers fills these spaces. Among them, Star of Bethlehem, with its delicate white blossoms. This is one of many plants retrieved from my mother-in-law’s gardens when she moved out of her house a few years ago. We really had no idea what we were bringing home, only that her plants were a very essential part of her and we welcomed them to our gardens.
Since then, every spring, a new mystery blossom would surface and wait to be identified. This plant was among them and is a very lovely addition to our flower beds.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1.6 sec, f/40.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring–it was peace.”
― Milan Kundera
This is a more personal image for me. It’s an image of our dog, Cody, as he stands at the edge of Marble Lake, where we camp. We picked him up as a rescue some ten years ago and he has been a part of our lives ever since.
I simply love this pose and happened to have my camera with me at that moment to capture this pose. I did use a plug-in to get the painterly effect, which just seems to work on this particular image. It reminds me of the paintings of English hunting dogs.
Though Cody has been limited to hunting the squirrels in our back yard, I still like to picture him this way. He looks quite majestic and is in his element. Though he is starting to show signs of his age, he’s still amazingly active and a pleasure to have around, always wanting attention, and of course, his meals 🙂
“Keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden.”
― Cormac McCarthy
It’s not often that I revisit a subject, especially a flower. However, I felt this one needed to be viewed a bit closer in a slightly different composition. So, here it is. The slightly different angle even changed the title for me. I see more of the ‘fire’ in this lovely tulip than I had before.
I find it interesting what even a slight shift in vantage point an do to things. In fact, I think I prefer this composition more than my previous version from a few days ago. There seems to be more energy and depth in this version and the light seems to play off the foliage a bit more.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
3 sec, f/29.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth.”
― Leo Tolstoy
As the world becomes more complex, on a seemingly daily basis, I find myself drawn to simplicity.
Even the title of the image, while quite simple, suffices. This is a single blossom from a larger bouquet and a found myself liking the isolated flower more than the whole arrangement
I enjoy spending time with the subjects of my photos, often moving around them and finding the angle and light most pleasing to me. I may be breaking some composition rule, but if it resonates with me then, hopefully, somebody else sees it for its beauty as well.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
3 sec, f/29.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“With brightness and purity like the snow which so recently trapped it, the trillium remembers winter while signalling spring”
– Ed Lehming
Though I posted a photo of a newly blossomed trillium a few weeks ago, the trilliums in Eastern Ontario, Bancroft, to be more specific, are a bit delayed. Warm air did not arrive here until recently, and with the warm air, new life and growth.
Though there is still frost in the ground in the deeper recesses of the forest, the plant life is starting to take hold here as well. As I made this image, I was considering the wonderful whiteness of the trillium blossoms and the recent snow. The connection inspired the short quote I made for the image.
I can’t think of another flower that is so brilliantly white. They seem so delicate, yet a blossom trapped by a fallen leaf, will tear the leaf apart to open. So, they may seem delicate but as with much in nature, there is a hidden strength in persistence.
It’s beauty is made more special by its brevity, as soon as it warms up enough, their flowers will fade into the memory of the forest and leave room for other plants, though the leaves remain bright and strong all summer long.
iPhone 7 @ 3.99mm
1/90 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20
“Gentle spring waves wash high upon the shore, drenching the land with moisture and restoring life, winter is at an end.”
– Ed Lehming
A few short weeks ago, Marble Lake was still ice covered and winter ruled, refusing to relinquish its hold on the land. A deep freeze and late snowfall meant frost remained locked into the ground, blocking the flow of melt water, channeling it on new courses.
The ice is gone, yet the water is bone-chillingly cold. Swimming will have to wait a few more weeks.
As I travelled north to our camper this long weekend, I noticed that some lakes were seemingly lower than others, appearing as if water had been quite high at sometime and found a release, leaving its mark on the shore.
It’s been a very different spring and was particularly noticeable as I went for a hike in the forest behind our camper. Unlike the forests near home, where wildflowers have burst forth almost overnight, growth I delayed here in the Bancroft region. Trilliums have just started to bloom, sorrel is ready to bloom today, if it warms up enough. It’s a mixed bag of plants and their ability to adapt to this chilly spring.
Even the black flies, the scourge of the Boreal forest are slow to emerge, but they have, just not feeding yet. I’m sure that will change soon enough.
Today, I am hoping to get a hike in to Egan Chute, one of my favourite local cascades, to get some updated photos.
iPhone 7
1/4000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20
“The truth is that everyday and everyone is different. We just like to think that they aren’t.”
― Anthony T. Hincks
As promised, yesterday’s flower, with a light background. Keep in mind, this is the exact same shot, with the same settings and lighting. The only difference is that I removed the black velvet background that I use for my studio shots, revealing the white card-stock panel that holds it up in my portable setup.
I still prefer the black backdrop, as I feel it makes the image more dramatic, but the light background has its appeal too.
It’s very interesting, on several levels, how this works. What I’m looking at is so dramatically altered by the surroundings. Something to consider?
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
3 sec, f/29.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Her blush was the color of a coral reef, but smooth.”
― Aimee Bender
I simply love the many muted colours of spring. Understated blues, yellows, purples, and oranges, all make their appearance in the garden. Yet pink, as pale as a blush’s beginning appeals to me most. There is a natural softness to this colour, especially on these blossoms which move from a bright and warm yellow, through white and then terminate in pink, like some magical paintbrush.
I’m mixing things up a bit with my floral images, testing different backgrounds. My preference is still the black background, which makes even the most demure blossoms pop out of the background. And yet, I have been encourage by my family to try lighter colours as well.
I will post this same image tomorrow with a light background and the exact same camera settings and lighting. I look forward to your feedback.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
3 sec, f/29.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
Hi Resolution image on 500px: https://500px.com/photo/258419147/pink-blush-by-ed-lehming
“She smells fresh, like the shadow under trees.”
― Julio Cortázar
The freshness of spring, among my favourite things. And with that freshness, the scents of spring, fresh-cut grass, tilled earth, and the flowers opening to the warm sun above. As well, the ferns have a unique aroma, which is quite noticeable when there are many plants.
Yet, even in the shadows, fresh life emerges. From the cool recesses of the forest floor, ferns break ground an uncoil their stems in the form of fiddle-heads. They are quite wonderful to see and mark the next stage of spring, the emergence of summer plants, those which will remain the rest of the season.
These tightly wound shoots seem to spring up from nothing, stretching skyward, and within days are clearly identifiable as the ferns which will soon blanket their surroundings. And so, this phase is brief and worth grabbing an image to share today. Tomorrow, it will be quite different, as it opens up to the sun.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
2 sec, f/25.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“To the people who love you, you are beautiful already. This is not because they’re blind to your shortcomings but because they so clearly see your soul. Your shortcomings then dim by comparison. The people who care about you are willing to let you be imperfect and beautiful, too. “
― Victoria Moran
If I don’t point it out, do you see it?
I tend to be a bit harsh on myself when picking subjects to photograph. I want to get it right, without blemish, distraction, or clutter. So, I spend time with what I photograph and view it from many angles, in different light, with different camera settings, so that I can capture what I envision. In the process, I often see things that are not apparent on first sight.
So, when I photographed this bouquet of Peruvian Lilies, I was hesitant, as one blossom had rotted and that rot spread into the surrounding leaves. Then I caught myself once more and questioned where this attitude comes from. At first sight, the bouquet is beautiful and the decayed part just makes it more natural. Our world view of what is beautiful and what is not has us so powerfully conditioned that we often overlook things, even if they have only a minor “defect”, by our own definition.
For those who see the blossom and not the wilt, consider this a blessing, something I wish, at times, I had more of. We are far too hard on ourselves and those around us.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
3 sec, f/29.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
I’ve always loved this Tolkien quote, and I’ve now found an image to pair it with. Given all the dark news we hear about in our world, the brightness and beauty of flowers is a welcome reprieve.
As I noted in yesterday’s post, I’ve strayed away from this technique over the past few months, but find myself being drawn back to it, for the sheer pleasure of the results. Making these photographs is second nature to me and so satisfying. Even after months not using my studio setup, I had success after only a few shots, using just a simple velvet background.
I did find, that even thought the images are beautiful, they do not sell as larger prints, unless they are printed, VERY big, on canvas, as statement pieces. Those are quite stunning. Imagine this image over a fireplace as a 40″ x 50″ piece! So, for most of my photo sales of these “isolated” flowers, I stick to 8x 10 or arts cards.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
2 sec, f/25.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
Hi resolution image on 500px: https://500px.com/photo/257918717/iris-2018-by-ed-lehming
“The world would be a brighter, happier place, if we could only remember our childhood wonder.”
― P.J. Roscoe
Mothers Day, birthdays, and anniversaries, all fill my Mays with great cheer. And thus, they also fill my house with flowers, which must be photographed.
With several changes in my family the past year, the most significant being the birth of my first grandson a mere two weeks ago, I’ve had to repurpose my studio space to accommodate our expanding family.
Those who have followed my blog for the past year may have been wondering why I have not been posting my macro flower images lately. I simply have not had the space to set up and shoot consistently. Yet, with all these flowers, I had to do something and so, I set up my portable studio and made a few quick shots. I’ll be posting them over the next few days.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
2 sec, f/25.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Shine brightly, so you can help those who have not found their path a way through the darkness.”
― Jeffrey Fry
It would simply not feel like spring without Trout Lilies. These delicate little beauties are often slow to come to bloom, but not this year. Within days they went from delicate foliage to full bloom. Whole sections of the forest were filled with theses beautiful yellow flowers and it was hard to pick which one to photograph. They bring such brightness to an otherwise dull scene.
At one point in my hike, I simply sat for a while and enjoyed them. As I sat, looking across a large patch of them, I noticed many bees and flies going from flower to flower, enjoying the feast of pollen these early bloomers provide. The whole scene was abuzz with activity. It’s like watching the world suddenly come alive with sound and movement.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
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
“Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”
― Kazuo IshiguroWithin the bounty of new spring growth, reminders of last year still linger along the trails. This Queen Anne’s Lace seed-head, once filled with seeds is now ‘spent’, it’s purpose fulfilled, yet it stands, dried and brown above the lush and greening meadow.
While many of its neighbours have long fallen and been laid flat by winter snows, a few, like this one, stand as resilient mementos of the previous year’s bounty.
There was something about the stark appearance of this seed-head that prompted the photo, along with the splashes of green in the diffused background. It’s just one of those compositions that works.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/640 sec, f/5.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways.”
― Yann Martel
I’m sure nature had some specific design in mind when these oddly shaped flowers evolved. What that the purpose of that design is remains a mystery to me. The one advantage of the unique appearance of these spring bloomers is that they are very easy to identify.
Once again, the rapid onset of spring growth, after a cold and harsh April, has yielded many spring flowers blooming in rapid succession and I find myself turning the lens to these little wonders rather than focussing on my abstract photos, though a have several of them at the ready as well.
I think what dries this for me is that I am a constant learner. I want to know more about the world around me and that starts with finding and documenting the elements that make up that world. I also have a natural fascination with plants, probably installed by my late grandmother and father, who were both avid gardeners, a passion I continue to enjoy and build on through hiking and photography.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/800 sec, f/14.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“I hate and fear snakes, because if you look into the eyes of any snake you will see that it knows all and more of the mystery of man’s fall, and that it feels all the contempt that the Devil felt when Adam was evicted from Eden.
― Rudyard Kipling
Unlike Kipling, I have a strange yet respectful fascination with the snakes I encounter on my many hikes. None of the snakes in my area are poisonous, though they will bite when bothered. There is something about the eyes of a snake. They are so focussed, unblinking, and cold. Truly a predator
This particular snake, found on the trail at Secord Forest, where I hike quite frequently, is a common Garter Snake and was on the path sunning itself when I heard it move as I crested a ridge and the snake remained on the path as I approached, affording me a great opportunity to make a few photos.
For this particular image I had to lay down on the ground and get quite close. I expect the movement made the snake rear up for a look, which made for this lovely shot. It took a few attempts to get the tongue flitting out, but was worth the wait.
It’s hard to believe, but just last week I encountered two Garter Snakes basking in the sun right next to ice patches, which are now merely a memory, but they slipped off before I could get a good shot.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/160 sec, f/8.0, ISO 500
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Living in the present moment is the recurring baptism of the soul, forever purifying every new day with a new you.”
― Alaric Hutchinson
And there it was , white, pure, radiant, and completely unexpected. The first trillium the season completely surprised me. From all my time spend in the forest, the steady rhythms of nature have become my own rhythms, a steady progression through time and season.
As I entered the forest yesterday, I was simply wanting to be there, with no specific goal, other than simply enjoying the day. I was expecting to see the clumps of hepatica beginning to slowly fade and the foliage leafed out and I was wondering if I might see a few Wake-Robins (Red Trilliums). What I found instead was a highly accelerated carnival of spring wildflowers a full week ahead of my expectations.
The forest floor and hardwood ridges were filled with Trout Lily in full bloom, white trilliums, soon to emerge, and this one, single blossom, fully open and tilting toward the sun.
Somewhere in the background a grouse drummed, looking for a mate, a pheasant cawed over the ridge, and ravens hovered high above me. The sights and sounds of the forest at this time of year are so uplifting, as the earth yawns and stretches after its long rest. Life has returned to the world once more, including a few black-flies that floated in a stupor in the warm spring air. Reminding me, that the season of biting insects was also returning, but not just yet.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/640 sec, f/13.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Change is the end of something you know and the beginning of something else that you don’t know. Something new that holds opportunities.”
― Kholoud Yasser
I believe I enjoy spring almost as much as autumn. While autumn is filled with brilliant colours, it is also a sort of ending, as the colours gradually fade and the world prepares for a winter sleep. Spring, on the other hand, is also filled with colours, but the colours grow and spread. Both seasons are times of transition, of change. As the quote says so nicely; the beginning of something else, slightly different every year.
The changes in the forest over the past few days have been startling. Last weekend, some of the trails still had ice on them and snow lingered stubbornly in the deep recesses. Now, with a bit of warmer air and sunshine, the miracle of spring takes hold. Everywhere you look, and you have to look carefully at this point of the year, life emerges once more from the dull litter of winter.
One of the toughest spring plants to spot, due to its dark colouration, is Blue Cohosh. However, like many of these plants, once you discover them, you wonder why you did not notice them before. This lovely spring ephemeral is deep purple, and to the untrained eye, looks like a piece of rag, until the drooping leaves eventually open and spread.
This specimen was not visible a mere day before, and despite being only an inch tall, and still opening, it has already produced blooms. Until last year, I had not even noticed the flowers, since they are so dark and blend in with the rest of the plant. The blossoms are interesting when you see them close up, but they are quite small and easy to overlook.
And so, change in the forest continues, offering more opportunities and new things to discover, and photograph.
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
“Ugly or beautiful, it is the little creatures that make the world go round. We should celebrate and appreciated them in all their wonderful diversity.”
― Dave Goulson
Inevitably, if you make enough images of flowers outdoors, nature dictates that a bug will be in one of those images. That was the case last weekend, as I was photographing the many beautiful hepaticas that had just started blooming. Just as I was about to hit the shutter release, this bug, a blister beetle, I believe, landed on the flower.
Rather that wave it off or wait for it to leave, I decided to incorporate it into my shot. I think it adds a natural element and makes the image more ‘real’ and less static.
As I looked around, after the shot, I noticed that many of the hepaticas had some form of insect on them. Some, like the first honey-bee I saw, are pollinators of these early bloomers, which provide an critical source of early nutrition for the bees, while others are simply looking for a meal, which I suspect is the beetle’s role here. Despite that, if you look very carefully, there is pollen stuck to this beetle too, so the plant wins after all. Everything has its role to play in nature’s cycles.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/160 sec, f/16.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The places of quiet are going away, the churches, the woods, the libraries. And it is only in silence we can hear the voice inside of us which gives us true peace.”
― James Rozoff
There is peace in the forest, a peace that I dearly need in this busy world. In the forest, I can participate in the natural cycles, I can anticipate the next species of wildflower to bloom, or to come to leaf.
Bloodroots, have become a spring rite to me. Since I discovered them a few years ago, it’s been a regular visit to my favorite groves, close to home, to simply enjoy them as they emerge from their leafy cloaks.
There is such a purity to them and they seem so delicate and so fleeting and they are among the first early spring blossoms to appear.
The more I see them the more I am able to create more natural looking images, rather than the typical straight on shots. Many grow out in the open in small bunches, but I am really drawn to those clinging to the shadows of logs or hillsides. Here, they grow next to a fallen tree, among the tangle of vines. This composition feels more natural to me that those out in the open, as it includes elements of the forest they flourish in and I chose to preserve this particular memory of this spring’s cycle.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/160 sec, f/16.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Are you tired? Are you feeling that you will not be able to reach your destination? Then all you have to remember is that those who reached their far and hard destinations also felt the same way on their way! Knowing what others felt will give you a great power to complete your journey!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan
I was looking for a suitable quote for this image and Mehmet always seems to have something that resonates with me.
The journey of the countless rainbow trout up Duffins Creek every April fascinates me. Since I saw salmon spawning in BC, these mass migrations have been a thing of wonder. The distance the fish travel, through almost insurmountable obstacles; strong currents, shallow water, and tangles of fallen tree limbs, to name only a few.
Yet, they persevere and most make it to the destination. In this case, a large dam that separtarates the introduced rainbow trout from the native brown trout. It’s at this dam that I witness the greatest ‘stretches’ as the trout leap high in the air, hoping to conquer the dam, to no avail. It’s their final stretch, literally, as they extend their brightly coloured bodies through the air. Once they figure they can’t go any further upstream, they spawn in a deep pool at the base of the dam, and make the return journey to Lake Ontario, this time, with the current to their favour.
In case you are wondering, I sat on a rock near the base of the dam for about an hour, waiting for just the right moment, and testing my reflexes, to make several images and settling on this one, which nicely shows the colour of the trout as the sunlight shines on its outstretched body. Also an act of perseverance.
If you like this image, I made another one similar to it, 3 years go, in the same location.
https://edlehming.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/rainbow-trout-jump-whitevale-dam-pickering-ontario/
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200mm
1/2000 sec, f/5.0 ISO 250
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“It’s the nameless who leave a vestige in their wake.”
― Anthony T. Hincks
Spring, and as the wildflowers emerge from their winter’s rest, the survivors of the winter elements still cling tenaciously to their branches. The beach leaves, which have provided such wonderful hints of colour throughout the bitter, gray, winter months, are now showing the ravages of the season.
Leaves once bright yellow and copper, hang from the slender branches as desiccated shards, reminders to me of what once was, as they shiver in the breezes. At their bases, new buds await an extended warm spell to unfurl their contents and replace their predecessors.
New life, new growth, and reminders of what was and what will come again, in due time.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“It would seem from this fact, that man is naturally a wild animal, and that when taken from the woods, he is never happy in his natural state, ’till he returns to them again.”
― Benjamin Rush
I am happy to be returning to the forest, which I’m never really away from for long. However, weather and work, have teamed up to make my brief forays into the local forest quite difficult. So, it was so pleasant to see life returning to the woods I so dearly love, this past weekend.
As I said in yesterday’s post, the forest seemed pretty much bereft of new life, as the carpet of dull brown detritus dominated the scene. And then, a small splash of pink, literally opened my eyes and I became ‘tuned’ into the subtle changes around me.
I was so pleased to see the Spring Beauties and then a few hearty Blue Cohosh along the trail. Then, I spotted what I thought, at first, were more spring beauties, which turned out to be Hepatica, also known, locally as Mayflowers. The same effect happened again. As I looked up from the first small clump that I saw, I noticed that the hillside was covered with many more, larger clusters, in wonderful bright whites and soft pinks. I chose the pinks for today’s image, since they are not quite as common.
It would seem spring has finally sprung here in Southern Ontario!
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
― Anne Bradstreet
As I mentioned in my previous post, the beginning of spring was more like an extended winter. It was the kind of year where you wonder if it will ever warm up, but it eventually does.
But, spring proper, has been delayed. As I walked familiar paths, it seemed like the world was still in winter’s icy clutches. A few patches of green were starting to show. Some hearty grasses and sedges gave an indication of life, yet it still felt so much like winter had just ended.
Then, I came across a grove of hardwoods and the forest floor was suddenly filled with the bright greens of wild leek plants, freshly erupted from the dull brown forest floor.. Now this was looking more familiar! If leeks were emerging, then what else?
I inspected the ground closer and, sure enough, I spotted a small patch of pink, up close to a maple tree; a small clump of Spring Beauties were blooming. Soon, I saw many more and the forest seemed alive with flowers. Which again reminded me, if you don’t look, intently, you will often miss these small treasures.
So, the 5 km. hike, simply for the sake of getting outside again, has paid off; colour is returning to the world once more and I am encouraged again to spend more time enjoying and photographing this wonderful world I live in.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“I know it is difficult to believe in your own courage or fortitude when everything inside of you feels weak and shattered. But do not believe what you feel. You will not be easily broken.”
― Rachel L. Schade
This has been a brutal start to spring. April, as you may have noticed from my lack of photos, has presented my with conditions that were just plain dangerous or miserable to be outdoors in.
We’ve had rain , and snow, and deep freezes. Just went the temperatures seems to be climbing, they would drop again and the world would turn a muddy gray. If found myself anxiously looking out the window, wondering of this might be the day to get out and explore.
The weather has also paid a toll on the forest vegetation. Plants that should be blooming now are not even emerged yet. And others, surprisingly, are earlier than I would have expected. Yet, that is the nature of nature, always finding ways of getting the cycle back on track. Today, I did find some surprises, which I will be posting later in the week.
Yet, the first item that caught my eye today was this fluffy seed pod, which, despite a vast 3 day ice storm, two weeks ago, has managed to hold onto its seeds and the fluff is nicely drying, preparing to deliver the seeds to the surrounding forest floor, just as it thaws out. It amazed me how this survived, without being broken off by the elements, which seem to have flattened everything else around them.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
― W.B. Yeats
I wanted to post one more of my ‘artsy’ interpretations. This time, the predominant color is blue, very appropriate for this late March day. The image was made around noon yesterday and I applied a filter to enhance the tones and textures. I had no idea just how much blue was preset in this scene. And then, looking back, it is true. My brain just knows that snow and birches are white, right? Yes, but it filters out all information on the reflected light it is seen in.
Part of this exercise is my desire to interpret the image as more than a simple photo, to add a feel through colour and texture. SInce I’m not a great painter, I let the computer help me in this aspect, till my painting improves. One day, I hope to be able to create this image from scratch, but that will take much practice and patience.
What strikes me, as I noted in yesterday’s post, is just how much our brain filters our vision to match our perception. This has broader implications than a brief post would cover, but it plants the seeds for us to consider our perceptions and the strong effect they have on our interaction with the world we live in.
Something to consider…
Apple iPhone 7
iPhone 7 back camera 3.99mm f/1.8
1/900 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20
“Joy is not in things; it is in us.”
― Richard Wagner
A bit of fun this morning. I decided to ‘play’ with an image I made yesterday, by running it through a filter. The results are quite pleasing and I thought I’d share it today.
My photography has already become quite untraditional, through my use of motion. This is quite deliberate, as I am trying to document the world I experience in a different way. As I walk through the woods, I am drawn to things others would often miss, the slight movement of light through the trees, a hint of purple in the water. The movement I impart to my photos causes the viewer to have to look closer, to ‘fool’ the brain into not filtering based on pre-programmed notions of what something ‘should’ look like and focus on what is being viewed more intentionally. This often yields unexpected elements and, in my experince, enhances the colurs and textures already present in the image.
This is made a bit more apparent in the image above. All the colours and textures already existed but are filtered by the brain as it adjusts our perception. After all, snow is white, is it not? How often have you looked at a photo and wondered where all the blue shadows came from? Our cameras simply document the light that comes into them, unless we correct them with filters. Notice the slight turquoise tones to the snow, and the hints of purple. Next time you go out, have a try at seeing the scene ‘unfiltered’. You may be surprised.
Apple iPhone 7
iPhone 7 back camera 3.99mm f/1.8
1/120 sec, f/1.8, ISO 25
“Home is where you go to find solace from the ever changing chaos, to find love within the confines of a heartless world, and to be reminded that no matter how far you wander, there will always be something waiting when you return.”
― Kendal Rob
“The Return”
The return of migratory birds and the return of spring. Two things that go together nicely. Here we stand, on the cusp of spring, recent snows blanketing the ground in a final reminder of the season, now passing.
Birdsong, fills the air, between the sound of trees groaning in the north wind, its bite now feeling less severe, sun shining into the depths of the forest, lighting the dark recesses.
I love this time of year, the warming light and the lengthening days. In mere weeks, new growth with erupt from the ground, as the sun thaws the now frozen ground. Soon, life in abundance will return to the forest.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 170mm
1/400 sec, f/10.0 ISO 250
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Going green doesn’t start with doing green acts — it starts with a shift in consciousness.
― Ian Somerhalder
This image invokes two thoughts for me: First, I’m loving the fact that the dull greens of winter are becoming for vibrant, and secondly, I’m ever conscious of just how fragile these forests, that I enjoy so much, really are.
I am made even more aware of this as the snow melts and the heaps of garbage left by ‘hikers’ emerges from the snow drifts at several of the trail heads, taking away from the beauty of the forest. The term ‘hikers’, in this sense refers not to those of us who hold the forest trails as precious, rather, the weekend warriors who come and go, likely not returning, until they feel compelled to do something ‘green’ again.
This lack of respect for the natural environment really bothers me, as I would like to continue to enjoy and have my children and their children enjoy as well. Leaving garbage at trail heads or on trails is so unnecessary. “If you bring it in, take it out”, is my motto.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70mm
1/4 sec, f/10.0 ISO 250
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“And this is how the forest changes, one step, one day, one moment at a time. ”
― Ed Lehming
The time of change is at my doorstep. Though flurries still fill the air from time to time, the inevitable change is palpable. Paths once completely ice covered are now more passable. Mud and leaves fill the spaces between, and the ice slowly recedes.
Even the evergreens are a bit brighter, as the sun brings freshness their winter faded needles. Birdsong returns to fill the air.
I love this time of year, watching the gradual shift from ice to green. It reminds me that life is a cycle; that there are times of growth and times of rest. The toughest part is just before the change, a time when my world is ice covered and dull; uninspiring. Yet, with patience and the knowledge that it’s temporary, I venture out for moments like this, moments where the change is visible and I look forward to the days ahead.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70mm
1/4 sec, f/10.0 ISO 250
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
Ed Lehming Photography 
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