“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
―
As I prepare for my 2018 Studio Tour, it gives me time to reflect on present photos, as well as those from previous years and I am astounded about how many have been printed, yet I have not taken the time to comment on them.
This image is one of those photos that for one reason or another was set aside. Interestingly, as I was preparing images for the Studio Tour, this one was chosen by three different individuals to be included.
The photo was made last autumn, a week after last year’s Tour. It was interesting, because the Tour weekend falls on the weekend after Canadian Thanksgiving, usually a peak period for autumn colours and I was slightly bemoaning the fact that I was missing out on this.
The day was cool, and windy, but the leaves were still hanging on quite well, despite this. Much of the predominant green and yellow was starting to fade and oranges, golds and bronzes were taking hold. It was the start of my “Golden Paths” series and has become one of my more powerful series of autumn images.
Here, I’m hiking past a familiar cluster of birch trees, with their yellow leaves just starting to wither and backfilled with the golden bronzes of the many beech trees. It really represents that ‘shift’ in colours so prominent at that particular time of year.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/32.0 ISO 100
“Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, inciting at once to work and rest! Days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God. Nevermore, however weary, should one faint by the way who gains the blessings of one mountain day; whatever his fate, long life, short life, stormy or calm, he is rich forever.”
―
I simply had to quote John Muir for this image that I made several years ago, as I began to experiment with long exposures to communicate the ‘feel’ of a place. The image itself is of the Merced River in California’s Yosemite national Park. It’s become a sacred place for me, one I have made several pilgrimages back to over the years.
This is a simple composition, made at the “Happy Isles” portion of the river, as its icy waters flood over centuries old river rock. There is colour and life; light and motion here. It’s a place I could sit for hours, simply enjoying the freshness and listen to the waters rush over the stones.
The photograph, has sat on my computer, perhaps waiting till I was ready to present it. I believe it’s time, so I have printed it as a 48″ canvas print for my upcoming Studio Tour.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 70mm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 200
“It isn’t enough to pick a path—you must go down it. By doing so, you see things you couldn’t possibly see when you started out; you may not like what you see, some of it may be confusing, but at least you will have, as we like to say, “explored the neighborhood.” The key point here is that even if you decide you’re in the wrong place, there is still time to head toward the right place.”
―
This image came together almost immediately. As I stood at the edge of a steep gully, looking across miles of forest for this high vantage point the path along the edge beckoned me forward. I had just changed lenses from my 90mm macro to my 70-200 mm telephoto so that I could shoot a bit wider than my 90mm allowed.
My first glance through my viewfinder yielded this scene. The slightly winding path and the placement of the trees made for a simple composition which nicely represented the scene before me. The slight movement simply accents it and the long exposure saturates the colours a bit more, and also brings life to the image.
This spot was about half way around a loop trail and tied in nicely with my theme of gradual transition from summer to autumn because of the presence of more yellows and oranges. Not quite autumn, but definitely hinting at it; a turn in the path and in the seasons.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/4 sec, f/18.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”
―
This image, while slightly darker than some of my prior posts, represents so well my typical experiences on the trail; bright sunshine streams between the branches light above, the canopy has a slight yellow tinge, as the days shorten, there are wonderful shifts in the light, each tree reflecting a slightly different shade of brown gray, or silver; far in the distance, a bright meadow shows through a gap in the trees, my destination, or just a glade along the trail edge?
The path, soft and sandy, littered with leaves, has become my gentle way. I tread these trails in reverence for the beauty they lead me through and am grateful to those early conservationists who had the foresight to set this land apart, so that I and many more could enjoy the wonder of the forest trails .
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70mm
1/4 sec, f/9.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
―
Scenes like this are one of the reasons I hike. I’ve referred to these dappled pools of light as “God-Light”, to quote C.S. Lewis. These small patches of golden light, like pools of energy seem to appear on all but the most overcast days. They are but one of the many effects in the forest which have a profound impact on me. In the forest, I feel in tune with my surroundings, the busyness of the workweek fades to a dull memory and my world come alive.
There is more to the light around me, while it lights my way, it warms my spirit and brings out the child in me. I find myself transfixed by the wonderful diversity of the forest paths, and grinning at simple things like a butterfly trying to land in the wind. Many of these scenes go undocumented, too brief to be captured as a photo, but remain with me as beautiful memories of my walks through the woods.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/10.0 ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Nothing ever really goes away–it just changes into something else. Something beautiful.”
―
I was debating the title for this image of a spent cicada pupa. I recall seeing thousands of them in the pine forests just outside Atlanta, Georgia a few years ago. We arrived for an event and the campground we were staying at seemed overrun with emerging cicadas. Every tree was covered in these little alien carapaces.
To find one close to home was a surprise, though cicadas are also plentiful here, I have, up till now, not seen evidence that they also emerged here. I guess I figured they came from somewhere else.
The shell, as I said, has a strange alien look to it, barely resembling the adult cicada with its large and shimmering wings, that provide a constant background buzz on hot summer days.
One of the advantages of shooting a 90mm macro lens as a prime lately is that I can quickly switch from forest abstracts to highly detailed macro images.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/100 sec, f/4.5 ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. Work’s important, family’s important, but without excitement, you have nothing. You’re cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what’s coming.”
―
Part of the enjoyment I get from hiking is the anticipation, the ‘unknown’ about what’s around the next bend. Though I’ve hiked these trails for years now, there is always something new to discover. On days where I feel uninspired, all I have to do is get on the trail, look around that next band, and I’m almost always treated with something unexpected, some play of the light, or a new plant that I had not noticed.
In this image, along the theme is anticipation, along with the broader theme of this series of photos, there is the knowledge that autumn is also just around the bend, as evidenced by the colour shift from deep green to hints of yellow and even a few coppery-orange leaves to be found along the trail. The changes will soon accelerate and “In the Blink”, it will be autumn. Given our weather this summer, I’m anticipating some beautiful colours.
For those who look at my camera settings (below), you will have noticed that I have been adjusting the ISO and aperture as lighting conditions vary throughout this hike. I keep my shutter speed consistent at 1/4 sec, as this is the speed I feel produces the best results with my process.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/11.0 ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“In this hour, I do not believe that any darkness will endure.”
―
As my journey through the September forests continued the forest and light varied significantly, this is the nature of forests in this area. This constant change offers many opportunities for photos, or simply to stand still for a few moments, enjoying the light playing through the leaves.
In small patches, birch trees brighten up the forest with their brilliant white bark. Tis makes them a bit of a challenge to photograph, as I have to balance their brightness with the darker forest behind. Here, the bright pale green leaves in the background made that balancing a lot simpler and yielded a rather nice image of the trees which conveys very well the ‘feel’ of this scene, not so many days ago.
As a said, this is part of a series of photos and I have begun to print them and hang them. So far, they seem to flow rather nicely in preparation for my 2018 Studio Tour.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/18.0 ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness — just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.”
―
Beyond the transition from field to forest but within the transition from summer to fall, the forest shines with warm morning sunshine, finding its way through the canopy high above. It’s one of those simple blessings that the quote above mentions.
I stood, transfixed, for a moment, marvelling at just how bright the forest was at this time of day. Some of that brightness is caused by the gradual yellowing of the undergrowth. The greens are not as deep and light seems to reflect more, which for me, is a nice change for the deep dark greens of midsummer. WHile nice to walk through, it does not make for photos that appeal to me.
This particular scene was chosen for its diversity of shades, layers, and textures and introduces some bright browns to the composition. I’m always looking for contrasts and textures when I create these abstracts and the forest offers be a lot of choices. Though I always have a vision of what I want the photo to look like, I’m often surprised at what the variance in light and movement produces. That is one of the joys of this photographic style that I have refined to become my own.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
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
“We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost.”
―
It struck me, as I considered this image, that the day I made it started out cool and calm, and gradually became quite warm breezy. Sometimes, we miss those gradual changes, even in the span of a few hours, let alone days. That gradual change also aligns to the theme of this series “In the Blink”, those changes that happen so gradually that we almost miss them, until some event reminds of what was.
The day I made this photo, as I mentioned in a previous post, I hiked some 24 km throughout the wonderful conservation areas so close to my home. These forests, meadows, farms and wetlands cover a vast area and I am deeply indebted to those who had the foresight to preserve them as natural spaces, many years ago.
Were t not for these spaces, I’m not sure what I would to find peace and solace after a busy workweek. I would not have a place close by to enjoy the diverse flora and fauna, a place to simply walk for hours, each turn a new wonder. Foremost, I would not have these wonderful scenes to photograph and share. In may cases, these refuges disappear forever, also in the blink of an eye, though, as with the changing of seasons, it’s a gradual thing, barely noticed, till one day, they are gone, ghosts of what was.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
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
“Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul… but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October.”
―
I like this image for its allusion to transition. The image fades from bright yellow, to the brooding darkness of the pine forest behind it. For me, it symbolises the shift from bright, sunny days, to the cool of autumn and, eventually, winter.
I prefer the boundary times, spring and autumn, because there is an accelerated shift in the environment, and ever present change. Summer and winter seem more steady and stable, with only slight changes. Summer is a time of warmth, bright greens, flowers, and activities, and winter is a time of cold, gray skies, ice and rest. Whereas autumn seems like it is changing daily. Leaves change colour and eventually fall to the ground, the temperature varies from warm to cold, rarely the same for more than a few days in a row.
This ‘doorway’ between seasons is, like the photo, a threshold to be crossed, and I hope to remain between the two seasons as long as they allow me to.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 112mm
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
“That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air … Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year’s mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.”
―
This image makes me grin. The pine trees appear to be awash or dancing in a sea of yellow created by the profusion of Goldenrod, unsteady on their feet. I say awash, because the various angles of the trunks makes them seem to be swaying in water, further enhanced by the deliberate camera motion.
They seemed a bit out-of-place, not quite part of the forest, yet not part of the meadow either. It’s a very bright scene further enhanced by the soft morning sunlight. The Goldenrod fills this meadow with bright and pure yellow, a sure sign that summer is winding down.
Yet, yellow is just a temporary thing, the yellow will eventually fade to orange and rust, and then be gone for months, its warm brightness replaced by the harsh whites of winter. So, I’ll drink it in, while I can, letting the sun warm me for a few more weeks and looking forward to the cool gentleness and bright colours of autumn.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 112mm
1/4 sec, f/32.0 ISO 280
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“There was no sudden, striking, and emotional transition. Like the warming of a room or the coming of daylight. When you first notice them they have already been going on for some time.”
―
I’m starting a new series of images documenting the transition from late summer to autumn. The series will be titled “In the Blink” and begins with this image of pine trees, stripped bare of much of their bark and bordered by a field of Goldenrod.
As the quote says, this change is not sudden, it’s gradual and you barely notice it until you are in it. That was so much the case as I went on an extended 24 km hike, on a glorious mid September day.
I’ve been noticing some very slight changes in foliage around my house, though at first glance, everything is still very lush and green. Yet, flecks of yellow and red are starting to show through and many trees have dry, brown leaf edges. The summer started out hot and dry and stressed many plants, which recovered fairly well over the past few hot, rainy, and humid weeks. Still, the effects of the drought stress manifest in some early colour changes. Of course, all the late summer plants, like goldenrod and asters are in full bloom.
There’s still a lot of green and summer is not quite done with us, though the evenings are cooling off, days are not as hot as recently, and the light in the forest is simply beautiful for photography, another gentle, largely unnoticed shift towards autumn, which has been going on, for some time.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
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
“A thought that stayed with me was that I had entered a private place in the earth. I had seen exposed nearly its oldest part. I had lost my sense of urgency, rekindled a sense of what people were, clambering to gain access to high waterfalls and a sense of our endless struggle as a species to understand time and to estimate the consequences of our acts.”
―
My final image, this one even more “map-like” than the previous posts. Were it not for the reflection of trees in the pooled water and the stray leaf in the foreground, it could be mistaken for an aerial photo of a mountain range.
I really like the flow, colour, and form of the rocks in this image. It feels like I have pulled up from the closer views and details to a broader vantage point.
Of the four images, I can’t pick a favourite. Each has its own unique character and feel. I’m looking forward to printing them and showing them as a collection.
“I went into geology because I like being outdoors, and because everybody in geology seemed, well, they all seemed like free spirits or renegades or something. You know, climbing mountains and hiking deserts and stuff.”
―
This is photo number three in the series. The image has much more water than the other images and shows much more structure than the prior images, yet all the elements of the image are similar.
The pooled water reminded me of a three dimensional topographic map of the area, with lakes filling the deep valleys between the ancient rocks of the Canadian Shield. I would have prefered an image looking straight down to further enhance this effect, but I could not get a satisfactory composition.
You’ll also note that some of the rocks are still wet and that the water has already begun to evaporate after a heavy overnight rainfall.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/210 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Everything dreams. The play of form, of being, is the dreaming of substance. Rocks have their dreams, and the earth changes….”
―
Image two of this series of photos of the wonderful rock formations at Egan Chute. I found it interesting, despite my education in geology, that the form and flow of the rock really resonated with me, not for the first time, but very strongly. Enough to make this series of images.
I find myself enjoying these images and really appreciating the detail, the small clumps of moss, fallen leaves, and the layering of the rock itself. All things I observed when making the image, but diluted by the vastness of the stone itself and the constant roar of rushing water at my side. The little triangular pool of water is the focus of the image, so temporary within the seeming permanence of the rock, yet it’s the water which wears the rock down, trapped with no escape, except through evaporation in the hot summer sun.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/250 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“It was during my enchanted days of travel that the idea came to me, which, through the years, has come into my thoughts again and again and always happily—the idea that geology is the music of the earth.”
―
A few weeks back, I visited Egan Chutes, a beautiful series of elongated waterfalls near Bancroft, Ontario. I simply love the raw power of the chutes, as the waters of the York River plummet through a narrow defile in the rocks. The rocks themselves are heavily metamorphosed volcanic rock, part of the Canadian Shield and among the oldest rocks in the world.
And so, my inner geologist emerges and become one with the artist and photographer. You see, my background is actually in Mining Engineering, though I never found work in that field, yet I remain fascinated by rocks and geological structures. To me, the rhythms and folds of the rock are nature’s canvas.
Over the next few days, I will share a series of images titles “Egan Strata”, a documentary on the wonderful folds and complex structures that form the base of Egan Chute, the highest and foremost of the three chutes that make up this natural wonder.
I was blessed by several days of rain prior to my arrival, and the water that fills the creases and cracks in the rock further enhancing the rugged beauty found here. Perhaps it’s just me and my admiration for natural forms, but I find them quite stunning and I hope you enjoy them as well.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/120 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” ―
Though it’s still late summer and the air hangs hot and humid in my area, traces of autumn are starting to show. I ventured out yesterday, the last day of my summer holiday, to drink some of it in.
Slight tinges of yellow and orange are starting to show among the deep green leaves. The ground is moist and logs are festooned with mushrooms of all sizes and shapes. The forest undergrowth is starting to look ‘weary’ after what started as a hot dry summer and became an even hotter wet summer, filled with downpours and clouds of mosquitoes.
To be honest, it’s the combination of extreme heat and humidity and the mosquitoes that has kept me off the trails the past few weeks. I find my lenses fogging up and clouds of mosquitoes surround me. Not exactly enjoyable. So, I look forward to a slight cooling and the end of flying pests, though I will miss the long sunny days of summer, they have been very good to me.
This photo also served as an inspiration for a painting I did today, though I titled the painting “Morning Glory”, as I did my hiking early in the day, before it got too hot again. I will post the painting later in the week.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/20.0 ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Sometimes strands spend a long time seeking each other, fumbling without light, and interweave without knowing that it is exactly what the web wants.”
―
I can’t even comprehend the connections in this tent caterpillar nest that I discovered along the trail today. As a child, I recall poking and prodding at them, breaking them open and watching the caterpillars fall out in numbers too large to count. This nest was unmolested by young boys with sticks and the light caught it in such a way that it twinkled against the dark bushes behind it.
I stood transfixed by the complexity of it, as if a microscopic universe danced before me, small particles trapped within the weave of filaments, including a spiky seed which must have floated into the nest and became trapped. I’d never considered just how beautiful a caterpillar nest could be, but the right light made it into something completely different, especially close up.
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
“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
Ed Lehming Photography 
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