“There is always danger for those who are afraid.”
― George Bernard Shaw
I could not resist the quote. I am told over and over, “Be careful on the trails, they are icy.” I get it from family and other who hike these trails in warmer days. I have never considered the trails dangerous, it’s just a matter of adjusting to the conditions. I avoid the slickest, uneven sections, particularly those on steep slopes. Even with cleats on, I am careful not to get over-confident. But, I am experienced on these trials and rely on common sense and acquired skills to see me safely through.
The amount of ice on the trails this year is pretty significant. The conditions have been just right to render the heavily trodden trails into ice rinks. Yet, I have a need to be out here, enjoying the natural beauty that surrounds me and documenting some part of that. Friends seem surprised that I am out in these conditions, yet most times I run into other hikers, so I am not alone in this venture. Except I am carrying a bunch of camera gear, which would not do well in a fall.
So, here you have it, a small moment on the icy trails, the forest gradually emerging from its winter rest, as life and colour begin to show themselves once more.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70mm
1/4 sec, f/20.0 ISO 250
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“Any belief worth embracing should be able to stand up to scrutiny. If not, it’s time to release it; let it go.”
― Laurie Buchanan, PhD
I struggled with a quote of this simple image of a Queen Anne’s Lace seed head emerging from its winter tomb.
Then, the image reminded me of a rather painful time in my recent past. One I won’t get into in this forum, but one that caused me to really reflect on what was important in my life, and I came to realize that some of the people and events of the past five or so years had no bearing on my future. They ‘entombed’ me in a sort of stasis as well. Yet, through the outlet of my photography, family, and true friends, I too was able to weather it out, relatively unscathed, much like this seed head.
If I came across it in a meadow, without knowing it had been fully encased in ice, I would not know its full story.
I love the simplicity of the image, yet it triggers such complex thoughts and emotions.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 140mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6 ISO 250
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Winter hung in there, like an invalid refusing to die. Day after grey day the ice stayed hard; the world remained unfriendly and cold.”
― Neil Gaiman
Contrary to the quote that I chose for this image, with the lengthening days and a few days of sunshine, winter is beginning to loosen its icy grip on the forest. The patches of ice and snow are retreating and the dull browns and yellows of the forest floor are beginning to take over.
Today, as I ventured into the forest once more, sounds dominated. There was the crunch, crunch of my icers (metal cleats that I attach to my hiking boots), on the frozen trail, hints of birdsong in the distance, and the roar of the wind, high above, setting the treetops into a wild frenzy of movement. As I watched the branches sway and clatter together, the movement reminded me of birth, the forest is waking, after its slumber and soon more hints of green will begin to emerge, the cycle repeats and soon, it will not just be sights and sounds, but the smells of the forest, that dominate.
This image, though not a filled with colours as my previous post, nicely illustrates the recession of snow, as it retreats back into a shallow valley, a brief respite from its inevitable demise.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70mm
1/4 sec, f/32.0 ISO 250
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“Art never responds to the wish to make it democratic; it is not for everybody; it is only for those who are willing to undergo the effort needed to understand it.”
― Flannery O’Connor
Well, back to reality. I live in a land of four seasons, often extreme and more often, surprising, offering unexpected gifts.
I got out on the trails again. The trails, at this time of the year, are downright treacherous, not only icy, but uneven and icy. So, a good set of ice cleats or ‘icers’ is an essential, unless you enjoy spending your time on your backside, sprawled across the trail. For me it’s also about protecting my camera gear. There’s not much more painful than watching a $1,600 lens bounce off the ice.
That’s the preface to today’s post. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, but still quite crisp and the trails were ice-covered, snow strewn in patches in the darker recesses of the forest. Late winter is like that around here. We get a few warm days, the snow melts and the resulting slush freezes overnight, only to repeat the cycle, especially on the packed down trails.
I have posted several photos earlier this year of my forest hikes, all are a bit dull, in this icy world of muted shades. In fact, that alone has kept me from bringing my camera with me on the past few hikes, nothing inspires.
Last week I purchased a new camera pack , a Tenba Solstice 24L, for those interested, which I am hoping to use in a few future expeditions, and today I decided to carry the pack with most of my gear to try it out. It is perhaps the best camera pack I have owned yet and opened up the option of having a large selection of lenses, filters, and accessories with me.
This ‘test’ hike brought me through familiar territory and I made a few images along the way. Then, I came across this beautiful scene. The late morning sun flashed from bright green spruce sapling and lit up the golden leaves of a small beech tree. I was determined to capture this bit of magic. After a few trials, I believe I have something close to what I saw. I am now re-inspired, despite what largely appears as a dull and tired landscape. Nature always seems to have a few tricks up her sleeve to keep me coming back.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 90mm
1/4 sec, f/11.0 ISO 250
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“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity”
― John Muir
I realized, as I was posting this image, that the same scene is the background for a previous post. But, that’s how I create many of my compositions. Several images from the same vantage point, as I take in my surroundings and observe the various elements that make up the broader scene.
What resonates with me in this image is the stark contrasts between the lush vegetation of the estuary in the foreground and the stark mountains of the Sierra de la Laguna in the background. By the way, all the green you see on the slopes of the mountain are various varieties of cactus and other brittle and spiky desert plants.
This image was made close to mid-day and a fine veil of mist hangs above lush palms like a halo, creating a slight haze across the lower mountains.
The Sierra create what I often term a ‘spine’ down the centre of the Baja Peninsula. Though rugged and mostly arid, I have noticed a few places which are green and inviting. These places will need to be explored on future visits to this region which beckons my back.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 300mm
1/400 sec, f/10.0 ISO 400
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“I spent uncounted hours sitting at the bow looking at the water and the sky, studying each wave, different from the last, seeing how it caught the light, the air, the wind; watching patterns, the sweep of it all, and letting it take me.
The sea.”
― Gary Paulsen
As in the quote I selected, I spent a lot of time sitting on the shore, filling my lungs with the wonderful smell of the ocean, watching the waves as they thundered to shore, and listening to the complex sounds of the waves as they crashed, churned, and receeeded . The sound is the inspiration for the title of this image. The words “Voice of the Pacific” resonated through me, as I sat entranced the marvel and sheer power of this mighty ocean.
I was trying to do it justice through many shots of waves captured at different speeds and different times of day and then felt inspired to use the same technique I use for my abstract tree images and tried a horizontal pan. It took many shots to get what I was after but I am pleased with the result.
The image above captures many of the elements which I found myself observing from the shore: the roll and foam of the waves as they crashed and collided with the shore and each other, the subtle shades of green and aqua within the waves, the movement of the water, and the vast expanse of water on the distant horizon. From this vantage point, looking due south, there is only ocean for thousands of kilometers, till the ocean meets the far distant shores of Antarctica. it’s quite overwhelming.
As I look at the image, It brings back very clear memories of this time I had with the sea, mere weeks ago now. I still here the voice of the Pacific becoming my return and I will return to hear what more it has to offer me.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 116mm
1/4 sec, f/36.0 ISO 100
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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
― Marcel Proust
It’s pretty amazing the things we see when travelling. I’m not talking about the tourist traps or grand vistas, for me, it’s about the mundane and pondering what something is and how it got to be there.
On a recent trip to Baja, I came across several stacks of wood along the beach. They were out-of-place and were not there last year. In fact, this stretch of beach has a significant absence of driftwood. Last year this wide swath of beach separated the San Jose del Cabo estuary for the Sea of Cortez. The estuary, is the outflow of fresh water that has accumulated via sand streams (a slow percolation of groundwater from inland) and is separated from the ocean by a strip of land. In this case, a beach, about 50 meters wide.
The estuary is rich with plant and bird life as opposed to the rest of this mountainous, desert peninsula, dominated by rock sand and cactus
I wondered who had stacked these pieces of wood in this fashion and automatically assumed it was the surf fishermen or surfers who frequent this strip of beach. The who remains unknown but how the wood got here became clear on talking to people who were in the area after hurricane Lydia came through the area last fall.
The heavy winds and rainfall overwhelmed the estuary causing the whole structure to shift several hundred meters east. The wood came for trees uprooted in the estuary and deposited in the ocean, which eventually pushed the wood ashore. Apparently, it was quite unpleasant after the storm as not only trees and garbage, but also wildlife and people squatting within the estuary lands were also washed out to sea.
So, this simple odd composition has a story to tell, if you but ask.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 116mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0 ISO 100
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“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.”
― Sarah Kay
After a sustained hiatus, I’m going to start back into my blogging with an image that is an escape from the cold, slow filled winter we have experienced this year. Mostly because this winter has offered me little material that I have felt inspired by and I have not done much indoor floral photography, which was my go to activity last winter.
Today, I’m sharing one of my favourite views, the southern tip of the Baja peninsula as viewed across the estuary at San Jose del Cabo.
The whole scene evokes fond memories for me in the combination of sand, sea, and southern mountains. The shot itself captures these elements in nice layers, transitioning from grasses and freshwater, to the sandy beach, ocean, and distant coastal mountain.
The estuary itself has existed for many years, even being referenced in the logs of early european sailors, who made it a regular stop to refresh steps of drinking water. I will go into more detail about this fascinating feature in upcoming posts. For now, enjoy a simple composition from warmer climes.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 300mm
1/400sec, f/10.0 ISO 400
“I love the scent of winter. I love the scent of winter enough to suffer the cold for it.”
― Tiffany Reisz
It’s been a while since I posted, it’s also been a while since I’ve had anything to share. The cold snap finally eased up to the point where a reasonable person could venture out for a while. It’s felt odd, being cooped up and not making photos. So, I finally got back out for a 5 km hike this past Sunday and managed to capture a few images along the way.
What still makes me smile is the splashes of orange from the tenacious beech leaves, which, thus far, have managed to cling to the bare branches and bring a touch of colour to the otherwise stark landscape. They really are the only colour, other than muted tones of various mosses and fungi. Even the sky still hangs heavy and leaden, despite the milder temperatures. By milder I mean slightly below freezing but far more comfortable than the sub -20s we’ve had most of January.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 400
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“You think winter will never end, and then, when you don’t expect it, when you have almost forgotten it, warmth comes and a different light.”
― Wendell Berry
Warm, merely describes the spectrum of the light, certainly not its effect on the surroundings.
Once more, this winter, I find myself drawn to the trails, despite the bone chilling -20C temperatures. Despite a few days above freezing, winter was swooped back and locked the world in its icy grip once more.
As I stood making this image, the trees around me were literally cracking as they rapidly cooled. I don’t have video capability here, but if you are interested in this experience, go to my https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Felehming%2Fvideos%2F10156194337614391%2F&show_text=0&width=267“>Facebook feed for a listen, it’s quite surreal.
Back to the photo, it was surprising to me that they late afternoon sun would have such a warm quality, as it reflected off the trees. If I had not experienced the actual temperatures, I would be mislead to believe it was actually warmer.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 400
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“For so long I have lived on the edge of an invisible world. Sometimes I feel like the scattered debris left over after the personality has fallen out of the sky.”
― Steve Rasnic Tem
This is my final 2017 photo, made during a VERY cold hike on the second last day of December. Temperatures were around -25C and the air was calm and crisp. Crisp is an understatement, it was brutally cold, especially when I stopped hiking to make a photo.
Something that really caught my attention was large patches of fallen oak leaves, lying on the firmly packed snow; winter’s litter. It’s one of those odd things that I have not witnessed in the past many years on the trails. I suppose some leave had simply hung on after our extended autumn and the extreme cold combined with some moderate wind has now knocked them down. As I stood here and looked up, there was no evidence of any leaves remaining. Winter is firmly entrenched now.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/500 sec, f/11.0, ISO 400
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A quick shot of the frost on my home office window. Our cold snap of sub -20 C persists. While I don’t mind the cold, my camera equipment is not pleased. So, I look out the window, longingly, waiting for the promised respite that is due next week.
“Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask, “What else could this mean?”
― Shannon L. Alder
I left the title as is, my first impression, but then, I looked deeper, at the bright orange beech leaves, the richness of the tree trunks, and the pale clean blue of the snow and realized, it’s not bleak at all.
Perception, is driven so much by experience and the stimuli present, at the moment. At the moment that I made the photo, I was standing in a winter forest, the temperature was hovering around -20C and delicate snow, like sparkling fairy dust, fell between the frozen limbs of the bare trees. So, now, as I consider this scene and reflect on my own words, that initial perception of bleakness, which many sojourners into the winter forest experience, is simply now true. if you look past first impressions, there is so much more.
In fact, as I consider that day and the 7 km hike a took, blazing trails though undisturbed snow, several parts of the forest were surprisingly alive with sound and motion. Within a hemlock grove, the air high above was filled with incredible birdsong, as hundreds of hungry chickadees flitted between limbs. The sound was indescribable and permeated the forest as I stood and soaked it in.
Ah, winter forests, not what they seem to be 🙂
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 400
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“To focus solely on endings is to trade conclusions for the very beginnings that created them. And if this cycle should persist, we will likewise miss the beginning that will follow this ending.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough
This year concludes, as it began, with a simple image of a hemlock cone. This was not intentional on my part, it’s simply how things work sometimes. It’s a different tree, in a different forest, three hundred and sixty five days apart.
The year for me as a photographer, artist, father, husband, and human has been wonderful. As I look back on that photo from January the first of this year, I had no idea where life was taking me. I’ve grown in my skill and resolve on so many levels and that tiny seed seems an appropriate symbol to reflect on. This diminutive seed has the potential to become a massive and wonderful tree, if the elements are correct, producing seeds of its own. So, as the year concludes, or rather, cycles into the next, I look forward to the potential outcomes and many more experiences which add to my life.
See you all next year!
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/160 sec, f/6.3, ISO 400
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An icy hike, in -20 C temperatures, but glorious, nonetheless. I spend two hours breaking trail in this frigid wonderland. More images and thoughts to follow.
“Winters are a desolate time where all senses are wiped away, and here in Canada, this is especially true. All smells are sucked clean from the air, leaving only a harsh, icy crispness. Colours are stripped away, leaving a stark white landscape, a sky which stays black at night and gray in the day, a world of only three shades.”
― Rebecca McNutt
This is an image from yesterday’s hike in a nearby forest. Like the quote says, winter is reduced to three shades, with a hint of faded colour. This tangle of trees seems to say “Do Not Enter” as they fade into the distant, chilly darkness. Even the purity of the snow speaks unfriendly notes of warning as the forest is locked in a robe of ice.
It’s hard to imagine that mere months ago, I was swatting mosquitoes in this same spot as I photographed orchids along the trail. Though, I have to admit, I do like the change of seasons, as each reveals new aspects of the scenes before me.
I was going to say that yesterday’s hike, at minus seventeen degrees celsius was cold, which it was, but today dawned at a crisp minus twenty-seven, making me reconsider a hike today. It may be a sit back and read day.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mmm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 400
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“We must leave this terrifying place to-morrow and go searching for sunshine.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
Though the forest image above is far from terrifying, at least for me, it can be a dark, foreboding place to many people, especially when you look deeper into the forest, as the tree trunks weave ever tighter and form a dark wall. Yet, even this wall has a gap and the sunshine pours through it, streaming into the path before me.
There’s something about winter light, it’s the coolness, perhaps, that makes it feel so much clearer. Definitely not warmer, but still refreshing in its own way.
The trails are now fully snow filled an I’m about to head out again to see what the day brings.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@75mm
1/4 sec, f/14.0, ISO 200
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“I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas. Hoping this find everyone healthy and happy and enjoying this time of the year in whatever way brings you joy, even through this Christmas post from the Secord Forest trailhead.
“It is growing cold. Winter is putting footsteps in the meadow. What whiteness boasts that sun that comes into this wood! One would say milk-colored maidens are dancing on the petals of orchids. How coldly burns our sun! One would say its rays of light are shards of snow, one imagines the sun lives upon a snow crested peak on this day. One would say she is a woman who wears a gown of winter frost that blinds the eyes. Helplessness has weakened me. Wandering has wearied my legs.”
― Roman Payne
Here it is, the first day of winter, the Winter Solstice. Though snow has been on the ground for a few days now, this is my first real venture onto the trails for a few days. I am now on Christmas holidays and decided that since work is done and presents wrapped, I’ spend a few hours on the trails just clearing my mind.
Today was bright, but overcast and quite chilly at -8 degrees celsius. This also meant that I had the trails to myself, which I prefer. With a few mild days before and the cold today the trails were a bit icy, but not treacherous, as they often get after heavy traffic packs the snow down. So, I was able to hike in boots, without the need of cleats yet.
The change that a bit of snow brings is astounding. Light appears in places that have been shaded all summer and the lack of leaves opens the forest up so you can see further and deeper, revealing the subtle changes that the previous three seasons have created. I’m also seeing things ‘more’. I’m more aware of subtle changes in the forest, since I’m out making photos all years and that has made me more aware of the things around me. So, I am experiencing this first day of winter with new eyes and a new perspective and simply having the time to fully immerse myself in it.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@85mm
1/4 sec, f/25.0, ISO 200
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“The dream crossed twilight between birth and dying.”
― T.S. Eliot
This will likely be my final image from the ‘Night of the False Dawn”, as I have chosen to call it, though I did make many more images. This image shows a cluster of pine trees on the horizon with a background of brightly lit clouds. Keep in mind, this is around eleven o’clock at night.
The light, as my previous posts noted, are caused by light pollution from the city of Toronto and are the result of ice crystals in a low cloud deck reflecting that light. It has an unsettling, dystopian look to it, not a typical, cheerful winter scene.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@82mm
0.8 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200
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“Melancholy were the sounds on a winter’s night.”
― Virginia Woolf
I thought I would do something a bit different and revisit a time and place I talked about yesterday, but from a slightly different angle and as a slightly different composition.
This lone oak tree is perhaps the most photographed tree in this area. Even to the untrained, it just calls out ‘Take my picture.”
As I said in yesterday’s post, this image, which appears as a sunrise, or a sun set was actually made at 11:00pm. The glow in the sky is the result of light pollution from the city of Toronto, some thirty miles south of this location. The effect, as already stated was unsettling, as it resembled twilight so closely. despite this, I spend several minutes making photos, trying to do it justice. I believe I accomplished that, as the colours you see her are exactly what I saw that evening.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@200mm
1/2 sec, f/3.2, ISO 500
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“Beauty is seeing a flower bloom in a garden or in nature.
Artificial is seeing that same flower try and grow in a vase of water.”
― Anthony T. Hincks
The only words that came to me as I gazed across the horizon, while driving home from a concert last night, was that it looked like a gloaming false dawn. As you can see from the image, there are streaks of blue and red created by the reflected light of Toronto reflecting from a shifting, low cloud deck. It really looks like the sun is rising on the horizon, except this was close to 11:00pm!
I have seen this phenomenon (light pollution) before but nowhere as intensely as yesterday evening. The combination of low, frost filled clouds and millions of city lights, was ideal to create this effect. It also made me wonder, more than ever before, the effect that this amount of artificial light can have on us. The sky directly above me was dark, as I was travelling several miles north of Toronto, between the various town lights, yet I was surrounded by these false dawns, each one marking the a town or city.
As I drove towards my home town of Stouffville, the effect also manifested itself, but not quite to this degree. I made not eof how the light transitioned from darkness, and suddenly I was enveloped in this canopy of light. It felt like a dark, overcast day more than it did night-time. It was actually a bit disorienting and a bit spooky.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@200mm
1/2 sec, f/3.2, ISO 500
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“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
I can almost put myself in a Tolkien story when the elements combine to produce scenes like this. The forest seems imbued with its own stories of wonder. The more time I spend in the forest the more I become aware of this phenomenon. I have stood in deep spruce groves and witnessed a singular beam of light fall upon one single tree like a heavenly spotlight. It’s a surreal effect and really stops you in your tracks. It’s as if the forest is trying to impart some special message to me.
The isolation in light makes you really notice details previously washed out against the background. Much like the studio floral images that I have enjoyed making so much this year. The world around seems to disappear like so much noise and I have the opportunity to appreciate those singular wonders, only to later realize that this is only one element among thousands in the forest, yet it’s precious to take focused notice, even briefly.
Such it was with this bright orange leafed beech sapling growing from a tangle of fallen limbs within a dark grove of tall red pines. I happened to catch that brief moment when a ray of sun chanced upon it, making me pause and simply enjoy it, as well as saving the memory as a photo, presented here. It was not till I started editing the image that I noticed the small spruce growing in front of it. It’s so nice spending time with these images and appreciating the forest all the more as I begin to really begin feel the life that makes it such a draw for me.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@78mm
1/4 sec, f/18.0, ISO 400
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“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”
― Nathaniel Hawthorne
Even at this time of year, days away from the first official day of winter, I’m enjoying the sunshine of autumn. Especially this time of year when it is so bright and crisp, yet seemingly scarce, making it all the more precious.
As I spent a few hours out on the trails last weekend, the slight overcast sky opened up, albeit briefly, to let some of this precious light fall on the world around me. It has a particularly magical effect on the golden beech leaves which still cling with incredible tenacity to the branches that bore them through the summer. This wonderful gold on white effect is absolutely beautiful when the sun strikes it.
It was especially noticeable on this hillside of plantation red pines interspersed with young maples. In the mix of trees, a few young beech trees are starting to establish themselves, standing slightly apart from their companion trees. And, since they still bear leaves, they really stand out in the bare woods.
We just had a substantial snowfall this past week, so I am hoping to spend at least a bit of time hiking and photographing this forest, transformed once more, into something altogether different from a mere few weeks ago.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@78mm
1/4 sec, f/22.0, ISO 400
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“When everything looks unusual around you, your eyes and your mind mostly need anything usual! Unfamiliar disturbs us; familiar comforts us! But for the wise man, unusual is more precious than the usual because it offers us a new way, a new vision, a new idea, a new world!”
― Mehmet Murat Ildan
Perhaps, what I enjoy most about creating these photo abstractions is that they slightly disturb. I can photograph a familiar scene and it suddenly appears different. The main elements are still familiar and recognizable, but there is a slight shift in what is being seen. The image takes on a whole new meaning and forces me to reconsider what I am looking at.
For example, this winding path is about a five minute walk from my house. I’ve walked it hundreds of times, in all seasons. Yet, when I view it rendered like this, it appears to be a different place. It still has hints of familiarity, just enough to evoke the memory of the place, but I find my eyes drifting across the scene, considering aspects of it that I had not noticed before.
As I consider most of my recent pieces, that same element exists in all of them: a hit of the familiar and the disturbance caused by a different viewpoint, created by the movement . Perhaps there is a lesson in this, as we live in our all too familiar world, passing by what we consider mundane and uninspiring. A little disturbance might just change our perception. Something to consider?
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@78mm
1/4 sec, f/10.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Thank goodness for the first snow, it was a reminder–no matter how old you became and how much you’d seen, things could still be new if you were willing to believe they still mattered.”
― Candace Bushnell
As my hike last weekend proceeded, the day warmed up just enough for the exposed patches of snow to melt, leaving only traces in the shadows, but enough to remind me that more is going to come and that the seasons will continue their endless cycle.
I like this part of the trail, primarily dominated by large maples and interspersed with their younger offspring and the occasional red pine. There is something magical about the light and how it diffuses and bounces off the trunks. This image, I think, shows that well and also captures some of the remaining greenery, ferns mostly, defying the rapidly cooling days, as winter approaches.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@78mm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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or my website (images are available for purchase)
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“There is a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.”
― Leonard Cohen
Truly, a crack in the clouds, and that’s how the light gets in. Despite the snow-covered ground and a cold snap to the air, a warm and wondrous light shines through the treetops, setting the beech leaves along the trail alight with gold.
It’s scenes like this that keep me coming back to the woods. Well, it’s more than that, actually, but the constant play of light in the forest as a very significant part of it and it brings me joy. Even on the coldest days of winter, a slight play and shift in light can change a cold, dark forest into a wonderland.
With this beautiful light ahead of me, I can’t help but travel further into the wood. Lately, I’m finding myself squeezing my forest time into weekends and hanging onto those moments to sustain me through the week. So, days like today, where the light shifted between cool, and slightly dull to bright and warm within a few hours makes the time on the trails even that much more special.
I’m looking forward to the next few weeks, with some much-needed downtime, and some moderate snowfall, to get me well into a likely chaotic January.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@78mm
1/4 sec, f/20.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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http://www.edlehming.com
“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
― Lewis Carroll
The first real snow has dusted the trails, changing the landscape and light. The temperatures have dropped and I expect this dusting will be the start of several snowy days.
The light today was really odd, not quite cool and not quite warm and it had a very odd effect on many of the trees. It accentuated the slight green cast caused by the fine film of moss that covers most of the smooth barked trees year round, yet today, the green was quite noticeable. I wondered if it would translate into my photos and it did. The effect is a bit bothersome, but that’s what it looked like and I chose not to push those levels down, rather, I kept them to remind me of this odd December light.
As my Saturday hike progressed, that light shifted again and the green became less noticeable. More to follow.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@78mm
1/4 sec, f/18.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“December’s wintery breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer’s memory…”
― John Geddes
Seriously, I could stop my post here with this all too appropriate quote. As I stood, gazing across the cloudy pond surface, northwest winds whipping past my face, summer was truly a distant memory. Yet, the beauty remains (and the bugs are gone).
I put just a slight movement into this image, just enough to add a misty feel, highlighting the brightness of the distant birch trees, which dominate the far shore.
As I stood on that shore, I wondered how many people just stroll past, walking their dogs or simply in their own worlds, and miss this lovely scene? I’ve made images from the same point and had local friends ask me where the picture was taken.
In this instance, the light and clouds play an integral part in the overall composition, combining with the yellowed grasses and rushes to create a feel of a cold autumn day. ducks and geese have long since migrated to warmer climes, leaving the water’s surface undisturbed and rife for a good freezing. SO, since we have had evenings well below freezing, the approaching winter is letting us know it not too far off, relegating summer and balmy days to fond memory.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD@78mm
1/4 sec, f/32.0, ISO 100
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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