“There’s a special quality to the loneliness of dusk, a melancholy more brooding even than the night’s.”
― Ed Gorman
After a day filled with sunshine, family, volleyball, and too much food, a quick dip in the lake after the sun has set is in order. As I considered this photo of my son standing in the shallow beach waters at Sauble beach, surrounded by the incredible reflected dusk, I realized how strange it may appear to someone who did not know that the water is so shallow.
The beach is made up of long underwater dunes which reach far out into the lake. From the shore the water is very shallow and a few meters out, drops to about waist or even chest level, depending on the shape of the dune (and your height). The water then becomes quite shallow, again, as the next dune rises, say, knee deep. In the photo, my son is on the outside of the second dune, where the waters once more drop a bit deeper.
It’s also a bit of an unusual photo for me because my landscape and nature photos tend to deliberately omit people. In this case, I like the inclusion of the silhouetted form of my son, being part of the beautiful scene that spread before me, after the sun had already set. As a side note, I joined him in the water soon after this image was made, enjoying my own cool down and revelling in the beauty of dusk on Lake Huron.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/120 sec; f/1.8; ISO 32
“When one with honeyed words but evil mind
Persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.”
― Euripides
Continuing on my “purple phase” theme, here’s a beautiful invader. Though a beautiful flowering plant, in Ontario and other areas where it was introduced as a garden flower, this garden escapee soon established itself in meadows and wetlands, crowding out native plants.
It spreads through rapidly spreading rhizomes and seeds. Each plant can produce over one thousand seeds. It also has no naturally occurring predators, so it spreads uncontrolled, though something, likely earwigs or slugs, seems to be feasting on the leaves below the blossoms.
The plant was spreading like wildfire a few years ago, but recent dry and hot summers seemed, coupled with human efforts to eradicate it, seemed to be taking its toll on the population. This year, which has been extremely wet, seems to have enabled it to bounce back and I’ve seen much more of it an areas where it has not previously occurred. SO the battle goes on.
It’s a shame that such a pretty plant needs to be so aggressively invasive. But, that seems to be a common theme. Plants are introduced from overseas because they are beautiful in gardens, but once they escape, without natural controls, they can quickly take over. The dandelion is perhaps the best known example. Imported for its food value centuries ago, it has now spread to every corner of the continent. However, as evidenced in this image, local insects wildlife also adapts and soon begins to eat the introduced species. Nature is quite adaptable, but with limits.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/60 sec, f/10.0, ISO 200
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“Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet.”
– Jeremy Bentham
What looked like delicate thistles from a distance turned out to be Knapweed. The dunes and roadside around Sauble Beach were filled with them. It’s yet another flowering plant that I seem to have overlooked in the past. I suppose it’s because I am deliberately looking for new wildflowers to photograph and learn about that I am finding these as well as many of the more obscure plants native to the areas I visit.
As I’ve said in a few previous posts, we’re now fully into the ‘purple phase’ of summer blossoms, with fields and roadsides filled with knapweed, thistles, vervain, and many more. I like this time of year for it’s diversity of flowering plants, though the rain and heat is taking its toll on the leaves and stems and I’m seeing many plants going dormant in preparation for the inevitable autumn, which thankfully, is still a while away.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/80 sec, f/10.0, ISO 200
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This week’s submission to Norm 2.0‘s Thursday Doors.
Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favourite door photos from around the world.
“582 Sherbourne Street” James Cooper House, Toronto
Today, a return to another of the grand old houses of Toronto’s Sherbourne Street. This one has fascinated me for some time now. Whenever I drive by, I’m drawn to the interesting statues installed on the property. So, when I had the opportunity to walk the area a few weeks ago, this was definitely on my list of places to check out.
I had no idea of the history of this majestic “Second Empire” style building. The building was built in 1881 for James Cooper, a wealthy merchant and show retailer. This area was one of the wealthiest places in Toronto at the time the house was built and it’s in the best condition. After Cooper departed, the building became home to the Keeley Institute for Nervous Diseases, an organization assisting those with alcohol and substance abuse problems. In 1910, it became home to the Toronto Knights of Columbus, who used the facility as a meeting and fundraising venue for almost a century. In 2008 the property was purchased by the Tridel Group, with the intention of building a condominium tower on the site, which is designated by the City of Toronto as a heritage building, so it had to be preserved. Or, in this case, moved.
It turns out, it’s also one of the heaviest moves of a building in Canadian history. In 2008, the 800 ton building was moved twenty feet east and five feet south from its original location, to make room for a condominium tower being built on the same property. The move cost the developer a reported $1M but preserved an architectural treasure from Toronto’s past. The developer has taken great care to maintain the house, which serves as an amenities centre for the adjacent condominium tower.
Oh, yes, and back to the statues, the property has several, all in a wildlife motif, with wolves, stags, and foxes attached to metal bases, with a reflected statue beneath it. The wolf and the fox sit horizontal, but the stag is a vertical installation, quite eye catching. I’ve included the Google Streetview link, though it does not do it justice, as well as an image of the house being moved.
The things you learn when you look for nice doors.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/120 sec; f/1.8; ISO 32
“We’re always attracted to the edges of what we are, out by the edges where it’s a little raw and nervy. “
– E. L. Doctorow
Similar to my photo from a few days ago “Transitions and Sunsets“, this is another transition photo, made on the same shoreline, at a different time. The elements remain the same, but the light and weather conditions are different.
In this image, made mid afternoon, the water is beginning to recede, having been pushed ashore by high winds and waves. The small ripples in the water are the only indication of this wind, all else would seem calm, the timeless ebb and flow of waves on the shore. The effect the water has on the tone of the sand, making it slightly darker, is what first caught my eye, as well as the sorting of sand grains between light and dark, which is so common on beaches around here, creating the streaks of tan and gray.
It’s yet another image that I simply enjoy looking at and drawing meaning from.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/270 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
“For a while” is a phrase whose length can’t be measured. At least by the person who’s waiting.”
― Haruki Murakami
When composing this image, my eyes were first drawn to the warm and cool layers of light on the water as well as the texture of the water itself, the first caused by patchy clouds and the second, by high winds blowing off Lake Huron.
The seagull, seems quite at peace i the image, yet was being buffeted by the same winds which caused the water’s surface to ripple. The same ripples which give it the appearance of textured glass, rather than water.
It’s a strange image when I look back to the circumstances. The scene looks quite peaceful, but that was not the case at all. I think what creates this sense of calm was the unusual light that day. Despite the stormy, windy conditions, the sky was filled with quick moving clouds and a great deal of sunshine. This mixed light created some interesting effects, like the golden reflection of the gull’s belly in the water and the mix of blue to golden tones in the water.
Were it not for the tight ripples in the water as well as waving been there to make the image, I would think this to be a bright and calm morning photo of a seagull standing in water. Nothing special, until you look closer and start questioning it.
The seagull, as well as many others of its kind, stood in the shallow waters along the shores, bearing the winds and waves, looking for a morsel of food to blow in, biding their time, and waiting out the storm, which would soon pass.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 250mm
1/200sec, f/7.1 ISO 100
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“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.”
― C.S. Lewis
While enjoying one of several sunsets last weekend, I could not help but be fascinated by the light playing on the sand at my feet. The sun reflecting from the sand glowed a coppery orange yet the receding waters picked up the blues from the sky.
It’s one of those ‘elemental’ moments of transition. The transition from land to water is accentuated by the warm and cool colours, just as the day is transitioning to evening, in a similar fashion. There is also the matter of varying texture, from the rough yet ordered pattern of the sand versus the soft, flowing ripples of the water.
So much going on, yet simple and soothing. Yet another moment of the day to consider in its complexity and simplicity. I like the image, as it seems to continually resonate with me in different ways. It is is simply, ‘there’.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 300mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6 ISO 800
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“In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth.”
― Rachel Carson
I get great enjoyment photographing plants and animals in areas away from home and the sand dunes of Sauble Beach are no exception. I came across many plants which survive well in the dry sand dunes which bound the back of the beach. Many still need to be looked up and this one surprised me. A simple Blue Vervain in an unexpected environment.
Close to home, Swamp Vervain is fairly common but not Blue Vervain. The plants are similar, but differ in the shape of the flower spike. I was also expecting Blue Vervain to be more of a meadow or wetland flower, based on my experience, so to find it in the dunes was interesting. It did seem quite healthy in the dry environment, but I expect even the dunes hold surprising amount of water this year with high lake levels. The conditions may have been just right and nature continues to amaze.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/60 sec, f/10.0, ISO 200
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“All human plans [are] subject to ruthless revision by Nature, or Fate, or whatever one preferred to call the powers behind the Universe.”
― Arthur C. Clarke
I made this image almost immediately upon my arrival at Ontario’s Sauble Beach. The forecast was for a mostly rainy weekend and our group had resigned itself that it might not be ideal for playing our favourite beach sport, volleyball.
As we drove towards the lake we were shocked by the immense waves, the like of which we had never experienced here, even during storms. After unpacking, several of us headed towards the dunes to check out the beach, which no longer existed. This is what we saw.
The combination of extremely high water levels in the Great Lakes this year coupled with steady winds directly from the west caused the water to literally stack up on the beach. You can sort of see the ‘stacking’ nearer the horizon, as the water from the deep lake hits the shallower waters of the wide beach about two hundred meters from shore. The wide, shallow sand bar acts as a buffer but the water still has to go somewhere and inevitably rolls over the sand bar and washes out the beach.
On a typical day, the beach front is about where the second row of waves is in the photo and the volleyball courts are about two meters above the lake level. On this day, expecting to miss out on volleyball due to rain, we found the courts under several centimeters of water.
The image does not effectively convey the force of the wind or the water, as the height of the waves is limited by the shallow waters, it became a high wild chop. Needless to say, it was a ‘wild’ day. So, between gale force winds and high water, there was no volleyball to be had.
By the next day, the winds had died off, the waters had receded, and as the sun warmed the ground, the beach was drying out, leaving us with pristine, flat surfaces for the rest of the weekend. A total change for this scene which greeted us on arrival.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/400 sec, f/10.0, ISO 100
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“I drag myself over to the honeysuckle bush and pluck a flower. I gently pull the stamen through the blossom and set the drop of nectar on my tongue. The sweetness spreads through my mouth, down my throat, warming my veins with memories of summer.”
– Suzanne Collins
I don’t believe there are many fragrances that compare with honeysuckle on a warm summer evening. As I walked the narrow roadways and access points at Sauble Beach this past weekend, the fragrance hung on the air, sweet and full of memories, as the quote so aptly describes.
There are entire fences, heavy with honeysuckle vines. I could stand there for hours drinking in the fragrance and marvelling at the complex flowers, as hummingbirds and bees feast close by. Of course, I could not resist the temptation to photograph them for future enjoyment, just without the fragrance, which will remain a memory to be savoured.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/50 sec, f/10.0, ISO 200
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This week’s submission to Norm 2.0‘s Thursday Doors.
Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favourite door photos from around the world.
“572 Sherbourne Street” – Toronto
Nestled among tall apartment buildings and office towers along Toronto’s Sherbourne Street, sits a small group of eight houses, in various states of repair. All are slightly different, but would have been built in the same time period. Over the years, different owners would add or remove features, making the houses even more dissimilar. That is part of what I find appealing about older parts of the city. Every building has its own character, its own story.
This one in particular still has what I assume is the original door, based on the width and millwork. I’m sure it has more than one coat of paint. The brickwork closer to the ground is starting to show the effects of many winters exposed to road salt and the numerous holes above the handrail are evidence of accessories added and removed over time.
It would be interesting to find other photos, across the years to see just how many changes these doorways overgo across time.
For those interested, here’s a Google Streetview image of the location.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/140 sec; f/1.8; ISO 25
“The beauty of the unexpected lies within the surprise of the momentum,
not only at its tipping point, but also within all the moments waiting.”
― Akilnathan Logeswaran
Sauble Beach, on Ontario’s Lake Huron, is known for its sunsets. This one did not disappoint. It was the last day of a long weekend with friends and family. We had just finished our supper and packing the car for the drive back home, when this sight presented itself. So, I ran to the top of a dune and snapped a couple of shots with my iPhone.
It’s funny, I had spent the past two evenings on the beach photographing sunsets, each a lot different than the other. Day one was the end of a wind storm, the waves just beginning to calm, and narrow clouds stretched out across the red horizon. The next day was also filled with wispy cloud, yet the sky was filled with more pink and purple hues. I was not even thinking of a sunset on our final day, since I was occupied packing up. Yet, of the three sunsets we experienced, I enjoyed this one the most, perhaps because it came as a bit of surprise.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/950 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
“If you want the beautiful moments to shine, you have to contrast that with dark and gruesome moments. That’s the way life is.”
– Tony DiTerlizzi
One of the many common blossom in this ‘purple phase’ of summer blooms is, of course, the Bull Thistle. Though, it could almost make it for the ‘pink phase’ as well. During my drives north, I have seen many Bull Thistles blooming and wondered what was delaying our local thistles. Well they seem to have caught up and I found many wonderful specimens to photograph, including this ‘pristine’ flower, blooming next to a walking path just south of my home.
There were many blossoms with active bees, but I will save those images for a later date. For now, I’m just enjoying the conflicting textures of this flower. So seemingly delicate on top, with its pink/purple frills, yet so obviously painful to touch just below them’
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/40 sec, f/14.0, ISO 100
High Resolution Image on 500px
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“Take one flower that you like and get lots of them. And don’t try to ‘arrange’ them. It’s surprisingly hard to do a flower arrangement the way a florist does one. Instead, bunch them all together or put them in a series of small vases all down the table. “
– Ina Garten
As I finished my studio work with a few local wildflowers, I stuck them in a vase, to eventually sit on our kitchen table. That’s a secondary benefit of my studio work. There is almost always a flower or flowers in a vase after the shoot.
As I looked over at the small flower collection, I thought it would make a nice image as well, even though I tend to avoid showing the containers for my floral shots. This one, though simple, seemed to work well and shows of the flowers, Wild Bergamot and Yellow Coneflower nicely. So, here it is for your enjoyment and consideration.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
20sec, f/36.0 ISO 100
High Resolution Image on 500px
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Dreams are the seeds of change. Nothing ever grows without a seed, and nothing ever changes without a dream.”
– Debby Boone
The next stage after the blooming of a flower, is the seed stage. I suppose I was surprised to see several of the Queen Anne’s Lace plants were already at this stage, so early in the season.
I call this the “basket” stage. The flowers have been pollinated and the seeds begin to form. In the case of Queen Anne’s Lace, the florets stems collapse inward, forming a basket of seeds. Thought it’s just the start of August, I know I will be seeing these ‘baskets’ well into winter, as the plant protects its precious cargo.
I liked the way the sun shone from this particular cluster, lighting up the seeds within, almost glowing with life.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/640 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200
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“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.”- Lao Tzu
The view of a park bench that sits mid-beach at Ontario’s Sauble Beach. Spring snow melt and an unusually wet spring and summer have raised lake levels to record highs.
As we arrived at Sauble for a long weekend with friends and family, high winds from the northwest further raised the water levels higher yet, and obliterated the beach.
Despite the winds and raging waves, the park bench sat surrealy serene, made more surreal by the distant blue skies and clouds.
This photo will remain a nice reminder of the wet and windy day, at the beach that is not.
As I write, the morning dawns bright and clear, the lake calm once more and the promise of a bright mild day, water receding.
“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun. “
– Pablo Picasso
The Yellow Coneflowers literally quiver in the slight breeze, their delicate petals, like small yellow rags, seem to barely hang on.
Such is the scene in a local field, where Yellow Coneflowers are common. Even the gentle breeze of a hot summer day create movement in these flowers. It’s very nice to look at, but proves a challenge to photograph. Thus, I made the decision to harvest a blossom for the studio.
It was an opportunity to really look deep into the structures that make up this delicate summer blossom, from the tender yellow petals to the complex structure of the ‘cone’ from which the plant takes its name.
It was a bit of a tough shot to light, the petals so bright and the details of the cone, lost in shadow, yet it turned out alright and drew my attention to the small green frills, known as ‘sepals’ through which the petals emerge. The things we don’t notice, show up in the right light.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
2.0 sec, f/36.0, ISO 100
High Resolution Image on 500px
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“When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.”
– Jenna Morasca
Here’s yet another purple, mid-summer blossom. I recall very well when I first saw one, blooming at the edge of a swampy area near my home. It was the first time I had ever seen this lovely, delicate species and it took me a while to figure out what it was called.
Swamp Vervain is not an overly attractive name for this beauty, but it does grow in wet areas, so it’s appropriate. I prefer the latin name, as hastata means having a triangular or spear-shape, which nicely describes the flowers, as you can see from the photo.
The next day, it seemed they were everywhere. I guess I had just not noticed them before and my new awareness gave me new eyes for it. To get this image, I went back to the places I remember seeing it previously, and it was quite simple to find.
My lesson in this is knowing what to look for as well as where and when to look. This has made it easier and less time consuming to find good subjects for my photography. I’m removing some of the ‘chance’ which has been an element of my photography in the past. It also means I’m going out at the right time of day to optimize my lighting.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/500 sec, f/3.5 ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“A flower does not use words to announce its arrival to the world; it just blooms.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo
As I write this, thunder is booming and the rain is coming down in sheets. Only moments before, my wife cut one of our Annabelle Hydrangea blossoms, for fear of them being further damaged. You see, this year, with all the rain we’ve had, the blossoms are huge. By huge, I mean the size of the average person’s head, and thus, at risk in the rain.
For hydrangeas, in the rain, size is not a good thing, since they retain the moisture, which increases their weight, either bending the flower stems or breaking them off altogether. Most of our are now bent flat, the blossoms resting on the ground.
As it sat on out table, saved from the rain, I took the opportunity to move it to the studio for a few shots. I’m not a fan of showing the vase in my photos, but this one seemed to work.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
2.0 sec, f/36.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless but all together perfume the air.”
– Georges Bernanos
Have you noticed the summer shift to purple and yellow? The pattern repeats. There is a gradual shift from pinks to purples and yellows. Thistles, bergamot, vervain for purples, yellow coneflower, sunflower, wood sorrel, and sunflower for yellow.
It’s a definite shift in colours and the pollinators, which are plentiful this year, seem to favour purple.
Wild Bergamot, or Bee Balm is plentiful in the local meadows and conservation areas. The vast clumps are literally ‘abuzz’ with bees and wasps of all shapes and sizes. The Wild Bergamot flower is a fascinating thing, appearing quite ragged, yet wonderfully complex at the same time.
I thought it would make a nice subject for a studio shot and I was not disappointed. This image gives me a chance to look at the wonderful, intricate structures that make up the blossom. It could only have been better if a bee had come with it, I did try to use my portable studio setup, but it was just too breezy today for a good outdoor shot. So, here you have it. Let the flower work its magic on you, drawing you into the frills that the bees are so fond of.
This is an immature blossom, with many underdeveloped florets, but beautiful nonetheless. There will be more to follow, be certain of that. Hopefully, the next few days offer the opportunity for an outdoor shot, without the need to pick a flower. Perhaps a bee may join in?
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
2.0 sec, f/36.0, ISO 100
High Resolution Image on 500px
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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This week’s submission to Norm 2.0‘s Thursday Doors.
Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favourite door photos from around the world.
“Manufacturer’s Life Insurance, Front Doors” – Toronto
Looking at these regal doors, you could be in ancient Rome. The doors belong to the ManuLife head office in Toronto and, at the time I made the image, stood behind locked wrought iron gates, which enclose the grounds on off hours. The pathway leading to the doors is bordered by an immaculate golf-green style lawn, which is well known to many Torontonians.
I’ve walked past these gates on many occasion, as my daughter lives close by. Even though I had a few meetings with Manulife, I have not had the opportunity to pass through these doors, as business visitors enter via a less elaborate side door.
“Mindfulness is about love and loving life. When you cultivate this love, it gives you clarity and compassion for life, and your actions happen in accordance with that. “
– Jon Kabat-Zinn
It’s allergy double jeopardy, a bee on ragweed.
Strange, I used to have a real aversion to bees and wasps. Now that I am pursuing more macro images, I find myself surrounded by them, as I strain for that next ‘shot’.
That was the case a few days ago, as I was making images of a few Japanese beetles. I looked up and found myself in a dense patch of ragweed, filled with bees. And guess, what, the bees were not even vaguely interested in me, as they harvested the bounty of nectar from the plants around me. I had honeybees right next to my arm, and they cared not that I was there. We were simply occupying the same space, each with our own purpose.
It really was quite an experience for me; I never gave the bees a second thought, and I believe the feeling was mutual. This has opened up a whole new world for me. I find myself making more and more images of bees busily harvesting for the bounty of wild flowers. It is certainly not something I would have considered even a year ago. I suppose you could say I’m in my element. The thought of being stung does not cross my mind as I simply enjoy being a spectator in this activity. At this point, they could land on me and it would not bother me one bit. This really is living in the moment, and I love it. I am at peace. Oh ya, I’m also, supposedly, allergic to ragweed, go figure.
This simple image, of a bee, clinging to a ragweed blossom is so peaceful and enjoyable, having experienced that unexpected moment. It is a moment of time where I am simply ‘in it’ and fascinated by the processes of life and it’s simplicity. We all need more of these moments, so I thought I’d share it.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/800 sec, f/6.3 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“With caps of regal purple,
the delicate blossoms gently sway,
on the tide of warm a summer breeze.
The sweet aroma of nectar,
wafts in the air,
an elixir for butterflies, wasps, and bees.”
– Ed Lehming
In the meadow just up the street from my home, there is a patch of beautiful purple Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum sibericum), a hybrid of native wildflower, more common in warmer climes. However, I have the fortune of living in a Carolinian micro-climate, so some more southern wildflowers can and do flourish here, when conditions are just right.
This little patch is an anomaly, and I’m assuming, since it’s a hybrid, that it’s an escapee from somebody’s garden, since the images of true Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum) I have looked at show a predominantly white flower with broader leaves. It will definitely be included in my garden, once the bloom completes.
It’s a haven for bees and butterflies right now. The whole patch is a flurry of hungry, insects, competing for an open space, attracted by its bright colour and wonderful fragrance.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/250 sec, f/10.0 ISO 400
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“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
– John Lubbock
What can I say? Wildflowers in a gentle summer breeze, what can be better? This group of Yellow Coneflowers, springing from a sea of Wild Bergamot on a clear, hot summer day, is about as peaceful as it gets and brings back to mind the Seals and Crofts song, “Summer Breeze.” Though there is no “jasmine in bloom” in this scene, the feeling is about the same.
The puffy clouds in the background are simply the icing on the cake ,in this simple composition. A sweet, sweet memory of summer to look back to when the mercury drops.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/2000 sec, f/6.3 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Lazy Summer Skies”
Here is my entry for Del Monte Y Mar’s Tuesdays of Texture Challenge Week 31 of 2017
“When people look at clouds they do not see their real shape, which is no shape at all, or every shape, because they are constantly changing. They see whatever it is that their heart yearns for.”
― José Eduardo Agualusa
An often overlooked texture is the sky above us, with its infinite variations, never the same twice, rarely the same for long.
I made this image after a few moments photographing the wildflowers and insects in the meadow at the end of my street. On my way back home, I could not help but marvel at the gorgeous cloud formations, so typical of hot summer days in southern Ontario.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/1600 sec, f/10.0 ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. “
– Henry David Thoreau
There is no shortage of insect life on the Queen Anne’s Lace this summer. It seems to be especially popular to various bugs and beetles. Here, a Japanese Beetle tours the outer flowerettes, I’m assuming looking for a meal of nectar.
I found it interesting, while editing the image, that the reflection of my red tee-shirt shows up on the beetle’s metallic shell. I’ve got to be more careful in the future.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/640 sec, f/10.0 ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.”
– Leo Tolstoy
This is a very non-typical photo for me, but I do have a habit of making images of things that I find interesting or unusual.
Yesterday, I spend a few hours touring the area of Bloor Street and Church Street in Toronto. It’s an area which I drive through frequently when visiting my daughter, who lives in the area. During these drives, I have noticed some interesting architecture and have made note of them for a future walking visit. That opportunity presented itself and I went to see some of these features close up.
One of the features that I’ve been intrigued with is this art installation at the very top of Jarvis street. It’s a series of tall red tubbes, which stand about ten to fifteen meters tall. There is a complimentary installation just south of it, consisting of thinner blue tubes on an angel. I prefer these red tubes, which appear to be reaching up the side of the building like some subterranean monster.
Like I said, this type of photography is not my forte, but I was please at how the resulting photo portrayed the scene I witnessed.
For those interested, here’s a Google Streetview image of the location.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/670 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
“Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet.”
– Jeremy Bentham
A quick shot today of a honey bee stretching for the nectar of a milkweed blossom.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/160 sec, f/16.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
The more often we see the things around us – even the beautiful and wonderful things – the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds – even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.
– Joseph B. Wirthlin
The quote above really resonates with me. I have often commented about how my brain has learned to ‘filter’ out so much of what I see. Just how clever our brains can be came to light in a very real way a few months ago when I underwent a surgical procedure on both my eyes called an iridotomy. Essentially, a laser is used to drill small drain holes in my irises to prevent pressure build up behind the lense, which is a hereditary trait in my family, and a real issue for me as a photographer.
After the surgery, these small holes allowed additional light into my eyes and caused bright lights to create a secondary ‘ghost’ image. This ‘ghosting ‘ lasted about four week and my brain gradually filtered it out. Now, I can’t see the ‘ghost’ even when I try. The brain is that powerful.
So, I am making it a point to re-see the world around me and try to remove some of those filters. Photography is a huge enabler to the process.
If you look closely, you’ll see the tiny purple blossoms, which are clearly attracting yet another hoverfly. A whole new world is opening to me this summer, as I make images of the flora and fauna in the small meadow at the end of my street.
I’m discovering a complex network of life in this mundane place, which is mundane no more. Even on a quiet morning, the place is alive with activity and colour, you have bt to look for it and once you see it, there is no going back.
It does look odd to the outside observer, as I focus my camera on a stem of grass, but that observer would have no idea of the wonder I am seeing. So be it. Too often I hear photographers saying they live in an area that is boring, that there is nothing worth photographing. Well, this small meadow is an example of just how untrue statements like that are. They have stopped seeing. I am learning to re-see, with the same fascination I had as a child and it feels great.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/100 sec, f/16.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
A soul mate’s purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master…”
― Elizabeth Gilbert
I gazed at this Queen Anne’s Lace flower in amazement. I had never noticed the pink frill. As I observed other, it became apparent that this was unique to one small patch, all the others were plain white.
What made this one particularly special was the slight heart shape, or am I imagining this?
The shape caused me to drift into the realm of emotion and life. My wife simply loves Queen Anne’s Lace and has made several lovely photos of the blossoms. That makes my photography expeditions so much nicer; having someone who also appreciates nature and photography, and is so incredibly supportive and encouraging of my journey into this art. This, of course, means infinite patience on drives, as I pull over to capture some roadside image, though she may not see it as I do. It means helping me overcome my self-doubt about my abilities, as she challenges me to be better than I believe I can be. As in the quote above from Eat, Pray, Love, she pushes me to be more, and for this, I am eternally grateful.
I truly believe that if it were not for her I would still be taking snapshots, suitable only for the family album, and nothing more. Instead, she has opened me up to sense the life and energy around me, by being a part of it. Thus enabling me to focus on the essence of what I am photographing.
Which brings me back to the image of the Queen Anne’s Lace blossoms, with its unusual pink frills, encircling an incredibly complex cluster of sub-blossoms. Each of the ‘pinks’ are small flower clusters as are the component bundles they surround.
Be sure you have a close look at this lovely blossom, go deep, and enjoy this moment captured on a recent summer morning. From the heart.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/320 sec, f/16.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
Ed Lehming Photography 
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