“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
― Pablo Neruda
I came across this small shoot, growing from the moss at the base of a tree earlier this week. Though I have no idea what type of plant it may eventually grow into, it was a curiosity to me, especially given it has, what appears to be, as single leaf. The sprout seemed out of place and there did not seem to be enough soil under the moss to sustain it, yet there it was.
Based on the nature of my subject and the colours in the background the image simply said “Spring” to me.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/50 sec, f/4.0 ISO 400
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
“Love, they said, burns you
and builds you.
But with you,
there’s no ash.
Just light.”
― Kamand Kojouri
I honestly could not think of a better title for this image of the same tulip that I shared yesterday. According to my mother-in-law she has had this variety of tulip in her gardens for some time, thus the ‘old’ reference. Also, I can’t get the image of a flame out of my head when I look at it. The mix of silky red and coral tones in the light are just stunning to me and it seems almost alive with movement.
This image was made yesterday evening, and the tulip, true to its nature, had begun to close back up again, accentuating the look of fire. I thought the side view would also provide a different and better view of this unique tulip, variety unknown.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
0.5 sec, f/32.0 ISO 400
High Resolution image on 500px
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
“Gardening is akin to writing stories. No experience could have taught me more about grief or flowers, about achieving survival by going, your fingers in the ground, the limit of physical exhaustion.”
― Eudora Welty
Here’s another addition to my collection of spring flowers from the garden. It’s becoming a bit of a series that I’m considering naming “Facing the Flowers”.
This particular tulip came, as many of our flowers of late have, from my mother-in-law’s garden. When she downsized a few years ago, she could not bear the thought of leaving the plants she had tended for so many years behind. So, we made space and filled our gardens with her treasures. Now, all her work continues to yield wonderful flowers and she enjoys stopping by to see them.
She’ll be ninety-two years old this year and is past her gardening days, but still likes to offer some pointers on what worked best for her when it come to specific varieties. It’s also nice to drop off some cut flowers to her condo, so she can enjoy then at home.
Back to this tulip. It’s a bit of a unique specimen, in its shape and nature. The blossoms had opened up fully a few days ago, but by the time I had the time to photograph them, they had closed back up again, and remained that way for several days. Until yesterday, when they finally saw sunshine and decided to make another show. I took a cutting and brought it inside to my studio for a few photos. Then, I placed it in a vase with a few other flowers. The next time I checked it, it was closed again and has remained so all day. It would appear this is a sunshine only tulip. Based on the forecast of three solid days of rain, I guess I can’t blame it.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
3.0 sec, f/36.0 ISO 100
High Resolution image on 500px
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
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.
“Dundas Street West” – Toronto
These doors are conveniently located across from Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). I see them every time I visit the gallery and am always meaning to snap a shot. So, this past weekend, after seeing a wonderful Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit, I did just that.
There are a number of wonderful old houses on this block of Dundas Street West, most have become boutiques or galleries, catering to the AGO patrons, but several have remained as residences.
I do enjoy observing ‘paired’ doors, as each tenant seems to have a slightly different slant on what the entranceway to their home should look like. These to are quite similar, with a few subtle differences.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/340 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
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
“Nothing is less real than realism. Details are confusing. It is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis, that we get at the real meaning of things.”
― Georgia O’Keeffe
I’ve been wanting to make this image for a few weeks now, but the crocus did not cooperate, till now.
Just as temperature began to climb, heavy rain and wind set in, followed by yet another cooling. So, many of the blooming plants in my garden got delayed, once more.
The crocus has put up two blossoms so far, and this is the first. I decided to do a front on view, as it shows the wonderful structures so well. I have to admit that I am very pleased with this one. Of note, it took an extended exposure to show the structures of this dark purple bloom. Being freshly back from a Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario, her words echo through my mind, once more. My photography, of late, has been focused on pulling away, or elimination of, distracting details. I’m trying to show the true essence of the flowers, as I see them. It’s a worthy philosophy for living too, I think.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
3.0 sec, f/36.0 ISO 100
High Resolution image on 500px
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
“You are the only guardian of your own truth, so know your truth and protect it at all costs.”
― Gugu Mona
This is an older photo which I find myself going back to from time to time. The photo was among the first I made with my then newly acquired 70-200 mm, f/2.8 lens. That lens has been my go-to lens ever since, despite it being quite heavy. It is just so very versatile in so many situations, from moderate zoom to close up studio work and event photography.
The image above is, to me, very calming. I enjoy the colour contrast of the golden cat-tails against the blue water as well as the fanned tail feathers of the blackbird, as it balances on the delicate stem. I can almost feel the gentle spring breeze floating over the water’s surface.
As with many of my images, I can still recall where this was made and the process of composing the photo. The bird was very cooperative and seemed to pose for me, which is rarely the case with birds in the wild.
Nikon D300
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/3200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400
“Leaf on Log”
Here is my entry for Del Monte Y Mar’s Tuesdays of Texture Challenge Week 18 of 2017
I was challenged as to whether or not to post this image, as it is not framed to my satisfaction, and I did not want to edit it extensively and I was not happy with the various crops I attempted. Despite this, I was really drawn to the texture of teh complex leaf against the smooth, wet log when I made the image. So, here it is for your consideration, with my apologies.
I also noticed that this is my 750th blog post since joining WordPress. My, how time flies 🙂
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0 ISO 400
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
“Everyday gratitude sweetens what appears flavorless and brightens all that appears dim.”
― Amy Leigh Mercree
Well, it’s another dreary, dull day in my area and I keep going back to a series of daffodil photos I made last week. I believe the variety is called butter and eggs, and I can see why that name was chosen.
What really appeals to me about these blossoms is the semi-transparent rear petals. They are so delicate looking, yet withstand the wind and rain we’ve had for the past few days. This single blossom is part of the trio I shared a few days ago.
I’ve had some of you mention that these images brighten your days, and I’m happy to continue to provide some brightness, knowing the sun will be back out soon enough and we can all get on with our spring activities.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.0 sec, f/32.0 ISO 100
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
“Steeple” – Reformed Church of Stone Arabia, NY
Here we are in May and with the profusion of wildflowers, I find myself lacking in any recent mono images. So, I’m back to the 2015 archives and an ancestry trip to the Mohawk Valley, in New York State, where my family originally settled after arriving from Germany in 1710. They came to America seeking a new life after escaping war and famine in the Palatine region of Germany.
When some of the natives of the Mohawk Valley saw the poor condition of the immigrants, they welcomed them to come to the Mohawk Valley to settle. The relationship between the Mohawks and the settlers was one of mutual trust and respect.
One of the first things these early settlers did was erect churches, few of which survive today because they were destroyed during the multiple wars and raids that occurred in this strategically valuable area.
When I arrived in Stone Arabia, searching for family roots, I came immediately across this church building, whose name I recognised from family records as being the church that was constructed by my ancestors and was their place of worship for many years. Despite wars like the French Indian War and the American Revolution, this building survived.
I made many images of it but this one of the steeple, with the churning clouds seemed to represent the history of this place the best.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 105mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, ISO 250
“The greatest wealth is to live content with little.”
― Plato
This turned out to a very simple image. I was given a few stems of forsythia to transplant in may garden and took the opportunity to make a few photos before they dropped their flowers.
I recall having one of these early blooming shrubs in the backyard growing up and then they seemed to vanish for a while. But recently , I’ve seen them more prevalent and it was nice to be offered a few shoots to try to root. I’m hoping they take hold, so we have a bit more colour in our yard in the spring.
Even these flowers, in their simplicity, are quite fascinating when you look closer.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.0 sec, f/32.0 ISO 100
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
“Spring dances with joy in every flower and in every bud letting us know that changes are beautiful and an inevitable law of life.”
― Debasish Mridha
And the flowers keep blooming. Every day more colours, more varieties, right from the garden or in the woods. It’s so nice be able to have this variety available and to be able to create good photos of them. As I’ve said previously, we tend to fail to appreciate the fine details in things we see. I see the flowers as beautiful, on first view, but am finding them utterly stunning when I get up close really ‘look’ at them
Now, I’m waiting patiently for some lovely coral tulips, that were given to us by my mother-in-law, to open up. They did it yesterday, but closed back up before I had a chance to photograph them. Today, it seems it’s too cold. Perhaps tomorrow? Stay tuned.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.0 sec, f/32.0 ISO 100
High Resolution Image on 500px
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
“If you wish to make anything grow, you must understand it, and understand it in a very real sense. ‘Green fingers’ are a fact, and a mystery only to the unpracticed. But green fingers are the extensions of a verdant heart.”
― Russell Page
It’s definitely not the most attractive name for this spring garden standard, but there you have it. In my area, there are a few rural properties where the entire yard is filled with this delicate blue flower, albeit for only a few short days, till they die off and grass dominates once more.
We have a small cluster of them in our front gardens and they are among the first signs of life in that particular flower bed. Fine grass-like leaves emerge for the cold ground, and after a few days of milder temperatures, the flowers appear.
I have to admit, this is yet another of those ‘taken for granted’ items that I have never taken the time to really look at, so it made a great subject to bring into the studio for a macro view. After the first set up shot, I looked at my camera screen and was stunned at how magnificently beautiful this slight flower really is. Seeing it in the garden, so diminutive, I would not have guessed at this, which has quickly made it one of my favourite floral images of the season.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.0 sec, f/29.0 ISO 100
High Resolution Image on 500px
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
“A picture held us captive. And we could not get outside it, for it lay in our language and language seemed to repeat it to us inexorably.”
― Ludwig Wittgenstein
I was hoping to get a few more images before the bloodroot stopped blooming and was happy to see I had not missed my chance. I took my portable studio with me in hopes of being able to find a few specimens that lent themselves to this technique. A small grouping, just off the hiking trail presented just such an opportunity and I set about making a few images.
The image above appealed to me the most, as it shows the freshly emerged plant, with the flower about to open, a very similar scene to my earlier post. However, the black background does its job in really isolating teh plant and forcing us to observe the details. It’s still my favourite method of photographing plants and works fairly well outdoors, if teh light is not too intense and the air is calm.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/6 sec, f/22.0 ISO 100
High Resolution Image on 500px
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
“A little piece of everywhere I go becomes a big part of everything I do.”
― Richie Norton
Spring, has to be my favorite time of year. Not just because of the warming weather, but because every day has new discoveries, sometimes many. Having spent most of my life outdoors, I’m finding myself continually amazed at just how much of my world I casually ignored.
Becoming a deliberate photographer has transformed my world and how I see it. As the quote above puts it so succinctly, these little pieces of my experience have transformed me, they have become a part of who I am. Through my photography, I’m seeing the world in news ways, appreciating life in new ways, and loving it.
I think I also need to clarify a point above. By referring to myself as a ‘deliberate’ photographer, I mean I set out with a purpose. So, rather than just snapshots of events or casual observations of my day, I set out to really ‘see’ the world around me. I take the time to study a scene and compose my images to fully express what I have seen, with the hopes that this is conveyed to my audience. At minimum, it allows me time with the scene, allowing me to fully appreciate it.
In the case of the Dutchman’s Breeches above, I’ve seen photos of the plant in books, knew it grew around here, and looked for it, with no success. I made images of a close relative to it, Squirrel Corn, last year and did not notice that the plant in this photo was only a few meters away, as well as the bloodroot I shared earlier. Now I’m spending time observing associated plants and their related growing patterns. I can honestly say that I am learning something new every day and truly enjoying the journey.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/100 sec, f/18.0 ISO 100
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
“Each beginning is the end of a waiting. We are each given exactly one chance to be. Each of us is both impossible and inevitable. Every replete tree was first a seed that waited.”
― Hope Jahren
This photo is now a few days old, but I wanted to go back to it to show the wonderful structure of the bloodroot, a native early bloomer her in southern Ontario. I have a real fascination with this particular plant especially because it is so unusual, as are many of the early plants, but Bloodroot holds a special place for me.
The plant itself, emerges for the ground as a small knob, barely visible and within a few short hours, grows to about fifteen centimeters, unfurls its ‘cape’ and blooms. I refer to the leaves as its ‘cape’ since they are tightly bound around the stem and open up like a cape or cloak, revealing the flower bud inside. It also opens quickly as the plant continues to emerge from the ground.
I happened to catch this one just before the blossom opened and it too, unfurls. I would love to do a time-lapse of this process some day in the near future. As it stands now, they have almost all bloomed and I will have to wait till next year.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/15 sec, f/36.0 ISO 320
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
“Then came the healing time, hearts started to shine, soul felt so fine, oh what a freeing time it was.”
― Aberjhani
Indeed, the entire world around me is greening. The bleak frames of the winter trees now show a soft bloom of pale greens and yellows, as buds begin to open and small leaves begin to emerge from their winter shells.
It’s a great time of the year, days, its warming, plants flower, and life returns to my world once more, the inevitable cycle of birth, death/rest, and rebirth continues.
Over the past few days, I kept walking past these delicate poplar catkins, just knowing there was a photo to be had, but the light was never quite right. Yet, this past weekend, soft sunlight prevailed and the image was realized, hints of surrounding greenery in the background and small splashes of red from the Red-Osier Dogwoods which are interspersed in this small poplar stand.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/400 sec, f/10.0 ISO 400
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
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.
“Gloria’s – San Jose del Cabo”
I thought it would be a good day to revisit one of my Mexico photos today. You see, I had the full intention to build a large collection of Mexican doors from this trip. What I learned was, never try to do it before 9:00am, as they are all locked up.
In this case, and in many others, not just the doors are locked with wrought iron gates, but so are the windows. This practice seemed to be quite common in San Jose del Cabo, a moderate sized town at the south end of Mexico’s Baja peninsula. The concept of locked doors has also been replaced by a preference for chains and padlocks, which was evident even on the modern doors of some of teh local banks.
Sadly, I was not able to return on this visit to get a shot of the door by itself, it looks like a beauty, so will have to plan a return trip 🙂
iPhone 5S back camera @ 4.2mm
1/2000 sec; f/2.2; ISO 32
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
“It’s life that matters, nothing but life—the process of discovering, the everlasting and perpetual process, not the discovery itself, at all.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Oddly enough, I’ve gone out looking for these and stepped over them, not making teh connection. Yet, this past weekend while photographing a group of Wake-Robins, I noticed this fuzzy broad leafed plant with a little ‘bud’ or nodule at the base. Curious, I took a closer look and noticed that the ‘bud’ was actually an unopened flower. When I got back home I looked at one of my plant books and discovered that this was, if fact, the elusive Wild Ginger I had been looking for.
So, today at lunch, I made the quick walk to the forest and re-visited the plants, to be pleasantly surprised that the flowers were in bloom. How I could have missed them in the past still puzzles me, but as I looked around, I noticed that this small grove is quite limited in size. I’ll have to get back out on the weekend and see if I can find some more.
In the meantime, I am quite happy to have found them and be able to document their unusual blossoms, which are quite firm and bulb-like. The petals, similar to the Wake-Robin are a dark red to maroon colour, similar to flesh. This seems to be a common trait with some early blooming wildflowers which are pollinated by flies. The flower looks like a piece of meat. I did not stoop down to sniff them.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/115 sec, f/16.0 ISO 400
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
“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more”
― George Gordon Byron
Alone, but not for much longer.
Very soon, this Trout Lily will be surrounded by a sea of yellow blossoms.
Once more, I came across an isolated blossom surrounded by many other plants about to bloom. What became evident to me, as I made this low angle image was just how alone the flower ‘seemed’ against the backdrop of the forest. yet, it is not alone at all.
I spend much of my time on trails, in the forest, on the water alone. It’s a conscious choice I make. Being alone, gives me all the time I need to create my images and simply drink in my surroundings, my schedule is my own, the moment, my own. While I do love the companionship of my wife, family, or friends while hiking, that is a different experience altogether. It’s nice to share my sacred places, and talk about the experience, but it’s not the same as the solitary experience. Perhaps my blogging practice is a way for me to share those moments with others in a way that still allows me to ability to recharge in my solitude?
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/1050 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
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
“There’s a lesson in every silence.”
― Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel
The new life is a thing of wonder to me. After months of cold and snow, fresh sprouts emerge from the earth and trees begin to bud. The dull grays and browns are interrupted with bursts of colour.
As I walked to a local forest a few days ago, I was really drawn to these intensely coloured leaves. When the sun hit them just right, they looked like tiny flames on the ends of the branches. Thus, the title for this image.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0 ISO 400
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
“Warm Fuzzies of Spring”
Here is my entry for Del Monte Y Mar’s Tuesdays of Texture Challenge Week 17 of 2017
I could not help myself with the title of this image of an emerging bud, covered in soft hairs, which actually protect the tender leaves from frosty mornings by retaining warmth. It was also a wonderful, warm spring day, so the warm and fuzzy just made sense. It automatically became my go-to image for texture this week.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0 ISO 400
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
“We are living a life full of first experiences, from a first kiss, to the first time giving blood, to conceptual and philosophical explanations of humanity’s firsts.”
― Kat Lahr
I should call this series of photographs “Firsts”, since most of my recent posts have been of the first blossoms of local wildflowers. It’s been a bit of a strange season, with a few vigorous specimens blooming a few days ahead of their neighbouring companions.
That has made me wonder why those few are so much more advanced. It’s not anything obvious like more sunlight, less competition, or better soil that seems to be the cause. Though I do enjoy the isolation of the single blossoms, as they are not drowned out by a large bloom. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been so drawn to creating my studio images of flowers in isolation. It allows the viewer to focus on the details of the individual flower.
This Wake Robin, or red trillium, as it is commonly know here, was a single blossom surrounded by a large patch of Wild Ginger, which I intend to return to, since it is also about to bloom. The lighting was a bit harsher and more direct than I had wanted, despite being in a fairly dense forest glade. The bright lighting actually enhanced the petals, giving them an almost metallic appearance. There were many more plants close to blooming. I figure they will be in full show in the next day or two, if temperatures remain as mild as they have been the past few days.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/40 sec, f/32.0 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
“Oh, the joy, the joy of Spring, a joy so grand, so absolute, so lavish and engaging, dipping my humble soul in magic, uplifting and exhilarating, instilling beauty and virtue into my days.”
― Amelia Dashwood
Here’s another one of my region’s ‘early bloomers’, Hepatica or Sharp Lobed Liver-Leaf. It seems to manage well in the cool spring temperatures because of the long hairs on the stem. As you may be able to see from this image, the leaves are just starting to develop.
I had an interesting conversation yesterday with my mother-in-law who’s approaching her 90th birthday and grew up in this area. She told me they called these May Flowers and that they were plentiful and sought after by the young girls for bouquets because of their long stems. And, of course, they were one of the first blooming flowers available in the spring.
These are quite a bit ahead this year and are just a few days ahead of their companion trout lilies, trilliums, and wild ginger, though I did spot an early Wake-Robin, which I will post tomorrow.
I had to shot at a slightly higher ISO than I prefer, since there was a bit of a breeze in the forest, forcing me into a higher shutter speed.
Can you tell, I love spring flowers?
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/100 sec, f/40.0 ISO 400
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
“It’s an odd thing, happiness. Some people take happiness from gold. Or black pearls. And some of us, far more fortunate, take their happiness from periwinkles.”
– Patricia A. McKillip
While hiking into the forest this past weekend, I came across a patch of periwinkle, still green even after the winter snows, though showing some wear. As I looked closer, I noticed a few blossoms had already opened. That’s a bit earlier than previous years. Though only a few blossoms where open, you can see plenty of buds waiting to open in the next few days.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/4 sec, f/36.0 ISO 100
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
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”
― Anne Frank
A few days a ago I went to a large grove of these early spring bloomers for a few more shots of the unusual tiny purple flowers. This particular grove contains thousands of these plants and the forest floor almost looks burnt with the density of Cohosh growing here, interspersed with freshly emerging trillium and wild leeks.
I had no idea just how complex the structures were until I started shooting them with my 90 mm macro lens and can’t seem to get enough of them.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/50 sec, f/11.0 ISO 100
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
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
― Marcel Proust
I found this interesting plant last year, growing in an isolated patch. There are no other instances of this plant in the area, so I’m wondering if it hitchhiked to its current location. It’s a beautiful but strange-looking plant. Like the common yellow coltsfoot which grows in the same area, it blooms before putting out leaves, though the one I photographed is showing a full leaf, just developed and another emerging from the ground.
The biggest joy for me, when exploring the paths and riverways around my home is discovering these little gems and getting to understand the incredible diversity of plants and wildlife in an area that many would consider mundane, even boring, from a photographer’s point of view.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/8 sec, f/32.0 ISO 100
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
“Life is a first impression. You get one shot at it. Make it everlasting.”
― J.R. Rim
Another ‘first’ flower. This one was completely unexpected, which makes it all the more special. I had set out to make some more photos of the newly emerged bloodroot, which went quite well, despite wind gusts that interfered in my making the exposures as long as I prefer.
As I finished photographing a nice cluster of bloodroot, I noticed a small flash of yellow in my periphery. It turned out to be an early blooming Trout Lily. In fact, a very early trout lily. I was not expecting to see them for at least another week or so and this one is far more advanced than any of its neighbouring plants, which have just started to leaf out. Why it’s so far ahead will remain a mystery. Perhaps all the condition were just right and that small plot of soil got a bit more heat from the sun than the rest of the forest?
There was one more plant just starting to bud a few feet away but these two were the exception. I have a real fondness for trout lily, with their mottled leaves and delicate nodding yellow flowers.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/80 sec, f/20.0 ISO 320
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
“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke
One of the unique features about the area that I live is that it is surrounded by pockets of what is known as “Carolinian Forest”, that is, many of the plants and animals in the area can usually be found in the warmer climates of Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio.
This means that I have access to plants and wildlife not normally associated with Canada. I suppose to this point I have pretty much taken that for granted. But now, as I focus more and more on the complex ecosystems within this biosphere, I appreciate it more and more.
I have also become quite attuned to the progressions of these plants. Meaning; when I notice one blooming, I have a good sense when the next species will bloom and start actively looking for them. The sequence begins with Coltsfoot, the first yellow flowers of the season, followed by Blue Cohosh, and the Virginia Spring Beauty pictured above.
Spring Beauties are just that, beautiful, delicate plants with lovely flowers which vary a bit between pink and light purple. Around here, they seem to prefer growing at the base of beech trees. I enjoy them so much because they are the first real show of colour, other than yellow, to emerge from the cover of dead leaves.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/80 sec, f/45.0 ISO 400
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
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.
“Eckhardt House” – Unionville, Ontario
For today’s submission, I offer a return to the village of Unionville, in southern Ontario. As I have stated before, my biggest disappointment with historical buildings is when the original doors are removed in favour of modern pressed steel doors. Though practical, I feel they diminish teh beauty of the building. So, when I find an original door, I am extremely pleased.
This particular house is one of the few houses in Unionville that I have found with original doors. As has become my custom of late, I’m sharing the Streetview link to the larger view.
As with last week’s image, I did not have my Nikon with me, and relied on my handy iPhone, which does not disappoint.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/590 sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
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
“Treasure the people who are willing and able to help you reach your goals.”
― Jeffrey Fry
The title for this image came so easily. As I hiked the forest path, I noticed these small red leaves beginning to unfurl, backlit by the late afternoon sun. As I composed the shot, I could not help but envision them as delicate hands, reaching for something.
The wide aperture of my 90 mm macro lens also created a wonderful soft bokeh in the background, isolating the bud in the foreground, yet leading the eye back along the slightly blurred stem to which it is attached.
It’s a scene that’s playing out everywhere in my area right now. Though still cooler than I’d like, nature continues its cycle of rebirth and presents me daily with new experiences and treasures.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/160 sec, f/6.3 ISO 100
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 
Recent Comments