
“If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.”
― Masaru Emoto
This week seems to be a day of firsts. Earlier, I posted an image of the first Bloodroot blossom of the year. This image, of a Red Admiral butterfly was made a few yards away from the flower photo.
This is what I love about spring, it’s a time of firsts, or rather, a time of returns. The return of those familiar things associated with each season, the things that mark that season and location as unique in our recall.
What makes this photo special to me is not just the beauty of the butterfly, but the small signs of green around last year’s dead leaves. A sign to me, that life is returning, as it always has, to the forests around me. And with that, new wonders, new plants, and new images to make and share.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/160 sec, f/7.1 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“In this delicate and unpredictable life, the future is unwritten. Do not take someone for granted today, for once tomorrow dawns upon the indigo night the only remaining trace will be tracks in the sand…”
― Virginia Alison
I really appreciate this wonderful, short-lived spring blossoms. The burst forth quickly in mid-April, bloom brightly for a few days and then are gone, a mere memory of the first warm days of spring.
Because of their brief beauty, I make a point of seeking them out every year, hoping to capture the spirit of this beautiful plant.
They are quite unique, as they emerge from the ground as small tube-like plants and then open up their green ‘capes’, revealing the delicate white flowers inside. It’s almost magical to me. I hoping to get back out again for a few more images before they fade, as the poem above, leaving only a faint trace of their existence.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/125 sec, f/16.0, ISO 400
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Under the Fall”
Here is my entry for Del Monte Y Mar’s Tuesdays of Texture Challenge Week 16 of 2017.
The ‘texture’ of water. The rolling structure and varying colour is what caused me to make this photo of teh churning water below a local dam. I wasn’t sure if i’d use it for a Tuesday Texture submission, by the more I looked at it the more I was compelled to do so.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/1250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100

“This is a story about the color blue, and like blue, there’s nothing true about it. Blue is beauty, not truth. ‘True blue’ is a ruse, a rhyme; it’s there, then it’s not. Blue is a deeply sneaky color.”
― Christopher Moore
This is a plant I’ve been intrigued with for some time. It’s one of the first to emerge from the forest floor in this region and very odd in its colouration. While most spring plants vary in shades of greens and yellows, this plant is a blueish-purple. A bit hard to spot at first, but once you see it, it seems to be everywhere.
I’ve photographed it for the past few years, with varying satisfaction. This year, I returned with my macro lens, initially wanting to photograph just the opening plant. Then, I noticed the tiny yellow flowers, no more than two millimeters across, and hard to see clearly.
The macro lens revealed detail I could not have imagined. It’s opening up a new world to me, one that existed but was not readily visible to me, and I’m loving the view.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/30 sec, f/18.8, ISO 200

“The art of writing is not as solitary as one might think. When it finally dawns on us one day that our task as writers is to share what we know of the human spirit, we suddenly discover that we were never truly alone.”
― Hal Zina Bennett
I’m following up my Monochrome Mondays post with the colour version of the same image. While it looks lovely in mono, I prefer the true colours, that lovely pre-dusk glow of yellow, as the setting sun lights up the fine haze that floats just above the ground.
It’s the end of another spring day, the promise of warmer days ahead, under the “Pink Moon” of early April. I eagerly await some hint of green, as life returns to the hilltop oak.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 70 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0 ISO 200

“I saw it written and I saw it say
Pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink Moon gonna get you all”
― Nick Drake
“April Oak and Moon”
While not a full Pink Moon (first full moon of April), I just had to stop and make this photo. The old oak, is probably the most photographed tree in the area. Its unique position on a hilltop and easy access by road makes it one of those iconic locations that begs for a photograph.
I decided to try it as a mono shot today, and I think it works. But just in case, here’s teh colour version to compare.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 70 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll buy a funny hat. Talk to a hungry man about fish, and you’re a consultant.”
― Scott Adams
With vegetation emerging and the ground warming, all the elements are aligned for the beginning of the annual Rainbow Trout on Duffins Creek. It has started, ever so slowly, the water a bit murky with spring runoff, but it has started.
There is a real pleasure for me to witness this large migration from Lake Ontario, many miles below, up Duffins Creek and the many obstacles along the way, to the waters above Whitevale, where they spawn and eventually return to the lake.
This one is the first real opportunity which presented itself. Though the lighting was not ideal, it’s still a nice representation of these beautiful fish. More to follow.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“When I see a dancing butterfly,
When I see a half blooming flower,
Their eager wish to make this world happy,
My mind dances with joy,
My soul emerges in happiness.”
― Debasish Mridha
The temperatures continue to warm, rain falls, off and on, and the cycle continues. New growth seems to accelerate. What was a mere bud a few days ago, now begins to show hints of its future form.
This flower cluster, which a photographed four days ago, has opened up even more. I’m still waiting to see the leaves a bit larger to assist in identifying what this flowering shrub is. I have to admit, looking at this process close up, through a macro lens, is very interesting. The forest was also quite a bit brighter this day and I was able to ease up a bit on the ISO settings. Here’s the previous image, if you missed my earlier post.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Daffodils are an optimistic flower, and foolproof. You know what Shakespeare said:
“Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty.”
― Tasha Tudor
The spring flower collection would not be complete without daffodils. Though the ones in my garden are just emerging, there are plenty available in stores, ranging from the now popular minis to the full sized ‘traditional’ variety.
This is one of the ‘mini’s, isolated from the rest of the cluster.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
2.0 sec, f/40.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“That which I cannot hold is that which I can treasure the most because it affords me no burden other than to enjoy it.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough
As those who follow my blog regularly will know, I’m fascinated with the many shapes and forms I find in the natural world. To many casual passers-by, these small details are largely ignored. Yet I am drawn deeper into them. Now, having a good macro lens enable me to look deeper, to observe details that my eye misses on initial inspection. It’s a real joy to literally savour these details, to try to understand some of the reasons behind the shapes.
The image above is one of the tendrils of a Fox Grape, also know as wild grape around here. The purpose of the tendrils is to support the grape-vine by wrapping around other plants nearby. If it can’t find anything to cling to, it wraps into a tight cluster, like above.
I wondered if this tendril had wrapped around some fine structure which has since decayed or fallen away, but it was quite high up (eye level), so that’s unlikely.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/160 sec, f/10.0, ISO 800
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
― Meister Eckhart
The feeling is there, the air warms, and bird song permeates the mornings. Spring is afoot and new growth begins to show signs of the forest stirring from its long slumber.
On a walk this past weekend, triggered by nicer weather and seeing the Coltsfoot blooming in roadside ditches, my eye was keen to see signs of new growth. The forest was still quite gray, seeming dormant, but it did not take long to see that it was shifting. A few small green plants showed among the dull leaves, grasses seemed to be perking up, and then I came across this small shrub, the first delicate leaves unfurling like fingers offering their gift, from the protective bud, and hints of pink or purple flowers showing within.
I’m not a botanist, so I don’t really know what variety of bush it might be, perhaps a lilac? This would be a strange place for a lilac, amidst the fairly thick forest, but nature has offered me many surprise in the past. I’ll have to check back in a few days, when it has leafed out more, to have a better idea on that.
For now, I’m happy to see the promise of another new season.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/200 sec, f/5.0, ISO 800
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Let your boys test their wings. They may not be eagles, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t soar free.”
― C.J. Milbrandt
This image was a surprising treat for me. I had been photographing a chickadee perching on some cattails along a local pond. As with many small birds, they tend to be a bit skittish and fast moving. This one seemed to be quite content but suddenly took to flight. I hit the shutter a split second after it took off. Thinking I had missed it, I proceeded to make a few other photos before going home.
When I got home and reviewed my images, this one startled me. Where I was expecting a frame filled with out of focus cattails, I found this wonderful image of the chickadee in flight and looking quite determined. The slight motion blur enhances the experience for me, accenting the motion of the quickly beating wings.
I probably could not have planned for this any better, especially considering that I had only my macro lense with me. My one saving grace was that I had set my shutter speed high to freeze the twitchy movement of the chickadee feeding in the first place. Sometime things just work out.
Also, shooting with my D800 made it possible to crop the original (see below), significantly, to get his composition.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/1600 sec, f/2.8, 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.
“Veteran’s Memorial Building” – Unionville, Ontario
In the small Ontario town of Unionville, well, not so small as Unionville is actually part of the city of Markham, sits this beautiful old building, which I thought was a church, until further inspection.
It’s now an audio/video store but the original doors are still there, so, whatever. In fact, I was going to go inside to check it out when I realized it was now retail space and quickly walked back out. Just too much of a contrast for me that day.
Unionville is a beautiful historic town, still quite well preserved among the high-tech landscape of surrounding Markham. The original buildings are quite well preserved but have mostly been converted into shops and restaurants. Have a quick Streetview tour, if you like.
iPhone 7 back camera @ 4.0mm
1/670sec; f/1.8; ISO 20
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the mind.”
― Luther Burbank
A new day, a new flower. As with the pink one I shared yesterday, it fills my home with the sweet fragrance of spring. This blossom was so heavy with tightly packed flowers that it can barely sustain its own weight, and I’m presenting it as such, as it leans toward the light, gleaming in a soft white, and making the world a bit more beautiful.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
2.0 sec, f/36.0, ISO 200
High Resolution Image on 500px
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“I tried to abandon my tenacity, but I just couldn’t let it go.”
― Tim Fargo
The nemesis of dog owners, common burdock, with it’s supernatural ability to stick to fur or cloth and then break into tiny parts when you try to remove them.
It’s really quite a fascinating plant, uniquely adapted to transport its seeds far, far, away by attaching to unsuspecting carriers. The tiny, tough, hook-like structures on the ends of the “burr” can grab onto the most delicate fibers with incredible tenacity. One of our modern fasteners, Velcro®, was developed by somebody studying this plant and mimicking its ability to hold fast.
The image above was made last weekend and is a reminder from last year’s crop. A bit weathered, but still able to stick to fur, and just the right height to attach to anything that brushes against it. I’ve spent many hours trying to remove burrs from my dog’s coat. My current dog, a beagle, is short hared and fairly immune to these tenacious seed packages.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/320 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 78 mm
1/400 sec, f/10.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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or my website (some images available for purchase)
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“Just keep hope within you and your path will be lit.”
― Isabella Poretsis
It’s spring in the northern hemisphere and the flowers are blooming, or getting ready to bloom. So, flowers are constantly in my life. I certainly am not going to run out of subjects to photograph.
This beautiful pink hyacinth reminds me of its presence through its marvelous aroma. It permeates the air with sweetness so unique to hyacinths. Since it only recently started blooming, the blossoms are pretty much pristine. So, I made a quick image of it and could not resist sharing it here today.
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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http://www.edlehming.com

“Because you don’t notice the light without a bit of shadow. Everything has both dark and light. You have to play with it till you get it exactly right.”
― Libba Bray
A few days ago, I posted an image of grape hyacinth with a white background, something a bit new to me, since I really enjoy the dramatic look of the black background. At the time, I also offered to publish the same image with the black background to compare. Keep in mind, nothing else changed except the background and a slight edit to remove the flower pot, which I found distracting on this version. It’s pretty astounding the different effect a background can have.
For reference, here’s the link to the original post. “Grape Hyacinth”
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.6 sec, f/32.0, ISO 200
High Resolution Image on 500px
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“When you know that something’s going to happen, you’ll start trying to see signs of its approach in just about everything. Always try to remember that most of the things that happen in this world aren’t signs. They happen because they happen, and their only real significance lies in normal cause and effect. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you start trying to pry the meaning out of every gust of wind or rain squall. I’m not denying that there might actually be a few signs that you won’t want to miss. Knowing the difference is the tricky part.”
― David Eddings
I was not planning a second post for today, but decided to share an important plant for me. The Coltsfoot, is always the first native plant to bloom in my area. It’s blossoms signal the beginning of many natural cycles. Once I see them, I can begin looking for other emerging plants like wild leeks (ramps), blue cohosh, and spring beauties. They also signal, and I’m not sure how this works, other than probably something to do with ambient temperatures, the beginning of the annual rainbow trout spawn.
So, when I saw the first little splash of yellow (yes, yellow has returned), and knowing these are not dandelions, though they are often mistaken for them, I grabbed my camera gear and hit the trails around Duffins Creek to see how the trout were doing.
Though they were not numerous and the water was still a bit murky from the runoff, I did see a few dark shapes beneath the water. The spawn is on! I’m looking forward to watching this spectacle once more, and hopefully, making some nice images to share here over the next few weeks.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/640sec, f/10.0, ISO 800
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Spring Thaw on Duffins Creek” – Whitevale
“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it.”
― Margaret Atwood
I have a love for water, especially moving water, and there is plenty of that this time of year. The snow and ice are finally gone and the remaining frost is slowly melting underground, raising the water tables and making streams swell.
So, I decided to make this image black and white. It makes the image a bit ‘crunchier’ than I like but still shows the movement nicely.
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.0sec, f/40.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.”
― Jo Walton
I titled this image based on a common expression around here. Basically, if you wait “Till the Cows Come Home”, you will be waiting for a long time.
The image was made near my home as I was out photographing a fairly decent sunset. While driving back home, I noticed these silhouetted cows among pine trees and expression came to me as good name for the composition. This is rarely the case and I spend a bit of time with the image before the title comes to me.
The image also reminded me that I have not spent enough time at sunrise or sunset and need to make some time for these experiences.
So, a bit of whimsey to end the weekend with.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 300mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“There are just two directions in life, the one which is safe but boring, and the other which is delicate but exciting. Now ask yourself, which path will you go?”
― Joe Mari Fadrigalan
I’m toying with the white background this week but not sure how much I like it. It’s a bit of a creative risk, as I have been enjoying the black background photographs I’ve been doing so much. I also don’t have a good white backdrop, so relying on a roll of drafting paper I have anding and fighting with the background texture.
The lighting and everything else seems to work, but I’d appreciate any feedback.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.6 sec, f/32.0, ISO 200
High Resolution Image on 500px
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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The appearance of things changes according to the emotions; and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves.”
― Kahlil Gibran
I really struggled to find a quote that complimented this photo. It’s such a contrast. These tulips have been the subject of my photos for a few days now, and I watched them mature and slowly fade, yet, to me, the beauty remained. In fact, the beauty now is even more intense, since it’s so unexpected.
And that, has me thinking more deeply about my perception of beauty. I’ve always been able to find beauty in mundane places. It seems a bit of an odd trait nowadays, in our busy and stress filled world, so I consider it a gift. In a world filled with such intense ugliness, to be able to see some vestige of beauty is a real blessing. I don’t mean that I don’t see the ugliness and live in a dream world, it’s simply that I can effortlessly perceive those small glints of wonder and loveliness that so many can’t or won’t see. I can’t turn that off, not that I would want to.
The ability see these images and capture them is one of the reasons I started blogging in the first place, to share some of those moments, hoping it brings joy to someone else, perhaps someone struggling to find some light of hope in this world. If an image does that for a single soul in this world, then I have accomplished what I set out to do.
The image above was processed in a style I have not used before, yet I felt compelled to try it, and it seems to work, given the subject. I was not looking for bold, I was looking for serene, by using a soft background to let the flowers’ colours radiate gently from the white background.
Yet, with all things of beauty, they seem all to brief and changeable, and I am faced with the fact, that even this stage for the tulips must pass to the next, so I savour it, while I can, understanding a bit more about myself and my perceptions.
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.0 sec, f/36.0, ISO 200
High Resolution Image on 500px
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow-man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
― Ernest Hemingway
I’ve been invited to participate in a workshop with a local professional photographer. My one on one session with her focussed on my art and process. That seems pretty solid. Her feedback about some of my photos are that they need to be BIG, allowing the details to cause the viewer to be pulled deeper into the image as well as staying true to the ‘art’ of my photography.
As I’ve said before, I have no issue modifying my photos to more effectively communicate the feeling of the image as I made it. After all, I’m not a photojournalist.
My task was to look at some of my older images and restate them as I would today, given more proficiency in tools and workflow. I have to admit, that’s a bit of a struggle, because the images, to me, have their own feel and It felt odd to adjust them, but it was a worthwhile exercise. The image above was the outcome of re-imaging an older photo from 2013. The original is below.
I left the image fairly intact, got rid of the watermark and cropped to tighten on the lower flowers. Then added a layer with a softer, more impressionistic background. What do you think?

Nikon D300
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 195 mm
1/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Our days are spent…,
Time withers and fades,
Yet, for he who has perception
Beauty, yet remains”
– Ed Lehming
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.0 sec, f/40.0, ISO 200
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

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
“Winter is dead.”
― A.A. Milne
Early December of 2016 I bid a fond adieu to yellow, the colour yellow. It seemed at that point in time, the colour yellow was completely absent in my natural surroundings.
Alas! It’s now spring 2017 and yellow is returning to the world once more, after a long absence, and I welcome it back with open arms.
I spotted this lily at the store a few days back and had to bring it home. Though not the traditional white easter lily, this one will bring a splash of colour, and provide me with many days of photographic enjoyment as I watch, and document, its blossoms open. At the rate it’s going, it should be at its peak in a few more days, as yellow returns, once more.
Of course, with warming temperatures, yellow will return once more to my lawn, in the form of dandelions, but that’s OK too.
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.6sec, f/36.0, ISO 200
High Resolution Image on 500px
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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http://www.edlehming.com

“I need the shade of blue that rips your heart out. You don’t see that type of blue around here.”
― Cath Crowley
Bancroft is a rural town in north-central Ontario. Known as the Mineral Capital of Canada, it sits atop the rocky Canadian Shield, some of the oldest rock in the world. Towering above the town is a granite monolith known as the “Eagle’s Nest”.
During milder winter days and now spring days, melt water pours down some of the cliff faces and freezes into “ice falls”, like the one above, towering tens of meters high.
What really caught my attention, as I was driving by, was the startling blue and turquoise tones in the ice. Enough so, that I turned the car around and went back for a second look. I expect, now that I’m looking closer, that the brilliant blue-green glow of the ice, which is in shadow, is caused by sunlight striking the top of the fall and being transmitted down the length of it, making it seeming ‘glow’. Areas where the sun is striking directly show as bright white.
I’ve seen those blue hues in other ice structures but nowhere nearly as stunning as this.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 145mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1 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

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.
“Ihnatowycz Hall’ – Royal Conservatory of Music
Not far from my past two door posts, stands this lovely door, the entrance to the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Ihnatowycz Hall, which contains the Mazzoneli Concert Hall, a beautiful, intimate 237 seat concert hall. Originally known as McMaster Hall, the building underwent significant renovations in 2005 with a donation from Mr. Ian Ihnatowycz and his wife, Dr. Marta Witer — both Royal Conservatory alumni and was renamed in their honour. It’s one of Toronto’s hidden architectural gems. To my understanding, the building originally housed McMaster University, which moved to Hamilton, Ontario. The Royal Conservatory of Music moved into the building in 1963.
It’s a bit tough to get a good image of the door in the summer, as Bloor Street is lined with fairly thick trees. Despite this, the building has always attracted me, with its bright brickwork and I thought it high time that I add this to my door collection.
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

“Life isn’t meant to be lived perfectly…but merely to be LIVED. Boldly, wildly, beautifully, uncertainly, imperfectly, magically LIVED.”
― Mandy Hale
My previous image of the tulip, with two petals missing inspired me to try something a bit more creative. I made the image above with five stacked focus images, to render one final image where the entire flower is in sharp focus. Then, I converted the whole thing to a mono image to convey some moodiness.
Like I said, It’s an experiment and I’d appreciate any feedback or suggestions. My feelings won’t be hurt 🙂
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1.6sec, f/40.0, ISO 200 (5 stacked frames)
Hi 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


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