“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
― Ansel Adams

Yes, I know, “What an original title”. Yet, I’m often stuck for a title and am loath to fall to such tactics as “Unnamed #314”. Every image I make leaves an impression on me, it is a small interpretation of who I am, my experiences, emotions, and how I see the world; by being a new creation, it further adds to that experience. I recall the moment when it was made, why I made it, how I interpreted and composed the image, and what my impressions were when I first compared what I saw with my eyes with what the camera interpreted it as.

Sometimes, the image title is obvious, sometimes I need to look at it a while, comparing various descriptions till it makes sense to me, fits into my world. Often, It’s just the name of what I have photographed, especially if it’s a place, or object that stands alone and does not have further layers of emotion tied to it. In those cases, it’s just an object, whereas in other cases, it’s an impression, a moment, the outcome of a thought, of myself.

This time, I saw a fist full of red flowers, Peruvian Lilies to be more precise. They represent another element of a bouquet I pulled apart so that I could photograph the individual flowers and enjoy their individual beauty, which can often be lost in a bouquet.

So, there you go, a short visit to my thought process, when it comes to naming my images and making art. It really is an extension of who I am

Nikon D800
Nikor 24-70mm f/3.5-4.6 @ @ 35 mm (with 20mm extension tube)
2.0 sec, f/25.0, ISO 100

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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“Better Days”

“There are times in our lives when we have to realize our past is precisely what it is, and we cannot change it. But we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doing that, we can change the future.”
― Eleanor Brown

As I was making images of the flowers from a recently purchased bouquet, I realized that I had saved a dried rose back in the fall. It was sitting on a bench in my studio but I had not figured out how I wanted to present it.

I had made another image that day, involving a coffee cup and biscotti titled “Taking a Break”. The shot involved a wooden charcuterie board, which my wife had given me at Christmas. The wooden board seemed like a nice background for the rose. After adjusting it a few times and playing with the lighting to minimize shadows, this is the result, simply titled “Better Days”, since the rose has certainly had them. The title, which came readily, prompts me to reflect deeply on the image created. It is significant.

To think back on the past occasions where a flower was given as a gesture of love, friendship, a bond and how some of those relationships may have represent better days, others, have not. Yet, they cannot be so easily discarded and within what remains there is some trace of the beauty they once symbolized, some future lesson to be realized?

Nikon D800
Nikor 24-70mm f/3.5-4.6 @ @ 35 mm (with 20mm extension tube)
2.0 sec, f/25.0, ISO 100

Hi Resolution image on 500px

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

“Pink Gerberia”

“Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”
― Georgia O’Keeffe

Today is a dull, grey day here. One of those days where it can’t figure out whether to rain or snow. So, what better way to brighten it up than with a flower.

I spent a bit of time in the studio yesterday, pulling apart a fresh bouquet and photographing the individual blossoms. The marvel of modern times is that fresh summer blooms are readily available year round.

With this bloom, I found myself really enjoying the pale yellow halo at the base of the petals and the way it glowed with its own light. I played with various exposure settings and finally settled on the one that showed off that effect, without softening the details too much.

I’m still getting used to using my extender tubes, as I don’t have a good macro lens in my bag yet, but that is on the horizon.

Nikon D800
Nikor 24-70mm f/3.5-4.6 @ @ 35 mm (with 20mm extension tube)
2.0 sec, f/25.0, ISO 100

Hi Resolution image on 500px

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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"Taking a Break"

“Study in Wood #7”

Here’s my contribution for this week’s  Tuesdays of Texture  over at de monte y mar.

This is just one of a growing series of studies I have done by photographing trees and logs. There is infinite variation in colour and texture. I’ve walked past this log more times than I can count and nearly always stop to look at it, as it slowly decays. This particular day, the light was just right to showcase the varying textures.

Nikon D300
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 85 mm
1/250 sec, f/5.6, 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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“Awash, In a Sea of White”

This was a bit of a theme for me last week as I was out making photos. Soft, pure, snow blanketed the fields and open spaces during my extended hikes. The low angle of the sun in the winter sky accentuated the shadows.

As I reviewed the many images I realized that as mono images and without context these images could be of almost anything: water, sand, cloth, foam, or soft clouds. What I liked most about this particular image was the gentle flow punctuated by a few coarser areas.

In reality, I am just happy to be able to capture accurately what I’m seeing. Snow is a real challenge and I have to fool my camera on exposure, especially on bright days.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 105 mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100

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

“Unaccompanied”

“Unaccompanied”

“I just like to be alone sometimes, no I’m not angry, no I’m not sad. I just like to be alone. It’s how I recharge” – Unknown

I’m still finding myself reflecting on some of the wonderful moments of late December 2016, including the many solitary hikes on our local trails. I was amazed that there were no other hikers out on several beautiful days after Christmas. The trails had obviously had use prior to these days, as they were nicely packed down by snowshoes and boots, the new snowfall remained undisturbed.

I am absolutely not complaining about this, it just seemed odd for me to have this all to myself. I often find myself hiking unaccompanied, since I tend to be a bit excessive when I get on the trails with my camera. it’s not unusual for me to travel six to ten kilometers in a day. I’m in no hurry and tend to make a circuit of it. Be it summer, winter, spring, or fall, I love being in the outdoors, enjoying and documenting the ever changing  sights. This past December was a treat for me, the trails were clear, temperatures were not extreme, and I had an extended vacation time which allowed me more freedom to do what I love.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 200 mm
1/50 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Winter Sumac”

“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.”
― John Ruskin

The last week of December, 2016 was simply stunning. A soft, continuous snowfall had blanketed the world around me in pure white. Snow stacked up on objects that, surprisingly, bore its weight. Such was the case with this Staghorn Sumac in the meadow just north of my home. I decided a mid-morning walk with my camera was in order. The light was soft and bright, reflecting from the snow-covered ground, providing nice shadow fill. This reflected light, made the sumac berries glow in bright reds, which contrasted wonderfully with the purity of the snow that formed caps on each cluster. All that’s missing here is a perching bird of some sort.

As I consider the image, I’m also pleased with the background colours: the pinky-reds of the Red-Osier Dogwoods in the at the bottom of the frame and the darker greens of the pines at the top, both slightly muted by the snow.

Today, we’re in a post thaw cold snap. All the soft snow in this image has melted down to a gray crust. I’m looking forward to the next snowfall to cover that up and brighten the winter once more.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 110 mm
1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

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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“Inner Glow”

"Inner Glow"

“It would seem from this fact, that man is naturally a wild animal, and that when taken from the woods, he is never happy in his natural state, ’till he returns to them again.”
― Benjamin Rush

A brief post today of a digital painting I recently made of the cedar forest near Whitevale, Ontario. Despite the cold temperatures, warm sunlight glows from within the forest.

3-princess-street-saint-john-new-brunswick

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.

New Year, old doors. Number 3 Princess Street is final image for my autumn trip Saint John, New Brunswick. I was not aware that this city is built among a series of steep hills, and the doors are quite interesting. This section of the city was quite run down a few years ago but is now a flourishing area of pubs and boutiques. Here’s the Google Streetview link to the location for your enjoyment. Take a tour, it’s quite lovely.

 

 

 

“Undecided”

“Undecided”

“Step back in perspective, open your heart and welcome transition into a new phase of life.”
― Linda Rawson

I’ve been meaning to share this photo for a few weeks now. It was made back in December, when I was playing with some saved fall leaves. You see, back in October I came across many of these ‘undecided’ poplar leaves, half green and half yellow. I started referring to them as lemon-lime leaves. I honestly can’t recall ever seeing this before, though there seems to be a lot of things I did not observe before my more deliberate photo-ventures into the forest.

The colour difference made them interesting to me, so I collected a bunch with the intention of documenting them in the studio. Well, I finally got around to the photos and now, processing them to share. I find them interesting to look at. There is so much detail, I could lose myself in them, a bit like the Georgia O’Keeffe quote I’ve used before. The closer you look at something, the more it becomes your word, and nature has so many worlds to lose yourself in. So, I find myself toggling back and forth between the near and the far, landscape and macro, since I enjoy them both equally. Between long hikes in the winter forests and the warmth of the studio, I’m quite satisfied either way and there are several other leaves in my collection which I’m hoping to get to soon.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 200 mm
1 sec, f/25, ISO 200

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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http://www.edlehming.com

barred-owl

“The best advice I can give on this is, once it’s done, to put it away until you can read it with new eyes. When you’re ready, pick it up and read it, as if you’ve never read it before. If there are things you aren’t satisfied with as a reader, go in and fix them as a writer: that’s revision.”
― Neil Gaiman

My post earlier today reminded me of just how spectacular these birds are, especially when presented with the opportunity to photograph them close up and how important it is to continue to improve my  work, both photographically and in written word.

I made this image in the spring of 2013 with older gear, lacking the resolution of my current set up. Last year I purchased PicCure+, which is probably the best investment in my photography I made all year. The software uses a mathematical algorithm to remove lens and/or motion distortion from photographs.

As I recalled the wonder of photographing this magnificent owl I also recall my frustration at not being able to show the details without a lot of noise. So, I re-processed the image using PicCure+ and the results were amazing. It’s worth checking out the free trial. I’m not usually one to promote a particular product but I can’t say enough about it.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 277mm
1/60 sec, f/5.0, ISO 200

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Tucked Away”

“Every once in a while, people need to be in the presence of things that are really far away.”
― Ian Frazier

Just so that everyone does not get the impression that every shot I make turns out the way I want, here’s a tidbit from yesterday’s hike. It reminds my of the words often written on side-view mirrors: “Objects may appear closer than they are”.

In this case, a barred owl, resting among the tangled balsams. Just a bit too far for a ‘good’ shot. The kind of image that fills the frame with a beautiful ‘sharp‘ owl, every detail visible. Those opportunities do present themselves, infrequently, but often wildlife photographers are faced with this situation: the object of our attention is just too far away for us to realize the image we envision and would like. Sometimes, as in this case, closer access is not possible and a lens has its limits too. Not to mention the guy who claimed the only unobscured view to himself, for 30 minutes.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m always pleased to see wildlife, near or afar, and it is wonderful to see this sleeping owl, it’s something most people will never experience.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 200 mm
1/60 sec, f/4.0, ISO 200

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Winter Keys”

“We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert

This is one of my images made the last week of December. Conditions were ideal to be out on the trails, light was soft and warm, and the temperatures were comfortable. As I was on a few week’s vacation, I spent a lot of time on the trails, enjoying the wonderful sights and sounds, making images along the way.

We’d also been blessed with what I can only refer to as “Christmas Snow”. You know, the kind of snow that falls gently and sticks to everything? Generally, this kind of snow soon melts off as the temperatures increase slightly, or get blown off the branches by wind. However, this December, the snow stuck around and remained relatively pristine.

If you follow this blog on a regular basis, you will have noticed a lot of images with white and orange subjects. This post is no exception. It’s a combination that I suppose I had not noticed before. Perhaps the unique conditions late last year made it more pronounced? Perhaps my ability to see it shifted? I’m not sure, but I am happy to see this and be able to capture it to share with you.

The image above is a bunch of maples keys, still attached to the tree. I’m not 100% sure, but given this trait, I would expect it to be a Manitoba Maple, a local variety of quick-growing, soft maples, deemed ‘weed’ trees by some. You can see the snow clinging to the delicate branches, the keys shining in the soft sunlight. It just felt very peaceful, that quiet morning not so long ago.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 180 mm
1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“What Lies Beneath?”

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 200 mm
1/100 sec, f/5.0, ISO 100

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Beneath the Fall”

This is what froth below a local waterfall looks like when it freezes.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 200 mm
1/40 sec, f/11.0, 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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“Hairy Woodpecker” - Secord Forest

“Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someone’s horizon sweeps someone else’s. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much.”
― Gregory Maguire

At first, I thought this was a Downy Woodpecker, the most common species around here, but when I checked my bird books it looks more like this is a Hairy Woodpecker. They appear  very similar, except the Hairy Woodpecker has a longer beak. I’d appreciate a verification from my bird watching connections, since I use this blog as a learning tool as well.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 200 mm
1/40 sec, f/3.2, ISO 100

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Hemlock Bough”

hemlock-bough

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.
So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.
Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
― Neil Gaiman

What more fitting image for the New Year than a bright green branch? So full of life and promise.

I made this image yesterday, while on my final hike for 2016. In fact, it’s the last image I made in 2016. Yet, the feel I was after was not quite there, so once again, I ran it through my Topaz Impressions plug in to get the effect I was after. The result is this impressionistic image, which is exactly what I was after.

May 2017 dawn fresh and bright and full of vigour in your lives, may the seeds of creativity produce fruit in abundance, and may we all remember that we are connected in more ways than we can imagine.

Happy New Year 2017

Ed

“Squall”

squall

“Snow was falling,
so much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness.”
― Mary Oliver

This will be my final post for 2016. My year ends much as it began, on the local trails, camera in hand. Today, I hiked about 6 km on snow packed trails, not meeting another hiker. The trek began bright but hazy and mild and ended two hours later, somewhat cooler with a fairly consistent snowfall, which inspired this final post.

It’s good to have some tools at your disposal. In this case, the ‘concept’ of an image capturing a December snow squall in the pine wood lot behind my house did not quite render my vision as a photo.

That’s where the ‘tools’ come in and running the image through the Topaz Impression plug-in yielded the desired results. It brought out the warm colours of the trees that I saw initially and enhances the nice blur of the heavy snow, a slightly washed-out effect, which is what I was after.

This has become a go-to for me if a photo does not convey the ‘feel’ I was after. My ‘impression’ of the scene. So, since I’m not a painter, I can be a photo-impressionist, and I like that. Wishing you a Happy 2017.

Till then,

Ed

“Maple, with a Twist”

“And just because you turn out differently than everyone’s imagined you would doesn’t mean that you’ve failed in some way. A person who goes to med school because his entire family is full of doctors might find out that what he really wants to be is an artist instead.”
― Jodi Picoult

Here’s another image from yesterday’s hike. I’m always impressed at how some plants hang on to their leaves when neighbouring plants, of the same species, have dropped theirs. They are somehow  marvelously different, unexpected. Despite rains, heavy winds, and snowfall, this small maple hung onto a singular leaf. It almost appears as if the snow is trying to push the leaf off. yet it endures, at least long enough to fall into my sight. On even the dullest day, I come across these ‘exceptions’ and they brighten my day, because they are unexpected.

The twisty vine in this image is from an invasive species called Dog Strangling Vine, which grows in abundance here and is, despite being invasive, a delicate and interesting plant to photograph. I wrote about it earlier this year.

The combination of the leaf and the vine lead to the image title, yet another image of orange and white, much like yesterday’s post and a few prior to that. At some point, even the bright orange will fade into memory, the way yellow did a month ago.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 200 mm
1/50 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Untrodden”

“Untrodden”

“What if you were wrong? What if everything you ever believed was a lie? What if you missed your opportunity because you didn’t know your worth? What if you settled on familiar, but God was trying to give you something better? What if you decided not to go backwards, but forward? What if doing what you have never done before was the answer to everything that didn’t make sense? What if the answer wasn’t to be found in words, but in action? What if you found the courage to do what you really wanted to do and doing it changed your whole life?”
― Shannon L. Alder

What will the New Year bring? I look at it a lot like this image and associated quote, there is a trail, a general direction, though the exact steps I will take are imprecise, at this point. I have liberty to deviate from the path of others and create my own path. That option has often lead me to new and interesting places. What’s over the horizon? I have a good idea, having travelled the path before, but it’s never the same twice, there is always something new, if I have the vision and intent to see it. Will I have to backtrack at some point? I don’t know right now. The one thing I do know is that this is my path and nobody else’s and I have to choose my steps.

At the end of this year I will have achieved a significant goal: that of publishing a photo and accompanying text every single day. I will have published over 450 photos, viewed by over twenty-one thousand people around the world. I realized that the world is active 24/7 and that there are more people with common interests than I could have imagined. Friendships have formed as conversations grow. The post a day goal has not always been easy but has forced me to go beyond my comfort zone. It has not just been the photos but the act of writing something significant about the images.

The exercise has also allowed me to look back on the year, day by day and see precisely what inspired a change in style, subject matter, and composition. It’s been very enjoyable and encouraging. I have to thank the many of you who engage with me on a regular basis as we share our images, words, and thoughts. There were tough times when I felt discouraged, that I was producing material that was of no significance and I’ve found, in this community of bloggers, there is no such thing as insignificance, even the most mundane image can bring encouragement and inspiration to someone else.

That said, I will continue into the New Year with the momentum I have gained, continue to try to produce quality images and text, to deviate from the path, on occasion, and travel into untrodden territory and see what awaits me.

A very Happy New Year to everyone. May 2017 bring growth, creativity, and fulfilment to all of you.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 75 mm
1/40 sec, f/3.2, ISO 100

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Orange and White”

Time spent alone, not lonely;
Untrodden trails, my footsteps, singular;
Unspoiled, for my eyes alone;
Newness, freshness;
Never seen before, yet fleeting;

Nature surrounds me, and astounds me;
I am renewed.
– Ed Lehming

A surprising splash of colour in a predominantly white landscape.

I finally had the opportunity to get back on the trails today. We had a few days of unsettled weather, including some freezing rain, a particularly unwelcome visitor for hikers. The recent storm system had produced rain and freezing rain, which essentially turned the trails into a treacherous ice-covered skating rink. Last night another small system rolled through producing wet snow, which nicely covered the ice and provided a wonderful base of sticky snow, proving much-needed traction.

The wet snow also created yet another winter wonderland filled with pine trees covered in thick layers of white icing. The new fallen snow also brightened up the forest and reflecting wonderful soft light throughout the forest.

Among all this brightness, a small maple tree, which had refused to shed its leaves, stood out against the white and green background. I suppose the maple is trying to compete with neighbouring beeches for leaf retention. It was a most welcome splash of colour as the year winds down and we approach 2017.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 200 mm
1/50 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Alternate Entrance”

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.

A simple final submission for 2016, made today as I enjoyed the outdoors and much freshly fallen snow on the trail system near my home. This door is the side entrance to an old barn that sits near the trailhead at Secord Forest. The property was at one time an active farm but has been absorbed into the conservation area.

I’ve walked past this door many times, surprised that it has not been more significantly vandalized.

Happy New Year Door lovers, see you in 2017!

“Balance”

“Spring Thaw Ice Art” - Stouffville Reservoir Trail

An image from the spring worth revisiting.

El Capitan BW

“December Trails”

“December Trails” - Durham Forest

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”
― Edith Sitwell

This image, made on the same day as yesterday’s post, this view of the beech lined trails of one of the East Duffins Headwaters trail system, near Uxbridge, Ontario, is a testament to the beauty that can still be experienced in the winter months. Cross country skiers, hikers, and dog walkers have all enjoyed this trail before me. The snow squalls from the previous week deposited about a foot of soft snow which stuck to everything and stayed there for several days, still the winds began to blow some of it off.

It really was a winter wonderland, hiking below the canopy of snow-covered branches, the temperatures just cool enough to remind me winter had arrived. But, what really dominated the scene for me was the warm glow of the beach trees, holding on to their leaves when all others have long since dropped.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 85 mm
1/30 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Gold Among the Pines”

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”
― Jack Kerouac

I was looking for a non-typical photo for this Christmas Day and decided on this image I made last week. A beautifully lit beach tree, surrounded by a blanket of fresh fallen snow and framed by pine trees. It’s a simple composition that brings a feeling of peace and wonder to me when I look at it. The leaves fairly shimmered when the scant sunlight hit them, making the tree glow against the darker background. I’m enjoying a calm and relaxed Christmas Day with my family. My children are all home for a few days, a simple gift that I’m truly enjoying.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 70 mm
1/40 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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Merry Christmas

“Poinsettia - A Closer Look”

A very Merry Christmas to my fellow bloggers. A true world wide community, where Christmas has arrived already for some and it’s Christmas Eve for others. Wherever in our world this finds you, I wish health and happiness to all.

“Christmas Chrysanthemum”

“This is the sacred secret of love. Love a person for their heart and only their heart, and you will be rewarded with the best unconditional love in return. If you ignore the heart and focus just on a person’s outer beauty, love will ignore you. Love a person for only the beauty found in their heart, and that beautiful heart will always be beautiful to you.”
― Suzy Kassem

Now that I’m on vacation for a few days, I decided to spend a bit of time in my studio and do some floral shots to brighten the early winter days leading to Christmas. It’s so nice to be able to buy floral bouquets locally in even the coldest weather (being careful to wrap them for the car ride). I deliberately chose a selection of red and white flowers, in keeping with a Christmas theme.

I must admit, I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for chrysanthemums and have had good success photographing them in the past. The white ones were a bit more challenging, since the brightness tends to wash out details and to underexpose them causes all the foliage to be too dark.

This image seems to be a good balance and captured the warm glow of the flowers nicely, I think.

Now I have a nice selection of birds and flowers to share over the next few days. I’m also only a few days away from my 2016 goal of posting a photo every single day. It’s been a lot of fun and has kept me looking for inspiration on even the dullest days.

Thanks to all who follow, like, comment, and engage with me on this quest, it’s a lot of fun and I continue to meet interesting and creative people from around the world here. My son recently asked me if I would continue this into 2017 and I don’t see a reason why not.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD
 @ 130 mm
1 sec, f/25.0, ISO 200

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