“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. ”
― Michael Pollan
This specimen came from my flower beds. In fact, this was the first blossom all year, driven by the drought we are experiencing here. I had intended to use my portable outdoor setup, rather than taking a cutting. Since I tend to shoot these at f/10 or higher, the setup also requires a fairly low shutter speed, around 1/10 second. Thus, even a slight movement causes problems in clarity. It’s been a bit breezy here lately and I wanted to capture the blossom before it fades, which happens fairly quickly. Thus I made the decision to cut it and bring it indoors to photograph.
I found the bright red blossoms a challenge in previous attempts to photograph the. Using the studio light ing and paying careful attention to depth of field and contrast, I think I was able to create a nice representation of the blossoms without the red tones bleeding together which was my previous experience.
All in all, this is my most challenging flower shot yet, using this method and I’m pleased with the outcome.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/10 sec, f/11.0, ISO 200
High Resolution image on 500px:
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. … In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportsmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.”
― John Lubbock
It’s strange how some of these fairly common wildflowers grow only in specific areas. Recently I was travelling north and saw immense patches of tansy and recalled that I had seen some closer to home. Travelling the local back roads, I kept looking for a patch, without success. Then, last week I saw two big patches of them, growing in complete isolation. I suppose the soil conditions were just right in only this particular spot.
I find myself noting these unique micro-environments when I’m driving. I may not always have the opportunity to stop, but I do take note, in case the opportunity to return arises. Lately, I’m seeing new and unique wildflowers with more frequency, given the drought-like conditions around here lately, even that is fading quickly, as I’m seeing plants, in leaf, wilting in the sun. Some of my go-to locations are now filled only with hearty grasses and dry stems. It seems only the deep-rooted plants are able to survive the constant heat and dryness.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/2 sec, f/16.0, ISO 200
High Resolution image on 500px:
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Once in awhile, you pick the right thing, the exact best thing. Every day, the moment you open your eyes and pull off your blankets, that’s what you hope for. The sunshine on your face,warm enough to make your heart sing.”
― Sarah Ockler
One of my first attempts at this technique involved bringing a daylily cutting into my studio and experimenting with lighting and camera settings. I was so pleased with the results that I have continued using it for many different blossoms and, as those following my blog know, I have created a portable backdrop that I can take with me in the field.
Yesterday, I was experimenting with it in my backyard gardens, when I noticed this stray blossom that had poked through the fence from my neighbour’s yard. Recalling how pleased I was with my first daylily, I set up quickly and made this image. It was made with natural light in one attempt. I’m feeling inspired by the simplicity of it and how stunning the results can be.
When I look at the images a actually have to remind myself that I made them and I smile. It’s so satisfying to the creative in me.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200mm
1/20 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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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.
I went for a tour of the University of Toronto campus last weekend, knowing there would be some great doors. Surprisingly, having grown up in the Toronto area, I have never done a deliberate tour of the campus. The variations in architecture are incredible, ranging from Gothic to ultra modern. With those variations, come some spectacular doors.
The light this day was wonderful and really brought out the textures and colour of the various doors well and showing off the variation in stone used to frame them.
The door above is the front entrance to Trinity College. I chose this to be my first in a series of U of T doors because of how unique and interesting it is. Apart for the beautiful gothic main door, there is a curious side door, which is the night entrance. The tag on the main doors directs you to use the night entrance. I suspect the main doors are used only on special occasions. You’ll note it’s also slightly higher than the main door, perhaps to keep snow out in the winter months?
The entire building in beautiful. Just let your eyes float over the scene from the doors themselves, the intricate ironwork hinges, leaded glass in the windows and the historical gargoyles that great you as you approach the door.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“What I’ve always found interesting in gardens is looking at what people choose to plant there. What they put in. What they leave out. One small choice and then another, and soon there is a mood, an atmosphere, a series of limitations, a world.”
― Helen Humphreys
I’m not getting tired of these flower images yet and I hope my viewers feel the same. This is yet another image made using my portable backdrop in my backyard. The fine details of the spider plant have always stood out to me, though this summer has been a challenge for them as we experience drought-like conditions here in southern Ontario. The blossoms have been smaller and slower to grow. This is one of my healthier plants and the flower head is about half as lush as I would expect.
Once again, this image was made without the use of studio lights, just sunlight and careful camera adjustments to isolate the blossom and leaves.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/20 sec, f/10.0, ISO 200
High 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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Here is this week’s 52 Week Photo Challenge: Week 1 – Black and White. This is another new challenge that is starting up from The Girl That Dreams Awake. If you don’t know her, you should check out her blog.
I was saving this image for one of my daily posts but could not resist putting it out for this challenge. I’ll post it again at a later date with the story behind the shot.
“Yellow is a very favorable vibration for mental or intellectual activity, as it promotes a clear state of mind. Yellow heightens your awareness and alleviates depression, sadness, or any kind of despondency.”
― Tae Yun Kim
This bright yellow Gerberia daisy is one of hundreds given out this past weekend at a huge wedding ceremony. Our town mayor got married on Saturday in a very large and public ceremony to which the entire town was invited. It was a hot day and he even thought to have water available for the guests as they stood in the bright sunshine, watching the ceremony.
For me, it became another photo subject. Imagine that!
My wife brought it home after viewing the ceremony and it sat on our kitchen table beckoning me. So, I ‘borrowed’ it for a few minutes, made a few quick images and put it back on the table.
The bright yellow colour is what first drew me to it. Then I noticed all the details in the petals, especially as I processed the image. It’s like a yellow cup, surrounded by petals and almost without blemish. Like the quote says, it’s a happy colour.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/15 sec, f/10.0, ISO 200
High Resolution image on 500px:
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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I saw a post by Norm 2.0 this morning and thought I’d like to play along through this contribution to the ‘Tuesdays of Texture’ stream hosted by Narami at De Monte Y Mar.
Textures are everywhere and I can hardly turn of the desire to document them. The image above appeared in a northern Ontario parking lot after an intense rainstorm. The ‘wash’ had ‘classified’, the sand into distinct layers, based on their size and weight of each grain, creating wonderful patterns, creating an image that looks like an aerial view of rolling desert.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 135mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, ISO 250
High Resolution image on 500px:
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“We were young. Everyone was young in those days. That’s the main complaint you hear from people who are getting old. You stop seeing young people. You begin to wonder if there are any left and whether there were only young people when you were young.”
― Lloyd Jones
I’ve made many photos of old trucks, most of them wrecks and relics. They are interesting to me mostly because of how the light plays off faded paint, rust and chrome. I tend to not be overly interested in restored versions, with bright yellow paint and shiny tires.
So, when I saw this one driving into the parking area at the Keady Farmer’s Market this past week, I could not help but grab a few shots. Interestingly, there was a brand new GMC pickup truck parked right next to this one and I have a photo of them both together, but I prefer this one, where, through careful framing, I was able to show just the vintage truck in all its rusty glory.
Nikon D800
Nikor 24-70mm f/3.5-4.6 @ 70mm
1/250sec, f/5.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“For millions of years flowers have been producing thorns. For millions of years sheep have been eating them all the same. And it’s not serious, trying to understand why flowers go to such trouble to produce thorns that are good for nothing?” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Here’s a new one, studio style wildflowers. I was able to get my portable background to work and I’m looking forward to being able to capture more wildflowers in a similar fashion
Though I may not have mentioned it in recent posts, we are experiencing a significant drought here in Southern Ontario. After a fairly wet and cool spring, summer arrived and it’s been hot and dry for three months.
Because of that, the plants are starting to look ‘tired’ and stressed. As I walked today, most of the wildflowers had gone to seed early, and the grasses are dry and yellow. I was hoping to find some chicory, which is usually plentiful this time of year, but even that was sparse and lacked good blooms. I’ll have to expand my hike beyond my neighbourhood to find some more variety over the next few days.
Until then, I’m pleased with how this image turned out and will keep developing by technique.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/5 sec, f/10.0, ISO 200
High 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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“Long experience has taught me that people who do not like geraniums have something morally unsound about them. Sooner or later you will find them out; you will discover that they drink, or steal books, or speak sharply to cats. Never trust a man or a woman who is not passionately devoted to geraniums.”
― Beverley Nichols
I found the quote hilarious. The quote is from Merry Hall, a book about the restoration of a home and garden in post-war England. The author is a devout horticulturalist.
Fortunately, I do like geraniums, so I should be OK on that account.
Back to the studio flowers for a while. Actually, the “studio” is outside on my deck and I used diffused sunlight to make this image against a black background. The effect of the black background allows the flowers and their delicate structure to really reveal themselves. I’m quite enjoying this style and am working on a portable background that I can take with me on my hikes. This way I can use the same technique with wildflowers, without disturbing them.
The geranium pictured here is one of many varieties we have in our garden, most given to us by my mother-in-law as she downsized from her house to a smaller apartment, where she had no space to winter over the geraniums. This beautiful pink and red variety seemed a good subject for a photo.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200mm
1/13 sec, f/10.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Moments never stay, whether or not you ask them, they do not care, no moment cares, and the ones you wish could stretch out like a hammock for you to lie in, well, those moments leave the quickest and take everything good with them, little burglars, those moments, those hours, those days you loved the most.”
― Catherine Lacey
My family and I spend a few relaxing days at Sauble Beach this past long weekend. Seldom does a day go by without a beautiful sunset over Lake Huron. Our weather forecast was for 4 solid days of heat and sunshine. The heat was there but the sunshine was lacking. Except at the end of the day. Each day of our stay, the sky on the horizon would clear up just enough for the sun to show through for a few minutes. I will share a few more images, but this was my favourite.
The sun had just dropped below the cloud deck and was hovering just above the horizon lighting the sky up in crimson, orange, and yellows in the brief moments before sinking out of sight.
Capturing these last few minutes can often pose a challenge as the camera sensor can make the image too bright or too dark. For me it’s that balance of showing the bright sun, yet retaining the structure of the clouds and the dark water surface.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200mm
1/200sec, f/7.1, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Do you know how there are moments when the world moves so slowly you can feel your bones shifting, your mind tumbling? When you think that no matter what happens to you for the rest of your life, you will remember every last detail of that one minute forever?”
― Jodi Picoult
As another day ends, beach visitors gather along the shore, looking west. We stand there, taking in the final moments of the day as the sun lights up the horizon, setting the sky on fire. We drink in the cool air as a gentle breeze brushes across the water, striking our faces and cooling our skin, like the day’s final breaths. It becomes a sensory experience of sights, sounds, and smells that we tuck away to savour at some later date.
Cameras are always present as the visual memories are saved, couples walk hand in hand along the beach, sharing the experience and children dig the final scoop of sand or touch the water one last time before the beach umbrellas are packed away for the day.
I have my own feelings at this time of day, with or without my camera present, and seeing others transfixed along the shore, makes me wonder if the feeling is the same for others. What part of the panorama are they drawn too, what do they see and how do they see it?
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200mm
1/25 sec, f/2.8, 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
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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.
OK, I’m cheating a bit today. This is a closer view of the door to a church I photographed last week and posted earlier today.
It looks like the doors, and the building, have seen better days and I wish I had spend a bit longer looking around and making some interior shots too. It was not till I started processing the image that I noticed the scuff mark on the door, Indicating the the lock has been removed at some time, allowing the locking bar to swing freely.
It’s pretty amazing what nature can do to unattended buildings. The yellow brick is typical in this area, being made from local clay, it takes on the yellow colour rather than the brick-red many of us are used to. There are many old buildings in the area in excellent condition, but without heat in the winter, the building rapidly declines, as frost gets between the bricks and mortar, splitting them apart. I’ve started looking through the county archives to get a bit of history of this unidentified church.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 @ 31 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0 ISO 200For 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 problem with churches of all sorts, is that so often they ignore the key teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, like the doctrine of love. So often we ask God to be on our side instead of asking that we be blessed enough to be on His. That said, the wheat and the tares must grow up together, and in the days of harvest they will be separated properly.”
― David Holdsworth
Another view from my Bruce County road trip and just down the road from the beautiful wheatfield that I photographed earlier.
When I drive past these abandoned buildings, I inevitably find myself asking, “What happened here?”
At some point in it’s history, this would have been an active local church. People would have gathered here on Sundays, met as friends and family, sat through a sermon, and worshipped. And then, suddenly, or gradually, attendance dwindled and the doors closed. Was there discord, did the leadership move away, or were other pastures greener? I’m curious why someone would leave a beautiful building like this to simply decay. What went through the mind of the person who turned off the lights and locked the door, for the last time? Did they ever envision this, or was there a hope to return on some future date?
At this point, I’d say, it’s beyond salvaging.
It sits, forlorn, along the roadside, it’s doors locked with a rusty chain and padlock, most of the glass fallen out of the windows, left to return to the elements. There’s no marker even identifying it. All that remains is a shell of what was and testament to what might have been.
Since posting this originally, I came across the history, if you are interested. It was the Williscroft Baptist Church and closed its doors in the 1960s as did the rest of the town.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 @ 31 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“The fields…are white already to harvest” (John 4:35 KJV), or as other versions put it, “ripe for harvest.”…One part of the harvest metaphor we may have missed was the importance of timing-there is a season for both sowing and reaping, and sometimes there is a season of simply waiting and watering.”
― Keri Wyatt Kent
I just got back from a few days in Ontario’s Bruce County. The region offers rolling farmlands, long sandy beaches, and some of the most spectacular sunsets in Canada along the shores of Lake Huron (which, being 183 miles wide, is almost like an inland sea).
As we drove to our destination, the beachfront at Sauble Beach, I had to stop several times to make photos of the spectacular landscapes that spread before me.
This is one of my favourite times of year to photograph Ontario’s rural landscapes. The contrast between the deep blue sky and the golden fields of grain is quite striking. Add to the mix a few wispy clouds and you can almost feel the warm air and hear the sounds of crickets chirping. As I stood by the roadside making this image I could smell the grain in the air and even though the grand scene spread before me, I was still drawn to the wildflowers in the foreground, delicate white Queen Anne’s Lace and the bright purple Ontario Thistle.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 @ 31 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“These rocks are too heavy, can’t carry them any more,
don’t know why I ever picked them up before,
going to have to put them down where they don’t belong,
’cause I can’t get them back to where they came from.
These rocks belong to no one, except history.
Somewhere between the desert and the rolling sea,
or maybe up in the mountains blue and tall,
I picked them but now I’m going to let them fall.”
― Jay Woodman
Today’s image is a bit unusual for me but I could not resist the interesting texture of these bubble sin ancient Canadian Shield basalt. This means that the bubbles are in rock that is billions of years old, some of the oldest rock on earth is found in this area.
I came across them by chance when I walked down to the shores of Bay Lake, looking for a place to swim. Along this shore, the entire rock shelf is filled with these bubbles, most of them several inches across. The rock itself is gray and the pink colour is caused by algae which grows in the bubbles when they fill with rain water.
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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“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”
― Susan Polis Schutz
This is another recent image I made while stopped at the roadside of Peterson Road, near Maynooth, Ontario. The road itself has a long history, being a primary connector between several of Ontario’s small towns and serving as a southern entrance to Algonquin Park and the start of many a cone trip into the park.
I made this image because it is such a typical scene in central Ontario, with its many lakes and even more numerous marshes. It’s the scene most people speed by on their way to the cottage to ‘enjoy nature’. Yet, they have passed by the very nature they claim to be getting back to. Forgive me if this sounds judgemental, it’s not intended to be. It’s something I have done so many time myself.
So, I offer you here, as small moment, frozen in time, to consider as you pass by it. Look deep into the scene, breath its life, and simply savour the abundance of beauty we all too often take for granted.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/125 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Where’d the days go, when all we did was play? And the stress that we were under wasn’t stress at all just a run and a jump into a harmless fall”
― Paolo Nutini
While travelling the Peterson Road outside of Maynooth, Ontario this past weekend, I stopped along the road to make some photos of a roadside lake, a swamp, and some local wildflowers.
As I stood on the roadside, a flash of red caught my eye and I looked down to see this bright red vine, clinging to rocks along the road. It seems strange to see what would typically be fall colours at this time of year, but it has been extremely hot and dry here this year and some plants respond to stress in their own unique fashion. This one displayed its stress by turning bright red. That bright colour against the granite boulders made for a nice composition, in my mind.
It looks like this plant has been growing here for a few years, as you can see several dead tendrils in the background.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/160 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Light can be both friend and foe, too much or too little and the full story is not told, overexposed or unseen, parts are missing. Balance, deliberate balance of light, is the way to see the true scene. Our eyes are designed to create that balance, humans are created for balance, and I try to imitate that through my images. – Ed Lehming
Still on the topic of ‘The Gut” Conservation area, near Apsley, Ontario. I had to revisit this waterfall, through a slightly different image. This one is a bit wider than the previous post and shows the flow of the water much better, in my opinion. I arrived at the falls at about 4:30pm. The light was still very direct and I was concerned about getting balanced image, especially since I wanted to do some long exposures. I shot this in RAW format, as I do with all my photos and kept it slightly underexposed, knowing that I could compensate for that when I processed the image.
I was quite happy at how it turned out, retaining the details and showing off the patchy, forest filtered light, without it being a distraction, and I was still able to get a bit of ‘shimmer’ from the moving water, rather than it simply being soft and milky. I believe the image captures the energy and movement as I saw it, which is my goal.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/10 sec, f/32.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“The whole point of getting engrossed in something that interests you, is that you dissolve into it, the more the intensity…the more you become vapour – you dissolve. In fact, there is no you to judge, to see… only emptiness within, that is the whole purpose of life… at least my life!”
― Ramana Pemmaraju
Above, is another photo of “The Gut”, a location mentioned in an earlier post. This time, looking away from the falls and down the “Gut” itself. What was difficult to capture, in this extremely challenging light, is the height of this fissure, through which the Crowe River flows. Thirty meter high walls compress the river as it flows between the sheer rock walls. It would be a sight to behold in the spring runoff. Right now, we’re in a drought and the water levels are extremely low, which allowed me to access this vantage point, which would normally be submerged. I didn’t venture further in, as the rocks were wet and slippery.
What light was available, from this vantage point, created a wonderful ‘glow’ on the canyon walls, showing the jagged rock edges covered with patches of moss and ferns in the damp environment created by this formation. It was a bright, hot July day that found me here, yet the flow of the water, the mist from the falls behind me, and the shade offered here was refreshing.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, 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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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.
Once more, it’s not just the doors, but the items around them that are captivating me. This is not a deliberate thing. As I compose the photo, there is ‘something’ subconscious that makes the image ‘good’ in my mind. I usually don’t know what that is till I process it and suddenly, that ‘something’ is revealed.
I just had this same conversation with a professional photographer friend of mine and he has had the same experience, though now, he’s more aware of it and is looking for exactly what that something is, before making the image.
That’s one of my reasons for blogging, to deliberately look at my photos and consider why I made them and improve through that internal, now external, dialogue.
These doors are the entrance to a barbershop in Toronto’s Kensington area. Kensington is a busy, somewhat quirky area, filled with markets and small boutiques. It’s got a real bohemian feel and I just a fun place to people watch and hunt for bargain and handcrafted items.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 117 mm
1/2100 sec, f/5.0, 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
“We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert
My wife and I discovered this magical place a few years ago on a “fall colours” tour of the area where we spend our summers. I was following the local waterways, looking for a few named waterfalls when I came across this place, who’s location I will not divulge.
The locals, apparently, call it the “Hollow”. It is a wonderful, private park, just off the highway, yet unmarked and hard to find. The Hollow is a deep swimming hole, just beneath a beautiful set of rapids on Papineau Creek, in North Hastings.
On this day, the water was warm, the bugs were few, and we spend several hours in the water and lying on the shore, just enjoying the peace here. It’s the kind of place I could spend hours, just unwinding and enjoying the wonderful, peaceful places nature has provided. Staring up at summer clouds and the circling dragonflies, oblivious to the world.
This is a place I will return to, time and time again, just to drink in the beauty and think back on simpler times, when life slows down, the sun warms my face, and I smile at creation. This, is living in the moment.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, 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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“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”
― L.M. Montgomery
My final memory of an extended weekend away is this stunning sunset that we witnessed on the way home.
Outside a small Ontario town called Janetville, we pulled off the road to watch the final moments of a wonderful day spent together at the camper and exploring local sights. The handful of clouds added some interest to the scene, as the sun slid slowly behind a ridge of trees.
I find myself longing for another taste of that warm summer day, together, that seemed to float endlessly in shared memories and good times.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“There is a hidden message in every waterfall. It says, if you are flexible, falling will not hurt you!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan
As many of you who follow my blog might know, I love moving water and waterfalls. A few years ago, I set out to discover and document the many waterfalls and cascades in the area where I camp.
My journeys have taken me down some long, little travelled trails, across private property (which took some negotiating), and right next to major roadways. Hours have been spent enjoying the flow of water, relaxing on the shore after some strenuous hikes, and just taking in the raw beauty which is Ontario’s backcountry.
About a year ago, I shared this documentary journey with a friend of mine who also likes waterfalls and he asked me if I had visited “The Gut” yet. That surprised me. I had never heard of “The Gut”. He suggested I look it up and pay a visit.
Yesterday, I did just that. I Googled it and found out a bit more about it. The name intrigued me, as well as photos others had posted. So, on my way home from my camper I set out to find this place, relying on roadside signage to guide me.
I came across a sign on the highway that pointed to “The Gut” and it indicated that my destination was 14 km away. This turned out to be 14 km of hilly, winding, dirt road, with no further signs to indicate my progress. Finally, at the top of a particularly steep hill, another sign indicated that I had arrived.
After parking the car my wife and I proceeded down a trail marked “The Gut Falls”.It was a short, steep hike but we found our final destination, a heavy fence installed to keep distracted hikers from falling into the Gut, a fissure in the local basalt lava rock, some 30 meters high and between 5 to 10 meters across. The Crowe Rivers flows through this steep walled feature, beginning with the waterfall pictured above. I have several other photos which I will post over the next few days.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/10 sec, f/32.0, ISO 100
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“Dawn was breaking over the horizon, shell pink and faintly gold…”
― J.K. Rowling
Today, I move away from flowers and a brief view of my morning.
I woke up to a slight orange glow through the camper window and the cry of a loon on the lake. The quintessential Northern Ontario experience. I grabbing my gear, I headed down to the dock.
Mist danced over the water’s surface, barely a ripple disturbed the surface, and birds greeted the morning, as the moon hung high among pale pink and orange clouds, in the rapidly brightening sky.
I tried to capture this moment, which lasted mere minutes in several compositions, my favourite, which I include here.
iPhone 5S
“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.”
― Osho
Now at number five in this series, it may be time for me to take a short departure from this and get outside.
I’m really enjoying this foray into the world of studio photography. It drives the creativity in me to a new level. Being able to take the common and transform it into something more gives me a sense of satisfaction. There is something about plants and flowers that resonates in me. Perhaps it’s the almost miraculous details that you see when you take the time to really observe them. They calm me, somehow, as I look at them, appreciating the lines, the texture, and complexity of even the most commonplace flower.
I’m taking a few days of much needed vacation to get up north, recharge, and, of course, make some more photos. The days are forecast to be hot and humid, so there’s a really good chance I will be near water. Perhaps a lake or a waterfall?
There are several waterfalls, rather, chutes, in the area where my camper sits and a visit to capture some of that raw beauty is in order.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/140 sec, f/14.0, ISO 6400
High Resolution image on 500px:
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“One passionate heart can brighten the world. From person to person the chain reaction burns through us — setting heart to heart ablaze, and lighting the way for us all!”
― Bryant McGill
Here I am at photo four of this expanding project “Ordinary Flower in a Different Light”. Today’s subject is an Annabelle Hydrangea from our front garden.
This incredible flowering shrub is quite the sight when fully in bloom. Some of the blossoms become so large that the stem can’t bear the weight and they fold over. Those blossoms are often cut off and brought inside for us to enjoy as a centrepiece floral arrangement.
The hydrangea was a bit more of a challenge to photograph as the bright white flowers dominate the image and make it more of a challenge to get all the elements balanced. I’m still learning and adjusting camera settings as I go, but this is the best of the lot.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 92 mm
1/100 sec, f/14.0, ISO 6400
High Resolution image on 500px:
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“The trick to forgetting the big picture is to look at everything close-up. The shortcut to closing a door is to bury yourself in the details. This is how we must look to God. As if everything’s just fine.”
― Chuck Palahniuk
Image number three in what has become my “Ordinary Flowers in a Different Light” series. Interestingly enough, this was a single blossom on one of my finicky clematis plants. They are strange in their blooming patterns. Some opening in May, while others have gone into November.
While the blossom is quite pretty, it tends to be a go-to garden plant and thus it’s been included in my “Ordinary Flowers” collection.
This studio photography experiment is quite enjoyable and is not something I saw myself gravitating towards. However, I do like the fine details this technique shows and really allows the plant to show off, as it were, without competing with their garden companions.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 140 mm
1/100 sec, f/14.0, ISO 6400
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.
I’m finding lately that it’s not just the doors, but the reflections in the windows that are quite interesting.
These doors are the entrance to the Faculty Club of Montreal’s McGill University. I had to resort to my iPhone for this image and waited for a while for traffic through the doors to die down. I was not happy with the angle presented to me but there were not a lot of options available to me. The door sits atop a small landing about two meters above street level. Fortunately, I’m tall but I would have prefered a wider shot that allowed me to frame the door completely.
iPhone 5s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 @4.2mm
1/320 sec; f/2.2; ISO 32
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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Ed Lehming Photography 
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