“If people refuse to look at you in a new light and they can only see you for what you were, only see you for the mistakes you’ve made, if they don’t realize that you are not your mistakes, then they have to go.”
― Steve Maraboli
I may just start a series called “Common Flowers in a Different Light”. Since I started experimenting with this studio technique, I’ve found myself going to the garden and harvesting some of the more common flowers to photograph. As I look through my viewfinder to compose the shots, I’m actually awestruck at how the blossoms transform from plain to spectacular. This is not a boast but a feeling I have as a ‘vision’ is realized. That such a transformation can be accomplished by the correct application of light is where I want my photography to evolve.
There seem to be very distinct phases in photography that anyone serious in the art go through. I’ve looked at many 500px galleries and watched artists grow here on WordPress as they push the next limit and suddenly the images are taken up a notch.
I’m hoping that’s the case for me, and if not, then at least I am enjoying the journey.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/40 sec, f/14.0, ISO 6400
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
“It is in the darkest hour, when we are faced with our deepest most wrenching fears, that we are given the greatest strength. The choice is whether we succumb to the fear or rise with courage to face our truth and shine our brilliance as our sword of valour.”
― Monika Zands
I keep reminding myself to look around me, carefully, appreciating the common things.
Recently, I’ve been doing some macro work as well as playing with layers in Photoshop to isolate my subjects. Today, I moved to the studio and played with lighting to combine these two photographic styles. I’ve been inspired by the works of a photographer on 500px who creates masterpieces (in my opinion) with flowers and studio lighting.
Drawing on that inspiration and gathering a few day lilies from the garden, which I always take for granted and essentially ignore as a ‘filler’ plant, I set up my lights, carefully positioned the lilies in a tall vase, and set about experimenting with ideal camera settings. Within a few tries, I had something that I was happy with and moved over to my iMac to check them out. The result is posted above.
I don’t think I’ll ever look at Day Lilies the same way again. They are stunning, seemingly on fire with colour and light.
Interestingly, I never saw myself doing much studio work, preferring to be outdoors in a canoe or on a trail somewhere. This might be a new rainy day pastime for me.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 110 mm
1/140 sec, f/14.0, ISO 6400
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
“When you feel life at crossroads, you need higher perspective view.”
― Toba Beta
This image is a throwback to last summer. I was at a business meeting on a high floor of one of Toronto’s office towers and kept being captivated by the view, spread out before me like a buffet. I just kept being drawn to the lines of the buildings and the gorgeous sky.
At lunch, I took the opportunity to make a few photos of this beautiful scene with my phone camera. It’s a great view, you can see Union Station to the right hand side with the Royal York hotel just across the street. it’s times like this that I am grateful for my iPhone camera.
It always struck me as odd, as I sat in Toronto’s boardrooms just how disinterested people seem to be in this beautiful city and wonder, “Did they just get numb to it, or is there an expectation that business must go on, undistracted?” I, for one, love the views and am perfectly happy for a bit of distraction. I’ve witnessed glorious sunsets, billowing storm clouds, and thick layers of fog, rolling in like waves, during my times downtown. All through quick glimpses through boardroom windows as business goes on.
If I had a window office on, say, the 45th floor, I’d definitely be taking a few minutes every day to charge my batteries with a bit of scenery, otherwise, why even bother with windows.
iPhone 5s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 @29mm
1/1250 sec, f/2.2, ISO 32
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“If you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.”
― Jodi Picoult
I’ve been having some fun experimenting with the lilies in my yard. Yesterday, I caught them, mist covered in morning light, a bit softer and warmer, never noticing the subtle change in colour to more of a peach colour.
A few days prior, I photographed the same lilies, two still in bud. I liked the composition but had trouble isolating them from the background foliage, while using a smaller aperture to keep the entire blossom in focus.
So, I thought I’d isolate them be separating the pinks from the green via layers in Photoshop. I created a simple layer mask and switched the background to a darker black and white, making the lilies pop out from the background. I like the look and will continue to play with this, as I think it has potential to be more.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 140 mm
1/160 sec, f/14.0, ISO 3200
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
“The simple things come back to us. They rest for a moment by our ribcages then suddenly reach in and twist our hearts a notch backward.”
― Colum McCann
Sometimes, it’s the simple beauty that is so close and so familiar that we take for granted, rather, seeking something exotic and exciting in so many aspects of our lives.
I’ve found myself in this situation so many times with respect to my photography. Surely, at least based on the gorgeous images we are inundated with, there are so much more beautiful things to photograph, in exotic and far flung locations?
Why is this? I walk into my backyard and survey the flowers and plants growing there, wondering if someone else, in a distant country is having the same thoughts and feelings? Then, I realize, that for that person, my location is far away and exotic. The plants, so commonplace in my garden are inaccessible to them and I need recognize just how special the here and now are.
Then, I look again at these lovely pink lilies, dripping with morning dew, and am thankful for this simple beauty, that requires no travel to enjoy, other than a fews steps down to the yard. I also consider the many recent forest hikes and all the wonder the world presents me with, here and now. I suppose I slip, occasionally, into the ‘grass is greener’ mentality, looking for ‘better’ when I already have treasure in my sights, daily.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 125 mm
1/80 sec, f/4.5, 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 live and breathe words. …. It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them. Reading your words, what you wrote, how you were lonely sometimes and afraid, but always brave; the way you saw the world, its colors and textures and sounds, I felt–I felt the way you thought, hoped, felt, dreamt. I felt I was dreaming and thinking and feeling with you. I dreamed what you dreamed, wanted what you wanted–and then I realized that truly I just wanted you.”
― Cassandra Clare
A very short post today, off to my nephew’s wedding in Hunsville. Recalling my own wedding 25 years ago and the dreams we had, many realized, some still in the works.
I chose this rose image, from my recent journey into macro photography, to represent the future, a bit soft and dreamy, and glowing brightly.
My wishes for wishes for David and Katelyn are many years of love, happiness, and dreams realized on their big day.
Nikon D800
Schneider-Kreuznach Exida-Xenon 50mm f/1.9 @ 50mm (14mm extension tube)
1/60 sec, f/1.9, ISO 4000
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke
Just east of Bancroft, Ontario is a north-south connector road known as Boulter Road, which, naturally takes you to, and through, the small town of Boulter. The road travels north from McArthur Mills and offers spectacular views of the high rolling hills so typical of this area.
The warm summer days are upon us and the typical Ontario ‘summer’ clouds float lazily in the skies. It’s been dry and the grasses begin to yellow as they go dormant, flecks of wildflowers brightening the scene further, waiting for rain.
As I look back on this image, I can almost hear the crickets chirping and the cicadas buzzing in the heat. A very pleasant day indeed.
It’s not a very dynamic photo by current internet standards. There are no awesome sunsets, shimmering lakes, or rugged mountains, but it does remind me that I live in a wonderful part of the world that I can enjoy for what it is.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, 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
“When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world.”
― John Muir
I’ve spent a lot of time of the trails this year, watching the earth grow greener with every passing day. The brown forest floor literally exploded with life, which kept expanding,growing, thriving and eventually blossoming with flowers, providing beauty for me and nectar for bees and butterflies.
The forest has drawn me into her bosom like never before. I’m noticing fine details, taking the time to really see the complexity and interconnectedness of the soil, the plant, and animals. This really surprised me, as I have always considered myself an ‘outdoors’ person. Yet, now I find myself going deeper, learning about the plants names, their cycles, and environment at a whole new level.
The image above speaks to me of this journey, taken as a whole, it’s a forest trail, yet when carefully considered, the individual elements reveal themselves, drawing you into the details and shadows. Where the trail leads in unknown, yet not a thing to be feared, into the green.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm
1/60sec, f/2.8, ISO 320
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“She is free in her wildness, she is a wanderess, a drop of free water. She knows nothing of borders and cares nothing for rules or customs. ‘Time’ for her isn’t something to fight against. Her life flows clean, with passion, like fresh water.”
― Roman Payne
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.
The colourful door above belongs to an art gallery of artist friend Linda Lang. The gallery just recently opened in Maynooth, Ontario and is called Linda Lang’s Brush with the North.
Linda has a spectacular gift for painting images of the Arctic, capturing it’s raw beauty in her magnificent paintings. The Arctic has become a place which is extremely special to her. She has made several trips there and is documenting the significant changes happening there due to climate change through her art.
Linda recently began renovations to this century old, former stage coach stop, transforming it into an art gallery, classroom, workshop, and studio. If you happen to be in the Maynooth area, please drop in and view her art as well as those of other local artists.
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:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The river moved so swiftly and yet it had no purpose other than to flow, just flow.”
― Gioconda Belli
During a recent backcountry drive, I tried to retrace my route to a little gem of a park I found a few years back. There is no road sign identifying the park, just an unmarked road that leads to a beautiful groomed park on the shores of Papineau Creek, near Maynooth, Ontario.
Just before the creek enters the park area, it flows through a short set of rapids. On a hot summer day this was a nice spot to stop and cool down by the water, make some photos, and just enjoy the refreshing sound of the water as it gurgles over the rocks.
It was quite a bright day and without a neutral density filter, it look a bit of effort to get my shutter speed down enough to soften the flow of the water. I used strategic timing of passing clouds to finally get the results I was after, keeping the rocks nice and sharp and highlighting the movement of the water.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 110 mm
1 sec, f/32.0, ISO 125
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
“Writing is something you do alone. Its a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story but don’t want to make eye contact while doing it.”
― John Green
This must be the most photographed tree in Markham, a community just south of my home. This oak stands at the top of a convenient mound, nicely isolating the tree from any distracting background. It’s not a true ‘solitaire’ by my definition, as there is a companion tree not to far from it, but it neighbour is not nearly as nicely shaped as this one is.
The tree stand on this hill, in the middle of a local farm field and the road runs next to it, offering many opportunities to pull over and make a photograph. Many times, while driving past, I’ve witness a photographer or two capturing their own image of this beauty.
I made this image a few days ago, on a warm early summer morning. The sun was just high enough to light it well, without being overly bright and still casting some warm hues on the leaves and the freshly harvested field. All that’s missing, in my opinion, is s few puffy summer clouds and I would be happy to stare at it for hours, almost feeling the warm sun and hearing the insects buzzing.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 220 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, 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
“When one tunes in into nature’s frequency, life becomes change, change becomes hope!”
― Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel
This has been a year of change and experimentation for me. It’s all been fairly carefully thought out and exciting. I’ve experimented with new photographic techniques, such as macro photography and new ways of editing, like using some Photoshop plugins to create paintings from my photos. I also experimented with some new varieties of plants in my gardens, breaking away from my go-to plants and placing splashes of colour and multiple layers in the flower beds.
Here I managed to combine several new things into one. The image is a close up, not quite a macro, image of one of my new plants, a pink verbena. I liked how the bright pink just jumps out at me, so I decided to isolate it further, as a colour layer and kept the background back and white. I like the result. Change really can be good!
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 300 mm
1/60 sec, f/5.6, ISO 720
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.
― Anne Frank
Such a menacing name for such a beautiful, delicate flower. But, the Dogbane plant’s latin name, apocynum cannabinum, means “poisonous to dogs”.
This is another new plant to me. I noticed the white/pink blossoms as I was photographing a nearby creek, so I made a photo of the flowers and leaves, intent on identifying it at a later time.
This year, I have been much more deliberate about learning about the plants and animals I encounter during my time in nature. I’ve spent my whole life enjoying the outdoors, hiking, hunting, and fishing ,but never really cared much about the names of the lesser known plants. It’s been a great year and I have expanded my knowledge significantly. I’m also more observant about the cycles of these plants and where to find them. It has given me a great deal of pleasure and sense of being connected with the cycles of nature.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/125 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
“While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see.”
― Dorothea Lange
I find myself working with photos that did not quite communicate my vision as intended. I see so much more in my composition, but struggle to articulate just what that is. When that ‘something’ does not present itself, or can’t be extracted in the final product I call these my ‘seconds’. I don’t delete them, but rather, I hang onto them with the intent of revisiting them at some future date as my editing skills grow or I am better able to extract that ‘essence’ that I first saw or felt when I made the image. There are also some great plugins out there that enhance the image enough for me that I get closer to what I wanted.
My recent go-to is Topaz Impression, which allows me to create painterly effects that are closer to how I imagined the image when I composed the shot .
The irises pictured above grow along the shores of a small lake where our family spends much of the summer. My days are generally spent reading, canoeing, and photographing. I do like combining the latter activities and find some nice images offered me as I glide slowly along the shore.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/160 sec, f/13.0, ISO 5600
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
“Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.”
― Erol Ozan
Back to Slabtown, who’s only claim to fame, at present, seems to be the bridge that crosses the York River. In days gone by, it must have been a thriving mill town. Today, not so much. At this point in the river’s journey, it has just passed through the Great Bend. A long, fairly slow flowing section of the river.
It’s nice to be able to view different portions of the river as they pass below the roads. I’ve paddled sections of it and every bend is a new experience. Here, the river widens before entering the Conroy Marsh, eventually joining the mighty Madawaska River.
It was a great experience taking a couple of short backroad drives, to explore the area we have spent summers in for the past thirteen years. Most of that time was spend with our children and not so much just venturing out to new territory.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 70 mm
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
“When someone you love says goodbye you can stare long and hard at the door they closed and forget to see all the doors God has open in front of you.”
― Shannon L. Alder
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 favorite door photos from around the world
The image above is of yet another fine door at St. Mary’s Anglican Church, in Richmond Hill, Ontario. The door is an oddity, as there is no step down (I was going to title it “Mind Your Step”), and it’s sealed off on the inside. I imagine it must have been a door to the Incumbent’s residence in days gone by. I will need to ask about that.
In any case, it’s a beautiful door and is nicely complimented by a set of wonderful windows and framed below by a lush garden at this historical church in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 78 mm
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
“A fine work of art – music, dance, painting, story – has the power to silence the chatter in the mind and lift us to another place.”
― Robert McKee
I could not resist posting one more dogwood image before the season passes. The image above was transformed into a painterly image using Topaz Impressions software in Photoshop. I can’t paint well and this plug-in allows me to create images in such a way as to satisfy the painter trapped inside me.
For me, it’s about how the image or moment made me feel and I try to convey that feeling through my images, be it a photograph or, as in this case, a painting or likeness to one.
How do you feel about this treatment?
Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD As @ 32mm
1/60 sec, f/4.0, 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
“Until a seed falls to the ground and dies, it does not become a tree that later yields many fruits and multitude of seeds. We must embrace the thought of death for us to have greater lives.”
― Sunday Adelaja
We used to call these ‘giant dandelions’ as kids. Why not, they certainly look like dandelions, even the blossoms look like overgrown dandelions. The Goat’s Beard seed head, looks like a gigantic dandelion. This image is not even a macro, it was made with my 70-300 zoom at a high aperture to show all the detail. I looked at it in amazement. It’s almost perfect, not a single seed has departed. It’s beautifully full and round, I can see right to the centre.
The wonder here was that this was not an isolated specimen. There were three or four to chose from, the sun was bright and clear, making for ideal conditions for this shot, along the roadside near Slabtown, on Boulter Road.
This is another image from my day trip through Bancroft’s back-country.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 240 mm
1/60 sec, f/16.0, ISO 500
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
“Solitary. But not in the sense of being alone. Not solitary in the way Thoreau was, for example, exiling himself in order to find out where he was; not solitary in the way Jonah was, praying for deliverance in the belly of the whale. Solitary in the sense of retreat. In the sense of not having to see himself, of not having to see himself being seen by anyone else.”
― Paul Auster
I have admitted before that I have a love of solitary trees. They stand alone, each with a story. They stand as silent witnesses to the world that moves around them, with no apparent support from their peers. I’m especially fond of trees that cling to the edge of water. The roots holding firm to land while being provided abundant water from below.
This beautiful red pine captivated me. The forest floor was littered with its needles, blocking off invading weeds. The creek seemed to bend towards it, just far enough to make contact with the roots. I know, the creek was there first and took advantage of the creek but that was the image my mind saw.
At this point in its course, Papineau creek has just come through a series of beautiful rapids and has slowed as it passes the pine. It’s a very serene image that I wanted to share here.
I came across this place in the fall a few years ago and returned this past weekend. It’s a very peaceful little park, with no signage leading you to it. I like to look at it as a private retreat, though I’m sure local residents know about it.
iPhone 5s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2
1/220 sec, f/2.2, ISO 32
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“God draws near to the brokenhearted. He leans toward those who are suffering. He knows what it feels like to be wounded and abandoned.”
― John D. Richardson
A scene from along the roadside in rural Ontario.
When I see stuff like this , I wonder what the story is. How did this old car get to its final resting spot under the canopy of the ancient maple. Did it just die there one day? Or was it put there deliberately?
It was tempting to jump the fence for a closer look, but the proximity of the farmhouse made that less of an option. Though, as I write this, I wonder if the owner knows the story and would be willing to share it? Perhaps next time…
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 700 mm
1/160 sec, f/6.3, 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
“I thought how lovely and how strange a river is. A river is a river, always there, and yet the water flowing through it is never the same water and is never still. It’s always changing and is always on the move. And over time the river itself changes too. It widens and deepens as it rubs and scours, gnaws and kneads, eats and bores its way through the land.”
― Aidan Chambers
The York River, in Central Ontario runs from Baptiste Lake, meanders through the region and changing its aspect several times along its course. It is inaccessible, other than by canoe through much of its journey.
I’ve hiked to many of the chutes and paddled several sections of this beautiful river. Yesterday, I went for a back-country drive, looking for a diversion from wildflowers, though I found many of them too.
During this drive I came across a road named Iron Bridge Road. The name got my attention and I proceeded to see where this “Iron Bridge” was, hoping I was not committing to a long drive, only to find that there used to be an iron bridge.
The bridge itself was not far down the road and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it cross the York River and offered a nice view of the river as it wound its way through the back-country as a gentle flow, with lily pads and arrowroot growing along the shores. From my maps, it would appear it continues this way for several miles, before entering into a series of rapids and chutes.
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:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Of all the flowers, the rose speaks to me, especially, of love. The delicate petals, layer by delicate layer, draw me to the heart, while the fragrance entrances me with its subtle sweetness. Promising future passions, while echoing back to tender memories” – Ed Lehming
I had not, till now, deeply explored my thoughts and feelings on roses. Those feelings are complex and tied together by many threads of memory. My father and maternal grandmother were both avid gardeners. Since my grandmother lived with us, the two spent much time pursuing their mutual love of gardening together. I found this an odd, but wonderful teaming. My mother had no real interest in gardening, other than enjoying the final product as the backyard filled with sweet fragrances and bright colours.
The gardens were carefully planned and cared for, weeds were quickly plucked from this sacred place, reserved for the chosen plants and no others.
What stands out for me, and the topic of this post, is their extraordinary gift for growing roses. I have no idea of what the varieties were, though I consider myself a talented gardener, my dad and grandmother had a true gift for growing roses. Be it climbers, bushes, what have you. Every garden was ‘anchored’ by some form of rose. I regret never asking them where this passion for roses came from. My grandmother grew up in Berlin and my father came from a small village along the Oder river, in present day Poland. Neither location invokes thoughts of roses for me. I will have to pursue this thinking at some point.
As we enter July and roses begin to peak, I can’t help but look at them and think back on our backyard gardens, carefully sculpted, flowing, planned to be in bloom throughout the summer. Of course, the sight and fragrance of the roses dominated the warm summer days, lounging on the patio and gazing across their labours.
Ah, I took this all for granted as a child and now appreciate those gentle memories that bring me back to simpler times of family, childhood, love and the sweet fragrance of summer. For that, and many other things I thank them, and miss them deeply.
Nikon D800
Schneider-Kreuznach Exida-Xenon 50mm f/1.9 @ 50mm (14mm extension tube)
1/60 sec, f/1.9, ISO 4000
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
“My favourite plant is the foxglove. I think they are a perfect balance between being a garden plant and a wild plant, as at home in woodland as they are in a city.”
– Clive Anderson
Keeping on my recent departure to flower photos, above is a wonderful foxglove blossom that I found at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario. The gardens are divided into several sections, which cover a large area. This plant was in Hendrie Park, which is a garden directly attached to the main gardens entrance. The entrance way leads to a long walkway that runs the length of the park. The foxgloves were among many bright and beautiful flowers on display along this walkway on a very hot June afternoon.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/400 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
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”
― Maud Hart Lovelace
A few days ago, I had the great pleasure of attending my youngest daughter’s High School graduation. It seems another chapter in our lives has drawn to a conclusion and another begins.
As a gift for her graduation, her boyfriend gave her a beautiful bouquet of roses, including these wonderful pinks. Of course, the photographer in me sees more than just the flowers, they are a subject to be studied and photographed. The image above is the result.
It will be nice to have this keepsake, long after the beauty of the real roses eventually fades and is gone. Another moment captured.
The other fun fact about this photo is that I used one of my dad’s old Pentax M42 mount lenses with an adaptor and extension tubes to make this image. A bit of history to achieve the image I had envisioned. At f/1.9 it’s a wonderfully fast 50mm prime lens with great optics. I have not used it since I inherited my dad’s Spotmatic 37 years ago. I’m looking forward to using it more in future projects.
Nikon D800
Schneider-Kreuznach Exida-Xenon 50mm f/1.9 @ 50mm (14mm extension tube)
1/60 sec, f/1.9, ISO 2200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“Then the singing enveloped me. It was furry and resonant, coming from everyone’s very heart. There was no sense of performance or judgment, only that the music was breath and food.”
― Anne Lamott
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 favorite door photos from around the world
The image above is of the old chapel door of St. Mary’s Anglican Church, in Richmond Hill, Ontario. My wife works here and we both started attending recently. The old chapel is a very old building (Circa 1872) with lots of character and, of course, awesome doors. I simply could not resist including them here.
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:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
“A lie has many colours,
while white is the only faithful colour of truth.”
― Munia Khan
This year has been an interesting shift for me, photographically. I tend to lean towards natural places, such as forest trails, rivers, and lakes. This year I’m finding myself also taking in more man-made gardens and cultivated flowers.
Perhaps this is because I’ve been spending more time in my own backyard and going to botanical gardens with my wife for gardening ideas and simply to enjoy the blooms. Of course, I’ve had my camera with me to capture and share those experiences.
Till now, I had not paid much attention to all the flowering trees. It seemed to me that the flowering phase lasted only for a short period, yet now I’m seeing blossoms will into June.
Dogwoods hold a special appeal to me, since I first witnessed the Sierra Dogwoods blooming in Yosemite National Park a few years ago. There is something about the bright green leaves and delicate large blossoms that draws me to them, especially the bright white ones. The variety pictured above is a hybrid called “Square Dance” because of the blossom shapes, they almost form a perfect square. This particular plant was found in the Rock Gardens section of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, 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
“Spring turns to summer and delicate pinks and whites, give way to bright reds, oranges, and yellows, as nature shifts her palette to match the temperature” – Ed Lehming
Today’s photo is another attempt to understand and enjoy the world of macro photography. The bright Orange Hawkweed (Pilosella aurantiaca) is a smallish meadow flower that is common in this area through June and July. It blooms a few weeks later than it’s yellow relative, Mouse Eared Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella).
This image proved a bit challenging as I’m shooting with manual macro extension tubes and it was a bit windy, which made good focus at such a narrow depth of field very difficult and I’m still trying to get a ‘feel’ for this technique which is very new to me.
Despite the challenges, I’m still quite pleased with the results and am looking forward to other opportunities as they present themselves. I’m seeing great beauty in common things.
Nikon D800
Nikkor AF 28-70mm f/3.5~F/4.5D @ 70mm (28mm extension)
1/500 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
“… the world can give you these glimpses as well as fairy tales can–the smell of rain, the dazzle of sun on white clapboard with the shadows of ferns and wash on the line, the wildness of a winter storm when in the house the flame of a candle doesn’t even flicker.”
― Frederick Buechner
Yes, I know, I have lot of photos from Secord Forest, but why not. This little slice of heaven has so much to offer. Photographing and learning about the plants and animals that inhabit this beautiful conservation area give me great pleasure. The 4.7km trail leads through meadows, rolling woodlands, wetlands (home to orchids), and farm fields, contains an incredibly diverse selection of plants, including many ferns, which I am just starting to recognize as being very different species.
The fern pictured above is the Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) and is fairly easily distinguished from other native ferns by the thin dark stems and scalloped leaves. It’s also a paler shade of green than other local species. I can now identify 5 different varieties and working on more.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200 mm
1/160 sec, f/9.0, ISO 2500
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
“Everything made by human hands looks terrible under magnification–crude, rough, and asymmetrical. But in nature, every bit of life is lovely. And the more magnification we use, the more details are brought out, perfectly formed, like endless sets of boxes within boxes.”
― Roman Vishniac
A return to the garden, where early summer flowers are beginning to show their stuff.
This beautiful white cosmos was glowing so brilliantly in the morning sun, I could not resist stepping outside my door and making a few close up photos.
As I’ve mentioned in a few recent posts, I just purchased a set of manual macro extension tubes and am experimenting with the different effects the varying length of tubes produce. In this case, I used my Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-f/5.6 zoom lense with a 14mm extension tube. This combination gave me a little more depth of field, yet allowed me to get a fairly close up shot.
Once again, the fine details that the human eye misses surprises me. Things like the gentle fold of the petals and the bits of pollen are barely noticeable until you get close up.
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 150mm (14mm extension tube)
1/1000 sec, f/5.6, 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
“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”
― Alice Walker
This diminutive member of the geranium family has been on my mind since I first encountered it a few weeks ago. I’m finding I’ve missed seeing so many of the smaller wildflowers in the past, then, suddenly, they are everywhere and in unexpected places.
The first time I saw the pale purple gem, was on a Secord Forest trail, where I photographed it, not knowing what it was, and then identified it by referencing my plant identifications books. The next time I saw it, was at the Royal Botanical Gardens, in Burlington, Ontario. I felt like such a botanist, being able to spot and identify this tiny purple flower among all the other plants on display. I’m not sure if they are deliberately included in the gardens or if they were placed there by nature.
On researching the plant I also discovered it has significant uses as a medicinal herb for the treatment of toothaches and nosebleeds and also to heal wounds. The crushed leaves smell like burning rubber, but make a good mosquito repellant. I tried this and it seemed to work, other than the fact that I smelled like burning rubber, which is not necessarily a desirable trait.
Nikon D800
Nikkor AF 28-70mm f/3.5~f/4.5D @ 45mm (28mm extension tube)
1/60 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
Ed Lehming Photography 
Recent Comments