“The world is exploding in emerald, sage, and lusty chartreuse – neon green with so much yellow in it. It is an explosive green that, if one could watch it moment by moment throughout the day, would grow in every dimension.”
― Amy Seidl
Another image from this past weekend. The trees are a yellow-green with fresh leaves bursting from buds and pollen laden flowers. It’s not the best time of years for allergy sufferers but wonderful for the unafflicted.
I walked for hours, every bend in teh trail alive with new growth and bright morning sunshine providing soft backlighting. The leaves will only remain in this state for a few more days and will be full grown in short measure, fulfilling their role of drinking in sunshine and moisture from the air, providing nourishment to their host. For me , this is like an extended time-lapse. The expansion is so rapid, you can almost see it happening before your eyes.
Nikon D800
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/160 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200
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“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want—oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
― Mark Twain
Spring fever, that must be it. I spent this past Sunday, hiking some 14 miles, visiting all my favourite trails, seeking out the diversity of fresh wildflowers and foliage. It’s like the whole world around me suddenly bursting forth with life.
Each area is slightly varied, some low areas abound with life, ferns quite advanced in their growth, yet others, a bit higher in elevation, or in the shade, are delayed, with modest growth, still tucked under their blanket of dull brown leaves.
It was one of the warmer patches, along a hillside, bathed in sun, that produced this wonderful Ontario spring scene. A vast patch of mature trilliums, with their bright white faces and golden centres, shing to greet me. It felt like a wave of spring, flowing towards me. Thus the title, “Trillium Crest”.
Nikon D800
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 170 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, ISO 200
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“Ah yes, the beauty of nature…once we understand life’s delicateness, then we will surely protect and cherish all of its forms.”
― Shannon Leigh Warren
A male Canada Goose, stands guard of its nest, late day sunlight brightening the cat-tails of his construct.
He’s on the lookout for a rather large swan, who is nesting nearby and tends to disturb the peace of the Canada Goose’s nest on a regular cycle.
I stood on the shore and watched this unfortunate cycle play out twice. The female Canada Goose would sit on her nest, the male on watch. Then, the male swan would cruise by, driving the couple off the nest, temporarily. It’s really not the most strategic location and will likely cause issues for the geese for the rest of the nesting season. Surely a better location was available? Or, does the swan’s presence provide additional insurance?
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 105 mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200
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“I am learning my way toward something that will make sense of my life, and I learn by going where I have to go, with whatever companions I am graced.”
― Dean Koontz
At the base of a dead beech tree, these companions add brightness and life, among the dead and decomposing elements surrounding them.
For some unknown reason, the large beech trees in this local forest all died a few years ago. Many of them are very large and old, so it may just be a cycle, as there are many younger trees thriving in the same area. The die-off started a few years back and most of the elders are gone now, the bark peeling off their massive trunks, branches falling to the ground with every passing winter. I also suspect a new housing development nearby may have altered the water table, ever so slightly, as to affect the older trees. The forest seems a bit ‘wetter’ than usual.
Yet, among all this death, spring offers her bounty of fresh life, in the form of wildflowers, growing in abundance at the base of these dead trees. There are Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica), also known by some as May Flowers or Fairy Spuds (the roots and flowers are edible), with their bright pink faces and delicate stems. Then there are also Trout Lilies with their mottled leaves and bright yellow flowers. Mixed in among them, though not pictured here are red and white trilliums, to name the most predominant in my area. It seems every year there are more, which is wonderful to see.
To think a few short years ago I would walk these same trails and never notice anything but the white trilliums. There is something to be said for slowing down and just looking. It’s amazing what we can see, if we take the time.
Nikon D800
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200
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“I always wondered why God was supposed to be a father,” she whispers. “Fathers always want you to measure up to something. Mothers are the ones who love you unconditionally, don’t you think?”
― Jodi Picoult
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, and caregivers who have and continue to play this role.
I’ve been blessed with two mothers, as well as two grandmothers and my Mother in Law who have also played very significant roles in my life. I was adopted and spent the first part of my life with my adopted mother and my grandmother, who stepped into the role of mother many times, so the two are really interchangeable to me. Each had a significantly different approach to parenting and it all balanced out nicely. Both have since passed on and I miss them dearly.
My mother-in-law is far from the stereotypical image we are exposed to in movies and television. She is incredible caring and compassionate and I am happy to have her in my life (and she bakes one heck of an Elderberry pie).
Several years ago, I connected with my birth family. This connection brought me together with my birth mother and her mother, a second grandmother. One of the highlights of this connection was having my two mothers and two grandmothers meet, as well as my mother-in-law, who joined in on the marvellous day.
Connecting with my birth family has been fantastic and I am so happy to have that relationship. Sadly, my grandmother passed away last year as well and I wish I had had more time to be with her. She was such a loving person (and also baked one heck of an Elderberry pie)!
I could go on at length, but enough to say I am blessed with all these women who have played and continue to play such an important part in my life. I thank them for my life, for caring, admonishing, and most of all, loving me through all these years.
Happy Mother’s Day to you.
“Is the spring coming?” he said. “What is it like?”…
“It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine…”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett
Interestingly enough, despite the cold April we experienced in my neck of the woods, the first white trillium blossom I found, appeared exactly to the date of last year’s. I though for certain that it would be a full week behind, but this beauty, and her companions, waiting to open up in the next day or two, are right on time. There’s no stopping the natural cycle.
In fact, I think this may even be the same plant that bloomed first, last year. The conditions must be just right in this particular patch, as the whole group of them is slightly advanced.
Nikon D800
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200
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My May submission to One Photo Focus and ABFriday, where everybody processes the same image.
I had fun with the original by first cleaning it up a bit, cropping it, bringing out the shadows in RAW and adding a slight ‘painterly’ layer at 30%. Most of the work was done in bringing out the details in the shadows.
Original photo by Julie Powell
A beautiful mix of stone, brass and wood. Montreal City Hall – Front doors
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm
1/80 sec; f/4.5; ISO 200
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“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the mind.”
― Luther Burbank
The Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) is among my top ten spring plants. It looks almost tropical, with its spotted leaves and bright flowers, yet it grows in abundance in the moist woodlands of south-central Canada.
It’s an interesting plant, as there are often vast patches of Trout Lily with no blossoms at all. The young plants are sterile and have only one leaf. The mature plants have two leaves and bear a single blossom. It’s also known locally as Dog-Tooth Violet, though I prefer Trout Lily myself, as I believe it’s the white variety Erythronium albidum that actually resembles a tooth, but who am I to argue with local tradition? The name Trout Lily comes from the spotted leaves which resemble a trout’s skin and seems so much more appropriate to me.
When entering the forest, the Trout Lily is tough to spot, then you see one, and then another, each seemingly trying to outdo the last in their beauty, the forest floor a blanket of green wild leeks with spots of yellow everywhere. I love this time of year.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200
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“I can still bring into my body the joy I felt at seeing the first trillium of spring, which seemed to be telling me, “Never give up hope, spring will come.”
— Jessica Stern
The entrance of spring continues. After a day of cutting grass and getting gardens ready, I ventured out to a trail literally in my backyard. My hope was to see a few wildflowers emerging from their winter slumber, especially after this prolonged, cool, spring.
The regular patches I visit had a few sparse blossoms showing; they seemed thin and delayed, which did not come as a surprise. Given that, I followed the trail into the marshy woods and was greeted by an abundance of early bloomers. Among them, these beautiful Wake Robins or Red Trilliums, as some call them.
I love seeing these bright plants with their brilliant fresh leaves and red faces against the brown-gray background of the spring forest floor. It’s such a stack contrast between new life and the decay of the past. Needless to say, I spent quite a bit of time just drinking it in and making photos of the other species, which I will post over the next few days.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/25 sec, f/11.0, ISO 200
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“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
Yet another, early emerger, Blue Cohosh. This beauty emerges from the forest floor looking more purple-blue than this image indicates. However, I wanted to capture the delicate flower and blue fruit. When they first sprout from the ground, the leaves are tightly bound in a frilly bunch and then open up into tender leaves. I’m always surprised to see these spring flowers survive late frosts unscathed, yet they do. Among the brightness of other wildflowers, Blue Cohosh is lost, until you look for it and suddenly, it’s everywhere. I’m blessed to have an eye for these understated beauties, which others pass by, never knowing what has been missed.
This particular specimen provided a unique composition as the plant appears to rise from a bed of bright green balsams, and an assortment of twigs, the young, slightly out of focus maple in teh background just adds teh finishing touches to this forest floor scene.
Honestly, I could spend hours drinking this in, watching new life fill the forest floor in a carpet of luxurious greens, with flecks for pink, red, yellow, and white as teh fresh wildflowers show their faces to a waiting world for the first time.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 165 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200
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“You must not ever stop being whimsical. And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.”
― Mary Oliver
While out walking the streets of Montreal this past week, I came across this interesting scene. In a park across from Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, many of the trees were decorated with brightly coloured bird houses. I found this to be an interesting contrast against the backdrop of the cathedral. In fact, it was a nice touch of colour, as the trees have not leafed out yet, in our delayed spring.
If anyone reading this knows more about this apparent installation, please let me know.
“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of golden daffodils
Beside the lake beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
― William Wordsworth
At long last, I feel I might be able to say that spring and warmer weather are here to stay? I’ve posted about ‘false starts‘ and the change of seasons, the endless repeating cycles, yet consistent warm days elude me. This image was made nearly two weeks ago, a mere 50 kilometers south of my home, yet my own daffodils are reluctant to bloom.
Daffodils, like peonies, are one of those marvelous plants that keep spreading every year. I often see large patches and imagine them being planted many years ago and just spreading out, covering larger areas over time.
Judging the forecast and their current state, I’d say they will open in the next day and it ‘should’ be warmer every day next week. Here’s hoping.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 98 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, ISO 200
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“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
– Wayne Dyer
April is a strange time to visit a botanical garden, since there are no blooms to enjoy. Yet, if you look closer, vestiges of last year remain in tones of brown, gray, and yellow. Yet, amid shrivelled shells and dried branches, hints for life begin to emerge.
I can’t recall the variety of tree that this is, but the bright yellow skeletons of last year’s blossoms glowed in the sun and drew my eye towards them. It was not till I looked closer that I saw the fresh green buds beginning to show, reminding me not to allow first appearances cloud my vision in all aspects of life. Nature has so much to teach us.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 180 mm
1/160 sec, f/6.3 +0.33, ISO 200
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An interesting side entrance to Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal. It would appear the door was added as an afterthought.
iPhone 5s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2
1/125 sec; f/2.2; ISO 40
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“Love should not cause suffocation and death if it is truly love. Don’t bundle someone into an uncomfortable cage just because you want to ensure their safety in your life. The bird knows where it belongs, and will never fly to a wrong nest.”
― Michael Bassey Johnson
As I stood at the base of the Whitevale Dam, watching the trout spawn, I noticed this little bird, perched atop a broken tree limb sticking from the water. It sat there, surveying its world for quite some time. Was it simply pausing for a moment from the busy task of nest building. I’m certain it was not lost, though it was looking all around, perhaps for a suitable place to start, for as the quote above states, the bird knows where it belongs.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/1600 sec, f/6.3 ISO 200
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“Seeing all life in perfect symmetry.
Perceiving each day with righteous clarity.
Living each moment in purposed reality.
Believing each day is the start of eternity.”
― S. Tarr
A unique way of looking at this heavily travelled bridge between Canada and the USA at Niagara Falls.
I’ve driven across this bridge many times and sat, lined up, for what felt like an eternity, at the border checkpoint both going to the US and returning home to Canada. With all the security on the surface of the bridge I was surprised at the complete lack, or apparent lack thereof, below the bridge. In fact, there is a beautiful walking/cycling path that I made this photo from, which allows you to see not only the details of the bridge supports but also the details and pathways on the far shore, which I had never noticed before.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 @ 48 mm
1/125 sec, f/8.0 ISO 200
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“Little yellow flower
Like a dandelion shrunk
Yet she’s not its kin at all
She blooms there without leaves
Shows her face in early spring
Shines brightly like the sun
In my childhood, she was dear
Quite precious to be true
She it was who truly said
That spring had just arrived
I picked bouquets in my small hands
And brought them home to mom
Even now, quite old and grown
Coltsfoot is still quite dear
In early springtime it’s of her
That I try to catch a glimpse”
Coltsfoot is a pleasant little flower that I look forward to each spring. It’s the first to bloom and many people mistake them for dandelions. When the coltsfoot blooms, spring is just around the corner.
I found the beautiful poem above while looking for a quote suitable for this photo, which I touched up to look like a painting, Something I am quite fond of doing with some of my photos simply because I like the painterly look in some cases.
That a poem about coltsfoot exists is quite delightful and I’m surprised more is not written about it, as it was and is considered a key medicinal plant for treating lung aliments. To the point where the coltsfoot symbol was used to designate a pharmacy not too many years ago. The latin name Tussilago farfara is derived from latin tussis, meaning cough, and ago, meaning to cast or to act on.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 135 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6 ISO 200
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My first submission to Mannequin Monday on Piran Cafe
The eyes are a bit too lifelike.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 122 mm
1/80 sec, f/4.5 ISO 200
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“The most fulfilling adventures happen when you start your journey without knowing where you’re going, because only then are you free to experience the unexpected detours you’re meant to take.”
― A.J. Darkholme
Ah, yes, the unexpected, one of my greatest delights. I set out to make photos of fish spawning in a local creek and come across a large, beautiful cluster of spring flowers I have never encountered before. They looked a lot like the familiar Coltsfoot that I see daily now along the creek-bed and in ditches on the roadside. This plant seemed to have the forming leaves of the familiar coltsfoot and the stem of a coltsfoot, but the flower-head looked like an immature Milkweed. This struck me as odd, as I am familiar with most of the native plant species I encounter. Could this be some species that was planted in someone garden and escaped?
I also have a ‘thing’ for wildflowers and local plants, so tend to switch from traditional landscapes to the miniature landscapes that I find on the forest floor, along river basins, and on hillsides, as I travel the countryside.
I made this photograph and looked it up when I got home, a practice I have been following for some years to educate myself on the plants I come across throughout the year. This one surprised me, as I did not know there was such a thing as Sweet Coltsfoot. It all makes sense now and an unexpected encounter became a learning moment for me.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 122 mm
1/1250 sec, f/2.8 ISO 200
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“We must begin thinking like a river if we are to leave a legacy of beauty and life for future generations.”
― David Brower
Amidst the exciting rainbow trout run at Duffins Creek, other species of native fish are also in the spawn, including the White Suckers, pictured above, which are mixed among the trout as they work their way upstream.
As I was walking the shore, enjoying and photographing the trout, I came across this group of suckers as they hovered above the stoney creek bed. The water was crystal clear and offered a nice view of the suckers in an interesting formation. The slight distortion of the water made this an interesting composition for me.
I always find it awesome that this beauty is just outside my doorstep, yet some people I meet locally have no idea it even exists. This is among the reasons I make photos, to prove to others that the things I experience daily are real and more than some embellished memory.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 135 mm
1/200 sec, f/2.8 ISO 200
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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
If we were having a coffee…
I’d tell you about how beautiful the past week has been. Temperatures, though up and down, have been getting milder, my favourite wildflowers are beginning to bloom, and the trout are running up Duffins Creek. The annual cycle of spring is in full swing.
These are the days I can barely stand to sit inside working, but work has to get done. Yet, I’m fortunate to live very close to many hiking trails and creeks that I can enjoy during my lunch time. And then, there are weekends where the trails beckon for longer visits, weather permitting.
Today, I went for a hike with my son, who also enjoys the outdoors and photography. We visited the dam at Whitevale, hoping to capture some migrating trout jumping. It’s been a strange season and the water is still quite cold, so, no luck there. On top of that, the fishing season just opened and the usually quiet shores were lined with a continuous row of fishermen, some friendly and welcoming, others, not so much. I know this is but a brief moment in time and soon calm will return once more.
We left the creek and drove a few miles north to the East Duffins Creek Headwaters trail, for peaceful walk in the woods, pictured above. The trails are lined with red pine and a mix of hardwoods. This area is at a slightly higher elevation and wildflowers were a bit more sparse. Despite that, we had a great time walking and catching up. How’s your week been?
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6 ISO 200
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“When you do or think or feel something, do it with passion. Let it come from the heart. Put your heart and soul in it. And when you do, you will feel a river flowing sweetly through you and especially through your entire life. Life has much more meaning that way. ”
― Angie Karan
A painterly image I made yesterday, based on a photo of two trout swimming upstream at the Whitevale bridge, north of Pickering, Ontario.
What struck me was how the body of the dark fish flowed with the water, or did the water flow with the fish? As I processed the image, the flow of colour, from warm orange tones and larger river rocks at the bottom to cooler blue tones and multi-coloured pebbles at the top began to become more noticeable, yet the dark body of the fish dominates the scene. The entire image speaks of movement, energy, and overcoming. I’m really pleased with how it turned out.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm
1/100 sec, f/5.0 ISO 200
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“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
― John Lubbock
When time allows, I like to visit Duffins creek and stroll the riverbank, especially at this time of year. The narrow wooded trail follows the shoreline, through grand cedar stands, into deep gullys, along the creek, with its variable structure of rocky sandbanks, deep holes, and fast flowing rapids.
At this time of year, new growth is slowly emerging. Splashes of bright green dot the forest floor. Spring plants such as Coltsfoot, Bloodroot, Trout Lilies, and violets dot the landscape, welcoming the warmth of spring. Fiddleheads, the young growth of ferns, sit in tight knots, not quite ready to open, and the trout start their annual run up the creek to the dam at Whitevale, a small hamlet north of Pickering, Ontario.
At the right time of day, the trout try to leap up the fifteen foot high concrete dam, designed to keep the introduced steelhead trout from migrating further upstream. On this visit, the trout were not jumping yet and were pooled just beneath the dam. Many rested in the shallow pools just above the last set of rapids, including this pair, in full breeding colours. The shallow water allowed me to get a clear image from slightly above. This pair will breed and shortly thereafter, follow the creek back to Lake Ontario, where they will remain till the instinct to migrate up the creek returns next spring.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6 ISO 200
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Today’s submission for #ThursdayDoors.
“Such is the condition of organic nature! Whose first law might be expressed in the words ‘Eat or be eaten!’ and which would seem to be one great slaughter-house, one universal scene of rapacity and injustice!”
― Erasmus Darwin
Ever have one of those days where, out of nowhere, something just sneaks up and gets you from behind? You can take small comfort that you are not this Wood Frog. I’d say our troubles are tame compared to his.
I came across this scene a few days ago while on a short hike along Ontario’s Seaton Trail. I heard a rustle of leaves and spotted motion just off the trail. At first all I saw was the large Garter Snake, then I noticed it had caught the frog. The light was awesome, so I sat to watch this process play out and document it with my camera. I’ve seen photos in elementary school textbooks of how snakes eat their prey, but have never witnessed it firsthand. It’s quite the process
How the snake would get this large frog into it’s mouth was beyond me, especially considering the frog’s legs were still free and active, and he had filled himself up with air. Well, after a few mis-timed kicks, the frog’s legs were in the snake’s gullet and the rest was just a matter of time. Twenty minutes, to be precise, from when this image was made to the time the last trace of the frog disappeared. You just never know what you might see when out on the trails.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/100 sec, f/5.6 ISO 200
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“Come with me into the woods where spring is
advancing, as it does, no matter what,
not being singular or particular, but one
of the forever gifts, and certainly visible.”
― Mary Oliver
The inevitable cycle of spring continues with its succession of flowering plants. First to bloom is the Coltsfoot, the next, which just started to bloom yesterday, predictably, about a week after the Coltsfoot, is the Bloodroot – Sanguinaria canadensis.
I love this early blooming spring flower, with its bright white blossoms, emerging from a green ‘shawl’ of leaves. They are interesting in how they bloom, with the blossom forming before the leaves have opened up, much like the Coltsfoot. Which has me wondering if this is some sort of protection in case of a late frost? In any case, I welcome these early harbingers of spring and look forward to the next blossoms, that of the Dog-Tooth Violet or Trout Lily, soon to follow.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 175 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0 ISO 200
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“The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.”
― Napoleon Hill
Though I saw no markers, my map showed this to be a cemetery, further investigation, this was actually the Old Lakeshore Road and it was lined by some of the most incredible old white oak trees I have seen. It was late afternoon and the light was a soft gold, lighting up the few dried leaves still clinging to the branches and showing the detail of the bark.
In the Niagara Region, winter had been mild till April as well, then they experienced the same deep freeze as the rest of the province. So, I found everything delayed. Trees were just beginning to bud and only a few hearty daffodils added colour to the landscape. But, it sure looked beautiful and I enjoyed the magnificent old growth trees in this roadside grove, especially this giant, as it spread its branches far and wide, greeting the spring sunlight and warmer days ahead.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 @ 17 mm
1/125 sec, f/8.0 ISO 200
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“We live in a world of contrast and it’s sad we are among people who can’t seem to grasp the differences surrounding them.”
― Dominic Riccitello
An interesting view, looking between the vineyards at Konzelmann Wineries. As I drove down the appropriately named Lakeshore Drive, I looked to my left and noticed the CN Tower and skyscrapers of Toronto, some 32 miles distant, on the horizon, between the orderly rows of grapevines.
I had to stop and capture this unique view. As I stood at the edge of the fields a local resident pulled into their driveway across the road. I told her she had a beautiful view and she agreed, wholeheartedly, but also reminded me how cold it can be here in the winter, as the northern winds blow across Lake Ontario.
The surreal contrast between this rural scene of farmland stretching to the lake and the bright, modern city on horizon really struck me and prompted this photo. It also struck me, that as I drove around the area, we often forget what really lies across the horizon. It could be home, or another land altogether.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1 ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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A very brief post for today, as I write from my hotel room in Niagara-on-the-Lake, sifting through all my photos and doing a quick edit.
The image above was made from the Canadian side of the Niagara River, looking east towards Fort Niagara, on the American side. Beyond Fort Niagara, Lake Ontario stretches beyond the horizon, bright green in the sunshine.
It’s hard to believe that just over 100 years ago, the two countries were at war, in the War of 1812, and this was a live battle zone. Now both side are filled with tourists, taking in the sites and recalling their country’s history. Actually, it was Upper Canada, at the time, which was ruled by Britain, and America were at war. Both Youngstown and Niagara-on-the-Lake, which was named Newark at the time and was the capital of Upper Canada, have well preserved forts. Fort Niagara in New York and Fort George on the Canadian side. There is lots of history to take in.
Nikon D200
Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 @ 29 mm
1/160 sec, f/9.0, ISO 200
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com
Ed Lehming Photography 
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