“Life isn’t just about darkness or light, rather it’s about finding light within the darkness.”
― Landon Parham
Another shot of the water tanks. I could not help myself. They are everywhere in New York City and I have a strange fascination with them. This image shows the wooden variety and a steel tank on the same rooftop.
My other observation about new York City is the abundance of soft reflected light. I was expecting lighting to be a challenge, but the light reflects beautifully from all the skyscrapers, filling the ‘canyons’ with wonderful, soft light.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 105 mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 400
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In a thoroughly commercialized society, an artist is respected if he makes money, and because he makes money, but there is no genuine respect for the works of
Source: My Idea of Good Art
“The peculiar office structure appears to exercise a strange fascination over some minds, for not only do hundreds of people stand for five and ten minutes at a time looking up at it, but many of those who have detached themselves from the groups are obliged to return in a minute or two to examine the structure from another point of view” – New York Times, 1902
I completely understand what the author of this quote meant. I’ve dreamt often of standing in this place and making a photo of this iconic New York Building at the intersection of 5th Avenue, 23rd Street, and Broadway, also known as the Fuller Building. When it was completed, in 1902, it was the tallest building (285 ft) in the world and people feared it might collapse.
I finally got my chance to photograph it myself this past weekend. Looking at other’s photos, including many well known ones gives me a certain sense of reverence. I’m standing in the same location once occupied by great artists. The scene is so familiar, yet details are slightly different, the cars on the road are different, the light, the foliage, the street signs, are all slightly different, or I simply did not notice them before. Then, the moment of truth, I get the opportunity to try my hand at this, with all the images rushing through my memory. Then ‘click’, image made, I check my histogram and all looks good. I make a few more, just in case and move on to the next landmark, suddenly aware of all the other remarkable buildings in the area. If you have not been there, New York is an architectural wonderland.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 190 mm
1/500 sec, f/4.0, ISO 400
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“He has made me wary of chronological snobbery. That is, he showed me that newness is no virtue and oldness is no vice. Truth and beauty and goodness are not determined by when they exist. Nothing is inferior for being old, and nothing is valuable for being modern.”
― John Piper
One of the first things that I noticed while walking around New York was the wooden water tanks that topped most buildings, whether old or new. There are slight variations, some are metal but most are wood (which is apparently cheaper to build), of varying ages and roughly the same size, about 10,000 gallons. They seem like such an anachronism in this vast modern city. Yet, as I researched them, they are a very practical solution to an infrastructure that can’t deliver sufficient water pressure to buildings over six stories tall. In fact, there are 12,000 to 17,000 active water towers in service throughout New York and more are being built or replaced every year.
The towers work a bit like a toilet, whereby, when the tank level gets low, a valve is tripped and water is pumped into the tank from pipes in the building’s basement. Health concerns have been raised recently, since the water simply sits, untreated in heat and cold and can stagnate. Also, a layer of sediment builds up in the tank, which needs to be cleaned out annually, and is often overlooked. Out of sight, out of mind.
The image above shows both types, the wooden tanks in the foreground and a large steel tank on top of the condo. Once you notice them, it’s hard to tune them out, since they are such a unique feature that seems to define New York City.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 @ 31mm
1/400 sec, f/10.0, ISO 400
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“Even in its darkest passages, the heart is unconquerable. It is important that the body survives, but it is more meaningful that the human spirit prevails.”
― Dave Pelzer
Situated on the north-west corner of the World Trade Centre Plaza, I’m sure this building has some stories to tell, as it sustained some damage during the 9-11 attacks and has a clear view of the Plaza itself. I did not think of the building’s story as I stopped to photograph it. Though I’ve had time to reflect on that since.
The way the light played off the walls and created shadows is what first drew my eye to this image. There is also the structure of the fire escape that really brings this image together. I made a large print of this image, which hangs on the wall in front of me as I write this. The lines draw me in and keep me scanning all the fine details and subtle shade gradations. It seems to capture the ‘feel’ of New York, as I experienced it. It’s also quite a contrast to the ultra modern World Trade One and the Oculus, which are directly behind me and to the right as I made this image.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 @ 31mm
1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 400
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“Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.”
– Audre Lorde
The ‘Oculus’ is the odd, skeleton looking building left of centre. It is part of the connection between the New Jersey PATH transit system and the New York subway systems that intersect at the World Trade Centre complex. It’s not quite finished but far enough along that you get the concept.”
My eye caught this awesome reflection on the wall of the 9-11 Museum complex, offering a near perfect reflection of the World Trade Centre Plaza, including the Oculus. It was very bright and difficult to balance the bright surfaces yet shows the people lined up to enter the museum, but it all worked out after a few exposure adjustments.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 @ 17 mm
1/500 sec, f/11, ISO 400
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“I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.”
– Tennessee Williams
I noticed these awesome light bulbs while waiting for our play, Chicago, outside the Ambassador theatre on West 49th Street in New York. The coffee shop is Caffe Benne, part of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
What really attracted me to them was the variations in bulb type and colour temperature. It felt a bit awkward, looking in the window with my camera and making this image, but it turned out exactly as I had envisioned it.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 116 mm
1/160 sec, f/4.0, ISO 400
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“When you see a fish you don’t think of its scales, do you? You think of its speed, its floating, flashing body seen through the water. Well, I’ve tried to express just that. If I made fins and eyes and scales, I would arrest its movement, give a pattern or shape of reality. I want just the flash of its spirits.” ― Constantin Brancusi
I could not believe the colours on the surface of this ice flow, beneath the surface of Duffins Creek, a small river which runs through the area where I live. I spend a lot of time, as some of my regular readers may have noticed, hiking the creek and its tributaries.
On this day, the weather shifted regularly between sun, cloud, a brief shower, and then more sun and cloud. When I made this image, a small beam of sun shone on the a section of the creek, lighting up the ice below in whites and shades of turquoise, while the sections under cloud remained various shades of green and brown. I found it a curious effect, that a small section of creek would have so much colour variation, but it was driven by the effects of the sun, sediment in the water, as well as the varying depth of the water on top of the ice, or lack of ice altogether (dark green sections in the foreground), as the creekbed showed through in some areas. The entire image looks like some abstract painting, darker than my preference, but still interesting as your eye sweeps over the photograph.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 190 mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 250
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“Sense how
Even the smooth stones ache
With stories of their own
In the shuddering light of day.”
― Scott Hastie
Emerging from their icy bondage, two stones, or is it three, rest upon their captor, as ice water flows over them.
What’s the story of these stones? They sit alone, apart from others. Where did they come from? The pure ice they rest in fills a narrow but deep, steep walled, valley that flows into the Duffins Creek valley. Because of this, the hiking trail follows the valley rim and diverts far from the creek.
I looked into the valley, and hearing the sound of numerous cascades, decided to climb into the valley to photograph them. At the base of the valley, I found not just the small cascades which I heard, but a narrow frozen creek of bright white, with these rock embedded in it. It was not what I was looking, but I’m glad I entered the valley or I would not have found this beautiful scene.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 190 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 250
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“She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
“Winter is dead.”
― A.A. Milne
My favourite, for now, patch of Elecampane. Lit by the warm afternoon sun along the Seaton Trail. There is something appealing in the orange remnants of the blossom in contrast to the gray, dried steps. The vestiges of the former blossoms glow brightly in the sun while the dry steps remind me that it’s still winter. But, as they tilt to the east, locked in time, they remind me, through their glow, that the sun always rises and spring will come, in its time. It’s just a matter of waiting for it.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 250
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“Let us simmer over our incalculable cauldron, our enthralling confusion, our hotchpotch of impulses, our perpetual miracle – for the soul throws up wonders every second. Movement and change are the essence of our being; rigidity is death; conformity is death; let us say what comes into our heads, repeat ourselves, contradict ourselves, fling out the wildest nonsense, and follow the most fantastic fancies without caring what the world does or thinks or says. For nothing matters except life.” – Virginia Woolf
“One must know the so-called ‘lesson of a downpour.’ A man, caught in a sudden rain en route, dashes along the road not to get wet or drenched. Once one takes it for granted that in rain he naturally gets wet, he can be in a tranquil frame of mind even when soaked to the skin. This lesson applies to everything. ” – Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Above is a photo from the past weekend. As I said in a previous post, this past mid-February Saturday was a glorious day. I have no other words to describe it. Having come from temperatures of -30° C to 12° C in the span of a few days, sure brightens the spirit. This day went from mixed clouds, to bright sunshine, to a warm shower, back to sunshine.
I did not even realize that it was raining, as the air was filled with the sounds of meltwater everywhere. It was not till I looked up from photographing water running over the ice that I noticed the raindrops on the puddles which filled the outlines of where the trails are. Many sections of trail had turned to small rivers of ice water, trying to find their way downhill. Since the ground is still frozen, all the water was flowing on the surface, rather than being absorbed into the soil. This also created puddles with icy bottoms, which made hiking safely a challenge.
I stood for a while watching the raindrops falling into the puddles and watching the patterns of the ripples play across the surface. The surrounding trees were being reflected in the puddles and offered, what I thought, was an interesting composition, combining the elements of the path, the puddle, the rain, and the trees, in a single image. I will remember this moment for some time.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 180mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 250
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“No reason for a feverish rush
For we will all arrive in the same place
At the right time. Justice will be served.
There will be no better or worse,
No big and small, no rewards, no punishment,
No guilt, no judges, no hierarchies;
Only silent equality.”
― Dejan Stojanovic
The image above could be a churning ocean or a stormy beach, but it’s a small section of creek below the falls at Whitevale, Ontario. I enjoyed the way the light played through water creating the glow from within the wave. There’s an element to fast flowing water that I am drawn to. I like to play with my shutter speed, matching it to the flow of the water to convey this movement in my photos and I like how this one turned out because it shows the speed and surge of the water the way it appeared to me. A lot of water rushes through the rocks in this area just below the dam, creating a small section of low, but active set of rapids.
And after a short span in the tumult, the creek calms once more, around a gentle bend.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 90 mm
1/15 sec, f/32, ISO 250
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“By March, the worst of the winter would be over. The snow would thaw, the rivers begin to run and the world would wake into itself again. ― Neil Gaiman
Bubbles, trapped in ice, glow beneath the icy waters of the spring thaw, like a wraith, lit by some inner glow. Mid-February this year brings an early and rapid thaw. Cold water flows with life over frozen creeks, softening the shapes trapped below, beckoning them to join in welcoming the warmth above.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 165 mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 250
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“How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. And how ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break us open and help us blossom into who we were meant to be.”
― Elizabeth Lesser
I was considering numerous titles for this images. There is a lot happening here. I was considering “Transitions”, “Undercurrent”, and “Headlong”, but the title that stuck was “Junction”. In this image, there is a junction of two clear and distinct parts of the same creek. To the left, brownish water, tinted from sediment from the creek bed, and to the right, cool, blue-white melt-water, flowing quickly over sheets of ice on the still frozen bottom.
As I reflect back to the quote, there is an inevitable change: the water must flow forward, from one zone to the next. The creek is meant to flow, and not be locked in ice forever. It must flow, or it’s a sheet of ice and not a creek.
It’s interesting also, to note, that this junction is not smooth, it’s jagged, because of the nature of the ice, the creekbed, and the overall flow of the water. A straight line transition would seem unnatural and would certainly not have gotten my attention like this intricate “zigzag” zone.
The change of seasons creates some interesting times, all of which I look forward to, knowing that everything in nature is temporary and will eventually repeat the cycle. No two scenes are quite the same twice and I can be there to bear witness that small moment in time where things are just as they are, before the next junction.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 98 mm
1/8 sec, f/32.0, ISO 250
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“Ice contains no future, just the past, sealed away. As if they’re alive, everything in the world is sealed up inside, clear and distinct. Ice can preserve all kinds of things that way- cleanly, clearly. That’s the essence of ice, the role it plays.”
― Haruki Murakami, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
A temporary reprieve from the cold of winter, hinting at a more prolonged thaw and the promise of spring ahead. Ice can preserve but the inevitable cycles of nature will eventually free those things locked away for winter.
In the image above, thawing ice reveals its treasures, slowly and wonderfully. The pebble tops emerge and just enough of the structure below is visible, yet the presence of the surrounding ice is undeniable. More could be revealed by breaking the ice, but that would affect the underlying order below. So, it’s best to leave it to emerge in time. Surely, this scene will re-freeze before spring comes to last but the glimpse into the promised warmth is welcomed.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 125 mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0, ISO 250
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“The magical way the wintertime warms you up is through its frozen beauties!”
― Mehmet Murat Ildan
Yesterday, was a spectacular day! Here we are in mid February and the temperatures hit
12° C. The light was glorious and the outdoors beckoned me. So, with camera bag in hand, I set out to enjoy the day and see what it would reveal to me.
Since the temperatures last week were around -30° C, with a lack of snow, the local creeks had frozen solid to the bottom and the melt water flowed over sheets of pristine ice. On my journey, I came across these two maple leaves, wedged between two rocks and frozen to the creek bed. Clear cold water now ran across the surface, enhancing the colour of the leaves and creating an interesting distortion in the background. This is one of many images I made on my 9 kilometer hike and I’ll be sharing more over the next few days. Get ready for a brief ice and water theme.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 95 mm
1/40 sec, f/3.2, ISO 250
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“We gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen from another’s vantage point, as if new, it may still take the breath away.”
― Alan Moore
Winter wears on, some days are bright and clear and others dark and dreary. Yet, through it all, nature lives on and builds crystal sculptures on frames of wood, grass, and stone. At the right time of day, the sun shines through, lighting them from within.
The image above is a lilac tree next to my house. With the rapid melt, the eavestroughs overflowed, splashing water on the cold lilacs in the shade. That slight difference in temperature was enough to re-freeze the water, encasing the slender branches and seed heads with a thick coat of ice. Water running over this base formed ripples which froze as subsequent layers. The effects of a slight breeze are also visible in the slightly bent ‘fingers’ of ice.
As a side note, though it was warm enough to melt the ice, the temperatures were cool enough to give me frozen fingers of my own.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 120mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 250
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“…I hear the sounds of melting snow outside my window every night and with the first faint scent of spring, I remember life exists…” ― John Geddes
It’s mid-February and our first significant snow has fallen and begun to melt within a few short days. Beneath the thinning blanket of ice and snow, water writhes, flows, and drips, only to be frozen briefly by the chill of night and released once more by the morning sun.
It’s interesting to awaken to a world white with ice and blowing snow one morning, followed by a steady drip, drip, drip the next. Thanks to the effects of El Niño, this has been, at best, a year of unpredictable weather. In the past few days the temperatures have fluctuated by close to 40 degrees, from a bone chilling -30 ° C to 6 ° C for our weekend forecast. It snows, I shovel, it melts, …repeat. Fortunately, snowfall has been limited to only a few centimeters on any given day.
Needless to say, I’m looking forward to a warm dry spring.
Nikon D300
Nikor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 210mm
1/8 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200
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“Constellations shine with light that was emitted aeons ago, and I wait for something to come to me, words that a poet might use to illuminate life’s mysteries. But there is nothing.”
― Nicholas Sparks
My first foray into astrophotography. Wow! There’s a heady handle!
I’ve seen so many spectacular images of the Milky Way and constellations that I was determined to try my hand at this. So, with tripod in hand, and some sage advice from the internet, I set out to capture an icon of the north, the Big Dipper, Ursa Major.
My first impression was “Man, it’s dark!”, I have to find my way down to the waterfront in the dark, try to retain as much of my night vision as possible, set up my camera without falling in the drink, and hope for the best, based on a few dubious night photography articles, not knowing what my camera was capable of.
In a nutshell, star shots require a fast lens, like my Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, fully open to let as much light in as possible, a steady tripod, and a long exposure of no more than 30 seconds, because anything longer will show visible star trails. Yes, the earth turns quickly enough to show that movement in a long exposure photo. Still sticking to my maximum 200 ISO discipline, as side benefit of which is reduced noise.
Well, here goes. All set up, according to untested instructions. Frame composition, without being able to really see it…set aperture…focus…click…..wait, for longer than expected…don’t move…hope….click…look…hey, not bad! An image, vaguely resembling my intent appears as a preview on my teeny,tiny, screen. Make a few more images, just in case. Mission accomplished. More waiting. Overall , a process of hope and anticipation of what might be.
Now, back to the computer, download images, adjust in Camera Raw…smile! Images turned out, success on the first try! The Big Dipper reveals itself from the background, exactly as expected (and hoped for with crossed fingers). Unexpected surprises: there is still residual light from a sunset long since passed, lights from cottages across the lake shine brightly, and the Big Dipper dominates the frame, exactly as hoped for. Deep sigh of relief, this stuff actually works!
I’m so happy to have been able to capture this scene, which is not only familiar, but such a big part of my outdoors experience in a place which I love. It’s the first recognizable constellation to reveal itself and show itself in such a wonderful way, hovering over Fraser Lake, floating over the remains of the day. I am at peace.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ 17mm
30 sec, F/2.8, ISo 200
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“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”
― Henry David Thoreau
Simple beauty, oft passed by. This little cascade is right next to the highway outside of Gravenhurst, a small town in Ontario, Canada. I noticed it on my way to the cranberry marshes in Bala and decided to stop there on my way home. How many people speed by this place without even seeing it? Friends have asked where the photo was made and are surprised that it even exists, having passed it many times.
By the time I came back to check it out, the weather had turned to a steady rain. The rain actually enhanced the images, as it brought out the colours from the rock and leaves and allowed me to do a longer exposure to blur the flowing water. The cascade is fairly simple and accessible. It’s the kind of place I could sit and relax for hours on a more pleasant day. So, in a way, I’m happy that other people don’t notice it.
Nikon D300
Nikor 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 100mm
1 sec, f/32, ISO 1,000
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“Look at all the things around you, the immediate world around you. If you are alive, it will mean something to you, and if you care enough about photography, and if you know how to use it, you will want to photograph that meaningness.” – Paul Strand
I am reminded daily that I live in a living world. That world envelops me, nourishes me, sustains me. My eye picks up on subtle colours, a movement, some minor thing that stands out and gets my attention. As the quote above states so eloquently, these things mean something to me. These everyday scenes that fill our days which most people seem to pass by with some ingrained disregard.
In our ever busy world, I feel blessed that those moments do have meaning to me and that I can see them as a critical part of my world and experience. I’ve deliberately set out to share that meaning as best I can, through learning to become a better photographer, to convey meaningness by sharing those experiences here through images and words. My goal is to improve my ability and skills as a photographer, artist, and writer so that some of the meaning, richness, and joy that I take for my experiences can have similar meaning to others.
The image above was made a few years ago as I was driving home from an errand in a nearby town. It was a cold day in early January and the wind-whipped snow swirled in the fields like it was a living thing trying to escape the confines of the snowbanks.Most of the roadside grasses were already encased in a thick winter blanket, while a few hearty reeds bent in the wind. Among all this movement, a solitary maple, more dead than living, stood firmly and weathered the onslaught. Once more, when looking closely at what appeared to me, and was titled that way, as a dead tree, is still showing signs of life in a few of its branches, reminding me to be a better observer by slowing down and really understanding what I’m looking at.
Nikon D300
Nikor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 112 mm
1/200 sec, F/7.1, ISO 200
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You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality. – Pablo Picasso
Light offers surprises and daily I see where many artists get their images from; daily scenes that reveal themselves when viewed for an unique perspective. In this case, the bottom of a beer glass, viewing a television screen on my wall. The blue light of the television floats against the sand coloured walls, distorted by the ripples in the base of the glass and traces of foam. The ‘art’ in this image does not reveal itself till you isolate the image and remove the reference to a glass.
iPhone 5s back camera @29mm
1/130 sec, f/2.2, ISO 200
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Elegant in it’s simplicity?
Apparently, someone had been throwing rocks onto the ice, hoping for a breakthrough? I returned a few days later to find dozens of rocks littering the ice surface. It turns out that the frost pushed them from an adjacent cliff and the rolled across the ice, coming to rest some distance from their source. Things are not always as they seem. Perhaps this situation is a combination of both potential reasons?
I came across several of these larger rocks frozen to the surface of Duffins Creek a few days ago. The simplicity of the rock isolated on the ice made for a nice composition and the light that day was wonderful. You can see all the detail in the rock and a bit of blue sky reflected in the ice. If you look carefully, you can see some of the riverbed through the somewhat milky ice as well.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm
1/250 sec, f/8.0, ISO 250
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“Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.” – Walt Whitman
Like stars in a dark sky, these maple keys glowed against a shadowy forest. Lit by a late afternoon sun that seemed to spark some inner light, more than just the sunlight itself, these dried Manitoba Maple keys mesmerized me. I stood for a while, just enjoying this scene and considering ways to photograph it in a way that communicated this light effectively. It was difficult to get the angle right and minimize the artifacting that can occur when light is at an inopportune angle.
I beleive this image does justice to the show that nature provided me. I rarely notice the fine details as I’m composing the image and enjoy ‘discovering’ these little extras as I work with the final product, deatils such as the fine bent stems remaining after the keys have dropped.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm
1/160 sec, f/6.3, ISO 250
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“It’s attention to detail that makes the difference between average and stunning”
– Francis Atterbury
From my hotel room in downtown Montreal, this view greeted me every day. The dome of Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde (Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral) fascinated me. The lines and detail are beautiful and I could spend hours scanning over the dome finding small details in the larger view, including the differences in the ‘dormer’ window roofs from peaked to rounded (made you look!).
The 19th century cathedral dominates a large block in downtown Montreal, in strong contrast to the shining glass towers and neon lights that surround it.
I felt the black and white treatment accented the details and subdues the bright blue sky, forcing the eye to the dome itself.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17.0-50.0 mm f/2.8 @ 50mm
1/400 sec, f/10, ISO 200
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“Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depths of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy autumn fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more.”
― Alfred Lord Tennyson
The barn is long gone, but the memory of this view remains etched upon my memories. It stood for many years on the farm where my wife grew up. The building weathered many storms, sheltered livestock, feed, and equipment under its expansive roof. My first memories of the barn where when I helped bring in the hay on a sweltering summer day and seeing the shafts of sunlight,streaming through knot holes, shining on the straw covered floor, and a single dim light bulb, high above our heads
I’ve looked out this doorway many times and my wife recounts her childhood memories of playing in the barn and seeing this same view over many years. The barn door, acts as a frame in this composition, focusing us on a rural scene, which could be almost anywhere. The difference, to my wife and family, is this was ‘home’. A place of business, of fun, and most importantly, of family. The view to the west was often the indicator of incoming weather and the canvas upon which nature painted many a stunning sunset.
My father-in-law, Maurice, passed away last week at the age of 93. As I look at this photo, my mind drifts to days past and a smile comes to my face at the thought that he too must have enjoyed this same view throughout his working days on the farm.
Nikon D300
Tamron 17.0-50.0 mm f/2.8 @ 20mm
1/250 sec, f/14, ISO 200
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“Every moment and every event of a man’s life on earth plants something in his soul”
– Thomas Merton
It’s the simple pleasure of walking by a group of dried flower stalks and seeing something wondrous in them. Among the winter kill, these plants, though dead as well, refuse to lay down. Instead, they stand along the shores, nearly six feet tall, enduring the elements like some wild sentinels. Though cold winds blow, snow swirls, and the frozen river groans in the distance, they stand, and await spring, impervious to the elements.
I stood among them, for a time, enjoying their durability and a bit of whimsy as the sun danced across the seed heads. They are so out of place, yet right where they should be and I mean to return in the summer to see them in bloom.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 190mm
1/400 sec, f/10, ISO 250
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“I will not be just a tourist in the world of images, just watching images passing by which I cannot live in, make love to, possess as permanent sources of joy and ecstasy” – Anais Nin
It is a joy to experience, at the deeper level, some of the scenes I come across in my journey through life. Places my feet have travelled many times, at once become magical with the addition of the elements of light. It’s that particular moment when the sun shines between the trees in a winter afternoon can makes a simple forest into a wonderland of light and texture, and then, it’s gone, never to look quite the same again, except in that brief moment, as an image captured and remembered.
Above is an image of the forest along the shores of Fraser Lake, near Bancroft, Ontario. I’d spent most of the day snowshoeing through the forest trails and along the frozen lakeshores. Overnight, a wet snow had fallen and stuck to trees and grasses. A rapid daytime cooling preserved the effect well into the day. I was fortunate to be returning to camp by way of the Lone Pine trail when the scene presented itself to me.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 120mm
1/120 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250
For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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“When photographers get beyond copying the achievements of others, or just repeating their own accidental first successes, they learn that they do not know where in the world they will find pictures. Nobody does. Each photograph that works is a revelation to its supposed creator.” – Robert Adams
As the above quote articulates so nicely, I never know where a photograph may be waiting. All too often an image reveals itself and I don’t have my camera with me. Then there are the simple moments where some slight movement catches my eye and what has become instinct takes over. I’ve made a practice over the past few years to photograph in as many conditions as possible, to take what was at first, technical learning of what my equipment was capable of, and making it an automatic extension of me. This has enabled me to capture those things in my world that provoke thought and emotion and ponder on them further. Every one of these moments being an opportunity to expand my understanding of the world I live in.
I spent quite some time watching this little fellow flitting to and fro, in an Ojai California meadow, protecting his little patch of the world from intruders. He had an assortment of perches to choose from but always returned back to this one. Then he’d sit, for long periods, surveying his realm. There was not much happening during these quiet times and it made me wonder what thoughts must be going through his head.
Nikon D300
Nikor 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300 mm
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO100
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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