“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
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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
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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
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The photo title says it all. An image of a pine tree reflected in an ice puddle on the trail.
Here we are, early February and much of the scant snowfall we’ve had has melted off, running into creeks or pooling in icy puddles. The light this day was wonderful and lit the pines up with a soft glow. It was this ‘glow’ that attracted me to look closely at the puddle and choose this composition. I felt it was a nice way to communicate the concept of the thaw by reflecting the tree in the puddle itself. As you can also see from the blue tones of the ice, it was a bright, blue-sky day. It’s a bit of a different shot for me but I was in the mood for experimentation. I’d value your comments.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm
1/160 sec, f/6.3 -0.67, ISO 250
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“Art is a kind of innate drive that seizes a human being and makes him its instrument. The artist is not a person endowed with free will who seeks his own ends, but one who allows art to realize its purpose through him.” ~Carl Gustav Jung
I am inspired by the art and writings of other creatives. That’s one of my reasons for blogging, connection to a larger community, people who see, muse, create, and share their experiences. The other reason is introspection. To reflect on my experiences. As expressed in the quote above, I want art to seize me and influence me. Art and creativity is a very real part of me that I require in this busy, technology, and anxiety filled world and I’m grateful for it, every day.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200m f/2.8 @200mm
1/320 sec, f/9.0 -0.33, ISO 250
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The title is a bit misleading, as the water is not frozen. I took the word frequencies from the delicate ripples in the water and the effect they had on the reflection. The image is actually inverted and I was debating leaving it that way. However, the composition I was envisioning is better communicated this way. You can see a little hint of the shoreline, still coated in ice and snow. The photo was best expressed in black and white with a slight Selenium toning to cool it down.
It has been a different winter here in Southern Ontario, Canada. It’s early February and there is little snow, days are moderate and most water bodies have at least some open water. Secord Pond, where this image was made, had a thin coating of ice, the remnant of a few colder weeks, but that’s changing too and a large patch of open water is now expanding.
This season has been a bit different for my photographically as well. Generally, I’d be out and about on snowshoes, making photos of snow covered pines and frosty landscapes, compensating for the bright reflection of snow and ice as I compose my images. While there is still some snow and ice, it’s patchy and the light soft and almost warm. It is becoming a learning experience, making non typical photos in a non typical winter.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 145mm
1/160 sec, f/6.3 -0.33, ISO 250
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A challenging composition. Part of the ‘trick’ to capturing the motion of water is to create a time exposure based on the speed of the water and the light available. I tend to do most of these earlier in the day, or late afternoon, when the sun is soft and indirect.
Last week I found myself, mid-day, looking at these wonderful scenes of water rushing past icy shores and trying to figure out how to take this home with me in photos. The challenge is being able to leave the shutter open long enough to create the nice motion blur without overexposing the snow and ice and losing all that texture. The additional challenge on this day was that I did not have a tripod with me and had to shoot hand-held at 1/8 seconds to get the effect I wanted and I force myself to shoot at 250 ISO as much as possible, to retain the ability to shoot as if I was using film.
I seem to have accomplished that in this photo and a few others I posted earlier. The water moves smoothly across the frame, the dappled sunlight reflects off the surface and lights up some of the rocks below the surface, yet you can still make out the details of the icicles and layers of snow along the shore. It was a wonderful feeling when I got home and saw the results of this outing.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 135mm
1/8 sec, f/32.0 -0.33, ISO 250
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The words “Seeing the extraordinary in everyday places.” has become a mantra for me. It resonates through my entire being. I’ve said before that I can’t seem to turn it off and would not want to.
As I walk the streets or hike the forest trails, I am able to see beauty almost everywhere. So, why would I want to turn that off. It becomes my connection with my Creator, a reminder of the marvelous detail that I miss when hurried. I revel in the quiet times, where it’s just me. Those solitary times are energizing for me, as I look around and notice a play of light, the soft motion of water, or plants in the breeze. Learning to effectively capture and sharing those moments bring me joy. As I sit and review my photos and try to put into words what that experience was like, I’m constantly reminded, that moment was in front of me to enjoy, a very brief part of an ongoing story in light, motion, and colour.
The inner creative in me likes to push boundaries and experiment with different ways of seeing things. I view other’s works, get inspired by images and words, to push my own boundaries and beliefs. As I share these experiments, I’m also sharing part of my journey, and opening an intimate part of my essence. Perhaps that journey resonates with others and brings them to the same place.
The image above is just such an experiment. I used an old Takumar 500mm f/5 lens that belonged to my father. For years I had considered selling it since it did not work with any of my cameras. Last week I acquired an adaptor that allowed me to use this lens for the first time in nearly thirty years. I had forgotten what a monster it is. Weighing in at nearly seven pounds and close to two feet long, this glass is not for the faint of heart and certainly not something I care to carry around on a regular basis.
I took it with me, along with a sturdy tripod, to Secord Pond, a small lake at a local conservation area. While it was nice to make long telephoto images, I really enjoyed the effects it had when photographing the shoreline plants reflected in the water. Above, are cat-tails, reflected in the gently rippling water.
Nikon D200
Takumar 500 mm f/5 @ 500mm
1/60 sec, f/5.0, ISO 200
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Moving water and the light playing of the waves. A few years ago, I started experimenting with different shutter speeds, trying to capture the movement well, without loosing details. The shutter speed needs to match the speed of the water or the image is too soft. Doing so in the winter is a particular challenge, since long exposures can blow out all the whites. That said, I like the soft winter light.
The photo above was made at Duffins Creek, in north Pickering, Ontario. Most of the river was frozen but there were a few open patches. This is a fairly tightly cropped view of one of those places.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 130 mm
1/8 sec, f/32.0, ISO 250
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This was an interesting phenomenon. With a change in temperature, the ice sheets had shifted and the water at this point of the river seemed to have to decide whether to go over the ice or under it. Most of the water went under the ice and seemed to pull at the surface water. The effect, which I tried to capture here, was a vortex of water which rotated on the surface before eventually being pulled under. It looks even nicer with the semi-transparent ice sheet which turned the surface water a slightly blue colour.
Idelly, I would have liked to do a longer time exposure, but I did not have a tripod with me and the sky was so bright that anything longer would have been blown out. I am happy with what I got.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 98 mm
1/8 sec, f/32, ISO 250
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Today, a break from ice water 🙂
I’ve driven past these trees on several occasions and could always see potential for a good photo, but the light has not been ideal. On this particular day, I think the conditions were just about right. It was a bit hazy and the sun reflected brightly from the upper branches. I fiddled with a few different styles for this image and it’s still not quite what I envisioned, but close. Maybe if I look at it long enough I’ll be inspired?
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 175 mm
1/125 sec, f/8.0, ISO 250
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Above is another photo of the winter waters of Duffins Creek, north of Pickering , Ontario. It seems the creek had frozen solid to the bottom recently, as water was flowing over the ice in many places.
This scene caught my attention as the sun revealed interesting aqua tones in the ice beneath the surface. The ice had tilted slightly, causing a bit of an ebb, or backflow, and created this wave that seems to be going against the current. The sunlit up the rocks under the water as well as the ice slab in the background. It was a great day for light and that makes my day. It’s not a grand cascade in the mountains, but it is beautiful, nonetheless. The magic is in the light and the details the light brings forth. In this case, I chose a faster shutter to freeze the wave above the ice slab, as a long exposure lost much the detail.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 135mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 250
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It appeared that the water was escaping from beneath the weight of the ice and dancing across the rocks and another more appropriate title did not come to mind.
The early afternoon light filtered through from behind me and lit up some of the rocks, creating a beautiful glow on the rocks under the fast moving water. Once more, I tried to convey the sense of movement and urgency by doing a long exposure. There will likely be more in this series over the next few days.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 78mm
1/8 sec, f/32, ISO 250
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I have to admit that I have been to these falls many times over the past few years, but never in winter. The falls are the result of a dam being build to keep and introduced species of trout from migrating too far upstream and eating the eggs of the native brown trout. I’ve posted a few photos of this dam in the past.
The winter scene is beautiful, especially in the right light, which I was blessed with on this visit. It has been particularly cold over the past few weeks, which created a substantial buildup of ice to almost the height of the dam, which is about 5 meters. If you look carefully at the top of the photo you can also see the water coming from under the ice covered pond above the dam
The light plays nicely through the columns of ice and I decided to challenge myself with a long exposure. The results are very satisfying.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @82mm
1/8 sec, f/32, ISO 250
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I love the movement of water. So, on my visit to Yosemite in 2013, I spent a good portion of my time hiking the shores of the many creeks and cascades throughout the park. Tenaya Creek, pictured above, parallels the Mirror Lake Loop trail and there are many opportunities, close to the trail, to view and photograph the creek as it churns down toward the main valley. What makes it even more beautiful, is the effect of the large granite boulders that litter the creekbed. The water churns over and around these boulders with such power and urgency. Close to my home the creeks are small, slow flowing meanders filled with small rounded rocks, with very little colour.
The mountain cascades, in contrast, are fast flowing, crystal clear and flow over pink and gray boulders. It’s much more active and colourful.
Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 70mm
1/2 sec, f/29, ISO 280
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Ed Lehming Photography 
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