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“We see so much, along the way. So much of our experience is casual observation. When we take the time to really see things, spend time with them, that is where true beauty is found. But, that requires us to pause in our journey and appreciate those moments that would just fade to faint memory” – Ed Lehming This image is a continuation of my recent series, all photographed within a few… Read More
“Like pillars of fire, the pines on the roadside rose in blazing brilliance, beckoning, ‘Come watch, as we capture and play with the sun’s last kiss’ ” – Ed Lehming As we drove home from an early evening visit to an artist friend’s home and some great music and conversation, a flash of brilliance caught my attention along the roadside. The sun was just setting, yet the tall pines where ablaze above… Read More
“Into the woods I venture, always pleased when I encounter new and unexpected sights.” – Ed Lehming I was pleased to be back on the forest trails again today. Last weekend was a tough hike, with melting snow and slush making ever step an adventure in balance, even with my cleats on. Today, the forest floor was coated with a fresh coat of snow and temperatures and re-frozen the slush of last… Read More
“On my forest journeys, the trees are my constant companions. Their aspect changes, depending on how you see them. They are the same, but appear different. Perspective changes everything.” – Ed Lehming I have avoided this type of shot because it seems a bit ‘put on’. I look at these images on web sites and Instagram with some interest but tend not to spend much time with them. A few days ago,… Read More
“When we can find joy in the commonplace, we can endure almost anything.” – Ed Lehming There was a quality to this scene that made me stop and pause. As with many of the images I make, it’s the simple act of appreciating the commonplace, the things most would pass by without a notice, that allows me to appreciate just how wonderful the natural world can be, and just how much that… Read More
“Around the next bend, the forest glowed in rusty orange, inviting me forward from the snow-filled pines. It truly feels like a time of fire and ice.” – Ed Lehming As I sit and write this post, the world outside my window is filled with ever deepening snowfall. A major winter storm came in last night and continues this afternoon. So far, over 40 cm have fallen, and though the end is… Read More
“Among the shadows of the cold forest, the winter beeches shine with unexpected light, filling the darkness with brightness and joyful energy.” – Ed Lehming Today I’m sharing another image from yesterday’s frigid hike to Walker Woods, a large forested tract close to home that I visit often. The forest itself is largely ‘plantation’ red pines.That is to say, pine trees that have been planted to reestablish lands that had been largely… Read More
“As winter’s touch fills the days, November’s light holds the final memories of autumn’s warmth.” – Ed Lehming Once more, I have chosen to digitally enhance an image to bring a bit more mood to the image. The image itself was created just around noon when the sun lines up with the forest trail, creating a wonderful column of sunlight that brightens the trail as well as the trees that line the… Read More
“It’s late November and though it’s still autumn, winter’s first whispers hint at snowy days to come as frost clings to slender branches and the world prepares once more for its winter slumber.” – Ed Lehming I recently realized that it has been many months since I have posted here. I really can’t recall the event that led to my absence but I have been making photos all along, I simply have… Read More
“It’s spring, the forest bugs have begun their cycle: eat, poop, breed.” – Ed Lehming As I’ve noted quite a few times, their are so many details that we miss on casual observation, especially if what we are observing is unexpected to start with. I was out making photos of local wildflowers a few weeks back and happened to notice an unusual shimmer of metallic blue next to the Bloodroots I was… Read More
“Nothing matches spring’s first colours; bright greens, yellows, and reds fill the forest with freshness and joy.” – Ed Lehming I do tend to spend a lot of time looking forward and down, hoping to discover some new wildflower. On this day, I looked up and was greeted by a virtual ‘fruit-salad’ of spring colour. In the foreground, oaks in red flower and in the distance maples. This spring flush is also… Read More
“Every spring, the cycle of growth begins in a similar way: flat and dull leaf litter, the first small green shoots, followed by the bright and tiny faces of the Spring Beauties. So hard to spot, but a joy when found. Spring has arrived to the forest floor.” – Ed Lehming This tiny, often missed, spring ephemeral is what I look for as soon as the temperatures warm. It’s the first flower… Read More
“A sure sign of spring is the time the reptiles emerge from hibernation, each assessing their environment, and seeking a first meal.” – Ed Lehming I know there are many who are not big fans of snakes, but to me they are all part of the natural world, participants in the local eco-system. As spring ramps up, larger and larger forest dwellers start to show up. It started with small flies and… Read More
“Water slowly percolates from the ground, joining with spring run off. Drop by drop, a meander is formed, winding gently through the valley, nourishing all along her shores.” – Ed Lehming This sun-filled valley represented more elements of my hike this past Thursday. The water, freshly emerged from a wetland spring behind me shimmers with life and energy. I can almost hear its gentle babbling in the photo; blue skies reflected on… Read More
“The forest shifts and bends gently towards spring, each curve in the trail revealing a bit more earth along the icy edges of the trail. Distant hills, still snow covered, await the sunlight, so that they too can partake in the transformation.” – Ed Lehming I really do enjoy this time of year. With the proper gear, the icy trails are easy to navigate and it’s such a pleasure to be able… Read More
“Bright sunlight streams from above as the spring sun rises higher into the sky, it’s light intensified by the remaining snow and ice. I stand. transfixed as nature reveals its beauty, yet again.” – Ed Lehming I stood in this spot for close to half an hour, simply drinking it in. I noticed the bright sunshine filling this scene from the trail and stepped into the forest by a few meters to… Read More
“Droplets of orange hang on fragile branches laden with heavy snow, like splashes of sunshine, competing for my attention with the white brightness of the new fallen snow” – Ed Lehming As I consider winding down my recent series of re-imagined photos, I keep coming across a few gems that I had overlooked, most of them featuring beech trees and their glorious winter foliage. They seem to have become my focus over… Read More
“Winter lingers and takes its toll, slowly drying and fading even the most tenacious foliage. My beloved beeches are no exception. Day by day, their colour also succumbs to the elements, but faded and weather worn, they still hold on, awaiting their spring replacements.” – Ed Lehming I’m starting to feel like this beech tree, hanging on, awaiting spring and the promise of relief from the cold of winter and the isolation… Read More
“The new day greets me with bright sunshine, long shadows, and a bite in the air to remind me that winter is not yet concluded.” – Ed Lehming I continue in my morning walks, still not tiring of the wonders the forest has to offer me. Each day just feels ‘fresh’. Some days are fresher than others; even though we have entered March and there has been a brief respite in chilly… Read More
“Though diminutive to their surrounding neighbours, the small spruces have the potential to be so much more” – Ed Lehming In keeping with yesterday’s post on Transition, I’m including another interpretation of a recent image along the same theme. Especially in winter, the small spruce groves which grow within and beside the much larger plantation pines make for interesting image which tell a bit of a story about the forest itself. The… Read More
“In the space between old and new, a transition takes place, the path I follow puts me between both and I can partake in both without having to chose” – Ed Lehming This is another very familiar scene to me, transformed into something slightly different. The trail depicted here runs along the edge of a plantation pine forest. The forest slopes gently to the north, with the trail running westward, creating an… Read More
“The bright beeches that I encounter along the way serve as reminders of bright warm autumns and offer the promise of better days.” – Ed Lehming I have chosen to re-interpret yet another of the images I made this past week. In this scene, the trail is bordered on both sides by bright orange-leaved beech trees, bathed in morning sunlight. The beeches have always fascinated me in how they retain their leaves… Read More
“Every journey has a beginning. What that journey has to bring, is an unknown, but our attitude in starting the journey often has a great impact on the outcome. I chose hope.” – Ed Lehming In keeping with my photographic experiments, I have digitally enhanced this one as well. It brings me great joy to see what some of my everyday scenes transform into. The image I chose today is a few… Read More
“Hints of colour on crisp winter days inspire me to look for more, to imagine the world alight with brightness” – Ed Lehming I’ve found myself stretching and experimenting with my photos lately, not satisfied with the image, “as-is” but wanting to expand it, to glean more than the base photo offers me. I’m taking the bright elements of the photo; the bright birch bark, the warm orange and copper of the… Read More
“Winter hikes on cold days offer me time for quiet reflection, bright sunshine, and solitude” – Ed Lehming More and more, I find myself our hiking on even the coldest days. As the COVID pandemic continues to affect our world I’m finding the natural places around me to have become ‘discovered’ by more and more people trying to get outside and active. This has meant that the once quiet places I have… Read More
“Even on the coldest February days, signs of life appear in the forest” – Ed Lehming A walk in the winter forest is something I have always appreciated, but many times it has been in complete silence. There are no sounds of birdsong in the air, missing is the rattle of woodpeckers, and the distant caws of crows high above me. There is no movement and the forest sits silent, seemingly devoid… Read More
“In the forest, old is replaced by new. The old growth shelters the new, yielding just enough light to allow it to thrive, while still protecting it.” – Ed Lehming This image was inspired simply by what I thought was an interesting winter composition. Freshly fallen snow from the day before covered the young spruce trees in a planted grove of red pine. It also caused my to dig a bit more… Read More
“Even the most mundane can become a thing of beauty, if we but expect it” – Ed Lehming Surprisingly, this is my first post this year and the first in over a month. That’s highly unusual for me, but I have found myself terribly uninspired lately. I’m finding the lack of face to face interaction with people is affecting me in ways I had not expected, being a largely solitary and private… Read More
“There are times to rest and times to keep going, it’s good to have a choice.” – Ed Lehming I’m still working through photos I made over two weeks ago on that magical December second morning. The overwhelming beauty of that day is still with me, though I’ve travelled these trails several times since that. The way the freshly fallen snow transformed the world that day was indescribable. The trail, within Uxbridge,… Read More
“As winter approaches, remnants and reminders of autumn persist, adding colour to the gradual toning down to winter whites.” – Ed Lehming This image was a fortunate combination of two factors: convenient compositional angle and a very wide aperture on my new Iphone 12 Pro. The compositional angle is due to me trying to get the cluster of leaves lined up to my satisfaction, which put all the stems behind the leaves… Read More
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