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“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
“All too often we are so focused on cautiously watching our step that we fail to look up and ahead to see the bigger picture right there in front of us.” – Ed Lehming My hikes and photography are something I really enjoy and every now and then, an image, like this one, will confront me with a perspective to consider. As I walk through the forests, I spend a lot of… Read More
“Thick soft snow blankets the landscape with its brightness. Distant shadows flee as the forest is filled with light.” – Ed Lehming The images I’m sharing were all made on the same amazing day over a week ago. Each one a wonderful memory of the incredible beauty we find our world filled with, even in what feels like dark times. I’m so grateful for these days of brightness and hope. As we… Read More
“The new fallen snow filled the trees that surround this quiet pond and the sun cast long shadows over it’s freshly frozen surface.” – Ed Lehming I have passed this pond through all seasons, usually stepping off the main trail to stand on its shores, as have so many others. The pond fills a small bowl in the landscape. It’s always a peaceful place to sit quietly and enjoy the sun playing… Read More
“Sunshine beamed between the plantation pines, making the snow-laden branches glow with an ethereal light against the dark tree trunks.” – Ed Lehming As I continue with my early December series of images, I remain amazed at the seemingly endless beauty of that day. Scenes shift from bright white trails to images like this, still bright, but contrasted with the darker parts of the forest. One of the things that made these… Read More
“I enter December with hope and delight. The dull days of late November are past and the bright snowfall of December cheers my soul.” – Ed Lehming The journey down December trails continues as I keep taking pleasure in reviewing my photos from my December 2nd hiie through a local conservation area. As is evidenced in the photo, I was not alone and several others had enjoyed the trails before my arrival… Read More
“Before me, the beech blazed in bright golds, shimmering as the gentle breeze caressed the snow laden leaves. The world was wide awake and filled with joyous energy and brilliance.” – Ed Lehming It appears this series will be continuing for a while, I have so many wonderful images from this gorgeous December morning earlier this week. I thought I had captured plenty of wonderful scenes during this hike and was mere… Read More
“Delicious autumn, I could revel in her warmth and colours for months and not get tired of it. Like a leaf suspended above the ground, I move in her breezes, lost in her splendour.” – Ed Lehming Such a simple thing, yet so much a part of the whole experience. This maple leaf, caught by chance on a cedar branch, hangs suspended above the forest floor, warm autumn light making it glow… Read More
“I stand on the edge, that place between light and shadow, where the darkness prevails and light is mere steps away. I choose the light.” – Ed Lehming I have stood in this place many times. It’s a place of transition, the place where thick forest opens into a bright meadow. As you approach this place, even on the dullest day, there is always a strong contrast between the forest and the… Read More
“There are few things more soothing than the bright colours of autumn and a handful of bright, warm days. It feels like the world around us is beaming with joy and it’s contagious.” – Ed Lehming I continue to review the images I made on my many autumn hikes. Today, I look on a drab, rainy, and dull landscape, so reflecting back on the colour and light of recent weeks is refreshing…. Read More
“Autumn is like that final concentrated burst at a fireworks display; it’s like the forest has been saving up for that one spectacular grand finale.” – Ed Lehming It’s hard to believe that a mere two weeks has passed since I made this image. It was the second week of ‘fall’ proper. The prior week still had lots of greens and yellows and the canopy was still quite dense. On this day,… Read More
“Before me spread a carpet of freshly fallen leaves, pristine and undisturbed, like a ribbon of gold, drawing me forward into the serenity of the autumn forest.” – Ed Lehming This past weekend was a magical time, on several levels; frost had settled into the forests, causing leaves to fall rapidly as the sun warmed the trees, creating a thick and aromatic carpet of colour, and it was also the first time… Read More
“Tiny hints of purple between the undergrowth draw me in. Wild geraniums are beginning to bloom as the forest darkens under a thickening canopy of leaves.” – Ed Lehming I still recall vividly the first time I discovered these beautiful little blooms along a forest trail. At first, easy to overlook, but once you see them they seem to be in every nook and cranny. Not knowing what they were, I took… Read More
“Small white stars dot the deep green carpet of the forest floor, a private constellation of purity.” – Ed Lehming Starflower (Lysimachia borealis) was what I set out to photograph earlier this week. To my dismay, the hot dry weather had accelerated their blooms and I only found a few still flowering. But it was not a total loss, the few that remained were still in good condition and I was able… Read More
“Columbines in the lush green forest is a sure sign that summer is on our doorstep.” – Ed Lehming As I set out for a hike recently, to photograph Starflowers, I was surprised to find an early patch of wild columbines. Most were in the shadow of the forest but a few dangled like faery bells in the sunshine. These perennial flowers are always a delight and are so different in structure… Read More
“Words often fail to describe the feelings that our environment brings. How do I adequately share the joy of a spring forest? Art provides a medium to share my world.” – Ed Lehming There are many time where I see a scene before me that is absolutely raw and emotionally beautiful. I try to share these scenes these scenes through my photographs, but there are times where even this is inadequate. In… Read More
“The forest fills with fresh green growth, as the cycle of growth begins anew, and with it, the inevitable return of insects.” – Ed Lehming This image is now approaching a week old and represents the first solid growth of beech leaves in my area. On previous posts I have commented on the cool and dry spring we’ve had. Two weeks ago it snowed. Then seemingly overnight the temperature climbed into the… Read More
“Like a deep exhale, a flush of bright green, dotted with trilliums sweeps over the forest floor” – Ed Lehming It’s a remarkable event to see unfold, even over the span of a few days. A mere two weeks ago snow was falling in the forest, the air was chill and only a few hearty plants poked from the cold ground. Now the air has changed, the snow is a memory and… Read More
“The days warm and forest paths call me into the depths of nature, I am home again.” – Ed Lehming The forest floor is now flush with green and visible life returns once more. Thought the trees are still bare I can see a fine haze od green and yellow high above me. It will be mere days till the canopy forms anew. Narrow paths draw me forward to explore new places… Read More
“Nature’s gatherings; nothing by chance; each with purpose” – Ed Lehming As I spend more time on the trails, more and more patterns become noticeable to me, what once seemed random, begins to fit into patterns. Such is the case with early spring blossoms, one follows the next in a steady, often cautious progression. It begins with the first few leaves unfurling from the forest litter of leaves, each plant slowly reaching… Read More
“The cycle continues, winter leads to spring and the ground drinks in the warmth of the brightening sunshine. Traces of winter remain as distant memories” – Ed Lehming Nowadays I’m even more appreciative of the beautiful outdoor spaces so close to home. It also helps that the snow and ice is gradually receding. Not gone,as there were some quite treacherous stretches that made me happy to have my ‘icers’ on. But, there… Read More
“What lies ahead? We seldom know the details, but we anticipate, hoping for the best.” – Ed Lehming As February transitions to March, I am keenly aware of the subtle changes in the forest. The light is a bit warmer and softer than it has been for far too long, there are more birds flitting about in the branches high above. There is more movement and the sounds are different. Even the… Read More
“Light and shadow compete in the changing light just as the warm and cool air swirls within the March forest, each seeking dominion at this time of transition.” – Ed Lehming For this image I set out to try something very different from my usual style. First of all, I shot the image in mono, getting the light and shadow to balance just right after several failed attempts. Second, I shot a… Read More
“Familiar paths beckon us forward. Though familiar, there is always something new or changed, if we take the time to notice.” – Ed Lehming I find myself on the same trails many times. Often I wonder what more they can offer me as I set out. Every time, there is something new. It may be that I have come at a different time of day and the light has changed. It may… Read More
“There are a few precious days in February when hints of spring float in the air.” – Ed Lehming I’m continuing with a series of photos I made last weekend while hiking local trails. These are the final few days of February and I was glad to have two wonderfully mild and bright days to be on the trails. As I mentioned earlier, I had a repeat injury to my knee which has… Read More
“Floating in a soft sea of snow, the forest weathers the drifting tide of whiteness that surrounds them.” – Ed Lehming As I composed this image I was struck by the illusion of movement in the snow as it followed the contours of the forest floor. By adding just a bit more movement than I normally do, the illusion is enhanced further and the snow takes on the appearance of soft liquid… Read More
“The surprises light offers are endless” – Ed Lehming Today’s image has a direct connection to the one I posted yesterday. Namely, the interesting colours that winter can offer. This is the first image I made as I embarked on a 6 km hike at a local conservation area. I used my standard camera setting for my deliberate camera movement pans, but this image was slightly overexposed. I would normally have deleted… Read More
“Movement. The forest is not a static thing. It’s alive and beckons me into it.” – Ed Lehming An experiment in movement that I played with recently. I’ve been doing vertical pan photos for some time and have them down to pure muscle memory and the sound of the shutter ‘slap’. Here, I introduced movement by zooming in as I made the image. My standard shutter speed of 1/4 second remains the… Read More
“Autumn, the final brilliant show of the trees I have know all summer. Shine brightly, fill my senses, for I will miss you in the chill of winter and remember your beauty fondly.” – Ed Lehming It seems to me that the annual autumn show of colours was particularly bright this year. Birches competed with the beeches in their bright tones of yellow and orange. Even the light reflecting from the tree… Read More
“Within the autumn forests, trees put on a final brilliant show of colours to brighten our days as the days shorten and sunlight fades” – Ed Lehming Can you imagine an autumn without colour? An autumn where the days simply become darker and the leaves drop to the ground as dried green husks? Thankfully, that is not the case and as days become shorter and the temperatures cool there is still the… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
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