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“There are time when we just need to ‘pause’, and in that time, we can be filled with the most beautiful of things.” – Ed Lehming As I took my own ‘pause’ at lunch today, I was greeted by this unexpectedly stunning scene as I rounded a corner. The real joy in this image is that this is likely to be the last day with mild weather for some time and the… Read More
“The colours of Autumn turn the world into a wonderland of colour, sound, and scent. There are times when I feel that I have left reality and entered the land of fables.” – Ed Lehming As I beheld the scene before me I was filled with an absolute sense of awe. The mid-afternoon sunlight filled the forest with a soft and wondrous display of light and colour. I literally felt like I… Read More
“Slowly and subtly , the colours of the world shifted. The bright greens of summer transformed to gold and copper, as the autumn breeze rustled in the tree tops high above. The warm glooming of the summer forest filled with a soft light that brought vigour to my spirit as I partook in the forest freshness.” – Ed Lehming I truly love autumn. Though it’s a time when the forest begins preparations for… Read More
“Summer walks along the creek, the sun playing among the drifting clouds, and life, in full force all around me.” – Ed Lehming Today I spent a day just being; taking things easy and simply letting the day flow. The day started cool and overcast. The forecast called a mix of sun and cloud, which soon became cool showers. The showers eventually cleared and yielded a wonderful soft light which made for… Read More
“Spaces high and low, previously wide open and empty, are now filled with deep green leaves, as the forest breathes in the warming air.” – Ed Lehming It seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. The forest suddenly transformed from the bright greens and yellows of spring to the deep greens of summer. Places where I could see deep into the woods a few days ago are now a wall… Read More
“Bright puddles of green foliage adorned the otherwise dull forest floor. Above them float delicate white stars, pure and bright; an elixir to the winter weary soul.” – Ed Lehming I try to make it a point not to revisit the same subject matter too often, but there is something about star flowers the touches something very deep inside me. As I consider the images I’ve made over the past few days,… Read More
“Nature amazes me still. Some changes are so gradual that you barely notice them while others happen in the blink of an eye.” – Ed Lehming Last week I took a much needed break at lunch and headed for a quick walk through the woods at North Walker Woods. For those who follow regularly, you will know that this is a place I like to go to quite frequently. It’s close to… Read More
“Spring is like the opening of a window on a bright sun-filled day. Freshness replaces the stale air and fills us with energy and promise.” – Ed Lehming Ferns are a real pleasure to watch in the spring. Seeing them gently unroll on the forest floor is an active part of the spring. For me, it symbolizes the season so well. It’s a gradual, carefully timed. and repeated process. This image captures… Read More
“Delicate white flowers hover above the deep green leaves as the next wave of spring flowers emerges, replacing trilliums and bloodroot. The canopy overhead thickens, and filters the light that makes it to the forest floor. Starflowers now add drops of brilliant white into the deepening gloom of the undergrowth.” – Ed Lehming As the trilliums mature and fade to soft pinks and magenta, the forest floor is once more transformed. The… Read More
“A blanket of white blossoms flowed across the forest floor in an endless sea of trilliums that filled my vision with it’s beauty.” – Ed Lehming This spring, I set out on a few occasions, hoping to get some spring wildflower images and after a few fairly disappointing visits the forest erupted with trilliums like I have never experienced before. I think this is primarily due to the cool, wet weather conditions… Read More
“What season is it?, I ask. The cooler parts of the forest are still a bit subdued compared to others, with just a blush of colour, a snapshot in the forest’s story.” – Ed Lehming Over the span of a week and a few kilometers of trail, there are vast differences in how quickly parts of the forest mature at this time of year. In stark contrast to the wildflowers and bright… Read More
“Along forest paths, bright wildflowers dance in the gentle breeze, and an ever changing dance of colours, fragrances, and textures.” – Ed Lehming This spring has been a joy for me, as I really enjoy the multitude of spring ephemerals. Those first few green leaves and bright flowers are such a welcoming sight after months of snow and dull days. What I have found most enjoyable is the experience of discovering new… Read More
“Preparations are underway, chlorophyll fills the cells, rust turns to green, and leaves mature, ready to feed hungry trees, and produce oxygen.” – Ed Lehming Spring is truly underway when the slight yellow and rusty new growth turns deep green. As the leaves develop, the emergent colours fade, ever so slowly, except to those who are with them regularly. The cycle continues, largely unnoticed by most these days, but when you spend… Read More
“Opening ferns in spring remind me of that first stretch when waking up. You can almost hear them yawning after their long rest” – Ed Lehming It’s a joy to watch the grand opening of the forest, that time of year that we have named spring. The plants seem to be in a race to see which one can reach the highest, the fastest. Ferns are no exception to this. For the… Read More
“High above, the raven skims the treetops, gliding silently on wings of dark silk” – Ed Lehming After some time in the woods of Secord Forest, a local conservation area, I emerged into the brightness of an overcast sky and watched two ravens circling above me. After awhile they both perched at the top of trees near the forest edge and began ‘talking’ to each other. Those familiar with ravens will know… Read More
“The vibrant greens and rust of new foliage competed with the pure white of the forest floor, carpeted in Trilliums” – Ed Lehming Over the past few days, which have remained cool and slightly overcast, I’ve taken advantage of my proximity to the local forests to spend my lunches on the trails simply enjoying the beauty of the spring forest. Everywhere new life is appearing and the cool spring is taking it… Read More
“Life and colour emerged from the ground with such abundance, you could fairly hear the leaves rustling with activity.” – Ed Lehming I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love this time of year, when wildflowers erupt from the carpet of dull brown leaves. Within a few days, the dull and seemingly lifeless forest floor is festooned with colour. Among the first, in my area, are the delicate Sharp… Read More
“Through our dark times, if we have eyes open in hope, we can see glimpses of what might be, in what was.” – Ed Lehming The beautiful brightness of beech leaves in winter, and early spring for that matter is always a welcome sight. Even on the dullest snow-filled days, they glow with soft gold, a reminder of the rich colours of autumn. The sun, even in limited amounts, makes them seem… Read More
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” ― Jim Bishop I know, I’m a bit behind. This image was made on December 20th of last year. This image keeps popping up as I review my photos and I knew that I wanted to post it at some point soon. That time has now come. This is actually an odd image in that the leaves are actually compressed by… Read More
“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.” – Herman Hesse As I start into 2019, I can’t but help reflecting on the profound influence trees have on me. I spend so much time among them, feeling their energy, sheltered under their… Read More
“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” ― William Blake Today, a brief reprieve from my my Iceland series, which is not nearly complete. Yesterday, as the early snowfalls… Read More
“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” ― William Blake As I walk the local trails, I’m often quite aware that, at some point, the trailblazers and foresters had… Read More
“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” ― Pat Conroy This image, while slightly darker than some of my prior posts, represents so well my typical experiences on the trail; bright sunshine streams between the branches light above, the canopy has a slight yellow tinge, as the days shorten, there are… Read More
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin Scenes like this are one of the reasons I hike. I’ve referred to these dappled pools of light as “God-Light”, to quote C.S. Lewis. These small patches of golden light, like pools of energy seem to appear on all but the most overcast days. They are but one… Read More
“Nothing ever really goes away–it just changes into something else. Something beautiful.” ― Sarah Ockler I was debating the title for this image of a spent cicada pupa. I recall seeing thousands of them in the pine forests just outside Atlanta, Georgia a few years ago. We arrived for an event and the campground we were staying at seemed overrun with emerging cicadas. Every tree was covered in these little alien carapaces. To… Read More
“Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. Work’s important, family’s important, but without excitement, you have nothing. You’re cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what’s coming.” ― Nicholas Sparks Part of the enjoyment I get from hiking is the anticipation, the ‘unknown’ about what’s around the next bend. Though I’ve hiked these trails for years now, there is always something new to discover. On days where I feel uninspired,… Read More
“In this hour, I do not believe that any darkness will endure.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien As my journey through the September forests continued the forest and light varied significantly, this is the nature of forests in this area. This constant change offers many opportunities for photos, or simply to stand still for a few moments, enjoying the light playing through the leaves. In small patches, birch trees brighten up the forest with their… Read More
“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness — just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us… Read More
“We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost.” ― Heny Rollins It struck me, as I considered this image, that the day I made it started out cool and calm, and gradually became quite warm breezy. Sometimes, we miss those gradual changes, even in the span of a few hours, let alone days. That gradual change also aligns to the theme… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
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