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“Light, glorious light. It shapes my world and fills the dark places with joyous brightness” – Ed Lehming I’m returning to my California series with this image, made on a mountainside overlooking northern Napa Valley. Despite the dull and rainy conditions, occasional splashes of light occasionally brightened the day. The contrast between the shadow and brightness was glorious! In this peaceful scene, the wildflowers fill the foreground as the sun bathes the… Read More
“As the day fades to memory, the final moments are often the most glorious. Light and dark intermingle and colours deepen before fading to blue and muted orange, and finally, darkness. Leaving only the memory of a glorious summer day.” – Ed Lehming This will be my final image in this series. Fittingly, it is an image of the final moments of sunlight playing in the tall pines. It has been a… Read More
“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
“We live ‘between’. There is always before and after, but we are between when we are in the present. ” – Ed Lehming In the present, we experience everything that the world has to offer. All that has passed fades to memory and all that lies ahead is an unknown. This image was part of a series of shots I made two days ago as I was driving home from a friend’s… 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
“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” – Leonardo da Vinci I set out to create a macro image of a Calla Lily which recently appeared in one of my flower pots. I say appeared because I did not plant it, so the rhizome must have already been present in the soil. It was a pleasant… Read More
“The days get longer, clocks go forward, and the sun blesses us with a bit more light each day; spring is on our doorstep.” – Ed Lehming While I have been spending a lot of my time on the trails in the mornings, there is also something to be said for the late afternoons as well. There is a soft, warm quality to the light, which I enhanced here through the application… Read More
“When the elements come together in perfect alignment, the scene is transformed into a thing of incredible beauty. You just have to be there when it happens to truly appreciate it.” – Ed Lehming I have made many images of this point along a local hiking trail. I’m drawn to the accentuated vanishing point in the distance and the way the pines line up, particularly on the right-hand side. There is also… 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
“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
“In a single day, the world is transformed, gray foggy days are now filled with the brightness of new fallen snow. December has touched my world and I rejoice in it.” – Ed Lehming It’s difficult to describe a scene like this and even more difficult to chose a single image from a day that filled me with such delight, especially since the days preceding it were dull and rain-filled. Those few… Read More
“I was drinking in the surroundings: air so crisp you could snap it with your fingers and greens in every lush shade imaginable offset by autumnal flashes of red and yellow.” – Wendy Delsol This was a bit of a surprise composition. As I looked into the forest all I could see was layers and layers of muted colour and bright patches of light. I saw the potential of a nice image… Read More
“The sun caught the remaining crimson leaves of the blackberry bush, reflecting it like a bright red beacon in the shadows.” – Ed Lehming It’s a fairly common occurrence, this time of year, to see a bright splash of colour caught in the sun. With the many beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds combined with the low, soft sunlight, these colours show up in strong contrast to the darker background of the forest…. Read More
“With the morning sun at my back, light blazed above me, lighting the trail ahead with golden warmth.” – Ed Lehming I can’t seem to get enough of autumn, as snow now begins to fall and swirl around outside. I was very fortunate to have the ability to spend longer periods of time on the local trails just as fall was coming into its full splendour. Even the photo above, made only… 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
“Returning to a memorable place is so refreshing, but we should not dwell there. Life has so many new memories for us to make.” – Ed Lehming I did want to revisit this place and moment one last time. As I mentioned in a previous post, this is one of those opportunities we need to take whenever possible. It was a peripheral image that I made time to experience and I continue… 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
“A common sight in the right light suddenly becomes beautiful.” – Ed Lehming I’ve passed this shed countless times and it barely registers. It’s just an old shed along the road near my home. It’s commonplace and a bit weather-worn. A few evenings ago, as we walked to a local restaurant for diner with friends the early evening light changed the entire appearance of the shed. It glowed in the soft evening… Read More
“Nature’s gifts are always fleeting. These moments must be savoured while we can, and then the moment is gone, leaving only fond memories and dreams for tomorrow.” – Ed Lehming Alas, the final days of the wake-robin are at hand. These flowers which have brought me so much joy this summer are fading fast, with only a few intact specimens remaining. What the sun has not dried and the wind and rain… Read More
“The simple gift of light is all the more precious when in the presence of its companion, darkness.” – Ed Lehming This tulip blossom has provided me a few interesting images. Considering that the photo was made in early evening, with a room filled with light and simply setting my camera to expose to the brightest part of the flower. The background fades to a deep blue in strong contrast to the… Read More
“Even in the darkness and the tangles of life, light seems to find its way to us.” – Ed Lehming This image was made in January, during a family vacation to Mexico. I was experimenting with my deliberate camera movement (DCM) technique using the jungle foliage as my subject. It’s a bit different than the forests in my area as the jungle is quite tight compared to the wider spaces of hardwood… Read More
“Enter March with caution, it may seem calm and quite but the month can surprise the unprepared with surprising fury, all is not as it seems in the moment. – Ed Lehming It’s been quite a change since my last outing at the end of February. The snow remains, but warm and sunny days followed and the snow now lies deep and wet, and packed, making the trails easier to walk, without… Read More
“The days of February’s end are unpredictable, often dull and snow filled. Yet, in the right conditions glimpses of spring light brighten the days.” – Ed Lehming There is a certain magic in late February. A spring nears, the sun rises ever so slightly higher in the sky. Beams of warm light penetrate the forest, probing into what was just weeks ago a dull and shaded glade. This warm sunshine lights up… 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
“Nature is filled with cycles, as one thing passes from this world, another is ready to take its place. Each eager for it’s time in the sun” – Ed Lehming I find myself returning to this place frequently, primarily because of the stark contrasts i find here. The hillside is filled with several standing dead pine trees. By the bleached look of them and the deterioration of the bark, I’d say they… Read More
“Golden light beams forth from the hillsides behind the tall pines, competing with the sunshine at my side; a competition for my attention.” – Ed Lehming This is a scene very typical of a local conservation area that I hike on a regular basis. Every visit I make offers some new scene of beauty that make me wonder if I had simply missed it on a prior passing. There is something along… 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
“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
“It’s the unexpected beauty in the most commonplace that often surprises us” – Ed Lehming This has been the nature of winter in my region. The days warm and cool rapidly, causing condensation and wonderful frost patterns on windows. The window here happens to be right next to my desk, so I see the patterns change on a regular basis. It’s especially nice in late afternoon, when the low sun shines between… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
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