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“Everyday gratitude sweetens what appears flavorless and brightens all that appears dim.” ― Amy Leigh Mercree The floral photography adventure continues. As I keep making these images, I’m trying a few different techniques. In this instance, the blossoms were at the end of a long stalk. Including the stalk lengthwise made the photo, and the plant itself look awkward. So, I spun the plant around and photographed it end-on. A further challenge… Read More
“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” ― Octavia E. Butler This is where it all started, my work with black backgrounds, and it has taken me till now to finally photograph these wheat stalks. I had envisioned doing this several months ago. I went out and… Read More
“Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” ― Georgia O’Keeffe Today is a dull, grey day here. One of those days where it can’t figure out whether to rain or snow. So, what better way to brighten it up than with a flower. I spent a bit of… Read More
“It would seem from this fact, that man is naturally a wild animal, and that when taken from the woods, he is never happy in his natural state, ’till he returns to them again.” ― Benjamin Rush A brief post today of a digital painting I recently made of the cedar forest near Whitevale, Ontario. Despite the cold temperatures, warm sunlight glows from within the forest.
“Step back in perspective, open your heart and welcome transition into a new phase of life.” ― Linda Rawson I’ve been meaning to share this photo for a few weeks now. It was made back in December, when I was playing with some saved fall leaves. You see, back in October I came across many of these ‘undecided’ poplar leaves, half green and half yellow. I started referring to them as lemon-lime… Read More
“We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert This is one of my images made the last week of December. Conditions were ideal to be out on the trails, light was soft and warm, and the temperatures were comfortable. As I was on a few week’s vacation, I spent a lot of time on the trails, enjoying the wonderful sights… Read More
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ― W.B. Yeats This image was made yesterday morning, during the walk I mentioned yesterday. A little trace of soft, indirect sunlight brightens up the tree, warming up a cold December morning. I only made a few photos that day, though I was surrounded by a winter wonderland. That is something I have experienced a few other… Read More
“To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them.” ― Pierre-Auguste Renoir I’ve contemplated this image many times. The original photo was very dark. I was trying to capture this beautiful gorge, aptly named “The Gut“, near Apsley, Ontario this past summer. It’s a very challenging photo due to dark… Read More
“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” ― Laura Ingalls Wilder I could not resist taking a closer look at this poinsettia. As a child I’d often look at them, marvelling at the bright red petals, that are actually leaves, rather bracts (modified leaves), as they transition to green further down… Read More
“When you gaze out on a quiet, peaceful meadow, next to a still pond, under a motionless blue sky, you wonder how the noisy, busy cacophony of life could have arisen from such silent, motionless beginning.” – M. It would appear that I’ve gone to the birds, at least for a short time. The past few dull days have not offered much in the way of material to photograph, so I’ve gone… Read More
“Always be friendly, always be kind, Like the most beautiful flower that you can find.” ― Debasish Mridha This image is a switch back to some of my earlier floral images. I went back through older images that I have not had the opportunity to edit and found this one of a gerbera that was part of a larger floral arrangement. I had a hard time with this one, as the coral colour is… Read More
“I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche As I was reviewing my photos from the past few weeks, I kept glancing at this one, which at first seemed a bit dark for me. When I opened the thumbnail and looked closer it brought me back to the moment when… Read More
“Rather than crying and craving for those who left our path during dark moments of our life, let’s spend some time to thank those who stood and helped us to pass those dark paths.” ― Nehali Lalwani This image was made on a somewhat foggy morning. As the fog dissipated I came across this scene. Amidst a damp low area, filled with spruce and hemlock, stands a small grove of silver birch…. Read More
“Do you know how there are moments when the world moves so slowly you can feel your bones shifting, your mind tumbling? When you think that no matter what happens to you for the rest of your life, you will remember every last detail of that one minute forever?” ― Jodi Picoult As I mentioned on a previous post, I had the opportunity this past weekend to get back on the trails,… Read More
“If I am brave enough to stand against those who have been groomed by fear, I will recognize that where I get knocked down is all about where life begins, and has nothing to do with where it ends.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough Although not as bright and sunshiney as my previous images, this one still echoes the spirit of the forest and provides me with thoughts on life and my world. As… Read More
“Now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turnin’ gold And like the sky my soul is also turnin’ Turnin’ from the past, at last, and all I’ve left behind” ― Ray Lamontagne Image four in my “God-light” series. It still amazes me at how quickly a day can change. As I’ve said in previous posts, I was out for a brief walk, not expecting much to present itself… Read More
Why we love with close hearts Why we love with souls apart Let the love flow from hearts to souls, Let the world glow” ― Megha Khare For the past few years I have found great pleasure in creating these photo abstractions, all done in camera, no Photoshop blur effects. Several years ago, I was introduced to this technique by a photographer friend who did these for a brief period. She was… Read More
“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” ― Samuel Butler I’m not really sure what kind of berry this is. They look a bit like cranberries, but I suspect that is not the case. They came as a colour ‘filler’ in a bouquet of flowers I purchased for our Thanksgiving table. Of course, I had to pull it apart and make photos… Read More
“And that afternoon, as the sun slanted low through the changing autumn leaves, I remembered to savor the moment, soak in the beauty, breathe deeply and feel the immensity of God.” ― Cindee Snider Re The next component to nature’s fall palette around here is orange. Interestingly, when I got closer to this branch for a bright orange maple tree, I found a surprising amount of green and yellow, with patches of… Read More
“Just as a painter needs light in order to put the finishing touches to his picture, so I need an inner light, which I feel I never have enough of in the autumn.” ― Leo Tolstoy I’ve titled myself a ‘photo opportunist’ a few times. Really, it’s all about being prepared for any eventuality. This means knowing my gear, settings, and my surroundings. A lot has to do with experience, most bad… Read More
“We live beneath many layers. Some are for our protection, and some are for our control.” ― Russell Eric Dobda Generally, I stay away from ‘tight’ shots of flowers, preferring to show the entire blossom. This image is an exception. As I was composing some images of a Gerbera recently, I was really noticing the transition between the inner petals and the outer petals and how lovely that transition was. These “Fringes” pull… Read More
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” ― Lauren DeStefano One of the beautiful effects of autumn is the glow of sunlight through changing leaves. My son referred to it a few days a ago as “looking like stained glass”. There are times when the forest glows in surreal colours,… Read More
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L.M. Montgomery Sorry, a very short post today. It’s been a busy Thanksgiving weekend and I found myself with very little time to sit and write. Yet, I made a commitment to myself at the start of the year to do at least one post every day for the year. So, here it is…quickly assembled. Yet, I want to… Read More
“No living thing is ugly in this world. Even a tarantula considers itself beautiful” ― Munia Khan Yes, I know, very original title, but I could not get it out of my head. I was out for a few hours with my son last weekend, playing with a new Nikon 60mm macro lens, making photos of wildflowers with my portable setup, shown a few days ago. As we were hiking back out,… Read More
“There are just two directions in life, the one which is safe but boring, and the other which is delicate but exciting. Now ask yourself, which path will you go?” ― Joe Mari Fadrigalan Though not a wonderful specimen, there is still beauty here. I’ve actually spend the past week or so photographing flowers that were ‘recycled’ and a bit wilted. Yet, I still see beauty and those blossoms, for the most… Read More
“Whatever your passion is, keep doing it. Don’t waste time chasing after success or comparing yourself to others. Every flower blooms at a different pace. Excel at doing what your passion is and only focus on perfecting it. Eventually people will see what you are great at doing, and if you are truly great, success will come chasing after you.” ― Suzy Kassem Those who follow my blog will recognise some of… Read More
“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.” ― Isaac Asimov Something about fall that has always fascinated me is how slow decay, cooler temperatures, and a shorter period of daylight, can change a plant so dramatically. Recently I came across this dogwood in a local forest. Almost all the leaves show signs of decay, being thoroughly spotted and in some case, even perforated by decay. Then there are… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
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