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“Like the welcome of a warm fire, the beech trees glow in winter’s sunlight” – Ed Lehming The wonder of beech trees keeps my attention. As I review recent images, they always make me look twice. In this ‘re-imagined’ image, a particularly bright beech dominates the scene. What I have found most interesting, apart from the fact that beech hold most of their leaves all winter long, is the diversity in pigmentation…. Read More
“In the hills giant oaks Fall upon their knees You can touch parts You have no right to” ― Kay Ryan There is simply no other way to describe this intergrown cluster of four massive oak trees that grow along a trail I hike frequently. The cluster breaks evenly into four trunks that grow independently, all the same size. Trees must be eighty to a hundred years old, based on their size. It… Read More
“The art of writing is not as solitary as one might think. When it finally dawns on us one day that our task as writers is to share what we know of the human spirit, we suddenly discover that we were never truly alone.” ― Hal Zina Bennett I’m following up my Monochrome Mondays post with the colour version of the same image. While it looks lovely in mono, I prefer the… Read More
“I saw it written and I saw it say Pink moon is on its way And none of you stand so tall Pink Moon gonna get you all” ― Nick Drake “April Oak and Moon” While not a full Pink Moon (first full moon of April), I just had to stop and make this photo. The old oak, is probably the most photographed tree in the area. Its unique position on a… Read More
I’ve had a few people ask recently how I’m able to pick up the golden glow in some of my forest images. One of my recent images, “November’s Golden Litter” – Hermon, Ontario, is an example of their fabulous effect on a large scale. When conditions are just right: the right light, the angel of that light, the condition and colour of the leaves, and a contrasting background, the effect is almost magical. If you… Read More
“Writing is something you do alone. Its a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story but don’t want to make eye contact while doing it.” ― John Green This must be the most photographed tree in Markham, a community just south of my home. This oak stands at the top of a convenient mound, nicely isolating the tree from any distracting background. It’s not a true ‘solitaire’ by my… Read More
“Our green valleys will be greener once we fully grasp the infinite vitality of the green!” ― Mehmet Murat Ildan Despite the clouds of mosquitoes that call this forest home, I enjoyed, with the help of a good bug repellent, observing all the fresh new growth emerging from the brown litter of last year’s leaves. There is still a lot of brown showing interspersed with rapidly expanding carpets of foliage, like the Oak… Read More
Walking along Toronto’s Bloor Street West, I came across these wonderful doors. The Munk Institute is part of the University of Toronto campus and I’ve admired them often, as I walked past. Today the light was just right. Much to my surprise, I had never noticed the details in the stonework above the door and topping the pillars. Have a closer look. Interestingly, many of the compositional elements that enhance this image are subconscious when I make the… Read More
“The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.” ― Napoleon Hill Though I saw no markers, my map showed this to be a cemetery, further investigation, this was actually the Old Lakeshore Road and it was… Read More
A New Year is upon us and already I am a few days behind my goal of daily blogging. I have numerous excuses but have decided to step into this year excuse free and just look forward rather than dwelling on why I did not do something, by simply doing what is required, to the best of my ability, going forward. The purpose of blogging, for me, has multiple levels: Firstly, it… Read More
Sometimes, with the right light, a simple scene along a roadside or a hiking trail can be a thing of tremendous beauty. It’s something I come across all the time. I tell my friends that this is how my eyes work, and I can’t turn it off, nor, would I want to. Take as an example, the photo above. It’s just two oak leaves which have fallen and come to rest on… Read More
Generally, titles for my photos come fairly easily. Not so in this case. I looked at the photo over and over and nothing seemed appropriate. It’s also a fairly tall composition, which I have stayed away from, unless absolutely necessary. After a while of looking at the elements, I thought, “This looks like a carnival, with all the bright colours mixing together.” This is a hillside along one of the Secord Conservation… Read More
Now that it is finally warming up, I thought I’d take one last look at how this past year’s winter came in. November was fairly mild and offered one light snowfall that quickly melted away in town. The day of the melt, I decided to go out to one of my favourite local trails (East Duffins Headwaters) to get some vertical pans in a grove of trees I have enjoyed on a… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
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