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“It’s a pure joy to wander the woods and fields in the spring. Life and colour abounds with the the promise of more to come.” – Ed Lehming Above is another image made in the Sacramento area. I went for a walk along one of Sacramento’s many small creeks. These urban oases offer so many surprises. In the river valley it’s pure natural bliss, but when you look up, office towers and… 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
“You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.” ― Amy Bloom I’ve been saving a quote for some time, waiting for the right image. Well, the image presented itself a few days ago. As I’ve said in a few posts, butterflies seem to be scarce this year, Monarchs even more so. I think this whole season I’ve only seen a handful. This one was simply too wonderful to resist, despite… Read More
“Dream high, beyond the sky; no matter wings so small, keep vision bright; just dare to learn, for you are born to fly.” ― Vikrmn I don’t get tired of these plentiful, colourful butterflies. When trying to figure out the exact species, which I was unable to do, I discovered that there are over 250 species in North America alone and close to 3500 worldwide, each slightly different from the other. This one… Read More
“The smaller the creature, the bolder its spirit.” ― Suzy Kassem This started out as an experimental shot, playing with the depth of field of my macro lense and trying my darndest to get a crisp hand-held image, as the lens has no vibration compensation. At this depth of field, back to front ‘sway’ is critical. As you can see, only a very narrow band (the size of the ladybug) is in focus…. Read More
“Silence It has a sound, a fullness. It’s heavy with sigh of tree, and space between breaths. It’s ripe with pause between birdsong and crash of surf. It’s golden they say. But no one tells us it’s addictive.” ― Angela Long I’m revisiting a Crescent which posed on a clump of Fleabane. My previous post had the butterfly drinking nectar from the flower, with an accompanying bee. In this image, the butterfly… Read More
“You lift your head, you’re on your way, but really just to be walking, to be out of doors. That’s it, that’s all, and you’re there. Outdoors is our element: the exact sensation of living there.” ― Frédéric Gros By far the most common of local meadow butterflies are skippers. Once you spot one, you suddenly see dozens. The name skipper is so appropriate too, as they move quickly from flower to… Read More
“Your face is marked with lines of life, put there by love and laughter, suffering and tears. It’s beautiful.” ― Lynsay Sands I’m having a strange fascination with flowers past their prime. The colours and textures seem to intensify, albeit briefly, as they dry out, just prior to falling from the stem. Some, seem to hang on for quite a while, while others fall off at the slightest touch. The tulip above… Read More
“One by one they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.” ― James Joyce This was a spur of the moment photo of three tulips from my garden, which graced my table last week. I watched as they cycled between open , during the day, and closed, by night. Each day the open cycle… Read More
Nikon D300 Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 70 mm 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250 For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming or my website (some images available for purchase) http://www.edlehming.com
The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” ― Paulo Coelho I’m clearly missing the colours and warmth of summer as I sit here watching winter slowly grip the land. This photo was made in mid-September while I was out looking for wildflowers to photograph. But, being ever the photo-opportunist I decided… 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
“It is strange how new and unexpected conditions bring out unguessed ability to meet them.” ― Edgar Rice Burroughs I did not set out to photograph flowers or butterflies this day. I was hoping to catch the Atlantic Salmon run at the Whitevale dam. I’ve gone there in the spring many times and have had good success with photographing the rainbow trout migration. However, I have yet to witness the salmon run… Read More
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ― Lao Tzu As the summer continues, the plants begin to mature and change form. Some wither and dry up, others go to seed, while some continue to flourish till the air cools. This day lily was pretty much the start of my… Read More
“Once in awhile, you pick the right thing, the exact best thing. Every day, the moment you open your eyes and pull off your blankets, that’s what you hope for. The sunshine on your face,warm enough to make your heart sing.” ― Sarah Ockler One of my first attempts at this technique involved bringing a daylily cutting into my studio and experimenting with lighting and camera settings. I was so pleased with… Read More
“Spring turns to summer and delicate pinks and whites, give way to bright reds, oranges, and yellows, as nature shifts her palette to match the temperature” – Ed Lehming Today’s photo is another attempt to understand and enjoy the world of macro photography. The bright Orange Hawkweed (Pilosella aurantiaca) is a smallish meadow flower that is common in this area through June and July. It blooms a few weeks later than it’s yellow relative,… Read More
“Everything in me feels fluttering and free, like I could take off from the ground at any second. Music, I think, he makes me feel like music.” ― Lauren Oliver I’m finding these wonderful small butterflies everywhere lately. In this case, what I believe to be a mating pair, based on the slight size differences and colouration. It was interesting to watch numerous butterflies floating around in search of a suitable mate…. Read More
“Butterflies are self propelled flowers.” ― Robert A. Heinlein Butterflies are summer to me and I just love the Robert Heinlein quote above. As the air warms, I see more and more of them darting around on the air. They seem to come in all sizes and colours and tend to be a bit elusive when it comes time to photograph them. They sit wonderfully still, till it’s time to release the… Read More
“If you feel you have to open a particular door, open it, otherwise all your life that door will haunt your mind!” ― Mehmet Murat Ildan I could not turn down the opportunity to photograph this bright display on a downtown Montreal street for this week’s Thursday Doors submission. Mind your step 🙂 iPhone 5s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 1/120sec; f/2.2; ISO 64 For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming or my website (some… Read More
“She turned to the sunlight And shook her yellow head, And whispered to her neighbor: “Winter is dead.” ― A.A. Milne My favourite, for now, patch of Elecampane. Lit by the warm afternoon sun along the Seaton Trail. There is something appealing in the orange remnants of the blossom in contrast to the gray, dried steps. The vestiges of the former blossoms glow brightly in the sun while the dry steps remind… 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
This photo is pretty much a summary of how autumn has played out for me. We have had an extended season, with mild weather, sunny skies, and leaves that seemed to cling to the trees for weeks, despite frosty nights, rain, and wind. Unlike a typical fall, where I’m looking out the window, anxious to get out and make photos before the conditions fade, this year yielded day after glorious day of… Read More
You know it’s going to be an awesome summer when full-grown dragonflies are out and about in May to eat those pesky mosquitoes and blackflies. This year’s super warm May (so far) certainly has changed or accelerated some of the usual patterns around here, As I walk around, I see fresh leaves emerging from trees and shrub, birds in their nests, and a wonderful growth of wildflowers. I’ve seen a few dragonflies… Read More
A very simple photo of the scene from my trailer deck last evening. I had just returned from the lake shore, making photos of the beautiful reflections on a mirror-like lake when my wife pointed out the moon between the trees. The sun was lighting the distant shoreline and the clouds a soft orange and the sky was a deep blue, with the moon suspended between the branches of trees which have… 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
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