Archives
“When the time has come, every leaf turns to face the sun!” ― Akilnathan Logeswaran “Ramps” or wild leeks (Allium tricoccum) are native North American plant and among the first plants to appear in moist woods, once the frost comes out of the ground. Because of the mild start we had to March, I thought I’d go out to see if anything had started to push through the ground yet. To my… Read More
A quick post to the Daily Post Photo Challenge: Landscape iPhone 5s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 1/1900 sec; f/2.2; ISO 32 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
“No one is without troubles, without personal hardships and genuine challenges. That fact may not be obvious because most people don’t advertise their woes and heartaches. But nobody, not even the purest heart, escapes life without suffering battle scars.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich The dark shape hovers, just below the surface. Defying the rush of the frigid spring waters. Moving neither forward, nor back. Fixed in it’s intent, it’s goal. Progress from… Read More
“Peace is not found by seeking it but in simply letting it be.” ― Janni Styles I’ve enjoyed this small brook that flows from a farm field into Duffins Creek below Whitevale. The sound of the water flowing over the rocks is so calming. I could sit there all day and simply enjoy the peace. I made this photo just before a light, early April snowfall started (not impressed by that feature)…. Read More
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ― Anne Bradstreet After what started off as a gorgeous March, with above normal temperatures and bright sunshine, things changed mid-month, and we got into a cycle of cold days, snow flurries, and some freezing rain. This turned the nice dry trails back to a mix… Read More
“I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins.” ― Khaled Hosseini In what has become a springtime ritual for me, since discovering the phenomenon, some 20 years after living here, is walking the shores of Duffins Creek, near the town of Whitevale, and enjoying the annual trout run from Lake Ontario, to… Read More
“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe One of the many benefits I find when hiking is the abundance of free art nature provides me. As I walked a forest path a few days ago, the ground was just starting to melt, but it… 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 Happy Easter! I wanted to try something new, something that satisfied the creative in me. I love paintings and have many friends who are extraordinary painters. My gift is photography, which offers me a similar outlet, but rather… Read More
“One of the reasons there are so many terms for conditions of ice is that the mariners observing it were often trapped in it, and had nothing to do except look at it.” ― Alec Wilkinson As winter transitioned into spring and the light coating of snow melted on the lakes, rivers and ponds in the area, some very interesting effects emerged, that I had not previously noticed. Perhaps it’s due to the… Read More
“Beneath your burdensome regrets and who you think you are through the lens of past mistakes, there is someone beautiful who wants to emerge.” ― Bryant McGill Spring has arrived! Though, somebody needs to inform the weather. In stark contrast to last week, this one has been quite chilly. Despite the sun shining brightly and turning open trails to mush, the forest floor remained locked in a shallow frost. At least enough to create… Read More
“Nothing clashed because nothing had the strength to clash; everything murmured of safety among the hues; all was refinement.” ― Mervyn Peake In anticipation of spring greens and colours, I find myself back in the familiar and somewhat commonplace of local walking trails. In the middle of town, I find small sanctuaries of wildlife and the remnants of last years plants which have survived the winter. relatively intact. Though my eyes see… Read More
“Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are ‘patches of Godlight’ in the woods of our experience.” ― C.S. Lewis With spring just around the corner, this is the time of year where I go looking for signs of life re-emerging. The light is soft and indirect and casts wonderful… Read More
“Given the right lighting, all the colors in the world can be seen in a white object.” – Michele Cooper This time of year tends to be fairly challenging as far as finding interesting things to photograph. The ground tends to be muddy and accessing some areas is tough. There’s also the prevalence of browns and grays with very few bright colours. Yet, if I look around, I can still find some… Read More
“A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.” ― Laura Gilpin A few mere weeks ago, this entire scene was filled with ice and snow. A handful of mild days, and it’s all a memory, preserved and recalled in thoughts and photos. Since I don’t live in an area with high mountains and grand vistas, I take great pleasure in long hikes along the local… Read More
“For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.” ― Henri Cartier-Bresson Spring thaw, though not officially spring, has begun in southern Ontario. The scant snow and ice of this past winter is releasing it’s captives to open air once more. This scene, which I titled “Left Overs” is so typical of some of the trails I hike on. The local conservation authorities have put great effort… Read More
“Life is only a flicker of melted ice.” ― Dejan Stojanovic Along the trails lie small depressions, filled with water, and lined in ice. The ground beneath still frozen as the sun gently warms the ground, freeing the scene from winter’s hold. This scene, though it repeats every year, was particularly interesting, since it was such a mild winter and the only significant snowfall happened only a week ago. The result was… 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
“…I hear the sounds of melting snow outside my window every night and with the first faint scent of spring, I remember life exists…” ― John Geddes It’s mid-February and our first significant snow has fallen and begun to melt within a few short days. Beneath the thinning blanket of ice and snow, water writhes, flows, and drips, only to be frozen briefly by the chill of night and released once more by… Read More
As spring continues, more colour and new life emerges, following the cycle of death and re-birth. The delicate structures of new leaves exploding from once tight buds are part of that cycle. A few short days ago, these red maple leaves were just bumps on a branch. Now, you can see the future shape in miniature. The soft morning light created a nice back-lit effect that shows all the structures nicely and… Read More
Ah, spring! I went for an early morning walk this morning and was greeted by yet another gift of spring – a beautiful crab-apple tree loaded with delicate pink-white blossoms. The sun was just up and provided a wonderful soft light. I tried to keep as much of the flower-head in focus while keeping the background soft. I spent quite a bit of time with this particular subject and will be posting… Read More
Today, a change-up from the recent posts of flower heads. Last week I spent a few days in the Bancroft area, visiting my art friends and opening up our trailer for the season. It was a gorgeous, warm spring weekend. The air was fresh and clear with a very light breeze, all weekend long. Betty and I decided to head down to the waterfront on Marble Lake to see how my sister’s… Read More
Similar to yesterday’s post, this photo was also made at Wendat Pond in the “Golden Hour”. This image took a bit more effort to set up, as I was deliberately trying to get the golden glow of the trees on the far shore as a backdrop and I was not very happy with my first few attempts. The bright glow I saw with my eyes was not being captured by the camera. So,… Read More
One of the things I also enjoy about spring is the fact that some plants seem to weather the winter quite well. Despite heavy snow and ice, these flowers heads have managed to make it through the winter intact. I often walk around Wendat Pond in Stouffville because the early evening light is so nice and offers some great composition opportunities. Yesterday was no exception. The sun was just starting to set… 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
The next in my spring wildflower series. Yesterday I went for a lunchtime stroll to my local nature retreat, namely, the Stouffville Reservoir. This area was created as a water conservation site after Hurricane Hazel roared through the region many years ago, creating floods and taking many lives. So, conservation areas were set up to ‘moderate’ water flow through a series of holding ponds. These areas made wonderful nature preserves and allowed for… Read More
Yesterday I talked about the cycles of nature and how wildflower blossoms follow a sequence. I posted a series of photos recently, documenting the blooming of several local wildflowers in a bit of a sequence and noted that the white trilliums should soon begin to show. Alas, show they did! I went back to the reservoir trails today, at lunch, to check on a stand of Trout Lilies, also known locally as ‘dog-tooth… Read More
Here’s the post that was supposed to happen on Friday, but I was in the Bancroft “no service” zone most of the day and forgot to update this. Another harbinger of spring in our area is Bloodroot. The beautiful white blossom emerges from a “shroud” created by its large green leaves. This particular specimen was found along the shores of Duffins Creek, near Whitevale, Ontario. It’s amazing just how fast it springs… Read More
What the heck, two posts in a day isn’t so bad, is it? After all, I missed Friday. I could not resist posting this photo of the Trout Lilies I mentioned on my previous post. There’s a regular cluster I go to every year and they never disappoint. It was earlier in the morning and they are not quite open yet. Give it a few hours and there will be several delicate bell-shaped… Read More
I was pleasantly surprised that the “Wake-Robins”, also know as Red Trilliums, were blooming today. I actually set out to look for Trout Lilies, which should be blooming today, and they will be, later in the day. They were just not open yet (post to follow tomorrow). The cycle of blooms is a constant and follows the same sequence every year, like clock-work. However, in some years the cycle is compressed into… Read More
I made this photo a few days ago while on an evening walk. The light was just softening and I found the dead stems an interesting subject, considering the world around is greening up with the first few truly mild days. These are old flower heads from wildflowers growing around Wendat Pond. The pond was named after a large native city that was found to have been located in this area. For me,… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
Recent Comments