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“As doom and gloom pervade our lives it’s difficult to feel freshness. Yet, nature shows us that just as one thing dies off, another appears. Our path need not be wearisome if we open our eyes in expectation to the new rather than the old.” – Ed Lehming Such was my experience today, as I returned to my beloved trails. It’s nearing the end of April, the world is locked in a… Read More
“The cycle continues, winter leads to spring and the ground drinks in the warmth of the brightening sunshine. Traces of winter remain as distant memories” – Ed Lehming Nowadays I’m even more appreciative of the beautiful outdoor spaces so close to home. It also helps that the snow and ice is gradually receding. Not gone,as there were some quite treacherous stretches that made me happy to have my ‘icers’ on. But, there… Read More
“You can feel it in the air and in memories of the past. Despite the snow and wind, a hint of spring and the coming spring rite of maple syrup whispers at our thoughts.” – Ed Lehming On a recent trip to Ontario’s Prince Edward County, I was drawn to this peaceful scene of a sugar shack nestled in the woods that I spotted across a farm field and knew I had… Read More
“Mid-June after a rainy spring and crops are finally planted, the world is greening, and wildflowers burst forth in profusion. Time for a pause.” – Ed Lehming I made this image at my late cousin’s farm. We’ve spent some time there trying to understand what goes with what, who’s farming what lands, and just getting a sense for the timing of things. Farms are busy places in the spring, made busier when… Read More
“Flowers will always try, and look their best, no matter what the season or reason.” ― Anthony T. Hincks Every spring I get to enjoy a gift from the past. My mother and I are both avid gardeners and sharing seeds connected us in a unique way by having some similar plants in our gardens. I live in Ontario and she lives in British Columbia, so our growing zones are quite different, so… Read More
“Spaces high and low, previously wide open and empty, are now filled with deep green leaves, as the forest breathes in the warming air.” – Ed Lehming It seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. The forest suddenly transformed from the bright greens and yellows of spring to the deep greens of summer. Places where I could see deep into the woods a few days ago are now a wall… Read More
“As I stepped over the slippery rock, making sure of my footing, the Heron launched itself into the sky from it’s shoreline perch, fading quickly across the lake.” – Ed Lehming This is why a chose landscape and botanical photography as my go-to. I have, on the rare occasion made a good wildlife photo. Those photos are more the result of being in the right place at the right time when an… Read More
“Nature takes hold, in the smallest crack or hollow, filling them with life and laying the foundation for the next generation.” – Ed Lehming Among the solid stone of the Canadian Shield I find not only lichens but entire gardens of beautiful plants. Here, a crack in the granite is filled with a variety of Stonecrop known as Sedum Acre or Wall Pepper, with tall Yellow Hawkweed growing from it. The crack… Read More
“The deeper one looks into what appears simple, the more complex it really is. Even the very delicate and wispy structures show there is more to them than meets the casual eye.” – Ed Lehming The natural world is continually amazing. The simple and commonplace are not what they appear. Living forms are incredible in their diversity and design. Take the simple dandelion seed head. It looks like a fluff ball, a… Read More
“Bright white blossoms greet me from the morning garden, as the sun warms the early June day with it’s own brightness.” – Ed Lehming The gardens are beginning to come alive. I enjoy this time of year, watching plants and flowers begin to thrive as the days warm up. It’s always nice to see that everything has survived yet another winter. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, spring here has been cool,… Read More
“Cool spring breezes blew past me and set the wildflowers dancing, like purple paint brushes on a canvas of green leaves.” – Ed Lehming Some things look so much more interesting if you look at them differently. We are so used to seeing things as stationary, even our eyes compensate for movement. So when that compensation is removed by the eye of the camera a new view appears. I wanted to capture… Read More
“Simple beauty can be found anywhere, you simply need to be receptive to it.” – Ed Lehming Spring is slowly pushing out the cold and damp that has been so dominant here for what seems like months. With the warming air more and more wildflowers are beginning to show their faces. Fading now are the forest dwelling spring ephemerals which are being replaced by the taller and more colourful field flowers. The… Read More
“The soft spring breezes played with the tiny flowers of the plant causing then to dance and twinkle in the light.” – Ed Lehming As I’ve said a few times in the past, one of the great things about being a photographer is having an eye for the fine details. I’ve found myself becoming an astute observer, noticing things that I would have passed by a few years ago. These smallish plants… Read More
“Bright puddles of green foliage adorned the otherwise dull forest floor. Above them float delicate white stars, pure and bright; an elixir to the winter weary soul.” – Ed Lehming I try to make it a point not to revisit the same subject matter too often, but there is something about star flowers the touches something very deep inside me. As I consider the images I’ve made over the past few days,… Read More
“Nature amazes me still. Some changes are so gradual that you barely notice them while others happen in the blink of an eye.” – Ed Lehming Last week I took a much needed break at lunch and headed for a quick walk through the woods at North Walker Woods. For those who follow regularly, you will know that this is a place I like to go to quite frequently. It’s close to… Read More
“Spring is like the opening of a window on a bright sun-filled day. Freshness replaces the stale air and fills us with energy and promise.” – Ed Lehming Ferns are a real pleasure to watch in the spring. Seeing them gently unroll on the forest floor is an active part of the spring. For me, it symbolizes the season so well. It’s a gradual, carefully timed. and repeated process. This image captures… Read More
“Delicate white flowers hover above the deep green leaves as the next wave of spring flowers emerges, replacing trilliums and bloodroot. The canopy overhead thickens, and filters the light that makes it to the forest floor. Starflowers now add drops of brilliant white into the deepening gloom of the undergrowth.” – Ed Lehming As the trilliums mature and fade to soft pinks and magenta, the forest floor is once more transformed. The… Read More
“A blanket of white blossoms flowed across the forest floor in an endless sea of trilliums that filled my vision with it’s beauty.” – Ed Lehming This spring, I set out on a few occasions, hoping to get some spring wildflower images and after a few fairly disappointing visits the forest erupted with trilliums like I have never experienced before. I think this is primarily due to the cool, wet weather conditions… Read More
“As the days warm, fond memories of spring walks remain with me. Bright greens and the freshness of wildflowers whisper from a recent past.” – Ed Lehming Memories of this spring will stay with me for some time to come. The cool and damp days provided ideal conditions for the spring flowers to emerge and remain fresh for a long time. It was as if a month was compressed into a week…. Read More
“What season is it?, I ask. The cooler parts of the forest are still a bit subdued compared to others, with just a blush of colour, a snapshot in the forest’s story.” – Ed Lehming Over the span of a week and a few kilometers of trail, there are vast differences in how quickly parts of the forest mature at this time of year. In stark contrast to the wildflowers and bright… Read More
“Along forest paths, bright wildflowers dance in the gentle breeze, and an ever changing dance of colours, fragrances, and textures.” – Ed Lehming This spring has been a joy for me, as I really enjoy the multitude of spring ephemerals. Those first few green leaves and bright flowers are such a welcoming sight after months of snow and dull days. What I have found most enjoyable is the experience of discovering new… Read More
“Preparations are underway, chlorophyll fills the cells, rust turns to green, and leaves mature, ready to feed hungry trees, and produce oxygen.” – Ed Lehming Spring is truly underway when the slight yellow and rusty new growth turns deep green. As the leaves develop, the emergent colours fade, ever so slowly, except to those who are with them regularly. The cycle continues, largely unnoticed by most these days, but when you spend… Read More
“Opening ferns in spring remind me of that first stretch when waking up. You can almost hear them yawning after their long rest” – Ed Lehming It’s a joy to watch the grand opening of the forest, that time of year that we have named spring. The plants seem to be in a race to see which one can reach the highest, the fastest. Ferns are no exception to this. For the… Read More
“The vibrant greens and rust of new foliage competed with the pure white of the forest floor, carpeted in Trilliums” – Ed Lehming Over the past few days, which have remained cool and slightly overcast, I’ve taken advantage of my proximity to the local forests to spend my lunches on the trails simply enjoying the beauty of the spring forest. Everywhere new life is appearing and the cool spring is taking it… Read More
“Nature is filled with surprises. It’s the unusual that we notice. That’s what I love about being in it, there is always something new to make you wonder, How did that happen?” – Ed Lehming This is a new one to me, and as I stated in the quote above, nature always has surprises for me. Now, I have seen a single variant like this. Right behind our camper and directly outside… Read More
“Life and colour emerged from the ground with such abundance, you could fairly hear the leaves rustling with activity.” – Ed Lehming I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love this time of year, when wildflowers erupt from the carpet of dull brown leaves. Within a few days, the dull and seemingly lifeless forest floor is festooned with colour. Among the first, in my area, are the delicate Sharp… Read More
“Barely visible on first glance, it’s alien form surprises the first time viewer” – Ed Lehming It is so nice to finally make images with no snow. The past few weeks have been cool, wet, and miserable, with more rain than I care for. But, the rain melted the snow and ice away and provided lots of moisture to promote plant growth. Over the past few days, the sun has been out… Read More
“As the seasons changed, winter slowly released its hold on the land, receding in patches and revealing the first signs of spring, like a curtain being slowly drawn.” – Ed Lehming I chose this image today because I was very pleased with the composition and the elements that I wanted to communicate. I also did something that I often experiment with but rarely publish. The original photo was processed using the Prizma… Read More
“Memory serves to remind us of the cycles we live in. Nothing is permanent, ever repeating; familiar, yet never quite the same.” – Ed Lehming As spring slowly takes hold, traces of winter still linger in the shadows and low places of the forest, a reminder of the days gone by. Yet, the warming air brings forth the promise of a new season, in yellows, browns, and greens, as the sun touches… Read More
“Through our dark times, if we have eyes open in hope, we can see glimpses of what might be, in what was.” – Ed Lehming The beautiful brightness of beech leaves in winter, and early spring for that matter is always a welcome sight. Even on the dullest snow-filled days, they glow with soft gold, a reminder of the rich colours of autumn. The sun, even in limited amounts, makes them seem… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
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