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“On my forest journeys, the trees are my constant companions. Their aspect changes, depending on how you see them. They are the same, but appear different. Perspective changes everything.” – Ed Lehming I have avoided this type of shot because it seems a bit ‘put on’. I look at these images on web sites and Instagram with some interest but tend not to spend much time with them. A few days ago,… Read More
“Around the next bend, the forest glowed in rusty orange, inviting me forward from the snow-filled pines. It truly feels like a time of fire and ice.” – Ed Lehming As I sit and write this post, the world outside my window is filled with ever deepening snowfall. A major winter storm came in last night and continues this afternoon. So far, over 40 cm have fallen, and though the end is… Read More
“Among the shadows of the cold forest, the winter beeches shine with unexpected light, filling the darkness with brightness and joyful energy.” – Ed Lehming Today I’m sharing another image from yesterday’s frigid hike to Walker Woods, a large forested tract close to home that I visit often. The forest itself is largely ‘plantation’ red pines.That is to say, pine trees that have been planted to reestablish lands that had been largely… Read More
“On even the coldest winter days, the warm glow of the beech leaves radiate with a warmth that makes my very soul glad. I cannot help but smile with joy when I am blessed to be among them.” – Ed Lehming I’ve posted about the beauty of beeches in the winter on many occasions, yet I continue to find myself drawn to them. They provide me an inexplicable sense of joy in… Read More
“As winter’s touch fills the days, November’s light holds the final memories of autumn’s warmth.” – Ed Lehming Once more, I have chosen to digitally enhance an image to bring a bit more mood to the image. The image itself was created just around noon when the sun lines up with the forest trail, creating a wonderful column of sunlight that brightens the trail as well as the trees that line the… Read More
“Draped in leafy cloaks, the Mayapples looked like tiny phantoms, gathering on the forest floor.” – Ed Lehming I could not not resist this image of an emerging Mayapple that I found last week. As I scanned the forest floor, I noticed a dark patch of foliage in the distance. Upon investigation I found it to be a large colony of Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum), hundreds of them occupying an hollow. Mayapples around… Read More
“Cool April hikes bring such joy. There is always something new, not always obvious or evident, but when you look around new surprises and revelations always present themselves.” – Ed Lehming The spring that began so mild and warm has settled back to a bit more normal pattern of cool nights and misty days. The plants and flowers that seemed so accelerated have slowed down as well. This has been a good… Read More
“To add to the oddities of this strange and early spring, wildlife seldom seen is also making an appearance, seeming fairly unaware that it is seen.” – Ed Lehming It’s been a very interesting and energizing spring. The warm temperatures have opened wildflowers early and wildlife abounds, including this porcupine that I initially spotted at a distance from a hillside I was standing on. I first noticed him as a medium-sized brown… Read More
“Beginning as a trickle from deep in the earth and combining with other small trickles, the creek forms and grows in the dark recesses of the forest” – Ed Lehming Here is another ‘re-imagined’ image of a scene I have tried countless time to do justice too. It’s the headwaters of Duffins Creek, a local creek that flows from the Oak Ridges Moraine to Lake Ontario. I have spent many years hiking… Read More
“Autumn is like that final concentrated burst at a fireworks display; it’s like the forest has been saving up for that one spectacular grand finale.” – Ed Lehming It’s hard to believe that a mere two weeks has passed since I made this image. It was the second week of ‘fall’ proper. The prior week still had lots of greens and yellows and the canopy was still quite dense. On this day,… Read More
“Winter is not all bleak and gray, if you look closely, subtle colours abound in the most wonderful places” – Ed Lehming Well, after a long hiatus, I have returned to my photography and writing. Last year was ‘disruptive’ at best. Too many changes came at me too quickly and left me overwhelmed and uninspired. I was ‘retired’ from work briefly and It took me some time to come to terms with… Read More
“Golden light beams forth from the hillsides behind the tall pines, competing with the sunshine at my side; a competition for my attention.” – Ed Lehming This is a scene very typical of a local conservation area that I hike on a regular basis. Every visit I make offers some new scene of beauty that make me wonder if I had simply missed it on a prior passing. There is something along… Read More
“There are time when we just need to ‘pause’, and in that time, we can be filled with the most beautiful of things.” – Ed Lehming As I took my own ‘pause’ at lunch today, I was greeted by this unexpectedly stunning scene as I rounded a corner. The real joy in this image is that this is likely to be the last day with mild weather for some time and the… Read More
“The colours of Autumn turn the world into a wonderland of colour, sound, and scent. There are times when I feel that I have left reality and entered the land of fables.” – Ed Lehming As I beheld the scene before me I was filled with an absolute sense of awe. The mid-afternoon sunlight filled the forest with a soft and wondrous display of light and colour. I literally felt like I… 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
“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” ― William Blake Today, a brief reprieve from my my Iceland series, which is not nearly complete. Yesterday, as the early snowfalls… Read More
“Living in the present moment is the recurring baptism of the soul, forever purifying every new day with a new you.” ― Alaric Hutchinson And there it was , white, pure, radiant, and completely unexpected. The first trillium the season completely surprised me. From all my time spend in the forest, the steady rhythms of nature have become my own rhythms, a steady progression through time and season. As I entered the forest… Read More
“Art never responds to the wish to make it democratic; it is not for everybody; it is only for those who are willing to undergo the effort needed to understand it.” ― Flannery O’Connor Well, back to reality. I live in a land of four seasons, often extreme and more often, surprising, offering unexpected gifts. I got out on the trails again. The trails, at this time of the year, are downright treacherous,… Read More
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” ― Martha Graham Welcome to the spruce bog. Though it may not sound exotic, the light and imagery that I experienced on this… Read More
“You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear thorough the search.” ― Rick Riordan And this search goes on., as I embark on another series of photographic abstracts. Yet, despite the quote, I believe I am able to explain my art. I take great satisfaction in these ‘light paintings’. I find that by… Read More
“Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someone’s horizon sweeps someone else’s. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much.” ― Gregory Maguire At first, I thought this was a Downy Woodpecker, the most common species around here, but when I checked my… Read More
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ― Edith Sitwell This image, made on the same day as yesterday’s post, this view of the beech lined trails of one of the East Duffins Headwaters trail system, near Uxbridge, Ontario, is a testament to the beauty that can still be experienced in… Read More
“The sun was as flirty as Scarlett O’Hara with the Tarleton twins, breaking through the clouds in spectacular bursts that seemed like personal favors and then retreating for hours, days, and making us all ache for just a glimpse.” ― Lorna Landvik Another fine early November day in southern Ontario, and a return to Secord Conservation Area, in search of a few images. The day could be defined most accurately by its… Read More
“But it is a pipe.” “No, it’s not,” I said. “It’s a drawing of a pipe. Get it? All representations of a thing are inherently abstract. It’s very clever.” ― John Green I’ve had a few people comment on the forest abstracts that I create and how I do it. That is something that I have learned through experimentation and though I share my camera settings, the precise method is difficult to describe…. Read More
“The best part of the journey is the surprise and wonder along the way.” ― Ken Poirot As I’ve done a few times in the past, I turned this image into a painting, through the wonder of Topaz software. There are times when I envision an image with the camera and it does not quite meet my expectations. The above image is one of those. The sunlight was beautiful, casting long autumn shadows on the golden… Read More
“Who will bear witness to these small islands and oases of wildness as land is divided and sold to become strip malls, housing developments,and parking lots? What happens to the natural history here? We must bear witness.” ― Joni L. James The sky yesterday was unbelievable. I had a brief errand to run which put me on the road towards Uxbridge, Ontario. From my window, this scene unfolded and I had to… Read More
“In transitions, we must learn to be still. Being still is, in part, about learning to be comfortable with ambiguity.” ― Janet Rebhan These are the words that echo through my head, as I consider this recent image and the events over the past several months and yesterday evening. I find myself standing here once more, drinking in the beauty and the quiet, as the world goes on about me. But here, in… Read More
“You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you’ve climbed a mountain.” ― Tom Hiddleston Ah, the weekend again and a nice time to get out and enjoy what autumn has to offer. As I went for a hike with my son we both noted that… Read More
“One passionate heart can brighten the world. From person to person the chain reaction burns through us — setting heart to heart ablaze, and lighting the way for us all!” ― Bryant McGill I set out yesterday morning, on a bright clear day, gentle sunlight lighting up the changing leaves. That lasted for about an hour and dark, slate-gray clouds rolled in, effectively ending my planned day of photographing falls leaves. So, a… 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
Ed Lehming Photography 
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