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“As winter begins to yield and days lengthen, the tires forest still offers splashes of colour. The intensity and profusion varies by year, but there are always pockets of brightness, reminders of vibrant life past, and promises of life to come.” – Ed Lehming This winter has felt exceptionally long. There have been some beautiful, bright days, but snow came in large storms and made travel to my favourite spots a bit… Read More
“We all find ourselves reaching for something lately. For some, we have reached our limits, for others, it’s more of a stretch than a reach. On dull and cloudy days, the trees continue to reach, with no clear goal visible, other that reaching upwards, to eventual light and life” – Ed Lehming I have found myself considering this image several times this week. I recall the day I made it, very clearly…. Read More
“When we can find joy in the commonplace, we can endure almost anything.” – Ed Lehming There was a quality to this scene that made me stop and pause. As with many of the images I make, it’s the simple act of appreciating the commonplace, the things most would pass by without a notice, that allows me to appreciate just how wonderful the natural world can be, and just how much that… 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
“The forest shifts and bends gently towards spring, each curve in the trail revealing a bit more earth along the icy edges of the trail. Distant hills, still snow covered, await the sunlight, so that they too can partake in the transformation.” – Ed Lehming I really do enjoy this time of year. With the proper gear, the icy trails are easy to navigate and it’s such a pleasure to be able… Read More
“The final day of winter and I stand on the edge of spring. Before me, two seasons meet and blend; only a few steps forwards and the snows of winter are behind me.” – Ed Lehming This really is a wonderful time of year. I get to experience two seasons at once, mere steps apart. In this image, the forest floor is still covered in snow, gradually melting but still very present…. Read More
“The final day of winter; I walk through familiar forests. Ice and snow recede around me, revealing their long buried secrets. The days warm; brightening light seeps between bare branches; the muted landscape prepares once more to be filled with colour.” – Ed Lehming I was not planning on returning to this style again, but the composition, which looked quite nice right from the camera, simply lent itself for one more go…. Read More
“Winter merges into spring and water flows everywhere beneath the ice. Small rivulets merge and grow, melting snow and ice along their course; adding to their volume. The cycle begins again.” – Ed Lehming There is something wonderful that happens in March. The earth begins to stir and water, its lifeblood, begins to flow once more. Staring slowly but swelling with time. It’s a time when evidence of two seasons reminds us… Read More
“The bright beech trees have been my constant bright companions. In the dullness of winter, their brightness and colour has offered me hope and cheer.” – Ed Lehming As this past winter has evolved, I have been particularly aware of the many bright beech trees that, in past years have, for some reason, garnered only my passing interest. This year, I have actively sought them out and included them in many of… Read More
“The narrow path lead me into new parts of the familiar forest. The tight, overhanging branches closed in above me creating an bright and comforting canopy of white above me.” – Ed Lehming My recent series of re-imagined images may soon be winding down. I’ve found great joy in this process but I’m finding that as the colour of the forest shift to a different tone, that the images don’t lend themselves… Read More
“Droplets of orange hang on fragile branches laden with heavy snow, like splashes of sunshine, competing for my attention with the white brightness of the new fallen snow” – Ed Lehming As I consider winding down my recent series of re-imagined photos, I keep coming across a few gems that I had overlooked, most of them featuring beech trees and their glorious winter foliage. They seem to have become my focus over… Read More
“Winter lingers and takes its toll, slowly drying and fading even the most tenacious foliage. My beloved beeches are no exception. Day by day, their colour also succumbs to the elements, but faded and weather worn, they still hold on, awaiting their spring replacements.” – Ed Lehming I’m starting to feel like this beech tree, hanging on, awaiting spring and the promise of relief from the cold of winter and the isolation… Read More
“At the centre of the pine grove it stood, massive, ancient, and humbling. A massive maple, the likes I have not seen; the King of the Forest had my undivided attention” – Ed Lehming I have seen this tree from a distance for year, set deep in a recess of plantation pine. I could see hints of it through the tall trunks but had no idea of its sheer size and majesty;… Read More
“The new day greets me with bright sunshine, long shadows, and a bite in the air to remind me that winter is not yet concluded.” – Ed Lehming I continue in my morning walks, still not tiring of the wonders the forest has to offer me. Each day just feels ‘fresh’. Some days are fresher than others; even though we have entered March and there has been a brief respite in chilly… Read More
“The whiteness of winter has more to reveal about how we see the world. If we take the time, and look carefully, the white exhibits treasures that we don’t even notice on casual observation.” – Ed Lehming Perhaps one of the most difficult things to photograph successfully is a bright winter scene. As we look upon the world, it seems filled with pure and unending whiteness, broke up by shadow in the… Read More
“Warming days and foggy mornings bring back familiar paths, but new and unexpected scenes emerge from the mists, drawing me forward, revealing their wonder.” – Ed Lehming I find myself between misty and foggy scenes and those of deep cold, but that is the nature of late winter around here. It can be bright and cheerful one day and bitterly cold the next. These changes in temperature also bring changes in the… Read More
“The mist settled around me, obscuring all sounds as whiteness swirled into the distance.” – Ed Lehming This is a memory from peaceful day late last year when a thin fog had settled in the local forest. I had just received my new iPhone 12 Pro and was anxious to see how it performed. I thought the fog was less than ideal for this but ventured out anyhow. I also took along… 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
“What lies around the next turn, we cannot tell for certain, but having taken the journey before, we can anticipate.” – Ed Lehming For today’s post, a very familiar site; one that I have photographed many times, seeing some potential in the composition; interesting lines, but never quite satisfying. I decided to transform this image from early December as well, to see what it would yield, and I’m very pleased with the… Read More
“Midwinter and February’s golds bring colour and gladness to the otherwise stark forest.” – Ed Lehming I’m continuing with this series of ‘painterly’ photos, which due to the environment I’ve been immersed in lately, have taken a shift to more of an orange and purple palette. For a change of pace, I decided to return to a trial system that I have not been on for a few years, making it familiar… Read More
“The ice had just begun to form on the pond, freezing it in time. Frozen, but ever so thin, letting the blue shine from within.” – Ed Lehming Another of my re-imagined images. This time a view from early December. We’ve had a relatively mild winter here with moderate wet snowfall. At this time, there was still a lot of open water, which made for some confusing images. I created this one… Read More
“Mid Morning in February, and the winter sun beams brightly between the pines; the world stands in silence.” – Ed Lehming This season, I have experienced something altogether new; mornings in the winter forest, and it is spectacular! You see, in the past, I would wait till afternoon to venture out onto the trails, giving the sun some time to warm the air. I really did not feel I was missing anything;… Read More
“The trail narrows, tucked nicely between the reaching spruce boughs, before the North Trail widens up before me.” – Ed Lehming I struggled for a title for this image, so decided to use a location for a change. This portion of trail runs along the northern edge of North Walker Woods, a local trail that I have spend much time on over the past few months. The image depicts one of the… Read More
“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
“Despite colder temperatures, the days are beginning to lengthen and the sun fills the forest with warm sunshine. As I stand on the trails, enjoying the scenery, it warms my skin and my soul.” – Ed Lehming It’s mid-February, there have been many snow-filled days, somewhat limiting my time in the forests, though I make a point of venturing out as often as I can safely. The trails themselves are fine, but… Read More
“Familiar paths are transformed by winter’s snow. Freshness and purity fills my senses as I look upon the serene landscape, framed in birch.” – Ed Lehming I’m continuing with my theme of ‘re-imagined’ landscapes. Taking these familiar scenes and digitally transforming them beyond standard photographs is therapeutic for me. There is a real sense of creative joy when I look at the finished product. There is a correlation here for me, since… Read More
“When the elements come together in perfect alignment, the scene is transformed into a thing of incredible beauty. You just have to be there when it happens to truly appreciate it.” – Ed Lehming I have made many images of this point along a local hiking trail. I’m drawn to the accentuated vanishing point in the distance and the way the pines line up, particularly on the right-hand side. There is also… Read More
“Though diminutive to their surrounding neighbours, the small spruces have the potential to be so much more” – Ed Lehming In keeping with yesterday’s post on Transition, I’m including another interpretation of a recent image along the same theme. Especially in winter, the small spruce groves which grow within and beside the much larger plantation pines make for interesting image which tell a bit of a story about the forest itself. The… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
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