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“Winter’s teeth bite deep into the shoreline and the familiar becomes alien and unknown” – Ed Lehming I could spend hours with my recent images from the shores of Lake Ontario at Sandbanks Provincial Park. It’s a quick 20 minute drive from home and seems to offer me something new every time I go there. I’m new to living this close to Lake Ontario (though I grew up in Scarborough but did… Read More
“The freeze is on, winter has us firmly in its grip, and the world is transformed from liquid to solid, seemingly overnight. The horizon is filled with ice and illusions” – Ed Lehming The title for the scene seemed fairly obvious to me, looking across Lake Ontario, particularly, Athol Bay in Ontario’s Prince Edward County. This bay is bounded by Lakeshore Lodge Point to the north and Salmon Point to the south…. Read More
“The summer beach has transformed, even though the beach sand is still exposed, the shoreline has now transformed into the ice and snow of winter. Where I stand, the worlds seem to meet.” – Ed Lehming I made this image over a week ago and had titled it at that time. Since that time life has thrown me a few curve balls. So, I expect my upcoming theme will be about transitions…. Read More
“The view was surreal, there were mountains where the water was, only a few days before. The world had transformed fully to winter” – Ed Lehming As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, these lake mountains, or cryo-volcanoes, are something that’s unique to the Great Lakes, as far as I know. They probably occur in any cold weather, fresh water lake that is big enough to generate the wave force to create them…. Read More
“Water, in its many forms, continues to amaze me. From warm gentle streams in summer to the surprising frozen cryovolcanoes of the shelf-ice of the Great Lakes, water is ever changing” – Ed Lehming Today, I went for a walk along the shores of Lake Ontario. My destination, once more, was Lakeshore Beach in Sandbanks Provincial Park, which I have written about quite a bit lately. Just a few weeks ago, the… Read More
“What appears to us as tenacity is often simply adaptation.” – Ed Lehming This cottonwood tree, seemingly overwhelmed by the ever-shifting drifting sand, is not alone. These trees have adapted with a root system that allows for fluctuations in sand depth. I’ve seen the tree trunks several feet above the sand, as if the trees are on stilts, and one like this buried to an equal depth. The root wood adapts, becoming… Read More
“Colour and movement danced before me as the waves wove a pattern of unexpected brightness under a winter sky, not yet locked in ice; they put on a final show for me.” – Ed Lehming I love water. I love how it moves, the sounds it makes, and the constant sense of being a living thing. I also like to accentuate movement by adding movement of my own. Intentional Camera Movement (ICM)… Read More
“The first real snows filled the gaps in the dunes, drifted snow covering the drifted sand. A seasonal change” – Ed Lehming I’ve been enjoying reviewing the images I made several days ago. That day brought some significant changes to an established photographic method and style. To get the images to communicate the nature of the environment, I had to change how I communicated as well. As those who follow this blog… Read More
A slight wisp of lake snow hangs in the air, the light mutes, yet color still shines through” – Ed Lehming I’m continuing my series of images from Sandbanks Provincial Park. Over Christmas, I spent two days exploring various parts of this beautiful park. The days were cold and often overcast, with brief moments of subdued sunlight. It had snowed quite a bit before Christmas. Still, much of that snow had blown… Read More
“Our views are influenced strongly by the past. Breaking the habit of the familiar is not easy, but opens up new possibilities” – Ed Lehming The evolution of this photo has been an interesting exercise for me. Over the years, I have developed certain “styles” that I go to because the results are pleasing to me. However, I don’t believe that doing things the same way is necessarily a good thing. There… Read More
“In the flat gray light of winter, the familiar landscapes change their character. The summer sand becomes an icy vista, serene but raw at the same time.” – Ed Lehming Above is another image made yesterday, Boxing Day in Canada, the day after Christmas. After a few days indoors feasting and celebrating, it was nice to stretch my legs and get in a few kilometers outdoors, hiking along the shoreline of West… Read More
“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
Ed Lehming Photography 
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