Traveling Back

"Ready To Go Out"

I have neglected the blog as of late, so I thought I'd post a new image today from a previous visit to Newfoundland. I don't yet get to travel often as a photographer, but I absolutely love it. So on days where I can't get rid of the ache to explore and have to stick close to home, I pull out my travel files and explore the memories via images I have yet to work on!

Today's image was taken somewhere on our way to Ocean View National Park and Leading Tickles. There was activity happening on the docks, so I only had a few seconds to get the sky skimming past these vessels lined up in the cove, ready to head out for the morning... I loved the boat in the middle ground with the flag waving proudly.

So now I've shared my itch to travel back... and to be sure I'll be arranging another trip, a longer trip, to magical Newfoundland. But for now, this will have to do while I get back to work! And hey, if you have one place you'd recommend to this rambling photographer, what would it be? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Have a great day gang!  Thanks for the Ramble!

Fish vs Flowers: A Total Surprise

"Water Nymph"

Today's image was a complete surprise. It all started with a trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens located here on Ontario. They had two different features within the main greenhouses. Glass Under Glass and Chocolate: The Exhibition. Both a wonderful way to spend a winter morning to be sure. It's a delightful place anytime of the year! But out of everything I photographed, it was the fish in the Mediterranean Greenhouse that held a challenge and got my creativity going.

I was totally not expecting that. I was there to photograph flowers.

I had to work around extreme reflections, low light, darting fish, and moving water. I kept my camera on continuous shutter mode and just kept taking photos whenever there was a slight possibility the fish would approach me. It wasn't until an employee arrived with fish food that they really began to take notice. The conditions meant I needed my fastest glass, the 50mm prime, the ISO up to 400 to allow the speed I needed at 1/500 of a sec, and in order to keep the noise at a minimum and get the exposure I wanted I also bumped my exposure compensation up another +2.7. The aperture was F/3.2. Any smaller and the shutter speed was an issue, and any bigger and I wasn't sure just how much would be in focus.

This was one of the surprising results. And I love it for the watery patterns and motion it contains. It seems a little fantastical to me, like if you were to look away and then look back, the elegant golden sprite might vanish altogether.

I went for tropical flowers. I wound up with fish.

Who knew so much fun was waiting!

I can't say it enough. Be prepared for the unexpected when you decide to photograph your city and surrounding areas. Surprises are always waiting.

Dreary Equals Industrial ~ Mono Monday!

"Guardian at the Docks"

I find the weather swings from gloomy to startlingly bright and cold with no happy medium in the last few weeks. Hardly ideal conditions for inspiring photographs. So today's post is another rant on working with what you've got.

The image above was taken down at the docks in the Hamilton Harbour a couple weeks ago. I had wandered around the pier and bay front trying to find something fascinating but felt like everything was coming up short. Ever have those days. I'll heartily admit that I do. I decided the best locale for finding some interesting material despite the bland weather would be the industrial docks. With a dull sky, and light rain, I had a chance to simplify my photography. Once in this mindset, everything began to have potential once again.

Simply put, I decided on this particular day that dreary weather equaled industrial type images. I stopped looking for inspiring aesthetics and started looking for aesthetics that conveyed power, durability, and the relationship between the water and the ever present steel mills. 

When I worked with what was at my disposal, I began to get photographs that reminded me of the ways we naturally interpret this part of the city, and the industrial heritage it contains. And they felt right.

Dreary equalled industrial. Tomorrow it might represent something totally different. That's the joy of photography and working with what you've got.

Thanks for the ramble gang! Have a good one!

Being Thankful

"Place For Reflection"

Here in Canada we're getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. So I've relaxed my Floral Friday routine in order to post a photo from my photo jaunt last Wednesday... and to say thank you.

Thank you for reading my little blog as often as I post to it.

Thank you for sending me your encouraging emails, your great comments, and for many of you, your long distance support. If my google stats are correct, thank you for reading from places like the U.K, India, Texas, and for that one person in the Congo... I'm happy to have my photographic ramblings entertain you every week.

To my mentors, and my friends on a quest to express life through their own photographic vision... thank you for involving yourselves in my personal journey. You guys keep me extremely inspired. And grounded. I've been very grateful. I hope I show it often enough.

To my friends... thank you for putting up with my obsession and encouraging it to continue. You're all extremely fabulous :) And thank you for pulling me away from my desk and computer often enough to remember that life still has room for fun no matter what project is looming.

To my sweet family, immediate and extended. My cheer leading section, and my very constant support. I'm grateful for how often you humour me when the lens is stuck in your face, or when I have to be out shooting at all hours, in all weather, in inconvenient locations. For when I'm cranky after my shoot disappoints. Or when I have to do taxes... in the middle of the dining room... while you wait for supper... to arrive in take-out form... again.

And finally, to my Lord and Savior, who is continually doing a new work in me personally, which as a result flows into my photography and business. And has been the source of my obsession with the beauty and design He established for us to enjoy.

Just the very tip top of the list of thankfulness for me.

Thanks for letting me post it for all to see today, and have a terrific long weekend everyone.

Expect the Unexpected ~ Exploration Thursday!

"Marsh Light"

(1/50 sec.@ F/9, ISO 200, 40mm fl, late evening light)

Let me set up the scene. Sitting editing at my desk last night, supper ready, I look out my window for a moment and what do I see? The most massive clouds moving quickly across the sky. I look at the cloud anxiously. If I time this right, I can have dinner on the table in two seconds, hubby will walk through the door, my kit bag will be ready, and out the door I'll go after scarfing down said dinner... to chase the clouds. I hear the car pull in and is that a nervous twitch in my right eye? I can barely contain myself. I NEED to get pics of those clouds lit so gloriously in the lowering sun!

Faster than you can say "Bob's yer Uncle" we wolf down our donairs, and hubby and I fly out to the car yelling something to the kids about not blowing up the house or losing the dog and off we go. I remember that not far from the house is a new trail that leads to a cool walking bridge over the highway to the beach... the clouds will look great from there!

Move ahead a measly ten minutes. The clouds? Gone. They've rapidly become a smear of grey across the distant sky leaving a hazy blue and nothing else. Can you say "drat!" I walk deflated across said bridge and wonder if I'll just have to stand around for another hour and at least get some night shots of the light trails of hundreds of cars on the highway beneath us driving into the approaching night. But man I wanted those clouds.

If there's one thing I've learned pursuing photography for the last five years, it's been to never restrict yourself to what you think might be waiting for you. Always be ready for the possibility that instead of what you envisioned, there might be a surprise waiting for you. There have been days I thought I was heading out to shoot landscapes, and instead I got hung up on some cool details I spied at the side of the road en route. Went to shoot architecture, and shot dogs playing in puddles instead. So as I stood on the bridge, I turned to see the view from the east... and found marshes rising up on either side of the highway along the trails. And if they weren't bathed in the most lovely sunset light, grasses shining, water with golden ripples. And if I poked my lens through the rungs of the bridges rails, I could get the view unhindered and from 40ft up.

I walked away with a ton of shots. The reeds in the water made little paths that zigzagged through the frame, natural layers the eye could travel around, and the light kept deepening. You'd never know traffic was roaring past less than 30 feet away... and the whole time I was reminded that I need to expect the unexpected when I head out with my camera.

Have a great day folks! Thanks for the ramble and I hope you all find something unexpected to photograph this week too!

Can't Beat Backlit ~ Exploration Thursday!

"Scottie and the Summer Sprinklers"

Back lighting. It's an excellent way to give your images an extra edge. I sometimes forget this. So preoccupied with getting nice sidelight, proper shade, or fill flash to combat direct sun hitting a subject. But life would be more interesting, and I dare say easier at times if I'd remember how dynamic a photograph can be when it's shot with back light. So how do I forget this important technique?

Took this last summer at the pier with my friend and photog partner in crime Kelly one night. The light is low, skimming across the sprinkler park while the sun starts to set. This becomes ideal for back lit subjects or scenes. We had a hoot (yes, I used hoot. Who doesn't these days?) watching this little dog frolicking in the spray with as much abandon as he's stubby little legs would allow.

I raised my camera, and metered off the spray, choosing to blow out the highlights a bit more than normal so that the pooch wouldn't be pitch black... and waited till he frolicked a little more towards the light as well.

I shot a few frames then realized it could use some help, so I went into my exposure compensation and dialed it up a bit by +0.7. This made everything in the light pop and the shadows a little less dominant.

In the end my exposure was 1/400 sec.@ F/7.1, ISO 160 with my 200mm zoom. I froze the dogs steps as well as the spray shooting upwards.

I'm thinking I need to shoot more back lit subjects soon... it's been too long. Anyone wanna run with abandon through the sprinkler????

Have a super night gang! Thanks for the ramble!

Rushing Water ~ Mono Monday!

"Rain Runnin' Fast"

(1/6 sec.@ F/20, ISO 100, 46mm fl, Center Weighted Meter)

(sunset, tripod, circular polarizer)

Armed with a tripod, a remote shutter release, and a polarizer to filter out the excess light that comes with slower shutter speeds, I begin to hunt out the area waterfalls once again. May is truly ideal for this as we're inundated with rain from April, and Hamilton is known as the Waterfall Capitol of the World after all!

I love the challenge of photographing moving water. The trap however, is getting so caught up with the technical, that a true composition is neglected. Or we opt for any moving water that might look silky and smooth in the lens without any thought to why we're drawn to it, and how to express it as a photograph of substance.

Today's B&W is my balance of the two; the mechanics of the shot, and my objective in photographing it. The first thing I was careful of was to find an element of design I could capitalize on, not just a pretty run of water. I walked around this particular juncture in the creek bed several times before I decided how much my eye kept coming back to the smooth line that arched around the creek, giving a horseshoe shape containing the water surging down over it. I also liked the automatic contrast of silk and surging water swirling a step below it. Exposed right, there would be a contrast of light and dark within both areas of the shot. Creates interest.

I kept my wide angle zoom on so as to include the entire rounded layer of rushing water too. Always remember your focal length (zoomed in to 46mm for this shot) helps determine what you do with your final composition, and where you'll shoot from obviously. I waited for the sun to bathe the swirling part of the water over the edge of the bank to add golden light for my color shots and to meter from that so I wouldn't blow out any necessary highlights. And I knew I'd need everything in the shot that was still, to be sharp throughout, plus use my choice of aperture to help give me a longer exposure than normal so the water would look appropriately smooth in the right spots. I ended up with a shutter speed of 1/6th of a second that gave me the look I desired. The rushing turbulent motion is still very defined in spots, and the smooth water running over the layer of rock bed is equally defined.

I'm very happy with this shot. I could have easily stopped down my aperture more to allow for an even longer shutter speed and made the entire shot very very soft. But that was not my goal this time around, and at times, that approach can be very cliche. In editing after I converted to B&W, all this required was to tidy the crop a bit and pull contrast out of the shadows and highlights with PSPx3's Clarify action at only 8.6%. I'm noticing the more carefully I expose in the camera, the less is needed in editing. Maybe an obvious thing, but I use it as a way to judge if my skills are being honed any. High Pass Sharpen was applied at a subtle opacity adding a bit of extra depth.

Thanks for the ramble on my waterfall trails exploits. There will be many more to come. If you haven't walked or biked the Red Hill Creek trails, they're beginning to look quite lush right now... great place for your family and your cameras!

Trust Yourself ~ Exploration Thursday!

"High Water Creek"

(1/10 sec.@ F/11, ISO 100, 35mm fl, sunset, Center Weighted Meter)

(Tripod, Timer, kit zoom, Circular Polarizer)

Ever second guess your abilities? You're in the middle of a project, or a pursuit and instead of trusting your instinct you go with the more logical choice. By the time your choice is irreversible, you discover you ended up making more work for yourself than was necessary? Been there. Over that!

The image today is the result of listening to oneself and trusting that you're not faking it, that you really do know a few things. We so-called "self-taught" photographers are always in danger of this mostly because we come across information about our skill, craft, and our gear somewhat haphazardly.

But this point was driven home last weekend when I joined a creativeLIVE webinar and the featured Pro taught about sticking with one set of gear long enough to know all it's quirks before you ever buy anything new. And that even the most expensive cameras aren't perfect. But the longer and more steadily you use it, the more you know the best way to shoot with the gear you have. Sounds obvious doesn't it?

My point is this. I've shot with my Nikon D80 long enough that I've known for forever that my camera's meter tends to underexpose scenes, even when every thing's zeroed out in the camera. When it should be perfectly metering a scene, it's always a tad darker than it should be. The problem is, I thought it was just me. That I still didn't have a handle on how to meter properly. Because? I assumed what my camera was telling me was more truthful than my gut. So much so that I was causing a lot more work for myself in post processing because I would have to spend time readjusting brightening, lightening, colors, pulling detail out of shadow... on and on and on... In reality, knowing what I know about my tricky meter (and now what I know about reciprocals, but that's another story for another post) allows me to immediately add a 1/3 to a 1/2 stop of light to get the best results immediately in the lens, and way less work in editing. And I'm all about more shooting, less editing.

The image today is the newest example of this. I wanted a slow exposure of the water to smooth some of it out but still leave some bubbles intact. A long exposure time with the polarizer to slow it down more and cut reflections was key. Then straight to the computer. This has had only some minor clarify and high pass sharpening (19%) applied with the white balance tweaked in PSPx3. All because I watched my meter and slightly overexposed to get the right exposure. No extra work needed.

Now the only issue is... do you like the version below which I cropped for added oomph? Or do you like the original above, with all the rushing water included to show how high and fast the creek bed was last night?

Thanks for the ramble, I'll anxiously be awaiting your opinions? But in the end, I'll go with my gut. Have a super Thursday!

"High Water Creek ~ Cropped Version"

(Clarify filter applied at 6%, High Pass Sharpening at 19%)

Icy Formations ~ Mono Monday!

"Her Icy Face"  ~ Tiffany Falls, Hamilton, On

(1/2sec @ F/14, ISO 100, 28mm fl, 18-55mm Nikkor kit lens, tripod, pattern metering, ND filter)

I'd like to make a confession here on Mono Monday. Some will shake their heads when they read this, some will understand completely. But I feel I must be honest. So here goes.

I have lived in Canada my whole life. It's February. It's winter. And (taking a deep breath here...) I don't like it. Ah, there, I said it!!!! I know that out there in all the snow and ice are great photo ops but it requires putting on a thousand layers of clothing, tucking gear and batteries safely and warmly in any available crevice in said clothing, and wandering treacherous and slippery paths and locations with a tripod in one hand and a Timmie's coffee in the other. Often it's while my family tags along under the guise of sledding or only being out walking "for a sec". Ha, could only pull that one on them a handful of times before they got wise to me and started "disappearing" every time I suddenly hunted for snow pants in the back of the house.

Let's be honest, I'd much rather be out in the warmer weather, catching the tulip festival at the park, or driving back roads with the windows down and the tunes cranked looking for barns and farm gear to shoot. But having said all this, there is something to be said for winter photography. Despite all the extra work before I even get out to the car, despite the fact that every year pulling on the monster boots seems to wind me more and more, and despite the way my hubby looks at me when he realizes I need a walking buddy in -23 weather without the wind chill... despite all that, there's a treasure to be gleaned every time I head out to shoot. And it's this: YOU LEARN TO WORK FAST!

Shooting outdoors in the chilly Canadian weather (and yes, I'm aware there's chillier, don't get me wrong) forces you to work fast. Sum up a scene quickly, decide what's important to portray, to emphasize, and what to eliminate. Your composure skills are naturally honed when you know that the cold is eating at your battery, that your tripod adjust knobs are freezing in place, and that you've stopped feeling your feet. Your brain goes into adrenaline mode when you can hear your husbands teeth chattering from twenty feet away and you've only been on the trail for ten minutes. You realize you need to get those other angles NOW since once you get back in the car there's no way you're getting back out for that one forgotten shot. And you learn to think quickly about all the tools at your disposal. Filters are at the ready for the slow exposures of the trickling water still running through the icy rock face, the tripod doesn't leave your side, and your other lens is already waiting in your pocket for a very quick switch indeed while you have a plastic bag waiting for the other lens to defog in once your finished. And your settings! You learn to sum up the light real quick and no foolin' around in your menus, cause no matter how warm those gloves are, they're a pain to use when you have to push tiny buttons right?

See what I mean about working well but working quickly?

It's a good test of your natural skills... seeing how far you've come with your camera. Limited time means you have to harness all the things you should know without even really thinking them. You should try it. Just not with me. (little humor there... heh heh heh)

So all kidding aside... if you visit the cooler climates that require sled dogs and snow shoes, or simply live where you've shoveled another eight feet of snow out of your driveway for the fourth time (shovelers unite!) then make yourself get out there with the camera, give yourself twenty minutes to an hour to photograph, then go home to some winter stew and warm pj's and review how you did. You'll get a very clear picture of what you still need to remember, and what you excel at under pressure.

And how a frozen finger looks after you pry it off the shutter too fast...ouch.

Have a good Monday folks... and thanks for letting me ramble on! Tomorrow is our first Telephoto Tuesday! Hope to see ya then!

Thankful for Ontario's Beauty

 " Autumn At Eels Lake"

1/125 sec @ F/5, ISO 160, 18mm fl, manual



Here in Canada it's Thanksgiving weekend already, so I thought I'd post images from my latest trip up to the Ottawa Valley area, where the color and beauty we explored for three days along all the old roads and highways was so inspirational. My husband and I loaded up the car with gear, snacks, coffee and tunes a couple weekends ago, and meandered our way 7hrs northeast up to where the Madawaska River finally meets with the Ottawa River... and along the way, we cruised back roads, boat launch trails, and even cemeteries. And everywhere we looked, there was a quiet wilderness begging to be captured.

Over the next few days I will be posting images that will give you a small taste of what it was like to explore this lovely and rural part of Ontario for a weekend, camera always in hand. And today I'll start with our first real stop, about halfway through our journey, at Eels Lake, up near the Kawarthas region.

 "Eels Lake Shoreline"

1/160 sec @ F/6.3, ISO 106, 18mm fl, manual



This particular area was shot quite close to the boat launch at Eels Lake. And if I have one tip for anyone out exploring this particular part of Ontario, up past the Kawarthas, Bancroft, all the way up to Renfrew or Ottawa itself along the smaller more scenic highways, it's this; some of the best and most rewarding "detours" you'll make along the way are anywhere along the road where you see a Boat Launch sign! These routes mean there are secluded and natural lakes ahead (secluded come autumn time anyways, lol) and you're sure to catch some pristine scenery in the lens. These roads are often remote enough that you may see deer, and other wildlife en route, and usually when you get to the end of the road there's a lovely place to stretch your legs or even picnic while you shoot. Of course, always make sure it is a public launch route, a private road can land you in trouble.



 "Rustic Eels Lake" B&W Conversion"

1/200 sec @ F/6.3, ISO 200, 18mm fl, manual

The above image I love because of all the textures that suddenly command your attention once converted to B&W. I often will take an image knowing that it's one I want to see in a monochromatic version, and this was one that I knew right away would suit perfectly. There will be more B&W images to follow in the next post, I'm excited to see what you think of them... the rocks and sediment along the shore were full of visual interest and character, and seemed to prove that we were treading on ground left quite in it's natural state... hard to find in the beaches and parks closer to my end of Ontario. The light was lovely and diffused due to fluffy clouds hanging low in the sky that day, so overall patterned metering was pretty much the norm as i shot, and all were handheld.



"Cove at Eels Lake Launch"

1/160 sec @ F/6.3, ISO 200, 18mm fl, Manual

Finally, the above image (a color version, landscape framing this time, as opposed to it's B&W partner) is a great example of how you can pull detail out of the sky AND the water below with the use of a circular polarizing filter. A polarizer cuts the light reflecting off the water, adding depth, and it deepens the sky, perfect for these low laying clouds. This was the perfect type of day to use my handy little filter, with the sun behind me late in the afternoon. I knelt low on the sand and made sure to compose so that the sky complimented the landscape, adding interest naturally.

This post pretty much exemplifies everything I love about landscape photography... adventuring into new territory, exploring the beauty available, and trying to capture it in such a way that the viewer is caught saying to themselves "oh, I need to GO there one day!" The wonder to be found a few hours from home inspires me, and makes me so thankful for things as simple as a humble little "boat launch" sign, for without it I never would have explored sweet little Eels Lake, or had images to hopefully inspire the rest of you to hop in the car with a loved one or pal one day, and just drive, to see what you can discover and become inspired by yourself!

Thanks for letting me ramble on! Have a great Thanksgiving one and all!

And feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you're thankful for lately :-)