Bush meat
Hidden Falls
My buddy Ken Bennison and I had the great idea to take a trip into the bush north of Sudbury last Sunday mainly to feed the mosquitoes and black flies. – and of course to do some shooting. Our subject was to shoot a very nice waterfall that is hidden a short 15-20 min hike from the main gravel road. At this location we are about 50 clicks up a logging road, the landscape is beautiful with lakes, islands, rocks, trees and bushes. We had located the falls on an earlier trip, but due to a lot of rain, at least I didn’t get any shots that day. Just for your amusement, the forecast had predicted rain, about 5 mm or less than 1/4″ and they were right…. but that amount of rain over about 60-80 minutes was enough to get me soaked right to the bones. I can not recall the last time i had been so wet with my clothes on. So since the rain didn’t look like it would let up anytime soon, we hiked back out and went back to Ken’s Ford to wait out the rain. Ken aka “The Extremist” went back to the falls after about an hour wait. I decided to dry out some more and have a nap instead and not risk damage to my photo gear. At this time I was out of dry clothes anyway. Ken returned about 90 min later, soaked like sponge, and blood – yes blood – from bug bites running down his neck. It looked like he had shaved with a bread knife. The bugs had been busy while Ken was back at the falls. Now, we both have bug jackets which are vital if you want to spend any amount of time in the bush at this time of year. And the way I see it, there are two ways to wear a bug jacket. – Hood on or hood off. If you don’t own a bug jacket or haven’t tried one, when you have the hood on you greatly reduce the risk if getting bitten. Of course if you don’t wear the hood, well….take a guess.
I guess Ken has a different opinion, because I have yet to see Ken actually zip up the hood. But then again, Ken is an extremist, a bush guy, you know, the farmer type. Bug bites doesn’t really bug him to much – pun intended. I am on the other hand a city guy and I guess a wuss, cause I had that thing zipped up so tight the whole time. And i didn’t get bit… that day. One thing I think you should know if you never have had a bug jacket on “as intended” is that it gets really hot under there, really fast. And it is really tempting to take the hood off and get some fresh air. You have of course a net in front of you, and as you breathe out, the air and heat gets trapped in there. It’s a bit unpleasant at first but the alternative is far worse in my mind, and you will quickly figure out to slow down and take it easy. It also prohibits a clear view of your cameras viewfinder, so relied on the LiveView feature.
So back to our outing last Sunday. We arrived at the site shortly before 3 pm. We parked at what looks like a turn around or equipment parking, and we were going to walk the rest of the way in. Our dinner guests had already arrived and were very excited to see us again, Ken in particular i think. They must have recognized him from last time because they treated him like a superstar. They swarmed around him in like he was a free “all you can eat buffet” which turned out wasn’t that far from the truth. Well to be honest, it wasn’t that bad right at the car. A slight breeze kept the bugs at bay, but as soon as we got deeper into the bush where the wind don’t reach down to the ground they were bad. Down at the falls they were downright nasty and very pushy dinner guests. So out came the bug jackets. Btw, be sure to wear a long-sleeved shirt under the jacket. And gloves. I can highly recommend using a pair when you are in the bush. Mechanic gloves works like a charm, and it will keep the biting down significantly, and at the same time you will still be able grab on to picky branches, wet rocks and work with your camera. Another tip is to carry a bottle of frozen water on you. The particular bug jacket I own is stored in its own pocket when it’s folded up and put away in my closet, and when worn, the pocket is on the inside of the jacket. Perfect size for a bottle of frozen water. Why on the inside? So you can drink while your hood is still on. That way you don’t have to unzip it and let the bugs get at you. A bit of practice and you will be able to easy slide up the bottle under the jacket, unscrew the cap and drink while at the same time keeping the bugs from bugs entering the jacket from underneath. Oh, and frozen water so it will stay cold, and keep you chilled under there while its melting slowly. A note to my self (and perhaps to you as well) for the next time I go out in the bush. Wear long socks or tie your pant cuffs closed if they can’t reach into your hiking boots. The little shits bugs will crawl up your legs and feast on you when you kneel or sit down. That’s where they got me on this trip.
We finally got some shooting done at this gorgeous location, although the weather was almost too good. A little too much sunshine and not enough clouds made it hard to get the lower shutter speeds that makes shooting waterfalls a fun thing to do. The shot above is just a tiny fraction of the falls, one of the smaller ones that happened to be in the shade. I placed the camera directly on the ground and very close. Put the camera in LiveView mode, and shot a few frames. The fall looks big but in reality is only about 6-10 inches high.
Of all the outings I have had with Ken, this was probably the best one so far, in the sense of the landscape we were in, and the animals we saw. You can go 2 hours up a next to no traffic gravel road and see absolutely nothing. But on these last two trips, we have seen 2 moose, 6 turtles (2 different species), 1 rabbit, frogs, tad poles, a woman’s bare butt, squirrels, chipmunks, hawks, a grouse mom with tiny little chicks and other interesting birds. Observing nature is incredible, especially when it decides to show up.
Enjoy.
Old Doors
Merchant Mansion Door Odense Denmark 1631
Merchant Mansion, 1631, Odense, Denmark
I actually meant to try the just released beta version of Lightroom 5 last night. But I got a bit side tracked. I started to look through my 2009 image folder, and came across a few images that I thought I could combine and make into a blog post. Doors seems to be a popular collection item on sites likes Pinterest. There is something about doors. Of course every building has them, but not every one is special. I like the old ones. Especially old and worn ones with lots of details such as wood carvings or stained glass like this one.
I was in Odense, Denmark in 2009, participating for the first time in the annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk. Odense is an old city, it dates way back to the year 988 – yup, long time ago. Some famous people from that city includes Hans Christian Andersen, world-renowned story-teller, poet and writer and Carl Nielsen, classical composer. So this city is very old and the amazing part of it is that many buildings are still standing. When walking down town its like going back in time if it wasn’t for the occasional car or scooter zooming by.
The leading shot right is the bay doors from a Merchant House Mansion, that dates back to 1631 according to the engraving above the door. One can only wonder how life was behind those doors at that time, most likely very tough for the workers, while the owner or merchant would be stinking rich, have a lot of power and be very influential in the city. He would most likely also be a member of the town council. Click the thumbnail to view the “mansion” a bit bigger.
“Our Lady Church” door, 13th century church, Odense, Denmark
Another old door is the church entrance for “Our Lady Church”, a small church built sometime in the 13th century. Renovated a couple of times since then, last time in 1864. Odense also have a cathedral that is from around the same time period.
Door to hall of the local inn, 1683, Odense, Denmark
The Old Inn, 1683, Odense, Denmark
If you had a church in your town/village back then, chances were that there also was a place to get drunk a drink, and Odense’s old watering hole is still there – well, it’s not the only one they have of course but this one dates back to 1683. It’s a restaurant today, and apparently are very nice place to eat. The current name is very creative – it’s called “The Old Inn” – no, I’m not kidding. The text above the old door would translate in to what we would know as a hall – a place to have dinner parties, live music etc.
Private door from 18th century house Odense Denmark
Another private door from 18th century house Odense Denmark
Cobble stone street downtown Odense, Denmark
I’ll finish this long post with a couple of entrance doors to a couple of old private houses in the down town area, that guaranteed dates back from the 18th century or earlier. When the owners want to renovate their house, there are certain rules to follow, permissions to get from the city planning department before any renovation can start. No modern looks here. Notice the old style windows in the street shot. The windows are made of new and modern materials, but the look has to match the age of the building.
As always, your visits and comments are very much appreciated. Also, all images can be viewed large by clicking on the image.
Enjoy.
Plugin’s
Google Nik software
I’m sure you have heard about the Google Nik software suite offer by now. …no? well then, get this… It turns out that Google has reduced the price on the entire Nik software suite to an affordable $149. The Suite includes all the famous and popular plugins: Define 2, Sharpner Pro 3, HDR Efex 2, Silver Efex Pro 2,Viveza 2 and Color Efex Pro 4. Works with Adobe Photoshop CS, Adobe Lightroom and Aperture.
The price is $149, but if you are a NAPP member you can get it for $127. If you are not a member, a quick google search for Nik software coupons you get a link like this that will save you 15%.
Even better, if you already own a earlier version of the suite or just one of the 6 plug-ins, you can get the entire suite for free. If you have registered your product, you should have a mail from google by now in you inbox with a download link. If you don’t, check your spam folder, that’s where i found my email from Google.
I really look forward to take some time and play with the different plugs in from Nik.
OnOne Perfect Photo Suite 7
Most of my images takes a trip through this suite in one way or another. I use Perfect Effects for the final tweaks and stylization. I particularly like Tonal Contrast, the Big Softy and HDR look Natural. I have used Perfect Resize with greats success a few times. And Perfect Black & White is quite amazing if you ask me. This version works of course with Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture. But even better, this suite also is a stand-alone collection of software, meaning you can use this with out Photoshop etc. Just launch Perfect Layers and you are good to go. It’s a great plugin to have and I recommend you at least give it a trial – free of course. Prices starts at $79. Actually, now you can download Perfect Effects 4 for free!! And a bunch of cool presets as well. No charge. Gotta love that!
Oh.. I almost forgot the OnOne training centre where guys like Brian Matiash give you tips, tricks and inspiration on how to get the most out of your investment. An absolutely outstanding resource.
Merge to 32-bit HDR Plug-in for Lightroom
The last plugin I use is one I found recently. Its made by the good folks at HDRsoft who makes the well-known and highly recommended Photomatix HDR software. This little plug-in is made for Lightroom 4, and what it does is combining your selected brackets to a 32 bit tif file, that you can edit in Lightroom, making your Lighroom 4 software a great tool for HDR shots. It does that without going into the main Photomatix program or Photoshop for that matter. Lightroom 4 has the ability to work with 32 bit files. The advantage of a 32 bit file is that it gives you a +10/-10 f-stop range, that you can control in great detail by using the brush adjustment tool in Lightroom. It’s quick to use, and gives a result that looks better than what Photoshop CS6 can do in my opinon.
The plugin costs $29 but if you already own Photomatix, you get it for free.
Click the headings for a link to the download site.
Bridal Veil Falls – Summer
Summer…ah.. can’t wait. It is my absolute favorite time of year. After 4-5 months of winter it feels great to lose the big coat and the long-johns.
- It’s time for the 3rd season from the falls in Kagawong, Manitoulin Island, also known as Bridal Veil Falls. If you missed the other two, click here and here. The opening shot is taken in early June – well both are actually. Again this time, its has a snapshot look to it, but thought it was worth putting up here on the blog.
As I mentioned in my last post, I usually stop here for lunch when I go by on my way to Gore Bay. (A well-informed source has told me that the chip stand across the road from the falls should be pretty good. I’m gonna have to try that this year). Anyway, this shot is taken basically at noon. Not much sunlight down at the bottom, huh? But plenty at the top, on the bushes and the crest. It can be a bit tricky to get a good shot here when the sun is out, with out using bracketed exposures. The shot above is combined with 5 frames , and I was lucky that the couple under falls didn’t move much during my exposure. I left them in there to get a sense of scale. The shot is taken from the same vantage point as the two previous posts.
As you can see in the shot, the water that is going over the edge has slowed down a bit compared to the spring shots. At the end of the fall it gets even worse, as you will see in my last segment from this location on my next post.
The falls goes over the edge in two places. The main one of course, and then a smaller to the right of it. If you remember the winter shot from a couple of weeks ago, that’s why the crack in the ice fall occur But at this time of year, it’s just dripping from small one, and in the shade from the big trees there are some very saturated green colored moss which I couldn’t resist to shoot as well.
Enjoy.
Bridal Veil Falls – Spring
We had a “short” heat wave up here last week. Temperatures around the 5°C /40°F. That got things melting, but sure enough, it didn’t last long, so now we are left with some extremely dirty looking snow piles, black and brown from the salt, sand and exhaust. It’s not very pretty to look at. But of course being in Northern Ontario, we probably still have a snowstorm or two to deal with before it’s all said and done. Currently we are back below freezing but its going the right way. It is so nice to feel the heat from the sun as it gets higher in the sky.
Last week I posted a winter shot from Bridal Veil Falls. I thought I would keep going and post some pictures I took in the spring of 2011. They are not exactly fine art shots, but I thought they would tell a story of the spring thaw anyway. They are shot in May, and I’m sure by then the spring thaw has peaked, but it was still a cool to see the amount of water that’s going over that edge, especially when you compare that to a shot taken in late…which I’ll be posting next weekend ehm.. time.
The opening shot is taken from one of two viewing platforms that over looks the falls. I think this particular one is the lower one. This time of year, I would not go any closer to the falls, because my equipment and I would get absolutely soaked. As you walk down the metal stairs towards the trail, that by the way goes from the falls to downtown Kagawong, you will feel the cold mist coming from the falls on your face. Standing at the bottom of the stairs on the trail looking back, right around that corner are the falls and a spring shower if you get to close… The mist is clearly visible, and even standing here, you can feel it. The trail is borderline muddy, the stairs are wet and slippery, so hang on to the rail and wear practical shoes if you go for a peak your self. And you should… 
The Kagawong River or creek runs out in the big Lake Huron, and I found 4 shots in my library that was taken from the same spot right in sequence I put them together in PS and saved it as an animated gif. You may have to click on the image to view the animation. It kind of gives you an idea how this little river or creek really comes to life when spring arrives.
Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoy.
Bridal Veil Falls – Winter
Just about once a month, I have the pleasure to go to Manitoulin Island which by the way is the worlds biggest island in a freshwater body. My last stop there is Gore Bay, and to get there I drive right by the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls in Kagawong. It’s a very popular place and guaranteed visited by every single tourist and local that has ever been on this island.
The fall is about 2 hours from my office, and depending on the time, I usually pull over here for a quick lunch, and of course a peak at the falls. So by going there between 12-15 times a year, I get to observe the changes that happens there. The spring thaw, where it’s almost impossible to be at the foot of the falls because of the spray. During the summer where there almost no water is going over the edge. In the fall the salmon comes up-stream to spawn and die right in the pool at the bottom of the falls. That is the end of the road river for them as there are no way of getting further up. And then of course winter where the 35′ tall fall freezes solid. It looks amazing, so i thought i would share a shot from that location. You are actually able to walk behind the falls through the opening on the right, and you will come out on the other side of the pool. Getting wet is a possibility because water is still running behind the ice build up.
On this trip, i did not bring my boots, so I did not venture down the stairs to the bottom of the falls. But the viewing platform was accessible, so this is what you’ll get this time.
Getting a decent lighting in this location is tough because the river runs north out into Lake Huron, so it’s not a sunrise or sunset location. On both sides are steep hills with tall trees, and to get any light down by the pool, you will have to wait until noon, which is not really a good time to shoot landscape. As always with fast flowing water, I prefer a cloudy day at this location to get a sense of moving water using slow shutter speeds.
To give a sense of size, I included the picture on the right, shot in mid March 2012. At this point the spring thaw was well under way, and the whole scene was not as pristine as you can see on the brownish colors of the snow and ice. Where I’m standing is right at the entrance to walk behind the falls as mentioned above.
Enjoy.
The Bush Road
Shortly after returning home from my holidays, I was going on a trip that would take me deep into the bush. Well, deep is probably an exaggeration to some, but about 20 clicks up an unknown gravel road is far enough for me at this time of year. I have to say that this road was an extremely well maintained one of the kind. In fact that particular day, this gravel road, – this snow-covered gravel road, was the best road I drove on that day.
Highway 11 which is a main 4 lane high way had a lot icy sections mainly in the right hand lane. Which made it a bit of a dicey drive especially when other cars and trucks were passing. A couple of cars had indeed ended up in the ditch due to the road conditions. The reason for the icy roads was due to a bit of a warm spell a couple of days before – thaw, freezing rain, and then some flash freezing and just to make it really interesting – a nice dump of snow to cover it all up. This day, the temperature was well below -25°C / -13°F, so road salt wouldn’t have made any difference what so ever.
After finishing my call at my customer, I headed back down the gravel road. The sun was higher in the sky, and some ice fog or mist was forming between the trees. I was so happy i had brought my camera that day, because it was absolutely gorgeous in there. Extremely cold, fresh snow on the trees, well-groomed road, no wind, blue sky and sunshine – perfect conditions for a winter shot. I made a few different shots on my way back to civilization, and this is one of them.
Now, I can’t really decide which one I like the best. Black & White or color. Scroll down to see the colored version. I like both, but I chose to feature the black and white – in my opinion it has a slight edge over the other one. The reason for trying the black and white conversion was the almost given due to the almost colorless scene, even with the blue sky, and I think it turned out pretty good. B/W conversion was done in the Perfect B & W module of the OnOne Perfect Suite 7. Final tweaks done in LR4.
Feel free to click on the images for a large view.
Oh, one more thing before I forget. As you probably have noticed, my blogging is not exactly regular, (some would say very irregular, but I’m trying…).
Please know that I really do value your visit, your comments, input and critiques, so please consider subscribing to my blog and you will get a reminder in your inbox when a new post is up. The subscription box is on the bottom of this post.
Enjoy.
Fall shots – IV
Please click the image for a larger view.
I wanted to show you this 4 image panorama I made from this location. Kind of gives you a nice view from the vantage point under the highway bridge. Gorgeous place. I hope to find time to go there again one morning and to find more mist on the water. Of course, this time of year, it’s a totally different image. Colors and leaves are gone, so it’s a bit sad to look at right now to be honest, but i think with the right light and a bit fog, it can be quite interesting. A reminder for next time, a slightly longer lens (this is shot with a 35mm), and perhaps shooting the panorama with the camera vertical. It is a wee bit narrow…
Enjoy.
The Extremist.
My good friend Ken Bennison asked me to come with him on a trip up the West Branch this past weekend. But before I get to that, I should explain the title on this blog post. It came up as we were waiting for the light to be in the perfect spot, and for the wind to die down a bit.
Extremist is (what I learned on this trip) more or less what his own family affectionately calls him, and it refers to the way he approaches his photography. There is a very good reason why Ken is an incredible artist/landscape photographer. He does what a lot of other people wont do. He gets up at an ungodly hour, drive,hike or canoe for hours, (obviously not at the same time, but most of the time he will have to do all three to get to his location of choice.) And when he gets there he will explore the area, figure out what he want to shot, and wait for the perfect conditions to happen. Ken is not afraid to wait for hours for his shot. He knows exactly what he wants in a picture, and if the conditions aren’t there, he wont even take the camera out of the bag, because he wont be able to use the shot anyway, so if he doesn’t get the shot, he will simply return to the same spot again and again until he gets the shot he has in his mind. And the results speaks for themselves. Check out his website. I should mention that Ken’s is shooting with a Canon 7D, one lens (28-135mm) and his trusty SLIK tripod. Yes, Ken only use one lens.
Anyway, so this past weekend we were up at the West branch north of Webbwood, Ontario. A place I haven’t been to in 2 years, so it was nice to go there again, and revisit some of the places I have shot before. Examples of previous posts can be found here, here and here. We are about 80 km (~50 Miles) in the bush, driving on a gravel logging road. The weather was perfect. No wind, sunshine and frost in the air. After having shot at a couple of locations, we wound up at the little lake where I had taken the Moonshine shot a couple of years ago. All of a sudden the sunshine starts to come through the trees, and lights up some grasses in the lake. Being the extremist that Ken is, gets up and wades out into the shallow waters. Ankle deep in loon and beaver crap he sets up his tripod and starts to compose a shot. I thought this would be a good time to get a shot of him in action, so I took a few of him shooting this sunlit grass, with some mist in the background.
The shot below is my shot from this location. Not being an extremist, I of course did not go into the water.
Fall at the falls – III
Please click on the image for a larger view.
Time to get close to the water. This is what I really like to shot. To take in the details in the rocks, the flow of the water, and the incredible colors you get this time of year. Often, you will see the colors of the trees reflect in the small rapids.
Enjoy. :)
Fall at the falls – II
Please click on the image for a larger view.
Where im standing while taking this shot and the shot in the next post, is actually under water during the spring thaw. It’s the very top part of the Onaping falls, or High Falls as some call it. You can see where the water level usually runs when the river is at its peak. As you probably have noticed if you have seen my pictures on this blog, I LOVE to get close in on the falls. I like this shot, but when i got home I realized that the top right corner is blown out. I could crop it out, but it makes the shot boring, so I left it in. I guess I need to get a split grad filter for next time.
Oh by the way. In case you missed the first shot in the mini-series, just click here. For more fall colors, or just to check out my site, click here.
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Fall at the falls – I
Please click on the image for a larger view.
Of course I can’t stop going to the Onaping Falls when the trees are putting on a display. For some reason, the colors up there didn’t seem as vibrant and up front and center this year. I was probably too late. I decided to explore a bit upstream from the main trail, and the next few posts are from around the same area, but looking in different directions.
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Fall shots – III
Please click on the image for a larger view.
One more from the Hwy 17 over pass. Same location as this shot, but this vantage point is from under one of the bridges looking south, as you can see on the google map. It’s definitively an area ill will revisit again.
Fall shots – I
Click on the image for a larger view.
Fall in Northern Ontario lasts approximately 3-4 weeks by my understanding – if we are lucky. This year it started a wee bit early too, probably due to lack of moisture, so the trees started to turn even before the summer was over. Yes, fall time is nice, but as soon as the colors are gone from the trees, it only becomes a reminder whats coming. -Yes, the white stuff….uggggg. The ‘S’ word is a bad word in this house.
Anyway, fall time – time to get out and get some colors at my regular locations. So here we go. First shot is from the Hwy17 bypass. I drive on this highway quite frequently, and I have been witness to the amazing color change during a period of a couple of weeks, so it was a must have shot. Shot on a chilly and cloudy morning around 8 am.
Bull riding
Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-300mm, 212mm, f/5.6 @1/250s, ISO450
Second installment of my little mini series from the Rawhide Rodeo held here in town a couple of weeks ago. You can catch the first post here.
Like I said in my first rodeo post, I have a hard time understanding why a grown man would get on the back of a bull, that is tickled in the private parts area - and on top of that, just for fun. Dont get me wrong, its fun to look at, but that’s about the extend of it for me. Even in the pen before the event, the bulls look mean, so I assume it can only go downhill from there.
On to the images. Instead of making a post per image, I’ll show a few of my favorite shots from the bull riding event here in one post. I shot all my shots – about 800 shots – from my seat in the stands, so the control of light and background is a bit of a toss-up. But now I know that for the next time they are in town. I still think they are worth showing, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
Click on the images for a nice large view of the action.
Enjoy.
Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-300mm, 210mm, f/5.6 @1/250s, ISO450
He didn’t last long. Btw, this guy had to take a trip to the emerge (mentioned in my previous post). Dislocated shoulder i think. They couldnt pop it back in to place on site. – Yep, cowboys are tough..
Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-300mm, 210mm, f/5.3 @1/250s, ISO450
A really bad spot to be in – cause….
Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-300mm, 212mm, f/5.6 @1/250s, ISO360
… just because you are done with the bull, doesn’t mean the bull is done with you. – I would probably need to change my pants if i laying in the dirt right there. Look at his left arm. Ouch!! Not good.. not good at all.
Next up: Rodeo clowns and other rodeo staff. Stay tuned.
Yeeeeeehaaaww
Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-300mm, 112mm, f5.6 @ 1/750sec, ISO200
I had a really cool experience last weekend. I had got my hands on some tickets to the annual Rodeo show. It was my first time at a rodeo, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I have seen it on TV a few times, but it’s not a sport I follow religiously. I brought my D300 and my longest lens, the 70-300mm, and it turned out to be a the right choice. Of course, if I have had the 70-200 f2.8 it would have been better, but I don’t own that lens…yet
The rodeo is a cool way to see cowboys and girls in full gear, riding beautiful horses, wearing great outfits (that category belongs to the girls only) and of course the atmosphere. Lots of spectators were sporting a cowboy hat as well. The southern state accent from the announcer was very fitting and of course the rodeo clown. It was all a lot of fun. I would definitively go again, just because of the atmosphere.
Now, there’s something I don’t get. How would anyone in their right mind get on the back of a 1500+ lbs. bull with testies the size of baseballs, put a strap around the said area of the bull, and then let it out of the pen. The object is to stay on the bull for 8 sec. The amount jumping the bull does is also a part of the final score. At the same time try not the stomped on when one can’t hold on to the bull anymore. One guy got hurt badly and had to take a trip to emerge.
Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-300mm, 210mm, f5.6 @ 1/500sec, ISO200
This guy took awhile to get up. I think he had trouble breathing properly right after he fell off.
Anyway, I’ll start of the Rodeo image fest with the shots above. – there will be more…
Be sure to click on the images to view a larger version.
Enjoy.
It is written on stone
Nikon D300, Nikkor 16-35mm f4 @ 24mm, f5.6, 1/180 sec, ISO200
I surprised my self, and got up early this morning in search for a picture at High Falls in Onaping. I think I got a few keepers that I will share in a later post. After the sun was getting higher in the sky, I decided to explore a bit above the falls. I found what looks to be a good sunset location so ill try to get back there later. On the way, I came across the image you see above, and i thought it was too good to pass up. High Falls is unfortunately littered with graffiti on the rocks because it’s so accessible, especially in the summer where the water levels are low. There are several marriage proposals, X loves Y, and Z was here. To be frank, I wish people would respect the falls beauty and stop painting on the rocks. That said, the graffiti on the rocks in the shot above stood out, so I had to shoot it.
This guy went all out and poured his feelings for his sweetheart out on the rocks, just above the falls. I’m not sure if its readable when it’s scaled down so here is the text letter for letter.
“So here it goes
I’ll try my Best
to explain to you
whats on my chest
I know I can LOVE
when I see the world in you
And your eyes everywhere in the world
Your important to ME in every way
I would tell you that Everyday
To me your the one
your my modivation
our potential to be together
feels as though it would last 4 ever
I want to be ur man
And plan
everything
I can to assure u’ll
be a happy
girl”
It looks like he was running out of space at the end. That would make sense if he wrote this in the spring, where the water level would be just off the bottom of the frame.
Of course it’s not the most inspiring poem ever written, but he definitively put an effort into it. Who knows if his sweetheart read it and what happened after.
Morning on the lake
Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-300mm, 70 mm, f/6.7, 1/500 sec, ISO200, Panorama - 16 images
On a trip down Hwy 6 to Manitoulin Island back in October last year, I drive through the town of Espanola. – See more shots and post from the town here, here and here. That morning the fog was pretty heavy and on a hunch I took a detour down on Panage Lake Rd, just in case I would get lucky, and I didn’t get disappointed. It took about an 1 hour before the fog was burned of enough to get this shot – well, shots actually. It’s a panorama made from about 16 images, 8 shots in 2 rows. But in the mean time, I had a lot of fun shooting the morning mist or fog which is magical in a picture. It’s peaceful and a bit mystical. Not a bad thing in an image if you ask me.
Spring time
Nikon D300, Nikkor 105mm, f/3.0, 1/1600 sec, ISO200
Hello folks. Yes I know its been awhile, and I’m kicking my self for not getting it done. Here’s the beginning of attempting to post more regularly.
So spring time in Northern Ontario is to me, one of the most interesting times of the year. The colors of the landscape goes from brownish grey/black to a more vibrant green color. The mood of people changes as the light returns, days are getting longer, and warmer. Of course this is the time of year where people with allergies suffer – I know I do. For about 6-8 weeks my nose and eyes will be itchy, runny. I’ll be sneezing up a storm, but it’s still my favorite time of year.
And at times, nature likes to throw a curve ball, and she did just that a couple of weeks ago. We had an amazing record-breaking March, with temperatures up to 25°C for almost a week. – That’s pretty good frigggin awesome for N. Ontario standards. So of course every tree, bush and weed plant gets a wake up call – alrighty then, it’s that time of year, let’s get started. So the buds are budding weeks before normal, that grass is green at a time when it supposed to be, some flowers are already out, such as tulips, which turned out to be a really bad idea.
Summer in march is not gonna last, not up here, and of course, Blammo – A week with cold temperature below freezing puts an efficient hold on everything growing. On top of that, 10-15 cm of wet snow to really push progress down again. Tulips dies, fruit trees are very vulnerable at this time of year, and I’m sure many fruit growers has been hit bad. Time will tell.
The image above is shot with my 105mm macro lens, the subject is my lilac bush, and as usual, a click on the images will make it even bigger.
Enjoy.
Going under ground
Nikon D300, Nikkor 18-200mm, 18mm, f/5.6, 6 sec, ISO400
I think an apology is in order. A while back I upgraded varies plugin’s on my blog, and for some reason the commentLuv plugin did not get re-enabled after the upgrade. I just realized yesterday that something was missing from the comments – the link back to the commenter’s own blog.
If you have commented on my images, please know that I appreciate them all, critical or not, and at the very least I should offer a link back to your blog. It didn’t happen, for that I’m really sorry.
Today’s shot is from an old limestone mine in Denmark. The mining ended in 1953, but the kilns were still producing burnt lime from other quarries all the way up to 1978. The mine is now part of a museum. Lots of tourists take the tour underground, guided or not. The constant temperature in the mine is perfect for storage and maturing of cheese, up to 200 tons of it. Just try for a second to imagine the smell… yeah, I know.
Besides being a bat habitat, the mine is also home to an underground concert hall – the acoustics are amazing.
The Mill
Nikon D300, Nikkor 18-200mm, 170mm, f/8, 1/2sec, ISO200
Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I think that was a very short weekend….
I’ll kick this week of with a shot from the paper mill in Espanola, Ontario. It’s from a set of shots taken in October last year. I just happened to be going by early in the morning, and seeing the mist or fog by the hydro damn and bridge, that’ s just an opportunity that shouldn’t be wasted so I had to pull over and grab some shots. Here and here are some earlier post from Espanola.
The corner
Nikon D300, Nikkor 18-200mm, 95mm, f/5.3, 1/320sec, ISO200
TGIF! What a long week. I thought I would end this week with another shot from a World Wide Photo walk. This time it’s from 2009 in Odense, Denmark. The walk was in and around the area of Hans Christian Andersen’s birth home, now museum. This shot looks really good in large print. Looking at the screen now, I’m not so sure… I was going for the patterns on the cobble stone and the bricks in the round wall.
Traverse City, MI
Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-300mm, 195mm, f/5.6, 1/750 sec, ISO200
This shot is from the 2011 World Wide Photo walk in Traverse City, MI. The walk was divided up in three parts. About an hour on the harbor front, and then you could choose to do either a downtown Traverse shoot or a drive up on the Old Mission peninsula for some spectacular views over the vineyards. I chose the latter and in hindsight, I should have done the city part of the walk instead. Now I know for next time. I got my bests shots from the harbor, and I choose to submit this one – and I’m glad I did.
Glen Haven, MI
Nikon D300, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4, 16mm, f/16, 1/125sec, ISO200
I’ll kick this week of with a shot from the Scott Kelby’s 2011 World Wide Photo Walk. I sure hope you got to do a walk near your location, if not, try to make time for next year. I had to pleasure to do two walks that October weekend, the unofficial one in Glen Haven, MI and the official one in Traverse City, MI. I have already posted one shot from the Glen Haven walk on this blog (click here), and here is another one. It’s the path from the old Coast Guard Station, (now a museum) down to the beach.
It’s definitively a place I would like to go back to sometime next year. Beautiful place.
