The Canadian Rockies

August 07, 2015 in Photography, Nature, Summer, Landscape

I recently spent a week in the Canadian Rockies with my son Scott. Seeing and photographing this part of Canada was something I'd wanted to do for a long time. The scenery is spectacular: snow-topped mountains, turquoise lakes, evergreen forests, all so beautiful it takes your breath away.

Sunrise conditions at both lakes wasn't ideal but walking the trails at the edge of Moraine Lake and Lake Louise was a great way to spend a few hours.

Lake Louise with Chateau Lake Louise in the background

The poppy garden at Chateau Lake Louise

On several days backgrounds were obscured by a haze from forest fires that had been burning for some time. Images on those days lacked punch.

Although the weather wasn't ideal the trip was a success. Simply being there, surrounded by impressive scenery on a major scale, stopping often to take it in more deeply, was more than enough. And knowing it's my own country made it all the more special. Having a camera focuses my attention and helps me see more clearly. I will go back, and I will take more pictures, and perhaps the weather conditions will be more favourable. Sharing this trip with Scott was a delight.

Colombia Photo Contest

May 06, 2015 in Photography, Urban

I recently found out that two of my images from Colombia had placed first and second in a photo competition. That was certainly gratifying but the greater value came from thinking more deeply about the commentary for each image - both my own and that of the judge - and about what I found important in each scene.

The images are very different. One, the street scene in Medellin, is what I would call a "story" image. The scene caught my eye, I found elements within it striking, and felt compelled to photograph it. The street was busy, I was with a group of people, and there was little time to take the shot. The other, a cathedral rooftop in Bogota, is a "beauty" shot. I'd looked at this scene many times from my hotel room. I'd taken other shots on other days when the light was different. I'd spent time thinking about the architecture, the beauty of the building, the challenge that is Colombia, so I knew this scene. When the light was right I carefully took the shot - a premeditated one, if you like. And very different from the one quickly taken on the street. But I wouldn't have thought much more about it had I not been asked to provide a commentary for each image.

My commentary: "This picture was taken in Medellin, the morning we were walking around the shopping district. As we crossed the intersection to walk down the street I saw this man sitting there and felt compelled to capture him. There were several things that drew me to the scene: (1) The fact that the cart was empty. Was he waiting for a load of something to be delivered, had it just been taken, what was it? (2) The cart itself: homemade, sturdy, made of found materials, looked like it could carry a load; multipurpose, indicative to me of the industriousness and versatility of the Colombian people. (3) His physicality. He looked in shape, somewhat muscular, with a face that looked as though it had seen a lot, yet his pose was calm and purposeful; a worker, not a vagrant. (4) The background. The blue colour caught my eye, and it toned with the colour of his jeans. The graffiti was simply a part of Colombia, being everywhere."

Judge's Comments: "Right away, the composition of: blue wall, man, and trolley, captured my attention. Further in, the story between these three elements grabbed my curiosity. Inevitably, the expression and posture of the man drew me into this photo. His intent glance at what he must be observing, where he came from, and where he'll go opens an entire story beyond this single moment the photographer was able to take. The fluidity of this process has me fixated amongst the many beautiful photos taken for this contest."

Looking back at that moment I'm sure I wasn't consciously aware of all those elements that caught my attention. Many, I believe, were coming to me in a variety of ways. Street photography is fast, it has to be. And I don't know that it's possible to be aware of all the reasons a shot feels compelling at the time you take it. But the more we do it the better we get. I think it must become a more intuitive, semi-automatic process, drawing on practice - a way of looking, that gets better with time. And I hadn't thought about this - and I think it deserves more thought - until I was asked to explain what drew me to that scene and that particular moment.

My commentary: "The cathedral rooftop in Bogota was taken from the window of my hotel. It was the beauty of the architecture that got me on that one, combined with the lovely colour of the building in the perfect late afternoon light. The dark brooding clouds in the background seemed an ideal backdrop for the complexity and darkness of Colombia, and for me added a lot to the scene."

Judge's comments: "The depth and detail of this photo stopped me in my tracks to take in the grandeur of this church, with its graceful architecture and weighty presence. You can almost feel the sun hitting your back and wind carrying the storm away."

This image was a "conscious" one, fully thought through and carefully put together. Very different from what was going on in the creation of the Medellin street scene. I want to understand more about the unconscious, intuitive aspect of image making, about how the eye sees and the brain processes. I look a lot, and I believe I see a lot, but it's clearly more complex than that and I want to know more.

Beauty, Change, Loss, Regret

April 16, 2015 in Photography, Nature, Landscape

Kettle Point is a beautiful and unique place, one of only a few spots where kettles - or stone concretions - are found. These rocks that "grow" were created millions of years ago and most years can be seen as half circles of various sizes rising out of the waters of Lake Huron shore at Kettle Point. They are formed by mineral precipitation around a nucleus, with each layer visible in a broken or split kettle. The ones at Kettle Point are called cannonball concretions.

Lake levels were unusually low in 2012 and 2013, the lakebed in Kettle Point dried out and many more kettles were visible, along with the beautiful shale from which they emerged.

As the lakebed receded, kettles that had been hidden for many years became visible. Some were just emerging, popping up from the shale around them. Others were large, magnificent structures. Some were broken, their circular structure visible in the pieces. They are natural creations and they are beautiful. The external banded markings show the water levels in different periods.

Large Cannonball Concretions, April 2013

I returned time and time again to walk amongst these ancient stones. I sat with them and I photographed them, and felt grateful for the beauty of our natural world.

While the lake was extremely low in 2012 and 2013, the lowest in several decades, water levels in the Great Lakes are cyclical; a return to a more normal level was likely.

The winter of 2013 was long and cold with lots of snow and no mid-season melt. Lake Huron froze early and stayed frozen. There was no loss of lake water due to evaporation and in the spring of 2014 the water level was high. The kettles became submerged once more. This past winter saw the same pattern as the prior year and as the ice leaves the lake the water level remains high.

There are now no kettles to see. A loss for sure. Where once there lay a field of emerged and partially submerged kettles there is now only water.

How long do we have to wait for the kettles to return? Will they return? We don't know. I feel a deep sense of regret. I wish I'd spent more time there. I wish I'd made more images. I wish I'd been there more often in the early morning. I've learned a lot watching the kettle landscape change. Change is the only constant. I know that, and going forward I will stay with beauty where I find it, allow it to energize and fulfill me, and use it to further my photographic journey.

Abandoned Farm

April 06, 2015 in Photography

I came across this vacant farm and wondered about its story. Did the owners leave because they became too old for the rigours of farming? Or was the farm no longer viable in today's more industrial type of farming so they sold up and moved to town? I'll never know, but what I saw was an abandoned farm, no longer used, run down and falling apart. It spoke of a time gone by and I felt a sense of loss.

As I moved closer several turkey buzzards flew from the upper level of the house and the large barn. They were roosting there which added further to the sense of desolation.

The corn crib is empty but the fields had been planted and the corn harvested. So perhaps the farm was sold and the previous occupants are now settled into a new life with money to enjoy it. I hope that's how the story played out.

Migrating Tundra Swans

April 01, 2015

Tundra Swans in Western Ontario is a sure sign of Spring. Each year thousands of these large, magnificent swans make the 4,000 mile journey from Chesapeake Bay to their summer home in the Arctic. They stop twice to feed and rest on their northern migration - in Western Ontario and then in the north of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The migration occurs over three to four weeks in late winter and early spring. The journey is hard and according to the National Geographic only the strong will survive.

These swans are large, with a wing span of more than six feet. They are also known as whistling swans for the sounds they make. They can be heard long before they're seen.

The swans with brown colouring on their heads and neck are last year's young. They remain with their parents for the first full year of their life and one complete migration cycle.

A family of four tundra swans. The parents are at the front and rear and the two born last summer are in the middle.

Lake Huron Remains Frozen

March 25, 2015 in Photography, Landscape, Nature

It's the last week of March and Lake Huron is still frozen all the way to the horizon, as it has been for several months. The early ice cover, heavy snow and a late melt means higher water levels and a smaller beach area later this year. Lake levels were high last year and are now likely to be even higher, leaving much less beach for people to enjoy once summer comes.

The beach is completely frozen. The blue in the foreground is reflected colour from the sky, not water. But the ice is thinning, temperatures are forecast to be above freezing next week, and the lake will start to open up.

Ipperwash Beach from the Top of the Dunes

Rest Stop at the Entrance to the Salt Cathedral

Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, Colombia

March 20, 2015

Thirty miles north of Bogota in Zipaquira is Colombia's remarkable Salt Cathedral. The cathedral was originally a small sanctuary carved by the miners who prayed there for protection each day before entering the mine. Construction of the larger cathedral began in 1950 and was dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary, patron saint of miners, on August 15, 1954. The salt mine remained operational until 1990 when structural issues and safety concerns became a problem. The site is large with many sections, including the Stations of the Cross, three naves, a large dome and a massive hand-carved salt cross that covers the full height of the dome.

Icefest 2015 in Toronto's Yorkville

February 24, 2015

For the past 15 years Toronto has held an "icefest" in Yorkville on a weekend in February. The theme for this year's festival was "Frozen in Time". Twelve ice carvers from across Ontario worked with over 35,000 pounds of ice to create sculptures inspired by Ancient Egypt. These images, preserved by the extreme cold temperatures, were taken the day after the festival. And given the forecast they'll be decorating the square for a few days yet.

Ice Sculptures

February 18, 2015 in Photography, Winter

These were taken last week at Fifty Consevation Area near Hamilton, Ontario. I was there with my son Scott. The weather was not as cold as it had been and we were able to enjoy a lovely day outside and get some interesting images of the ice buildup along the shore.

Cold but Beautiful

February 16, 2015

A Winter Wonderland in Lambton Shores. These images were taken yesterday morning following a harsh winter storm. The temperature was in the -20's and it's still cold out there.