The Challenge of Summer Photography

A hot summer.  Mid 30's most days.  Beyond a couple of fierce and impressive thunderstorms in early spring there's been little rain.  The light is harsh and contrasty.  Sunrise is early, sunset so late, and lots of strong unappealing light in between.  Those beautiful intense greens of spring are gone and most vegetation is dry and dusty; in full leaf but no longer fresh and vibrant.  The lake is high, higher than it's been in years and there's little beach.  The kettles at Kettle Point are completely under water and the loss is deeply felt.  Perfect weather for camping or cottage life, or even being at home enjoying food on the patio with friends.  But not so good for photography.

I haven't taken many images this past month.  The camera hasn't been out much.  The beach I love - wild, empty, with loud crashing waves - is now decked out for summer.  Loads of people, each group using umbrellas and beach chairs to lay claim to their staked out piece of sand.  Boats and Sea-Doos racing across the water at full throttle, making a different kind of lake noise.  But it's summer and this is a beautiful beach:  sandy, shallow for a long way out, safe, clean, with waves for the kids to jump and play in.  People love to be here.  And that's a good thing.

I walk the beach often but in summer I seldom take a camera.  But today it came with me.  The beach is narrow, much of the dunes have been washed away, but there were clouds in the sky that  made for interesting lighting.  So I took some images, letting myself get lost in the place and the moment.

The Dunes of Ipperwash Beach

Old Log Pushed up on the Dunes

Tall Grasses at the edge of the Lake

Summer Clouds and Children Playing in the Lake

Dune Grasses and Trees seen from the Lake

I was waiting for a sunset shot to fill out the day but as it often does the sun got lost in cloud in its final hour.  A group of people were still playing in the water and the sky and lake were interesting shades of blue and pink so I took the shot.  A different kind of beauty.

Last Light on the Lake

It's harder for me to find the beauty I search for during the summer months.  It doesn't mean it isn't there.  I simply have to look for it in a different way.  

Sunrise on the Bruce Peninsula

These pictures were taken a couple of years ago during a trip to the Bruce Peninsula.  I came across them recently as I was going through some of my older images.  I remembered how frustrated I was with the challenge of making strong images in light that didn't always cooperate.    When I got home I found most of the compositions just weren't compelling enough.

To get to the sites before sunrise meant getting up at 4:00 a.m., driving for 30 minutes and hiking into the forest in the dark to find a spot that looked like it might work.  Then set up the camera and tripod, and wait to see what the light would bring.

This shot was taken at 5:05 in the morning half an hour before sunrise.  

These were taken thirty minutes later at the same place.  The first shot includes the sunrise and I like it for that reason.  The second version, with a stronger foreground and more detail on the right side, taken just two minutes later, is more striking but the sun had risen and disappeared behind a cloud.  Had I looked more carefully, been more thoughtful as I composed the images, I would have been able to get a single shot that included both.  

A different location, a different morning, but still on the Bruce Peninsula.  The sky was hazy and the sunrise obscured:  light is either there for you or it isn't and you just have to get the best shot you can with the light you're given.

Going back through older images is a good exercise.  It was possible to see when I didn't have the camera settings quite right or where compositions could have been improved by moving just a little.  Learning is a continuous process.

The Canadian Rockies

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.  

Mount Rundle with Banff below

Peyto Lake

Sunrise at Moraine Lake

Sunrise at Lake Louise

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

Yellow Iceland Poppy

Red Oriental Poppy

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.

Columbia Ice Field

Emerald Lake

Beauty Creek Waterfall at Tangle Ridge

Emerald Lake

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.