MERRY CHRISTMAS !
 |
| A Visit from St. Nicholas ... |
... not a creature was stirring ... and it's 7:30 am !
DJE
2017-12-25
2017-12-18
Photo of the Week 2017-12-18 MERRY CHRISTMAS !
MERRY CHRISTMAS !
Wishing all of my followers the very best for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Keep Well and Stay Safe.
DJE
2017-12-11
Photo of the Week 2017-12-11
Clark Family Christmas 2017
 |
| the silly version |
It's been several years now that I've been photographing the Clark Family Christmas gathering, held this year at Bill & Cathy's in Scarborough. This year with 'ugly" Christmas sweaters and Christmas hats and head-wear, everyone eagerly anticipated photo time :-)
Usually they won't cooperate or stop chatting and fidgeting long enough to look at the camera all at the same time. This year was a fair bit better and I pulled off another Masterpiece ... well almost ;-)
Here's the serious version ...
You can see the timelapse assembled from some of the individual images I captured just to get a couple of good ones here ...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dje-pix/38081463495
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year !
DJE
2017-12-04
Photo of the Week 2017-12-04
Quietly they sit unnoticed. Tucked away among many of their kind. They wait for their moment, for their turn to be liberated.
I'm speaking of those 'gems in the rough', those image captures that reside in your storage media. They've played their part and been backed up, racked up and stacked up, all in the name of archiving.
Then one day they catch your eye. Something has changed. Not with them, but with you, the photographer. Perhaps just the right amount of time has passed for them to suitably marinate in your subconscious. Perhaps you have been stirred by some recent work from another, words of an instructor-mentor, obtaining new skills in the craft or some other experience on the current leg of your Photographic Journey.
Once noticed, they command your creative attention and you work with them, on them, and when all is done ... sometimes they see the light of day.
DJE
 |
| above and below |
Then one day they catch your eye. Something has changed. Not with them, but with you, the photographer. Perhaps just the right amount of time has passed for them to suitably marinate in your subconscious. Perhaps you have been stirred by some recent work from another, words of an instructor-mentor, obtaining new skills in the craft or some other experience on the current leg of your Photographic Journey.
Once noticed, they command your creative attention and you work with them, on them, and when all is done ... sometimes they see the light of day.
DJE
2017-11-27
Photo of the Week 2017-11-27
Well it's that time of year again ... The image selections are made, they have been prepared and uploaded for printing of my annual 'Through the Seasons' calendar.
For several years now, I've published a calendar of images made during a prior calendar year, selecting one from each of the months they represent in the calendar. At first, just a few were printed, growing to around a dozen so I would have some to give away as family Christmas gifts. Eventually I ordered more to have some that I could sell here and there. This year`s order of only 25 is over half spoken for by family and one client.
First I used Black's (now defunct) online service to publish and print, moving to a service in France for one year (didn't like the European paper sizing) and for the last couple of years, Vistaprint has been the choice.
Selecting the image is always a trip down memory lane. Even though the images have been from that latest full year past, as I look through the catalogue, I`m reminded of so may good times and even find some "gems in the rough" to work on later. Many images are not suitable for selection because of the horizontal format I select for the finished product and every year I think of switching to vertical orientation ... but again, not this year.
For the Vistaprint service, I prepare each processed image and size it in preparation for addition of a custom coloured border-background. I then add my signature template and copyright notice, title the image with location it was made. The addition of location was a request made by several who have had the calendar in the past. The process is the same for each image so I created a Photoshop action to take care of the repetition, though each year I tweak things a bit.
Final Note: Last year, I made the mistake of not proofing all of the calendars as soon as I received them and there was a problem with streaking on some images, but I'm gonna give Vistaprint another go, keep my fingers crossed and check them thoroughly when they arrive..
DJE
For several years now, I've published a calendar of images made during a prior calendar year, selecting one from each of the months they represent in the calendar. At first, just a few were printed, growing to around a dozen so I would have some to give away as family Christmas gifts. Eventually I ordered more to have some that I could sell here and there. This year`s order of only 25 is over half spoken for by family and one client.
Here is a collage of the 2018 version.
First I used Black's (now defunct) online service to publish and print, moving to a service in France for one year (didn't like the European paper sizing) and for the last couple of years, Vistaprint has been the choice.
Selecting the image is always a trip down memory lane. Even though the images have been from that latest full year past, as I look through the catalogue, I`m reminded of so may good times and even find some "gems in the rough" to work on later. Many images are not suitable for selection because of the horizontal format I select for the finished product and every year I think of switching to vertical orientation ... but again, not this year.
For the Vistaprint service, I prepare each processed image and size it in preparation for addition of a custom coloured border-background. I then add my signature template and copyright notice, title the image with location it was made. The addition of location was a request made by several who have had the calendar in the past. The process is the same for each image so I created a Photoshop action to take care of the repetition, though each year I tweak things a bit.
Final Note: Last year, I made the mistake of not proofing all of the calendars as soon as I received them and there was a problem with streaking on some images, but I'm gonna give Vistaprint another go, keep my fingers crossed and check them thoroughly when they arrive..
DJE
2017-11-20
Photo of the Week 2017-11-20
There are very few weeks where I do not make a number of new images and have several to choose from for my 'Photo of the Week'. With the move off daylight saving time and fewer daylight hours, there is little time for photography before or after work. That leaves the weekend and when plans for work around the cottage consumed virtually all of the hours of decent weather ... I turned to the image library ...
With winter not far off and the first snowfalls already threatening, a previously processed yet unreleased image from last winter, the First Light Challenge - New Year's Day to be precise, seemed an appropriate choice ... and the next First Light Challenge will be the 10th I've participated in. What will my image be? You'll have to wait and see ....
DJE
 |
| A New Year Dawns |
With winter not far off and the first snowfalls already threatening, a previously processed yet unreleased image from last winter, the First Light Challenge - New Year's Day to be precise, seemed an appropriate choice ... and the next First Light Challenge will be the 10th I've participated in. What will my image be? You'll have to wait and see ....
DJE
2017-11-13
Photo of the Week 2017-11-13
Late Fall Forest Study
Passing
by a local forest with shafts of sunlight penetrating the late fall
canopy, it called out with compelling voice ...
 | ||
| Late Fall Colour IX |
Something about this section of Preservation Park just pulls you in. As you pass by, you are drawn to glance over, stop and stare or enter to investigate. It's a wonderfully soothing place to take a wander, though the swish of traffic is always nearby, it fades the further you immerse yourself following wide, well trodden trails.
Chance encounters with others come to enjoy, a nod or 'hello' and the occasional conversation serve to mark the shared experience. Some may let you into their personal relationship with this forest in the city.
DJE
2017-11-06
Photo of the Week 2017-11-06
A brief preview of retirement ...
 |
| downstream |
One of the primary activities I have planned for retirement (in the near future), . My cameras should get a serious workout, even more than they have in recent years. There are many destinations on my list. Some within a short drive, others may require an over night stop or multi-day adventure .... it will matter not. There will be no shortage of time and the desire to visit the many picturesque locations on my list.
On this 'practice run', one of my stops was at Inglis Falls. I hadn't visited in quite a while and always enjoy the many moods of Inglis. The wind was up and whipping the mist around and up out of the gorge. Without gloves it made for a chilly outing in the mist laden cool fall air. Close to the falls and a bit down stream, the camera lens would get coated with moisture requiring me to wipe it down.
As I moved back upstream to the brink of the falls I turned to shield the lens and looked downstream to see this view. The stone wall near the edge of the gorge provided the extra elevation I needed to eliminate some distracting foreground shrubs so I hopped up (with still a safe space between me and the gorge)
DJE
2017-10-30
Photo of the Week 2017-10-30
I love the colours of Boston Ivy in the fall, and Sunday while out and about it was no exception ... so I took some time to do a photographic study of the vines clinging to some limestone walls and wooden trellis' ... I hope you enjoy.
DJE
 |
| Ivy Study - 04 |
DJE
2017-10-23
Photo of the Week 2017-10-23
... looking for something different, I decided to experiment with some in camera multiple exposures of fall colours along the cottage road. Choosing to make multiple exposures of the same scene shifting the camera slightly by rotating, moving laterally or vertically instead of combining completely different scenes (which I'll likely try in future), I was pleased with the whimsical set of images that resulted.
I'm not sure that I have the perfect combination of rotation and translation given the subject mater, but I really liked the result I got with this one.
DJE
 |
| birchen glow |
 |
| dancing larch |
I'm not sure that I have the perfect combination of rotation and translation given the subject mater, but I really liked the result I got with this one.
DJE
2017-10-16
Photo of the Week 2017-10-16
On a recent trip into Owen Sound, I made a point of visiting Indian Falls Conservation Area to check out the fall colours. It was a weekday and nary another visitor was to be seen along the trail or river ... how serene peaceful it was.
It's only a 10 min hike up to the falls, and I had about an hour before I had to get going back to Tobermory, so I took my time hopping off the train now and then to check out upstream views of the creek. There's a point where the formal trail heads up a set of stairs to ascend the gorge, continuing on to the viewing area for the falls. In recent years, a collapse of a limestone section on the north side of the falls has prompted the erection of safety barriers set further back and the traditional observation area so I chose to make a couple of quick exposures and return to the river bed and push upstream on the unofficial trail.
This upstream view of Indian Creek caused me to stop, find a place to sit and take in the peaceful surroundings for a while before continuing upstream.
I made a few similar images on the upstream trek, each conveying it's own sense of calm and serenity. I hope you enjoy looking at a couple of them as much as I enjoy recalling my visit to Indian Falls.
DJE
It's only a 10 min hike up to the falls, and I had about an hour before I had to get going back to Tobermory, so I took my time hopping off the train now and then to check out upstream views of the creek. There's a point where the formal trail heads up a set of stairs to ascend the gorge, continuing on to the viewing area for the falls. In recent years, a collapse of a limestone section on the north side of the falls has prompted the erection of safety barriers set further back and the traditional observation area so I chose to make a couple of quick exposures and return to the river bed and push upstream on the unofficial trail.
This upstream view of Indian Creek caused me to stop, find a place to sit and take in the peaceful surroundings for a while before continuing upstream.
 |
| Indian Creek III - Fall 2017 |
 |
| Indian Creek - Fall 2017 |
 |
| Indian Creek II - Fall 2017 |
DJE
2017-10-09
Photo of the Week 2017-10-09
Another visit to Paris, ON to photograph this pretty little town ...
 |
| Steeple Framed |
My favourite has to be this location from the ruins at Penman's Dam. I hopped over the fence and scrambled down the river bank hoping I could get in a position to frame something through this opening in the ruins ... and I could.
DJE
2017-10-02
Photo of the Week 2017-10-02
A trip back to Paris, ON ... and some potential additions to my Skyward Series
While unfortunately requiring a degree of convalescence from an injury to my right elbow and resulting infection requiring IV antibiotics, I decided to make a visit back to Paris for some infrared captures around the town. The IR converted EOS M and my G3X proved light enough that I could wield them without pain or further aggravating the elbow.
It was a great morning for shooting IR with bright sun, though I would have preferred some cloud in an otherwise clear sky. I spent a few hours wandering around the town, capturing images of the prominent storefronts, buildings and local scenes.
Always looking to push my photographic craft further, every outing offers a new lesson or reinforces previous ones. While I made quite a few exposures looking for something different, I fell back to the "skyward" approach as there was simply too much activity at street level distracting from what I had in mind to capture. By pointing the camera "skyward' along the shop fronts, I eliminate the distraction, and capture a unique yet recognizable view if this pretty little town.
DJE
 |
| Skyward - John M. Hall - I (graphic) |
It was a great morning for shooting IR with bright sun, though I would have preferred some cloud in an otherwise clear sky. I spent a few hours wandering around the town, capturing images of the prominent storefronts, buildings and local scenes.
Always looking to push my photographic craft further, every outing offers a new lesson or reinforces previous ones. While I made quite a few exposures looking for something different, I fell back to the "skyward" approach as there was simply too much activity at street level distracting from what I had in mind to capture. By pointing the camera "skyward' along the shop fronts, I eliminate the distraction, and capture a unique yet recognizable view if this pretty little town.
DJE
2017-09-25
Photo of the Week 2017-09-25
Last week on the blog, I posted an image showing early fall colour here in Ontario ... this past week, while on vacation at the cottage in Tobermory, fall colour is not so prominent. Oh there are branches here and there, and some isolated trees showing fall chroma but for the most part, fall splendour is yet to fully arrive.
It is still early, only 3 days into official fall actually, and with a lack of colourful fall foliage for inspiration, I turned to a particular piece of kit to stir the creative juices ... the Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 UMC Fish-Eye CS II, a manual focus, manual aperture lens for crop sensors (that can be used on full frame to obtain an almost complete circular image). The 8mm focal length on my Canon 7D mkII provides an effective focal length (efl) of ~13mm ... pretty damn wide, ultra wide in fact. So wide that you have to watch for your own shadow when the sun is over your shoulder, your wife and dog who may be accompanying you and at times, your own feet! Yes it's that wide! 167º field of view in fact :-/
Using a fish-eye lens requires some getting used to, well maybe more than some. I definitely still need to practice more and go to this lens more often to become more proficient. For those unfamiliar with photographing using a fish-eye, vertical and horizontal lines distort drastically the closer they are to the edges of the frame until they warp almost beyond recognition. This can be used to great effect, and also easily to the point of over use as the novelty soon wears off.
For me, the best use of the fish-eye recently was to enable capture of sweeping scenic images where the horizon can be placed in the middle of the frame with a significant emphasis on the foreground. I find this works both with 'landscape' and 'portrait' orientation where the landscape orientation shows the traditional panoramic scene and the portrait orientation emphasizes the foreground and expansive sky overhead. Cropping for final composition is always an option, but where's the fun in that, I like pushing myself to deliver a composition in camera with this uniquely challenging focal length.
Here is a sampling of images from the week that illustrate what I've described ...
I loved working with the 8mm on my 7D II this past week ... now what should I do next week? Hmmmm ......
DJE
It is still early, only 3 days into official fall actually, and with a lack of colourful fall foliage for inspiration, I turned to a particular piece of kit to stir the creative juices ... the Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 UMC Fish-Eye CS II, a manual focus, manual aperture lens for crop sensors (that can be used on full frame to obtain an almost complete circular image). The 8mm focal length on my Canon 7D mkII provides an effective focal length (efl) of ~13mm ... pretty damn wide, ultra wide in fact. So wide that you have to watch for your own shadow when the sun is over your shoulder, your wife and dog who may be accompanying you and at times, your own feet! Yes it's that wide! 167º field of view in fact :-/
Using a fish-eye lens requires some getting used to, well maybe more than some. I definitely still need to practice more and go to this lens more often to become more proficient. For those unfamiliar with photographing using a fish-eye, vertical and horizontal lines distort drastically the closer they are to the edges of the frame until they warp almost beyond recognition. This can be used to great effect, and also easily to the point of over use as the novelty soon wears off.
For me, the best use of the fish-eye recently was to enable capture of sweeping scenic images where the horizon can be placed in the middle of the frame with a significant emphasis on the foreground. I find this works both with 'landscape' and 'portrait' orientation where the landscape orientation shows the traditional panoramic scene and the portrait orientation emphasizes the foreground and expansive sky overhead. Cropping for final composition is always an option, but where's the fun in that, I like pushing myself to deliver a composition in camera with this uniquely challenging focal length.
Here is a sampling of images from the week that illustrate what I've described ...
 |
| rock it ultra-wide II - landscape |
 |
| rock it ultra-wide I - portrait |
 |
| lighthouse off-centre starts to distort (lean) |
 |
| crop just the centre for a horizontal pano |
 |
| distortion from pointing down ... watch those shadows! |
I loved working with the 8mm on my 7D II this past week ... now what should I do next week? Hmmmm ......
DJE
2017-09-18
Photo of the Week 2017-09-18
I've noticed the tell tale signs for a while now., particularly on the drive to and from the cottage. Greens beginning to yellow, conifers looking less lush, hints of orange and red ... and then it's here.
Fall colour has arrived early for 2017.
 |
| early colour |
2017-09-11
Photo of the Week 2017-09-11
With Lynn heading to TO for a family get together and Murphy needing some supervision (he had some minor surgery and between him chewing off the leg bandage to pull out stitches, then replacement staples and him throwing up from the meds), I decided to take him up to the cottage for some one-on-one time.
Keeping to shortened walks and not straying too far from the cottage, it was a relaxing couple of days of reading, puttering about, reading, more puttering and more reading, with a little shore-side siesta time.
Saturday evening delivered a glorious sunset over Lake Huron. With the days getting shorter and the sun now setting just to the north of the point, I was able to catch this scene, though I had to put down my drink, get out of my chair and walk about 100'.
This scene reminded me so much of sunset on the west coast of Vancouver Island, near Ucluelet.
#100feetfromwhereilive
DJE
Keeping to shortened walks and not straying too far from the cottage, it was a relaxing couple of days of reading, puttering about, reading, more puttering and more reading, with a little shore-side siesta time.
Saturday evening delivered a glorious sunset over Lake Huron. With the days getting shorter and the sun now setting just to the north of the point, I was able to catch this scene, though I had to put down my drink, get out of my chair and walk about 100'.
This scene reminded me so much of sunset on the west coast of Vancouver Island, near Ucluelet.
 |
| west coast sunset ... in the east |
DJE
2017-09-04
Photo of the Week 2017-09-04
The Journey ...
"The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other ... again and again and again. And if you allow yourself opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit.
- author unknown -
beauty from recent steps of the journey ...
It's easy to lose perspective in the 'churn' that presses to invade daily life. Maintaining a connection to the outdoors, to trees, water and fresh air provides the reminder that beauty is all around, more abundant in some areas than others, but all around nonetheless.
A recent conversation with a long time friend helped me get some perspective back, to stop being fixated only on the summit, reminding me to fully enjoy the journey of getting there ... thanks ST.
DJE
"The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other ... again and again and again. And if you allow yourself opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit.
- author unknown -
beauty from recent steps of the journey ...
 |
| fluke rock |
It's easy to lose perspective in the 'churn' that presses to invade daily life. Maintaining a connection to the outdoors, to trees, water and fresh air provides the reminder that beauty is all around, more abundant in some areas than others, but all around nonetheless.
A recent conversation with a long time friend helped me get some perspective back, to stop being fixated only on the summit, reminding me to fully enjoy the journey of getting there ... thanks ST.
DJE
2017-08-28
Photo of the Week 2017-08-28
This
past weekend was the 3rd annual weekend at the cottage with Lynn's
older sister and her family. This year Bill and Cathy stayed with us
while Michael, Melissa, Hannah and Thompson stayed at Lands End
Campground across the bay.
Although timing had not been in my favour for night sky shots for a while. We were fortunate enough to have 3 great days of weather and 3 wickedly clear nights where the night sky was dark, full of stars and the Milky Way ... and I was able to fight through the siren call of the sheets as darkness falls ;-)
I managed to make it late enough on 3 consecutive nights to see the night sky complete with Milky Way from the shore in front of the fire pit, this image was made the first night and it didn't get any better than this ... how could it ?
DJE
Although timing had not been in my favour for night sky shots for a while. We were fortunate enough to have 3 great days of weather and 3 wickedly clear nights where the night sky was dark, full of stars and the Milky Way ... and I was able to fight through the siren call of the sheets as darkness falls ;-)
I managed to make it late enough on 3 consecutive nights to see the night sky complete with Milky Way from the shore in front of the fire pit, this image was made the first night and it didn't get any better than this ... how could it ?
 |
| Hay Bay - Milky Way |
2017-08-24
Back Up, Back Up, Back Up ... and then Back Up !
I'm glad my backup strategy for my photography including my LR catalogue files is fairly robust. I use bare HD in a multi-slot docking station as my primary storage for photography. I have one backup copy of my main disc at the house and a second off site .... that covers the image files only. Recently (possibly because I transport the main bare HD regularly, possibly because my desktop PC has been acting up lately) the LR catalogue file became corrupted, unreadable and un-repairable by LR :-(
Fortunately I also use the catalogue backup functionality in LR frequently. My catalogue backup folder looked like the screen capture below ... and I had several recent backups to choose from. Now I do NOT have to rebuild the catalogue of my images from the past 10+ years
:-)
... I'm up and running again with little fuss :-D
Now I've decided I need to replace my aging 7 yr old desktop that I built myself. It's had SSD, RAM and HD upgrades since I first power it up, but the early i7 processor, OS and supporting components have been showing signs of fatigue. Also my Microsoft account (used to set up Windows 10) became corrupted recently and it's causing an issue with some processing software and the solution is a bit "kludgy" so I was considering a system wipe and fresh install of Win 10 ....
... but wait, it's 7 years old and that new killer MSI i7-7700 Gaming Desktop is so quick and purdy ! I don't game, but the preconfigured systems have fast processors, lots of fast RAM, hybrid SSD drives, USB-C and more ...
]:-D
DJE
Fortunately I also use the catalogue backup functionality in LR frequently. My catalogue backup folder looked like the screen capture below ... and I had several recent backups to choose from. Now I do NOT have to rebuild the catalogue of my images from the past 10+ years
:-)
... I'm up and running again with little fuss :-D
Now I've decided I need to replace my aging 7 yr old desktop that I built myself. It's had SSD, RAM and HD upgrades since I first power it up, but the early i7 processor, OS and supporting components have been showing signs of fatigue. Also my Microsoft account (used to set up Windows 10) became corrupted recently and it's causing an issue with some processing software and the solution is a bit "kludgy" so I was considering a system wipe and fresh install of Win 10 ....
... but wait, it's 7 years old and that new killer MSI i7-7700 Gaming Desktop is so quick and purdy ! I don't game, but the preconfigured systems have fast processors, lots of fast RAM, hybrid SSD drives, USB-C and more ...
DJE
2017-08-21
Photo of the Week 2017-08-21
The beginning of a new series ... 'Skyward - Graphics"
These first images of buildings in Paris, ON made with my infrared (IR) converted Canon EOS M and shot with 850 nm filter to produce high contrast B&W images that I then processed to have a 'graphic' look and feel.
This project is the result of moving back to a creative formula that served me well for a number of years. Instead of always and quite possibly only, shooting in the place that I love, 'the Bruce', I'm making time for photo outings to other locations, turning my eye and camera on other subjects ... to rekindle the creative fires.
I'm very pleased with these initial results. Now I just need to make time and visit some of the other towns and smaller cities in addition to Paris so I can expand the series.
DJE
These first images of buildings in Paris, ON made with my infrared (IR) converted Canon EOS M and shot with 850 nm filter to produce high contrast B&W images that I then processed to have a 'graphic' look and feel.
This project is the result of moving back to a creative formula that served me well for a number of years. Instead of always and quite possibly only, shooting in the place that I love, 'the Bruce', I'm making time for photo outings to other locations, turning my eye and camera on other subjects ... to rekindle the creative fires.
I'm very pleased with these initial results. Now I just need to make time and visit some of the other towns and smaller cities in addition to Paris so I can expand the series.
DJE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
