Photo of the Week 2025-08-11

 

I've come upon an unexpected, though not entirely surprising fork in the road on this leg of my photographic journey. Returning to film photography required a return to some older, in fact vintage gear, some of which I've mentioned in previous posts.

 

Today's image started with an opportunity to acquire (at no cost) a few Canon FD film camera bodies and lenses. This led me to pick up an adapter that would enable me to use the lenses on my current digital bodies. I'd intended the set up to be used mainly for quickly testing performance and operation of the vintage lenses which can suffer from a number of issues relating to age and poor storage conditions. Initial test shots using our Wheaten Terrier, Sullivan, as captive subject were very successful and inspired me with something else to explore.

 

And explore I did ...

 

' dreamy knapweed '

One of the vintage lenses in my arsenal is a 1971 vintage Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 Chrome Nose and ... what's the sense in having a f/1.2 lens if you don't shoot it wide open? 

 

Right?

 

Right!

 

This image captured in mid day sun, along a local concession road where chicory and knapweed are in abundance. Shot with my lovely, very clean copy of the 55mm f/1.2 on my 2020 vintage Canon EOS R5.

 

Using vintage lenses means manually focusing and wide open at f/1.2 near the lenses closest focus distance proved a challenge hand held. The conditions may have been better suited to using a tripod to steady the camera and using the rear LCD display magnified to focus because the depth of field is very, very thin.

 

And what does a 1971 vintage Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 Chrome Nose look like. This ...

 

It's a hefty beast for a  'standard' lens, weighing in at 565g (1.25 lbs) due to it's all brass, metal and glass construction typical of the day. By comparison a typical 50mm standard lens today can weigh half as much. Of course comparable premium lenses are comparable in weight but without the solid feel and tactile helicoid focus system.

 

With results like this, there just may be a return to the shallow DoF style that some knew me for a few years ago.  

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-08-04

 

I may have dipped back into film photography but I have no plans to abandon digital. They are both part of the process and journey as I continue to explore photographic horizons.  

 

' wildflowers at sunset '

 

' shoreline at sunset '

In summer, the sun sets north of the bay mouth and can't be seen directly from the cottage shoreline. Still, the colours still echo to the south, bringing the scene to life.

 

As I worked on these images a familiarity stirred. Not just of the of the location but of a moment almost a dozen years ago, with a very similar sky, when it was very new to me and a new chapter began ...

 

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2025-07-28

 

Guelph recently held it's Downtown Community Garage Sale and I decided to go even though it was a very hot and humid day. You never really know what you might find at events like this.

 

While I did find a few photography related items, lens caps, camera strap, lens rest beanbag etc., I also found George a military Veteran. He was selling some military memorabilia and we struck up a conversation ...

 

... what does this have to do with photography, my journey and this weeks photo? Well stay with me here. Upon return home, Lynn asked how the event was. I told her i picked up a few little photo items and met this really nice guy George (last name withheld here). That was when she got that look in her eye and I showed her the business card he had given me. She said there was a family by that name on the street where she grew up. A few clicks of her phone later she was asking "is this him?". Lo and behold, she knew him and his family from her childhood days.

 

I reached out to the email address on his card and said "small world" then explained. A few days later we were downtown for a meet up for coffee with George and his wife. Lots of stories and anecdotes from back in the day were exchanged and our conversation about military history continued. We share an interest, kindled by different fires but with lots of common ground.

 

After the exchange of contact information, a txt here, email there, I was digging through my photos of Holland from 2019 looking for one to George and came across this previously unprocessed, unpublished image from my night in Nijmegen.

 

' The (Night) Crossing '

In Nijmegen, Netherlands, there is a bridge to commemorate 48 US Airborne Soldiers killed in the crossing of the Rhine, Sept 20, 1944. Every evening a Dutch Veteran, along with many to accompany them, will march across to a memorial on the other side in tribute to those fallen.

It was a privilege to make the march when I visited in 2019. This image is from my solo trek back across to my car after the sun had set. Made with the venerable Canon EOS M5 and that lovely 24MP sensor that responds so well to my processing. Noise reduction and little else applied to this capture.

 

And there you have it. A friendship rekindled, A memory rekindled. An image found.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2025-07-21

 

This weeks post is being written later than usual. It's Monday morning, already nearing 8am, I'm cottaging solo for a few days to make some progress on a shed renovation project and tuckered myself out yesterday. Some until-now hidden wood rot took a little more time to rectify than I had expected so by the time I'd made (maple pistachio encrusted trout fillet) dinner on the BBQ and cleaned up I decided to let blog writing slide until the morning ...

 

... well, it's now morning and I sit enjoying coffee, listening to robins, cardinals, blue jays, gulls and crows through the open cottage windows as the day makes itself ready.

 

I recently picked up a vintage Canon FDn 50mm f/1.2 and needed to test it while the return window was still open so I mounted it on an R5 with an adapter to make some digital images I could inspect right away. The condition of the lens, cosmetically and optically is excellent and I'm very pleased with the results. In the near future, I'll shoot some film with it likely on the New F-1 body but for now ...

 

' Blackbridge Mill in June '

' Blackbridge Mill through the Gate '

I missed the (manual) focus justa tad on the gate image. Focusing at wide open with this f/1.2 beastie presents a challenge, or maybe it was my posture as I stooped awkwardly to get the framing just the way I wanted. Not so young eyes or not so young body, not sure which one to blame ;-) 

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2025-07-14

 

My return to shooting film is certainly not an abandonment of digital, I will continue to shoot with modern digital cameras. This leg of my journey still sees me wielding some of the most advanced digital camera bodies and lenses available in addition to 40-50 year old film SLR's with manual focus lenses. At times these worlds collide and vintage manual focus lenses find their way onto digital bodies by way of mount adapters that became popular with the introduction of the mirrorless camera format.

 

As of this writing, I have been using local processing labs to develop film and provide most negative scans with processing and any printing done using my established digital workflow. At some point there will be a return to the darkroom, first to develop B&W film. Wet darkroom print development is a possibility but a ways down the road.

 

Combining Film and Digital, some call it " Figital " , is an interesting hybrid experience. I have been abruptly reminded of dust, scratch and fingerprint issues with negatives. The images in this post were scanned at home using an Epson v500 photo scanner I picked up used with negative holders sourced from a 3rd party. The native Epson software for scanning was easy to use though admittedly I have not had a lot of experience with it and would like to investigate some of the advanced scanning options. Film used was Ilford XP2 that had expired back in the 90's. Following some online advice, I decided to increase exposure x2 by rating the film at ISO 100 and then had it processed normally in C41 process as designed.

 

' white clapboard church '

 

 

 

' sunlight sermon '

' fence & monument 

' post interment '

 

' buggy barn '

 

 

 

 

 

I have a number of takeaways from shooting this roll and working with the resulting images. The capture experience with the Canon FTb-n was quite enjoyable. The camera is fully manual with 'match-the-needle' exposure setting using the shutter speed dial on top plate and aperture ring on the lens. Of course the lens was manual focus and the film had to be manually advanced for to the next frame, something that I kept forgetting to do as I've gotten used to the conveniences of digital. A note on film advance, I've decided not to advance the film after I make an exposure but wait until I'm ready to shoot again. This will leave the shutter uncocked (no spring tension of the shutter) in case I don't make any more images and the camera sits unused for a bit. The mechanisms were robustly built back in the day but like me they have seen a few years so no need for more tension than necessary ;-)

 

More of my thoughts on Figital in a future post ...

 

'click' 

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2025-07-07

 

I always knew there would be a return to film for me at some point in this photographic journey, it was just a matter of when ...

 

' bricked '

 

 

After attending a vintage camera fair in Etobicoke, went to explore the nearby Humber College Lakeshore Campus. I wanted to walk around the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital site to see some of the preserved brick buildings, now repurposed by the College.

 

I had a roll of Ilford XP2 loaded into my Canon A-1, and shot with both an FDn 17mm f/4 and the FDn 24mm f/2 that I used for the image above. I chose the XP2 for quick turn around processing at a local photo store / lab. They also provided scans of the negatives, something that I'm preparing to do myself, along with processing of 'conventional' B&W film. Any colour, and XP2 will still be sent out for development.

 

Here is a shot of "H" Building, originally one of the "cottages" where patients/residents were housed.

 

' "H" Building '

Still early in this leg of my journey, though several weeks and rolls of film since I shot film for the image above, I'm not sure when it will lead. And I'm excited to see where that may be ... 

 

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-06-30

 

Reconnecting with a friend who suggested an outing to a rodeo in Feversham, we had a great day and the rain mostly held off, though the corral was a tad wet for the competitions ...

 

While Grant positioned near the pens and mostly shot shorter focal lengths, the requirement to get down on knees for other spectators to see over us motivated me to head to the other end and shoot some longer glass to capture the action. These images were shot with the venerable EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS III USM on Canon mount adapter to my EOS R5.

 

 

 ' good form '

 

' whoa now '

' dismount '

  

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2025-06-23

 

 

' forest forget me nots '

On a recent outing to a rodeo in Feversham, we made a stop to check out the trails along the gorge in Madeleine Graydon Memorial Conservation Area. Just as we were entering the woods, this pretty little scene grabbed my attention.

 

It reminded me of images of the forest bluebells I've seen from UK photographers. Though not as abundant or dominant in the scene, they're Canadian, a bit understated and just as beautiful nestled among the native trees and a lot closer to home.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2025-06-16

 

A few days of the cottage at just the right time allowed me to capture some of the many spring wildflowers currently in bloom. I had planned to present a selection of those photos but there are quite a few and I chose to showcase just two for this post. Others will follow on my social media streams, but for now ... 

 

' lone slipper '

' slipper triplet '

 

I shot these (on morning walks with Lynn and Sullivan) handheld with the RF 85mm f/2 Macro on an R5 at fairly wide aperture for background blur and was very pleased with the results ... some of my favourite images of the Yellow Lady's Slipper so abundant in June on the Bruce.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2025-06-09

 

 

' Canadian Retail Takes Flight '

On the day when 'The Bay' takes it's last breath and under a different name, Flight Stop, this 1979 iconic art installation may have foreshadowed what was to come with the disintegration of Canadian retail.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2025-06-02

 

 

' towering '

Walking among the office towers of Downtown Toronto 

 

We had overcast skies, blustery winds and chilly temps for a long overdue return visit to Toronto for some big city photography. The plan included several locations that we would visit on foot after taking the train into Union Station. As it turned out, we arrived by bus and ultimately our expectations of photographing most of our chosen locations were thwarted by construction activities.

 

Even so, it was an enjoyable day with good company for a wander about ... 

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-05-26

 

I have a photo walkabout coming up in Toronto with a couple of photog friends. We've put together a bit of a plan with locations to visit and a route we'll walk after arriving by Go-Train on a Saturday morning.

 

The discussions we've had in putting together the plan have me looking back through the image catalogue, revisiting the results from prior visits to what I know as 'The Big Smoke' but those younger may call 'the 6'. A trip to T.O. for some walkabout photography was a much more frequent event 15 years ago when anywhere from 2 to 10 of us would carpool into the downtown and spend the day shooting.

 

Lynn and I would visit our hometown now and then for an outing, Jays game or just for something to do. This week's photo comes form one such outing back in 2008 when she and I visited the Yorkville Firehall (Station No 10), where her father worked through some of his years on the TFD. He had passed, a Line of Duty related death, prior to this visit, but we met up with brother-in-law Bill who provided an 'all-access' pass for me and my camera. This allowed me to climb the hose tower steps of one of Toronto's oldest Firehalls to get a shot looking back down ...

 

' hoses hung '

DJE

 

Photo of the Week 2025-05-19

 More from the archive ....

 

' May Magnificence '

Almost 3 years ago to the day there was a wonderful sunset over Lake Huron as seen from the shore at our cottage. I captured some wonderful photos and processed and posted one or two. One even made it into the Sunset Edition of my Annual Calendar recently.

 

Last evening, I had no such luck. No colour, heavy overcast skies and a fresh breeze off the water. Hence the dive back into the archive.

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-05-12

 

This photographic journey has taken a turn as of late, a return to be more accurate. It's had me very busy reading, researching, remembering, reacquiring ... more on the "for what" in the weeks to come but for now, it has seen me more with book in hand, out checking resources or (mostly) at the computer rather than out with camera capturing new images. 

 

So again, I found myself without recent images ready for regular posting and dove into the archives. There I found a collection of images made back in 2012 on a foggy spring afternoon when I was experimenting with a then 8 year old 8MP camera. I had picked up a Canon 1D MkIIN to see if I wanted to make the jump to their top tier camera body for the integral grip form factor (I decided not to).

 

The resulting images have been marinating on the hard drive since then and I have no explanation as to why, but you can see a select set in recent social media posts on my FB, Insta and flickr. This week's photo is my favourite of the set.

 

' woodland mistery '

My decision to process and present the bulk of these in B&W is likely a result of my recent activities. Processing is not a simple B&W conversion of a colour file but includes manipulation of the bright and dark tones for a look I find reminiscent of orthochromatic films in the past.

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-05-05

 

Too much time at the computer? Maybe. My wrist has been telling me to take a break from hours of daily online time as I work to reacquaint myself with film, 4x5 large format cameras, 120 roll film and my 35 mm SLRs through online resources ...

 

So I curtailed my processing time at the computer and this week I have an image that's been queued up since my last visit to Revolve Farms, when snow was still on the ground, a fire was in the wood stove and we were holding the fort while Matt & Claire had a well deserved vacation with her family.

 

' wood b' lovers '

This wooden sculpture, part of the decor around Revolve Farms, sits atop a shelf unit and catches morning light coming through a large sliding door in the kitchen area.

 

I was using a then relatively recent acquisition, the RF 85mm f/2 Macro, gaining some familiarity with it shooting details around the interior spaces.

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-04-28

 

 

' rural winter - VI '

Adding to my series ' rural winter ' with an image from earlier this year. This scene was revealed as I drove an unfamiliar road, more than enough to remind me to vary routes between regular destinations. Shot near St. Jacobs, I noticed the long entrance drive winding across a fresh blanket of snow, bracketed by s set of trees.

 

I had expected to expand the series with a number of images by now, and found myself pulled in other directions with my photography and this is the lone addition from the last two winters..

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-04-21

 

This week, a set of images from a winter walkabout through the southern section of Preservation Park, to capture some winter woodland character(s) ...

 

' fenzy '

' disarray '

' swoop '

 

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-04-14

 

Sorry (not really) to take you back to winter when spring is really just arriving but I knew I had another Snowy Owl image in the RAW reservoir ... 

' snowy in a snowstorm '

I was out with the then recently acquired RF 200-800 to gain more familiarity with it and work on my wildlife shooting. Approaching the location where I hoped to see a Snowy Owl, the weather worsened with snow falling very heavily by the time I arrived. It was difficult seeing the road ahead at time so wasn't sure how things would be for shooting.

 

Driving slowly along the sideroads, the tires were kicking up the freshly fallen snow and it was accumulating on the side windows of the vehicle. Every so often I would get out and brush off the snow for a clear(ish) view of the fields outside. Deciding to head down a little used track where I'd had success previously and that I knew would be closed to traffic for the season in the next couple of weeks, I stopped to clear the windows and strained to see across the field to a line of wrapped hay bales along a distant fence line.

 

... and there it was !

 

Across the field in heavy blowing snow with the 200-800 at it's maximum, I would shoot short 3 or 4 frame bursts between gusts of blowing snow. I was trying to time the shots such that my subject would be less obscured and managed it a few times.

Notes:

- for context, the top image is original width, just cropped top and bottom to 16:9 ratio 

- this lower image in approx. a 100% crop to show the detail I was able to get at 800mm across fields of blowing snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-04-07

 

As I work through the trove of images from recent months, memories surface and in the case of these images, a special smile forms and pride swells in my chest.   

 

' Chef Matt '

' Intimate Dining '

 

Matt & Claire are living their dream, creating and living the Revolve Farms life. What they have built together is wonderful. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week's photo(s), capture Le Cordon Bleu trained Chef Matt doing his thing as he prepares dinner for an intimate family gathering, and the table atmosphere so perfectly crafted by Claire.

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-03-31

 

 

' on the lookout '

After finding and photographing a Snowy the previous day, I came back to the area in hope of another encounter ...

Quite far from my position, I shot this with the owl in centre frame and then cropped in post keeping much of the remaining barn structure for context. Even with 800mm focal length you can still be too far away for a portrait close-up.

 

Shooting from the car window along the side of a busy roadway, I wanted to work quickly so not to attract too much attention or be a distraction for passing vehicles as there was not a full shoulder with the snow left by plows. Hand holding at 800mm in an uncomfortable position turning to the side is an art that I will be practicing more. As it was, I managed enough sharp frames to pull a couple of keepers from.

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-03-24

 

Revisiting forests and woodlands that I've wandered over the years ...

 

' forest fog after a light snowfall '

 

Here, it's the Arkell Rd woodlands north of Starkey Hill on a very moody late fall morning with lingering fog after a light snowfall the previous day

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-03-17

 

As I work to improve my woodland photography, I've been investigating the images and words of those who's work I admire. Recently, much time has been spent listening to online interviews and presentations by British Landscape and Nature Photographer, Joe Cornish.

 

When I listen to Joe describe how he sees the elements of a scene work together and play off each other it resonates with how I feel myself when I'm out working a scene or location to create something that captures what drew me in.

 

' late fall snowy snag '

Far better spoken that me, with a vocabulary born of his formal education in art and refined over his decades of work as a photographer, I am responding "yes" and "right" to myself often as I read and listen to Joe.

 

There are other photographers that I have learned of who I follow, read, watch and listen to. Joe and many of these have helped me understand and embrace the woodland theme, it's challenges, opportunities and rewards. I've even managed to find acceptance and satisfaction with some of my own attempts in the genre.

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-03-10

 

' Moody Skies at Burnt Point '

A Black & White treatment seemed appropriate for the moody skies over Georgian Bay ... well it did given I've been working to keep B&W as an option when shooting and processing.

 

As I work my way through captures from last year, I came across this image that I liked but lacked something in colour. I decided to flip to B&W and process to the moody feel that I had when viewing the scene in person.

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-03-03

 

' rocks 'n reflections on fall pond '

I'm making an effort to get out with camera when I'm home and visiting some favourite locations from the past seems right ... and maybe some new places too.

 

On a crisp, cold fall morning, I decided to go for a drive and see what I could see. Approaching the road to Snyder Flats, I decided to turn in and see how the place might have changed. As luck would have it, there was a little frost on the vegetation and with water temps higher than the air temp there was some mist over the pond to add atmosphere to the scene.

 

' morning pondside '

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

' sun on fall pond '

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm working through the many images added to the library since returni9ng from Scotland back in September. These from the beginning of November should tell you I have a few more to go ;-)

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2025-02-24

 

A recent presentation on B&W photography got me thinking that it's been a while since I processed or shot anything specifically for B&W. So with that in mind, I had a go at B&W 2 different ways ...

 

1. A reprocessed colour image from a recent post in B&W

 

' B&W maple morning '

 

2. A winter reshoot at the location of a recent post, shot for B&W processing

 

' winter maple morning '

I'm not sure that either work better than the original colour version, but it was an interesting exercise and another part of 'The Journey'

 

... the original ...

 

' golden maple morning '

 

DJE