Photo of the Week 2026-04-13

 

Back in November I picked up the vintage Canon FD 35 f/2 Concave - Chrome Nose lens. On a trial outing I took along the FD 35 f/3.5 S.C.for some comparison shots ...

 

The thorium element(s) of the 35mm f/2 lens had yellowed due to radioactive decay and the warm character shows in it's colour rendition. The second image was shot with the 35mm f/3.5, no colour correction has been applied to either image but obviously, I could cool or warm the resulting images in post processing if desired. But these two images were made with direct comparison in mind.

 

 

I have since set up a rudimentary treatment process to expose the lens elements to UV-C light which can remove some of the yellowing of the thoriated lens element. The results are temporary as continued radioactive decay will yellow the lens on an ongoing basis. Wait ! Radioactive ... yes I said radioactive, but not to the degree where it is dangerous or even a health concern and I don't sleep with the lens under my pillow. FYI - a few decades ago thorium was added to some optical glass formulas to improve optical performance and the Canon 35mm Concave and other lenses are revered for their sharpness. As for clearing some of the yellowing, it's an experiment in process with some improvement shown.

 

note: I lost track of what aperture I was using and was shooting handheld which required light cropping adjustment afterwards to align the. I really want to repeat the exercise with the camera tripod mounted shooting a range of apertures for comparing sharpness of each lens across settings ... and now I have a FD 35 f/2 S.S.C. Concave and FDn 35mm f/2.8 that could be added to the mix ;-)

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-04-06

 

' Pavilion at Jacob's Landing '

' Riverbank Lofts - Old Hespeler Sawmill '

' Jacob's Landing Benches '

It was well past time that I got out for a photo walkabout and still under orders for no strenuous activity or lifting, I went for an easy location and light on the gear. The first two shots were made with my EOS M3 and FDn 20mm f/2.8 (effectively 32mm on the crop sensor) mounted via Fotodiox adapter,. The third image was shot on a R5 with FD 100mm f/2.8 Chrome Nose mounted via Fotodiox Pro adapter.

 

Using vintage, manual focus lenses adapted to modern digital mirrorless cameras certainly changes my process. The requirement to make mechanical inputs for shutter speed, aperture setting and focus slows down image capture. Add to that my decision to use prime lenses instead of zooms and there is also the need for me to physically move when I alter composition... and as long as I'm moving forward or back why not side to side or up and down to fine tune things. 

 

Whether it's the change of gear, my mindset, the nostalgic component, limitations of fixed focal lengths, this leg of the Journey is proving very enjoyable. 

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-03-30

 

Now I know that Spring has just arrived but I've delayed outdoor adventures for a bit while I convalesce after hernia surgery one week ago. Any recent photography activity has been limited to some shots of Sully around the house or working on the computer with images from previous outings.

 

And that's where today's photo caught my eye. Back in November, I mounted up a couple of vintage lenses on modern digital camera bodies and went for a frosty morning walkabout in the Guelph Arboretum. The sun rose magnificently in clear skies bringing it's warmth in colour as well as temperature. Low in the morning sky, it provided exquisite back-light for the remaining fall colours and foliage.

 

' morning smoke '

From a distance, this Smoketree (I did not take note of the specific variety) with it's feathery 'flowers' gave the impression that it was smoking or steaming which drew me closer. I enjoyed some close-up shooting using the back-lighting to bring an ethereal, abstract feel to the images.

I was using two different camera/lens combinations and cannot recall which lens was used for the image above, likely a 35mm or 50mm variant of the vintage Canon FD lenses I have acquired. Unfortunately key-wording was skipped for files from one setup on import to the computer and being a fully manual vintage lens, there is not electronic communication with the camera to have the info recorded in capture metadata.

Note to self ... don't forget to keyword when importing images, particularly those shot with vintage lenses.

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-03-23

 

Spring may have arrived according to the calendar, but you could have fooled my camera ...

 

' over the ice to flowerpot in spring fog '

I made the image above on a first hike of spring 2026 when Lynn and I trekked to Mermaid Cove with Sullivan wanting to see what it was like with the water of Georgian Bay still sporting it's coat of ice. Some things on the schedule may prevent me from getting back before the waters are free of winter's grasp.

 

There is a view between the trees looking out to little Middle Island ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and just to show the difference in the scene from  the first day of spring, March 20 above, compared to early winter, when I was there at sunrise on January 1st less than 3 months ago, below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came across something interesting from Chase Jarvis talking about what he calls "The Messy Middle", when the freshness of a creative project has passed, when the real work is still to be done, before reaching the home stretch when a project is finally wrapped up. I found it interesting. Here is a link if you are interested.

  

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-03-16

 

I recently picked up the photo kit of a retired photojournalist to add to my growing collection of Canon classic film SLR's and lenses. Surprisingly, the lenses were in quite good shape and showed little abuse, the camera an F-1 3rd and last generation, showed signs of serious use with a couple of dings and some brass showing through worn paint. All were in good working condition so after a detailed cleaning, I replaced the light seals and mirror bump pad in the camera, loaded it with film and took it out for a spin in Downtown Guelph. I've yet to finish the film but will shortly I'm sure. Until I have those images ready to share, here are some from the same outing using my digital camera with a vintage Canon FD 35mm f/3.5 manual lens from another purchase ... 

 

Now an added bonus ... or maybe not depending on your take ;-)

 

It was time to update my profile pic here on Google / Blogger so I mounted up a vintage portrait lens on the R5 and set up for some portrait selfies using the Canon Camera Connect App on my phone as remote trigger. I thought it's been a while since some of those following me have seen this mug and wanted to let you know what Iook like in case we run into each other.

 

 Damn it's hard to get your subject to smile ;-)

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2026-03-09

 

Sunsets over Lake Huron rarely disappoint and when the weather cooperates to open up a view, it can be truly spectacular ...

 

' curtain call '

With the warm temperatures, rain and then sun in recent days, the snow has melted significantly in my neck 'o the province. At home, just the remainder from the deepest piles lingers. The cottage, from what I see on our cameras, is not quite as thawed.

 

For the shot above, the bay was still frozen quite solid all the way out to the channel but I expect to see different when I'm up next. It's early March, so there's still the possibility of some nasty weather yet. She came in like a lamb. How she will go out remains to be seen.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-03-02

 

Visiting family in Ottawa recently provided a number of opportunities to shoot in unfamiliar urban areas. A portion of a walk one afternoon took me through the Earth Sciences complex of Gov Can along Booth St. where I found the architecture interesting to photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very utilitarian institutional in design aesthetic ... but at the same time interesting in it's straight lines and repeating patterns.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-02-23

 

Ice, Ice, Baby ...

 

' ice white '

Yet again, all the blunder and warnings and overreaction for another storm that never was :-/

 

One can only imagine the costs associated with closures, rescheduling, postponements, delays created when alarmist forecasts scare the public into overreaction mode. Yes, sometimes they get it right. Perhaps one in one hundred times the storm is actually what was predicted. Mostly, it's much to do about nothing and the blame falls on the "weather prediction computer models". Maybe the modellers should send out satisfaction surveys ... everyone else does. That one I might just fill out :-[

 

Well at least I was able to get out and work with my 105mm Macro lens to get some close ups of the results of what freezing rain there was. My truck as pebbled with a thin coating and there were some small icicles forming on door handles. I also walked a neighbourhood near where Lynn had an appointment, making images of ice on bushes, branches and other 

  

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-02-16

 

It's time for some "behind the scenes activity" related to my photography. After nearly 10 years, time has come to replace the computer(s) I use for storing and processing my images. While it may not sound like a big deal, it actually is, well at least for the approach I'm taking.

 

Moving to Windows11 from the now unsupported Windows10 is one of the main reasons to take on the project at this time. Another is to get in front of the escalating price of memory chips. I utilize 2 PC's and with some little annoyances cropping up, one sound channel not working and short life on the replacement battery on the laptop, it's time had come. The desktop had started having an issue on start-up now and then that had me beginning troubleshooting actions. With this in mind I decided to update both to remain consistent with Windows 11 for both machines and avoid what could be significant price increases to new stock when current inventories are depleted.

 

The desktop lives in the home "studio" (i.e. basement) and I use the laptop at the cottage or when I'm otherwise mobile. The laptop also does double duty for the personal stuff of everyday life. So in addition to the additional expense in acquiring 2 PC's, there was a fair bit of prep work researching suitable machines before the heavy lifting started. Not wanting to carry over any unwanted baggage from the previous machines, I'm now waist deep in 2 fresh installs of Windows OS and the significant number of applications I use. I'm not rushing the project because the older machines are still working and I have backups of critical files should they be needed.

 

It may sound daunting, but I enjoy learning through the process and it gives me a great opportunity to start fresh. Plus, I like to know the PC's I use and how they work in some detail which is unavoidable the way I approach this.

 

' winter sunscape '

... and this week's photo. 

 

It had been a while since I'd captured sunset across the frozen water of Lake Huron ... supper was timed so that I could spend some time out on the shore with camera and catch some of the colour. There was a heavy band of cloud low on the horizon and whispy high level clouds all reflecting the orange glow of the last sunlight of the day.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-02-09

 

' 057774 OS C 11 '

I've been working on my 'rural winter series' for almost 4 years now, working out the process of what types of scenes suit the approach. I've settled on a 1 vertical x 2 horizontal crop for the most part, but have used other aspect ratios when they seemed better suited. I've shot on bright sunny days, foggy cold winter mornings, in snow squalls and dreary overcast days. Since making the first image, I've refined the preparation, processing and presentation of the image considerably thanks to improving my skills and utilizing some of the newer features in LR & PS. My naming convention for titles has morphed from sequential series name and number into an acronym-like format of the rural address for the location that does not blatantly call out the specific residence.  

 

Beginning with that first image, a sizeable series has emerged. As of this writing, comprised of 25 images, 'rural winter' is not complete. It does represent a conscious and significant effort to collect and curate a series of consistent woks, a few of which I've shown on the blog previously.. 
 

rural winter library as of 2026-02-08

My own inspiration for this series, as I've mentioned previously, came from the works of a watercolour artist who paints winter scenes of stone heritage buildings in a minimalist setting.

 

So why then in my self-talk, when I see others pirating my idea, do I feel violated. Perhaps because I feel I've put the effort into creating something different, unique to my work. Should I? Am I justified in my feeling? Or truly, is "imitation the sincerest form of flattery"?

...  

 

DJE 

Photo of the Wek 2026-02-02

  

' Singing Horizon I '

' Singing Horizon IV '

Digging into the archive this week for a couple of images made at Singing Sands, BPNP, Northern Bruce Peninsula, back in February 2020 ...

 

I've been reviewing the image catalogue lately, particularly shots that I've processed and marked ready for posting. Some go back over a decade and it's interesting to revisit these waypoints from my journey. Images selected for this week suggest what I might find when I get to the cottage in a few days. Ice stretched far out from shore over the shallow water of Dorcas Bay at Singing Sands, the textures, patters and tones mirroring those in the sky.

 

While locating the image files and seeing the collection of shots I made that day, I encountered of some personal favourites that are now printed, framed and displayed on walls at the cottage. Actually, some of my all-time favourite work. 

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-01-26

 

Photo outings to a variety of locations used to be an every week occurrence for me. I was part of an informal but close knit group of like minded photographers who embraced getting out with other to see through our lenses.

 

As with all things, change happens, people move away, schedules shift, priorities change, pandemics hit, you know the normal sh*t. All of the aforementioned came into play over the last handful (ish) of years and these outings became less frequent and less varied in destination. While still remaining active photographically active, I was missing the diversity that regular outing provided.

 

Some time ago I began making time for the regular event organized by the club I belong to, their meetings, outings and social gatherings. In addition, I've reconnected with a couple of the former group who are still local and also finding more time to reconnect. We have different approaches and interests with photography, but photography and seeing is common to us all.

 

Here's a shot from a recent forest snowshoe outing, when we reached the forest edge alongside a farm field, when the sun blazed out from behind heavy winter clouds.

 

' light on winter field '

A couple of outings a month have been added to my calendar with the possibility of more as time goes on and schedules mesh. The conversations picked up as if there had been no gap, easy going, ranging across all subject mater not just photography, but they include much talk about photography and creativity and gear.

 

Speaking of gear, for this outing and this week's photo, looking to find some inspiration, I simplified my kit using a manual focus Canon FDn 50mm f/1.,2 adapted to an R5 body.

 

It's good to be enjoying this camaraderie again .. 

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-01-19

 

A recent meet-up with a 'photo phriend' provided a change of subject matter and caused me to work a little at making images. It had been a while since I'd been in an industrial setting, and interesting as it was, the Niagara Parks Power Station and Tunnel threw down the gauntlet. I'd long had an interest in the historical structures on the Canadian side of Niagara, but these locations were more than I would tackle back in my Urbex / Rurex days.

 

Since it opened in 2021, this now tourist attraction has been on my radar more out of historical interest in the construction and technology than photography. Still I was interested to see what I could capture through the lens. The images can be found on my flickr page starting here and ending with the 'Photo of the Week' image.

 

' Below Horseshoe Falls ' 

My first time below the falls and a wonderful wet vantage point (3 image stitched pano).

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-01-12

 

Winter weather provides me with many opportunities for for photography and I don't always take advantage of them. I find my outings to drive the backroads within reach of home have become much less frequent. When I do take a backroad, stops to photograph have become less frequent and I find myself thinking "I should have stopped back there ... " and good photo opportunities are missed.

 

In an attempt to rectify things, on the heels of a chance finding of the scene in last weeks post, I purposefully gathered up the needed kit and headed out looking for additions to the series 'rural winter'  

 

' 6926 W C R 34 '

I've driven by this farm countless times as it's very close to home. I've made photographs at and around it but not composed in favourable winter conditions to create something worthy of including in 'rural winter', until now.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2026-01-05

 

Happy New Year & Welcome to 2026 !!!

 

' 1811 N '

I see many interesting farm scenes on my travels through Wellington County, Waterloo Region and on my regular treks through Grey and Bruce Counties on my way up to the cottage. Some time ago, I photographed one rural home and experimented with a processing style inspired by work I had seen from a watercolour artist. From that, I created a high key, heavily vignetted minimalist look and created my 'Rural Winter' series. Over time, as I've added to the series, I've become more aware of the type of scene that has potential and keep my eyes open for just such scenes.. 

 

A few weeks back, on a trip to the St. Jacobs Market, I found one that made me pull over to the shoulder, park and walk back 100m or so working on various compositional options. 

--

Sidebar here ... I'm always entertained by the expressions of passing motorists as they try to see or figure out what the hell I see.

 --

This farm with lane-side trees casting shadow down the snow covered slope leading to the field was just right for the next addition to the series. 

DJE