Photo of the Week 2020-03-16

It's the middle of March and I find myself in a time lacking photographic inspiration from the outside world. Gone are the wondrous scenes blanketed in freshly laid layers of snow, the invigorating outings in cold, crisp air. I am resigned to sit patiently and wait for the arrival of spring with it's fresh green new growth, the bright colours of wildflowers and returning birdsong. 

I will still venture out, camera in hand, but these next few weeks are likely to be filled with reflection and anticipation rather than collection of fresh, new images. Knowing this would be the case, I've been flagging photos as possible blog post candidates and will begin this week with one (or two) that I "saved" from an outing just a few weeks ago.

On an outing to capture the frosted fresco provided by Mother Nature along the Wilson Flats, I concluded by driving along the road that follows the Grand River valley west of Elora. On the search for a vantage point to photograph the frosted river valley a roadside frost rimmed tree caught my eye and ...

Sunshine Valley Rimmed in Frost

... it made the perfect foreground for a shot out over the landscape into the morning sun. For the main image, I chose to close down the aperture to f/22 to get the sunburst effect. Other images were made without the sunburst but I prefer this one.

As I frequently do, I made compositions of the scene in both 'landscape' and 'portrait' orientation, both of which worked in this case.

Sunshine Valley Rimmed in Frost II

DJE

Photo of the Week 2020-03-02

A variety of looks and moods just by seeking out all that a location has to offer during a single outing ...

When the day started crisp and cold with traces of frost on everything out the front window, I knew I had to grab some gear and head out. There were a number of locations that came to mind so I just started driving and eventually chose to visit some favoured spots along the Grand River, west of Inverhaugh.

Hoping to find frost covered scenery, I wasn't disappointed as I turned onto the road heading down to Wilson Flats. The sun was still low in the morning sky, highlighting the frost rimmed branches of trees and anything else in the low lying flood plain.

The question was "where to start". There were so many options for what to shoot and I certainly didn't want to loose the magical atmosphere after the sun had climbed higher in the sky. So I took a deep breath, looked around and just start shooting ...

framed in frost

frosting on the cake

frost flower - in blue

 

steam frost

 

Grand Winter Pano

All images were shot in a 45 minute window, only "steam frost" was shot a short drive from the others, all made at Wilson Flats within a few hundred meters of each other just looking in different directions. 

DJE

We Will Remember Them ...

On the eve of Remembrance Day, Wellington County Museum and Archives holds a tribute where candles are lit an placed at the base of white stakes bearing the names of the fallen from Wellington County.

This year I decided to attend and document the occasion and it was cool and windy when I arrived just as sun was dropping below the tree line. Covering the front lawn there were row after row of tributes to the fallen. I made this image as the last remnants of sunlight kissed the poppy adorned name cards, each placed on it's white stake.

At the going down of the sun ... We will remember them.

I walked along each row, reading the names, the ages, locations of burial and came across the name William A. McLean, not familiar to me but William died the same day as my grandfather and they are both buried in Holten Canadian War Cemetery, Holland.

As darkness fell, I stood off to the side watching people arrive. Some came in groups, some in pairs and others alone. All were given candles and made their way out onto the lawn to place them at the base of a white stake as the moon rose in the sky.

Slowly the rows began to glow with candles. I imagined that some who came were family members, other simply those who cared to remember and pay tribute. It was good to see a variety of ages, some families coming with children. As time passed and darkness blanketed the lawn, the volunteers assisted and began to fill in the each of the rows to complete the tribute.

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2012-07-23

I've photographed at this location on the Grand River on several occasions and even sold a large framed print of one of the images. The spot has a quality that comes alive particularly when the sun rises over the trees on the north-east bank of the river. 

morning sun floods the field

We arrived around 6:00 am and after capturing the mist hanging over the river, I moved across the bridge and to the edge of the field just as the sunlight was flooding over the landscape. I moved off of the gravel road and into the field to place one of the larger mist larger spider webs in the foreground of this image. I know one of my companions on this trip snapped a shot of me behind the "No Trespassing" sign. It will no doubt make it to the interwebs at some point ... I will plead guilty.

DJE