Photo of the Weeek 2025-12-08

 

I guess my 'disappointment' with weather upon arriving at Coldwater Cove was unfounded because I managed to come away with some decent captures. Perhaps because conditions were not what I had envisioned, I had to put more effort into finding and making images there that day. In doing so, I realized that I had to switch off auto, me not the camera, and open up to what the location was offering.

 

Since last weeks post, I've managed to publish another 8 images from Coldwater to my social media steams and in addition there is this trio ... 

 

' Turtle Rock III '

' Turtle Rock II '

 

' Turtle Rock I '

... from some time I spend shooting an interesting rock formation that I've named 'Turtle Rock' owing to it's resemblance of a turtle's back as it submerges below the water surface.

 

I'm sure not everyone will agree with me but hey, beauty is in the eye of the ... in this case photographer.
 

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 2024-09-02

 

The need for an image to post weekly on the blog motivates me to pick up the camera even when life seems busy and full with other things as it is now. With bright sun and wind on Hay Bay, I tried some in-camera double exposure ICM images using the darks blend mode.

 

' rough shore '

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2024-05-20

 

I'm still working through images from a couple of weeks ago in Algonquin with Jesse Villemaire of Follow Me North Photography. During our stop at the Lake of Two Rivers campground where I made last week's image, I took time to work some interesting compositions along the sandy shoreline.

 

' Algonquin Abstract '

I found this interesting driftwood log embedded at water's edge and worked the scene while the conditions were calm and clear.
 

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2024-01-15

At the cottage, it's almost always worth a trip down to the shore around sunset time, even if there isn't a sunset to be seen ...

 

' Evening Mood 2023-12-07 '

... and I still need the exercise developing my eye when using an ultra-wide (in this case 11mm) angle lens.

Recently, working with my 11mm Irix and 14-35mm Canon (at 14mm) has energized my creativity. I'm quite enjoying the process of seeing this wide, of seeking to find conditions, subjects, scenes, compositions that work for these focal lengths.

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2023-11-27

 

During last month's Superior Wild and Scenic Photo Retreat we visited several locations on Lake Superior. Most were known to me from previous travels in the area but one in particular was not and oh what a treat it was.

Calm waters were not expected but they did allow for some unique waveless images on the rocky headland at Coldwater Cove. I ended up with quite a collection showing the interesting and accessible rock formations. Sneak previews when I was downloading after they days shoot had me excited for one or two but with well over a dozen it was difficult to know where to start, so I'll just start.

' wave action worn '

I had switched out lenses to the 17-40 wide angle zoom in order to get more in the frame and include more of the interesting formations in the foreground. I also used a polarizer to tame some of the glare and reflection from the strong mid-day sun, both on the rock and the water.

 

This is certainly a location that I plan to get back to for some more shooting.

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2023-05-01

 

A favourite place to just sit back, relax and enjoy the show ...

 

' best seats in the house '

 

DJE

Photo of the Week 2019-08-05

In creating the series 'HORIZONS' I cannot help but explore a connection, an attraction, almost an addiction, that I have with including water in many of my images.

Drawn to water and calmed by my proximity to it, I have been wondering what it is about water that instills a sense of awe ...

singing horizon

... apparently it's my "Blue Mind'. 

And here is "The science behind our connection to water" according to Dr. Wallace J. Nichols. An interesting quick read that has assured me I'm not alone and has me thinking that I should pick up his book 'Blue Mind' and give it a read too ... maybe while I'm on the deck at the cottage ?

DJE

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.

above and below

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

Photo of the Week 2016-10-17

Recently, I was again reminded of how easy it is to get lazy with photography and let yourself rush through an outing, either because you are with someone who is not also photographing, or if you are being distracted by something else. If you let yourself get lazy and resort to just clicking and rushing onto the next thing, the resulting images can be good but  ... they could be better if you spend time working a location to find a compelling subject, capture that certain angle of view or wait for the light to be just right.

Such was the case while out for a short hike a few days ago with Lynn and Murphy. Both  these companions are normally very patient with me when I bring a camera along (... and I always bring a camera). After trekking out to Mermaid Cove, a picturesque little spot just outside the village of Tobermory, I had rather quickly grabbed a number of images showing the view out over the water. Being photographically lazy, I might have then said "let's go" so as not to press the patience of my companions. Instead I sat down to take in the scenery and peaceful sounds of wind and lapping water.

Lynn joined me on the bench and after a while, pointed me to a section shoreline commenting how she liked the moss and the natural path created by the rock ledge. The same area had caught my attention so I got up and spent some time working this little area along the shoreline. The sun was to the south, behind the trees, bathing this area in shade and a soft cool light that made the greens and yellows fresh and vibrant. 

I selected this composition from the the dozen or so I had made, as the best of the set.

yellow, green and rock XI

  DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-08-29

During a recent paddle on Hay Bay, we headed into Ragged Bight, an inlet at the head of the bay, to check out the cottages and summer activity from the water. You get a completely different impression from the water. Viewing things from roadside...

Roadside, the back, and there is a bit of a story around what is back and front at our place, so let me take a moment to set the record straight ...

When we were looking for a place a few years back, we looked in Southampton, Sauble Beach and other places where properties were not on the water. They weren't what I had mind when I thought "cottage". To me a cottage is a "waterfront" property, it has water "frontage", hence the front of the cottage faces the water, at least it does at our place ... in my opinion and what other opinion really matters right?

This of course is a regular point of of discussion with guests and of course Lynn. I don't get why everyone is confused. It's really quite simple (to me). Water = Front, Road = Back. That's all there is to it. So if you ever come visit, get it straight please.
 ;-)

... shows you a different side (the back) and I see that side on our drive in, on our drive out, on my regular morning walks with Murphy. Seeing things from the water (the front) is a fresh look and I found some interesting scenes that warranted breaking the camera out of the dry-bag to make a few images. The one below captures a dock that has seen better days and a property that I imagine doesn't see much activity, but it makes for a nice waterside scene with some character and invites you to make up your own background story. 

this old dock

DJE

Photo of the week 2015-08-03

"Shore Songs" 

- a series of images depicting rock and water scenes that sing of northern beauty -

This series of images became a personal favourite instantly as I began making them one fall evening back in 2012. My satisfaction with the entire set (now 14 images) has not waned, actually, I like the set more and more as time goes on.

A print of one image sold a few years back to a local client for display in her home. I personally delivered the finished framed print and will never forget how please she was to see it hung. I love to create my images and prints but it is a special feeling to have someone appreciate them enough to purchase and display them for their own enjoyment. I cannot express how grateful I am to those who appreciate my work enough to have acquired a print for themselves. The creative fire burns and it burns a little longer and a little hotter when stoked.

Prints of images in the series can be seen and are available in the "Shore Songs" gallery on my Fine Art America page or as Signed, Artisan Crafted Giclée Archival Prints by contacting me directly.

DJE
 

Photo of the Week 2015-02-02

Hay Bay 2015-01-31

"... artists can make a living at something other than art in order to dedicate themselves to the imagination and it's expressive craft in their personal time." Shaun McNiff - Trust the Process

Much of my personal time is spent in activities involving or related to photography. The pursuit of higher quality, artistic, photographic images provides a great diversion from my activities related to "making a living". I feel refreshed and invigorated after returning from a successful photo outing, even one as brief as the one that included making this week's image.

Somehow, knowing that I must return to "making a living", the time I spend pursuing photography takes on a greater importance. I have a special appreciation for that time, the locations I get to, the subjects I photograph and the people I may spend the time with. Whenever I look at this image, I will remember the cold walk along the shore of Hay Bay with my wife as sun set behind clouds and blowing snow, before we headed back to the warmth of the cottage to prepare dinner.

DJE

Photo of the week 2014-09-15

This weekend I had a great time having a couple of good friends join me at the cottage for a weekend of photography and sketching on the Bruce. Despite the forecast for questionable weather, the final decsion to go was made Thursday night and after work Friday we headed out, hopeful that there would be at least some time to get out and enjoy the scenery.

This week's image is a shot from our Sunday sunrise trip to Halfway Log Dump. I used the 5DIII with my new Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 to capture a wide angle view of sunrise, made from a low angle at water's edge.

golden shores

The First Annual Fall Shoot & Sketch Weekend at the cottage is successfully in the history books.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2014-08-11

As a photographic exercise, I spent a couple of hours or more early Sunday morning along the shoreline immediately in front of our cottage. I was simply looking around, capturing the light from the rising sun as it washed over the landscape.

Sometimes I sat, sometimes I stood, sometimes I knelt, just taking it all in and getting different points of view. At first the air was still and carried only the sounds of gulls and terns. Then the rumble of a large passing sailboat, under power, headed out on Lake Huron off Cape Hurd. Gradually the sounds of neighbouring cottagers rising to begin their day could be heard travelling over the still water of the bay, a door closing here, voices over there. This was the background music as my eyes continued to sweep over the terrain, picking out details like grass glistening with dew in the low angle of sunlight, reflections on still water, shadows on the textured rock.

I lost myself and lost track of time for a while. How wonderful. What a way to start my day. There are images to be found in any scene, just let yourself get lost in the process. 

the ground at my feet
morning, in the light of rising sun, near water's edge

DJE

Photo of the Week 2014-07-07

Spending a week of vacation up on the Bruce Peninsula always rejuvenates the soul and quiets the mind.

This past week, Lynn and I enjoyed the company of visiting friends and family for a few days. Between the visits, there was time to introduce ourselves to kayaking and of course some photography for me, but not as much as you might think. I first had to update my display at Upper deck Gallery with some appropriate seasonal work since everyone (except me) had seen enough of winter. Then I had to hang a number of framed prints to complete my installation running through July at Ancient Cedars Cafe.

Sean from Ancient Cedars is a photographer and of course we had already talked photography on a few occasions, he had also graciously offered to lend me a favourite lens of his, the Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX DG, to use during the week. So images hung and lens in hand, day-one was nearing it's close and we prepared for our first visitors.

I managed to make some images of visiting little ones Emma and Logan over the next couple of days. After saying goodbye on Tuesday, the next morning had me out for a visit at Singing Sands to experience the otherworldly feeling of walking out on the beach into the waves of thick fog rolling in off Lake Huron. You can see one of my images from the outing here on my Photography FB page or my flickr photostream.

My favourite image of the week came a couple of days later when I returned to Halfway Log Dump looking to explore the shore north of where the trail exits the woods to the grand shoreline of Georgian Bay. Mid-day sun is not normally optimum for photography, but the Caribbean blue waters of Georgian Bay can be stunning under sunlight and clear blue skies. I had success at this location recently and decided to return and expand on the "Hues of Blue" series showcased in a previous blog post. After all, one of those images sold from Ancient Cedars and simply has to be replaced with something new in the series.

whale rock - breeching

DJE

Photo of the Week 2011-12-12

winter's advancing grasp

With temperatures of -6*C at 7:00 am as we set out for a local conservation area, it felt more like winter than any day so far.

We decided to check out the west side of Mountsberg Reservoir in the hour or so before the gates opened. Wandering the trails as sun rose in the sky, I came across this scene and knew it had potential for an image. I moved around to examine different vantage points to get the best composition. Although I wish I could have placed the rock more off-centre in the frame, I think this works well with the cat tails in the foreground grabbing the viewers attention.

I particularly liked how the ice appears to be moving out from the shore to grasp the rock and envelop the open waters.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2011-08-22

Ucluelet Shore

This is what I had hoped for...

A recent trip to Victoria BC to visit Lynn's family provided the perfect opportunity for us to head up island and visit Ucluelet. This has been on my list of MUST visit photo locations for a few years now after seeing some stunning images online. The scenery did not disappoint. The coastline is absolutely beautiful and on the day I made this image, I was provided with the morning mist that I had hoped for ... This was taken from a beach, with the tide out, while I sat in solitude listening to the gentle waves run up the sand between calls from the resident pair of bald eagles ... so easy to get lost in the moment that I stayed more than a while.

shhhhhhh.........

... one to be printed LARGE and permanently framed.

DJE