Photo of the Week 2025-12-22

 

With some time before sunset at another location, we drove to the marina area and on the way back found a high vantage point looking out over a winding section of the Michipicoten River. The location afforded a view of Mission Falls  but the sun had fallen too low and the falls were shrouded in shade by the time we arrived. Fortunately, there was more ...

 

' Fall Evening on the Michipicoten '

Light from the evening sun was kissing the trees along the banks of the Michipicoten making the golden tamarack glow. Shooting with a telephoto through the slight haze that had moved in softened the distant trees enhancing the mood of the scene.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2025-12-15

 

An argument can be made that one should only show their best work and I understand the point in a professional context, in the context of presenting a portfolio for evaluation by galleries, clients and publishers. An amateur, in the literal sense of the word, I'm not motivated by obtaining clients, making an income from my work and though a gallery show or being published would be welcome, these are not my goals.

 

My pursuit is to continually improve my process of creating photographs and photographic art. I get an extraordinary amount of enjoyment and satisfaction from studying and learning all aspects related to capturing, processing and presenting images. It has become a very large part of my life these days. To call it a hobby no longer comes close to describing the place photography occupies in my life. It's a passion, an obsession, a large part of my daily routine, and while I try to share good images, I certainly do not limited them to my very best work.

 

That said, every once in a while it all comes together (or the blind squirrel finds a nut) and I come up with and get to share something that I consider truly special ...

  

' lone tamarack '

... an image that I would include in a collection of my "best work". One I give a 4 star rating (because to date I've never rated one of my images as 5 star, that to me is the pinnacle and 99.9% perfect). One that that represents what I saw, heard and felt, what made me stop, raise the camera to my eye, compose and press the shutter. One that will rekindle the experience of the moment whenever I see it. 

 

' lone tamarack ' might just make the grade to 5 star but I need to live with it for a while before I'd elevate it the final step. For that, I will be printing it large and framing it for the wall.

 

DJE 

Photo of the Week 2018-11-12

Last in a series of 'Fall Tamarack' images from Singing Sands, BPNP that I've been releasing on social media over the week. I saved this for the finale as I think it's the best of the bunch ...

'Fall Tamarack VIII'

Go back through the D J England Photography Facebook page, to see the previous images and let me know what you think.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2017-04-10

Sitting down by the water, enjoying morning coffee, looking up at the tangle of Tamarack branches with their little cones ...

spring tamarack

 ... bundled up against the stiff breeze off the bay listening to the song of a sparrow come to keep me company on a nearby branch (I'm still working to identify the sparrow). Mornings don't get much better.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2016-04-04

... very pleased to have been contacted by Bruce Peninsula National Park / Parks Canada recently, regarding my photography.

After seeing some of my recent winter images of the Grotto and Indian Head Cove, they wanted to know what else I had that might suit their need for a wall display at the visitor centre and an upcoming project that I'll keep quiet until it's launched.

I attended an open house at the visitor centre this past weekend, where staff provided updates on the changes planned for BPNP / FFNP.  And was surprised to find one image they had licensed, already printed and displayed.

The park had a record year for visitors in 2016 and many had to be turned away from Cypress Lake, the Grotto and Indian Head Cove as the location can't take traffic at the level of demand experienced. This was part of the reason for the open house as park staff discussed potential improvements and plans to address the increased popularity while protecting the natural environment.

Along Burnt Point Trail

My image above of Burnt Point, was selected for display to show arriving visitors some of the other scenery accessible along the trail network in the park.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2015-11-02

Sunday morning after Halloween, I decided to get out for a hike along some local trails at the Ignatius Centre, north of Guelph. When I started out, there was a blustery wind pushing the unsettled skies overhead. Now and then a break in the cloud would come and the sun would stream through. Quickly it's warmth would rush over the ground before heading off in the distance. Over and over the sky darkened and I thought I would certainly get caught in a downpour, particularly when I was in the fields far away from where I parked. Each time the wind hurried the heavy dark cloud away.

As I rounded a corner at the edge of a field, along the treeline, the sun burst through to set off the golden glow of several small tamarack at the bottom of a slope. I quickly grabbed a couple of images and then the sunlight was gone.

golden tamarack

For this image I used some different software that I'd been experimenting with (ON1 Photo10 and a plug-in called Smart Photo Editor) to process the RAW file giving the dramatic result above. Fitting around Halloween I think ...

DJE

Photo of the Week 2015-10-26

The fall symphony of colour begins with subtle change. The dark greens of summer yield and begin to take on lighter hues as the performance gets started. Soon there is a warm golden glow taking hold. Here and there, anxious maples are unable to retain themselves and they burst out with brilliant reds. But these are the soloists unable hold back, their kin have not yet broken out into the the main chorus.

The main show gets started with the hardwoods, showing brilliant red and orange they command attention and dominate the landscape ...  for a relatively short time. Soon they begin to tire, losing their breath, slowly fading, losing their intensity, drying to a crisp brown. This is the time for the aspen, birch and poplar to chime in with their bright yellows leaves chattering in the breeze.

One moment they are there struggling to hang on, then the blustery fall wind knocks them to the ground. The performance looks to be done, but wait ... there is one remaining faint voice, gaining strength, rising out of the din ... the tamarack burst forth, ablaze in their final golden song ... and this is the moment I have waited for.

Tamarack Finale

DJE

Photo of the Week 2011-11-14

gold 'n green morning

November may not be the time to head to Algonquin Park for "fall colour", but it was a good time to go for a few days of relaxation and some time away with Lynn.

We took advantage of great weather for early November in Northern Ontario and hiked several of the day-trails along Hwy60 through the park.

On the last day of our stay, we awoke to morning mist and I knew there were going to be some great photo opportunities. We headed out in thick fog and soon found that it was patchy, with some clear areas and others covered in a thick blanket. Driving east, we rounded a bend at Brewer Lake and there was a slight mist in the air with the sun just high enough to throw some diffused light on a stand of golden tamarack on the far shore. I pulled off into a parking area and got out into the chill of the gold 'n green morning.

DJE