Photo of the Week 2015-08-10

This weekend at the cottage, I began reading a book I purchased a couple of years ago, "The Bruce Beckons" By William Sherwood Fox. Written over half a century ago, the book's introduction opens with "AT his first sight of the Bruce Peninsula the visitor cannot but be aware of a land astonishingly unlike any he has seen before."

For me, The Bruce is unlike anything else, anywhere else. I have likely mentioned in a previous post, that growing up in the suburbs, east of Toronto, my northern vacations were usually spent in the Kawartha's, or maybe Muskoka. Then there were no treks west past Owen Sound and north along Highway 6, up the spine of the Bruce Peninsula.

It is now, at this stage of life that I have the good fortune that allows me to experience this unique area regularly through all four seasons. With so much waiting for me to explore, it may seem a bit of a cheat for me to spend so much time close to my home base on Hay Bay near Tobermory, but with sunset scenery like this a regular occurrence, I don't have to go far for a great photograph.

On Saturday evening Lynn asked if I wanted to go down to the shore and watch the sunset. Why not ...

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 2015-07-27

The Peace of The North

I used the phrase "The Peace of The North" recently in an email to a friend when referring to an impending departure to the cottage. Thinking about it more, there really is a different feeling to everything when I am up north. I've been fortunate to experience it regularly in the couple of years since we got the cottage.

Even simple morning walks along the cottage road hold a peace that makes them quite a different experience from my walks at home. Everything just seems ... well, different. The sounds, the air, the light ... particularly morning and evening light. And what a great thing that is for photography, when the golden hours hold just a little more magic.

A morning walk with Murphy is always a great start to the day. His eager, bouncy approach to walks can be contagious, no matter what the weather and the location. When it's up north, with sunlight cresting over the trees, I'm eager too. I know that in the fresh morning air and warmth of the sun there more of "The Peace of The North" ...

Morning's Peace

... and I'll take all I can get, though Murphy my prefer that I stopped a little less to make photographs ;-)

DJE

Photo of the Week 2015-07-20

While sitting on the patio at home this weekend, having a relaxing morning in the 30*C heat before heading to an afternoon wedding ceremony, I was drawn to the colourful daylilies in the back garden. It had rained overnight and I thought there might be some water droplet still remaining on the leaves and petals...

... recalling a recent email with a friend about use of macro lenses to capture close up, abstract images, I went for the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro on the 5DIII for some seriously shallow depth of focus, but is was a straight on shot of one blossom that I chose to work with.

wet lily

DJE

Photo of the Week 2015-07-13

Photographing flowers can become cliché very easily. The click, click, click of random snapshots is often heard when there are cameras and flowers present.

I have my share of cliché flower photos in my library, so I fall into the trap as well at times, but I do try to create something different with my captures as much as possible. That can involve close up macro work, working to find different or unusual compositions, photographing from an unusual point of view (POV) or in the case of this week's image, using post processing to convey a painterly photographic rendition of the scene.

lily trail

There are those that want to challenge and debate whether the resulting image is photography or art, even if it is photography at all or art at all. I have no interest in that debate. I appreciate the artistic eye of the photographer who can see and select a scene or subject from which to create a photograph, just as much as I appreciate the painter who has the ability to put brush and paint to canvas to create their painting. For me it is more about a creative eye, intent and the end result.


DJE

PS  -  Our recent young visitors to the cottage, Emma and Logan, were surprised by my interest in flowers, resulting in a couple of touching anecdotes. Of course my interest in flowers at the cottage is fully with nature and wildflowers. While out for walks with either Emma or Logan along, I would point out what flowers I could identify and tell them what I knew. Wood Lilies, Yellow Lady's Slippers, Showy Lady's Slippers, whatever we encountered, I pointed them out.
One day we were in the village, heading into one of the stores and not wanting me to miss anything, pointing to a decorative planter filled with colour Logan  exclaimed "hey Doug, flowers !" I just had to chuckle.
Another day, after a walk along the shore with mom and dad, Emma came up to me and presented me with a collection of blossoms from the wildflowers they encountered and wanted to know if I knew what they were. Emma even made a drawing on her electronic tablet for me that I had to snap a pic of.

... she made my day :-D