The Thaw

It doesn't take long. Once the thaw takes hold, a real hold, winter moves along.

My Winnipeg

Christmas at The Forks

Christmas Glow at The Forks

The Forks

Ready. So Ready.

Inspirational

This lovely couple sitting by the river inspires me. They inspire me to wait patiently for whatever comes (spring!) and enjoy the present, enjoy each other.

I took this image with a fast shutter speed of 1/2000 and an aperture of f/2.8. I imported the image into Lightroom where I made some changes in the colour and then added a texture layer in Photoshop to complete the post processing.

Layers

Someone once asked me if I wouldn't mind posting a before and also after picture of one of my images. Before the texture layers and additional top-secret-can't-tell-anyone-post-layer-processing - and after. And so I have.

Once imported onto my computer I do a bit of work on the picture in Lightroom and then export it to photoshop to apply any texture I might like.  Applying the texture layer is not just an apply-and-save process. Tweaking the contrast, saturation and lightness is necessary to achieve the look that each individual image might call for.

When satisfied I flatten the layers and save the image, bring it back into Lightroom for any final touches and then output the image as complete.

Warming Huts

It is a very cold day here in Winnipeg. Hardy as we are, many are still out and about over at The Forks today. Here are some brave souls working on what I am assuming is one of the warming huts that are placed along the skating pathway. Each of the warming huts are functional art and are really quite beautiful.

Between Skates

The Forks

Each one of these images has a design element that leads the viewer into the picture and straight to the subject.
In the top picture, we have the rubber mats that act as our pathway to the skating rink. Once there we might look up to the tower and see the Canadian flag waving but then our eye travels back down the trees and back to the pathway and to the rink once more.
In the cityscape scene, we hop onto the train and take a ride straight downtown to the corporate highrises. Our eyes hover over the cluster of buildings and then down to catch the train back again.
The last picture has us traversing the stairs to the front entryway of Johnston Terminal. The trees on the far right keep our eyes from traveling off the picture.
Keeping the viewers engaged by giving them a subject to visit without distracting pieces that pull the eyes off the picture is important.

Our Rockefeller Rink

Johnston Terminal

I've had many wonderful connecting times over a great cup of coffee in this terminal at The Forks in Winnipeg. Browsing unique shops, visiting a beautiful art gallery and taking in some people-watching make a visit to the Johnston Terminal seem like just the right thing many-a-day.

Colouring Outside the Lines

I do like to colour outside the lines. Playing with reflection and flipping photos might just be photography's equivalent.

I shot this picture with an aperture of f/2.8 and shutter speed of 1/400. The melting ice of the skating rink added interesting textures and movement to the image. Not including the source of the reflection added intrigue and mystery to the scene.

Once on my computer I flipped the image vertically and then it was what I wanted it to be! So fun! Try it out sometime and let me know how it goes.

Deck the Halls at The Forks

The Forks Market is all decked out for Christmas and looks fabulous! The combination of rich colours and textures in this meeting place call me back time and time again. Add the festive touches and it welcomes me with increased celebration!

Though there was a fair bit of natural light, it was not adequate to take a still shot without bumping up my ISO. Since I did not have my tripod to reduce the risk of camera shake, reluctantly, I set my ISO at 500. My shutter speed was 1/125 and my aperture set at f/2.8.

Winter Settles In at The Forks

Winnipeg Cityscape From The Forks

I climbed the stairs to get to the top of the parking garage for a different view at The Forks in Winnipeg. Including the circular brick roundabout in the foreground and the cityscape in the background required a somewhat greater depth of field, at least if I wanted both to be in relatively sharp focus. I used f/9 which seemed to be sufficient.

Using some vignetting in processing seemed to round out the bottom left corner even more, discouraging the eye from moving off of the frame to rather go around and back into the image and explore further.

The Forks

We enjoyed a break in the clouds yesterday. A perfect place to savor the sunshine in the city is The Forks, where the Assiniboine River and Red River meet. Market places, patio restaurants, buskers, outdoor festivals, boat rides are just some of the offerings found at this junction.

To get this shot (taken from the bridge), I used my 24-70mm f2.8 lens. I shot at a speed of 1/200 sec @ f/13. Using a large depth of field was important to having as much of the scene in focus as possible. For me, the sky was just as significant to the picture as The Forks, for it is both interesting and draws attention to The Forks and surrounding buildings with the clouds and the plane trails. I added layers in processing to enhance the image further.

This was just a fun picture to take! The contrasts between hard and soft and also in the colours present were irresistible. Blowing out the sky in some measure was necessary to have adequate exposure for the light standard. Even with that, I still bumped up the standard's brightness and scaled back the exposure of the sky in processing to get the end result I was after.

Outside In

Walking by the Manitoba Theatre for Young People at The Forks in Winnipeg, this window's reflection caught my eye. The sky was most certainly inside this theatre!

The sky showing through the window seemed just right with all the potential and promise packed into this venue.

Take the time to gaze into the windows as you carry on with your day today. What do you see? Look again. Look closer. Imagine.

Spring is in the Air

We spent the afternoon outside today over at The Forks in Winnipeg. The weather was exceptional. I loved seeing the buskers, hot dog carts, puddles and puddle jumpers as we took in the tease of summer.

Over on the river, the ice held out for one last pass for this adventurous cyclist. How often does one have the opportunity to shoot a cyclist as they ride on the river? I couldn't resist. Given the fact that there was open water on this river, this path would soon be pulled into those pools and disappear into spring. The cyclist, though a little daring for my liking, probably had a great ride, assuming he or she managed to avoid the pools ahead!