Stop and See

This was a good reminder for me to stop and see.

Stop for a minute, maybe a few, and see the beauty.

Beautiful Brereton

Desert Sun

Winnipeg Beach

The Sun Sets While the Moon Rises

We moved our daughter last night. I shared with a friend that the anticipation of this event was harder than the reality. When finished unloading the totes and boxes into her suite, we said our goodbyes. Before we drove away we watched as she walked down the path, like she was walking out of one chapter and into this new chapter of her life. And it was okay.

Life is like that. Things have to end before new ones begin, and sometimes they end and begin at the same time. As we drove back to the city, we saw the moon rise on one side of us as the sun set on the other, at the same time. This change is much like that. The sun is setting on my daughter's childhood, living with mom and dad, dependent, at the same time that light rises on her future.

 I shot this image at a speed of 1/100 while my aperture was set at f/10. My ISO was at my preferred setting of 100. I chose a greater depth of field for this landscape shot because I wanted as much as of this scene as possible to be in focus. I could do this because the light I was shooting into was so bright, even though it was setting. Composing this shot was fun. With every foot or even inch I moved, the picture changed while the sun set a little lower. I chose to have the sun just off center for interest's sake, flanked by the tree and the park bench. Making sure not to split the image in half I opted for more sky instead of foreground, as that really was more important for the shot.

I could not use the same depth of field for this shot as I did for the sunset. There was not nearly the same amount of light as the sun was pretty well finished with the day though it still hung over the horizon a touch (on the other side of the road from this scene). I opened the aperture much wider to f/4.5 and used a speed of 1/100. For the moon shots I bumped up my ISO to 400 to help keep the exposure at an acceptable level for the subject.

Sun Paints Chicago

Evening Sets

The lake was calm and the light beautiful. Magic hour had come.

There is nothing quite like the time of evening when the light is absolutely magical. If you are near the lake this is the perfect time to get some beautiful shots over the water. Often at this time of the evening, the waters will slow to a stop and echo back the scene above them.

Just a few tips:

Be sure your horizon is straight when you're duplicating images by way of reflection.
You can slow your shutter speed if you want the water to appear as glass. If there is not much for movement, it'll smooth things out beautifully. If there is more movement, slowing the shutter speed will smooth the flow.
If you're wanting to shoot a landscape and its reflection, try to keep some symmetry in the part of your image that will be reflected. Obviously there will be symmetry because of the mirror image but if, for example, the clouds in this shot were extremely imbalanced, all the symmetry in the reflection wouldn't be enough to create balance and calm.

Fields and Water and a Big Prairie Sky

I am thankful for our big prairie sky that blankets our golden fields and shimmering lakes. How beautiful!

Today I will share an important tip when taking these kinds of images: be sure your horizon is straight! Always, always, unless you're going for a particularly artsy shot, make sure your horizon is level. There is nothing more distracting than seeing a beautiful landscape photo with the horizon askew. When I started out in photography I paid no attention to this and the result was telling. Shots are improved immediately when we pay attention to the horizon.

Water

I love water. I love being near lakes, rivers, streams and oceans. I love water's changing faces. I love the calm and comforting sound of the gentle lapping at the shore's edge. I love the roar of the ocean waves. I love the rush of water in a river of rapids. I love the trickle over stones and branches in streams.

Water seems to me, a great echo of our own emotions. Sometimes water reveals to me the condition of my heart when I see what I captured on a particular day or during a particular season of life. Sometimes it shows me what I needed.

Here are a couple of shots I took during a chaotic and painful time in my family's life.

Riding the Rails

Summer Sets

Be Still

Spotlight - Sunsets and Water

Everyone likes to watch a good sunset. People stop what they are doing, even if they are inside and pass by a window and notice the sky's colours; they will stop and stare. From this image, it would seem that it is not only people who will stop to watch the sun fall below the horizon. I wonder, do birds notice beauty?

Spotlight - Sunsets and Water

Shh...can you hear the loon's call? And maybe the gentle lap of the water against the shoreline? The evening gently gives way to the night. And I do too.

Spotlight - Water

The day slowly slips away into the sea. There is nothing quite like this, watching as day meets night on the water. 

Summer Nights

Yeah, that's right, summer. Remember?

Summer Nights