Life and Loss

Happy and sad hold hands.

Frosted Forest

Autumn Crossing

Hiding Place

Hope

Ice and Branches

Point of View can make all the difference between a photo that is quickly sent to the trash on your computer and a photo that is more interesting to spend a bit of time on.

Here I chose to shoot from behind the icicles that formed on the church roof. Looking out to the dark branches and blue sky, I knew it was the view for me.

Often we see the icicles and take shots head on. I've done it and I've posted pics like this too. But after awhile these start to look all the same to me. So today when I saw these icicles I challenged myself to see them differently. And in order to do so, I needed to move and find an interesting point of view.

Tree Tops and Red Tops

This first image is a good example of when filling the frame is a good choice. Some subjects call for this and this subject is certainly one. The tree, large and looming definitely wins the main stage here!

I shot at a speed of 1/1000 and aperture of f/5.6. My focal length was 70 mm and ISO 100.

Repeating pops of colour helps to bring a busy composition together. The red draws the eye throughout the image, in a way that is almost orderly. When the image has a lot going on it is important to remember to include something that will ground or guide.

I shot at a speed of 1/1000 with an aperture of f/5.6. My focal length was 70 mm and ISO 100.

Tree Garland

Tree garland is taken to a whole new level in this Winnipeg neighborhood.

Keep your eyes out for the unusual. Look down or look up instead of only straight ahead. Here the wires strung from pole to pole are heavy with ice and drooping, drawing my attention and interest upwards. A snowy scene, I can't help but let my mind go to Christmas garland being strung through the trees.

I shot this picture at a focal length of 70, aperture of f/7.1 and with a shutter speed of 1/60. I added a texture layer and increased the contrast to draw further attention to the wires.

Misty Morning

I shot this on a cold misty morning. Snow and ice were all around except on this lake, the deepest lake in Manitoba. This lake is interesting in its origin as it was formed when a meteorite hit the earth, creating a huge crater that became what we now know as West Hawk Lake.

My shutter speed was 1/125 and my aperture was f/5.0. My ISO was 100 and focal length 190. When I converted the image to black and white, the frosted trees seemed to separate from those without, the mist became more obvious and the negative space more effective.

Prairie Palms

Different Together

Being different together works.

Being different together is quite beautiful.

Finding things that don't normally go together, together, often presents a wonderful photo opportunity. As you look around, notice the unusual. Does it speak to you? Is it beautiful? If it resonates somehow, it will quite likely translate into an interesting image.

Discovering this pinecone (it was obviously not where it originated) was quite interesting to me. The colour of the light and the surrounding landscape were also interesting. The snow falling brought another element of movement into the picture that was somehow connective. All of these pieces came together to produce a beautiful, uniquely unified scene, one that I felt quite at home in.

I shot at a focal length of 300, shutter speed of 1/160 and aperture of f/5.6. To ensure clarity with the longer lens choice, I bumped my ISO to 200 so I could maintain a faster speed. With a longer lens, the possibility of camera shake increases immediately.

Listening

It sure is fun to imagine what these trees might think and do and say to one another. Seeing this towering tree bend down to listen to the smaller, younger ones is heart warming.

Personification can be used as a creative tool to get out of a photography rut. Look around with new eyes and see what human traits or actions you see in non-human form. You'll be surprised at how often you see this in the landscape around you.

To further play with the image in Photoshop also reaches beyond what one sees to something more. Adding texture and tonal layers can enhance and enrich the image, your story.

I used my 24-70 mm lens to shoot this scene. My focal length was 24 mm, shutter speed 1/400 and aperture f/7.1. ISO was firmly fixed at 100.

Can't See the Forest for the Trees

Contrast and colour in composition can be necessary to the whole. The yellow burst in between the grey trunks and the deep dark background is necessary to engage viewers.

I went back to this location a week after I shot this. The leaves had fallen. The scene no longer drew me in. Without the yellow, apart from searching for this same spot, I would have just moved on without a second glance.

Finding Light

Indian Summer

These next few days are supposed to be very warm and sunny. I guess this might be our Indian Summer. I'll take it.

Beholding Beauty

Just before I was about to cross the Louise Bridge this morning I made a quick decision to pull into the parking lot for the boat launch by the river.

The leaves are starting to change colour and drop...the skies are a deep grey today. It is the last day of summer and it feels like autumn is already here. I'm giving summer her due and am posting today's picture in sepia tones. We'll keep autumn in the waiting room for another day.

I used my 24-70 mm lens for this shot. With a speed of 1/200 and aperture of f/5.6 I kept the ISO at my predictable 100.

Choosing to shoot from a lower perspective resulted in an interesting composition. The trees seem taller and more bold. Or...I feel smaller...in awe of what I am beholding.

Pulling the colour allows for this scene's subject to be something other than autumn. If the strong yellows and oranges remained, fall would dominate, rather than the scale of the trees in relation to me.

Quiet Place

Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.

Mark 6:31

One of the best tips for autumn photography that I've ever received is from a friend who takes pictures as a hobby. He takes amazing pictures; his eye for composition is exceptional.

This friend said that for the oranges and reds to really pop you need to have some green in the picture. We need to see, by contrast, just how orange or red or yellow the leaves really are. I think we also like to see the difference between what was and now is. Some leaves that have not yet surrendered to autumn help to tell this piece of the story.

So when you are out and about taking pictures of autumn, find patches of green and include them in your shots. You won't be sorry.

Branching Out in Black and White

Canopy

Today was the perfect day for a photo shoot along Waterfront Drive in Winnipeg. Before I got started with that shoot, I wandered by the river and took a few images for myself. Autumn is definitely on its way as shown by the carpet of leaves that crunched beneath my feet. I do not feel so ready for the cooler weather but on a beautifully warm day such as today, Autumn's arrival isn't so daunting.

I love to use echo in my images. What I mean by that is the repeating of a pattern. In these images, the strong dark lines of the bench legs are repeated in the trees around them and in the lower picture, the light standard as well. The domed inverted 'V' on the bench in the top image is also repeated in the domed inverted 'V' in the branches of the trees. The circular legs on the bottom bench are echoed in the round lights on the standard and, more subtly, in the forming of a circle or half-circle by the light standard and tree branch.

Patterns bring comfort. I think our minds automatically search for patterns and familiarity in images and also in life.

Turtle Island

Though happy with the original capture (shot at 1/80 and f/10) I thought I'd bring this island picture into photoshop and see what I could do.  I added a few layers, multiplying the effects and flattening the final result. The textures and golden overlays really seemed to turn this into a springboard for the imagination.

Our minds step onto the island and wander through the trees, perhaps cautiously. What do you see?