Aug 10, 2010 - Halfway Lake Provincial Park

I don’t camp as much as I once did, but it was nice to head north for a few days of peace and quiet. The chosen destination: Halfway Lake Provincial Park (park info here), located about an hour north of Sudbury Ontario.

Shortly after arrival at the park, a few of the locals could be heard making noise. These locals turned out to be a group of juvenile Merlins. A Merlin is a small member of the falcon family. They were seen flying around and chasing each other, and appeared to be having a lot of fun doing this. When I realized the source of all the noise, I had to laugh. Everywhere I go there seem to be birds of prey.

Over the days to come, the Merlins would be seen at many spots around the small lake, and in particular in a specific tree near our camp site.

In addition to bird-watching, the park was explored, in between meals of homemade wine-basted meatballs, a menu item that lasted the whole trip.

One goal of the getaway was to disconnect from work and the web. That goal was achieved. Other goals included exploring, observing, and taking a few photos along the way.

I also managed to fly-fish. In a small boulder-bottomed river, I caught a nice Bass on one of my hand-tied sinking minnow imitations.

One of the amazing things I notice when up this far north is the unique and diverse varieties of plants you can find. In even a single square foot of forest floor, there are many types of organisms to be seen.

It took a few days to wind down from the stresses of city life, but in surroundings like this you’re bound to unwind at least a little.




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Oct 12, 2009 - Fall Road Trip into Farm Country

Thanksgiving weekend was the perfect time to take advantage of the holiday downtime and see some of southern Ontario's fall foliage.

Leaving Toronto somewhat early in the day (well, early for a night owl enjoying a long weekend) allowed for a few hours of wonderful morning light. This light brought out the vibrant hues of the changing leaves, a scene complimented by a nice mix of cloud cover that was blowing through.

Many roads were marked as "Unassumed Road: Use at own risk", my favourite kind indeed.

Along the way a large group of Sandhill Cranes were spotted foraging and sparring in a field, with more landing every few minutes.

The autumn leaves are now nearing peak colours. In the greater Toronto area there's another week or so before they peak, but farther north, right now is a great time to go.

While it may not be thrilling to have a sudden chill in the air, the brilliance of fall helps make the transition to winter more enjoyable.


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Oct 1, 2009 - Life Imitating Art

A month ago I stumbled across a new magazine, "Color : For Collectors of Fine Art Photography", from the makers of B&W Magazine. The issue of Color I found was the Portfolio Contest Winners issue, and I was amazed and inspired by the range of photography shown. I was also amazed that there was hardly any text in the thick magazine, it was all imagery.

Taking tens of thousands of photos a year, one can find themself both developing a style, as well as perhaps sticking to the same kinds of things. Reflecting on my favourite photography subjects I realized I can sometimes be too literal with my shots. "This is a hawk, that is a bug on a flower". Viewing photos of a more artistic vein has inspired me to change things up.

This past weekend roaming around north of the city, I was attracted to the yellowing crops and how they were complimented by blue skies. I found the lines and vibrance very attractive. A few days later, I realized how similar one of my shots was to a favourite Van Gogh painting "View of Arles". I didn't have blue irises in my photo, but appreciated how well life was imitating art in this simple farm field.

I expect to do more abstract kinds of shooting in the future. This is yet another interesting avenue photography is taking me down. With nature (ie. bird) photography, it's important to render subjects as they were found and to avoid distorting the truth. With less literal, more abstract subjects, one has more latitude with processing and manipulation.

I won't abandon the things I like to shoot, but am eager to experiment with new views of the world around us.


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