A SPACE NOT AS EMPTY

I thought you might enjoy this one Rob. The title is from a poem by Lorna Crozier.

RUNNING OUT OF TIME

This image is a total change of direction for me. I am experimenting with making new images using different photographs of nature subjects. I like the quality you can achieve using Photoshop as a tool for printmaking. Where it will lead I don't know but I am enjoying this new path.

SPATHIPHYLLUM 'MAUNA LOA'

Again it has been quite awhile since my last posting. I have been busy with other projects. I did not go out to do more pictures. Maybe it is just waiting for the flowers and leaves to appear. This morning I noticed the sunlight on the spathiphyllum. It created some very nice shadows which made for a very interesting abstract image.

LAST WINTER IMAGE FOR THIS SEASON

Hopefully this is the last picture of this Winter season. Over the weekend the rain came. Today was actually almost Spring weather. I hear the snow melting, the creeks are running and in the morning the birds wake me up. All welcome signs of the new season.

WINTER AFTERNOON

Time for another posting. I just came back from a little photo trip. The weather is definitely changing the temperature is much warmer so it won't be long and most of the snow will be gone.

WINDOW FROST

The frost on the window formed some interesting patterns. The frost together with the out of focus trees looked like some Chinese or Japanese landscape drawing.

AZALEA

This morning the thermometer showed -32°C. No it certainly does not feel like Spring. To celebrate the coming of Spring I post a picture of the beautiful azalea in our living room.

BIRD'S-NEST FERN

I have been busy with other projects but here is an image I like of a bird's-nest fern.
I enjoy the strong graphic aspects of plants and flowers.

WINTER WATERFRONT, NORTH BAY

It still looks cold but the sun is surprising warm. Actually I was interested in the graphic quality of the subject. Winter is definitely a black and white photographers season.

TULIP

A glorious day today. It really starts to feel like Spring. I just returned from a nice snowshoe walk through the bush behind our home. So to celebrate a picture of a tulip. No it is not blooming in our garden yet but is one of the flowers from a bouquet on our table. Just enjoy this first sign.

RAVEN

Maybe its the Winter but I notice that postings have slowed down. So time to post new images. Today I have a picture of a small sculpture by the Ontario artist Amy Switzer. Its sitting on our coffee table when I saw the combination of sunlight and the shadows made a visually interesting picture.Its nothing special although I love the small sculpture. we have quite a few ravens around here and I think Amy captured the essence of that bird.

LIGHT AND SHADOWS

The last few days I have been busy with other photography projects so I did not have much time to go out and take pictures or even spend time on blogging. I did take some images around the house so I hope you enjoy these pictures.

THINKING OF SUMMER

No it is not Summer yet but I am already planning for the warm hot season. This Summer I will be teaching a week long workshop at Canadore College here in North Bay. I will be doing an introductory course on the digital darkroom using Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 The reason I selected Elements is because I feel most people will benefit the most from this program. It is inexpensive compared to Adobe Photoshop and it will easier to familiarize yourself with the digital darkroom. You will be able to do most of the image correction and manipulation similar to Photoshop. I am planning to include small photo excursions in the area in addition to working on the computer. Before I forget the date I will be running the workshop is from July 23 to July 27. The brochure will not be published until April so keep watching my blog for updates. Of course if you like more info just just leave a message.

PHILODENDRON

Winter is always a good time photograph houseplants. I especially like plants with beautiful foliage like this philodendron.

WAITING FOR SPRING

This picture is for Kaitlyn. She loves the Winter and especially the snow but I can't wait to see the first signs of Spring.

WINTER IN NORTHERN ONTARIO

The temperature stays below normal, in other words its cold.

MAPLE BUSH

Yesterday I made a little photo excursion in the Parry Sound, Ontario area. It was quite cold and I thought this scene reflected the cold very well.

ALONG THE WINTER TRAIL

This picture is still one of my favourite Winter images. I took this picture many years ago along a trail where I go snowshoeing. It is still possible to make a similar picture because the scene is still the same.

BIRCH TREE

I took a walk in the garden on a very nice and crispy winter afternoon. This little piece of bark and the shadow reminded me of some paintings by Picasso, who with a few simple lines could create beautiful images.

FRONTDOOR, OTTAWA, ONTARIO

Another image I made in Ottawa. Actually I like to thank everybody for posting to my last images. I have not had much time to respond but hope to do that in the next few days.

CHEZ LUCIEN, OTTAWA, ONTARIO

Our daughter Saskia and her husband James took us to this small pub in Ottawa. It was quiet but they serve a really great hamburger. My favourite, the Frida and Diego and a pint of Blanche de Chambly, made an excellent lunch.

WINTER SHADOWS

The combination of the texture of the wooden shingles and the shadows of the fence were the right subjects for this graphic black and white image.

RAILWAY YARD, NORTH BAY, ONTARIO

Winter has settled in.Yesterday I took some pictures in of this train loaded with logs and let me tell you it was cold. I do like the final image with the strong primary colours.

RURAL SHRINE

Driving along the small rural roads in Northern Ontario and Quebec, you will see small shrines like this one or even large crosses.

VERY COLD

Today was very cold. The thermometer stood at -30°C or -22°F. still, it was a beautiful sunny day so I made a little photo tour. This is a typical Winter landscape from the area close to North Bay.

WINTER LAKE

This picture of the frozen wintery Lake Nipissing is a reminder for all the people enjoying their cold season in Florida or any other nice warm spot that Winter has finally arrived. So have fun in the sun.

WINTER TREE, SOUTH RIVER, ONTARIO

Last August I photographed this tree and wondered what it would look like in the Winter. The shape is of course more prominent but I am not sure which image of this tree I prefer.

RED BARN

I selected this image especially for Rob who thoroughly "enjoys" the Winter season.

WINTER

At last Winter has arrived. Yesterday was a beautiful snowy day, so I spend the afternoon taking pictures. I found this landscape very reminiscent of paintings by Quebec artist Jean Paul Lemieux.

BILLBOARD 2007, NORTH BAY, ONTARIO

The comment says it all.

WILLAMETTE RIVER, OREGON

This week has been a busy week for me so today again I will use a picture from my Oregon trip.Back lighting makes for dramatically lit images. I deliberately printed the picture very low key to bring out the shape of the tree. The result is an image reminiscent of a very traditional style popular in the early 20th century.

ABSTRACT, PORTLAND,OR

My wife and I came back from a visit to the small but very good art museum in Portland. I have always admired the art of the American Abstractionists so when I passed this wall I could not resist photographing this abstract image on a wall near the waterfront.The blue gray paint is, I presume, a cover-up of some other grafiti. The green is simply lichen.

THE WATERFRONT, PORTLAND, OREGON

I am still processing my Portland pictures. This photograph was made when I was walking along the Willamette river waterfront. It is a wall surrounding a water treatment facility.

LANDSCAPE HIGHWAY 20, SOUTHERN ONTARIO

Home again. We drove back from Welland, where we had a great visit with our friends Linda and Gunther. The lack of snow every where is simply amazing. When passing this field along highway 20,I simply had to make this image. The yellow colour is more reminiscent of the Fall than mid Winter. Snow should have covered the land at this time. Its frightening to see the rapid changes to our climate.

HAYSTACK ROCK, CANNON BEACH, OREGON

It has been a few days since my last posting. We had some problems with the connection to the internet.all that has been corected so here is my last posting from Oregon. Tomorrow we will be back in Ontario and Friday night home. This picture is one I took at cannon Beach. Haystack rock is a very famous landmark and it is always a challenge to make an image which reflects my personal viewpoint. Saturday I will be posting regularly from North Bay.

BEACH, CANNON BEACH, OREGON

Yesterday we spent the day on the beach. The weather was beautiful. It felt like an early Spring day. The beaches in Cannon beach are very popular with lots of people taking advantage of the sunny weather to walk, stroll and play. I took many pictures of sand structures and the water. This is a view of fresh water run-off to the sea.

WALL, SHOPPING MALL, HILLSBORO OR

Thanks Jo-Ann, Marius and Rob for your postings. I guess everybody had a good Christmas. I took this picture on Sunday on my way to do some last minute shopping. As you can see no snow but lots of rain. It beats shoveling the driveway.Hope you like this image.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to veryone reviewing my blog.

LOOKING FOR CHRISTMAS, PORTLAND, OR

This festive bear seems to have lost his way. I imagined him looking for some Christmas spirit.

"JACKSON POLLOCK" PORTLAND, OR

On my way to the Portland comuter train, the MAX, I noticed this paint splattered electicity box. It reminded me of the painting style of Jackson Pollock.

PORTLAND, OREGON

I passed this old burned out building in an industrial area of Portland. The place was surrounded by a large fence but I still made some interesting pictures.

BIG STORM, PORTLAND, OR

For the next few weeks I will be posting from Portland,Oregon. I took a series of pictures to show the terible weather we had yesterday. The rain, whipped up by near hurricane force winds,m driving difficult. I decided on a very grainy black and white image to give a strong impression of the weather.

NEAR WATERLOO, ONTARIO

Just a posting to let you know that I will not be able to post for a few days. I hope to show a new image Wednesday or Thursday. Hope to hear from you then.

WINTER, LAKE NIPISSING

Freeze-up is complete. This afternoon I went on my daily walk along the lake and took this image of the frozen lake. I guess Winter is here to stay till April.

ANOTHER FREEZE-UP VIEW

I guess Marius Muscalu is curious how yesterdays picture of the lake would look in colour. So I decided to post a slightly different image in colour this time. I hope you like this image Marius.

FREEZE-UP

A few days ago Eric was curious what Lake Nipissing looks like in the Winter. Well, Eric in this picture, which I made this morning, you see the beginning of freeze-up. Now it will not be long before the lake is frozen solid and then you can enjoy the various Winter activities like ice fishing or snowmobiling.

WINTER GRAPHIC

Winter is the very season which should delight any photographer who loves to work in black and white. The season offers a lot of opportunities to make strong graphic images.

WATERFRONT, NORTH BAY

A very wintry view of the North Bay waterfront last Saturday. The boats are all in storage and the holiday visitors have left. But soon the lake will be frozen and then different activities will bring the people to the lake.

FIRST WINTER SNOWSTORM

Yesterday we had our first Winter snow storm. It snowed all day and night , this morning a beautiful blanket of snow changed the whole landscape.

BEACH LAKE NIPISSING

I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the beach. I thought my feelings about this scene could only be shown in black and white.