AMARYLLIS

Again my apolgies for not posting but the holidays have been busy. Today I spent some time taking pictures of our traditional Winter amaryllis. This time I concentrated in the shapes and textures of the leaves and stem. Of course I also took pictures of the budding flower, which has not opened yet. In the next few days I will be thinking how to present these images, either in colour or black and white or maybe a combination. Thats the pleasure of photography,trying to see your subjects in your own way. Now before I forget, I wish everybody a very happy new year.Keep taking pictures.

WINTER, ORLEANS, ONTARIO

I just returned from a very nice Christmas in Orleans. So let me wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas. Taking pictures in an area like Orleans is a challenge for me. I find it difficult to relate to the suburban landscape. Of course I realize that you can take very good images so I will try to explore the suburban environment a little more. It is the living space for many people, who will place their own personal stamp on their living environment.

NEAR COBDEN

It has been and still is a very busy time so neglected my blog for a few days. Anyway here is a Winter image I took on my way to Ottawa yesterday.

ALSACE ROAD, POWASSAN, ONTARIO

today we are getting quite a bit of snow. A big snowstorm is just hitting Southern Ontario but we missed the brunt of it. Mind you its pretty miserable outside with a windchill factor of -29°C. But its nice reading and listening to music.This picture reminds me of the landscape paintings by the Québec artist Jean Paul Lemieux,very minimalist but very expressive.

WINTER SUN

A cold and very dark Winter day here in North Bay. I have been looking at some old magazines and got inspired by some of the old nineteen century pictures. So I started to experiment with some images I took of our front garden. I liked the result.

BARN ROOF

Thanks Nonie for your comments. I am very happy that you are enjoying my pictures. So here is another Winter image this one is colour, although I prefer black and white for my Winter pictures. Black and white would not be as effective because this picture's impact is based on the strong primary colours of the barn.

NEAR POWASSAN, ONTARIO

Another image from yesterday's trip. I toned the picture to slightly soften the tones.

WINTER SKETCH

This afternoon I took some black and white Winter landscapes. The day was quite gray which I like, because the strong contrast of the Winter scenery is excellent if you want very graphic images with visual impact.

WINTER LANDSCAPE

As I said in an earlier posting we are back into the snow images. I like Winter because it does allow you to take stark graphic images, like this landscape of abandoned farmland.

HOUSE FIRE

Driving home along a country road this afternoon, my wife and I saw this burning house. Of course we thought how terrible to lose your house but actually it was not as dramatic as it appeared. The local fire department was burning down this abandoned house as part of a fie fighting exercise . However it still looked quite dramatic in a cold winterly landscape.

ABANDONED NESTING BOX

It has been a few days since I posted my last image. It has been and still is a busy time, think of holiday season coming up and you get the idea. We did get quite a bit of snow in the last week. Actually it broke a few records here in North Bay. I guess we had been spoiled in the last few years but I don't mind the white stuff myself as long as I don't have to drive in it.So here is an image of an abandoned nesting box in our back yard. It is appropriate when you think that the birds have gone South.

ANOTHER WINTER VIEW

I did not have time to take pictures yesterday so here is another view from the edge of Lake Nipissing.

WINTER HAS ARRIVED

What a difference distance and time make. I took this picture late yesterday afternoon at the end of the Cranberry Trail in Callander. Winter has definitely arrived here in Northern Ontario. A warning for a heavy snowfall has been issued for today. That means staying off the roads. Well that is part of living in this area of Canada.

NOVEMBER, WELLAND, ONTARIO

I have been out of town for a few days visiting our friends Gunther and Linda. We had a very pleasant visit but I did not take any pictures. Actually just this one on a walk along the Welland canal. The image really has the feeling of a late and dark November day. On our return home however we really encountered true Canadian Winter with lots of snow. So in the next few month snow will be prominent in my blog images.

DEAD BIRD

Driving along a country road last Sunday I noticed this carcass of a bird, which looked like it had been blown into this small tree. For me it showed a terrible beauty as a reminder that nature is often quite cruel and harsh.

NEAR LAVIGNE, ONTARIO

On Saturday we received our first major snowfall but it most of it disappeared by Sunday afternoon. I took a little photo tour in the country and came back wit a few interesting images. This image is actually for Nonie, Jason and Chris for their very flattering postings about my blog and my teaching. So thanks to all of you for those comments.

MORNING FROST

The early morning frost and sunlight made for this abstract image of the car.

OLD SHED, CALLANDER, ONTARIO

I decided to post another image of the shed I photographed yesterday. I was not completely happy with yesterday's picture so looked at the other views of the same subject and came to the conclusion that this image was much stronger. It shows a much more complex textured subject making the picture visually more interesting.

EARLY MORNING LIGHT

Early this morning I went out to take some pictures. I made this image and tried to keep it very simple. The blue shadow of the tree and the the door work well with the warm colour of the textured door.

LIGHT AND TEXTURE

I always look for simple subjects, which then challenge me to make images with strong visual and emotional impact.

EARLY SIGN OF WINTER

This light ice cover with air bubbles is a first small sign of the approaching Winter.

WATERFRONT, VILLE MARIE, PQ

In her last posting Nonie would like to know if I ever used large format cameras. The short answer is yes but I prefer the flexibility of the medium and 35 mm cameras. Nowadays I really enjoy using a digital camera. The digital camera has given the photographer a greater freedom in seeing and creating the images.

CEDAR GROVE, VILLE MARIE, PQ

This image is for Janet Bourgeau, who just discovered my blog and really enjoyed the pictures. She told me last night how much she likes the cedar grove in Ville Marie. I have to say I enjoy that spot myself it has a special atmosphere which I try to capture every time I visit the old fort.Hope you like this picture Janet.

LAKE TIMISKAMING

As I promised yesterday I have some more good images from my trip to Ville Marie in Quebec. I like dark rainy days. The light and atmosphere on those days always give me inspiration for some fine dramatic images like this one of Lake Timiskaming. Even though it was a dark and gloomy day occasionally the sun would show through the cloud cover for a few moments.

FREIGHT CANOE

Today was a very wet day. This morning we had a heavy snowfall so I thought it might be a good idea to drive to Ville Marie in Quebec.I had had planned to return to old fort Temiscaming to photograph the area in the snow. Of course, driving up North, there was absolutely no snow but lots of rain.The skies were quite dramatic and I had a great day taking pictures. This image shows one of the freight canoes on the shore of the lake. at the right moment the sun came through the clouds and gave a nice light on the bow of the canoe.

OAK TREE, CRANBERRY TRAIL, CALLANDER

Another nice day and I revisited the Cranberry trail. Of course it was much busier than on a week day. Next to the observation platform I photographed this oak tree. I am quite pleased with the result.

CRANBERRY TRAIL, CALLANDER, ONTARIO

A few weeks ago a new walking and hiking trail was opened in Callander, Ontario. I really enjoy this trail it takes you through a variety of landscapes and ends at the shores of lake Nipissing. I will be taking quite a few pictures on my walks of this trail.

ROAD MARKING ABSTRACT

I am always attracted to simple subject matter. It is always a challenge to make an interesting image from such humble material like this picture of road markings. It turned into an interesting abstract composition.

HALLOWEEN 2007

Again Halloween is over for another year. I took this picture at a house here in North Bay which always has outrageous displays with Halloween. Hugh inflatable dolls of ghouls, witches and goblins and other figures like this one cover the area around the house.

PARKING GARAGE, OTTAWA

This weekend I was in Ottawa. I did not have much time for picture taking but I managed to make a few images.So here is one of these pictures made in a parking garage on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa.

HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION

I took this picture in South River where a new highway is being constructed. To me it looks very much as an old remnant of some ancient building after archaeological excavation.

A FEW DAYS OF SUMMER

The beautiful weather of the last few days felt like a return of Summer. The colours were amazing. The gold of the birch,poplar and tamarack trees made it look as if the leaves and needles were made of gold.

FALL, NORTH BAY

Just a simple image of this rock embedded into the tree roots.

OAKSTREET, NORTH BAY, ONTARIO

Yesterday Blogger had some problems with their site. Obviously it has been solved so here is my posting. Its a simple picture of light and shadow creating a strong graphic image. Nonie was interested what type of equipment I use. Actually since I retired I really wanted to minimize the amount of equipment I use. My digital camera is nothing spectacular just a Olympus C8080W. The reason I downscaled is that when I looked at how photographers like Cartier Bresson and others used a single 35 mm camera with maybe one or two lenses to make some stunning pictures. I still have all my film cameras but do most of the pictures with my digital one. Its getting old, well for a digital camera that is, but it still works well. I hope that answers your quetion Nonie.

CLOUDS, LAKE NIPISSING

As I explained yesterday in my posting, the light and clouds were very dramatic. Lake Nipissing has a great attraction for me and I nearly always come home with some very interesting images.

SUNSET PARK, NORTH BAY

The weather today was great. The skies were dramatic so I drove down to lake Nipissing to take some pictures along the lake shore.

AUTUMN

Just another view of a late Fall landscape.

RAIN

Lots of rain these last few days. Not that I mind too much because it allows me to do some work inside. I made his picture early yesterday morning when I went to get my paper. It was quite dark so the exposure time was quite slow, if I had used a tripod the image would have been sharper. I still liked moody atmosphere of the picture so I posted it.

STICKERS, NORTH BAY

When I parked my car downtown I noticed this collection of stickers on a wall between two doors. I have no idea who put the stickers on the wall but I did enjoy the randomly formed abstract pattern.

FALL TEXTURES

Instead of Fall colours I decided to post this image of an old decaying birch log with leaves. I feel that this picture symbolizes the season quite well.

GARDEN COLOURS

The strong winds, earlier in the week, have stripped most of the coloured leaves of the trees in our garden, but many trees are still green so we still can look forward to many days of colour. This weekend it is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada so get out and enjoy the spectacle. Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends.

A VERY WINDY DAY

Thanks Jo-Ann for your posting. Of course have a very happy Thanksgiving. It was very windy here yesterday. The ducks and geese had a hard time flying against the wind so they preferred to stay in the water. All in all, again a very nice Fall day.

FALL COLOURS

Its almost impossible to resist photographing the Fall colours. Looking at the garden I had to take some pictures. I know it looks the same every year but its undeniably a visually beautiful season. So enjoy.

SIGNPOST

Walking along the railway track I came to this , for me of course, strange signpost. It looked like a modern artwork. It worked very well in the landscape and it gave me a nice image.

OLD RAILWAY STATION, SOUTH RIVER

Yesterday was a perfect Fall day. So I drove to South River to take pictures.I stopped at the old railway station, which has been restored but is not used any more.I got some very good images most of them in black and white.So expect a few more in the next few days. Many viewers don't realize that you can enlarge the image by clicking on the small image on the blog. When you press F11 the image will fill the screen. Press F11 again to get back to your menu bars.

LAST PICTURE OF THE STORE IN BRENT

this is my final image of the Brent store. I suspect that Nonie thought I made the remark about the clutter and dust. No I did not however I should say that I did not have the same emotions about the place than you do. Of course we all have spots we feel very attached to while others don't move us. I did enjoy Brent but it certainly is not a ghost town. People live there either during the Summer while a few hardy ones stay year round. The store caters to canoeists,backpackers and campers.The surroundings are beautiful but the place is now simply a cottage community.

ANOTHER VIEW

Nonie liked to see a different view of the General Store in Brent so here it is. Rob might enjoy this picture almost as much as he did the first one.

GENERAL STORE, BRENT, ONTARIO

In an earlier posting Nonie told us that she had visited Brent, an old logging community, in Algonquin Park. So I went with my wife to see this place. After driving for about forty kilometres over a very winding gravel road we arrived at the town located on a beautiful lake. The houses are now simple cottages but the store is something else. The place is crammed full of "stuff" mainly for the canoeists and campers. So here is a picture which gives you some idea what it looks like.

FALL DAY FIRE

What a glorious beginning of the Fall. We built a fire and spent the afternoon relaxing and simply enjoying the play of the flames.

FALL IS HERE

The leaves are changing quickly. It is one of my favourite times of year, as it probably is for most people. In another week the colours will be at their peak so enjoy the season.