SLEIGH RIDE

well, after a very nice visit to our families in Ottawa, we just returned to North Bay. Yesterday we went on a traditional sleigh ride, which was was great fun. So here is a picture of that event.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

It has been a very busy two weeks but now everything is ready for the Christmas holidays. First of course I wish all my blogging friends a very happy holiday or if you prefer a very merry Christmas. I will be away till the 28th of December so I will not be posting pictures until after I return. A toast to all of you.

ANOTHER TIMES SQUARE PICTURE

I guess everybody is really busy getting ready for Christmas. Anyway this is another image from Times Square. The picture was made with a 10mm wide angle lens. The contrast at night was enormous and many of the screens were very bright. I still liked the image but enhanced the picture using two plugins. First the great curve plugin easy.Filter set to LAB mode and then I made some further changes using Virtual Photographer from optikVerve Labs. Both of these filters are free and I can highly recommend them.

TIMES SQUARE

Of course, when you go to New York you have to make a visit to Times Square. I have to say, at night it is spectacular. Its loud in your face commercialism but it works. In the daytime the square is merely tacky. Still fun to see and of course you can always get some interesting images.

ABANDONED RAILWAY TERMINAL

Returning from Ellis Island you see an old railway terminal. It is totally abandoned. The weeds grow on the strips where the original tracks were but which have been removed. Its a pretty dismal place. Of course I had to take some pictures even though the light was very poor. This must have been a pretty busy place when the immigrants came from the Ellis Island ferry.

SKYLINE NEW YORK

I took this picture from the walkway around the base of the Statue of Liberty. The weather, which changed the sky from blue to gray. Just the right light for this image with lots of atmosphere.it was quite dark so I had to shoot with the lens wide open. I should have used a tripod to get a greater depth of field but I did not have one with me. I still think the picture turned out fine.

ANOTHER SOLUTION

Nonie wondered about turning the the images into a sequence. That was my first impulse but instead I opted for a singular image made of the four pictures. My interest was to emphasize texture and shape. I agree,there are many different ways of designing this image. It just depends on what view point you like to express.* Just a note about the size of the images. I size my pictures for the blog to fit the screen.Just click on the image and it will fill your screen. I don't like to make them larger because then you will have to scroll. By the way the size is 900 pixels wide and 657 pixels high.

STATUE OF LIBERTY

Photographing a so popular landmark as the Statue of Liberty is a challenge. As a photographer you try to interpret the site in your own personal way. I decided to concentrate on specific details of the statue and combine them in a composite layout. Hope it worked.

WINDOW VIEW, STATUE OF LIBERTY

One last picture of Ellis Island. This image is for Nonie and Dave. I took many more images at this site but its time to go on. I like this image because through the windows in the great hall you clearly see the Statue of Liberty. One of the great American icons.I will have more pictures from that site.

VIEW OF NEW YORK

I took this picture through the fabric of a window blind on Ellis Island. This is the view immigrants would see before embarking for the mainland. I can imagine, as an immigrant myself, the excitement but also the anxiety of what the future would bring.

ELLIS ISLAND, NEW YORK

On our first day in New York , we had planned to spend just a few hours visiting Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We ended up spending a whole day exploring this very historical site. Ellis Island has been splendidly restored.This is the splendid reception hall, where all the immigrants were processed before allowed entrance into the US.

RECORD SNOWFALL

Yesterday and today we received a record amount of the white stuff. It still looks beautiful this early in the season and I could not resist to make some romantic views of our backyard. Tomorrow I will start posting some images of New York.

A BIG THANKS TO RAY

I am back from my trip to New York. Today, two postings instead of just one image. This picture is for Ray Owens, who we met at the Christmas parade and offered to have our granddaughter Kaitlyn to sit on his shoulders so she could see the parade. This was extremely generous of Ray so here is his picture with his girlfriend and Kaitlyn. Thanks very much Ray.

CONDENSATION

Early yesterday morning I photographed a small strip of condensation on the window. Using my macro lens I made this image of light and water. I will be away until the 4th of December so I won't be able to post any new pictures. When I return I hope to have some very interesting images.

"FIRST ROCKY", NORTH BAY

One more picture of the lake. This time an outcrop along the shore, popularly know as "First Rocky". This place holds special memories for me because I lived close to this rock outcrop.

PLAYGROUND, NORTH BAY

I like this image because of the various textures and the contrast of the colouful play equipment with the Winter scene. It surely symbolizes the season.

TRACES OF WINTER

As promised another picture of my little photo trip along the shores of Lake Nipissing. The image shows the first traces of Winter here in North Bay.

COLD

Thanks everybody for your postings. This morning I just stopped off at a few of my favourite places, Sunset Park and First Rocky, here in North Bay. The skies were dramatic and the light just great. I came back with a few good images. Some of them I will post in the next few days.

SNOW

Another snowstorm. I made little tour today through the pretty but very familiar snowy landscapes. I took this photograph on the grounds of the old monastery, now the fine art campus of Nipissing university here in North Bay. I liked the optical illusion of the positive and negative image created by the black surface of the pond. It is always a challenge to depict the Winter in a new and unique way without getting the typical calendar pictures of romantic Winter scenes.

ALONG THE SHORELINE

A romantic image of the Lake Nipissing shoreline but I just love the different aspects of this great beautiful lake.-- Yesterday I received an email from TED, you will find the link for this very interesting site on my link list, with a , again in my opinion, short video with a very strong message fundamental to all of us by a group called Charter for Compassion. I thought the message important enough to place the link on my blog.

CANOES, OTTAWA RIVER

This picture is for Nonie. I took this picture of the canoes on the waterfront in Deep River. The shapes of the canoes and the soft light of this late Fall day made this image.

LEAVES AND MOSS

On my morning walk I took this picture of the decaying leaves on an old tree trunk. The bright green shows the promise of new life.

NOVEMBER SKY

The rain and cold weather have returned. I could not resist taking this picture while on my way to buy my morning paper.

BIRCH TREE IN THE RAIN

The mood of this rainy landscape is so typical of the dark month of November. I like photographing during the later part of the Fall because the colour palette is so rich in ochre, yellow and brown with the occasional splash of red.

NOVEMBER COLOURS

The picture is an almost abstract interpretation of typical November colours.

ALONG THE OTTAWA RIVER

I made this picture last Monday in Deep River, Ontario. This time I liked the colour in the rock, which formed a nice colour contrast with the gray surroundings.

LA VASE PORTAGES

I just returned from a quick trip out of town but took some pictures along the la Vase Portage. This is a historic portage here in North Bay. It was used by some very famous explorers like Etienne Brûlé and Samuel de Champlain, to just name a couple. The weather Yesterday was very dark and rainy, which is ideal for images with lots of mood. I decided this picture would be stronger in black and white, even though this type weather conditions are great for very saturated colours.

SUSSEX DRIVE, OTTAWA

Walking along Sussex Drive I made this picture using my wideangle lens. I simply enjoyed the texture and contrast created by the light and the colour.

PUMPKINS, OTTAWA

We just returned from our visit to Ottawa. Of course we had to go to some farms to get pumpkins. The weather was , to say the least, very miserable, well on Saturday. The pumpkins added some bright colour to an otherwise very drab and wet scene.

DRIED SUNFLOWER

My wife has prepared the garden for the Winter. I picked up this dried sunflower from her compost heap in the back of the garden and thought it would make some interesting studies of shape and texture. tomorrow I will be away in Ottawa for the weekend so I will not be posting until Tuesday.

SURPRISE

well, that was quite a surprise this morning. The first snow of the season. We woke up to a small snowstorm. The wind was quite strong and it was no fun cleaning off the car. Dave Brown must be chuckling.

SIGNS OF WINTER

The first signs of Winter is the early morning frost. It forms beautiful textures and colours on the last leaves before the first snow. Nonie thought the picture of Duchesnay falls was too commercial and I agree but I would rather call this image "visual comfort food" We are familiar with this type of image, which does not stir our imagination. By the way the image is a strait photograph without any manipulation in Photoshop. The soft look of the running water is simply the result of a long exposure.

DUCHESNAY FALLS, NORTH BAY

I have had some problems with my computer, so my posting has been somewhat sporadic. Anyway I am back with a rejuvenated computer. Enjoy this image of Duchesnay Falls here in North Bay.

CALENDAR TREE

The Thanksgiving weekend was absolutely perfect. Everybody, including me, were capturing the great calendar pictures. Yes it looks almost fake but I think it is a beautiful time of the year. So here is an example of my record of the coloured landscape. Enjoy.

CANADIAN THANKSGIVING

This is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada so to all a very happy Thanksgiving. This picture is also for Dave Brown who is quite familiar with this scene and in all probability will miss it at this time of the year.

WHITE CHAIR, OTTAWA

Again I have neglected my blog for quite a few days. The Fall is quite beautiful and yes I have taken many pictures of the colourful trees and landscapes. The problem is that you end up with pictures, which look the same year after year. My interest is more into city landscapes and black and white pictures. So here is on ei Made two weeks ago in Ottawa of a white plastic chair. So enjoy.

LAKE NIPISSING

It has been a few days since posting my last image. I have been busy and also I just received the new version of Adobe Photoshop Elements. Of course I had to set it up and try it out. The editor is quite similar to the earlier version number six with on improvement I really missed in Elements and thats the addition of a new feature, which allows you to use actions. You still have to either download them from other sites or make them yourself in the full version of Photoshop. But there are so many good actions and plugins that you can do almost anything you do in Photoshop and it is much more affordable.

CONFETTI

walking along the Cranberry Trail in Callander, I saw the leaves floating on this little pond. It reminded me of confetti left after the Summer party.

FALL GARDEN

I don't have to go very far to look for rich fall colours. This picture I took in our backyard which shows a rich palette of autumn hues. In another few days the visual feast will be at its peak before all the trees are barren ready for Winter.

EARLY MORNING LIGHT

Again the Fall season is brightening our landscapes with magnificent colours. Of course it is difficult to make images which reflect a unique approach to these very colourful landscapes. But every year I take new pictures of the trees. This picture is made early this morning and I like to dedicate this picture to all of you who have taken the time to comment on my images. So thanks for your encouragement.

BASKETBALL COURT, OTTAWA

On Slater street in Ottawa is an interesting basketball court. The whole area is covered in grafiti. Most of the grafiti is pretty boring but this one had some interesting murals. So I spend some time photographing the area.

NATIONAL GALLERY OTTAWA

Thanks Polly for your posting. Yes I feel the same when I see some of what passes for art. After I saw two excellent photo exhibits at the national gallery I ended up in a show of art work selected by the Royal Bank. I was very disappointed by the shallowness of the art and I wont comment on the poor technical quality. When I turned to leave the exhibition space I noticed across from me a space which obviously was being renovated. I took this picture because I felt that the subject of the plastic covered opening was far more interesting than the art work I just looked at.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO

wandering through one of Ottawa's neighbourhoods, I photographed this curious looking building. I think it probably was a small store but I liked its shape and colour.

KLONDIKE INN, KANATA ONTARIO

On March road in kanata you will see this very dilapidated old inn named the Klondike Inn. It is always sad to see historical buildings like this on the verge of being demolished. I always wonder about the history and memories which will be lost forever.In its place we will soon see another nondescript gas station or strip mall. Pity.

SCULPTURE, DOWNTOWN OTTAWA

I photographed this sculpture downtown Ottawa. I liked the contrast in colour and simply enjoyed the sculpture.

VAN, OTTAWA

The last few weeks I have not posted may pictures. The reason for this neglect is that I have been away to Ottawa and Toronto and did not get a chance to place any pictures on my blog. I took some pictures during my stay in Ottawa and here is one of them. Close to the Parkdale market I saw this van parked in front of a, well lets say very colourful decorated house. The van was the most impressive of the whole scene. just judge for yourself. Of course I had to do a series of pictures, even though I could not photograph the front because it was parked right up to the house.

BEAR, MERRICKVILLE, ON

I always enjoy the big statues outside of giftshops. This bear, outside of a store in Merrickville, is very nice and, of course, I could not resist taking his picture.

CRABAPPLE TREE, PINHEY'S POINT, OTTAWA

This picture is for all of you who posted to my blog recently, Carol, Dominique, André and Rob. I have been away all last week. First in Ottawa and then to Toronto. I took this picture last weekend on a visit to the historic site of Pinhey's Point in Ottawa.

KANATA NEW SUBDIVISION

I just returned from a family visit in Ottawa. I took some time taking pictures in a new subdivision in Kanata, a community on the west side of Ottawa. Lately I have been attracted to making landscapes in urban areas so exploring this new development gave me the chance to see how we are changing our environment and I must confess that I don't enjoy the changes we are making.

OLD CAR, NORTH BAY

Walking around a downtown neighborhood I photographed this old car quietly getting "older" in a driveway.