The camera is my tool. Through it I give reason to everything around me. -- André Kertész (1894-1985)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
ABANDONED FARM, OTTAWA
Just returned from another Ottawa visit. This time on the West side of ottawa near Ashton. Of course I did not get a chance to spend too much time on taking pictures because first of all it was Christmas and secondly the weather was terrible. Two big snow storms within days of each other. However on Christmas day I spent a few hours taking pictures and thats when I saw this old beautiful abandoned farm. The light was fading fast but I did get some very good images. It is a great site and I certainly hope to get back to this farm.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
WINTER BIRCH
Again it has been quite a few days since posting a new picture. well I guess the holiday season is to blame. In the last few days i have been busy with other activities like everybody else at this time of year. Yesterday we had our first big Winter storm. I took some time to go and take some pictures close to home. I particularly liked this picture of a small birch tree in our front garden.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
SUSSEX AND RIDEAU STREET, OTTAWA
This picture is for Gerry and Bev, who liked my previous posting. I am still working with the iPad but, as I explained, I take my pictures with a regular digital camera. Then I transfer the pictures I want to develop further to my iPad and, using a variety of apps. Get the result I am looking for. I did pre-visualize this picture but my initial idea was to make a black and white version. However, after playing with a variety of choices I selected this version as my final image. Hope you like it.
Friday, December 14, 2012
REFLECTIONS, OTTAWA
Since our return from Ottawa, I have not been able to go out to take some photographs. The days before Christmas are always busy of course but I still have some images I can experiment with. As I explained yesterday, I have been working with my iPad and various photo apps. I don't take pictures with the iPad because I find that the quality is still not right if you are interested in printing quality images. So I take pictures with my regular camera and simply transfer the images I want to work with to the tablet. By the way there is a very simple app, which makes transferring pictures between the tablet and my main computer very easy.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
INUIT SCULPTURE, NATIONAL GALLERY, OTTAWA
Today I have again returned to learning more about the various apps now available for the iPhone and iPad. These apps have increased creative possibilities by giving the photographer an enormous wide range very powerful tools. I photographed this sculpture under rather poor lighting conditions but by using three different apps I made a visually expressive image.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
OTTAWA RIVER, OTTAWA
We just returned from our Ottawa visit. The weather was rather miserable. On Sunday we went for a hike along the Ottawa river. Grey skies and wet snow made the landscape look rather dismal but I did manage to get a few pictures, reflecting the early Winter season mood. The starkness of the landscape with the driving snow and the limited colour palette reflects the season's atmosphere.
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
WINTER LANDSCAPE WITH BIRCH TREES
This is another image from my files. I like the busy pattern of the branches and then a view of the group of trees in the distance. its a classic composition but the picture is an effective reflection of the Winter season with strong graphic elements. For the next few days I will not be able to post. I will be back next Tuesday with a new image.
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Monday, December 03, 2012
WET PAVEMENT REVISED
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
BILLBOARD, NORTH BAY
When I first saw this billboard, I did not know what to think of it. Initially I found the hard hitting in-your-face message rather disturbing. It reminded me of the artwork by the American conceptual artist Barbara Kruger but the more I thought about it the more I liked it and yes, it is a great Christmas message because what is it I would want is quite simple peace and happiness for all humankind. Looking at it from that angle I have to say I like this message..
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
MARSH LAND, STURGEON FALLS, ONTARIO
Yesterday I went with my friends Dan and John on a little photo tour to the marshes in Sturgeon Falls. It was a very November day with dark grey skies and bare trees. But when we arrived at the end of the trail overlooking the wide empty marsh land, the sun broke through the clouds. The landscape was quite dramatic but when I returned home I thought this black and white interpretation really reflected the mood of that afternoon.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
3RD AVENUE, NORTH BAY
November is nearly always the time in between. The light is flat and everything looks grey. for many photographers this is not the best time to take photographs. On the other hand, if you like black and white photographs rich in tone and detail then November offers you that special light. I photographed the remnants of this tree on 3rd Avenue simply because I like the textures and tones of this particular scene.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
BLUE AND GREEN ABSTRACT
Every time I go to take photographs I can never resist simple abstract subjects like this image of peeling paint. Maybe its my background, my father was an artist and art teacher and I studied art specializing in photography. So I got interested in art at a very young age and visiting galleries and art exhibitions is still one of my greatest interest.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Friday, November 09, 2012
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Monday, November 05, 2012
Saturday, November 03, 2012
EARLY MORNING YONGE STREET, TORONTO
Last week we went to Toronto to see the show Frida & Diego at the AGO. We stayed overnight and in the morning, when walking down Yonge street, I made of course a few pictures. I planned to make a panorama of this picturesque strip of businesses but with a difference. This time I preferred to simply collage the individual images. I think that visually it made a different impact than a simple panorama stitched together in Photoshop.
Friday, November 02, 2012
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
AFTER THE BIG STORM
The big storm, which caused so much damage along its trail left North Bay relatively unscathed. of course we lost quite a few trees but that just minor in comparison to the damage done along the coastal areas of the continent. We made awalk along the lakeshore yesterday but all that was left are the last remnants of the Fall blown all along the beaches.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
UNTITLED, ALBRIGHT KNOX GALLERY
I simply loved this beautiful three dimensional piece by the American artist Liz Larner. The colour is predominantly green but the surrounding environment changes the surface into a wide variety of different hues. The wooden floor and walls plus the colour temperature of the two different light sources, daylight and incandescent, give this art work an infinite variety of colours.
Monday, October 29, 2012
ALBRIGHT KNOX ART GALLERY, BUFFALO, NY
Last week, when visiting our friends in Southern Ontario, we made a trip to the Albright Knox Art gallery in Buffalo, NY. This was my first visit to this gallery and I regretted never been there before. It definitely is one of the great art museums in the States. I liked this new acquisition called Vampire Wannabes by the American artist Rachel Harrison. I simply loved the contrast between the neoclassical architecture of the building with the very colourful artwork.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
JILL'S STUDIO, SUNDRIDGE, ONTARIO
Yesterday we visited Jill Boschulte's studio and gallery in Sundridge. She has a beautiful studio overlooking Lake Bernard. Jill is a wonderful landscape artist and we simply love her work. Her interpretation and deep understanding of the Canadian landscape is reflected in her paintings, drawings and prints. It is definitely worth a visit to her studio.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
PORT COLBORNE, ONTARIO
I just returned from a visit with friends in southern Ontario. It was a good trip and on Monday we took alittle trip to Port Colborne, a small city on Lake Erie. I had never been there so I made a few images. here is a picture along the waterfront. I liked the different buildings, which of course had the traditional restaurants, pubs and stores in other words a nice tourist area.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
SIMPLY ABSTRACT
When visiting the education centre library here in North bay, I took a few pictures with slow shutterspeeds. I don't know what the results are until I see them on my computer screen. Being a photographer who used film for most of my professional life, I very seldom preview my images on the camera screen so not until I get back will I know what the pictures I took look like.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
OCTOBER, LAKE NIPISSING
Last week I was looking at some of the landscape photographs of the British photographer Bill Brandt. I simply love his work most of it very dark with much contrast. The last few days we had quite a bit of rain and dark skies. Excellent for creating black and white landscape images.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
WALKING TRAIL, LAKE NIPISSING
We enjoy walking along this short but popular trail along lake Nipissing. This particular view always remind me, why I don't know, of the 18th and early 19th century romantic English landscape paintings. So when I saw the bright Fall colours of the tree I had to make an image reminiscent of the paintings by Gainsborough or early Turner landscapes.