SUNSET PARK, NORTH BAY

Took this picture yesterday afternoon. I just liked the terxtures and lines of the trees and rocks.

SPRING, LAKE NIPISSING

The unusually mild Spring combined with a Winter without much snow resulted in a very low water level on the lake. Most of these rocks should be underwater. Well this weekend we expect some rain which will hopefully bring the water level back to normal.

CLAY BIRDS, WATERFRONT, NORTH BAY

I just came back from a very cold , short trip along the waterfront here in North Bay. My wife had told me someone hung small clay birds in a tree along the walking path. Of course being curious I had to go and check it out. Maybe there was anice image to be made. So here is a view of these birds. I don't have an idea who made them but maybe someone out there looking at my blog can tell me the name of the artist.

TWO DOORS, THORN'S FARM

 

I could resist stopping off at my favourite farm, which is just down the street where I live. For the last few weeks I had noticed the doors and especially the steps. It looked like an interesting image with lots of strong textures of  the walls. In my opinion the picture is visually stronger in black and white but I will post the colour image tomorrow just to show the difference.

GREEN STAIRWAY

I had not been taking pictures at night for quite some time, so when I went out to do the picture of Dent's store I started to walk around and yes I got interested in making some more night time  images. The colours are very different when photographing with  street lights only. So when I noticed this green coloured stairway I simply had to take this image. The contrast between the green of the stairway and the warm tones of the surrounding area gives this picture  a strong visually  impact.

CLOSING

Last week I heard through the "grapevine" that Dent's Camera Store will be closing at the end of this month. It will be a loss for the North Bay photographic community but it is understandable if you are trying to compete with the large electronic chain stores or with the internet. It is sad to see the small independent retail stores closing because it is too hard to compete.

DUNDAS STREET, TORONTO, ONTARIO

John Minkowskyj is right, the area around the art gallery of Ontario is quite photogenic. These houses are the ones reflected in the gallery`s façade. Some of these houses need some fixing up but they still are very lovely.

ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO, TORONTO

Last night my wife and I returned from a quick two day visit to Toronto. The purpose of the trip was a visit to the yearly Canada Blooms garden show, which was a great disappointment and to see a show of etchings by Lucian Freud and Rembrandt. We enjoyed the exhibition but came to the same conclusion, Rembrandt was the better artist. It would take a separate posting to explain why we felt that way. Outside the gallery I photographed this refection in the stunning new facade by Frank Gehry. That alone is worth the visit to the AGO in Toronto.

SPRING THAW

 

The weather is exceptional for this time of the year. Its still Winter but it starts to feel like mid April. Of course I did not spend much time inside on the computer but here is a different view from the melting ice around the lake. I simply placed my camera with a wide angle lens in front of the rock and here is the result. Now time to go outside again.

WINTER GARDEN

On my walk yesterday I passed this garden along the shore of Lake Nipissing. The shape of the tree was what actually interested me the most but I liked the combination of the tree shape and the penlike scratches of the bare shrubs.  Of course what I truly enjoyed was the melting of the snow and ice.

WOLFE LAKE ROAD

This week the weather has been spectacular, well for this time of the year anyway. So yesterday I took a little road tour looking for good photographic subject matter. Everything was still a little drab but when I drove down Wolfe lake road I just had to make this image of the winding country road. There was not much colour but I knew it would make an interesting black and white picture.

OLD FARM, NORTH BAY

Wow, its been a long time since my last posting. Even though we are enjoying great Spring weather I have not been on any serious photo trips lately so in case people wonder about the lack of images, I decided to post a picture of the old landmark farm here in North bay. Actually I took the picture just a few weeks ago. Its one of the last Winter images of this season.

MAYBE SPRING HAS ARRIVED

I know it will be awhile but the  feeling of Spring is definitely in the air. Here is another view of the trail I walked yesterday. The weather continues to be sunny for the rest of the week. Hopefully much of the snow will be gone soon.

TIME FOR SPRING TO ARRIVE

I have not posted for awhile. I guess I was not inspired to go out and take pictures. Everything looked very drab and gray but yesterday and again today we got beautiful sunny weather with a definite feel of Spring in the air. This morning I went with one of my neighbours on a long hike along the trails in front of our street. I made some pictures and ended up with this moonlit landscape.I just like the mood of this image.

MORE ABOUT THE SHELL

I can't resist posting another image of the small shell. When you start looking at a, on the surface, simple object like this one, you discover the complexity of textures and shapes.

SHELL

It is a cold and snowy day so I decided to stay in and make some images of a few shell I have sitting on a shelf in my room here. I liked this one because of the sculptural quality of this particular one. Its not very big , only about five centimeters in length but it has a very nice rough textural surface.

PERTH, ONTARIO

 

One of my favourite places in Ontario is Perth. I think if you enjoy architecture, you definitely should visit this historical town in Eastern Ontario. You will find beautifully preserved buildings from the middle of the nineteenth century till the end of the twentieth.No restraint in the design of this building. I simply liked the opulence and the flouting of wealth.So not great from an  architectural viewpoint but fun to see.

CAUGHT

 

Sometimes you take a photograph which, at first glance, does not look as promising as you initially thought. I took this picture in Perth just a few weeks ago. It definitely did not work in colour but in black and white had potential. I simply put it aside and after some time started to play with the image and made changes for a greater visual impact. It reminds me of a butterfly caught in an enclosed space looking for a way out.   

FRIENDS GATHER HERE

I could not resistposting this image. You will find this washroom at The Moon Café in Mattawa. We spent a very enjoyable few hours on our last photo trip to Mattawa and if you go to Rob's blog, "Northern Perspectives", you will find a few more images with more info on this delightful establishment.

LOG BUILDING, ASHTON, ON

 

Like Dominique, I also enjoy this type of building. Obviously this one is still in use, probably as a workshop. These buildings are quiet old going back to the middle of the nineteenth century. You will find quite a few in the rural areas of Eastern Ontario. I photographed this cabin a few weeks ago in Ashton between Ottawa and Perth.