OLD SHED, NORTH BAY

Down the street is an old neglected shed. The peeling paint makes for some very interesting textures. So this morning I decided to see if I could make some interesting images of this very simple subject. So here is af pictures of the old shed.

IT'S DONE !!!

Well, the renovations are finished. All thats left is moving all the "stuff" in its place. That will take a few days but I am very happy with the final result.I used a 10 to 20 mm wideangle lens, which of course gives some distortion.

CATTLE AUCTION REMEMBERED

With the renovations finished, the big job is putting everything back in its place. Of course while sorting everything you find all kind of stuff you forgot about. This pictures is from an old photo series I did a long time ago on the cattle auction in Sturgeon Falls. The auction disappeared a long time ago so these images are just the memories left behind. It was actually a good document so I started to scan the negatives. Lets see what develops after I am finished.

SIMPLY A ROCK (revised)

First I would like to thank Lydia Peever and Andrew Livitt for following my blog. Nonie asked me if I could show her how to resize her images so they will fit on the screen. She has some difficulty reducing the size of her pictures. I will be glad to send her and anybody else who has problems resizing a short tutorial on this topic. Simply send me an email.

ANOTHER SNOW IMAGE

This was the view when I went to pick up my morning paper. I posted this additional image because Nonie had asked me for information about my Summer course on Photoshop Elements. The course will run from July 13 until July 17. Check the link on the right for more information.

MAY SNOWFALL

What a surprise. We woke up to a snowstorm early in the morning. It was quite a sight to see snow covering the plants and flowers. I had to go and look for my snow brush to clean my car of about five centimetres of snow but its what you can expect here in Northern Ontario.

ALMOST FINISHED

Today's picture is an image of light and shadows. As I explained earlier, I have not have much time to concentrate on my photography. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. This week all the downstairs renovations will be done. Of course now I will need time to sort and move all the "stuff" back into its place. That will take another few days.

CHIPPEWA CREEK SPRING WALK

This morning I went for a walk along the Chippewa Creek trail here in North Bay. I could not resist photographing this almost iconic Spring scene.

SPRING BLOSSOM

Again I am back on line. Last Monday I returned from a nice Victoria weekend in Ottawa and discovered that my brand new computer had given up the ghost. It took till today before I was able to get it fixed. The motherboard was defective so it was replaced and working great. The renovations are going well. Next week we hopefully see the end of all the construction.

RENOVATIONS

Just a little explanation why I have not been posting more pictures. At the moment we are doing some major renovations in our house. It has been going on for the last four weeks but hopefully will be finished by next week. Obviously I have not been spending much time on my blog or on taking pictures.

SPLIT TONING

Anonymous asked if I had used the Virtual Photographer plugin to manipulate the image Back Again. No I did not but I used the Easy.filter curves filter. Again this is a free plugin which is an excellent curves filter. Try it. In this image I used another set of plugins, Grant's tools. These tools offer curves, channel mixer, colour channels and masking, features normally not available in Photoshop Elements.

THE BAMBOO SHADOW ON THE BOARD IS DARK AND CLEAR

Thanks for your comment Jo-Ann. Yesterday afternoon I noticed this paint and shadows abstract on the side of my neighbour's garden shed. It reminded me of a Chinese ink drawing so I used a line from a poem, On the Lake, by the Chinese poet Bai Juyi (772–846)

BACK AGAIN

At last I am able to post again. Last week my computer stopped working altogether. I ran a virus check but the software could not find anything. Actually I think there was a virus because the computer slowly died down. One program at a time. I had been thinking for some time that I should get another computer so this was the clincher. This morning my new toy arrived. It is quite a bit faster than the old one of course I still have to load most of my programs on this one so that will keep me busy for the next few days. By the weekend I will be fully operational.

SPRING BIRCHES

Yesterday was a beautiful Spring day. Of course there are no leaves on the trees yet but we also don't have the blackflies either. So here a simple image of a stand of birches along a nature trail.

MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL, POWASSAN, ONTARIO

Yesterday my wife and I visited the Powassan Maple Syrup Festival. It was a very enjoyable event. I like these country festivals, where you will meet friends and others you had not seen for awhile. In the last decade or so Mennonite families moved into the area and are now quite prominent around town and have become an integral part of the community. I photographed this group of young women who were watching some of the events. What attracted me was the shape of the traditional hats. While the Mennonites live a very traditional lifestyle, I thought it interesting that the clothing was made of polyester rather than wool or cotton.

BLUE AND YELLOW, NEW YORK

The blue tire and yellow painted scribbles on the pavement made an interesting abastract image.

BROOKLYN BRIDGE, NEW YORK

This morning I downloaded the updated version of the VirtualPhotographer plugin. It is an excellent plugin which offers an almost unlimited amount of effects. Here is a sample I made using this amazing free filter set. Try it you will love it.

ANOTHER VIEW

This is just another view of yesterday's landscape. I like the dark brooding atmosphere of this scene. It reminds me of some of the paintings by Turner.

EARLY SIGNS OF SPRING, LAKE NIPISSING

The first signs of Spring start to appear. The ice is still on the lake but is rapidly disappearing with the first warm days of the season.

OLD CEDAR TREE OTTAWA

Time to post again. It is a very busy time around the house. last week we had to move all kinds of "stuff" from the basement. This morning the contractor came to start some extensive renovations. At least the weekend was very enjoyable with all the family celebrating Easter. Hopefully I will get a chance to get out to do some photography but I suspect that the next few weeks will be chaotic.

CRABAPPLE TREE, PINNEYS POINT, OTTAWA

It is still Winter here. Over the weekend we received lots of rain, which changed to snow. It feels like February again. So I thought let me post this graphic image of the still bare crabapple tree. Enjoy.

CEDAR TREES, PINNEY'S POINT, OTTAWA

Another picture of my rainy walk along the Ottawa river. Its a simple image of just textures and colour.

RAIN, OTTAWA RIVER

Spent some time in Ottawa again. Last Monday I went to Pinhey's Point on the Ottawa river. It was avery wet and dark day but I like walking in that kind of weather. The colours are rich and warm. Ochers and dark blues are the predominant hues.

MINIMALIST VIEW

This image of Lake Nipissing is a very minimalist view of the lake. It reminds me of certain paintings by Christopher Pratt.

JUST A REMINDER

The light dusting of snow is just a little reminder that Winter is not over yet. I liked the way that the light snow emphasized the shape and texture of the rocks.

ROCKS, LAKE NIPISSING

Just a simple composition of rocks along the shoreline of lake Nipissing. I tried it in black and white but I think it works better in colour.

REMAINS OF OLD DOCK

Slowly getting out of hibernation, actually I have been busy with planning our basement renovations in April so I have not spent much time taking pictures. Today I felt it was time to get back to doing what I enjoy, which is taking pictures. The snow is slowly disappearing and I should say ever so slow. So I went to some of my familiar spots. So here is an image of the remains of an old dock along the shore of lake Nipissing. I liked the various patterns and textures with the subtle warm tones contrasting with the snow still on the frozen lake.

ALONG HWY 17

Again I have neglected my blog for quite some time but now the Winter is slowly coming to an end and I am itching to start working on some new images. The days are getting warmer, even though it still looks like Winter. But you can see and ear the water running in a few weeks all the snow will be gone. I made this picture along Hwy 17 just outside North Bay. It still looks very much like Winter but I know Spring is just around the corner.

DRAIN PIPE, QUEBEC CITY

A simple picture of a corroded drain pipe. I liked the pattern and colour of the subject.

BIRDHOUSE, QUEBEC CITY

The birdhouse blends into the tree but I was more interested in the composition of the contrast between background and the shape of the tree.

CONTRAST

I simply titled this image "contrast" because of the painterly effect of the decaying wall on the right which contrasted with the obvious photographic view of the window on the right. I think if I had eliminated the window the picture would lose the interesting viewpoint and would look like an abstract painting.

WALL, QUEBEC CITY

I made this picture of a wall at an old military barracks in Quebec City. The place looks pretty run down but it is a great place for taking interesting images.

WINTER ROOFS

I posted a picture of the same roofs about two and a half years ago. This time I was interested in seeing how the same subject would look in Winter but the steep metal roofs did not leave much snow. I still thought it worked well visually so I posted the image.

BEDROOM, HÔTEL DE GLACE

This is what a bedroom at the hotel looks like. Each room has a different layout and design but all of course are made of snow and ice. For the price of $474 you can have this unique experience but I bet it will be cold when you step out of bed.

HÔTEL DE GLACE

Not far from Quebec City I visited an unusual tourist attraction.Its the ice hotel. Every year this hotel is recreated entirely from snow and ice. You can actually stay there if you like sleeping in bed made from ice. Of course you get special sleeping bags but I think it would be chilly. This picture shows the bar with very ornately carved ice pillars and bar. I will post a few other images from this hotel. It definitely was worth the visit.

YELLOW HOUSE, QUEBEC CITY

The streets are icy and gray but the brightly coloured homes in the old part of town adds cheer to a dull Winter's day.

WINTER TREES, QUEBEC CITY

The light, the trees and the colour all reminded me of paintings by Maurice Utrillo. or it simply might have been the Winter atmosphere, which attracted me.

WINTER CARNIVAL, QUEBEC CITY

During the carnival you will meet quite a few traditional figures like these two characters.

WINTER FUN, QUEBEC CITY

The Winter carnival in Quebec City is a great family event. Here a picture of the toboggan run on the Boulevard Champlain.

WINTER, QUEBEC CITY

Just returned from the Winter carnival in Quebec city. We had a great time enjoying various events and just simply sightseeing. I had some time to take pictures but mostly spend time with the family. The old seminary , now the architecture faculty of Laval university. The subject of the austere architecture of the building in the snow works well in this simple almost minimalist picture.

SUBWAY, NEW YORK

Time for another picture. Again it has been some time since I posted a new image. Its a busy time for me so I have not given as much attention to my blog as I should have. Hopefully it will change. This weekend I will be in Quebec City for to enjoy their Winter canival. I am looking forward to it and am planning to take many pictures. In the mean time here is another image from my New York trip. I made quite a few images of the NY subway.

PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, NYC

I always enjoy taking images of very abstract subjects like this pedestrian crossing. Maybe its part of my nature as the son of a painter, who loves painting.

THE LITTLE CHURCH, NYC

The Church of the Transfiguration is one of the most famous parishes of the Episcopal Church in the United States. It has had a rich history since its founding in 1848. I was attracted to the architecture which is more reminiscent of European architectural styles.

APPLELLATE COURT OF NEW YORK

Again, it has been some time since my last posting. Its been a busy time for me so I could not spend more time on my photography or my blog. So here is another of my New York pictures. In this case I noticed this building which is the appellate division ogf the supreme court of the state of New York.

HUNGRY

The Winter is a time of hardship for all animals and birds. The deer come into our yards to raid the bird feeders. This young deer had a hard time reaching a bird feeder but he was hungry enough to figure out how to empty the feeder.

VERY COLD

It has been quite a few days since my last posting. I had to spend some time preparing for my Winter course on Photoshop Elements. This week the weather turned bitter cold and to top it off The contractor came in to replace our windows, six of them including two big picture windows. I have to say, they worked very efficiently and by mid afternoon all the windows were in place. Of course the house cooled down quite a bit. Actually the temperature yesterday morning and also this morning was -36C. But we survived.

BACKLIGHTING

Crossing the street lat in the afternoon I noticed the building backlit by strong sunlight. The lines and shapes created the right subject for a good abstract image.

REFLECTION

Back to colour. I simply photographed the street reflected in the back of a parked car. What I like in this image is the illusion of the logo flying towards the viewer.

IN VIOLENCE WE FORGET WHO WE ARE

Walking by a gallery in downtown New York, I photographed this sign. Reading the papers, listening to the news or watching TV, I thought that this image reflects how I feel about the all the violence occurring in the world today.

MADISON SQUARE PARK, NY

Another black and white image. I took this picture in a small park near the flatiron building. I liked the unusual but beautiful shape of the tree, which contrasts nicely with the stark lines of the office buildings in the background.