GARDEN DECORATION

Time for another posting. I have been away for several days and got a new camera this weekend. So here is my first image of todays tests. I was looking for a smaller camera which I can stick in my pocket so I don't have to carry my DSLR with me every time. Looking at the initial results I should say that I am  quite happy with the quality of the pictures. Before I forget, the camera is a Canon G11.

LATE SUMMER

It is a very wet Saturday but this time of year is always a great opportunity to take  pictures of the abundance of wildflowers on display. The fields and the sides of the  roads look like very lush country gardens.

ROAD MARKINGS

When photographing abstract images like this you start with isolating the different components. Then you look at the angle and the composition of the various shapes. The final result is very different from the original subject matter.

BLACK, BLUE AND RED

This morning on one of my walks around North bay  I came across this "abstract" painting on a plywood fence. I enjoy photographing this type of painterly subject matter so of course I could not resist making a series of images from a variety of markings on this fence.

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE STEPS

Another view of the steps of shown yesterday's posting. Again I made a black and white because the colour image simply did not work for me. The lines of the steps are far more prominent in this image. These are the steps leading to an underpass of the CP railway yard. This underpass ends at the North Bay museum. Hope that Dave has an idea where the steps are located.

STEPS, WATERFRONT , NORTH BAY

Last week I had to spend some time on a photo project so my blog suffered because of it. I am still experimenting with the black and white technique I mentioned earlier in one of my postings. It works well for this image of the new steps down at the waterfront here in North Bay. It adds a certain drama to the scene.

LA VASE RIVER

I took this picture from Lake Nipissing, where the la Vase river enters the lake. The water level is extremely low, as a matter of fact I have never in all my years here in North Bay seen it at this level.Hope fully we will see more water in the Fall.

A GREY RAINY SUNDAY

Today we have a change in weather. After the very hot dry  Summer days we are getting some very much needed rain. I am still working with my black and white images so this picture reflects today's  grey rainy weather. 

CHURCH, POINT ALEXANDER, ONTARIO

this weekend i was again back in Ottawa. Did not take pictures but visited a very good photo exhibition at the National Gallery of work by the Montreal photographer Angela Grauerholz. On my way back I stopped to photograph this little Presbyterian church in Point Alexander. As I wrote a little earlier in one of my postings, I got interested in the small wooden churches you find all over the area. However I was not happy with the straight and simple pictures of these buildings and was looking to present them in a more visually interesting way. After seeing Angela Grauerholzer's work I   liked her approach so I emulated her technique in my image you see posted today.

COMMUNITY HALL, LAVIGNE, ONTARIO, 1970

Occasionally I get requests for old photographs. I have to search through my files to find this picture of ,I guess, the old community hall in Lavigne, Ontario. It was our first Summer in North Bay so we would get out as often as we could to explore the country around us. This building burnt down a few years after I took this picture, so this is probably one of the last visual records of this place.

STOREFRONT, SOMERSET STREET, OTTAWA

Another picture on Somerset street in Ottawa. Just a simple colour image of clothing on the side walk.

MAPLE TREE, OTTAWA

I have  often been on Somerset street in Ottawa but only this weekend I noticed this maple tree wedged between these two buildings.

GARAGE, NORTH BAY

Every small or large city in Canada has a street lined with car dealerships, garages, fast food outlets etc. Lakeshore Drive in North Bay is no exception. It is a great place for a photographer because it is a challenge to photograph the rather ordinary subject matter in a visually interesting way. What attracted me here was the strong colour contrast of this garage.

OLD GARAGE DOOR, NORTH BAY

Simple, almost abstract subject matter always attract me. Maybe its my interest in painting but I just had to photograph this door.

KING PUT, NORTH BAY

Sunday morning, all is quiet so I could get some nice pictures of this well known miniput here in North Bay.I liked the waving bear with his bulky shape and his nice blue suspenders. Oh this picture is for Blake, I hope he enjoys this image.

BUTTON MAN, JULY 1970

It has been awhile since my last posting. This week someone phoned me regarding an old photograph I took in 1970. The button man was a well known figure around North Bay. I made this image at a downtown Summer craft market. Ever since this picture has been quite popular but it has been almost ten years since selling a print. While looking through my old negatives I found many I should scan in over the next little while.So expect a few nostalgic image from a few years back.

SUMMER

Last day of teaching today. It has been a very busy week but very enjoyable. After today I can get back to making my own pictures again.

BLACK FOREST PARK, NORTH BAY

This week has been a busy week for me but I did take the time to visit a small park here in North Bay. I was not aware of this park until I noticed a sign at the entrance. Its actually an area used in the 1930s by lumber companies to grow white pine seedlings. The city acquired this place. It has some nice trails with stands of white pine. In 2006 the park lost many trees after a big storm swept through the area.

DE LUXE TAXI, NORTH BAY

What attracted me in this urban scene is the various shapes with the colour of the sky returning in the blue door but the real contrast is the red car prominent in the image.

FENCE, NORTH BAY

Again I have neglected my blog so time for a new image. I made this picture walking downtown and liked the form and texture of this mesh fence in a empty space in downtown North Bay.