HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

Its New Years Eve so I wish all my followers of my blog and all the members of the North Bay Photo club, who have commented on my pictures a Very Happy New Year. 

BARN, OTTAWA

Behind the abandoned farm, there were some very beautiful old barns. The snow was very deep so it was not easy to get around the property. I particularly liked this barn, which I prefer to present in a traditional sepia toned image.

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.

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.

A WET WINTER DAY

The weather has been rather miserable the last few days. Luckily I have been busy with some other projects but I did get a chance to walk along the lake shore and made this almost monotone image of the lake. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

WINTER, SUNSET PARK, NORTH BAY

Rain and fog today but yesterday I scanned this snow landscape, which I made on November 23, 1986. Its a very traditional landscape but, for me, it symbolizes the feeling of Winter.

WET PAVEMENT REVISED

The weather in the last few days did not inspire me to go and look for pictures. Also I have been busy so today I started to go through some of my old negatives and slides. One of my Winter projects is starting to scan some of my older images. This picture is from a series I did one evening a very long time ago on light reflections from the downtown streets. At that time some stores  still had neon store signs. The reflected light was very primary and when photographed made pictures look like very abstract fluid paintings. I should add that when I did these pictures it was raining very hard. So it was difficult to get a sharp image because of the water running over the pavement surface.

BARN, TROUT CREEK

I have not been busy this week so I did not take many pictures. So here is an image from last week. I made this on the same day as the earlier posting of the barn in Powassan. This image is not as dramatic but I still liked it enough to post it today.

SNOW, NORTH BAY

The Winter has arrived. Yesterday I took this picture in the downtown area. it is a simple picture but I am attracted to the different shapes of the  trees, which  forming a dense pattern of of lines. 

SNOW SKY

I have photographed this barn at different times and seasons. Still I like the setting and yesterday with the dramatic snow sky turning the landscape into a very romantic view, it was hard to resist making another image. 

SPEEDING TRAIN, POWASSAN

This morning a fresh layer of snow was a good excuse to go out to take the first Winter pictures. When turning around, after taking some pictures along a road in Powassan, I saw this speeding train coming towards me acrosss the road. Of course I could not resist photographing the train.

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..

ANOTHER VIEW, OLD CAR, POWASSAN

I like this view of the old car. It has a very different quality to the earlier image I posted. The light was quite strong but the backlighting and the gold of the late afternoon sunlight, gives this picture an almost nostalgic feeling reminiscent of the early twentieth century paintings.

CAR LIGHTS

Yesterday, a beautiful sunny morning, I noticed these  headlights on a parked car. I liked all the reflections and lines. the result is a very abstract composition of reflections, lines and colour.

OLD CAR, POWASSAN

Over the years I have photographed this old car quite a few times. It has been sitting in this field for many decades and every time you see more rust and more decay. 

GARDEN IN BLACK AND WHITE

Fog and drizzle today. Actually a good day for taking pictures. This morning I made this image of the bare branches of a maple tree in our garden. I simply liked the pen and ink like quality of the branches filling the composition. It actually worked better in black and white than colour.

MARSH LAND, COLOUR VIEW

In my posting yesterday I said that it was a very grey November day but later in the afternoon the sun did show itself. So here is a view of that sky reflected in the water of the marsh. By not including the sky I think the picture is visually stronger.

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.

A NICE FALL DAY

It was a very nice late Fall day. We walked along the Chippewa Creek Trail where I made this picture of this old but very nice shaped tree. It is interesting how we are discovering more of our city by simply walking than driving through different neighbourhoods and you just don't "see" the details.

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.

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.

WALL PAINTING, MAIN STREET, NORTH BAY

Here is a better view of the three skulls you noticed in yesterday's picture John. I felt that the black and white image conveys the mood of the scene far better than colour would. 

STORE, MAIN STREET, NORTH BAY

I was always interested  to make a picture of this store but there are nearly always cars parked in front which obstruct the view. Yesterday, on my walk, I also noticed the new mural on the business  next door. It created an interesting element to the final image.

ANOTHER VIEW, CHIPPEWA CREEK

Another view of the Chippewa Creek here in North Bay. I took a variety of pictures, trying to capture the mood and light of the creek from this viewpoint. This was my final choice because I felt this image simply reflected my personal impression of the creek.

CHIPPEWA CREEK, NORTH BAY

This afternoon I took a walk along Chippewa Creek here in North Bay. Actually I made a few good images. But what did bother me was the large amount of garabage people just leave along the shoreline. 

SIDEWALK, TORONTO

One of my favourite subjects is looking for subject matter reflecting strong patterns and textures. I simply like the interaction of the various parts of a composition, which you as the viewer then interpret. Actually very much the way you listen to music.

FIRST ROCKY, BLACK AND WHITE

A totally different impression than yesterday's image. The rocks in the foreground remind me of either two petrified turtles or even whales. 

FIRST ROCKY, LAKE NIPISSING

Today a simple landscape, which holds quite a few memories for me. We lived for twenty years close to this spot. Over the years I have photographed these rocks many times and still this landscape keeps inspiring me.

MAIN STREET, NORTH BAY

After posting the Yonge street panorama I got interested to explore this type of composite image a little further. So yesterday I took a seies of pictures on Main street here in North Bay. It took a little more work because my files were getting rather big. But I liked the result.

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.

A GREY WET DAY

Yesterday afternoon I went back to Sunset park because I wanted to remake a picture I took the day before. Of course you can never really duplicate the same image but I took some pictures anyway. I particularly liked this view. For me it reflects the Fall season. 

FALL SEASON,LAST COLOURS

The landscape is showing the change of season. You still see some bright colours but otherwise nature is getting ready for Winter. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

JUST LOVE THE VIEW

I took this picture because I could just imagine how the owners of this house felt when the city of Port Colborne decided to build this water tower right across from their house.

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. 

FALL TEXTURES

A few days ago, my dan and I walked down the Education Centre. Most of the trees are almost bare but we able get some good seasonal images. Here is one of them which I particularly like because of the various textures and colours.

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. 

GATED, NORTH BAY

Often the outside appearances of a house reflects the personality of the owners. I have seen this type of gates in some of the large North American cities but very seldom in small communities like North Bay. 

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.

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.

THE GUARDIAN

Walking around the Screaming Head property, you will start to see a wide variety of different figures, which I guess are protectors of the house. I liked this small gnome standing guard in a niche in the wall.

1999, BURK'S FALLS

This simply had to be in black and white. The dark grey sky added to the overall mood of the coming Halloween festival later this season.