December Desktop Inspiration

Now that winter seems to be decidedly on the way I chose to use a winter based theme for this months image. I guess this one could be titled "Fire and Ice".

Again, another example of where the light just before sunset can start having a magical effect on an otherwise ordinary scene. Here the warm red tones in the water are coming from the setting sun reflecting off an old red barn that was on the other side of the stream. The glow from the reflected light intensified about 10 minutes before the sun dropped below the horizon.

November Desktop Inspiration

Already into November and I want to hang onto every nice day that is left. To keep things on the warm side I decided to post one more Inspiration shot from our summer trip out West. This one was taken on Rialto Beach in Washington State. We were fortunate to spend about 5 hours there - including a fantastic sunset - but there is also enough to keep one there for days. There were a number of birds out on a spit past all the washed up logs on the beach. Here hundreds if not thousands of birds were gathered - mostly gulls - but in amongst them were a small group of pelicans. I photographed this one as he was heading out into the soon to be setting sun.

Fall at the Falls

Tews Falls is always an impressive sight. Getting there early in the morning one is rewarded with light on the face of the falls - something that usually lasts from 30 minutes after sunrise until 10 or 10:30 - depending on the time of year. At this time of the year I usually venture to the base of the falls and photograph the play of light and the rainbow in the mist at the base. This time I stayed at the top and captured the morning light just before the water drops over the edge. The tree cover at the top is still in full colour and the light coming in from the rising sun bathed everything in an intense golden light.

October Desktop Inspiration

It is well into October and time for a new Desktop Inspiration. The image this month comes from our trip out West - this time the image is actually one that Irena took and it is one of my current favorites. The tide pools at Shi Shi Beach were awesome - some quiet and peaceful where you could see all manner of colourful ...starfish while others were in constant flux from the incoming tide. As we ventured out onto the clam encrusted rock we always had to be mindful that the incoming tide didn't cut us off from the main beach. Although we could have stayed until sunset we had to head back to the car well before dark as it was an hour long trek through old growth rain forest just to get to the parking lot. We visited Rialto Beach the next evening and witnessed an amazing sunset and didn't have tyo worry about a trek back to the car - the parking lot was two minutes away!

September Desktop Inspiration

Back from 3 weeks out West - two which were spent in Washington State - what a fabulous place for scenery!!

 Washington has it all - beaches of all types, incredible tide pools, old growth rain forests, mountains, prairies, badlands, bald eagles, and volcanic canyons that aside from the lack of giant cactus would make you think you are in Arizona or Nevada. I'll be posting more images soon - with links to some image galleries - once we go through the 6000+ images we took. For now - the Desktop Inspiration for September - an image from Hurricane Ridge - possibly one of the most memorable hikes I have ever been on.

August Desktop Inspiration

About 20 minutes south of where I live there is a farmer who on certain years will plant a field of sunflowers. Being right next to a highway this swatch of yellow sunshine causes many who would normally pass by to stop and admire. It is not unusual to see a half a dozen photographers working at the side of the field at one time. Each in their own way are trying to capture the beauty on display - some are trying to bring their own unique interpretation of the scene - others are content to record the standard roadside view. In either case there is a window of about ten days where the sunflowers are pointing nicely in the same direction, thousand of yellow heads held high in all their glory.

July Desktop Inspiration

The Desktop Inspiration this month comes from Albion Falls - a nearby waterfall in the south end of Hamilton - which is at times referred to as "The Waterfall Capitol of the World". Although many of the waterfalls are not that large (some even dry up completely during a dry summer) there are many that will inspire.

I've taken friends to Webster's Falls - and although much smaller than Niagara - it has provided a richer experience in that you can easily get much closer to the falls and have a more intimate experience.

July's image is an attempt at showing a quieter more personal view of the falls. Albion Falls lends itself to this as there are numerous ledges in the strata creating a whole gamut of mini waterfalls to explore.

To view the whole collection of Desktop Inspirations you can visit my website. They are free to download and share as you wish. Have a great July!!

Canon's Most Sought After Piece of Hardware - and another reason not to quit the java

After 3 long months of waiting it has finally arrived!!!

What did you expect - Canon's latest digital SLR body?? That would be a no as I've been waiting over 3 years for the mythical Canon 3D. (Just a side note - if Nikon can put a full frame sensor into a body like the D700 - why can't Canon do likewise??). OK - moving on - the latest and greatest lens?? Closer - but until Canon comes out with the mythical 3D - there is not much point in upgrading to Canon's revamped version of the 70-200 f 2.8 IS.

Instead it is a coffee cup - but as you can see - no generic stainless steel mug for the morning brew -  but one fashioned after Canon's tried and true reliable workhorse - the 70-200 f4 (non image stabilized).

First given out as swag to journalists and photographers at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics this unique coffee thermos has gained legendary status - including its own Facebook page which as of this writing has over 5100 fans. Some are showing up on ebay for more than double their original price. Limited numbers have become available to "regular" people through various camera outlets and it is with great thanks to the wonderful  team at Camera Canada including Joe Todd that I was fortunate enough to get on the list. Joe claims that there have been few items in the last 20 years that have garnered this much interest.

So now with every morning cup of black gold I will be reminded that I need to venture out in Guelph, Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge and carry on with the photography that I enjoy so much.

June Desktop Inspiration

A bit late this month - but here none the less. Please use and share any of my Desktop Inspirations as you wish.

Link to all images is here.

Update on the Zenfolio contest - well, I didn't make it into the top 30. I'm a bit dissappointed - but not discouraged - there were close to 400 images submitted this time.

Zenfolio home page contest.

As you may or may not know my website is an image hosting site run by Zenfolio. They have a great interface, the best customer support and with their recent new additions my image gallery now looks and acts like a real website.
From time to time they host a contest for images that will be shown on their homepage. About 18 months ago I was honored to have one of my images selected. The theme then was "winter" and my shot of an icicle formation by Webster's Falls made it into the top ten.
Zenfolio is hosting another contest - this time the theme is "character" which if you look at the entries can seem to mean a lot of things. After much deliberation I have chosen 5 images and hope to find out in the next week if one of them makes it into the to top 30.

Latest Desktop Inspiration

Hard to believe that these images have been going out to friends and clients on a monthly basis for two years now. Thanks for all the positive feedback over that time. I have people who keep a specific image as their computer desktop background for months on end because it speaks to them on a personal level. Others will chide me for not getting the image out exactly on the 1st of every month (I really try). There also seems to be a general agreement that having more than two winter related images in a row - no matter how inspiring - no matter if winter hangs on into March - is a no go.
Check out the link for all 24 images. They may be downloaded - without watermark - for use and sharing as you wish.
Have a great May!!

Requiem for a Rookery

I still remember the spring afternoon three years ago when I was first introduced to the rookery. My friend Jim was driving that day, nowhere in particular I thought, until by he slowed down and stopped by a woodlot that was just off a gravel side road. As a cloud of dust breezed over the car he lowered his voice and in a reverent tone announced "This is the rookery". Not being an avid birder and possessing no real long glass aside from a 70-200 zoom and a 1.4 teleconverter I barely knew what a rookery was let alone what I was about to witness.

We exited and walked a few meters into the mixed forest. Looking up into two towering beech trees one could see tangled clusters of nests - not the neat tightly wound affairs like you see in a kids picture book. These were sprawling masses of twigs and branches. Their true size hard to judge by the fact that the nests rested precariously at least 30 metres above the ground. One tree housed what looked like 4-5 nests - the other a little bit further in had two or three.  We sat and waited and within a few minutes we were rewarded by the awesome sight of an incoming Great Blue Heron.Over the nest few months I visited the rookery -  home to 6 pairs of Great Blue Herons. I was lucky enough to see them flying in from time to time, lucky enough to (just) see the young ones get fed as the mother or father came home with a gullet of fish. I did not see any first flights - but hoped to one day.

Jim and I visited the rookery again a few weeks ago. We knew it would be too early - figuring that the Herons were still on their way up from the states - but being a hot spring day we thought it would be great to venture down some county and enjoy the warm sun. As we pulled up to the woodlot we sensed something was not quite right. Somehow the forest seemed a bit "thinner" and it wasn't just that the leaves were not out yet. We got out of the car and within a minute were aware of the sad truth. The majestic beech trees that had been home to a least 6 nesting pairs of Great Blue Herons had been chopped down. The trees themselves had been hauled away - the twigs and branches that made up the actual nests were nothing more than a barely recognizable pile of sticks.

It looks as if a number of trees on the woodlot had been culled - but why the two with nests in I could not understand. In the midst of our shock we also wondered about the birds winging their way north and what they would do once they found their familiar nesting site gone . .