This is my time.
Fall is here bringing warm days and cool nights.
The forest sounds are changing as the leaves dry, change colour and begin to fall. The forest floor is covered in a carpet of red and gold.
Ah Autumn at last, I wait all year for this.
This Thanksgiving weekend Doug, Karen and I visited a couple of waterfalls; Progreston and Grindstone Falls in and near Waterdown Ontario.
Grindstone Creek tumbles along a rocky course below the falls and is flanked by the Bruce Trail. Following that trail gives so many opportunities to make photographs, Scenes like this are plentiful.
Autumn by a river or a creek provides a great place to sit, think, watch and wait and listen for the voice inside that says 'yes there, fire the shutter quickly before the moment is forever gone '
Through my lens I hope to convey more than what I see. I hope to convey what I feel, what Autumn in the woods means to me.
...it does seem to me that Capa has proved beyond all doubt that the camera need not be a cold mechanical device. Like the pen, it is as good as the man who uses it. It can be the extension of mind and heart... John Steinbeck
The wheel turns,
Winter turns to Spring.
Spring becomes Summer.
The sunflowers raise their faces to the sun.
Summer becomes Fall, the sunflowers hang their heads, now heavy with seed, and wait for the Spring when the cycle begins again.- me
As soon as I saw the sunflower patch in the early summer I have waited for this day.
My wife and I were away on a short vacation up on the Bruce Peninsula last week. As usual I was always on the lookout for 'abandoned' places.
This one is a bit of an enigma. The more I think about this place the more I wonder, is it really abandoned or is someone working on it?
No matter, it's a beautiful place, protected by tree's and the gardens are full of wildflowers (weeds to some)
Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to. ~John Ed Pearce
In this case I hope it's the latter
The day started of wonderfully cool a sign of things to come!
Unfortunately as the sun climbed higher so did the temperature.
In spite of that it was a good day, then again isn't a day out with friends always a good day?
McGowan's Falls in Durham Ontario was our first stop. Even though this falls is quite small there is so much to see here I chose to spend my time amongst the 'details' those little side streams and rivulets. I always think of the "immovable object meets unstoppable force" saying when I look at the sometimes tiny rocks resisting the power of the water. It's quite humbling really those little rocks holding their own while our conversation is swept away by the roar of the water .....
I came where the river ran over stones;
my ears knew an early joy
And all the waters of all the streams
sang in my veins that summer day.
- Theodore Roethke, The Waking, 1948
One last trip to the sunflower patch. Their heads are heavy with seeds now and soon they will bow to the pressure.
The flower offered of itself
And eloquently spoke
Of Gods
In languages of rainbows
Perfumes
And secret silence...
~Phillip Pulfrey, from Love, Abstraction and other Speculations
I think that this one may have a hidden secret though as she smiles at the passers by ...
Last weekend was a disaster ...
Earlier this week I spotted the elusive sunflower patch. I say elusive because I have been looking for weeks!
Of course when I saw it I didn't have my camera with me. So this morning a friend and I went back.
The morning was cloudy, dull and quite miserable but the sunflowers were smiling. How could you not smile back?
Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul. ~The Koran
Some think that cemeteries are places to put the dead and forget about them, except on an anniversary.
Lets face it, cemeteries are rarely visited by the living.
I, on the other hand love wandering in old cemeteries, reading the stones and thinking of the hopes and dreams buried there.
The history of the area waiting to be read.
Morbid ?
Maybe but not to me.
Do I want to end up in one ?
No thanks, just scatter my ashes to the wind ...
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.
Mary Elizabeth Frye
For those sharp eyed individuals yes I changed the post.
"Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are" is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread. ~François Mauriac
But who are you if you destroy a book ?
From my adventures to "the Baden House" on Saturday morning. Everyone has visited this place and I am sure everyone has photographed the old burned bible. However only one visitor and certainly not one of the rurex / urbex crowd would have thought to set it alight.
Even though I am not religious I still think this is sacrilege.
Ian and I met the owner of the property during our visit. Her fear was "Kids" who come to destroy her property, who can blame her?
One of the umbrella's in "the square", downtown Guelph.
I liked the lines and patterns defined by the ribs.
No words on umbrella's today. It's Fathers Day, for those of you who still have your father with you, give him a call or better yet, a hug. Those of you like me who doesn't, give him a minute of your time and in a quiet place, whisper "Happy Fathers Day Dad"
My dad is resting exactly where he wanted to be and it was my honour to take him there.
Happy Fathers Day Dad
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~Mark Twain, "Old Times on the Mississippi" Atlantic Monthly, 1874
Why this ?
I really don't know.
What I do know is I decided that I needed to photograph this odd structure again.
I had the chance to do a lot today but I decided that I would do a little. While most of my friends were off on a grand adventure I went to the U of G with Dave S. We spent a couple of hours wandering around taking the odd shot here and there talking and sometimes not.
All in all a very relaxing morning I'm glad I did it but I still have not figured out the attraction of this structure ....
I never question what to do, it tells me what to do. The photographs make themselves with my help. ~Ruth Bernhard
OK I'm cheating here, this was from last weekend but the film was developed during the week.
Wandering around Elora as the sun came up first I saw the carpet of daisies then the sun burst around and through this old tree.
One of the cardinal rules of photography, 'look behind you' !
Kodak Portra 160 vc and Hasselblad
It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. ~Robert Louis Stevenson
The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in their way. ~William Blake
What better than a shady path through a forest in weather such as this? I was out early and alone by myself on Saturday wandering around and through the Elora Gorge. This is where I came across the remains of this old cedar. There is beauty and sadness here, it's life etched in it's bones. I stood looking at this old tree for a long time. I knew I had to make an image of what I saw.
I hope you see why.
And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. ~William Shakespeare
Twice this weekend I visited Schneider Flats. The days could not have been more different, Sunday morning was foggy and cool, today was baking hot.
I'll take foggy and cool any day !
After the dog walkers left all that remained was the silence and the occasional bird call. As I walked back to the car i realized how much my pace had slowed.
It was if my body was saying "stay awhile"
We are lucky to have places such as this.
Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
These boots were made for walking ...
I love these boots.
They are developing a nice patina with age and are ready to go in for their 3rd pair of soles. That's a lotta miles :-)
and yes they are soo comfortable.
Now shall I walk
or shall I ride?
"Ride," Pleasure said:
"Walk," Joy replied.
~W.H. Davies
A difficult choice this week, that's why it's posted on Tuesday.
Not that I am so good that I had so many to choose from.
I was trying to find the image that invokes the most powerful feeling.
Isn't this what Algonquin Park is all about?
The silence, a tranquil lake on a warm (ish) spring evening before the screaming hoards (both human and insect) arrive?
Yes, to me this is the essence of Algonquin. This why this is the "Photo of the weekend"
I didn't choose this because it's one of the lonely 'colour' shots.
It's more for the feeling....
This was a glorious spring morning and as Doug said "a great day to be out with friends". There was a great deal of laughter and camaraderie this day. Especially surrounding this shot, that is the memory, those are the feelings.
You are right Doug it was a great day.
Thanks to Andrew and Davey for being there too.
On Good Friday a few friends Grant, Doug, Pat and I explored a couple of abandoned houses North of Milton. This was taken with my "Commie Camera" a Kiev 4 which is a Russian, Contax rangefinder, clone. Beautiful little camera, loaded with my favourite film AGFA APX 100.
Why choose this image? Considering it was taken on a bright sunny day the mood is totally opposite. I love the silhouetted tree, the rubble, the hint of a building and the light creeping in from the bottom corner.
AGFA APX 100 developed in Xtol 1+1 10min at 20c.
It's been a struggle and I had just about given up with Shanghai GP3 film but this roll developed very nicely, with "a little help from me friends".
Taking their advice I developed this roll in Rodinal at 1+100 dilution for one hour at 20 deg c.
I must admit a one hour development regime is quite relaxing. I set my timer for one hour and the second timer for 55 min and had a nap :-)
This was taken along the river by Niska Road in Guelph.
OK, OK it wasn't the best of the weekend but it is my new toy.
I sold my Nikon D2h and bought this with the proceeds.
I think it was a good deal, especially when the first roll of film came out properly exposed :-)
I love cemeteries, not that I would ever want to be in one.
This is Woodlawn Cemetery here in Guelph. On a cold, snowy day it has it's own, special, appeal especially to a black and white photographer.
This was taken with my Bronica SQ loaded with Shanghai GP3 B&W film. Developed in Rodinal 1+100 18min at 20c
A blah sort of day, typical February.
A typical Black and White day !
My friend Dave and I took a short, casual stroll around Elora. That and a cup of hot tea to drive away the chills.
Someone commented on Flickr about the Zig Zag patterns in this image. Yes I like them too, enough to make it my "photo of the weekend"
Taken with my Kodak Retina IIC rangefinder.
AGFA APX 100 black and white film that expired in July 2003
Developed in Rodinal 1+100
If I hadn't captured the last of the flock of birds I would not have chosen this as my "photo of the weekend".
A difficult choice this weekend. Only because there were few candidates.
The majority of Sunday's photo's were made with Shanghai GP3 shot in my Bronica. The development left an ugly grain so I wasn't to pleased with them.
The Fuji Acros has promise but I need to let them 'mature' for a while before I revisit them. So I picked one of the very few digital shots as my favourite.
Why? The shadows scurrying back across the frozen lake to hide in the woods until the sun went down really caught my eye.
That plus the juxtaposition of the warm palette of tree's and reeds vs the cold blues of the shadows. Makes this image.
I spent hours on Saturday playing with my new 'light shapers', shoot through umbrella and a 20" square soft box plus a few other bits and pieces.
After borrowing a couple of wireless triggers I set out to see if I could tame the shadows.
This is one of my favourites a book of essays by Francis Bacon and an old pair of glasses that I picked up as a prop. I am quite pleased with the light on the pages but less so with the overall, front to back, lighting.
Practice Practice Practice !
C'est moi
Last week we were fine tuning a portrait lighting workshop we will be putting on.
Grant and Dave were the teachers, Doug and I the pupils.
I took some of what I learned and made this shot. It came out exactly as I had envisioned! So it had to be my choice even if it is a mug shot of yours truly.
Why this one?
Well, recently I was given a 100' roll of Kodak Kodalith Ortho 6556 film, ISO 10.
It was unopened and in the original packaging, date of expiry 12/1985.
My first test roll was, shall we say, a little short of the mark. I learned quickly that the emulsion on this film is very sensitive and pin holes and scratches were everywhere.
This was my second attempt.
With help from the flickr group "I shoot film" I found a new developer recipe and routine.
The results? Well I really like them.
Developed in Xtol at 1+1 dilution
6 min at 20 deg c
Another year over and a new one just begun - Imagine, John Lennon.
The challenge continues, this year the First Light Challenge gauntlet was picked up by Grant, Doug and Cathy, the few who were up and out before dawn. This has become somewhat of a tradition for me and I welcome the company!
This shot was taken in Galt (now part of Cambridge), Ontario and, by the clock on the wall, at just about sunrise, although the sun didn't actually make an appearance.
Happy New Year !!
