Late Summer Flowers

Even though summer is drawing to a close here in Holyrood, the flowers in my back yard are still blooming and providing lots of colour.

I shot up towards the sky for the first two photos. I thought that the blue sky would make a nice background for the black-eyed susans and dahlias. The orange and yellow nasturtiums were so prolific that our yard is very bright, even on a dull day. A single lily grew in one part of the flower garden, but no one remembers planting one.

I have many more photos of flowers, but I will probably save them until some time during the winter when a splash of colour will be a welcome sight!

Lighthouse Picnics

Yesterday was a beautiful day on the Avalon Peninsula and I spent much of the day in Ferryland, a community on the Irish Loop. While there I walked to the lighthouse to get a few photos. The last time I was there (3 years ago), a couple of young ladies had started a business called Lighthouse Picnics. That day, there was one group of people picnicking. Yesterday, however, there were quite a few people enjoying picnics overlooking the ocean with the Ferryland Lighthouse towering behind them.

The business has grown from two young ladies working from a small cart located outside the lighthouse to a staff of 8 or 10 people operating from inside the lighthouse. It was so interesting for me to photograph the scene again with people all over the cliffs. I have to commend the young ladies for their initiative.

The photos today show the lighthouse with quite a few people enjoying the day and a few of the small groups of people picnicking on the hillsides. Note the beautiful views that people have while eating their lunches.

For people who will be visiting this area, take the time to walk (10-15 minutes) out to the lighthouse and enjoy a picnic by the sea.

Solar System

Yesterday I visited the Johnson GeoCentre in St. John's (http://www.geocentre.ca/) and took over 300 photos in the three hours I was there. If you visit St. John's and have an interest in the Earth's history, add this to your list of things to do.

The first photo today shows the ceiling of the Reception Hall. You can see the planets that are hanging from the ceiling. You can also see the roof, spotlights and other distractions. I removed these distractions from the image using my photo manipulation software. (I use Corel PhotoPaint 12, but most digital cameras have software that will allow users to do this type of thing.) Notice a few small spotlights that I left in the image on purpose. They represent moons around the planets.

The third photo shows a view of the moon. Again I removed all the reflections, words and other distractions from the image.

Spiders

Something totally different today - a drama played out in nature. I have been doing quite a bit of macro photography this summer and thought that I would share a series of spider photos.

While I am not afraid of insects, I know that some spider bites can be pretty bad, and, since I do not know the species of spiders, I was very careful when getting within an inch or two of the spider in the first photo. I estimate the length of it's body (not including the legs) to be about an inch (2.5 cm).

A larger insect was unfortunate enough to get caught in the spider's web and the spider immediately went to the insect and bit its neck. I am assuming that it was paralyzing the larger insect. Approximately 50 minutes later, I returned to the web to find the insect completely wrapped in a silk cocoon.

The fourth photo is actually a different spider "feeding" on an insect it had wrapped in a similar cocoon. (some animal or person had walked by and destroyed the web I had been photographing) If you look closely you can see at least 4 of the spider's eyes as well as a damp area on the cocoon where it is feeding.

I know many humans are afraid of insects, but they are part of nature and play an important role in keeping the delicate balance of life. It is so simple - spin a web, wait for an unsuspecting insect to fly into it, store the meal, eat when hungry, spin another web.

Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

Today I am continuing my series of photos of Point Pleasant Park in Halifax.
I wish to emphasize the effect the mist had on the photographs taken there. The first photo shows a few people enjoying a leisurely walk through the park. The scene is "softened" by the mist. If you look carefully in the right of the photo, just below my name, you can see a faint outline of a red and white crane. When I took the next photo, I zoomed in on the crane to show it more clearly. The third photo shows what the scene was like before the mist came ashore. The dock, with all the cranes and containers is adjacent to the park. If I had taken the first photo without the mist, the cranes would have dominated the beauty of the scene.

Sailor's Memorial, Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

Point Pleasant Park in Halifax has a Sailor's Memorial dedicated to the sailors that lost their lives in war.

When I was in the park, a slight mist came ashore creating interesting photo opportunities. The first photo shows a couple of people taking pictures from the front of the monument. The second photo is the view they may have captured. From this vantage point, the mist was hardly visible.

The third photo shows a close-up of the cross taken from behind and looking up. Notice the interesting effect created by the mist, sunlight and shadows. As I approached the monument, my first instinct was to stand in the shadow of the cross to see what effect the mist was having, and I was not disappointed. I took several images from that spot!

Squirrels, Point Pleasant Park

Yesterday was a travel day and I am now back in Newfoundland and Labrador. I am resuming my Photo of the Day today with three photos of different squirrels I saw in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax.

I was able to get very close to the squirrels there, much more so than squirrels I've encountered at home. I assume it is a result of them becoming comfortable with the many people that walk in this park throughout the year.

I have resumed sending my Photo of the Day via email to over 750 subscribers around the world. If you would like to sign up, send an email to blane@lanephotography.com.

Fisherman's Cove, Nova Scotia

Yesterday I posted a couple of photos of Fisherman's Cove near Dartmouth. Today, I am posting 4 more photos that show the shops and boardwalk that seem to be the main attrraction in the area. The small buildings along the "strip" are mainly shops and eateries, but there are a few business such as the Visitor information, Administration, job search and a RCMP community office.

Yesterday, I travelled to the Annapolis Royal area and visited Port Royal Habitation and Fort Anne, two historical attractions in the area.

I am heading back to Newfoundland and Labrador tomorrow and my Photo of the Day should resume in a day or so. If you have been following my Photo of the Day Blog and would like to receive them directly in your email, send me an email at blane@lanephotography.com.

Fisherman's Cove, Nova Scotia

Fisherman's Cove, located on the opposite side of Halifax Harbour, is a fishing village that caters to tourists. It consists of several shops and restaurants connected by a boardwalk. I visited this village twice during my photo shoot in Nova Scotia.

The first photo shows a bright red shop that sells lobster. The second shows the sign on the front of the building. I liked the name Lobster Dive.

This shop is located near the wharf where the lobster boats dock. The day I photographed this building, I was the only visitor that walked out to the end of the wharf even though it was a nice day. Most people were in the shops and restaurants.

Over the next couple of days, I will post other images of Fisherman's Cove. I have photos of other communities in Nova Scotia online at http://www.lanephotography.com/nova_scotia.htm.

Buskers, Halifax 2

The Halifax waterfront was literally full of people watching the many buskers when I visited there last week. I am posting two photos today which show two of these street performers. The first guy was from Winnipeg, Manitoba and called himself a contortionist, among other things. In the photo his arms look really weird - he held the iron bar behind his back, then rolled them forward to the front of his body. After holding them in this position for several minutes, he put his head, then both his legs through the space between his arms and the bar. Not an easy feat, even for this guy, who claimed to be 113 pounds.

The second photo shows a guy from New York playing drums on 5 gallon buckets. To be honest, he was very good and it sounded great. It seems like there are less people at this performance, but it was the angle from which I took the photo. There are quite a few people sitting in the front and standing all around me.

The biggest problem I had with the performances was the fact that it took quite a while for them to get their shows started. They talked a lot to try and attract a larger audience and I was anxious to get more photos, so I didn't stay for their full performances.

I have more photos of each performance and will send them if you send me an email at blane@lanephotography.com

Face Painting, Halifax

In the last week,I have made two different trips to Halifax Harbour to photograph the Busker Festival. It poured after we were there 30 minutes or so during the first trip and there was a very large crowd on the second trip; so many people that it was difficult to take photos without someone bumping into me or walking in front of me. I have many images of parts of heads blocking my view.

Today, I am posting three photos of face painting that I was lucky to capture. The first shows a young lady with her full face painted, including her eyelids. I thought the artist was very creative. The second shows a young child with another interesting design, and the final shows a young girl just starting to get her face painted.

Over the next couple of days, I will post other photos I took at the Busker Festival.

Leaves

Today's photos were taken while walking on a trail in Gros Morne National Park in early August. Rays of sunlight filtering through the trees lit the leaves in the first photo creating shadows that caused the leaves in the background to become black and nearly disappear. I am not sure of the type of plant because I don't have access to my identification books.

The light was actually filtering through the leaves on an alder in the second photo. I liked the veins in the leaves as well as the texture and shape created by the sunlight as it passed through the leaves.

If you are interested in plants, I have several species on my web site. Feel free to take a look around - http://www.lanephotography.com/plants.htm. I plan to add more species as soon as I get a bit of down time.

Bay of Islands

While on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland, I took a boat tour of the Bay of Islands. Both sides of this scenic bay are dotted with communities including the City of Corner Brook.

The first photo shows a small portion of Corner Brook with the mountains in the background. The second shows a portion of a community on the north side of the Bay. Sorry, I don't know the name of this community. You can see that both are built on the sides of fairly steep cliffs.

I have many photos of communities all around the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Feel free to take a tour of my Communities Galleries. Just click on the link below to visit ...

http://www.lanephotography.com/communities.htm

Boats - Woody Point

Today's photos of boats were taken in Woody Point, Bonne Bay.

The first shows a boat moored between two stages. It was a beautiful morning for photography - calm ocean, blue sky, and warm temperatures.

The second photo, taken later that day, shows a single boat floating peacefully in the calm waters of Bonne Bay. I think this type of boat is called a dory in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I send out my Photo of the Day to over 750 people around the world. If you would like to receive my photos directly in your email, send me a message with Photo of the Day in the Subject Line. Send your request to blane@lanephotography.com.

If you would like to see other photos of boats visit my Boats Gallery at http://www.lanephotography.com/boats/boats.htm.

Woody Point, Bonne Bay

Woody Point is a town situated in scenic Bonne Bay (see August 11, 2006 post) I visited this area twice during my visit to Western Newfoundland in early August and have been there many times over the past 25 years. However, this is the first time that I went down a gravel side road that took me to a beach with several fishing stages.

The first photo this morning shows a view taken from the head of a wharf looking back towards the town. The second shows a fishing stage with the high cliffs in the background. It was a beautiful, calm morning with few clouds - ideal for photographing this scenic community.

Because the town is located within Gros Morne National Park, it has become a tourist destination for many visitors who wish to explore the history and culture of the area, scenic Bonne Bay, the Tablelands, as well as the excellent trails.

Moose

While driving through Gros Morne the first morning I was there, I saw several vehicles, including a large tour bus, pulled over on the side of the road. I assumed they were watching a moose and quickly took my camera to see if I could get a photo or two before it disappeared into the woods. The moose wasn't very nervous (it has probably seen thousands of curious humans throughout its life in the park), and I was able to get a couple of photos.

As I was takiphotographing the moose, a park ranger drove by and blew the horn several times to scare it away from the road. A few minutes later, I understood why. The third photo shows a couple of rangers loading a dead moose onto the back of a truck. The sign entering the park warned drivers that there had been 22 moose/vehicle accidents so far this year. Moose/vehicle collisions can be very serious, often resulting in serious injuries or death.

I spoke to a couple of guys in the park who had travelled from St. Anthony (a four hour drive from where we were) overnight. They said they had counted 120 moose throughout their trip, so there must be a lot of them on the Great Northern Peninsula.

Rule of thumb: Slow down and keep alert, especially in the evening, throughout the night and early morning. Moose are beautiful animals to watch and photograph, but can be dangerous when they are on a highway.

Trout River

Today's photos were taken in Trout River, and are a little different than the scenic photos I've been sending over the past while.

The first shows a red barn with an open door. Since the early morning sun had a reddish hue, it made the reds even redder. I liked the colours, the open door and the diagonal line created by the pole.

When I saw a great blue heron standing on the end of the wharf, I was really surprised. I knew that they visit the Codroy Valley (much farther south on the island part of our province) but didn't expect to see one in Gros Morne. I got fairly close in my car and took a couple of photos through the window. When I opened the car door to try to sneak closer, it flew off. I didn't see it again.

Gros Morne National Park 2

I am posting two more photos of Gros Morne National Park again this morning. Both were taken from a lookout near the campground in Trout River. It was early morning and I was looking towards the light so there isn't too much detail in the mountains, but I liked the peacefulness of that time of the day, so I photographed the scene. As with the photos posted over the past few days, I shot a wide angle view, then zoomed in and shot a closer view.

The calm water in the lake is an indicator of the peaceful morning I experienced that day.

The last time I photographed this scene was late winter a few years back - see photos at http://www.lanephotography.com/tablelands/tablelands.htm

Gros Morne National Park

In my last post, I sent photos of Bonne Bay showing the Tablelands and Woody Point taken from a scenic lookout near Norris Point. The same morning, I drove into a little town called Neddies Harbour. I took the three photos today from the beach looking across the harbour towards Norris Point with the Tablelands in the background.

The first photo shows three boats in the foreground, then I zoomed closer to the town (using my 75-300 mm lens) for each of the subsequent photos. Even though all three photos were taken from the same position, each is different from the others. I mention this because, when shooting digital photos I always shoot more than one photo, and usually, more than one composition of the same scene.

Though I have visited Gros Morne at least once a year over the past 25 years, I have never taken the same photo twice. In fact, this was the first time I had driven down the road to Neddies Harbour.