Fresh Bread

I arrived home last evening to the smell of freshly baked home-made bread and beans. Before tasting, I had to capture a few photos of this delicious sight.

I took these photos using the small flash that came on my camera. I also turned on all lights in the kitchen to add light to the scene. Normally, I use my larger flash, but because the batteries were dead and I couldn't wait for them to charge before eating supper, I was forced to use the small one. It actually worked well in this situation.

Happy Halloween. Enjoy.

Jug and Basin

Thanks for the comments on yesterday's photos of the wagon wheel. They inspired me to choose another object and send in colour and b&w.

The jug and basin belonged to my mother and we had it placed in a prominent place in our house. Of course, I photographed it several times since we obtained it.

Like the wheel photos I sent yesterday, the b&w gives an impression to the viewer that it is from a different time, whereas the colour looks more "modern". Many people preferred the colour photo yesterday, but they admitted that the b&w evoked different reactions when viewing the images.

I normally wouldn't use two of these images together (unless I was using them as an effect by dissolving from b&w to colour) but it is interesting to see your reactions. Comments welcome.

Wheel

Today, I am sharing a photo of a wheel that was laying against someone's house, I took the original in colour and converted to b & w to see if it gave an impression of "the past".

In the past, I have shown several types of photographs that, when converted to b & w, look like they have come from a different time. I think it works in this case.

Mercedes Logo

I took the photos of the Mercedes hood ornament after a heavy frost a few years back . The first image shows a shadow of the hood ornament and the second shows both the logo and shadow.

Interesting shapes and textures.

Leaves

Fall colours were evident all around Holyrood today. I took a few photos of the maples that grow along the main road in Holyrood.

I assume that most places in Canada have fall colours right now. Why don't you send a few photos to mqpphotos@gmail.com

Primula

I am sharing lots of colour this morning. Several years ago I photographed flowers that had been delivered to school as gifts. I have identified them as primula, but am not 100 percent positive.

Wild flowers have stopped blooming around here and the leaves of most deciduous trees have changed colour (making beautiful landscapes). I photograph flowers just about everywhere I go and enjoy seeing all the shapes and colours flash by on my screensaver, especially during the winter.

Bauline South

Fog is common all around the Island of Newfoundland and adds to photos of the sea. Both photos this morning were taken near Bauline South, located on the Irish Loop about 40 miles from St. John's.

The first shows one of the islands that make up the Witless Bay Bird Sanctuary. This island is home to many Atlantic Puffins and Common Murres.

The second photo shows a tour boat returning to port. Because of the waves and swell of the ocean, the boat looks like it is partially under water. You can see that fog nearly covers the island in the background. I took this photo from the wharf in Bauline South.

Vancouver Aquarium

When I visited Vancouver a few years ago, I spent a couple of hours at the Aquarium in Stanley Park. Even though I was shooting through glass, I captured many interesting images.

Unfortunately, I do not remember the names of most of the species I photographed while I was there. There was quite a variety of sea creatures there and I should have photographed the names as well. Unfortunately, my batteries died while I was there and I didn't get as many photos as I wanted.

If you wish to see photographs of many more colourful lifeforms, feel free to check others at: http://lanephotography.com/Vancouver/

Beach

The first photo this morning was taken while walking on a sandy beach in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.

The first and second images are actually the same photograph. The first is the original and the second was edited in Picasa 2, a free program from Google. I thought that by making the image redder it would resemble a Martian Landscape.

The third photo shows the sea cliffs at low tide. You can tell that the sand came from the surrounding rocks because they are the same colour.

Shadows

While walking along the streets in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia late one evening, I saw shadows of trees on the siding of a house. I liked the colours and textures so I stopped to take a few photos.

I chose these photos to illustrate my theme to Photo of the Day - Everything's A Picture. These images may be used as a background for a poem or story about shadows or trees.

Art

I am not sure how many of you enjoy looking at "art", but this morning I am sharing three photos taken on the Halifax waterfront during their Busker Festival last August.

As I walked by the various venues and shops, I took time to photograph some of the art that was on sale. The bright blue eyes of the cat sculpture and the expression on the face of the wooden sculpture certainly caught my attention.

The young lady getting her face painted looked very calm and peaceful as an artist used her face as a canvas. I really liked the hands, colours and expression on her face. I could have waited until her eyes were open and asked her if I could photograph the face painting, but I decided to capture the "act" of painting rather than have her look directly at the camera.

I often make images of common objects that many people enjoy even though they would never think of photographing them.

If you are interested in seeing a few more images of the Busker festival, visit my Photo of the Day Blog and check back through the archives to August 2006. www.kbrucelane.blogspot.com

People

I chose a couple of People photos again this morning. As I said a couple of weeks ago, I shoot many candid photos of people just doing the things that they normally do.

The two photos this morning were taken just a few minutes apart in July, 2001. I noticed an older gentleman painting his fishing stage and he was not aware that I was making this photo. I found it interesting that he was painting around the piece of wood that he had used to cover a window. The side of the shed was in shade, but he was lit by the mid-day sun (photo taken at 12:44).

I was photographing the open door in the second photo when a guy walked into the scene behind the fishing stage. He is well lit because I was metering off the bright door and he was also in the bright light. The door in the foreground frames the darkness in the shed which frames the door in the background which frames the person. It was just pure luck that I was there to capture this image.

These people photos are good examples of my theme - EVERYTHING'S A PICTURE. Many people on this list have stated they look at the world differently because of the daily photos and comments that I share. Those responses are reinforcement of my theory that "seeing" the world through the viewfinder of a camera actually changes the way you look at the world. The more you get "into" photography, the more of an effect it has.

Boats

Yesterday's photos demonstrated a technique that I have been experimenting with over the past few years. This morning I chose two photos taken in Pouch Cove a few years ago to further demonstrate how you can "force" the viewer to see what you want them to see.

The boats in the first photo are part of the whole scene and not the dominant subject of the photo. Some viewers MAY concentrate on the boats in the foreground, but others will look at the town, ocean, sea cliffs, etc.

By zooming in closer to the boats, I am only allowing you to see the boats and steep slipway. Since you can not see the town, it is not a distraction.

Photographers attempt to communicate through their images and include only what they are trying to show, eliminating things in the image that may distract the viewer.

Sky

According to Wikipedia, The Rule of Thirds "is a compositional rule of thumb in photography and other visual arts such as painting. The rule states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. The four points formed by the intersections of these lines can be used to align features in the photograph. Proponents of this technique claim that aligning a photograph with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the photo than simply centering the feature would."

This morning's photos break the rule of thirds but I still like the images very much. I have been experimenting with a variety of techniques, but shooting sky scenes with just a little of the land showing creates images that I find very interesting.

Feel free to comment on the different compositions in today's photos.

Birch Leaves

The birches in my yard are turning yellow very quickly these days, very much like the images I am sharing today (taken 5 years ago).

Many people asked if I were leaving the beautiful property that I have lived on for 25 years. Actually, my new home is less than 300 feet from that property. My son bought our family home and we built a smaller home next door. (from 3000 to 1268 square feet) So, I still live near the same "woods" that I have for a quarter of a century, just in a smaller, newer house. :)

Of course I have been photographing the construction of our new house since we started cutting last fall. When it is complete, I plan to make a slide show of the progress. I may share it with you later.

Bees in Flight

Photographing insects can be a challenge because they do not normally stay still very long. As well, when they are in motion, it is difficult to focus.

This morning I am sharing two photos taken several years ago with my first digital camera (Olympus c2100 UZ). That particular camera had a shutter delay so it was even more difficult to capture the bee while flying. I was lucky to get the bees and flowers in focus.

Bay de Verde

Sorry I haven't been sending my Photo of the Day for the past couple of days, but we were moving into our new house and I had no access to the Internet. Hopefully all will be back to normal later today or tomorrow.

I am sharing two photos this morning of Bay de Verde, located near the tip of the North-Western Avalon. It is a scenic community built on cliffs that are similar to the Signal Hill area of St. John's. In fact, I think it is part of the same rock structure.

Wild Cherries

On the way home from work yesterday, I stopped to photograph wild cherries growing on a tree alongside the road. It was sunny and clear and the sun was behind the trees.

The first shows a branch laden with berries with the blue sky in the background. The second is a closer view of the same branch. The third shows a bunch of cherries, many of which are out of focus.

This was a challenging photo shoot because of the lighting and the moving branches (it was a little windy). When shooting close ups, only the berries that I focused on are in focus; the rest are fuzzy. If I used a wider angle lens the berries would be hardly noticeable.

I also liked the fact that I could see the seed inside the cherries.

Boats, Holyrood

During the summer months visitors and residents of Holyrood can see lots of boats in the harbour.

In the first photo, two sail boats pass a small fishing boat. And in the second, you can see a sail boat, a speedboat and three boats in between. Both photos were taken in July of 2006 during the squid fishery. The boats in the middle appeared to be fishing, while the others were "on the bay" for pleasure.

Many people stop and watch the boats in Holyrood Harbour, especially on a nice day.

Glacial Boulders

The top of the second ridge of hills that I hiked to all summer has numerous large glacial boulders that appear to have been broken when they dropped from a glacier around 10 000 years ago.

In the first photo you can see that the large boulder was cracked nearly in half. In the background, you can see three other boulders near the edge of the hill.

The second photo shows another one that has been cracked as well. The two pieces in the foreground look like they are part of the larger one in the background. This boulder is around 5.5 feet in diameter.

If you travel 10 000 years back in time, this area would be under a river of ice that was probably in the process of melting. I suspect the boulders on this hill fell from the ice to the ridge and cracked when it hit the solid bedrock, leaving all the pieces where they fell. If it had been cracked in the ice, the pieces would have been more rounded and separated because the ice in the glaciers flows like a river in slow motion carrying rocks and debris with it.

Spirit of Harbour Grace

Something a little different today.

The Spirit of Harbour Grace is a plane that is on display in the Town of Harbour Grace. I have photographed this plane several times and am sharing three images of it this morning.

The first was taken on a dull cloudy day. I liked this angle because there was only plane and sky - almost felt like it was flying through the air. A week later I was in the same are and photographed the plane again, this time with a different wide angle lens and deep blue skies. To create the third image, I superimposed a photo of a bonfire which made the scene totally different.

Three images of the same subject, yet you will probably have different reactions to each one.

Fall

Fall has arrived here in the Holyrood area. Grasses have all turned to straw, leaves are changing colour and withering, many plants are starting to "die" off, and we have had at least one heavy frost. This morning I am sharing 2 photos taken on September 22, during my last hike to the hills behind my house.

The first photo was taken after a 40 minute walk to the base of the first of three ridges that I visited all summer. The bog has a small pond that had many frogs throughout the summer. You can observe the straw-like colour of the grasses in the pond.

The lily pads are also changing colour from a green to yellow. I have photographed lily pads often over the past few years. I particularly like it when the first ice forms with the lily pads frozen within. The moose hunting season is open now and I haven't been walking much - too dangerous!