Winter Scenes

My son Mark and I went for a snowshoe hike recently. As I walked under a fir tree I noticed icicles hanging off the branches. I thought it would be an interesting picture and by the time I had my camera out of the bag, Mark had walked into view. I quickly focused on the icicles, knowing that he would be a silhouette in the background. I took a few quick shots with him framed between the icicles. I liked the scene and decided to shoot it again without the branches and icicles.

I liked both images. I expected them to be dark because when I focused on the icicles with the bright sky in the background, I knew the camera would "see" the scenes as very bright and cause Mark and the trees to be silhouettes. To achieve the same effect in the second photo, I focused on Mark's head. You'll notice that his image is sharper in the second photo.

Photography Course Update

I am still considering offering a basic photography course and have been doing some research as to the best program to use for delivering a photography course on line. I am also developing a list of topics, and am in the process of finalizing how much to include in a basic course, and how much would be a fair price to charge. I will update you in a week or two.

Snowshoe Hare

Many people wondered about the animal that made the tracks in the photos I sent out yesterday. Today, I am sharing three photos of snowshoe hare.

The first shows a hare snuggled up under in the moss on the forest floor. I use this photo to talk to our students about camouflage.

The second was taken from my bathroom window. It was spring and the hare was eating the fresh green shoots of grass that were beginning to grow in our yard. You can see that it is fairly alert. You can't see it in this photo but one of my cats was sneaking up on the hare as I took this photo. I think the hare was aware it was being stalked.

I saw the hare in the third photo hiding under the grasses. It was less than 8 feet away, and I didn't see it until it hopped into view.

If you would like to read more, or find out how it makes its tracks, go to: http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=103&cid=8

"Rabbit Tracks"

Yesterday I mentioned that I enjoy seeing animal tracks in the snow. Of course, I photograph them often.

The tracks in today's photos were made by a snowshoe hare. They are common around here this year and I see their tracks everywhere I go. There were tracks all around my yard a couple of days ago.

In the twenty-six years I have been hiking through the woods around here, I have only seen two snowshoe hare on the trails; one in winter and one in summer.

More Winter

Today, I am sharing three more photos taken during this weekend's snowshoe hikes. I chose photos I took while looking up as I walked through the forest.

The storms we had last week left lots of snow on the branches of even the tiniest trees. I really like the textures of the snow as well as the contrast between the snow and the clear blue sky. I hope you are not tiring of winter photos yet. There are still 6-8 weeks of winter left in this part of the world. :)

Someone asked what I liked about walking in the forest this time of the year. When I thought about it, there are many reasons:

• no black flies, mosquitoes or other biting insects
• easy to walk over areas that are boggy in the summer providing opportunities to explore areas that are difficult to pass in the summer
• walking across lakes and ponds saves time and effort when trying to get somewhere specific
• I can see tracks which indicate animals have passed by this area since I have been there last.
  

Since I do not get cold when walking in the forest, it is sometimes more enjoyable walking in winter.

Winter Walk

We had an excellent weekend for snowshoeing. I walked for 2 hours yesterday and 2 hours again today. Of course I took a few photos. ;) The temperature was -12°C (6°F), but it was a beautiful, and warm, walk. Very peaceful scenes.

The first one shows one view from the back of our house. The "arrow tree" is just a few minutes walk from there. The branches of most trees had lots of snow on them, just like the ones in the third photo.

I finally uploaded photos of my hike to the mountain just before Christmas. If you are interested go to: http://www.lanephotography.com/winter/mountain_hike/snowshoe_hike_01.htm

Shapes and Textures

During our snow day yesterday, I redesigned my Shapes and Textures Gallery. There are 18 new photos there if you would like to check them out: http://www.lanephotography.com/shapes_textures/shape.htm.

The first photo this morning shows a close up of the Exploits River near Grand Falls, Newfoundland. I liked the way the ice was forming near the top of a small waterfall. I remember it was a very cold morning and I had hiked a couple of miles on snowshoes before I found this spot. I took 36 slides (around $15 at the time) of the ice and water in this area.

I photographed the twig of a dogberry tree right next to my house in Holyrood. I used close-up filters which changed the shape of the sun setting in the background. I liked the colours and shapes in the ice. This was also scanned from a slide.

Moose

Last night I created a new Moose Gallery with 15 new moose photos. Feel free to check it out at: http://www.lanephotography.com/moose/moose_3/moose_3.htm The two other moose galleries have also been updated.

The two photos I am sharing this morning were both taken in Gros Morne National Park on the same day. I suspect it is the same moose because the photos were taken only a mile or so apart. The lighting is much different in each. The first was taken in early morning and was in a shaded area. I actually "warmed" the colours in this image. The second was taken in late evening and was taken in direct sunlight.

This moose was fairly used to people because over a hundred people came and went while I was taking pictures, and it hardy looked up. I was able to get pretty close and have some great shots.

Moon Jellyfish

Yesterday we had blizzard conditions in the morning and rain in the afternoon. Everything will be icy today.

I uploaded a Jellyfish Gallery yesterday that has photos taken in South Brook, Green Bay a few years ago. I have identified the species as moon jellyfish. If anyone on the list knows if I am right or wrong, please let me know.

Check out the other photos at: http://www.lanephotography.com/animals/jellyfish/jellyfish_01.htm

Pitcher Plant

On one of my recent snowshoe hikes I photographed several pitcher plants that were "peeking" out of the snow. The remnants of last summer's pitcher plant flowers will rot away by late spring, providing fertilizer for next year's flowers.

We have had 20-30 cm (8-12 inches) of snow since these photos were taken, so these flowers are probably completely under the snow now.

Visit my Pitcher Plant Gallery at: http://www.lanephotography.com/pitcher_plant/pitcher.htm

Wind and blowing snow here today and changing to rain later in the morning. Warming to 3°C (36°F) today which is a break from -17°C (-4°F) we had during the past two days. Brrr.

Petley

This morning I am sending a couple more photos of Petley, Random Island. This is a great place to capture fishing stages and interesting scenery in all seasons.

When I photograph communities, I often walk around the town, rather than drive, because I can "see" more photographic subjects. I usually take a lot more photographs when walking!

There are more photos of Petley on line: http://www.lanephotography.com/petley/petley.htm

Photo Art

Occasionally I "create" art using my photos. Today I am sharing three images.

The first is made up of three photos of "Big Cats" I captured while visiting Naples Zoo in Florida. I added lighting effects to the upper right of the second photo because I felt it made the image more mysterious. I, duplicated, then flipped a copy of the clouds. I liked the effect created when I merged the two images.

I have more "art" photos on line:http://www.lanephotography.com/painted/magical_worlds/magical_worlds_01.htm

Trees

The first photo this morning was taken on the Cape Shore highway on the Southern Avalon Peninsula between Placentia and St. Bride's. If you have visited Cape St. Mary's, you have driven by these trees which have been beaten by the winds and salt spray. I like the shapes created by the branches of this tree.

The second image was created from the first photo. One of my software programs allows me to create the charcoal effect which added textures to the shapes in the final image.

Fiddler

When I visited Peggy's Cove a few years back, I photographed a guy playing a fiddle very near the lighthouse. He was a good player and attracted quite an audience.

I am not sure if this guy plays there often, or it was just the day that we were there. If you have visited Peggy's Cove and seen this guy playing there, please let me know.

Raining and 6°C (42°F) here today. Not much like winter, though we are supposed to get a storm tomorrow.

Petley

Wow! The VW photo sure evoked lots of memories for many of you. I will have a look through my scanned slides for others, but I am not sure I have any others scanned yet.

This morning I am sharing two photos of Petley, Random Island that were taken in the winter of 2005. The first photo shows lobster pots stored on a "stage", a common sight around the island of Newfoundland this time of year.

The second shows a couple of sheds bordering a road that leads to a house in the background. Again, this is a typical winter scene in communities around the province.

Winter

I have chosen two "old" photos this morning.

The 1961 Volkswagen was the first car my wife and I purchased after we got married in 1970. We had an apartment on Monkstown Road in St. John's and had to park on the sidewalk during winter evenings. The photo was taken during a 3 day state of emergency in the winter of 1971. I have many "stories" about that car .....

The second photo was taken in Harry's Harbour, Green Bay on a cold winter morning in mid-winter 1972. I was living in King's Point at the time and drove 20 minutes to photograph the small community.

These were scanned from slides.

Seascape

This evening I am sharing two seascapes taken in Bay Robert's, Conception Bay on the Shoreline Heritage Walking Trail.

You can see Bishop's Cove and Upper Island Cove in the background. This a great area to photograph seascapes. The two photographs show different views of the same rocks.

I have lots of seascape photos on line at: http://www.lanephotography.com/seascapes/seascapes.htm

Holyrood

A few of you have asked about hiking to the hills behind my house. When I hike, I usually walk for 2-4 hours. If that is too long, there is a mountain much closer to the town where you can get a great view of the harbour and surrounding area.

You can hike to the top of George Cove Mountain, shown in the first photo this morning, in 10-15 minutes (or less - the last time took me 6.5 minutes). It is steep, but there is a pretty good trail with steps, rails and benches to take a rest. It is not a difficult walk, but I guarantee that you will be breathing heavy when you get to the top. You can't see it, but there were two or three people on the top when I took this photo.

The second photo shows a wide angle view of the town and harbour and gives you an idea of the view you get from the top. The third photo shows a closer view of the beach and marina.
I have other Holyrood photos at: http://www.lanephotography.com/holyrood/holyrood.htm

Chair

Thanks for the responses to my "antique" photos yesterday. Apparently the photos evoked warm memories for many of you so I decided to share three more images from Droghedea again this morning.

The first two photos show the "old" chair and it's position in one of the rooms in this interesting farmhouse. The third shows the "texture" of the chair. It was the first time I had ever seen this type of design on an old wooden chair.

I wonder if any of you know anything about this.

Droghedea Historical Farmhouse

I am not sure if the objects in today's photos are antiques, however, they are old enough to be in a local museum. Droghedea Historical Farmhouse is located in Makinsons (near Clarkes Beach) and dates back to the 1800's. The house is full of objects that span many years.

The stove reminds me of visiting my Grandparent's house in Winterton, Trinity Bay when I was a young boy. There was a wood stove in their kitchen and I was always amazed that they could cook so well (even bake bread) on it. They had kettles similar to the two larger ones in the second image.

The third shows old books. I am pretty sure that I used the English Grade 7 book when I was in that grade (1961). The Math book also looks familiar, but it may have been from seeing these photos.

Today's photos bring back memories of my youth. They also illustrate my theme - Everything's a Picture. We tend to take common objects for granted, not realizing that they will be considered antiques 50+ years from now. Of course, we don't save every object that we have because they may be valuable antiques in the future, however, with digital photography, we can take photos of whatever we want. Years from now there should be a lot more photos of "our time in history" because there are so many digital cameras around.

I have a few other photos of this type at: http://www.lanephotography.com/objects/objects.htm

Winter Scenes

I had a few requests to see other photos I took on my snowshoe hikes during Christmas. I am sharing two more today and will send more over the next while. I am trying to send a variety of images because if I send "current" photos there will be mostly winter photos for the next 3 months.

Both photos this morning show how the wind has shaped the snow high in the hills. You may be able to guess that the snow is also hard. In some places it was pure ice and I had to be careful not to slip.

Shooting snow (or beach) scenes in bright sunlight is challenging because the chip in camera reads the scene as very bright and chooses high shutter speeds and aperture. The trees and hills in the first image show up as dark areas. Because of the gray rock and snow, the hills in the second image are more their natural colour.

Several people have asked if I would teach a basic photography course on line. I am curious how many of you would be interested in more "formal" photography lessons than the hints I give in my Photo of the Day.

If there is enough response, I may consider developing one. If you are interested in doing an online photography course please click the link below.

NOTE: this is for information purposes only to determine if there would be enough interest to put work into developing the course. Clicking Yes below is NOT a commitment to register if I decide to proceed.

Yes, I would be interested in an online photography course.

Paint

This morning I thought I'd share a couple of photographs of paint peeling off a boat that appeared to be abandoned in a small community in Bonavista Bay. I liked the textures, lines and shadows created by the sunlight reflecting off the paint.

These photos do not portray beautiful scenes, however they make interesting backgrounds that may be used in media productions. I have taken hundreds, if not thousands of photos of textures and Shapes and have a few on line at: http://www.lanephotography.com/shapes_textures/shape.htm