Backyard

Yesterday's photos of trees with different backgrounds were taken in my back yard about 300-500 feet from my house. A couple of days ago I waited until late in the day to take my camera for a short walk out back and was hoping to see a coyote or moose since there are tracks around nearly every morning. I didn't see any wildlife but I did see a full moon and fog drifting in over the hills.

As soon as I stepped outside I saw the full moon rising in the east. I photographed it right away but thought I'd get a few photos of the dead trees (sent yesterday) with the moon in the background. When I got out there, the moon wasn't visible because of the forest, so I decided to photograph the mountain with the fog. The second image shows a close view of the mountain (about 1.5 miles away) shrouded in fog. Unfortunately, the view didn't really show the fog well so I zoomed back and photographed it a couple of times on the widest setting on my lens.

The fog in the last image seems to be rising from Main Beach Pond, the lake directly under the hills, but could be rolling up the valley from Holyrood Harbour to the north (left of the photo).

Trees

Over the past week or so I have waked out back of my house with camera in hand. Today I am sharing 4 images - two sets of the same subjects, taken on different days. The angles and backgrounds are different letting you see the difference that lighting makes. Which photos feel "dark or foreboding", "more soothing", "stronger"?

The trees depicted in today's photos are remnants of the forest that I loved to explore. It was clear cut in 2001 and most of the trees that were left have died or are dying. Even so, they still make interesting photographs.

New Orleans

I visited New Orleans on business in the early 1990's and took a few photos around the city. Because I worked during the days I was there, I didn't get an opportunity to take as many photos as I would have liked. I had a few slides scanned several years ago and will scan (and share) the remainder of them when I get to slides I took in the 90s - I am still scanning slides I took in 1981.

The first photo shows a building with a balcony and windows with shutters. I think they would need air conditioning in Louisiana but the AC unit bothered me enough that I considered not taking the shot. The second is a view of a row of buildings on a side street and the third shows the bottom of a pole with a hand-written message written on it. The fourth image shows a tour boat getting ready to travel up river and the last shows a balcony with fancy wrought-iron railings. I guess the number of tourists to this area has dropped since Hurricane Katrina.

Boats 6

This is the last in the Boat series for now. As I said yesterday, I will return to this subject from time to time. Living on an island gives me numerous opportunities to photograph boats of all types and I have a large collection. Thanks to those of you who let me know that you are enjoying the photographs of boats. One person pointed out - I’m enjoying your series on Boats, not only the boats but the little villages and the different scenery in the background as well.

The first four photos were taken a couple of years ago on the south coast of the island. It was very cloudy when I made the first photograph in Belloram. I liked the smaller boats in the foreground and a variety of others moored off shore. The clouds were starting to break as I photographed boats in Harbour Breton.

The last image was taken in Brigus South, located along the Irish Loop on the Avalon Peninsula. As you can see, it was a calm, clear summer day - perfect for a photo shoot!

Boats 5

Tomorrow will be the last in this series on boats. I am sure I will return to it again from time to time.

The first photo this morning was taken in Greenspond, Bonavista Bay on a calm, overcast morning. The town was in shock the day I visited because a fisherman had died the night before when his boat capsized not too far from town.

The second and third show small boats tied up to stages in Petty Harbour, a small community near St. John's. As you can imagine, they get lots of visitors during the summer months.

The last two photos were taken on a beautiful summer day in Salvage, Bonavista Bay, I have visited this community several times but my visit last summer was the nicest day ever!

Boats 4

The first photo this morning shows a small harbour in the Southport, Trinity Bay area. I am not certain, because I only visited this area once and I am not sure if this image is actually Southport or a neighbouring community.

The second image shows small boats tied up to a wharf in Winterton, also located in Trinity Bay. It is interesting that the fishing boats are tied up to the wharf but the pleasure craft is moored just offshore.

The third photo shows boats tied up in North Arm, Holyrood. Since this photo was taken there has been quite a bit of construction and it will probably look different next time I photograph this area.

The last two images were taken in Petty Harbour and show boats and stages in their protected harbour.

Boats 3

The first photo this morning shows large fishing boats tied up to the wharf in Catalina, Trinity Bay. These are expensive boats used in fishing far off shore. The next two images show a variety of boats in Southern Harbour, Placentia Bay and the third shows a couple of small boats in the sheltered harbour of Little Hearts Ease, Trinity Bay. The last photo was taken looking towards Southport, Trinity Bay.

Someone commented that boats have changed a lot over the years. I think that is true and as fishermen had to move farther off shore to catch different species they needed bigger and safer boats. I believe many fishermen still use traditional "punts" while fishing close to home. The smaller boats are used in inshore fisheries that take place close to land and are not designed to be used in the rough seas far off shore.

Boats 2

Today I chose photos of boats with nice reflections. The first was taken in Green's Harbour, Trinity Bay. This town is located on the Baccalieu Trail, which I have referred to often on my Photo of the Day.

There was just enough breeze to make tiny ripples on the harbour in Winterton, Trinity Bay. This community is also located along the Baccalieu Trail and is my mother's home town. I have visited Winterton many times and have many fond memories of spending time with my relatives there.

A very large yacht, the ONIKA, just happened to be visiting the Corner Brook area and I photographed it as the sun rose over the hills to the east. We were visiting friends who had a boat there at the time, and, as usual, I arose early, took my camera and walked around photographing the marina in the early morning light.

Trout River is located near the Tablelands in Gros Morne National Park. The boats are tied up along the river which runs along the steep cliff which provides protection from the ocean.

The last photo shows a tiny harbour in the Twillingate area. I normally photograph the signs as I enter a community and the one nearest this says it is Salt Harbour. However, I remember there was a sign or two I missed for some strange reason. If anyone visiting this Blog can tell me if this is Salt Harbour, or a neighbouring community, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

These photos show very calm days - the kind of day I drive to a community, make photographs, then drive to the next, make more images, and so on, until I run out of light.

If you are interested in seeing more photos of Boats feel free to check my Galleries at: http://www.lanephotography.com/boats/boats.htm

Boats

Another favourite photographic subject of mine is boats of all types. For the next few days, I plan to share photos of boats in harbours around the province.

The first photo shows 4 small fishing boats moored just offshore with a large iceberg in the background. It was a very overcast day which provided interesting lighting on the harbour in Spaniard's Bay.

The still waters in the harbour of Triton/Card's Harbour, the boats and stages made an idyllic scene which I couldn't resist photographing. Interestingly, these photos were taken during my second trip there that day. When I was there earlier in the morning the whole area was shrouded in heavy fog. Of course, I made fog photographs as well.

The fourth image shows boats in the harbour of Bay de Verde. The harbour in Grates Cove is open to the Atlantic Ocean. You can see that a few small boats are tied to the wharf and larger ones are moored in the harbour. I assume fishermen use the smaller boats to get to those in the harbour.

Chickadees

You need lots of patience and time to make photographs of birds, especially small birds like chickadees. Generally, they don't stay still very long and you will have to be fast to capture an image that is in focus.

The first photo shows a chickadee just as it is about to take off. Its wings show motion and the position of the bird shows that it about to fly away. Of course, this was an accident because the bird just happened to move as I pressed the shutter release. The others show birds that seem to be still and looking around, which they were for a second or two. These images have been cropped from the original photos.

You need patience because, if you are in sight of the birds, you will have to stand very still for 5 - 10 minutes before they will come back to the area. I have held sunflower seeds in my hand and waited for chickadees to take them. It is an amazing feeling to see (and feel) a wild bird land on my for a second then fly away. Once one chickadee takes a seed, it will return for others. I have tried this with other species, but chickadees seem to be the bravest.