Niagara Night Lights

 Canada, Ontario, Travel  2 Responses »
Apr 262012
 

I saw a great photo of the falls lit up at night and decided to come back to take advantage of this opportunity. When I got there I discovered that the spray that had drenched my camera, when I was at the base of the falls, was so thick that the spotlights couldn’t reach the falls. It still looked pretty cool watching the lights in the swirling mist and I enjoyed finding ways to photograph them. The Skylon was positioned pretty perfectly for me to get a shot of these spots with it in the background.

Colored spot lights reflected in the rain at Niagara Falls and lighting up the Skylon

Toronto Skyline

 Canada, Ontario, Toronto, Travel  1 Response »
Apr 242012
 

Operation Horseshoe Bay Sunrise: Day 2

It was far less confusing when my alarm clock woke me up this morning. It was still a little startling, but I remembered why I’d set it. It was lighter this morning, making me think that maybe it wasn’t as cloudy. Upon setting off for horseshoe bay, I realized that it was still completely overcast. When I got to the top of the rock I realized that there was a clear band at the horizon for the sun to slip through briefly.Unfortunately, as it approached sunrise a band of rain blocked this gap. I spent a while trying out different vantage points and then noticed a break in the clouds moving across the sky. I waited for it to move into frame and caught the sun bursting through it. It may be quite interesting, but it’s not what I’m after.

I realized I didn’t mention what I was trying to capture yesterday. I’d like to manage two shots. For one, I want a spectacular sunrise forming a backdrop to the beach. For the other I want a blue sky with a few interesting clouds and the beach bathed in golden morning light. I think Thursday will probably be the best day for it.

Toronto Skyline

This is another view of the city from the shoreline near Ontario Place on the way out of Toronto. I wound up in this location after researching Toronto viewpoints on blogTO. It’s not quite where they recommended, which was actually a pedestrian overpass nearby. I got up there and couldn’t frame a shot I was happy with. I think it would be better at night, with light trails leading into the city. I’ve actually had a couple of my Toronto shots picked as blogTO’s photo of the day, which is pretty cool. If you poke around their site a bit you’ll find them.

View of Toronto from the shoreline near Ontario Place under blue sky with fluffy clouds.

 

 

Hoggs Falls

 Canada, Ontario, Travel, Waterfall  No Responses »
Apr 212012
 

This is the last of the waterfalls I visited on my trip to Ontario. There’s a rope in place to help you down the cliff. Unfortunately, I was low on time so didn’t venture down there.

I’ve decided that I’m going to spend this week going down to Horseshoe Bay for sunrise. I feel like I should have the standard shot from atop the large rock at the West end. Going down for a few mornings should ensure that I get to see a good sunrise.

Hoggs Falls waterfall with a wide curtain of water in Ontario, Canada. I

The Old Gristmill, Walter’s Falls, Ontario

 Canada, Ontario, Toronto, Travel, Waterfall  9 Responses »
Apr 192012
 

If it looks like I’m standing in the water here it’s because I am. Well, not really. My camera was though. I spotted this weir next to this old mill above Walter’s Falls in Ontario. After failing to be satisfied with a shot from the bridge I went clambering down the bank, through branches covered in thorns to get down to the river edge. I landed heavily on a pair of rocks which immediately gave way under me. I looked like I’d be getting wet for sure. Somehow, I managed to back pedal faster than the rocks were falling and build myself a new platform of rocks landing beneath my feet.

From my precarious perch, I lent out as far as I could to place my camera closer to the middle of the river, and fire off 7 exposures, before clambering back up through the bushes. Following this I went down to the bottom of the waterfall to get some shots there. I and my gear got pretty soaked once down there, but that’s a story for another day.

 

The Old Gristmill and weir at Walter's Falls, Ontario

Spring Thaw

 Canada, Ontario, Travel  1 Response »
Apr 152012
 

On my recent trip to Ontario I lucked out weather-wise. It was abnormally warm and, despite packing a big jacket, I was comfortable in just a t-shirt most of the time. It felt like the middle of summer. When I arrived at the shores of Lake Huron in Tobermory I found this remnant of winter. Across the water you can see Big Tub lighthouse.

Spring thaw at Lake Huron in Tobermory with snow melting on rocks at lake edge and Big Tub lighthouse across the water

Lake Ontario Evening, Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario

 Canada, Ontario, Toronto, Travel  2 Responses »
Apr 142012
 

I was driving westward from the center of Nigara-on-the-Lake, chasing the sunset. The sky had lit up just above the horizon and I was trying to find somewhere to take a few photos of the last light. I came across a small park nestled in amongst a few houses and parked the car. I hurried across the park to find stairs down to the edge of the lake where there happened to be a beach. I fired off a few shots and then finished up with this one.

It was dark enough that setting a small aperture allowed me to smooth out the small waves on the lake and capture some of the underwater details. This is a composite of 7 photos bracketed from -3 to +3.

Last pink tinged light seen reflecting on calm Lake Ontario at Niagara-on-the-lake with rocky shoreline.

Arboral Reflex

 Canada, Ontario, Toronto, Travel  1 Response »
Apr 122012
 

It’s amazing what you can find when you leave the road and set off on foot. I pulled over because I saw a lone tree standing at the end of a dirt lane surrounded by dried up grape vines. The sun was setting behind it. I kept walking closer, trying to find a picture. I fired off a couple and then decided to continue on past the tree. It looked like it was at the precipice of a hill and I thought there my be a view out over the landscape from there. As it turned out, the elevation wasn’t as great as I’d expected. Despite that though, I’d stumbled upon this scene and quickly set about trying to capture it.

 

A pink and yellow sunset just before night falls with a serene lake and a row of tall fir trees reflecting in the water in Ontario.

Ticket Booths by Night

 Canada, Ontario, Toronto, Travel  2 Responses »
Apr 102012
 

I’d have liked to get out to Toronto Island during my time there. In fact, my plan was to head there immediately after checking into my hotel. Unfortunately, I missed my connection in New York and got in far too late. I walked by and decided the ticket booths would make for a good photo.

Bright colored ticket booths lit up at night for ferry to Toronto Island in Ontario

Crystal Coast, Tobermory, Ontario

 Canada, Ontario, Travel  1 Response »
Apr 092012
 

Growing up in Bermuda has made me a bit of a water snob. It’s hard to imagine anywhere topping the beautiful turquoise waters cocooning the island. Now I’m not sure I’m allowed to say this, but, the waters of Lake Huron, just off of Tobermory, at the very end of the Bruce Peninsula, are definitely a contender. It was nothing like I expected, so blue and clear. Amazing. After taking a few photos I just sat and stared at it for a while before heading back up to the car.

The waters of Lake Huron, just off of Tobermory, at the very end of the Bruce Peninsula, are turquoise blue and clear.

Sun’s up, Sky’s Blue

 Canada, Ontario, Travel  1 Response »
Apr 072012
 

Tip-toeing about the lot enclosing this dilapidated barn I was on edge. There was a small house about 20 feet away, but I couldn’t tell for sure if it was inhabited. There was no-one about to ask if I could wander about the property, but I knew there would be some good photos about. Sure enough, there were.

This was about as far as I was willing to go down this dirt road. If someone had pulled in I’d have preferred to be visible from the road. I wouldn’t want anyone thinking I was a prowler hiding from view. It’d also allow me to walk straight over to them to say good morning and hope they were as friendly as everyone else I’d met around Niagara-on-the-Lake. As it turned out, nobody showed up.

This photo required a slightly different treatment to the usual. It was so bright that I realized my exposure bracketing would need to extend to -4. In order to get my Canon 5d Mk II to take this, I had to set it to auto bracket the following: -4, -2, 0. After this I fired off an additional three frames at -3,-1,+1. I took a look at the exposures and realized that the +1 had captured all the details in the shadows and I wouldn’t need to go any further. I combined these in Photomatix prior to polishing up in Photoshop.

The title of this photo is inspired by the Beatles’s. I had to go into work today and The White Album is my go-to when I need to get my head down and get some work done. I just decided to give it another listen so found it on YouTube. As I tried to think of a name for this photo John Lennon sang the line “the sun is up, the sky is blue” in Dear Prudence. I decided that was fitting.

If you’re ever in need of a bit of The White Album and don’t have it to hand, I found it all here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a9TMpAwwBw

 

Dilapidated wood and corrugated metal barn on a dirt road with a bright sunburst sky in Ontario, Canada.

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