Over the Top at Hilton Falls

As mentioned in my previous post, after photographing the old, rusted out cars and trucks in Rockwood, Ontario I made a brief visit to nearby Hilton Falls on Sixteen Mile Creek. This lovely waterfall is one of the many waterfalls that are found along the Niagara Escarpment and is located in the Hilton Falls Conservation Area.. When photographing waterfalls it is always wise to create images from several different perspectives.  One of the perspectives I am particularly fond of is that which can be created at the crest of the falls, looking over the edge. To photograph the scene above I chose to work from a narrow ledge beside the river at the crest of the falls. I excluded most of the surrounding forest due to the significant leaf fall, opting to include as much of the river’s flow pattern as possible. I did retain enough of the far bank and the brink of the cascade to maintain a sense of place in the resulting image. Hope you like the results 🙂

Please remember to click on the image to see the larger, sharper version.

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Dilapidated Beauty

 

 

On Friday past my brother Gregg (founder of Work Cabin), and I decided to meet up at the Rockwood Auto Yard for a few hours to photograph old cars and trucks in the fields and forest. There is a certain beauty that can be found within the old relics as they sit in a constant state of decay, as forest and field take hold. Here are three of my favorite images processed with Topaz Labs Clarity and Nik Color Efex’s Detail Extractor, which were used to enhance the details in the rust, dents and peeling paint.

At first I had reservations about photographing the wrecks so late in the season, but now think that it was probably one of the best times as the fallen leaves on the colorful wrecks added an extra special element to some of the scenes. And I am a firm believer in getting out to create photographs regardless of the weather conditions, seasons, or time of day. The more this is done the easier it is to ‘see’ the images that are waiting to be photographed. As I compile my list of workshops that will commence in the Spring of 2014, I will most certainly be adding a few visits to this cool location, to capture the dilapidated wrecks throughout the seasons.

Please click on each of the images to see the larger, sharper versions of each. And stay tuned for more grungy images from the day and also some lovely waterfall images, as we saved just enough time to photograph the nearby Hilton Falls too 🙂

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Rosseau River Revisited

One location I have visited frequently this past year has been that of Lower Rosseau Falls on the Rosseau River. I am a big advocate of revisiting locations over and over and over. With each new visit to a location different elements tend to grab your attention. Perhaps it is because the light on the scene is ever-changing and never the same as it was before, or our frame of mind at the time.

During the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend I was up at the family cottage on Horseshoe Lake to close up for the coming winter. The family cottage is only a short drive from Lower Rosseau Falls. So, when most of the chores were completed I took a short  break to capture a few fresh images of the river. On this visit I decided I would make my way down to the mouth of the river where it flows into Lake Rosseau. When the water levels in the river are high, a portion of the water gets diverted around the rocky terrain, which then flows back into the main stream downriver creating a small pleasing cascade.  I have always been attracted to the directional differences of the river here when this occurs. Above and below are two different compositions of this scene.

I was initially disappointed that the autumn color was past peak at this point in time with significant leaf fall, but do think this transition phase of the forest can be equally beautiful. What do you think?

Please click on each of the photos to see the larger, sharper versions.

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More Multiple Exposure Fun

6 Image Multiple Exposure of Autumn Forest Scene. Parry Sound, Ontario

On the Canada Thanksgiving Weekend I arrived at the family cottage on Horseshoe Lake near Parry Sound, Ontario to close-up for the coming winter. Most often this weekend is when the fall colors are at their peak condition in this region of Ontario however, this year they were past peak, with significant leaf fall. Below the forest canopy there was some lingering color and I decided to try my hand some additional multiple exposures while taking my dog Koko for her morning walk each day. I captured countless multiple renditions and thought I would share three of my favorites.

Please click on each of the images to view the sharper, larger versions.

6 Image Multiple Exposure of White Birch in Autumn. Parry Sound, Ontario.

 

6 Image Multiple Exposure in Sugar Maple Forest. Parry Sound, Ontario.

 

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Autumn Color & Multiple Exopsures: What A Combo!

6 Image Multiple Exposure of Aspen Trees and Autumn Color

On Tuesday, October 8th I spent the day with Denise Ippolito photographing in the Coldwater area just north of Toronto. We were in search of some lovely autumn scenery however, with the prolonged heavy rains that we endured on the past weekend much of the autumn foliage had fallen. As we drove around we did come across some lovely stands of Aspen trees that were set among a mix of yellows and reds, following Denise’s lead I set my my Nikon D800 to it’s multiple exposure setting, dialing in a total of 6 images for this technique. The results we achieved by doing so quite lovely and the images photographed using Denise’s multiple exposure technique turned out to be my favorites of the season. To learn more about this technique for photographing such scenes head over to Denise’s blog here where she explains how she created this killer effect.

I am off to the Parry Sound region to close the cottage for the coming winter, so the blog will be quiet for the next few days.

Please remember to click on each of the images to view the larger, sharper versions.

6 Image Multiple Exposure of Aspen Trees and Autumn Color

 

6 Image Multiple Exposure of Aspen Trees and Autumn Color

 

6 Image Multiple Exposure of Aspen Trees and Autumn Color

 

 

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The Possibilities Are Endless

Rusty Old Wreck – Original Capture

Above you will see the original version of a lovely, rusty old wreck that was photographed today during one of Denise Ippolito’s numerous workshops that are planned during her visit to the Toronto area. This morning the weather conditions could not have been better as we were presented with lots of fog and some rain and drizzle to help saturate the colors of the rusted old wrecks we were photographing. Denise will also be presenting her “A Blend of Art & Nature Photography” lecture for the Toronto Digital Photography Club on Tuesday evening at 7:30 pm at the Edithvale Community Centre in North York. To find out more about how to sign up for the lecture, please click here.

Below you will see the various creative renditions I conjured up using various photoshop plug-ins. Each of the image captions will inform you of the software used to create the effect as presented. Please remember to click on each of the images to see the larger, sharper versions. Also, please take a moment to let us know which is your favorite of these renditions.

Rusty Old Wreck – Topaz Black & White Effects 2

 

Rusty Old Wreck – Silver Efex Pro 2

 

Rusty Old Wreck – Nik HDR Efex

 

Rusty Old Wreck – Fractalius

 

 

 

 

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Don’t Miss This

Image: © Denise Ippolito / All Rights Reserved

The very creative and highly talented Denise Ippolito will be in the Toronto area to commence four separate workshops as well as a lecture for the Toronto Digital Photography Club. The workshops will be taking place on Sunday, October the 6th and Monday, October the 7th with the lecture scheduled for Tuesday, October the 8th at 7:30 pm in the Edithvale Community Centre in North York, Ontario. To learn more about the workshops and lecture and how to register for them please click HERE.

Denise Ippolito and I co-wrote the very popular eGuide, FRACTASTIC, a user guide to the Redfield Fractalius plug-in for Photoshop. Two of Denise’s amazing, fractalius renderings grace today’s blog post, with my most favorite of all her fracts featured above. Below you will see a Fractalius rendering from Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania.

Image © Denise Ippolito / All Rights Reserved

Denise is an excellent instructor / workshop leader and her lecture ‘A Blend of Art & Nature Photography‘ will inspire you to unleash your creative side. Be sure to check out the workshop and lecture information HERE and be prepared to be inspired. After all Denise taught me everything I know about Fractalius.

Hope to see you there 🙂

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Orphan Lake Trail

Over-looking Orphan Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario

On my recent excursion to Lake Superior Provincial Park I made a point of walking the Orphan Lake Trail. This is an 8 kilometer trail that meanders through a variety of habitats including; boreal forest, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest, Lake Superior shoreline, and the riverbank of the Baldhead River (no this river was not named after yours truly 🙂 ).  The trail can be at times a little tough as there are numerous steep inclines along the way. At about the 6 kilometer point my persistent back problems began to flare up, making the last 2 kilometers a bit of a challenge to complete. Nonetheless, anyone planning a visit to Lake Superior Provincial Park must hike this trail as the scenery is utterly breath-taking and you will get a real sense of the wildness of the park.

In the photo above you will see a fish-eye view from the lookout over Orphan Lake, with Lake Superior in the distance. This image was created using the Sigma 15mm f2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fish-Eye. In the image below I used my 80-400mm VR lens to extract the scene of the forest and granite along the Lake Superior shore.

Lake Superior as seen from the Orphan Lake Trail

Further along the trail, as seen in the image below, you will arrive at an impressive lookout over Lake Superior at the mouth of the Baldhead River. I was hoping for some stunning autumn colors during this trip but as you can see the colors were progressing rather slowly. Normally there would be peak color at the time of my visit. I guess this means I will just have to go back again next year. By clicking on the image to view the larger, sharper version you will see a red kayak on the shore, which helps to give this scene a sense of scale.

Lookout on Lake Superior at the mouth of the Baldhead River

From the lookout over Lake Superior the trail descends down to a cobblestone beach on Lake Superior, turning to your right once you reach the lake will take you over to the Baldhead River where you can continue along the trail as it follows the riverbank. A short distance upstream from the river’s mouth you will arrive at a lovely waterfall on the Baldhead River. I normally prefer to photograph my waterfall images in over-cast, rainy weather but the even and unchanging light here made for a lovely setting. To eliminate many of the distracting elements surrounding this waterfall I did once again select my 80-400mm VR lens to isolate the scene, being extremely careful not to over expose the brightest whites of the cascading water.

Waterfall along the Baldhead River

And then finally as the end draws near, a lovely boardwalk amidst a moss cloaked landscape provides a perfect spot to stop for a few additional images and a few moments to rest my back before continuing on to complete this rugged trail.

Boardwalk along the Orphan Lake Trail

I hope you have enjoyed our hike along the Orphan Lake Trail today and remember if you visit Lake Superior Provincial Park do plan on hiking this trail. You will not be disappointed.

Please do remember to click on each of the photographs to view the larger, sharper versions of each.

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