Superior Stones

Lake Superior Shoreline Details. Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens, ISO 200, f22 @ 25 seconds.

I have been busy trying to catch-up on a back-log of image processing over the last few days. Today I spent some time optimizing some of my images from my 2013 trip to Lake Superior Provincial Park. I remember this mid-September evening well, the temperatures were getting chilly, the sun had all but gone, and I was playing around with some long, intimate landscapes of shoreline details at Old Woman Bay. These small stones are often a mix of colors and are rounded and smooth as silk, from centuries of wave action.

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

Lake Superior Shoreline Details. Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens, ISO 500, f22 @ 30 seconds.

Lake Superior Shoreline Details. Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR Lens, ISO 100, f6.3 @ 1.6 seconds

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Black & White Conversions

 

Lake Superior Provincial Park. Nikon D800, Nikon 18-35mm lens @ 22mm, ISO 100, f16 @ 20 seconds, B+W 10-stop Neutral Density Filter

This evening the winter wind is howling outside and snow squalls are rolling through the region, so I decided to play around with converting some older photos to black and white. I have always liked the original color versions of these images but for one reason or another I never did get around to optimizing them. Often when situations like this arise I will open the images into Nik / Google’s Silver Efex Pro 2 for a B&W conversion that suits the scene. In the opening photo, which was created on the shores of Lake Superior near the mouth of the Coldwater River I used a 10-stop neutral density filter to ‘calm‘ the incoming waves and help reveal the boulders beneath the surface. A small crop from the top to evict a rather boring cloudless sky rounded out the image optimization.

In the Georgian Bay scene below that was created in Ontario’s Killbear Provincial Park I used my Tiffen 3-stop neutral density filter to achieve the same calming effect on the bay, which allows us to focus our attention on the foreground rocks, which received a light-handed dose of Nik / Google’s Detail Extractor from Color Efex

Georgian Bay at Killbear Provincial Park. Nikon D800, Nikon 18-35mm lens @ 18mm, ISO 100, f16 @ 5 seconds. Tiffen 3-stop Neutral Density Filter

After creating the above scene on Georgian bay I simply turned around to create one of the terrain that was behind me. Killbear Provincial Park is noted for its spectacular vistas of Georgian Bay and the rugged granite shoreline is wonderful for both color and B&W images.

Rugged Terrain at Killbear Provincial Park. Nikon D800, Sigma 15mm EX DG f2.8 Fisheye Lens, ISO 400, f16 @ 1/200.

And finally below is an older capture created on the Sixteen Mile Creek at Hilton Falls Conservation Area upstream from Hilton Falls. This lovely river and waterfall are situated on the Niagara Escarpment. Many of the waterfalls and rivers of the Niagara Escarpment are best viewed in early spring when water levels are typically high.

Sixteen Mile Creek in Hilton Falls Conservation Area. Nikon D800, Nikon 18-35mm lens @ 24mm. ISO 100, f16 @ 1.3 seconds, Nikon Neutral Polarizing Filter

Please do remember to click on each image to view the larger, sharper version.

On another note: I am now active on Intsagram. You can connect with me on Intsagram at MCLACHLANWILD. I have also added an Instagram widget to the sidebar of the blog for easy access. Hope to see you over at Instagram too 🙂

 

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Bizarre Critters from Beneath the Sea

 

California Horned Shark

Over the last couple of weeks I have been very busy and just completed presentations for three camera clubs; GRIPS, Trillium Photographic Club and Orillia District Camera Club. I had a ton of fun presenting for these clubs and met lots of great folks at each of the presentations as well.

On this past Friday (November 14th) I decided to take a day off and visit Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto, Ontario. I have long been fascinated with the creature of the oceans and the Ripley Aquarium is a fantastic place to get a close-up view of some the strange fishes that inhabit the world’s oceans. I took along my Nikon D800 and my compact Sony RX100. Since the Sony RX100 will focus down to 5cm it easily became my preferred camera for creating photos of the fishes through the aquarium glass. Here is a collection of my favorite images created on this visit to the aquarium.

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

Stonefish

Lionfish

Jellyfish

Wobbegone Shark

Alaskan King Crab

Swell Shark

 

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Close But No Cigar

Bullfrog at Dusk. Nikon D800 & Nikon 105mm Micro Lens

The winning images were announced a couple of weeks ago for the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition and I thought I would take a moment to share two of my entries that proceeded to the final round of judging. Unfortunately, that is where this story ends but nonetheless I was thrilled that two of my both Bullfrog photos created in my favorite wetland at my family cottage on Horseshoe Lake, near Parry Sound, Ontario had made it to the final round in this prestigious competition.

To view the Grand Prize winning image and to see the category winners for both the adult and young awards click here and follow the links to the corresponding galleries. And do remember to click on each image to see the larger, sharper version.

Frog-scape – Nikon D800 & Nikon 18-35mm

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Up-coming Presentations

Tiny Marsh Provincial Wildlife Area, Elmvale, Ontario

I am eagerly  awaiting presenting for two camera clubs this coming week, the first being on Tuesday November 11 at 7:30 pm for the Trillium Photographic Club. The presentation will be held at the East Plains United Church, Peart Hall at 375 Plains Road East Burlington, Ontario. The cost to non-members to attend this presentation is $5.

In-camera Multiple Exposure Blur of Autumn Color in Ontario’s Muskoka Region

On Wednesday November 12 at 7:00 p.m. I will be a guest speaker for the Orillia District Camera Club. This presentation will be held at Helping Hands Orillia at 210 Memorial Drive (back door), which is located in the plaza behind Theo’s, a fabulous restaurant that I have been too many times.

At each of these presentations I will be offering my eBook ‘A Photographer’s Guide to the Ontario Landscape’ at the ‘show special’ of $20. This eBook is the first-ever, extensive resource to landscape photography in Ontario.

 

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Artistic Renderings from Muskoka

Georgian Bay Rugged Hiking Trail, Parry Sound, Ontario

I have been busy preparing for an upcoming presentation for The Trillium Photographic Club, which will be held on Tuesday November 11th at 7:30 p.m. at the East Plains United Church, Peart Hall located at 375 Plains Road East in  Burlington, Ontario. The cost to non-members to attend the presentation is $5. Also note that my eBook ‘A Photographer’s Guide to the Ontario Landscape‘ which is the only extensive resource for landscape photography in Ontario, will be available for purchase at a reduced presentation special of $20.

Above is a B&W conversion of an earlier posted image that I created on the Georgian Bay Rugged Hiking Trail with a Sigma Fisheye lens. And below is a B&W conversion of a fisheye view of Hatchery Falls in Ontario’s Muskoka Region, which was also featured in day one of my entries to the Five Day Black and White Challenge on Facebook. To connect with me on Facebook please click here.

Hatchery Falls on the Skeleton River, Muskoka, Ontario

And for stunning autumn color I could not resist the temptation to create an artistic rendering using Topaz Labs Simplify plug-in for Adobe Photoshop for a woodland seen from Muskoka, Ontario which is famous for it’s impressive displays of fall color.

Muskoka Woodland in Autumn – Topaz Simplify

I have also been enjoying experimenting with the new Photoshop plug-in available from Topaz Labs – Impression. I just love the painterly effects that can be created and artistic renderings I am able to create with the software. Below are a few of my first creations.

Please do click on each image to view the larger, sharper version.

Hatchery Falls – Topaz Impression

Rusty Old Wreck – Topaz Impression

The Three Amigos – Topaz Impression

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