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Archive for the ‘Impressions in Nature’ Category

Bubbles Beneath Ice

After a week of very warm weather in south-central Ontario much of the season’s snow accumulation has melted. This thawing resulted in the drainage ditches around my home taking on a resemblance to flowing rivers. As the water level in the ditches subsided the temperatures also began to drop again. This change in the weather pattern caused the surfaces of the water in the ditch to freeze while the water flowed away beneath the ice. What remained was a paper thin, extremely fragile layer of ice that presented a multitude of patterns and designs in the frozen surface. Using my Laowa 100mm 2X Ultra-Macro Lens I spent the better part of two hours exploring these intricate designs. The day was bright with clear blue skies, therefore, I deployed my coat to cast a shadow over some of the scenes, which resulted in a blue cast from the clear skies above. On the images where I opted not to use my coat to shade the designs the images took on a natural black and white feel.

This blog post features images captured during my adventures in the roadside ditch 🙂

Ice Details
Ice Details
Ice Details
Ice Details
Ice Details
Ice Details

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2020 has certainly been a challenging year for so many people throughout the world.

The past year really limited many of my photographic adventures from cancelling workshops to being locked down at home. Fortunately I was able to make my way to Cayman Brac for two weeks in late February. The world shut down shortly after my return in March. During the summer months I concentrated my efforts on extreme macro photography around my rural home, often not even having to leave my property. By the time autumn came around I was able to continue with my Muskoka Autumn Colour Spectacular Workshop and Lake Superior Wild & Scenic Photography Workshop. As a result my top 20 images for 2020 have been selected from my Cayman Brac trip, insect photography at home, autumn colour, and the Lake Superior coast.

I hope you enjoy viewing this selection of imagery.

Here’s to a better year in 2021!

Daybreak on the Caribbean Sea at Cayman Brac, BWI
Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) at Sylvia’s Reef, Cayman Brac, BWI
Spotted Scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri), Cayman Brac, BWI
Sister Island Rock Iguana (Cyclura nubila caymanensis)
Crab Spider
Baby Garden Spiders
Praying Mantis
Robberfly
Two-horned leafhopper (Ceresa diceros)
Georgian Bay, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada
Late day light on Georgian Bay, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada
Overcast Light on Geogrian Bay, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada
Autumn colour and reflections at woodland pond in Seguin Township, Ontario, Canada
Winter on Lake Superior, Wawa, Ontario, Canada
Snow covered gorge along Lake SUperior’s north shore near Schreiber, Ontario, Canada
Hattie Cove in winter on Lake Superior, Pukaskwa National Park, Ontario, Canada
Winter storm at Sandy Beach on Lake Superior, Wawa, Ontario, Canada
Mink Creek, Marathon, Ontario
Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis) male, Neys Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Sunrise at Highland Pond in the Torrance Barrens, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada

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WILD PLACES COVER

Today I am pleased to announce the release of my 3rd eBook; WILD PLACESExploring the Creative Process of Landscape Photography.

WILD PLACES – Exploring the Creative Process of Landscape Photography is not a book about the technical aspects of landscape photography. It is about the thoughts and decisions that were made, in-the-field, to determine what to include or exclude from the frame to convey visual beauty. Slowing down and making conscious decisions to control the visual elements within the environment will assist you in creating photography that entices the minds and emotions of viewers.

Wild Places features a collection of 110 photographs from Ontario and beyond that will inspire you on your next excursion into wild spaces, as you explore the artistry of the land. Extended captions that correspond to each image provide discussions on the composition, applicable filter selections, and many other useful tidbits of information.

I am often complimented after presenting my various programs for being  an engaging speaker who shares inspiring imagery while explaining various tips and techniques in a way that can be understood by all levels of photographers. This eBook is characteristic of attending one of my photographic presentations.

Price: $20 CAD

To purchase your copy of Wild Places please click here.

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Algonquin Radio Observatory_5792

Milky Way Night-scape at the Algonquin Radio Observatory

I decided not to wait until January to share with you my personal 20 favorite images that I captured during 2019. Many of the selected images were created during several of my workshops this past year. I always teach by example and capture various images to share with participants, in-the-field, so they too can create similar photos. The first image in this post was created during the Lake Traverse Photography Retreat with night-scape scenes of the massive satellite being the highlight of the trip. We have been blessed with clear skies every year for this workshop and hopefully 2020 we will be blessed with the same conditions.

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In-camera Pan Blur of Birch Trees, Wawa, Ontario

Even when photography conditions seem to be less than ideal there is always something to photograph, which is what I demonstrated during my Lake Superior Wild & Scenic Photography Retreat when I created the above in-camera vertical pan blur of birch trees in late day light.

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Over-Under Bullfrog, Parry Sound, Ontario

During some my personal photography days I made good use of my final days with the family cottage to create my all-time favorite frog-scape scenes as can be seen in the above and below images of a large male Bullfrog in it’s watery home within the wetland on Horseshoe lake near Parry Sound, Ontario. These two frog-scapes were created using the Laowa 15mm 1:1 Wide Angle Macro Lens on a Nikon D500.

Bullfrog (lithobates catesbeiana) on Horseshoe Lake, Parry Sound, Ontario

Bullfrog-scape, Parry Sound, Ontario

The following two photographs were created in March on a personal excursion with two past workshop participants. We had an incredible afternoon exploring the icy shoreline and caves of Georgian Bay on the Bruce Peninsula. In fact we loved it so much we will likely be going back again this winter 🙂

Georgian Bay_396

Ice Cave, Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

 

Georgian Bay_586

Halfway Rock Point, Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

My first-ever Bruce Peninsula Workshop was a great success with many wonderful opportunities, especially those we encountered on two separate mornings at Half Way Log Dump on Georgian Bay. The image below was created during a foggy morning with the Laowa 12mm Zero D Lens. Stay tuned for the 2020 Bruce Peninsula Workshop announcement in the new year.

Georgian Bay_2577

Halfway Log Dump, Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

Personal trips to the North Shore Rugged Hiking Trail in Parry Sound always yields impressive vistas. Watch for single day workshops at this location to be announced for the 2020 season.

Georgian Bay at sunset, Parry Sound, Ontario

Sunset on Georgian Bay, Parry Sound, Ontario

Late October found me on the shores of Lake Superior with two back to back events and some of the absolute best landscape photography conditions I have encountered in the area to date. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to photograph this impressive area of the province. Registration is open for the 3rd Annual Lake Superior Wild & Scenic Photography Retreat.

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Afternoon Light on Lake Superior in Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario

 

Lake Superior_7839

Sunset on Lake Superior, Wawa, Ontario

In July I bid farewell to 35 years at the family cottage and will miss exploring the wetland on the lake as it is where I created a significant number of memorable imagery over the years. Below are two photos that were created in the weeks leading up the departure.

Water Lilies in wetland on Horseshoe Lake, Parry Sound, Ontario

Fragrant White Waterlilies on Horseshoe Lake, Parry Sound, Ontario

 

Horseshoe Lake, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada

Storm Clouds at Dusk in Wetland, Parry Sound, Ontario

Hatchery Falls on the Skeleton River is a highlight of the Muskoka Winter Waterfall Spectacular Workshop and I am really looking forward to being back in the area this coming weekend for the 3rd annual event. If you are looking for a last minute photography workshop in beautiful Muskoka there are still a couple of spaces available. Please contact me by clicking here if interested.

Hatchery Falls on the Skeleton River in winter, Rosseau, Ontario, Canada

Hatchery Falls in Winter, Muskoka, Ontario

When I discovered the newly emerging Green Darner Dragonfly this summer it was a perfect opportunity to test out my dual flash system for macro photography. More to come on that later 🙂

Green Darner Dragonfly, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada

Green Darner Dragonfly, Parry Sound, Ontario

The Lake Superior coast in Pukaskwa National Park near Marathon, Ontario as long been a favorite of mine. When I had a couple of personal days in between my two Lake Superior events I made the trek further north to explore the impressive ruggedness of the area.

Lake Superior_Pukaskwa_8361

Lake Superior, Pukaskwa National Park, Ontario

I do not particularity do a lot of bird photography but when a rare visitor of Ontario’s boreal forest over-winters 20 minutes from home it is worth every effort to capture it. My favorite image of the Northern Hawk Owl was created during a light snow flurry on a bitterly cold day. It was not until after the owl landed in this tree that I became aware of the meadow vole it had cached in the tree earlier.

Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)

Northern Hawk Owl, Schomberg, Ontario

In April I hosted an Ohio State Reformatory Workshop with Sherry Butts. It was a great success and we look forward to meeting the new participants for the 2020 event. If you wish to sign up for the 2020 Ohio State Reformatory Photo Tour please reach out to me by clicking here. The image below with the red chair was created in the library and the sunrays were added using Luminar for a creative effect.

Ohio State Reformatory, Manfield, Ohio, U.S.A.

Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield, Ohio

The Tan Jumping Spider below was my first attempt at photographing very small subjects using a 105mm macro lens with a Raynox DCR-250 diopter and dual flash tubes. My wife had informed me of a spider on the ceiling in the kitchen. I said I would get me camera ready 🙂  I carefully moved the spider onto a small piece of bark for a natural setting. In 2020, once insects emerge from hibernation please watch for many posts about extreme macro photography.

Tan Jumping Spider (Platycryptus undatus)

Tan Jumping Spider, Thornton, Ontario

The final two images that are among my personal favorites for 2019 were created in the Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve in Muskoka, Ontario on a glorious morning with clear skies and cool temperatures. These conditions were perfect for creating a significant amount of mist rising from the surrounding wetlands, that began to glow a fiery orange when the sun rose over the horizon. A Nikkor 200-500mm lens was used to create each of these images.

Torrance Barrens_6766

Daybreak in the Torrance Barrens, Muskoka, Ontario

 

Torrance Barrens_6803

Red Maple in the Mist, Muskoka, Ontario

As 2020 approaches I am looking forward to the new opportunities that will arise, and to meeting new and past workshop participants.

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Amherst Island_1740

Sunrise, Amherst Island, Ontario

It is always fun to look back at this time of the year and reflect on the past year and the images that were created during my travels. In this post I am featuring my favorite photographs of 2018. All of the images featured in this blog post have been featured here over the course of the year with the exception of the opening sunrise image, which was created during a trip to Ontario’s Amherst Island a few days ago. As the sun rose the clouds took on the appearance of what resembled a blazing forest fire. It was a lovely sunrise to complete the year with 🙂

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and all the very best for a prosperous 2019!

Lake-Superior_7559

Daybreak, Lake Superior, Wawa, Ontario

Rock Iguana_8468

A critically endangered Cayman Brac Iguana, British West Indies

Ice Details, Ontario, Canada

Ice Crystal Details, Georgian Bay, Ontario

Bullfrog_2722

Over-Under Bullfrog, Parry Sound, Ontario

Caribbean Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis sepioidea), Cayman Brac, British West Indies

Caribbean Reef Squid, Radar Reef, Cayman Brac, British West Indies

Skeleton River_9777

Skeleton River in Winter, Muskoka, Ontario

Spring Peeper_6451

Spring Peeper, Parry Sound, Ontario

Southern Stingray (Dasyatis americana), Grand Cayman, British West Indies

Southern Stingray, Grand Cayman, British West Indies

Storm Clouds Over Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada

Approaching Storm Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada

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Winter Details at Hatchery Falls in Muskoka, Ontario Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 180mm ISO 100, f16 @ 0.6 seconds

Winter Details at Hatchery Falls in Muskoka, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 180mm
ISO 100, f16 @ 0.6 seconds

I am looking forward to departing this bitterly cold winter soon for the warmth of the Caribbean island of Cayman Brac, but thought I would share a few winter detail images that I recently processed while I finish-up on some of my much needed tasks prior to my departure. Some of these photos were created last winter, but I did not have time to edit them until recently. For each of these images I used my old Nikon 80-400mm VR lens to zoom in on some of the interesting details that can be found within the winter landscape.

One more week of cold temperatures to endure 🙂 I have been in contact with some of the folks I met last year on Cayman Brac and can’t wait to get down there to photograph the Brown Booby’s with chicks as they have been hatching over the past week!

Winter Details Along the Skeleton River in Muskoka, Ontario Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 185mm ISO 100, f16 @ 0.5 seconds

Winter Details Along the Skeleton River in Muskoka, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 185mm
ISO 100, f16 @ 0.5 seconds

Frozen Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400 mm VR lean @ 135mm ISO 800, f29 @ 1/125 sec. Handheld

Frozen Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400 mm VR lean @ 135mm
ISO 800, f29 @ 1/125 sec. Handheld

Frozen Lake Details on Lake Ontario at Humber bay Park, Toronto Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 135mm ISO 800, f16 @ 1/640 sec. Handheld

Frozen Lake Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 135mm
ISO 800, f16 @ 1/640 sec. Handheld

Frozen Lake Details on Lake Ontario at Humber bay Park, Toronto, Ontario Nikon D800, Nion 80-400mm VR lens @ 400mm ISO 800, f16 @ 1/250 sec. Handheld

Frozen Lake Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 400mm
ISO 800, f16 @ 1/250 sec. Handheld

Frozen Lake Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 240mm ISO 800, f16 @ 1/800 sec. Handheld

Frozen Lake Details on Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Park, Toronto, Ontario
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-400mm VR lens @ 240mm
ISO 800, f16 @ 1/800 sec. Handheld

 

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

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 at 30 seconds.

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

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

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

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 and Autumn Color

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

 

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

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

 

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This Image: © Denise Ippolito / All Rights Reserved

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

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 🙂

Denise Ippolito Poster_viewable

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Agawa Rock_2307Agawa Rock in Ontario’s Lake Superior Provincial Park

On my recent trip to Lake Superior Provincial Park, which is located north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Gentec International, the Canadian distributor for Sigma lenses, kindly loaned my the Sigma 15mm f2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fish-Eye Lens. Having visited this park on four separate occasions, I knew exactly how and where I would put the lens through its paces. In the image above that was captured at Agawa Rock, I waited for the late day sun to cast shadows of the evergreens upon the massive, pink granite cliff for an interesting perspective, knowing that the distortion qualities of the lens would curve the evergreens in towards the cliff.

Katherine Cove_2004Sunburst at Sunset at Katherine Cove, Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario

In my previous post I shared a similar image of this sunset at Katherine Cove. Above you will see the fish-eye version of the same scene. The Sigma 15mm f2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fish-Eye lens captured the sunburst much better than my Nikon 18-35mm lens did. At first I was unsure about the distorted horizon in this capture, but the more I look at it, the more I really like the distorted qualities of the image, and the nice thing with fish-eye lenses is the creative opportunities they provide photographers due to their ability to distort the landscape.

White Pine Roots and Granite_1926White Pine Root-scape on Granite Outcrop

After I had finished photographing various compositions at Chippewa Falls, which was also featured in the previous post, I turned to see this interesting root-scape spreading out across the granite outcrop. With the rounded look of the granite outcrop I immediately reached for the Sigma 15mm f2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fish-Eye to accentuate the effect.

I found this amazing lens to be most useful along woodland trails and the rugged Lake Superior shoreline where the terrain did not allow much room for a photographer to roam, without ending up in the lake 🙂 If you love photographing creative landscape imagery be sure to add a fish-eye lens such as the Sigma 15mm to your tool kit. The possibilities are endless when it comes to fish-eye lenses and the Sigma 15mm version is capable of photographing almost twice as close as the Nikon 16mm version!!!

Be sure to click HERE to read my review of the Sigma 15mm f2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fish-Eye in Denise Ippolito’s Creative Photography eMiniMagazine – an amazing, free, on-line resource for photographers wishing to explore their creative side. Be sure to sign-up for the mini-mag…it’s free!

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