Detailed and Desaturated

Little Abitibi River in Ontario’s remote Abitibi Canyon

Since downloading Topaz Labs B&W Effects, I have been experimenting with the various presets and sliders, to fine tune the treatment of each individual photograph. I absolutely love the detail and detail boost sliders for creating a HDR-ish, grunge-like effect. I am also becoming rather fond of the transparency slider for revealing a touch of colour from the original capture, for a desaturated appearance. While I am still experimenting with the program, here are a few recent images that I have applied Topaz B&W Effects too.

George Lake, Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario

Abandoned Truck near Parry Sound, Ontario

Muskoka River, Bracebridge, Ontario

Lady Ferns, Parry Sound, Ontario

Kakabeka Falls, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Old Car, Granite Ridge Trail, Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario

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Abitibi River & Clear-cutting

Here is another photograph of the Abitibi River. This image was shot just above the Abitibi Canyon Dam at dusk. In hindsight, I would have preferred to shoot this scene as a panoramic image, I think the river’s shoreline lends itself to a panorama composition. Next time I make the 14 hour drive to this location I will make a note to shoot a panoramic here. I enjoyed traveling to this remote location in Ontario’s boreal forest, however, signs of human activity were also abundant. As I drove along the Otter Rapids Road I past many clear-cut logging sites, that have scarred the boreal forest with left-over brush piles and cut trees discarded on the ground. To learn more about boreal forests and their significant importance click here and here.

Below is one such example of the abandoned clear-cut logging sites I encountered along the way.

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Abitibi Canyon – Part Two

My journey north to the Abitibi Canyon and beyond began on a long, lonesome two-lane highway (HWY #634). The above photo is what the road looked liked for the next 75 kilometers until I reached Fraserdale. No gas stations – absolutely nothing.  The day was a mix of sun and cloud and very warm also. As I began up this road I could see storm clouds forming in the distance, when the sun broke through some cloud cover and lit the road ahead I pulled over and positioned my camera close to the road and shot a series of images before the sun disappeared behind the clouds again.

Upon reaching Fraserdale, I took the 54 kilometer dirt road that leads up to Otter Rapids Dam. I stopped at a small bridge along the way to shoot this section of the Abitibi River with storm clouds looming overhead. At this particular section of the Abitibi River the blackflies were swarming terribly. By the time I reached my camping spot at the trial head to New Post Falls the thunder and lightning began along with a torrential downpour. At times like these I am glad my Subaru is my tent. The next morning I hiked in to New Post Falls, under clear skies, and shot the image below, prior to the sunrise. To shoot this photograph I used a 2-stop Singh Ray Grad Filter, to darken the sky, and a Nikon Polarizer to help saturate the colours a little bit. This one is one of my favorites from the trip so far….

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From the Abitibi Canyon to the End of the Line

I have returned from my two weeks of shooting around Ontario. The first week was a bit of a wash as I spent several days searching around Horseshoe Lake for our family’s motor boat which has been stolen from our dock. No gas was kept in the boat and our motor was chained to the boat, but that did not deter the thieves – they towed away the boat presumably to cut the chain to get the new motor and ditch the 30-year-old boat. During the second week, I traveled to Ontario’s far north, literally to the end of the line, as far as roadways go. I have always been fascinated with the northern regions and have longed to visit them. This recent venture is by far the furthest I have traveled north in this province and I can’t wait to go back again. It is true wilderness, however, I also saw first hand the remains of clear-cut logging operations that have left permanent scars within Ontario’s boreal landscape. My road trip ended at the Otter Rapids Dam on the Abitibi River.

All images in this post are of the Abitibi River. One of my main destinations on this trip was to visit New Post Falls. In a word – IMPRESSIVE. To my knowledge this the northern most waterfall that a person can reach by automobile. A short 10-15 minute walking trail from dirt road takes you to the falls as pictured below.

The last image in this post was shot from the top of the Otter Rapids Dam looking north. From this location one can only travel further north by train or by canoeing down the Abitibi River. Note in this image that the birch trees, photographed on August 31st, are dressed in peak autumn splendor.

If you close your eyes you can almost see the fur traders heading down the river as they made their way to Hudson Bay long ago.

While driving home, near Gogama, a large Lynx walked slowly across the highway (no photos). I slowed down and watched in awe as this elusive predator disappeared into the forest.

Upcoming posts will feature other photographs from this trip. Hope you enjoy these first few that were processed during a lazy day of reviewing my images from the trip.

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