Chutes Provincial Park

Aux Sables River in Chutes Provincial Park

Chutes Provincial Park is a small, but very photogenic park to visit, it is located in the town of Massey, Ontario along the Trans-Canada Highway. The Aux Sables River flows through this park. Along the way, there are several sets of rapids and a few small cascades along the river’s course. This river setting is best photographed in over-cast light. As I drove to Lake Superior Provincial Park last September I was passing through the town of Massey on an over-cast, drizzly day so I made a stop in hopes of walking along the Twin Bridges Trail to photograph various locations along the river. After making a few images of the main cascade I ventured further along the trail, but the over-cast conditions cleared and the lighting became rather harsh so I packed up and continued onward to Lake Superior. Here are a couple of fresh images of Chutes Provincial Park’s main attraction and I also applied Topaz Labs’ B&W Effects using my custom preset “Waterfall Setting” that I created for an artistic rendition of the waterfall. A Nikon 12-24mm lens and Nikon polarizing filter was used in the making of these images.

Aux Sables River in Chutes Provincial Park

Custom “Waterfall Setting” preset in Topaz Labs BW Effects

Read Full Post »

Creative Cascade

Spencer Gorge Wilderness Area

I have been busy processing a backlog of images from this past spring, summer and fall and also trying to catch up on much needed rest. While going through my files I came across this small cascade that I photographed at Webster’s Falls in the Spencer Gorge Wilderness Area in Hamilton, Ontario. This is found along the Niagara Escarpment. The Hamilton region is noted for its numerous waterfalls on the Niagara Escarpment, many of them really only show any flow after periods of significant rainfall. I found this one to be particularly attractive with the escarpment wall for a backdrop. After processing the image file I decided to run it through Topaz Labs B&W Effects to create the effect you see above.

Read Full Post »

Katherine Cove – One Image, Two Takes, Which Do You Prefer?

Katherine Cove on Lake Superior – B&W Effects

While wandering back along a section of the Coastal Trail in Ontario’s Lake Superior Provincial Park at Katherine Cove this pattern, caused by a previous wave, caught my attention. I used my 12-24mm lens and positioned my tripod low to the ground and chose a vertical composition so that this interesting pattern could dominate the foreground of this photograph. I was able to squeeze off a couple of frames before a rogue wave came ashore and washed away the design. Above is a version converted to black and white using the new photoshop plugin from Topaz Labs called B&W Effects. There is a free trial version available for download, but until October 3rd you can use Topaz Lab’s discount code from the website and purchase the plugin for a mere $29.99. Below you will see the original, colour version of the image which do you prefer?

Katherine Cove on Lake Superior – colour version

Read Full Post »

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

Read Full Post »