Night Flyers

I took this shot a few years ago and it sat around because I wasn’t sure what to do with it.

I had been experimenting with Topaz and discovoured Ghostly….a sort of high contrasting effect.

For those of you who, like me, worked in the days of enlargers, developer, stop bath and fixers Ghostly is similar to pushing the film or using copy film.

In the day I often ‘pushed’ my film to several thousand ASA and developed accordingly or purchased  100 foot rolls of copy film which develops to either BLACK or WHITE……no other tones…then used primarily by the newspaper trade.

Aside from that this picture is EXACTLY as it took it….it is not a composite or a clone….all I did was to crop the shot to EMPHASIZE the length of this particular flock…..the rest is as it was.

I have to confess …..this is DEFINITELY one of my favorite shots.

 

Gonna Fly High……

These Geese fly directly over us every Spring and Fall…..without fail.

As we are on the flight path and there are SO MANY of them, I found myself taking MANY shots of them.

Even though they are obviously intent on their task they are always  aware of movement on the ground and most often they will avert their flight direction if they see me ahead of them.

Luckily, our house is pretty well tucked into the bush so by the time they see me it is too late to alter their course.

This is a typical shot….they are quite high and represented only a small area of the shot so it has been severely cropped, resulting in some loss of detail but I still love their effortless ability to fly.

 

Mum in the Lead and Dad Behind…..as Usual.

This lovely family group was found within walking distance of my front door in the swamp on part of our property.

I watched them almost daily as they grew and Mum & Dad taught them how to paddle….stay away from predators and walk on the rocks.

Unfortunately nature is reality and by the end of the summer there were only these 3 of the original clutch of 6 born in Spring but happily they all learned to fly and to survive and I know that next year they’ll be back…to raise yet another healthy bunch of babies.

 

Just Down the Road

This picture was, obviously, taken in the fall…..my MOST favorite time of the year.

Warm sun……no bugs…….not too hot…….long shadows…….no bugs…….LAZY days……..OH…did I mention no bugs?

The long shadows tell you what time of day it was although as there are no Maples in the picture, the colours are somewhat subdued.

Fall in the North……it’s the best!

 

All Good Friends.

There is very little special about this shot yet it warms the cockles of my heart when I look at.

The colours are just rich enough to suggest a warm summer day, which it was, and the critters are all doing their bit to make it even more pastoral.

Nobody did any more than glance in my direction as if to say…”Is this what you wanted?”

I hope it does the same for you.

 

Pano of a Promise

This lake is caller Mercer Lake and it USED to have lots of Pike and Bass…..even the odd Muskie but sadly….as ease of access is gained…up here, largely via the logging roads dozed through the otherwise pristine wilderness give access, first, to the tough 4 wheel trucks and quads but soon….even people pulling campers are capable of making the trip and wilderness is just another place to launch your boat.

This lovely lake, once home to large Pike and Bass is almost empty these days and what is left is NOT given a chance to grow and breed and raise their young in safety.

The new ‘breed’ of fishermen take them all….even the small…..sad.

This picture is a 10 shot pano I took just before sunset when everyone had gone home and the lake was allowed to rest.

I used Topaz and gave it a decidedly ‘surreal’ look as a tribute to the life it might still possess.