Photography Blogs (166)

Yes, I definitely live in the heart of agricultural land. What gives it away? Well, the scent of manure spreading for one (similar to CS these days & the political blogs). Secondly, the avid interest in anything dairy cow.

I'd mentioned in a blog last week how the photo of a cow was far better received than the photo of the parasail with the snow covered mountain peak in the background. One lady that lives in the area had asked me about a photo of a dairy cow. This morning while I was out, I took several photos of the cows, as they hung their heads over the fence, looking at me in reproach as I didn't have any food with me.

The woman has ordered 2 8x10 photos as she couldn't decide between two specific photos. While I was discussing price with her, another woman asked me for a photo of a crow. Funnily enough, I had taken one this morning, but the sun hadn't cleared the mountain yet, so the crow wasn't as defined as I'd hoped it would be. It wasn't as close as I'd like it to be either.

So, I'm pretty pumped at making the sales, even though I figured it would be almost anything other than cows and crows. lol.

What a fantastic morning! Finally, we see some sun again. Getting up at 5:30 am to take advantage of the cool morning air, I headed out on my bike ride around the perimeter of the town, along the river.

It took me four hours to ride today, due to the many, many stops I made, the early morning light and shadows making everything so much more appealing. I'd barely started when some flowers amongst the blackberry brambles caught my attention, dew drops glistening in the dawn light.

I have no idea what the wildflowers are, definitely not part of the blackberry vines, growing on thick stalks in the middle of the thorny jungle. Several photos later and a 'good morning' to another early riser, I headed for the dike.

I noted that sun rays highlighted a grove of trees at the base of the mountain, and just as I changed lenses to take the shot, the sun breached the mountain top, flooding the area with luminescence. Standing in the shadow of a tree, long shadowy fingers stretched across the corn fields, their top leaves like thousands of spikes piercing the sky.

Cycling past the little old house that looked like it had sustained a fire in the back, with windows and doors boarded up, I'd been tempted to take a photo for our photo club's abandoned buildings subject. Too late! A huge caterpillar was already there, on top of a pile of debris which at one time would have been part of the house.

A slough on the other side of the road is home to a myriad of animals and birds. One particular dead tree, surrounded with brambles seems to attract a plethora of birds. I'd always vowed that one day I'd just sit by the tree and wait for the birds. Well, today was that day!

I had a hoodie in my panniers, and used that to sit on, while I waited for the birds to get used to my presence and frequent the tree. I was richly rewarded this morning, and saw all kinds of birds, many that I couldn't tell you what they are. The redwing blackbird was elusive as usual, however, I do believe I got a great shot of it as it puffed up both wings and screeched. A tiny hummingbird hovered right near me before landing on the tree. Unfortunately, a truck zoomed by and disturbed them, and the hummer was gone.

Around the country roads where blue chicory lines the asphalt, interspersed with yellow mustard, white, lacy Queen Anne's lace, deep yellow buttercups, and bright yellow dandelions. Barbed wire fencing separates the road shoulder from the large expanses of field, the early morning light turning it into an appealing photo.

I sat amongst the chicory and Queen Anne's lace for quite some time, photographing bees and the flowers. Further down the road, a red ladybug contrasted sharply with her green background.

Taking the path through the tunnel of foliage, I have to take my clippers again the next time to cut back the blackberry vines that choke the trail, grasping at clothing. Past another slough, I surprised a blue heron near the road in the slough, and a duck with her ducklings. I managed to get some of the ducklings, and one of the heron, although I have lots of photos of herons.

From there, it was pretty much head home, as I realized how much time I'd spent, the day was getting warmer, and I was needing a beverage of some kind. I did have water with me, but hadn't partaken of it - I probably should have.

Although I haven't checked my photos yet, I know I have some in there that I'll be really pleased with. I'm sure there'll be some kind souls that will let me know what some of the flowers and birds are. I'm certainly enjoying my camera, not just for it's photographic ability, but also because it's such a teaching tool!

You learn something new every day!

The best caption for this photo is...............

Enter as many times as you like.

My first entry is......"Wow ! That chiropractor truly screwed you up, dude !"

Here is the photo;

Video of lava 'waterfall' into the ocean in Hawaii for your viewing pleasure.

Awake early this morning, I headed out for a bike ride, not too sure of where I was going to go. Deciding to ride along the dike by the river, I was a bit disappointed in the lack of wildlife. Even birds were hiding, although I did see some American Goldfinch on the path, which took off as soon as I saw them. I'd like to get a photo of them on a fence post or the barbed wire. So far, one photo is on a metal farm gate covered in bird poop. Not exactly an appealing feature.

The last one I took was on the gravel road of my usual loop. It's funny how the females are so much duller than the males. The males are a brilliant yellow, while the females are a much more muted shade, verging on brown. I haven't managed to capture any decent photos of the female, as she always seems to be in the shadows.



I was captivated by the weak sun rays stretching across the cut hayfields, highlighting the rusty wheels and seat of an old farm tractor decorating a garden. Riding on, a flock of American Goldfinches erupted from the long grass disappearing into the foliage of a nearby tree. Pedalling on towards the river, the cows that were out on pasture are still not back on it. I don't know if the river is still too high, but it was nice to see the dairy cows enjoying their pasture. They'd saunter up to the gate as I'd ride by, thinking I was there with their grain.

Rather than ride the 'loop' - under the bridge and along the riverside, I doubled back and rode down one of the side streets. After checking the slough and the path the other day, there's still part of it that's submerged in water still, so I'll wait until everything's stabilized and I don't have to ride through muck.

I wasn't going to go down towards the old heritage home, as I was there the other day and there wasn't anything that caught my eye. However, as the morning was so pleasant, I opted to take the extra time as the area is known to be a birder's favourite spot.

I've mentioned before how much I miss the lake I used to ride around as there were always squirrels and wild bunnies, something I've not seen much of here. I was richly rewarded this morning when I spotted a baby bunny crouching in the grass, giving me the wary eye. Quietly getting out my camera, I was able to get relatively close to the little thing. At one point, it almost looked sleepy as it seemed to get used to me being there.



A few minutes later, Mom leapt out of the long grass on the other side of the narrow road, bounding across the asphalt and disappearing into the long grass and brambles. Still, baby just sat while I was able to get some good shots of it. As the school bus appeared at the crest of the hill, I rushed to move my bike out of the way, and baby probably followed it's mother, the noise of the bus disturbing all the wildlife.





With some good shots, I turned towards home, my eyes constantly flickering towards the slough. A couple of redwing blackbirds noisily flew out of the brush, their distinctive red markings brilliant in the morning light. As I didn't have my camera ready, I did not stop to see if they'd fly from the branch they'd landed on in hopes of capturing them in flight. They are so fast, it's a challenge to get them in motion.

A good morning, I'm glad I went out for the extended bike ride, and can hardly wait until I can do the loop again. It seems to be a long, long time, - about a month I believe. It'll be great to get back into the route and routine, as my experience is, the more wildlife sees you, the more they're comfortable with your presence - which makes capturing a photo much easier.

Of course, as long as I'm not their next meal.

A full moon highlighted surrounding clouds, illuminating fields and the ribbon of freeway. Head and taillights streamed the highway in sporadic intervals. I sat in the dark of my car, parked at the south end of the overpass ramp, waiting.

About a dozen pick up trucks with flashing bars on their cabs darted back and forth across the overpass, setting up orange road closed signs. My camera, on tripod, perched in front of my right headlight, aimed at the overpass. Still, I waited.

Another car pulled in front of me, partially blocking my view of the overpass. Fortunately, the young couple were cognizant enough of their position and moved voluntarily. We spoke a little, checked camera and video settings and waited.

Another vehicle pulled in and two guys in safety vests got out and walked up the road closed ramp. As they returned, one of the workers yelled at him to get off the road and couldn't he read?

I heard the rumbling before I saw the bright headlights, my heart skipping a beat as I leaped out of the car to position myself behind my camera. Focussing on the peak of the overpass, the massive load came into view, taking up the entire width of the two lanes.

A bright red truck and attached red low-bed gleamed in the daylight like glow of the numerous pilot trucks surrounding this epic load. Molson Brewery's new plant was ready for the delivery of their massive brewing tanks. Having watched it being barged up the river last Saturday, Monday I was waiting for the last leg to be trucked from the dock to the plant, two of the largest tanks 'dressed' in Molson's trademark brands. One looked like a giant beer can of Molson's Canadian, and the other a giant beer can of Coors Light.

With transportation as our photo assignment for this month, I really wanted the brewing tanks as I didn't think too many would submit a photo of them. One, because very few knew about it, and two, I didn't think anyone from our club would wait until midnight to take photos, other than me.

Although I got numerous photos with great results, a photo just doesn't do justice to the actual size of these tanks. Due to the size, hydro crews were in the intersection to keep the truck clear of the wires, along with all the pilot cars in front and behind this very long and very tall load.

Stopping on the downward slope of the overpass ramp, waiting for crews to ensure clear passage through the intersection, it was obvious the tank was taller than the traffic lights and the back end of the low-bed had flexibility in moving separate from the truck. It was absolutely amazing to watch the skill and manipulation of the truck driver, eking that load in and around traffic lights, street light standards, hydro wires as well as barriers. What would have been a simple left hand turn for anyone, was a complex and complicated procedure that took the better part of an hour.

Once safely through that intersection, the tanks headed for a second overpass, crossing back over the highway before heading towards the plant. Due to the length of time it took to finesse the load, I had plenty of time to find a new location and set up my camera. Finally, the trucks appeared, gears shifting noisily as they chugged into the night on the other side.

Racing to the final intersection, more crews were already set up, waiting for the immense load to make it's debut. Setting my camera up again, one man in a safety vest with a camera was behind me. I asked him if he'd been hired by Molson's to take photos, which he affirmed. As he looked familiar, I asked him if he'd been on the fishing boat that was following the tug and barge up the river, and if he'd waved at me when I was on shore. He affirmed that yes, that had been him.

Many, many photos later and watching the tail lights of the trucks disappear at the plant, I headed home at 3am. The last photo of the truck/tank in motion, with the photographer standing taking a photo is my submission for Monday.

Or add your own caption for the following photo.

With new tires on my bike, thanks to my awesome neighbour, I headed out early this morning to the dike for a short ride. With the advent of the May long weekend, everyone is heading out to campgrounds and various and sundry places.

As flood warnings are prevalent along the rivers from as far north as my daughter right down to where I live, many of the campsites are under water already, and if not, very close to it.

I noted the other morning that I'm able to use a higher gear to pedal and put that down to increasing muscle. Yay! So off I go to the dike, riding by newly mown hayfields, dotted with huge white plastic wrapped bales like giant marshmallows. It's overcast again today, but as with the previous couple of days, it's high clouds and will burn off. The sun is already peeking through areas, and it's one of those lovely spring mornings where it's warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt, but cool enough to be refreshing.

Not much wildlife, or for that matter, any signs of life along the dike. The river is slowly making it's way closer and closer, and an incline that I used to walk down to wander into the river bed, almost half way across the river, (about 2km) is now completely under water. As it's still quite a ways from the dike, I'm still comfortable riding it, so far.

I love taking my bike out and being able to spontaneously take a different path or road. This morning instead of following the road home, I took a sharp right to find out where the country road led. Surprisingly, it led to an old building with faded lettering of 'Scott's Meat' - an abattoir I'd presume. The paved road turned into a gravel road and curved back to the dike.

Riding towards the dike, a huge dairy barn was below the dike on my right, the cows still quiet in the early morning. On my left, an overfull slough was creeping through the grass and bush, it's green stillness reflecting the trees and overgrowth. A closed metal farm gate prevented me from going further, birds landing briefly on it before disappearing into the mass of wild bush. An American Goldfinch (wonder if he has a visa? lol) landed on the farm gate, and luckily I already had my camera out with the zoom lens on it.



Pedalling back the way I came, an abandoned shed sits right next to the train tracks, and I wonder what animals it used to house.



Back at home, I'm excited today, as I'm heading across the border to a wonderful area for photography and to check out a new bike. As the price here was rather exorbitant, I couldn't justify buying a new one. Until a good friend and accountant advised me that as my photography is a business, the bike is part of how I take photos and therefore a business expense. Yes!!

Man, I love that woman! lol. The bike will need to be ordered in, and take about a week, but I can wait. In the meantime, with transportation as our next assignment, I'm thinking I'll head down to North Bend on Tuesday and take photos of the ancient trains.



Enjoy the day! (Doing the happy dance at having my bike back)

Or add your own photo caption(s).

One of the main benefits that photography has done for me is get me exploring new and different places. With our assigned topics, it challenges me to find and photograph something different, but also to utilize my camera to it's ultimate capacity.

In February, I was lucky enough to be at the wetlands for a walk. I was facing east, towards Mt. Cheam to take a photo when I heard this strange huffing noise, much like a horse working. Didn't see anything so I turned back, and I heard it again. Looked again, nothing. Turned back again. The third time I turned around, the noise was quite close and I was a little unnerved.

When I looked into the water, an otter had pushed his way up through the ice and was trying to pull himself up onto the ice. His mate popped her head up shortly after. Although I did get some photos through all the branches in front of me, they aren't that good. I did manage to capture a decent shot when he dove back under the ice and popped up elsewhere.



Then, when I was riding the dike at Harrison Mills, a former hub for trade before roads and bridges replaced the need for boats, I was fortunate enough to see three blue birds in a tree. I was thrilled and took numerous photos of them, although I had no idea what they were, having never seen them before. It turns out they're Mountain Bluebirds and migrate from Mexico to the Yukon every year, and are in this area only a briefly, on their way north.



At that time, the river was really low and you could walk for miles along the river's edge, and with the sunny weather, perfect for photo ops.



Cycling back the other way, I crossed the train tracks and saw a huge old stone building that looks like there was a fire in it at some point. After doing some research, I found that it was the old mill, and despite no trespassing signs, kids were inside the building, letting off some kind of pink smoke bombs. At first I was a bit peeved that the photo I wanted would have this pink smoke in it. But, thanks to photoshop, I was able to take the colour out of it, and end up with a rather (imo) spooky looking building.

Considering we have abandoned buildings as an assignment next year, it'll be perfect for that, unless I find another cool abandoned building on my travels.



I had forgotten about this bike ride, and it seems it may be time to revisit it, unless, of course, I find a new one to check out.