Reflective riches

Wow! My buddy Amy and had arranged a tentative photo ramble date months ago for about now, and when we saw the great weather here we firmed it up for today. Even though we are past the best fall colour here, we hoped to get some nice shots exploring Elbow Island. Neither of us had ever been.

We seem to have good planning at meeting up and so it was today. A short drive later and the reflective riches started. There was no wind, so the river was completely calm, and that more than made up for some missing colour. I've never seen the river so blue, and that's not me tweaking the colour in Lightroom.

This reminds me of a small town scene in Southern Ontario, with the mill just out of sight. A bit of red in the leaves and you'd never know. 1763

Look carefully. Did I get a long exposure shot of a starry night sky? 1769

The underwater landscape was like I've never seen it before. 1794

Even the city can be pretty. 1797

Stay tuned, lots more coming.

A snake for Amy

Some of you may be nervous about that title, so yes, there's really a snake (a tiny one!) here today, but lots of other stuff to take your mind off of that, if you're nervous about reptiles.

A bit of a hodgepodge today. I was having coffee a couple weeks ago and looked outside. It took me a minute to focus because I hadn't even had the first sip yet. I did that, then ran for the camera. I didn't care that I was barefoot and the knees of my jeans got soaked in the dew. It was just cold enough overnight to freeze some of the dew or rain. I had fun playing with the camera settings.

Yesterday was a photo ramble in Fish Creek again, down the trail that ends up between bridge 4 and 5. It was lovely! No, really, stunningly lovely. Like this. I'd put an iPhone version of this on Instagram at the time, but this is what it really looked like. This isn't even one of the 4 star images from the day, and a couple of them I'm seriously considering 5 stars.

The path winds down a gully between two big outcroppings. Once the firetruck sirens went away it was peaceful and quiet. The light came and went, and eventually it clouded over, but the scenery was always beautiful. I spent some time sitting on a rock, listening to the creek.

I love walking along slowly, looking around, trying to find a beautiful shot. I'd been looking at the tiny little spring-fed trickle, when my eyes got back on the path and found this little guy less than a foot from by shoes. As soon as I shifted my weight he was off.

One of my Ironman buddies essentially bribed her kids to behaving on race day. She was liberal with her promises. One kid wanted a reptile. I think a python was mentioned. She talked him into a dog instead. (The dog had a long and happy life and recently passed away.) For a while the dog had some intestinal problems. One day the older kid called her at work, and in all seriousness said that he thought the dog had exploded, and what should he do about it? For years after, whenever I heard the dog had problems, I reminded her that she could have had a snake. Nobody has ever called and asked what to do about an exploded snake.

One of my other buddies has a kid, (or kids, I'm not sure) that is/are deeply interested in reptiles. I think she is not quite so sure about this, but is bravely facing the challenge. There was a photo of her that looks like she is getting ready to kiss a lovely boa constrictor.

I first met a snake in person in grade 5. One of my classmates brought in a garter snake several feet long. It took me a bit to work up the courage to hold it. Then many years later, I got a chance to hold a much bigger snake, a python about 5 feet long. It was really cool to feel it's muscles pushing itself along my arm.

The only other snakes I'd met were in my bad dreams. Tree roots turning into snakes. Chasing me. Glowing eyes watching me in the night. I'm glad I outgrew that, or learned to take control of my dreams. When they made me unhappy I'd change them.

Here's the first bit of red I found on the walk. There is more coming. A sea of it, and I don't mean a hockey game. Stay tuned.

I'll leave you with this fun reflection photo.

Dahlia and steel, front and back

This is one of the new blooms from Sept 24. No idea if it will make it much further into the season, but I was struck by the contrast with the steel cattail sculpture nearby, and the reflections off it.

A much needed restorative day

If you were paying attention yesterday you will know I stated an intention of sleeping in. This is one of the limitations of text. You probably did not get the impression that plan was as solid as the foundations for a great big dam.

It's been a busy few weeks at work, and stuff on the weekends, plus a raspy throat that didn't turn into a cold, but really took it out of me.

So I intended, so I did. I didn't actually sleep all that much later than usual, and I was up at the usual time, but I drifted off again. Being able to lie there, thinking inchoate thoughts that occasionally rose to the level of semi-coherence, not having to get up, is wonderful.

Up. Coffee. Sitting outside in the shade, watching the bees already hard at it in the garden. Massaging the novels more, Curtis glaring at me through the window. Knowing I didn't have to get up and actually do anything till I felt like it.

Then this happened. I'd got the kit last week, but didn't get around to it till today. My bike will join hers when it returns.

BBQ chicken in a specialty marinade, on fresh buns, outside in the beautifully warm day. Not hot, just a nice warm day, with a slight bit of a breeze.

Some errands, then a walk through Fish Creek. Through, as in, my feet were wet, and the water was delightful. I sat in the shade at one point listening to the river do it's thing. So peaceful and soothing. Hardly anyone was around. I contemplated the bicycle infested with weeds, thinking of how it came to be here, wondering if some poor kid was missing their bike and saving up their allowance to get another.

No idea what I'll do what I hit publish on the blog, but it will almost certainly involve a glass of wine.

Image of 2017

So many photos! I've been thinking about this for a while, toying with the ideas of categories. Best macro, best landscape, best Curtis photo, best photo of a sunrise taken on even numbered Tuesdays, whatever. That way I could put up any number of 'best' photos, limited only by my imagination in coming up with categories. My regular readers know exactly how limited my imagination is, which is to say hardly at all.

No. There can be only one. The flat out luckiest photo is easy, capturing the bee showing off it's wings, between the sunflowers. I didn't even know it was there till afterward. The macro shot of Mr Travis Bee is right up here, him holding still, and me timing the shutter button as I slowly swayed back and forth with the macro lens extended half way.

Here are the choices. I'm proud of all these shots, and would show them to any photographer or visual artist.

Best typically doesn't happen by accident. Best normally implies a strong element of skill, which leads to the thought that it's repeatable. In that sense, no sunrise or sunset shot can be best since the clouds and how the sun affects them are different all the time. Even a skyline shot can be different every day, or even minute to minute, depending on the light. Although skill still applies to some extent to get the right camera settings for the conditions, and it might be an incredible photo.

Consider a photo of a flower. Most flowers are pretty, but a photo of a flower doesn't make it a pretty photo. There are all the elements of catching the light just so, making sure the background is right, considering if there is dew or water drops on the flower, the composition of all the elements of the photo, and so on. A better photographer will usually take a  better, more interesting shot, and be able to do so again and again.

What makes a shot interesting? The answer is different for everyone. A photo of a child might be enormously interesting for the family, and ho-hum for me. A photo of a flower might be boring to a gardener who has seen a zillion roses, but an artist might be captivated by composition of the shot and the quality of the light. There are people photos that I was ready to delete rather than show them, and then it turns out they love it! (The Resting Bitch Face photo helped open my mind, and keeps it open. I often think of that when I'm working on photos.) I've had lots of compliments on photos that I think are so-so, and the opposite.

Let's think about interesting, though. Something has to catch your eye and brain. Colour, line, shape, something has to get your attention. Then it has to engage your brain just the right amount. Our brains have evolved to work on pattern recognition, and to do so extremely quickly. Is that the face of a friend or foe? Is it a snake or a fallen tree branch? Do I have a minute or is that a predator sneaking up on me?

That photo has to be interesting enough that the answer isn't instantly obvious (a pretty flower and nothing more), yet not so cryptic or busy the viewer gives up on it. That's a tough gate to hit. There are theories about leading lines, and patterns of threes, and rule of thirds, and colour wheel, and I don't know what else all.

Some photographers say that every photo has to tell a story. I'm not so sure about that one. Some of the most memorable photos ever shot tell a story that sears into your brain. They are so compelling that once seen they can never be forgotten. Most photographers only dream of taking such a shot, yet how many people can name the photographer? But is this the goal for every photo taken? I think not.

You have to give the viewer a reason to continue looking, or to come back again in the face of a near infinity of other photos and other distractions. Maybe it's further detail deeper in the photo. Maybe it's something they have never seen before, such as a macro shot of a bee's eye. Maybe to properly appreciate the interplay of light and texture. Maybe there are several elements that need to be appreciated individually and then as a group. Maybe there is a relationship to other work of the photographer, or to other art. A certain je ne sais quoi.

But then just like I think some novels are the literary equivalent of paint by numbers (looking at YOU Dan Brown!) or stories that slavishly follow the Hero's Journey (looking at YOU George Lucas) I think some photos are the same. Follow these rules when you see this situation, and you'll get a winner photograph. Not so fast. Odds are that winner photo has been done already. I think it's fine to take such a photo to hone your technical skills, but then you need go further and develop your own style, your own body of original work.

Then there's the light. Photographs are all about the light. Some software programs can manipulate the light, and well done it can enhance an already good photo. Poorly done, as it so often is, it can ruin any photo. There are no rules about it.

Yes, I hear you saying, and you've probably already scrolled down, stop blithering and cut to the chase. Which photo did you pick?

I got it down to the final three, and decided a winner and two runners up was reasonable, so I know which three to put below. Needless to say, I love all these shots a lot. But in which order? This has been a major league dither for me.

Second runner up, Mr Travis Bee! Everybody says wow when they see it. The shot isn't cropped, isn't focus stacked, and is nearly perfectly in focus. There is detail in the big version I look at that does not appear in this web version. I'll be taking this to the print shop.

First runner up. I know there are people in love with this peony, with the delicate gradations of brilliant white to the yellowy whites, with the little hit of red, all buried in the sun backlighting the peony, and the black and green in the background. I want to find out how big I can print this.

And the winner! I keep coming back to this, and finding more things to look at. Just today I was wondering why one art print is perfectly visible in the background, but not the other, and it took a few minutes to figure out what was obscuring it. I love, LOVE the subtle yellows, and the textures given to the room by the kettle, to say nothing of the flame curling around the kettle, and especially all the reflections. The thought of the shot was an accident, wondering if the camera would capture the flame. But I moved things around a little too for the composition, so it isn't a complete fluke.

And there we have it, my first full year of photography. As you might recall, 2016 was the red combine landscape. Now I start working on getting an even better photo for 2018.

Fish Creek reflections in search of a tree

After finding the tree I wandered back towards bridge 3 trying to take paths I've not seen before. I found a few reflection shots in the river, which was a bit of a surprise given the flat light.

No bridge shots though I saw bridges 3, 4, and 5. Some of you appear to have missed out on the weekend bridge shots, one of which is a leading contender for image of the month at the moment.

Today was retirement stuff, thinking about money, and taxes. This will be an ongoing feature, to keep our money working for us and not the government.

It was also another step in upgrading the house lighting. I've stuck in a couple of LED bulbs in the basement to see what I think. Now we've started to convert the halogen pot lights to LED. Today was replacing a florescent fixture in the basement. It was cheaper to buy a whole new fixture than replace a ballast. Retirement fun!

Some of the upcoming features that you will want to watch for, and possibly provide input.

Image of the year is coming up. I already know which photo a dear friend would pick as image of the year, but I'm curious about which image from the year is most vivid to you? Feel free to let me know which one you think should be image of the year. You've got some time. That might come up as late as mid January, depending how much I dither over the final choice.

Also in January I do an Ask Me Anything feature. You ask the question, I'll do an answer, and fair warning, it might be more than you expect.

A day walk with a bridge reveal

I was out for a wonderful photo ramble today. The zoo bridge was opening, Linda had a course at the zoo, so I figured park there, and ramble while she coursed. It worked out fairly well, including a bunch of shots, a lamb naanwich at Blue Star Diner, and 12 K of walking to burn it off again.

This is not the bridge that opened, though it is revealed in a different light than Neil's famous shot that includes the holiday train. I have my suspicions about exactly how he did it, but mum's the word.

 He had talked about rail safety, and this is why. It is surprisingly easy for a train to sneak up on you. I'm on the other side of a fence here.

I happen to know there are several other trees to keep this one company, and they all get a good view from up there.

A moose!

Thursday night this is what we saw when exploring the zoo bridge.

Today is a different story.

It's a lovely bridge! Lots of room for cars, bikes, pedestrians, and a horse drawn buggy. This is Calgary, after all.

Even the underneath is nice.

Still more Fish Creek, with wildlife

Here's some more of the Fish Creek photos from Tuesday. I'm not much a bird watcher, and I certainly didn't have a big lens on the camera, but this little guy was almost within arms reach. At that point it doesn't matter what lens you have. The trick is catching them when they are still. I think he was scoping out Heather to see if she had any treats.

As always, more reflections. I love being able to see the rocks at the bottom of the river, in the shadows, giving a surprisingly tree-like texture. This is just upstream of bridge 3.

I think this is near bridge 4.

It took several tries to get the texture of the ice, while still seeing the water and the rocks at the bottom.

The little dams are so much fun! I still hope to get together with some photo buddies to build a little dam in just the right place for bridge reflection shots. In the summer, of course. You might recall my summer walks through the creek, enjoying the warm water.

There were 5 of these. Heather had the big lens and was steadily clicking as we slowly walked closer. Eventually we got close enough I could get a reasonable shot. They weren't afraid of us, but were cautious. We had taken off the traction aides, but ran into a big patch of ice and about here is where Heather sat down abruptly.

There's a few places I need to go back to. There was a fallen tree with a fascinating shape that we spent some time on, yet somehow the shots were not quite right. Part of the deal in learning to use a new camera and lens.

Yet more Fish Creek, with a buddy

Photo rambles are more fun with a like-minded buddy. I've done a few group walks, and vehicle expeditions, but only a few with one other buddy, like Sean or Bart or Michelle or Ken. Yesterday Heather joined the ranks as we went through Fish Creek. She had always wanted to see more of it, and it's nice to show off the good spots.

We met up at Bebo Grove, and wandered in a big loop along the river down as far as bridge 5. We were pretty careful about walking on the ice because there are lots of thin spots and liquid water is everywhere. The "Icers" traction aides worked really well, and are essential if you want to be walking off the paved paths. Neither of us got wet.

It was a lovely day for a hike, just about zero, and mostly sunny, clouding over as the day went on. I ended up taking 260 shots with the new camera. I am totally in love with it and the new lens! So far I've edited 19 of those, and there are a few more I'm on the bubble about. No, I'm not going to give you all 19 today. Just some. Come back tomorrow for more, unless I do something else instead. You never know what I'll be up to.

I thought about converting this one to B&W, but that beautiful blue of water under skim ice convinced me to keep the colour.

The hazy reflections in the ice had me completely enchanted throughout the walk. You'll see more of that.

My photo buddy Heather.

That sky, reflected in the ice.

I love this tree. I've come back to it many times. I still want to do a photoshoot with my runner buddies. Them running past it, doing post run stretches against it, basking in the sun on it while nibbling snacks. No, that isn't a Heather photo bomb.

The less relaxing end of the tree.

I've walked within a few dozen feet of this picnic table many times, and this is the first time I've seen it. Much of the year you'd be standing in a swamp to see this. I'm not sure if there used to be a little picnic area here, or if it was washed here by one of the floods. This is near the big log jam between bridges 2 and 3.

This is one of the reasons it's nice to go with someone else. You take different routes, and see new stuff. There is always new stuff to see in Fish Creek. The river changes from year to year, the weather is always different, the vegetation shows up differently, and the light is always changing.