Happy Canada Day!!!

The last two months have been very trying to say the least, and it has now been 2 weeks exactly since I finished my radiation treatments. Hopefully they did the intended job, but I will not know the level of success for a few months yet, after a few follow up consults with my Oncologist. As a result, I am happy today to be back to posting again, and hoping things will return to normal soon. This little image is a celebration of these recent personal events, and also to show my appreciation for this country that I am fortunate enough to live in. Yes, there are forces at work that wish to trash our history and indoctrinate the masses with mixed messages, etc., but what goes around, comes around, and I have every faith that Karma will make her rounds in her own good time. We get back what we give out, and it is my wish to add a little quiet beauty to this old world, even though most of what I post on here is likely not viewed by many, and will be of no significant consequence in the over all scheme of things. For those who do view my blog, thank you for checking in. The future is very uncertain for a lot of folks, and about the only thing that I can say about that is that there is a lot to be said for living in the now. Be engaged in what makes the soul satisfied and share it with others.....Cheers! Happy Canada Day! 

P.S: Camera ~ Sony a900 DSLR

       Lens ~ Minolta 85mm, f1.4 @ f11 for 1/3 sec

       Lighting ~ 2 Aputure Light Storm Mini 20C LED lights at 5500 K

       Photo Editing Software ~ Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo

 

Early Morning Light.....

This little image was shot while I was sitting on my sofa enjoying my usual earling morning beverage. It was shot through our front window, and across the street at a neighbors house. It is all about the lighting, which seems to back light the white grasses, and wrap itself around to provide light to the foreground as well. The tree on the right, and the brick and siding give the scene a bit of a graphic element, and the foreground shrubs a little bit of texture.....Photography is all about the lighting....enjoy it wherever you happen to find it. Cheers! 
 

Bay Roberts, NFLD.....

Due to circumstantial machinations beyond my control, I have not posted much in the past while. It is what it is, and hopefully there are a few folks that still take a peek at this little blog from time to time. Tonight, with one eye on the hockey game, I got rummaging about in some of my old images from a trip to Newfoundland back in 2015. Needless to say, much has changed in the world and personally since then, and I have no idea when or if I will be able to make it back "home" again anytime soon. This image was taken in Bay Roberts, when I strayed off of the main road, and down a little country laneway. It was originally shot in colour of course, but I like this Black & White rendition very much. Earlier this evening, I had played with it in Corel Painter Essentials software, and gave it a more painterly treatment, but a straight up conversion to Black & White is more to my liking.....hope you find it enjoyable as well. Cheers! 
 

Pink Orchids.....

Today was a bit of a slow day, and I decided to try my hand at taking a picture of these lovely Orchids. The lighting was provided by the little pop up on camera flash triggering 2 wireless remote flashes which provided the back lighting. The background was originally a bouquet of Carnations, that provided the colours that I wanted to turn into a somewhat abstract backdrop for the Orchids. Since I have no particular "formula" for making these different abstract backgrounds, and never do the same thing twice, the resulting images are pretty much a one of, and I could not duplicate them again if I tried. They are for my own amusement, and if anyone else enjoys them, so much the better.....Cheers!
 

Rustic Beauty.....

It is colder than forecast today, so I got digging about in some of my old images, and decided to work a little on this one. It was originally shot as a horizontal, but with a bit of cropping, I turned it into a vertical format, which I find more pleasing. It is just a very simple image that I found out in Essex County somewhere, and it got passed over many times when I was working on other things. The rusty metal background makes a nice contrast of colours and textures for the purple blossoms. With the times changing tonight, and we move the clock ahead an hour, it stirs a bit of hope that soon we will be able to shrug off memories of being stuck in the house for weeks on end, and get out to take photos of the many flowers about the neighborhood. Hurry up Spring.....Cheers!
 

A Bouquet for Frank.....

It is with an extremely heavy heart that I post this image today. My best friend, Frank, passed away last Sunday afternoon. He went for his usual afternoon nap....and never awakened afterwards. With his passing, and everything else that is transpiring in my country right now, the world feels a very bleak place. So...I am posting this little still life bouquet for Frank. You were a really great friend, and had such a positive impact on everyone around you. Your family always came first above everything else....may your eternal rest be peaceful, and you will be missed....big time....

 

Female Cardinal on a Snowy Day.....

This afternoon, I was on my way outside to shovel some very heavy wet snow that had fallen, but got sidetracked when I looked out the window, and our Roses of Sharon bushes beside the deck was full of birds. The camera was near by, so I spent about 20 minutes or so, taking a few photos of them. This lovely Female Cardinal was only about 10 feet away from me, and it was too bad that it was such an overcast day, with very poor lighting. When I downloaded the file, I was able to punch it up a little with my Affinity and Corel photo editing software, so that it became somewhat acceptable. Anyway, it gave me a lot of enjoyment and a really nice diversion from all of the political chaos that this country has descended into in recently. Hope you enjoy....Cheers!