January by the River
After 10 days of very cold weather (-30C plus wind chills) here in Edmonton, it was nice to return to more seasonal temperatures (just a little below freezing). It was an opportunity to take my camera and hike down beside the North Saskatchewan River and capture images of the ice and snow and sun.
Color and Texture of Tree Trunks in Winter
At first glance the winter landscape looks so desolate, monotonous and colorless. However, I find that once my eyes/mind get tuned into the trees, their trunks and bark, I see abundant subjects of interest. Here are photos of the great variety that caught my eye one day in early January in Edmonton.
2018 – The Best of Black and White
As much as I love color there is something about black and white images that has always appealed to me. Inevitably when I go out a shoot a bunch of photos a number of them (maybe 10%) will scream out at me to be represented monochromatically.
Here are one of my favorite black and white images, from each month in 2018:
January:
Trail in the snow along the edge of the frozen North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton
February:
Plastic pins of a toy for capturing a 3D representation of an object
March:
An exposed and therefore snow-free, south-facing bank of the North Saskatchewan River valley in Edmonton.
April:
Large chunks of ice at spring break-up on the North Saskatchewan River.
May:
Bridge pillars on the Sturgeon River in St.Albert
June:
The bell of a trombone, at the Edmonton International Jazz Festival
July:
Trail in Edmonton’s river valley (upper Dawson Park)
August:
Bend in the road (Rowland Road) in Edmonton
September:
Pillar of the Dawson Bridge in Edmonton
October:
Squirrel sounding off.
November:
Ice starting to form and collect on the North Saskatchewan River
December:
River ice sheet breaking under pressure.
End of September Photos
Here are a selection of my favorite photos taken on September 30, 2018 in Edmonton’s river valley.
Forms on a Frozen River
It is the end of January and the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton is frozen over and covered with 15 centimeters of fresh snow. I venture to the river’s edge and am captivated by the abstract forms that I see:
Best of 2017 (Part 1)
I’ve looked back at my photos (those taken with my Nikon) from 2017 and picked out my top 20 favorites. The first ten are presented here and the second 10 will be in the “Best of 2017 Part 2” blog post.
20.
19.
18.
17.
16.
15.
14.
13.
12.
11.
My top 20 photos from 2017 continued in Part 2.
In a January Fog
While not unheard of, foggy days in Edmonton are also not very common. This last weekend in Edmonton was however one of those times – a fog just heavy enough to hide the far side of the river valley and flatten out depth. The high humidly and sub-zero temperature resulted in a delightful, frosty coating on the trees.
Combining the fog, frost and late afternoon/early-evening light lead to these moody, black and white images:
Frosty Thorns
Poles in a Frosty Landscape
The Five
Three, with Frosty Wires
Rowland Bend
Usually Colorific, but Not This Time
Autumn is famous as the season of glorious displays of color, but that doesn’t have to be all that intrigues a photographer at this time of year. Here are some black and white images of what has caught my eye this early October:
Strong Verticals
Especially on a wet fall day the strong contrast of tree trunks makes for a dramatic image.
Near and Far
Wet Corner
Reaching Upward
The autumn season is also when the river is at its lowest level, exposing sandbar “beaches” not normally seen. And those beaches reveal some interesting forms, very suited to black and white (or mostly monochromatic) presentation:
Sandy Beach
Waves in the Sand
Under the Bridge
Verticals and Horizontals
The above photos were all taken October 1st and 2nd (2016), in the river valley in Edmonton, Canada.
Return From Whenever
It seems like a longtime since I’ve added a post to this blog and since I did any camera-motion abstract photography. Well today (Sunday, September 11, 2016) I did take my camera out, put on a neutral density filter and cranked the shutter speed down to 2 seconds. The day was cool, wet and gloomy but I imagined to find some color and these interesting images:
Chicken Scratch
Broken Spiral
Rosy Glow
Darkness in Light
Cherry Blossom
Paths – in Black and White
Here is a collection of photographs of paths, taken in Edmonton’s river valley and Mill Creek Ravine on 2016 April 9.
Path to the City
Pleasant Path
Light at the End of the Path
A Rooty Path
Bends Through the Spring Woods
Spring Arrives – in Black and White
Perhaps I should say “winter departs” – somehow spring doesn’t feel imminent until color returns to the landscape. While there was the bit of exposed green moss or grass and blue sky as I hiked Edmonton’s river valley, for the most part everything is a shade of grey or brown.
That said, here are 5 photos that “don’t need no stinking color” to look interesting:
Arrival
Ravine Path – Shady and Slippery
Slope and Sky
Nothing but Sticks
Spring Sky over a Late-winter Valley
These images were taken in Edmonton’s Dawson Park on 2016 March 25th.
Moodier in Black and White
Here are some photos taken on the same outing as my hike last Sunday in Edmonton’s Mill Creek Ravine – but taking out the color the images have a much moodier feel.
Spring Slope
Stairs and a Patch of Snow
Trunk on a Diagonal
All Quiet Under the Bridge
Tangled Slope
and as a bonus, a black and white image from beside the river in Edmonton’s Louise McKinney Park:
Promenade Beside the Ice
Spring Reflections
Technically it is late-winter, not quite spring yet, but the melting has begun, puddles formed and reflections are making for some interesting images:
Chains
Puddle and Path
Storyland Sky
Late Winter – Black and White
Here is a little collection of black and white photos themed around the patterns and textures of late winter (late February at my home here in Edmonton).
“Last Year’s Plume”
“Irregular Patchwork”
“Up”
“Ice and the Far Edge”
“Temporary Condition”
A few more photos from this photo shoot may be seen on another of my blogs: YEGmonton.
Lines in Black and White
Take away the color and you are left with line and value.
Up Stairs 1
Art of the Curve
Hangin’ From the Moon
EPCOR Waterfall in Edmonton’s Churchill Square
Up Stairs 2
Splash of January Color
Color can be hard to find for months during the long Edmonton winter.
However, with a bit of light and a long exposure photograph …
If You Look You Will See
Today was another one of those days when I just go for a walk in downtown Edmonton and see what I can see – what I can see in terms of interesting patterns.
Winter Nature – Black and White
Here are a few of my recent black and white photos showing Edmonton’s river valley in early January.
Path Through the Riverside Brush
Snow Covered Tangle
Patterns In and On (and the Edmonton Queen)
Up a Snowy Trail
Downtown Edmonton Over the Frozen North Saskatchewan River
Snow and Shadows
A New Year’s Eve afternoon walk in Edmonton’s river valley revealed interesting patterns made by snow and ice, trees and the sun.
Blue Diagonals
Alien Icescape
Foot Paths
Tangled
Crystalline Edge
Trampled
Like Flakes
Moving This Way and That
I have often used camera motion during a long exposure to create an abstract photo. I recently took some of these photos one evening in downtown Edmonton and discovered after the fact that I have used a good variety of camera motions for different effects.
Dance in the Distance
Cycles of Light
Towers of Dripping Light
Side Step
Scratchy
Simplified Geometry
Three recent (2015 October) photos – abstracts, in that what makes them interesting is the simplification of, the focus on, certain geometric forms.
Window on Blue
“Where Leaves Go”
On the Step
Leaf Beauty
Autumn is overwhelming – so many leaves, so much color!
I am often drawn to the broad sweeps of vivid color in the fall landscape but I also like to enjoy the natural artistry in the details. My camera encourages me to slow down and look at the beauty on a smaller scale – the beauty of each single leaf.
Veined Yellow Leaf
Red Veins into Green (with yellow)
Green Spots
Stripes
On Black Earth
Autumn Leaves (again)
Ah, the seductiveness of the colors of autumn. Every year I am awed by nature’s spectacle.
“But not this year!”, I told myself as fall descended on my part of the world. It seemed every year I took pictures and I’m sure if I went back and actually looked at images from previous years I would find the same scenes and colors repeating themselves. The golden trees against the deep blue sky have become so cliche – it’s not just me, everyone is taking the same photos!
But you know what? I couldn’t resist. I’ve taken photos of those autumn leaves again and I will share them again. I will however try to share those images that are a little bit different.
…and a touch of teal
Eleven
A Carpet of Fallen
Lone Leaf
Flying Carpet
On a Muddy Track
Red on Green
Color Fields
A bit of texture, some color and practically nothing recognizable:
Blue 48
Pink Spot
Blue Corner
Light Field
Blue Vertical
