Since doing some work on the islands over the winter I realized how beautiful the islands and the city are at this time of year. So my friend Nigel and I decided to take a trip to the Toronto Islands to explore and photograph the area.
Toronto Harbour
The Toronto ice breaker ferry only travels to Ward’s Island, which is located on the eastern point of the islands. From here you can walk along the boardwalk on the south shore or the main road down the middle of the islands. We decided to walk the boardwalk to Centre Island and then take the main road back to catch the ferry.
Ward’s Island path – Colour
Instead of heading directly to the boardwalk we explored some of the homes and parks on Ward’s Island first. Near a beach we found this path surrounded by birches. I played around with a fog filter to get the effect you see in the photos.
Ward’s Island path – B&W
I can’t decide if I like colour version or the black and white version. Which do you prefer?
Skating on the harbour
Heading back toward the ferry on the main road we came upon some ice skaters enjoying the sunny winter day. The inner harbours around the island are shallow and freeze quickly and they also make a nice ice rink with a spectacular view.
Sometimes you can find good photography opportunities when you least expect it. Along the way to my accountant’s place I found some fun little spots to stop and shoot.
Geometric
This geometrical shaped fence caught my eye along with the tree and hills in the background. The stark black of the fence against the pale brown of the grass made it stand out and immediately drw my eye.
Flooded Marsh
I love water and I love old buildings, like this barn, so when the two come together I must pull over and get a photograph.
Spring Fog
My favourite from the day was this boathouse and dock on a small lake. The light fog gave it an eerie feeling. If the fog wasn’t there I probably would not have stopped for this.
It’s fun when you’re out on a drive to go down the back roads to see what things can be the subject of your photos.
My friend, Dave Hook, called me up asked if I wanted to get out to photograph Billie Green Falls in Hamilton. I jumped at the chance as I had never visited that falls before. Little did I know just how easy it would be to get there. This waterfall is located right at the side of a main road.
Billie Green Falls
The difficult part was finding a good angle in which to see the entire falls. The above photo shows only the upper portion of the waterfall, which is most of the falls, but you miss out on seeing the sharp turn it takes before going down a little further. There are large boulders blocking the best views but hey I take what I can get. For this shot I had to maneuver myself past some rocks, along a narrow shelf and then braced myself against the rock wall to get this view. The fallen tree to my right was in the way but I used it to frame the photo.
Tree and the Fog
Trees are very eerie in the fog and its one of my favourite things to photograph when the fog rolls in. The tree above was in a park not too far from the waterfall.
The Marked Ones
From Billie Green Falls we headed over to Devil’s Punchbowl but the fog was way too thick here to even see the falls from its regular vantage point. The trees in the parking lot was much more interesting in the fog, don’t you think?
It’s our last day in Newfoundland before we head out on the ferry tomorrow to the mainland. We leave Gros Morne behind as a light drizzle falls.
The National Parks have put a campaign together involving taking photos of a pair of red adirondack chairs. One has to first find these chairs then take a photo and share on social media. Today, on our way out of the park, we found a pair of chairs.
Two Red Chairs
Rain and cold temps keep us bundled up and in the car with the occasional “Stop!” yelled out to grab a roadside shot. We did plan some stop at lighthouses today as we take the long way back to Port aux Basques. Cape Anguille lighthouse is our first stop and we actually get out of the car to explore.
Cape Anguille Lighthouse
Unfortunately the lighthouse and office are surrounded by a gate which makes this one not so picturesque as it could be. I found an angle that with the use of an old fence mostly hid the chain link fence.
As we continued along the coast and the rain started in a little harder I made my friend Nigel stop the car so I could explore a path that looked to head to a small beach. Not everyone was thrilled about getting out of the car but it was well worth it. As I crested the small hill a beach came into view and along the shore about 50 small shore birds were playing in the waves.
Sanderling
These little sanderlings were following the waves in and out to find little morsels to eat. It was amusing to watch – those little birds are quick. I took some video but they were way too fast and I couldn’t keep up with them.
Our last stop of the day was Cape Ray where another lighthouse stands. With the heavy fog it was hard to get a great shot of the lighthouse so we settled for taking photos along the coast. As we drove away I noticed an old boat along the road with an impressive view and I knew I had to photograph it.
Discarded
This was my final photo of the day and I fell in love with it. Tomorrow we start the journey home – first with our trip on the ferry and a long drive back to Truro. No photographs tomorrow but we get one or two on our final day through New Brunswick and Quebec.
Roy Ramsay of Outdoor Photography Canada and I planned a late evening of astrophotography tonight but we were to be thwarted by the weather. It was clear skies at my place but as I headed into Brampton to pick up Roy a light fog seemed to have settled in. In the car we discussed whether this fog would roll out or if we could find a spot that wasn’t affected by it. We were headed towards the Niagara region and it looked as though the fog was not going to let go. Rather it just got thicker and thicker as we headed south. Deciding that this would be a bust for star photography we decided that we would work with the fog instead.
Off the highway down by Jordan, Ontario there is a ship that is scuttled very close to shore so we thought that would be a fun place to stop and get some shots. Here is the full view of ship surrounded by thick fog in the background. The orange/brown glow is from the city lights and the breaker wall.
Jordan Harbour Ship 2
We tried out many different angles, along with playing with some light painting techniques. Below is a close up and processed in black and white.
Jordan Harbour Ship
We had a great time playing with the challenges of the fog. Hopefully next time we’ll get out and see the stars.
