I met my friend Nigel at Meadowvale Conservation Area for a hike around the credit river. It was an overcast day but the place looked promising when we spotted a hawk in a nearby tree. We, of course, had the wrong lenses to capture an image of the hawk. The hawk didn’t stick around long so we headed onto the trail where we saw one more hawk. I swear, they were taunting us.
Credit River
There were some good views of the credit river from different spots along the trail.
Stormy Day
This spooky tree stood out against this section of the river. I tried a few different spots along the trail to photograph it but I liked this one the best. There is another trail in the other direction from the parking lot. We may have to try it out next time we head this way to see what surprises lie there. And maybe I’ll bring my long lens, just in case.
Nigel and I found a new favourite hike, and it’s in Wellington County. The Drynan Forest trail is located on the west side of Cambridge. This 5-kilometre trail is a loop trail that passes some small lakes with some spectacular views.
Lake in Drynan Forest
The first lake we came across had a couple of lookouts, where we were able to get some shots of the autumn colours. With the stormy-looking clouds, we had some great reflections and soft light.
Orange Jelly Mushroom
Of course, I can’t forget about the little things. This Orange Jelly mushroom also called Witches Butter, can be found year-round, even in very cold temperatures. Apparently, it is edible and also has some medicinal properties. I can’t say I would rush out to try it, but maybe one day, If an experienced forager told me it wouldn’t poison me, I might taste it.
Drynan Trail
The great thing about the Drynan trail is it’s varied. You definitely don’t get bored on this walk, there is always something to see even when there are only trees around you. This particular tree in the distance stood out among its neighbours. I wanted to highlight it when I processed my image, so I darkened the edges and brightened up the tree.
Coloured Reflections
The final lake we passed at the end of the trail caught my eye. There were lots of colours here, and although the water wasn’t absolutely still, I liked how the reflections blurred slightly.
I was a little sad when the trail brought us back to the car. We will definitely be coming back to hike this one again.
I was on my way to the Toronto Islands for an event at work when I noticed the following scene in front of me.
Clearing Skies
Stormy looking days are alway epic in Toronto. I was lucky enough to catch this because soon after the clouds moved out and blue skies were the only thing to see for the rest of the day.
It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve gone out to photograph and today with the sky overcast I thought it would be a good time to head back to 50 Point Pier for some moody photos. I brought along my 10x ND filter to get my experiment on.
ND or neutral density filters are like sunglasses for your camera. The filter can be either screwed on to the front of your lens or it can slide in front of your lens with the help of a filter holder (sold separate from the filter, lens or camera). When placed on the lens it reduces the amount of light getting in to your camera’s sensor.
Pier without the ND filter. Shutter speed 1/6th of a second
There are different densities of filters. Some are only slightly tinted while others are more tinted. The different levels of tints allow you to shoot slower shutter speeds or open your aperture depending on what you are looking to accomplish with your photos.
Why would you want a longer shutter speed? When allowing your shutter to be open longer anything moving in your scene will essentially smooth out as shown in the photograph below.
50 point pier with 10x ND Filter. Shutter speed 87 seconds
You’ll notice in the photo above that the colours are very different from the photo at the very beginning of this post. ND filters are supposed to be a neutral grey colour, however, they usually tend to have a little colour in them. This colour becomes more prominent when shooting a long exposure. You will notice the one I use shifts the colour toward a more purple shade. This is because there is a little purple in the grey tone of my filter.
50 point pier in Black and White. Shutter speed 15 seconds
One way to get rid of this colour shift is to create beautiful black and white images. Of course, if you are shooting in RAW you will be able to adjust the colour in your post processing to create the look you want.
Photography is all about experimenting and having a little fun. Most people don’t usually have a 10x ND filter but have one of the more common ones like a 3x or 6x. You are the artist so you decide which one works best for you.
This was our last day in Wawa. Actually more like half day. There had been no luck so far in finding these massive waves that apparently happen on the north shore but we are still hopeful. The wind had picked up overnight so we are hoping to get great shots today.
Old Woman’s Bay
We went back to Old Woman’s Bay for one final look and although the waves were much larger than the day before it wasn’t exactly what we were hoping for and temperatures in the were very chilly.
Our final stop in the park was at Katherine’s Cove. We were happy to see a lot more waves breaking along the rocky shoreline and I am happy to report that I have way too many photos of these waves.
Waves at Katherine’s Cove
Katherine’s Cove doesn’t just have a rocky shoreline, it also has a lovely sandy beach from where I can sit and take many more photos of waves breaking on the shoreline.
Sand Beach at Katherine’s Cove
We spent quite a lot of time at Katherine’s Cove but eventually it was time to get warm and start heading in the direction of home. As we drove along the coast towards McKerrow, our home for the evening, we found a couple spots were the waves were exactly as we imagined.
Cold Cabin
We couldn’t stay here very long as we needed to get to our motel and get a good hot meal before heading the rest of the way home tomorrow but this cabin photo is one of my favourites of the weekend.
