Wow! Another outing beyond the regular neighbourhood walk. This time my friend Nigel and I headed into Toronto. Our goal today was to walk the Leslie Spit – more commonly known as Tommy Thompson park (or is it the other way around?), followed by a walk in the financial district after the sun went down.
Tree Blur
I had a little fun with this photo. Originally it was just a tree-lined path which had some great light on it but I wanted to blur it to create something different. A little bit of abstract art for you.
All the lookouts that we walked to didn’t result in any great photos. There were no clouds in the sky and the haze from the fires out west were settling in. It just looked blah.
Toronto Skyline
This is one of the only photos that peaked my interest. I decided to create more subdued colours and treat it more like a silhouette by darkening up the landscape and skyline.
At this particular lookout there were some stones to sit on. As I was taking a break ont hose stones, I noticed these wonky shaped trees to my left. The sun was low enough to make it an interesting photo. Originally, I shot the image with my phone but then decided it was worth taking on my DSLR camera too.
Sunlight Through the Trees
Back on the main path, we made it halfway up the Spit before we decided we were too hot and tired to continue. From here we headed to Cherry Beach to watch the sunset and grab some poutine and onion rings from the street truck for dinner. Although our original plans were to head to the financial district, we decided we were too tired and our feet hurt so we headed home, promising ourselves that we would be back to do some night shots in the downtown core another time.
Out on my walk today I noticed this interesting colour variation on a Queen Anne’s Lace flower.
Edges of Pink
I have never seen one that had pink along its edge. All the ones I have seen have all been white. Could it possibly be a different flower? I have no idea but I do think it’s pretty cool looking.
Make a Wish
The seeds on the Jack Go To Bed at Noon are blowing away in the wind, so I snatched one up to make a wish before heading home. Do you still make wishes on dandelions or its cousins?
When out for my walk today I happened to capture a shot of a seagull flying overhead. It was the most boring photo I could have taken. I’m not sure why I even bothered pointing my camera straight up at the gull on a cloudless sky.
Seagull Before
But then I decided to take the photo into my editing program and replace the boring blue sky with something a lot more dramatic. I used the editing program’s sky replacement tool which allowed me to insert another sky shot over the blue in the original photo. After lightening and warming up the seagull to match its new environment I created the photo below.
I’m out here on the second day of my challenge of using only a macro lens to capture photos on my neighbourhood walks. Walking along the creek path I came across these pea pods that were on a tree. I had never noticed these before and it piqued my curiosity.
Peas in a Pod
There are three possibilities on what this tree might be: the Eastern Redbud, the Honey Locust, or the Siberian Pea Shrub. I have absolutely no idea which it is so if there is anyone out there who might know comment below and let me know. To make this image pop I created a vignette around the subject and then brightened up the pods and sharpened them so that they stand out.
Lost Egg
Further along the creek trail, I found this lone egg. Nothing looks wrong with the egg so I’m not sure if a predator got to it of if it someone pushed it out of its nest. I didn’t spot any nests nearby, so no luck on finding its home. This image just needed some cropping so that the egg would be slightly off centre. I also warmed up the image and darkened the edges to contrast the white of the egg.
Grasses
Crossing over the road to the schoolyard I noticed the way the sun was lighting up these grasses. I really wanted this image to have a soft and vintage feel so when I edited the image I made the highlights a soft yellow and the shadows a soft blue.
I’m curious to see what my next outing will be like. Things should start changing soon as spring starts to get on a roll.
Today I, with my friend Nigel, head out to Humber Bay park in search of…you guessed it…ducks. Beause what else are you going to find in the middle of February when there is no snow?
Mallard
Going later in the day (which isn’t that late this time of year) gave us this beautiful golden light that reflected off our subjects. There were lots of mallards, but then again, when aren’t there lots of mallards? As we explored the park we came across something unusual none of the mallard groups – a white mallard.
White Duck
It’s not an albino. Its eyes, beak and feet are the same as the other mallards. Plus those other mallards seemed to have no issue with this weirdly coloured duck in their midst. So what’s up with its white feathers? Is it a spirit mallard, like the spirit bears from BC? I’m so curious to find out more.
I found out that it isn’t that uncommon for a mallard to be white due to Leucism. Leucism is the partial loss of pigmentation that can result in white, patchy or pale pigments. We see this in nature more than we realize – a white tiger, a white snake and, of course, the well known spirit bears from the west coast.
So, essentially our white duck is a mallard in all respects except its white colouring.
Swan
There was one other common bird hanging around – the swan. You have to watch out for swans. They can be one mean bird if they don’t like you and yet there they are paddling away, looking all graceful and stuff. I see you swan, being all handsome and unassuming, trying to pretend you’re not coming up with some evil plan to take over the world. lol
As always it was a great evening out exploring the park and getting some unexpected photos and some fun close-ups.
