February 23, 2008

23. Eclipse

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This is a photograph I took of the recent lunar eclipse.

Posted on February 23, 2008 08:53 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 6, 2008

06. Orchid

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I was out with my father the other night at the Niagara Parks Floral Showcase (the greenhouse) where we took some photos of their many orchids.

Having shot orchids in the wild this was definitely not exciting, but the are still pretty nonetheless.

Some of my wild orchid shots:
Showy
Yellow Slipper
Spotted Tongue
Hat and Curls

Posted on February 6, 2008 09:08 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 1, 2008

01. Snow and Rocks

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I started this photo blog 3 years ago, on February 1, 2005 with a photo of a Silver Cheeked Hornbill. My posting record was pretty good for the first two years, then last year I became busy, and pretty uninspired as far as photography went and I didn't post as frequently.

I am hoping to get back in to the rhythm of things and keep up with the daily photography here.

This is a photo of a few small beach rocks with a light dusting of snow.

Posted on February 1, 2008 01:28 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 22, 2008

22. Sunrise Panorama

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This is another panorama of a sunrise. This one was shot this past Sunday, again in Fort Erie. Fort Erie is about 1/2 hour south of Niagara Falls, in Canada, for anyone who may not know.

This image is a composite of 9 photographs. The photos were shot in a vertical fashion before stitching together. Once stitched and cropped to eliminate any areas without image (which usually happens when creating a panorama), I ended up with a 48.5 megapixel image which works out to be a 27 megabyte .jpg at maximum quality.

A larger version (but not fullsize) can be viewed here. View image

Posted on January 22, 2008 09:48 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 15, 2008

15. Pink

20080115.jpg A second sunrise photo from Fort Erie from Sunday morning.

Posted on January 15, 2008 10:02 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

November 3, 2007

03. About to Die

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Fall has been a little odd this year. Leaves have been green, then brown with very little colour. The end of October and we still had beautiful weather.

This is a photo of some Sumac leaves getting near their end.

Posted on November 3, 2007 03:25 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

October 4, 2007

04. Alone Again This Morning

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Creative use of inaccurate white balance yielding a pleasing combination of blue and pink in this first light of morning photo.

Posted on October 4, 2007 03:38 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

September 10, 2007

10. Dragonfly

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Though we though bug season was over, we lucked out and found this guy not too long ago. This is the same dragonfly I posted here.

I really like this image. I think it is the background that I like the most.

Posted on September 10, 2007 10:34 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

September 4, 2007

04. Dragonfly

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Posted on September 4, 2007 01:12 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 16, 2007

16. Get Your Ducks in a Row

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A while back I posted some photos of fireworks from a long fireworks display in Niagara Falls. I have created a gallery for those photos.

You can view the gallery here

Posted on August 16, 2007 09:53 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 8, 2007

08. Skippers

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Posted on August 8, 2007 02:41 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 1, 2007

01. Hollyhock - Again

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This is the last Hollyhock photo I am posting, for now anyway. John and I had been driving down the road when I saw this stand of hollyhock being back lit from the sun. My original image of how I wanted to capture them flowers was not working out, so I settled for some macro photos of the flowers with the dew on them.

Posted on August 1, 2007 04:08 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 31, 2007

31. Morning Dew On Hollyhock #2

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Another photograph of a dewy hollyhock

Posted on July 31, 2007 04:02 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 30, 2007

30. Morning Dew On Hollyhock #1

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Morning dew on Hollyhock

Posted on July 30, 2007 03:58 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 29, 2007

29. Hollyhock

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Posted on July 29, 2007 03:56 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 13, 2007

13. Palm

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Posted on July 13, 2007 11:10 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 7, 2007

07. Hairstreak

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Posted on July 7, 2007 03:13 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 5, 2007

05. Dragonfly and Daisy

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Posted on July 5, 2007 09:15 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 3, 2007

03. Geranium

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Wild Geranium shot the past spring.

Posted on July 3, 2007 07:32 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 2, 2007

02. Found in my Backyard

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I found this little guy in my backyard about to meet the gallows that would have been my shovel. Camouflage may not always work in your favour if a sharp object is heading perilously close to your head. Fortunately, I saw him with enough time to divert the shovel away from it's intended location.

A few minutes posing for the camera should be payment enough saving his life!

Posted on July 2, 2007 01:54 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 1, 2007

01. Iguana and Tulum

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Leanne and I are back from our honeymoon, mostly settled in and now it is time for me to get back to regular image posting. I received a lot of comments from people encouraging me to keep up the posting and I thank everyone for that (I will respond to all of your emails as well as things continue to settle down).

We went to Playa del Carmen in Mexico for our honeymoon where we took several trips (can't spend the whole time swimming back and forth to the swim up bar!). This photo is of an iguana sunning itself on one of the Mayan ruins at Tulum. In the background are the steps up the main temple (El Castillo). This was the hottest day of our trip, we were both burned a little that day and this site offers almost no shade. Leanne was able to find a small tree to hide under while I walked around photographing some more.

Even on our honeymoon, Leanne cannot escape the photographer she married!

Posted on July 1, 2007 09:26 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

June 13, 2007

13. Morning Mist

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Stopped to shoot a small group of horses in the morning fog the other day on the way out our first insect shoot for the year (did very well with that too).

As for my lack of posting in the last little while, it does not relfect a lost interest in maintaining this site, or in photography either. I will be getting married soon and between all of the final wedding planning and preparation along with my busier summer lifestyle and a few extra phtoo jobs along the way, something had to give.

I appreciate the comments and support I have received and will reply to them, and I will get back to posting on a regular basis but for the coming weeks, please just follow the site and hope for updates.

--Chris

Posted on June 13, 2007 10:28 AM | Comments (5) | Permalink

May 18, 2007

18. Whatcha Staring At?

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I shot this toad in my back yard. Poor little guy almost got bisected with my shovel!

Posted on May 18, 2007 10:14 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 8, 2007

08. Looking Up

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Posted on May 8, 2007 07:19 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

April 27, 2007

27. Green and Purple

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Early leaves growing out of moss on the side of a rock. I don't know for sure, but the purple on the end of the leaf may be frost damage.

Posted on April 27, 2007 09:07 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 26, 2007

26. Unfurling

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According to Movable Type, today's image is my 800th posting. This is small fern by the looks of it I shot last weekend.

Posted on April 26, 2007 09:18 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 25, 2007

25. Hepatica #2

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This is another photo of Hepatica similiar to yesterday's.

Posted on April 25, 2007 11:36 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

April 19, 2007

19. Stream

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I have been on vacation for the past little week or so and while I did not go anywhere, I did not get a chance to shoot or post either, both of which I fully intended to do on my time away from work.

Today's photo is from my last outing. Again, a stream falling down some mossy, snow covered rocks.

Posted on April 19, 2007 12:47 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

April 10, 2007

10. Green and White

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Posted on April 10, 2007 12:43 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 9, 2007

09. Falling Water and Snow

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We had another snowfall last weekend (yes, in April!) and John and I were out Monday morning to look for some falling water. I have several shots from this small series of waterfall's.

I have been on vacation this week, though I think I have more free time when I am at work. My car has been in the shop and I have been dealing with some of the wedding planning.

Also, I would like to Congratulate Dave on winning the Jorg.net Photo Hunt.

Posted on April 9, 2007 10:04 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 7, 2007

07. Tree and Ice

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Posted on April 7, 2007 12:11 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 5, 2007

05. Crocus and Snow

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We had a light snow fall last night that blanketed one of my last blooming crocus plants in the yard. I took a few minutes to document the snowfall.

Posted on April 5, 2007 04:02 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 3, 2007

03. New and Old

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New and old growth. Spring shoots poking out of last years dead leaves.

Posted on April 3, 2007 11:26 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 30, 2007

30. Golden Tree

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Posted on March 30, 2007 02:38 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 29, 2007

29. Canada Goose

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Bird, artichoke, butterfly wing were all guesses I received in regards to my What is it posts over the past two days. Bird was correct. Canada Goose to be exact.

There is a park not too far from my house where the geese, ducks and gulls congregate, mostly to be fed by people I expect. They are generally very docile and calm around people which allowed me to get within just a few feet of them to get the shots for the past two days.

I think I might try the 'What is it' theme again in the future. Thanks for participating!

Posted on March 29, 2007 02:40 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 28, 2007

28. What is this, Part 2.

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I'll give everyone another try at identifying, more accurately, the subject of this photo.

Posted on March 28, 2007 01:34 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

March 27, 2007

27. What could it be?

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Any Guesses on what this could be?

On Monday I had a few prints in a Juried Photo show at the Roselawn Art Center in Port Colborne, ON. Two of the three were chosen for display, while one of those two (Yellow Slipper) was chosen as 2nd place in the Nature/Scenic Category.

Both prints will be on display, either at the Roselawn Art Center or the Port Colborne Library.

Posted on March 27, 2007 03:22 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

March 24, 2007

24. Swan in Take Off

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This is a series of shots I took of this swan as it took off from a local river on the weekend. I panned across the river to follow the swan as it was in motion then put the images together to create this start to finish composite.

A larger version can be viewed here

Posted on March 24, 2007 05:48 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

March 23, 2007

23. Alone

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Another beautiful sunrise photograph.

Posted on March 23, 2007 02:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 22, 2007

22. Alone

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This is another sunrise photograph taken on the weekend.

Posted on March 22, 2007 04:42 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

March 21, 2007

21. Morning and Two Trees

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I love this sunrise. We found these trees a few months ago, set on a small rising hill, exactly what we wanted. Even better, we knew that if we could get them with the sun rising behind them, we just had to wait for the right time.

This was shot about 20 minutes before the sun even broke the horizon.

Posted on March 21, 2007 03:41 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 17, 2007

17. Tulip

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My last shot of my now dying tulips. I wish I had composed this photo better than I had.

Posted on March 17, 2007 11:13 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 15, 2007

15. Lake Ice

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Posted on March 15, 2007 10:21 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 14, 2007

14. Another Crack in the Ice

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Another crack in the ice from our shoot Sunday morning.

Posted on March 14, 2007 09:36 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 13, 2007

13. Crack in the Ice

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Don't be surprised when a crack in the ice
Appears under your feet...

As soon as I titled this photo, The Thin Ice by Pink Floyd started playing on the radio in my head. Don't mind when it happens with a song I enjoy, such as The Thin Ice, but really hate it when a song I don't like makes it to my internal radio station.

Posted on March 13, 2007 01:28 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 10, 2007

10. Tulip #3

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Another tulip photograph. The tulip is opening nicely so I might get some more shots of it later today.

Happy birthday Mom.

Posted on March 10, 2007 09:37 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

March 9, 2007

09. Tulip

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I like both the softness and texture of this photo. Again, another picture of the tulip I bought last week.

Posted on March 9, 2007 08:09 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

March 6, 2007

06. Tail Feathers

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Another photo of the wood duck I posted yesterday.

Posted on March 6, 2007 08:30 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 5, 2007

05. Wood Duck in Reflection

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I think wood ducks are one of the most beautiful birds. Their colours are amazing. This is a reflection of a wood duck.

Posted on March 5, 2007 07:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 3, 2007

03. By the Water

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Posted on March 3, 2007 03:56 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 20, 2007

20. Skippers

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Another Out of Bounds image. The photo is of two skippers I shot last year. I entered this into competition on Monday night and received a score of 14 out of a possible 15 for the photo. That is a Diamond award in the club.

Posted on February 20, 2007 09:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 15, 2007

15. The Far North

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Well not really, only Port Colborne, which is south of Niagara Falls. The conditions on Sunday sure made this feel like the far north though and given how this photo looks, might even be able to pass for it.

Posted on February 15, 2007 11:38 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

February 13, 2007

13. A Cold Winter's Morning

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Another photo of the frozen Lake Erie. Some of the ice built up here was close to 5 feet thick by my estimates.

Posted on February 13, 2007 09:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 12, 2007

12. Frozen Lake

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A frozen Lake Erie. The photo was taken in Port Colborne this past weekend.

Posted on February 12, 2007 11:31 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 11, 2007

11. Snow Drift

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Posted on February 11, 2007 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 9, 2007

09. Morning Blue Out of Bounds

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First attempt at an Out of Bounds image.

Posted on February 9, 2007 02:29 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

February 8, 2007

08. Grasses in the Snow

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Grasses in the Snow. I think what makes this photograph is the shadow of the grasses.

Posted on February 8, 2007 11:34 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 7, 2007

07. Snow Detail

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Posted on February 7, 2007 11:11 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 6, 2007

06. Shadow On Snow

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The past few days have brought some welcome sunlight and for many, some unwelcome cold temperatures. I believe the temperature went down to -17 C (1 F). As an aside, I won the recent weekly competition with my ongoing photo competition with Dave over at Jorg.org Photo Hunt. My image Aww Nuts was chosen last week as the winner so I am now leading the competition.

Posted on February 6, 2007 01:00 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

February 5, 2007

05. Drifts

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Patterns of snow drifts. Mid morning light emphasizes the texture of the snow, visible in the patterns on the snow and creates a pleasing photograph.

Posted on February 5, 2007 02:58 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 4, 2007

04. Snow and Grasses

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This photograph was shot on a cold morning. Although dressed warm, the chill still cuts through all the layers of clothing.

For this photo, I was lying on the ground with my face almost in the snow to get this particular perspective.


Happy Birthday Leanne!

Posted on February 4, 2007 11:51 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

February 3, 2007

03. Spotted

20070203.jpg Posted on February 3, 2007 10:36 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 31, 2007

31. Morning Mayfly

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This photo of a mayfly was shot 18 months ago (July 31, 2005). I came across this photo while reviewing some of my older work which happened to be the subject of my latest tip.

You can read it here.

Posted on January 31, 2007 12:49 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

January 20, 2007

20. Showy

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My second competition image for this month. This is a Showy 's LadySlipper.

Posted on January 20, 2007 11:40 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

January 19, 2007

19. Yellow Slipper

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Yellow lady slipper. This is one of my competition images.

Posted on January 19, 2007 01:14 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

January 5, 2007

05. Clouds

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Posted on January 5, 2007 11:39 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

January 4, 2007

04. Pink and Blue

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Another sunrise photo from Sunday morning. This was one of the most spectacular sunrises I have seen around here.

Posted on January 4, 2007 11:43 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

January 2, 2007

02. Sand

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Posted on January 2, 2007 01:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 1, 2007

01. Lines in the Sand

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This is the first photo of 2007 and with the new year, some changes to the site will come. I will be moving my site to a new server within the next two weeks, will be finalizing the code for sending daily emails out to my viewers (for those who request it) and will be offering select images for sale.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, here are some stats for the site for 2006.

40,927 Unique visitors to the site
194,470 Pages viewed
1,139,301 Hits on the site
115 Countries visits originated in
3-4 pm hour site visited most often
December month site received most traffic

The home page (http://potd.chrisempey.com) received the most visits, followed by my black and white archive page then the scenery archive page.

Posted on January 1, 2007 12:18 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 31, 2006

31. Early Morning Sunrise

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This is the last image of 2006 and also, my 700th image. Believe it or not, this is pretty much a straight shot. Spectacular sunrise this morning, one which we were not expecting. I'll have another shot for you tomorrow, along with some stats on the site for the year.

Happy New Year!

Posted on December 31, 2006 09:54 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

December 26, 2006

26. Northern Sunset

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One from the Archives. Sunset overlooking Lake Huron.

Posted on December 26, 2006 01:27 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

December 23, 2006

23. Long Shadow

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Posted on December 23, 2006 12:36 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 15, 2006

15. Blue and Gold

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Posted on December 15, 2006 12:06 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

December 14, 2006

14. Trees

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When I saw this on the weekend, I pictured something much more graphic. Regardless, the idea is stil there. Barren trees against a barren sky.

On a side note: I have completed a review for the ExpoDisc White Balance Filter by ExpoImaging. The review may be read at: http://potd.chrisempey.com/tips/archives/2006/12/expodisc_white_1.php. This is a must have tool for anyone who relies on accurate colour without the need for a lot of post processing to achieve it.

Posted on December 14, 2006 01:25 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 13, 2006

13. Touch of Gold

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Posted on December 13, 2006 01:32 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 12, 2006

12. Rolling In

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Posted on December 12, 2006 01:30 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 11, 2006

11. Ripples

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Posted on December 11, 2006 01:29 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 10, 2006

10. Sand

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Posted on December 10, 2006 11:53 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 2, 2006

02. Rock and Reflection

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Posted on December 2, 2006 11:50 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 1, 2006

01. Grasses

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This is hardly a December photograph, but I did shoot it just less than one week ago. The weather has been crazy.

Posted on December 1, 2006 02:08 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

November 30, 2006

30. LakeSide Sunrise

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Posted on November 30, 2006 11:50 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

November 29, 2006

29. Pattens

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More patterns in the sand.

Posted on November 29, 2006 09:48 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

November 28, 2006

28. Lines in the Sand

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Patterns formed in the sand from water running over the sand. I imaging the colours are different minerals and such leaching out of the sand, but I am not an expert so can't say for sure.

Posted on November 28, 2006 02:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

November 27, 2006

27. Shell on the Beach

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Another photo from the beach yesterday morning, this is a shell on the sand.

Posted on November 27, 2006 10:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

November 26, 2006

26. Grasses

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John and I went to a few beaches this morning in Fort Erie. The weather has turned warm (warm enough that the dandelions in my lawn have begun to flower again) though we were really hoping for some more of the frost we received earlier this week.

This is a photo from that beach of some grasses growing in the sand.

Posted on November 26, 2006 10:51 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

November 20, 2006

19. Last Leaves

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Abstract photograph of a fruit tree and it's last leaves of the season.

Posted on November 20, 2006 05:53 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 29, 2006

29. Taking Flight

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A pigeon taking flight after a night of perching on a wire. The warm colours of this photograph are deceptive, it was very cold this morning.

Posted on October 29, 2006 12:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 28, 2006

28. 12 Spot on Thistle

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12 Spot on thistle. This is obviously not a new shot, but it was taken this summer.

Posted on October 28, 2006 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 27, 2006

27. Colour of Autumn

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Posted on October 27, 2006 08:19 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 26, 2006

26. Sassafras (I think)

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I spent a lot of time trying to identify this leaf. From everything that I have read, I believe it is from a sassafras tree.

I could be wrong though.

Posted on October 26, 2006 02:28 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 24, 2006

24. Another Trio of Leaves

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This is another trio of fallen leaves. I have another shot where I eliminated a lot of the leaves under the water (the magic of the Polarizer!) but I like this one a little better. The three on top do not stand out as much though the contrast between the leaves on top of the water against those below the water.

I also used an improvised gobo on this shot to further eliminate some of the glare on the water.

Posted on October 24, 2006 01:18 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 23, 2006

23. Trio

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A trio of fallen Maple leafs.

Posted on October 23, 2006 03:42 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 17, 2006

17. Beaverdams Creek

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I think this is my last shot from the Decew falls area for the time being.

Posted on October 17, 2006 09:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 16, 2006

16. Flowing

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This is another shot from the mill at Decew Falls. This one is a four image stitch into a panorama.

You can view a larger version here.

Posted on October 16, 2006 12:28 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 15, 2006

15. Fall Stream

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This is one of the views downstream from Decew Falls at Morningstar Mill in St. Catharines. We've been to the mill many times before but this was the first time we made the trek down to the bottom.

Posted on October 15, 2006 01:35 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink

October 14, 2006

14. Drops

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Posted on October 14, 2006 08:05 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 12, 2006

12. Leaf

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We have had a fair amount of rain recently and as the leaves have been falling, haven't had a chance to photograph them. So I took a few minutes yesterday to go out and do a little shooting.

Still not sure as to why I am depicting the fall colours in black and white this year?

Posted on October 12, 2006 01:22 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 11, 2006

11. Crab Spider

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This is a different crab spider than the one I previously showed. They are both on the same flower, birdsfoot cingfoil though in a different location.

Posted on October 11, 2006 11:46 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 10, 2006

11. Clouds

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Posted on October 10, 2006 04:16 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 8, 2006

08. Sunday Morning at the Lakeside

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Posted on October 8, 2006 08:48 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 3, 2006

03. Fall Leaves

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This is one of several abstract photos that will be coming up in the coming days. This is a photograph of some fall leaves.

Posted on October 3, 2006 05:31 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 1, 2006

01. Dew Drops on Leaf

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Posted on October 1, 2006 11:30 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 27, 2006

27. Keep Crashing In

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More waves pounding the shoreline.

Posted on September 27, 2006 11:45 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 26, 2006

26. Crashing

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Posted on September 26, 2006 10:28 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 24, 2006

24. Leaf

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Macro shot of a maple leaf, back lit.

Posted on September 24, 2006 12:34 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 23, 2006

23. Cell Structure

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Posted on September 23, 2006 09:11 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 22, 2006

22. Heading South

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Canada Geese heading south.

Posted on September 22, 2006 08:53 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 21, 2006

21. Sunsrise over Lake Ontario

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Sunrise over Lake Ontario Sunday morning.

Posted on September 21, 2006 09:39 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 17, 2006

17. Getting a Little Sun

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A gull suns himself on a boulder on the shore of Georgian Bay.

Posted on September 17, 2006 06:54 PM | Permalink

September 16, 2006

16. Georgian Bay

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Looking out into Georgian Bay from the Bruce Trail.

Posted on September 16, 2006 11:17 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 15, 2006

15. Crab Spider

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Posted on September 15, 2006 12:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 14, 2006

14. Indian Paintbrush

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Indian Paintbrush on the Bruce

Posted on September 14, 2006 12:19 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 11, 2006

11. Striped Coral Root

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Striped Coral Root shot in the Bruce Penninsula this summer.

Posted on September 11, 2006 01:56 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 27, 2006

27. Cabbage White on Clover

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Posted on August 27, 2006 06:08 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 25, 2006

25. View over the Lake

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Posted on August 25, 2006 09:41 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 20, 2006

20. Eastern Tailed Blue

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This is another Eastern Tailed Blue. These are very small butterflies, maybe the size of my thumbnail. They move their wings up and down a little and while they do, the tails resemble antenna so that if a predator takes a bite, the only get the wing, not the head.

Posted on August 20, 2006 11:39 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 19, 2006

19. Jiminy

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Well, he is really a grasshopper, not a cricket. But I don't know any grasshopper names.

Posted on August 19, 2006 07:06 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 18, 2006

18. Blues

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A pair of Eastern Tailed Blues mating.

Posted on August 18, 2006 08:37 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 17, 2006

17. Mating Blues

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Posted on August 17, 2006 08:57 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 6, 2006

06. Black Swallowtail

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Found this guy in my garden after a rain storm the other night. Looked like he was feasting on my parsley. I believe it is (or will be) a black swallowtail butterfly. After taking some photos of him, I let him go.

Posted on August 6, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

August 5, 2006

05. Birch

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Posted on August 5, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

August 4, 2006

04. Black and White Butterfly

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Shot at the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory

Posted on August 4, 2006 06:32 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 3, 2006

03. Bee

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Posted on August 3, 2006 11:56 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 1, 2006

01. Beetle on Butter and Eggs

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This spotted ladybug was not my intended focal point for this photo, but once I got closer to the flowers, decided she should be in there.

Posted on August 1, 2006 08:30 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

July 22, 2006

22. Wings

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Posted on July 22, 2006 09:19 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 21, 2006

21. Saddleback

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I shot this saddleback last weekend. Like the Monarch, it was done later in the morning. Unlike the Monarch however, it flew to me, I did not have to chase this one.

I processed this image in the new Adobe Lightroom beta. The software looks nice, but I will need to do some more testing with it to see how the image quality is. It is a little slow though. Beta sofware...

Posted on July 21, 2006 01:38 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 17, 2006

17. Crab Spider and Fly

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This shot of a crab spider and fly was taken a few weeks ago. I originally set up to shoot the bird-footed cingfoil (trefoil?) and after my first shot notice a blur in the photo. Zooming in to identify the blur I noticed the crab spider. I photographed the pair for a little while after that.

Posted on July 17, 2006 12:00 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

July 16, 2006

16. Five

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Posted on July 16, 2006 09:15 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 15, 2006

15. Monarch

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Monarch Butterfly. Stalked.

Our usual method of shooting these insects involves finding them in the morning when they are still fairly dormant from the overnight cold. This monarch was shot a little later in the morning and I had to stalk it, moving slowly. It was quite co-operative though and allowed me to get closer than I needed to be.

Posted on July 15, 2006 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 14, 2006

14. Orange Veins

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This is a close up of a 12 Spotter Skimmer dragonfly. Scott originally pointed out the orange colour in the larger veins in the wings.

I am still fairly new at photographing these insects so I rely a lot on John and Scott for names and searching the Internet when I can. I identified this based on what I found at http://www.dragonflies.org

Posted on July 14, 2006 11:42 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 13, 2006

13. Skippers

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Two skippers covered in morning dew.

Posted on July 13, 2006 09:20 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 3, 2006

03. On top of a Flower

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Dragonfly perched atop a purple flowering grass.

Posted on July 3, 2006 11:32 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 2, 2006

02. Resting

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This Cabbage White is resting calmly on clover, basking before flying for the first time in the morning.

Posted on July 2, 2006 09:13 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

July 1, 2006

01. Smiling for the Camera

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This dragonfly seems to be smiling for the camera.

Posted on July 1, 2006 11:32 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 30, 2006

30. Curl and Slipper

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This is the final image I am posting from my recent trip (at least until I need to dip into the archives) up to the Bruce Peninsula. I have so many more, but need to move on.

Posted on June 30, 2006 10:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 29, 2006

29. Spotted Tongue

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This is the second of three yellow lady slipper photographs I am posting. Tomorrow's will be the last before I move on to other subjects, even though I so many other photgraphs I could post.

Posted on June 29, 2006 09:06 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 28, 2006

28. Hat and Curls

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This orchid seems to be wearing a hat and curly locks.

Posted on June 28, 2006 12:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 27, 2006

27. Pond in Infrared

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This is a pond not far from where we were staying up north. We passed it several times each day, and shot it once. This one was shot with a near infrared filter.

Posted on June 27, 2006 06:18 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 26, 2006

26. Not Your Ordinary Portrait

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Ha ha, this is definately not your normal portrait! This is the same dragonfly that I posted yesterday, only this time I shot the front of him. I definately like yesterday's shot of his back better than this one though.

Posted on June 26, 2006 11:50 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

June 25, 2006

25. Wings

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Posted on June 25, 2006 10:06 PM | Comments (5) | Permalink

June 24, 2006

24. Ram's Head

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This was found purely by chance and was likely one of the last of the flowering Ram's Head orchids. We found it under the low lying branch of a cedar tree. It was not really accessible, and sensitivity of the area surrounding it, shot it where it was, from where we were. Really not ideal conditions, but you make do with what you have.

Posted on June 24, 2006 11:32 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

June 23, 2006

23. Northern Sunset

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This is one of the sunsets I shot on my recent trip to the Bruce Peninsula.

Posted on June 23, 2006 01:58 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

June 22, 2006

22. Bird on a Wire

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Posted on June 22, 2006 07:27 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 21, 2006

21. Yellow Lady Slipper

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The yellow lady slipper is one of the orchids we took our trip to photograph. The yellow lady slipper is fairly common where we were. Last year, we found one stemless yellow lady slipper here in the Niagara Region.

Posted on June 21, 2006 08:20 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 15, 2006

15. Showy (Queen's) Lady Slipper

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The Showy Lady's Slipper was just at the very beginning of it's blooming season and we were fortunate to find a small patch of them flowering. We did see others that had not even developed the buds yet. We photographed these on two occasions during our trip taking advantage of different lighting at different times of the day. The Showy is Canada's largest orchid and these were about 20" high.

I will post my original image I had planned for today, tomorrow, and then will post some of my shots from my trip in the days following.

Some blog stats so far:
500 Entries
514 Images (some days will post variations)
314 Comments
Visits from more than 96 countries
Most Posted in category: Nature
Least Posted in category: Dragonflies

Posted on June 15, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 31, 2006

31. Droplets

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Another macro photograph of morning dew resting on geranium.

Posted on May 31, 2006 01:42 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 30, 2006

30. Drops of Water

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Drops of dew on the petals of a wild geranium.

Posted on May 30, 2006 11:50 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 29, 2006

29. Dewey Purple

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Early morning geranium in a coat of dew.

I posted a couple other geranium shots (from another shoot) a few weeks ago.

May 10: Geranium Bud
May 11: Morning Bud
May 12: Geranium

Posted on May 29, 2006 11:31 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

May 28, 2006

28. Blue Heron

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Great Blue Heron from a distance.

Posted on May 28, 2006 11:39 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

May 27, 2006

27. Great Egret Landing

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This is the third and last shot of this Great Egret. This one also show three blue heron's that were feeding in the same pond.

The first two Great Egret shots were:
May 25: Great Egret in Flight
26: Great Egret #2

Posted on May 27, 2006 04:47 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 26, 2006

26. Great Egret #2

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Posted on May 26, 2006 10:49 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 25, 2006

25. Great Egret in Flight

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Great egret, just as she is taking off.

Posted on May 25, 2006 11:45 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

May 24, 2006

24. Robin

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Nesting Robin in it's nest.

Posted on May 24, 2006 05:23 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 23, 2006

23. God Rays

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Posted on May 23, 2006 05:16 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

May 18, 2006

18. Columbine

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Columbine shot while on a walk this past Sunday. There were several plants in the area, but they were growing on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, and it was a 15 foot drop just on the other side. I would have liked to have been able to shoot a a few other angles. Maybe this weekend.

Posted on May 18, 2006 10:07 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 15, 2006

15. Reflections

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Reflections of the grasses and sky in water.

Posted on May 15, 2006 09:38 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 13, 2006

13. Jack in the Pulpit

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Jack in the Pulpit.

Posted on May 13, 2006 11:53 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 12, 2006

12. Geranium

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The geranium in flower.

Posted on May 12, 2006 08:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 11, 2006

11. Morning Bud

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Another macro photo of a wild geranium bud.

I can't believe for the second day in a row, I have left my post as a draft! Here it is though.

Posted on May 11, 2006 08:53 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

May 10, 2006

10. Geranium Bud

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Back to the wildflowers. This is a wild geranium bud. It was a frosty May morning, and as the frost melted created the great droplets of dew. I wish that I had photographed the frost on the leaves. There was some wild strawberry plants nearby as well that we covered in a beautiful frost.

Posted on May 10, 2006 02:00 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

May 9, 2006

09. Blue and Pink

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Morning sky over Lake Erie

Posted on May 9, 2006 09:44 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 8, 2006

08. In Flight

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This is in no way a great shot, but I do like the motion in the wings. Shot in Port Colborne, Sunday morning. Two Canadian geese.

Posted on May 8, 2006 09:53 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 7, 2006

07. Spring Buds

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While out with Scott and John last weekend, I shot these small beauties. Under the canopy of the growing forest, the light was fantastic, allowing for this wonderful, soft photo.

Posted on May 7, 2006 09:35 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

May 6, 2006

06. Trout Lily

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This is the bud of a trout lily. This wild flower will open up and resemble a day or easter lily, though I expect it would be smaller.

Posted on May 6, 2006 06:53 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 3, 2006

03. Looking Out

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Another black and white shot of the lake.

Yesterday's shot featured a black and white and colour version of the same lake, though in a different composition.

Posted on May 3, 2006 02:00 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

May 2, 2006

02. Clouds

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I have another copy of this shot, as a dramatic black and white. It can be viewed here.

Posted on May 2, 2006 11:49 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

May 1, 2006

01. Lakeside Morning

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Sunrise on the lakeside. Shot at 5:45 Sunday Morning.

Posted on May 1, 2006 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 30, 2006

30. Tulip

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The same tulip as yesterday, only in a different angle.

On a differnt note, last night I attended the Niagara Falls Camera Club annual awards banquet. I received a number of awards, including the McGarry Photo award for Slide of the Year for my shot of an Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly. I also received honour awards in the slide of the year, colour print of the year and monochrome print of the year competitions as well as top in the Gold division for both slides and monochrome prints. Finally, I was installed as the new President of the Niagara Falls Camera Club.

Posted on April 30, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 26, 2006

26. Dutchman's Breeches

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I was out Sunday with Scott and John in a light rain. Once we decided that conditions were favourable for shooting some spring wildflowers, we walked back to get our equipment. That is when is started to rain harder. We shot for a little bit anyway before it got really bad. This was about the best shot I could get off before things became too wet to continue without proper rain gear.

Posted on April 26, 2006 10:14 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

April 21, 2006

21. Golden Grasses

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Golden grasses in a blue pond.

Posted on April 21, 2006 08:46 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink

April 20, 2006

20. Pebbles

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Pebbles on the beach, converted to Black and White.

Posted on April 20, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 19, 2006

19. Rocks

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Rocks on the lake shore. Timing was everything with this in order not to get the waves coming in over the rocks.

Posted on April 19, 2006 11:29 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 17, 2006

17. The Water's Edge

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Posted on April 17, 2006 11:21 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 16, 2006

16. Landscape in reverse

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I am not as happy this one as I was with the few previous reflections.

Posted on April 16, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 15, 2006

15. Abstract Reflections

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Posted on April 15, 2006 08:02 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 14, 2006

14. Yellow

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Same reflection as yesterday's shot, different composition though.

Posted on April 14, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 13, 2006

13. Reflections of Grasses

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When I was out shooting in the morning light Sunday, I shot a series of reflections in a pond. I will be posting some of the photos of those reflections over the next couple of days, beginning with this one.

Posted on April 13, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 12, 2006

12. Surf

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I was out Sunday as I am most weekends with John and Scott. There was a lot of waves at the lakeside (Lake Ontario) but surprisingly little wind. This is a shot of the surf as it crashed that morning.

Posted on April 12, 2006 11:40 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 7, 2006

07. Cracked Rock

f6.3 1/50 sec...

Posted on April 7, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

April 6, 2006

06. Patterns in the Sand

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Like yesterday's shot, patterns in the sand.

Posted on April 6, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

April 5, 2006

05. Prints in the Sand

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Posted on April 5, 2006 11:12 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

April 4, 2006

04. Gull and Sun

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Another photo from Crystal Beach. This one a seagull flying across the sky, towards the setting sun.


I have another shot taking a dawn instead of dusk last year.

Happy Birthday Nicole.

Posted on April 4, 2006 10:46 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

March 29, 2006

29. Horsehoe Falls from Afar

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Another shot taken from the Maid of the Mist plaza in Niagara Falls. This one shows the Horseshoe Falls.

Posted on March 29, 2006 07:34 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 18, 2006

18. Curl

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Posted on March 18, 2006 09:02 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 16, 2006

16. Grey

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Same tree as one of yesterday's, different composition.

Posted on March 16, 2006 11:35 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 15, 2006

15. Trees in a light fog

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The weather has really turned around in the past week or so. Last Sunday we were shooting in cold, snow, then this Sunday we had rain, and the fog you see here. In between, all the snow had melted and my crocuses sprang up, as did chutes for my daffodils. What a difference a week can make.

Posted on March 15, 2006 09:58 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

March 12, 2006

12. Twig and Frost

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This is the last shot I am posting from last weekend. This weekend was drastically different. Winter is really over. This is hore frost on a twig poking out of a blanket of snow.

Posted on March 12, 2006 11:01 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink

March 11, 2006

11. Overhang

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The third in this series of shots. The first two can be viewed at:

March 9, 2006 - Icicles
March 10, 2006 - Icicles #2

Posted on March 11, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

March 10, 2006

10. Icicles # 2

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Shot similiar to yesterday's. Slightly different composition, and in colour. I think I prefer this one though.

Happy Birthday Mom.

Posted on March 10, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

March 9, 2006

09. Icicles

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Posted on March 9, 2006 06:00 AM | Comments (5) | Permalink

March 8, 2006

08. Feather

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This feather was caught upon a branch on the beach.

Posted on March 8, 2006 12:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 7, 2006

07. 6:51

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Blue and Orange, Sun, Sky and Snow.

Posted on March 7, 2006 10:44 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 6, 2006

06. Morning on the Lake

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Sunrise on Lake Erie, Sunday morning.

Posted on March 6, 2006 01:38 PM | Comments (5) | Permalink

March 3, 2006

03. Ice on the Water

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Posted on March 3, 2006 11:04 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 2, 2006

02. Barren

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Posted on March 2, 2006 11:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

March 1, 2006

01. Lakeside

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The waters edge, frozen in winter.

Posted on March 1, 2006 11:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 28, 2006

28. In Flight

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A couple of Canadian Geese in flight.

Posted on February 28, 2006 10:30 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

February 27, 2006

27. Peeking

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Morning sun just peeking over the clouds. Shot in Fort Erie, overlooking Buffalo this past weekend.

Posted on February 27, 2006 10:50 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

January 26, 2006

26. Frosty Leaves

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Posted on January 26, 2006 11:47 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

January 25, 2006

25. Clouds

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Posted on January 25, 2006 09:58 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink

January 23, 2006

24. Patterns on the Frozen Beach

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Patterns in the frozen sand.

Posted on January 23, 2006 11:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 22, 2006

22. Hore Frost

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Posted on January 22, 2006 11:52 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 16, 2006

16. Red Planet

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When I was reviewing my shots from this past weekend, this one stood out and it made me think of images I have seen of Mars, probably Hollywood based.

Posted on January 16, 2006 11:19 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 9, 2006

09. Snow Texture

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The texture of snow shot with my macro lens.

Posted on January 9, 2006 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 30, 2005

30. Morning Grass

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I have been working all this week, only having had Christmas and Boxing day off. I work tomorrow as well, then back in again on Sunday. Leanne has been around so I have been a little too busy to shoot. If the weather was better I'd get out, but it really has not been very cooperative.

Posted on December 30, 2005 10:08 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 29, 2005

29. Roots

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I have not shot in a little while so I am pulling from the archives today. This is a shot taken earlier in the year with a Canon EOS 1DS MKII. Canon's top of the line digital SLR. Does it make a difference in this photograph? Well, apart from being substantially larger than my other images, no. But the camera was a treat to use! Hopefully I can get some shooting in very shortly.

Posted on December 29, 2005 11:19 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 21, 2005

21. Striations in Ice

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Posted on December 21, 2005 11:37 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 20, 2005

20. Ice Chunks

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Ice chunks along the Lake Erie shore. I am not very pleased with this one. The ice seems to be dirty in the photo, but didn't look that way when I was there, at least not like this.

UPDATE: I guess I should check the site after posting, I left this in draft, hiding it from the web.

Posted on December 20, 2005 11:05 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

December 19, 2005

19. Black Ice

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Another shot of the ice shot yesterday. These shots were taken on the shore of Lake Erie.

Posted on December 19, 2005 09:11 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

December 18, 2005

18. Designs in Ice

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Designs in Ice

Posted on December 18, 2005 09:44 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

November 21, 2005

21. Coleus in Black and White

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Coleus in Black and White. This type of plant really works well in black and white I think. I remember shooting them when I first started out in photography. I think they are a great subject for beginners, and a great subject to learn to print in the darkroom with as well.

Posted on November 21, 2005 10:46 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

November 18, 2005

18. The last of the Season

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The last leaves of the season...

Posted on November 18, 2005 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

November 17, 2005

17. Morning Clouds

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Early morning light highlighting the clouds. It was odd that such a red sky produced such a yellow water.

Previous shots:
November 15
november 16

Posted on November 17, 2005 09:35 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

November 16, 2005

16. Rainbow of Lake Ontario

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Another shot of the same rainbow I posted yesterday in a different composition.

Posted on November 16, 2005 04:06 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

November 15, 2005

15. Eerie on Ontario

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The sunrise on Sunday provided some very nice colour in the sky, but created a very ugly colour cast in the water. Shortly after that this rainbow appeared and steadily grew until it completely arched from left to right.

Posted on November 15, 2005 10:25 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

November 14, 2005

14. Twenty Mile

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Posted on November 14, 2005 11:58 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

November 12, 2005

12. Reflection in the Water

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Posted on November 12, 2005 11:45 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

November 11, 2005

11. A Fish Out Of Water

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One of the locations I have been shooting over the past couple of weeks is a spawning ground for Salmon. This is about as far up as they can can go as there is a 90 ft waterfall only a few hundred meters upstream. That particular one seemed to have got caught in a shallow pool of water then drowned. I was mostly covered by some fallen leaves. I was really amazed at the size of the teeth they have though.

In general, it's really an amazing life they live. This is almost a 7km swim upriver with several small waterfalls to overcome before getting to this point, about 90m change in elevation from what I can see.

Other shots from the same location:

October 15, 2005
October 16, 2005
October 17, 2005
November 7, 2005

Posted on November 11, 2005 10:48 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

November 8, 2005

08. Clouds in the Sky

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In keeping with my attempts to recreate the infrared look, I dug around through some older images last night and found this one that was suitable for transformation. I think it is missing a subject, but the look is what I was after.

I posted this originally back in May, in colour. You can see that here.

Posted on November 8, 2005 09:12 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

November 7, 2005

07. Twenty Mile Creek

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A shot of Twenty Mile creek near Balls Falls. I like the conversion to Black and White on this one much better than the colour version. Having shot some Infrared film in the past, this is very similiar.

Posted on November 7, 2005 05:46 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

October 17, 2005

17. Orange and yellow

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Another shot from Balls Falls this past weekend. This is the last one for this week. I am hoping to get back there again this coming weekend, hopefully there will be more colour in the leaves by then.

Posted on October 17, 2005 11:38 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

October 16, 2005

16. The Start of Change

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Another early morning waterfall shot from Balls Falls.

Posted on October 16, 2005 11:39 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 15, 2005

15. A Touch of Red

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Taken at 15mm with a 10-20mm zoom lens. WOW. Took advantage of it this morning and went back to where I was last Sunday to get some water motion shots like this.

I also did some more photos of Meredith and Katie this morning, and will post those along with some of a couple other models they brought along later this week.

Posted on October 15, 2005 01:53 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 5, 2005

05. Web #3

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Posted on October 5, 2005 06:22 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 4, 2005

04. Web #2

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Another spider web.

I was in Toronto on the weekend though I did not take many photographs. I did get a few shots in though, and I'll post some of them later this week.

Posted on October 4, 2005 09:24 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 3, 2005

03. Web #1

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Spider web #1, a series of three.

Posted on October 3, 2005 12:44 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

October 2, 2005

02. Clouds

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Clouds... As if you couldn't tell!

Posted on October 2, 2005 08:22 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 30, 2005

30. Duck and Reflection

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This will hopefully be one of the last (if not the last) shots from Dufferin Islands in this series. I am happy with some of the others, others I'd like to reshoot, but I am getting bored of them. It's a good thing my camera came back yesterday! This shot seems a little too busy in the background to me. A shallower depth of field would have been more ideal.

I look forward to shooting and not having the associated costs or in turn, because there is a cost, the associated compression of my freedom to shoot. While I should not let cost govern what I shoot, the reality is, I am more likely to experiment on something if there is no cost associated with it.


Posted on September 30, 2005 09:36 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

September 28, 2005

28. Upper Niagara River

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Upper Niagara River at dusk. The long exposure of the water provides a sense of flow and softness to the water.

Posted on September 28, 2005 10:33 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

September 27, 2005

27. View From Across the Pond

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A view across the Pond at Dufferin Islands.

Last night was the first competition of the year at the Niagara Falls Camera Club. I entered four images and recieved for Diamond awards for them, including a perfect 15 for my image of http://potd.chrisempey.com/archives/2005/07/12_mating.html. You can see the images I http://gallery.chrisempey.com/search.php?search_keywords=competition2005 and their scores at my gallery. Also view the images I entered last year.

Posted on September 27, 2005 12:44 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 25, 2005

25. Reflection

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Posted on September 25, 2005 11:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 18, 2005

18. Translucent

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Sun shining through maple leaves at Dufferin Islands in Niagara Falls.

Posted on September 18, 2005 01:21 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

September 15, 2005

15. Sulphur

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I started my class last night. I am not sure why I had the impression, but I didn't expect it to be so much like school used to be. But, it is class just as I remember them being (it's only been 5 years).

Tonight I am heading out with Dave to do some shooting. It'll be the last digital shooting I do for a while as I have to take the camera in for repairs tomorrow. Canon has told me it could be up to 6 weeks, even though this is a known issue. I am very unhappy about that. So, I'll be going back to film.

Posted on September 15, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

September 14, 2005

14. A Rainbow of Colours

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This is another shot of the Sulphar I posted on Monday. I find it amazing just how much colour is really in these butterflies. When I first looked at it, it was a pale yellow, almost brown, but this image shows its true colours, yellows, greens, reds, blues plus some purple and brown.

Tonight I start a 12 week portraiture course. I have to say that it is my weakest photographic technique and I have always thought people are the hardest subjects to shoot.

Posted on September 14, 2005 10:30 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

September 13, 2005

13. Eastern Tailed Blue

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This Eastern Tailed Blue was in excellent shape. Often they have nicks out of their wings from attempts from being eaten. The small tails are actually a diversion. They will move them up and down to mimic their antennae so a predator may only nip the back of the wing, rather than a more critical near the head nip!

Posted on September 13, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

September 12, 2005

12. Early Morning Sulpur

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As I mentioned yesterday, the season is about over for the insects. This is one of two butterflies I shot yesterday. We were at the Wainfleet Bog on Erie Peat Road in Port Colborne where we have had some pretty good luck over the past few weeks. I have a couple different shots of this butterfly and one more of an Eastern Tailed Blue to post.

Posted on September 12, 2005 02:52 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 8, 2005

08. A Little Wrinkly

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The 1.6 multiplier effect of the digital sensor on my 10D allows me to crop in tightly to shots I would not normally be able to get. This photo of an elephant at the Toronto Zoo would have needed to be taken with a 480mm lens, which is too rich for my pocketbook! However, I really do miss the wide angle shots that I can't get with my current lenses.

I was looking at my old Pentax ESII last night, for which I have a very wide 21mm, and some very nice prime lenses... I may have to shoot some film soon!

Posted on September 8, 2005 08:00 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

September 7, 2005

07. Dewy 12 Spot

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Posted on September 7, 2005 06:46 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

September 6, 2005

06. Meadowhawk

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This is one of the meadowhawk dragonflies I mentioned last week. As this is the first year I have started shooting insects, it was an exciting find. The first dragonfly I posted back in July I did not actually find, but as my eyes are becoming tuned to what to look for, these creatures that camouflage themselves so well now are appearing to me.

Posted on September 6, 2005 09:45 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 5, 2005

05. Eastern Tailed Blue

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The Eastern Tailed Blue is only about the size of a nickel, so they are quite hard to find in the grasses.

Posted on September 5, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 4, 2005

04. Sulphur

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This was shot later in the day. I had to hunt this one down, and then slowly move up on it to keep it from flying away.

Posted on September 4, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

September 3, 2005

03. Pearly Crescentspot #2

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This is the same butterfly as yesterday, only with it's wings closed.

Posted on September 3, 2005 08:47 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 2, 2005

02. Pearly Crescentspot

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A Pearly Crescentspot warming itself before it's first flight of the day.

I was out this morning, and while I didn't shoot any butterflies, I did get some shots of a couple of dragonflies, a green darner, meadowhawk and a saddlebag. I will have photos next week.

Posted on September 2, 2005 10:08 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

September 1, 2005

01. Duck

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A duck on the old Welland Canal in Dain City.

Psst, Leanne. Guck!

Posted on September 1, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 24, 2005

24. Golden Cabbage White

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This Cabbage White appears to be seemingly made of gold. This little guy is seemingly enjoying basking in the sun, judging by the size of his smile!

Tonight is the Picture The Cure Exhibition and Auction for Breast Cancer and the Princess Margaret Hospital. The event is being held at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. I cannot be there tonight because of some work commitments, but I would have liked to have gone. My best to the photographers who are supporting this worth cause.

Posted on August 24, 2005 09:51 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

August 18, 2005

18. Bee on Black Eyed Susan

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This is a photo I shot last year (I have been busy the week or so and haven't been out with my camera) that has done very well in competitions. I received a Diamond award for it in competition at the Niagara Falls Camera Club and and honour awards at the Rainbow Competition; a yearly competition between the Niagara Falls Camera Club (Niagara Falls, Ont) and Twin Cities Camera Club (Tonawanda, NY). It also received an honourable mention at this year's Niagara Frontier Regional Camera Clubs Annual Convention.

Remarkably, for this magnification, I was able to shoot this hand held.

Posted on August 18, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 17, 2005

17. Thistle

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The prickly weed we all know actually has a nice little flower on it.

Posted on August 17, 2005 06:03 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 16, 2005

16. Stained Glass?

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Butterfly Wings... like stained glass.

NOTE: The service I have been using to send out daily email updates had a problem over the past few days. It looks like the problem was resolved this morning, but I have already written most of the code to send out the emails myself. I hope to have it working in a few days. I look forward to any feedback on the change when it happens.

Posted on August 16, 2005 09:34 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

August 12, 2005

12. Green butterfly

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When Leanne and I were in Letchworth, there were butterflies everywhere. Overlooking the Mt. Morris dam is a field of wild flowers that was teeming with them, bright yellows and greens, red and orange, black and white. I was able to get this shot in (a sulphur maybe?) but would love to have an early morning there for some really nice ones, like this, or this.

Posted on August 12, 2005 06:38 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 11, 2005

11. Genesee Canyon

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The Genesee Canyon. It times of potential floods, the Mt. Morris Dam just a little down river from here is mostly closed, filling the canyon with water.

Posted on August 11, 2005 06:43 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 10, 2005

10. Like a Fantasy

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This is the last waterfall shot I will be posting from Letchworth State Park. I still have a few more photos of the park to post though.

Leanne and I had a very good time camping, and we are looking to get away again in the near future. Too bad so many of the good campgrounds I remember as a kid are so far away... a little to far for a weekend jaunt.

Previous waterfall shots from Letchworth
August 8, 2005 - Letchworth Falls
August 9, 2005 - Waterfalls

Posted on August 10, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 9, 2005

09. Waterfalls

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Another shot from my recent trip to Letworth State Park.

Previous shots from the same trip:

August 7, 2005, Turkey Vulture in Flight
August 8, 2005, Letchworth Falls

Posted on August 9, 2005 06:25 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 8, 2005

08. Letchworth Falls

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These are the middle falls (there are three seperate water falls in the park) at Letchworth State Park in the finger lakes area of New York State. The Genesee river flows through the canyon, over the three waterfalls through the park. While there, we saw the Mt. Morris dam which is about the height of Niagara Falls. It can hold off an amazing amount of water (filling the to the top of the dam for 17 miles).

Posted on August 8, 2005 06:39 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

August 7, 2005

07. Turkey Vulture in Flight

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Leanne and I went to Letchworth State Park this weekend. This is a shot of a turkey vulture in flight. They are large birds with wingspans up to 6 feet with a diet of about 50% vegetation, and 50% dead things (as they are scavengers). I'll have a few more pics in the coming days.

Posted on August 7, 2005 11:09 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 6, 2005

06. Skipper

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I am not as happy with this shot as I am with the Lacewing from Thursday. I would have like to have bounced a little more light back into the body to illuminate the from wing a little more.

Posted on August 6, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 5, 2005

05. Morning Mayfly

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I am really happy with this shot. I went out Sunday morning though I had thought about cancelling after having had a very long day at work the day before. Conditions were perfect and John has a very keen eye for finding these small critters.

Posted on August 5, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

August 4, 2005

04. Skipperling

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Posted on August 4, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

August 1, 2005

01. Waiting to Harden

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This butterfly had recently emerged from it's chrysalis. They emerge and sit for about an hour while they wings inwrap and harden before flying off. In the background you can see other chrysalis' from the hatchery at the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory.

On another note, yesterday was the last day of my sixth month of posting. So far, 182 days, and 182 photos. It's been tough to keep up with at times, but I am still enjoying it so I will continue. I am putting together a selection of my favourite images from the past 6 months. I have 22 selected now, I want to whiddle it down a bit before I post the link.

Other photos from the Butterfly Conservatory:
July 30, 2005
July 31, 2005

UPDATE: I have come up with my favourite 15 images from last month.

Posted on August 1, 2005 05:12 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

July 31, 2005

31. Butterfly

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Another butterfly from yesterday's shoot. With so many butterflies at the Conservatory, it is a very great experiance to be there first thing in the morning, but really lacks a lot of the thrill of the hunt of going out and finding them on your own like this shot of a Saddleback Dragonfly, or this one of damselflies mating.

Posted on July 31, 2005 11:04 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 28, 2005

28. Birch

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Birch trees in the Niagara Gorge, just south of the Whirlpool Rapids

Posted on July 28, 2005 11:33 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 27, 2005

27. Time for a Snack

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While Dave and I were in the Niagara Gorge the other day, these cabbage whites were very abundant. Dave was able to get some nice shots in and I was able to get this female resting on this plant having a snack.

Posted on July 27, 2005 06:47 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 26, 2005

26. Mallard

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A Mallard duck spreading it's wings in protest as I came to close to it's young ducklings, a couple of which you can just make out at the bottom of the picture.

Posted on July 26, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 21, 2005

21. Forget Me Nots

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I found these forget-me-nots in my backyard earlier this spring. Leanne loves these so I know she will be happy about this posting. They are very difficult to shoot well though.

Posted on July 21, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

July 20, 2005

20. Caterpillar

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I found this caterpillar last week having a snack while out with Scott and John. While not as exciting as the damselflies or dragonflies we were looking for, I still thought it might make a nice shot.

Posted on July 20, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 12, 2005

12. Mating

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This pair of Damselfies are in a mating position. National Geographic has published an article which discusses the mating of can be found here.

Posted on July 12, 2005 01:00 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

July 11, 2005

11. Hiding

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This was shot yesterday along with my first dragonfly. I am working on my technique. Each week is a little bit better.

Posted on July 11, 2005 11:25 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

July 10, 2005

10. Saddleback

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Saddleback Dragonfly. This was posted late...busy day for me.

Posted on July 10, 2005 11:40 PM | Permalink

July 4, 2005

04. Blue Damselfly

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This was the only salvageable shot from yesterday. Manual focus and a diopter adjustment our of whack do not play well together. I am very disappointed as the sunbursts coming off of the water drops on both the grass and the damselfly are amazing.

Posted on July 4, 2005 10:49 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

July 2, 2005

02. First Light

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Early morning sunrise at Charles Daly Park.

Posted on July 2, 2005 11:56 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 30, 2005

30. Stream at Duff

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Leanne and I were at Dufferin Islands on the weekend, a nature area just up river from Niagara Falls. It is always a little amazing when I see an area like this so close to a developed area like the tourist district in Niagara Falls. There are streams similiar to this running throught the islands, plus a small river with a few water falls. They have done much work in the past few years to naturalize the area, adding bird feeding stations and bird boxes, introducing fish into the waters (with a catch and release program as well) and planting indigenous vegetation in the park.

Posted on June 30, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 29, 2005

29. Peeking Through

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I took this shot not long after a burst of rain passed through the area this weekend. Leanne and I were lucky, we were out when it happened, but the storm passed over us.

Posted on June 29, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 21, 2005

21. Grasses

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I wanted to catch the different colours of the grasses in this photo; the various greens browns and yellows. I have a few without the background visible, though I am torn on what I prefer more.

Posted on June 21, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 20, 2005

20. Daisy

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When I was out at Mud Lake with Dave yesterday, I did not find what I was looking for, so I was left to shoot some abstractions, pattern shots and this daisy. Wildflowers are usually not pristine and as such, often have spots on them, pollen littering their petals or even broken petals. All in all, this was was fairly nice.

Posted on June 20, 2005 06:00 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

June 19, 2005

19. Washed Up Log

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I went out this morning with an old friend of mine who has recently gotten back into photography. I took him to a few of the places I have been going recently (missed a good day yesterday, but today was not so hot) and we took a few good shots. I am hoping to get out with him more often as well.

This was something he found. I thought it was a good candidate for a black and white shot.

Posted on June 19, 2005 12:42 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

June 18, 2005

18. Golden Grasses

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I had every intention on shooting today, and even had a few things that I thought we make good subjects. But, as it turns out, I never even brought my camera out (though I had it with me). I am out in the morning again and hopefully will have better luck than I have been having the past few Sunday's.

This photo was shot last year, at sunset, at the School of Horticulture in Niagara Falls. The same place shot from earlier this week were taken.

June 15, 2005
June 16, 2005
June 17, 2005

Posted on June 18, 2005 10:36 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

June 12, 2005

12. Goat's Beard

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I went out this morning looking for some more damselflies. We found many, but the conditions were not good for shooting them. We did find a few of these flowers that we shot, and also some daisies (rather common, but nice none the less).

Posted on June 12, 2005 01:31 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

June 6, 2005

06. Watching the Sun Rise

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Perched on the rock, this seagull was content to warm itself in the morning sun while carp churned the waters near it in a mating ritual.

Posted on June 6, 2005 08:55 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

June 4, 2005

04. Ready To Fly

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A dandelion gone to seed. i hope this is the last one for this year so I can get the rest of my yard looking nice. Shot early this morning.

Posted on June 4, 2005 02:42 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

June 3, 2005

03. Early Morning Waterfront

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Shot very early morning, just as the sun was peaking over the horizon.

Posted on June 3, 2005 10:35 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink