Welcome to my blog, in which I post photos from recent travels and photography ideas.
These are posted irregularly, so log in at your leisure to catch my latest ramblings.
October 13 - On to Twillingate
Port au Choix, an historic site just north of Gros Morne National Park, was the last village we visited on our exploration of the Northern Peninsula.
It also has a vibrant fishery, as we witnessed these ships being unloaded to have the catch trucked out.
The residents of Port au Choix have the Newfoundland sense of humour.
Rocks can serve double duty!
We passed through Gros Morne National Park on a rainy day, stopping only for the odd photo.
We drove off the main highway to explore more villages. This scene is in Leading Tickle.
But when you drive other than the Trans-Canada Highway, you may have issues.
This was the most common sign seen along the roads of Newfoundland.
This sport fisherman was in Port Leamington.
Another town we drove into was Botwood, which has seen better days.
As we drove east, we turned off the main highway and north to Twillingate.
Here we were up close to a grounded iceberg.
After an overnight here, we met up the following day with Jane and Bob at Port Blandford.
We would spend one night in this cabin before continuing our trip.
September 18 - Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula
We continued on the Viking Trail up to St. Anthony, where this lighthouse was located.
We had a dinner of the requisite fish and chips at a restaurant beside this lighthouse. But best was my dessert - bake-apple cheesecake. In Newfoundland cloudberry is known as bake-apple.
From here we drove north to L'Anse-aux-Meadows, a National Historic Site and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This was the site of the first European settlement in North America. The Vikings were here for only three winters in the 12th century.
These recreated buildings also have interpreters on hand to tell tales of these early times.
We'd reserved a tourist room in nearby St. Anthony Bight.
These multi-coloured fish sheds were on a wharf in the St. Anthony Bight.
The next day we drove south of St. Anthony to Goose Cove, where we sighted our first iceberg.
So many fishing boats pulled onshore because of the disappearance of the fishery.
Then it was time to return southward, retracing our route down the Viking Trail.
Lobster fishing is a prime endeavour in these parts. These lobster traps were piled at Pond Cove.
Along the road we spotted this Woodland Caribou.
Taking a side road brought us to New Ferolle, where again we saw these remnants of the former fishery.
These men were checking their lobster traps in the foggy bay.
This local resident came over to talk with us. Small world - he had worked building the superstack in Copper Cliff.
The remains of a root cellar in New Ferolle, on the western coast.
Plants are low lying to survive the harsh environment.
Our journey will continue in the next blog.
September 10 - Sign of the Times
I saw this sign on the side of a building in Webbwood, west of Sudbury, while driving home from Blind River.
August 18 - Crossing to Newfoundland
This past June we drove to Nova Scotia, and from there, took the ferry to Newfoundland.
The MV Highlanders departs North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
We had a beautiful sunny crossing.
This is from the ferry as it entered Port aux Basques harbour.
The drive from Port aux Basques, along the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH in Newfoundland), to Cornerbrook was along the west side of the Table Mountains, with the Gulf of St. Lawrence to our west.
We then spent our first night in Cornerbrook.
The next day we headed north, through Gros Morne National Park.
Rocky Harbour is a town within the park. Note the unique flag.
This photo was at Arches Provincial Park, on the drive on the Northern Peninsula.
This grove of dead trees was at Arches.
The coastal area was very flat, open to the Gulf winds, and thus quite barren.
This photo of thrombolites was taken at Flowers Cove. It was a nasty evening, with strong cold blustery winds.
It was not a fun time trying to photograph this site.
The next morning was much more pleasant as the winds had subsided. So we stopped here on our way northward.
Thrombolites are the oldest life forms on this planet, dating back 570 million years, producing oxygen that paved the way for all subsequent life.
Thrombolites are not rocks, but today have a rock-like appearance.
They are found only here and in Australia, though these ones are much larger.
Along the road sides in the Northern Peninsula we found many piles of firewood. The locals are allowed to cut on public lands, so they pile their wood along the highway and pick it up as they need it. And no worries, no one will steal it! Only in Newfoundland.
This vacation home is in Shoal Cove East, on the shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
In the next blog, we continue or trip to the north tip.
August 6 - Creating Unique Landscape Photos
I am back to blogging, hopefully more regularly.
My recent hiatus was because I was travelling in Newfoundland (later subjects for this blog).
Interesting landscape photos can be made during the sunny parts of the day, as in this image of ice-coated rocks on the shoreline of the North Channel in Blind River. But there is nothing unique with this photo.
Later on our drive west in January, I made this photo in South Dakota - great subject, but not a unique image.
This photo made near Lethbridge, Alberta, on the flat prairies stands out because of the atmosphere created by these dark clouds at sunset. Without this dramatic sky this would be a bland photo. I look for these great skies for unique photo ops.
Low lying clouds enshrouding Cascade Mountain in Banff create a sense of mystery, which would not be the case if this photo had been made on a bright sunny day. A beautiful mountain on a bright sunny day does not in itself result in a memorable photo.
Atmospheric conditions - fog - and back lighting make this photo of the Bow River unique. Many would not consider photographing this scene.
If the viewer is asking what is it, then you have a much more memorable photograph.
Viewers will talk about it, wonder about it. These are back lit frost crystals in the atmosphere on Silver Star Mountain.
So when a sudden rain storm develops, that is the time to use these atmospheric events to create a unique image.
Here I parked my car at a suitable angle so that I could make the photograph from my car window and avoid getting drenched.
This is not your typical photo of Kalamalka Lake in British Columbia.
A light snow fall and fog make this photo unique. Without these atmospheric conditions, this leaning tree would probably not stand out as it would blend into the background farm fields. Photo made at Tompson Lake, Vernon, BC.
If you want unusual atmospheric conditions, it often helps to get out early, even before sunrise.
Sunset is easier to photograph, when you don't have to be up at some ungodly hour. But then, everyone has seen numerous sunsets, but how many people have experienced the moody foggy morning as in the previous photo from Silent Lake, Ontario. Even so, a dramatic sky is a great subject for photographing, but it needs something unique as a silhouette. This is not the case here, but it can be called a nice photo. Besides, this was easy for me because this is of Long Lake, only a couple kilometres from my home.
I do not hope for a bright sunny day if I want to create photos. I much prefer "bad" weather.