I took this photo earlier in the week at a wildlife garden I hadn’t been back to since the start of the Pandemic. I saw a few robins (photos coming up), a bit of new spring growth and this meadow scene that caught my eye.
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We stopped on the side of the road to enjoy the surroundings. It was perfectly silent and calm yet the sky held some menace as the clouds rolled in.
I chose not to crop the photo. You can just see the sparrow but I thought this was really a landscape photograph.
With winter slowly moving along, I thought a warm weather scene was in order. I liked the untamed look of the sunflowers so I let them fill the frame and didn’t crop the shot.
The wind had dislodged the abandoned nest but a limb had snagged it giving me a chance to admire its workmanship. Queen Anne’s Lace is also known as Bird’s Nest and I can see why.
Another scene taken on the weekend. The cormorants and gulls looked like board game pieces.
A quiet Sunday by the river.
On a walk by the river, I noticed the exposed roots of the old tree. They formed swirling patterns on the shoreline. They reminded me of the legs of some fantastic sea creature.
In the first photo, I wanted to fill the frame with colour, you can barely see the sky for the leaves. I concentrated on a single leaf in the second shot and didn’t notice the crab spider in the lower right of the image until I imported it.
Summer has been working on its fall project for months. Scenes like this make me miss summer a bit less.
I was taking in the scenery when I saw a Great Blue Heron doing the same. It was early November and he’d be leaving soon for sunnier climes.
This was taken in a garden of an old house in the neighbourhood. The garden is left to itself and it’s thriving. It begins the season with a few tulips, then on to lilacs, lilies of the valley and later in the summer, tiger lilies. There are plenty of wild flowers too including these Dame’s-Rockets. A neighbourhood favourite for bees as well.
I’ve noticed a lot of violets this year. They’re pretty tenacious and can grow in shade or bright sunlight. As pretty as they are, they can take over a garden. Like many wild flowers/weeds, attractive to some a nuisance to others.
I had to admire how a gardener turned an old tree stump into a thing of beauty.
I almost passed by the little statue in the second photo as it was quite hidden by all the vegetation. Its surroundings made it rather appealing.
These are some of my favourite late fall subjects; a solitary leaf or several on a stem among the surrounding fall display. I always keep an eye out for these fading beauties on my walks.
There’s always something that catches my eye when I’m out for a walk. I liked the windblown leaf pattern on the forest floor and the sapling pushing upward. It was nice to see the mushrooms too.
Someone had stamped down the path somewhat but we still got plenty of exercise making our way along. No need for a gym membership with conditions like these 😏.
Fall is a good time to photograph mushrooms especially if there’s been a lot of rain. As I was walking, I noticed some bracket fungus running along this fallen tree. It almost looked like a border of lace.
The day and path stretched before me as I set off that morning. The woods were quiet. No wind or squirrels rustling the leaves, no people either. A quiet moment in late October 2019.
Another early morning on the Maine coast. Plenty of time to photograph the harbour before the sun burns off the fog.
A typical early morning scene on the Maine coast. We spent many summer holidays driving through this beautiful state. I hope to return again when things get back to normal.
A scene from a warm summer day. No better way to spend a sunny afternoon than camera in hand surrounded by sights like this.
This part of the trail is closely packed with undergrowth. The maple leaf’s fall was broken by a nearby stem. I enjoy finding these minor players in the bigger fall show.
We are very lucky to live in a climate where we’re treated to the changing seasons. The trees are beginning to make dazzling displays. As colourful as they are right now, I find them interesting subjects and still beautiful as they begin to fade and show the effects of time.
This photo was taken late last October. I remember being surprised at how green the leaf was while the rest of the landscape looked like the frost had done its work. Although it’s still summer here I know that scenes like this aren’t far off.
I liked the crisp green and white of the leaves. Though each leaf is distinctive, together they form an interesting whole. A bit of controlled chaos.
There is something special to me about walking through fields like these in summer. The colours and smells and sounds never, ever disappoint. So much to see and photograph.
Just a walk in the park, actually a photo from a walk I took at the Dominion Arboretum, located on 64 acres of land in the city of Ottawa. You can’t see an offshoot of the Rideau Canal because the vegetation was so thick it hid it. A spot I hope to return to soon.
Another scene from the countryside last summer. I love taking these walks, no hustle or bustle, just the buzz of insects and the sweet meadow smell with every step.
On a sunny day last July, we found a shady spot by the water to cool off. The air was hot and still and the scent of iris hung in the air. The snow might be falling outside right now but a scene like this reminds me that we’re headed in the right direction. 😊
On a sunny day last fall, we parked the car and took a walk along an interesting back road. Ottawa is surrounded by fields and country roads and we’re fortunate to come across sights like these.
Looking out the window, in an older section of Montreal, you can see a mix of low rise and taller buildings surrounded by a lot of greenery. Towards the back and centre of the frame, a nine story mural of Leonard Cohen, caught my attention. The mural is one of two in Montreal commemorating the life of Leonard Cohen; Montreal born, singer-songwriter, poet and author who died in 2016.
Staring at the countryside speeding past my window, I took a few photos with my cell phone. I’m not familiar with my phone camera, and I was a considerable distance from the farm but the countryside was beautiful and I wanted to capture what I saw.
A weathered barn in a field of wild flowers. One of the pleasures of a country drive. I’m fortunate that the city I live in encompasses a lot of rural farmland, a short drive from the concrete and high rises.
I wondered if I could photograph a leaf as it floated to the ground. At 1/640th of a second I managed to get one leaf in perfect focus.
The second photo was taken this fall. When I first saw the thing in the water several years ago, it startled me as it looked like an exotic vine or reptile. I later found out that it was the work of beavers. (After all, we don’t have alligators in Ottawa😏 .)
The way the sun hit the lime coloured leaf reminded me of holiday lights. As I continued my walk I came upon these rich purple berries (which the birds will enjoy in the cold months ahead). Both photos required little cropping, I just moved around a bit to get a pleasing composition.
This is the second in a series of photographs I took on a recent walk. The colours are not quite as bold as they were in my earlier post, but there are still plenty of opportunities for photos like these.
The leaves are almost at their peak now. Sun or cloud, the woods are ablaze with colour. Walking along the paths, I’ve been selecting small portions of the landscape that have stood out for me. Their shapes, patterns and colours make for nice compositions. Black and white works well too.
This photo was taken on the weekend at a nearby reserve. The lake has several beaver lodges, the one in the background is one of the largest and provides a nice backdrop for the Canada Geese.
Another photo from the Dominion Arboretum in Ottawa that we visited earlier in the summer. This one tree stood out. Its outstretched branches were welcoming and I couldn’t help but be impressed by its size and age. The black and white emphasized the tree’s texture and detail and the shadow cast on the grass.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 