
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.

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.

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.
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.


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.


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.
