After what I considered to be a pretty rotten summer for weather it sure is nice to finally be getting some decent conditions for Fall.
The summer in my opinion wasn't nearly as warm overall as I would have liked. Sure we had some hot days in the 30's but not many for sure. That's not to say that I like those days a lot. Ideally I prefer daytime highs around 26-28 degrees Celsius. But of course our weather doesn't come with a thermostat we can adjust. We have to take what we're given.
Luckily, so far this September and early October has been awesome. We've had some cool nights sitting around the campfire but overall the highs during the days have been in the low to mid-20's which is fantastic.
The other day was one of those toasty days, certainly warmer than I have come to expect from October. I was out for a walk with my camera trying to get some exercise and hoping to take some photos of almost anything.
I was walking along the shore of Lake Ontario and came up on the Presqu'ile Lighthouse. Now I've photographed this particular nighttime beacon many times in the past. Too many to count in fact, so the though of taking another photo of it really didn't cross my mind. I have photos from almost every angle and direction.
One shot I didn't have was from the water. In the winter I'd taken photos by walking out on the ice and hoping I didn't fall through but I'd never gone out in the water to grab a shot.
This being October, I wasn't too keen on the idea of getting wet even though it was a warm day. The lake was quite cold all summer so the idea of taking off my shoes and wading out into the water didn't really interest me at first.
Knowing I'd dry quickly on this particular day I took off my sandals and started to make my way off shore. At first the water was very cold on my feet and the shock nearly sent me back but after a few moments and once my feet were accustomed to the temperature, or numb, it wasn't too bad. Better than I expected.
So out I strolled along the flat rock to a point where the water was up to my knees and I could get a clear shot of the lighthouse.
The sun was starting to drop in the late afternoon sky which gave great light from this angle and also provided some reflection on the water.
I tried several different shots both wide, tight, horizontal and portrait but the images that I liked the most were when I held the camera just above the water level. This gave the impression you were looking out of the water and the small waves were more visible in the foreground.
After about 25 minutes in the lake and waiting for other people to move out of my shot away from the lighthouse I was able to get some good images that I was pleased with, the one above being one of them. I think it turned out pretty good.
Showing posts with label Lake Ontario. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lake Ontario. Show all posts
Friday, October 04, 2013
Monday, September 02, 2013
Boat in the Storm
I love when Mother Nature gets all fired up and frisky. When that happens it usually makes for some impressive weather.
Tonight at the trailer by Lake Ontario I enjoyed quite the light show as a massive thunderstorm worked its way down the lake and to the south towards the New York State.
Storms like this are amazing to watch and safe to enjoy as they're quite a distance away yet easily visible across the open water.
The storm didn't produce a lot of visible lightning strikes however. The flashes in the sky were almost non-stop and took in the entire horizon however sightings of actual bolts were few and far between.
This didn't stop me from grabbing my camera and tripod in the hopes of capturing an interesting lightning image. I knew the odds of surpassing past lightning success would be slim with the storm being so far away but I had spotted a sailboat anchored on the lake earlier in the evening and could faintly see it through the darkness.
It was my hope to get a shot of a bolt of lightning coming down into the water near the boat or at the very least within the area I was focused on.
As luck would have it, after taking only a couple of images, I opened my shutter on about the fourth try and down came a bolt of light. It wasn't until after I had the image on my computer that I realized there were actually three lightning bolts striking the water with a couple more fingers in the sky.
As I was editing the image I decided that the final photo would look more dramatic and interesting in black and white. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for B&W photos so any chance I have to make one I usually go for it.
Not only was I pleased with the lightning but considering the image was a long exposure, to see the boat as sharp as it is without any blur from rocking in the waves was a bonus.
I'm still hoping that one day I'll get another chance to capture lightning much closer and more dramatic, as long as it isn't too close and I haven't been electrified in the process.
NOTE: You can click on the image to see it larger.
Tonight at the trailer by Lake Ontario I enjoyed quite the light show as a massive thunderstorm worked its way down the lake and to the south towards the New York State.
Storms like this are amazing to watch and safe to enjoy as they're quite a distance away yet easily visible across the open water.
The storm didn't produce a lot of visible lightning strikes however. The flashes in the sky were almost non-stop and took in the entire horizon however sightings of actual bolts were few and far between.
This didn't stop me from grabbing my camera and tripod in the hopes of capturing an interesting lightning image. I knew the odds of surpassing past lightning success would be slim with the storm being so far away but I had spotted a sailboat anchored on the lake earlier in the evening and could faintly see it through the darkness.
It was my hope to get a shot of a bolt of lightning coming down into the water near the boat or at the very least within the area I was focused on.
As luck would have it, after taking only a couple of images, I opened my shutter on about the fourth try and down came a bolt of light. It wasn't until after I had the image on my computer that I realized there were actually three lightning bolts striking the water with a couple more fingers in the sky.
As I was editing the image I decided that the final photo would look more dramatic and interesting in black and white. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for B&W photos so any chance I have to make one I usually go for it.
Not only was I pleased with the lightning but considering the image was a long exposure, to see the boat as sharp as it is without any blur from rocking in the waves was a bonus.
I'm still hoping that one day I'll get another chance to capture lightning much closer and more dramatic, as long as it isn't too close and I haven't been electrified in the process.
NOTE: You can click on the image to see it larger.
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