High School Track Flashback

On Thursday I had a chance to stop by the COSSA High School Track and Field meet held in Belleville at the Bruce Faulds Track to check out some of the action.

As a former track & field star (mostly in my own mind) I still like to revisit the atmosphere and excitement on the track and transport myself back to a time many moons ago when I was the one feeling nervous before stepping into the shot put or discus circle.

I stuck mainly to field events as a larger lad but truth be told, I was actually pretty quick for my advanced size. In fact, one year I took part in a relay carnival and was part of a relay team comprised solely of field athletes and we took a lot of teams by surprise with our speed and how well we ran. I was always good over short distances.

Kinda like a drag car but without the nitrous.

The rain held off and it was actually quite a nice day for the meet. I think I might have even burnt the top of my bald head a bit.

It's funny watching the kids though and realizing that even though the times have changed, what happens at a meet is still pretty much the same as when I was taking part in the 80's. The camaraderie and support among the athletes is still there.

There were a few subtle differences I noticed, mainly in the attire worn. For one thing, the use of spandex in both leggings and shorts is much more prominent. This obviously provides less wind resistance as you fly around the track. And judging by some of the conversations I overheard by some of the male participants, the girls are catching their eyes as well. Oh sure, they caught our eye back in my day as well but there was certainly a bit more left to the imagination. 

Another thing I noticed was the organization and technology being used. Obviously things are way more advanced some 30 years later and it shows. Three or four people as starters, more volunteers as marshals, people raking pits and measuring. I mean, we had some of that stuff back then but it wasn't to this extent. It was impressive to watch.

And they actually had a camera at the finish line to help determine winners in a close race.

There was no actual tape to break through as you crossed the line like we used to use. I don't know how often the camera was actually needed but it's kinda cool to have that at the officials disposal.

As usual I brought along my camera to try and capture some of the action. I enjoy shooting sports and rarely have any time to do it anymore it seems. So it was nice to put my rusty skills to the test again and I managed to come away with a few good shots and a sunburn so it was a good visit to the track I'd say.

New Moon & Venus at Sunset

New Moon & Venus at Sunset
Originally uploaded by *Bundy*

While this hasn't been an overly exceptional summer it has had its moments.

The normal heat of summer just hasn't been around as much as past years. I can only recall about one week of temperatures over 30 degrees so far. The rest of the time we've been sitting in the mid to low 20's.

Of course, that isn't horrible by any means, especially when we haven't had a whole lot of rain. I like not having to cut the lawn twice a week like I do in the Spring.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the cool summer weather is only a precursor to what winter will have in store for us. I fear it will be long and frigid and that is never a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

The cool weather hasn't hampered my ability to grab some interesting images with my camera when I had the time to pick it up and shoot.

Recently I've been trying my luck at some night photography with limited success. I lack the proper lens to get the job done properly but I make it work as best I can. I just can't justify spending $1000 on a new lens right now.

This weekend I actually got a couple of shots of meteors entering earth's atmosphere as part of the annual Perseid Meteor shower. Nothing too spectacular but something was better than nothing. For some reason the meteors just don't seem as bright or last as long as they did when I was a kid. I can recall sitting under the stars at camp watching these long bright lights shooting across the sky. Some would last long enough to be pointed out and allow all to catch a glimpse of it before it vanished. Now if you blink you miss it.

I also enjoy a good sunset as evidenced by my photo above. I always think a good sunset photo, or any photo for that matter, has to have something interesting in it or a nice composition.

For example I like the trees in the foreground of this particular image but it also has more happening in it than a pretty orange sky. If you look to the top left you can see the new moon and in the right corner you can see the bright light of the planet Venus shining.

I never turn down an opportunity to photograph a sunset if I think it will be more than just a pretty colour.

Sunset Landing

Sunset Landing
Originally uploaded by *Bundy*

I was visiting my parents at their trailer last night at Presqu'ile Provincial Park on the north shores of Lake Ontario and had just finished supper when I decided to grab my camera and go for a drive.

I honestly didn't expect to get much of anything and planned to only be gone for about 30 minutes. I wanted to get back for the always enjoyable campfire with family and friends.

Actually, I probably wasn't much longer than 30 minutes but I did stop once to watch a Mute Swan and two of her young feeding in the calm waters of what's known as the Calf Pasture. This used to be a boat launch area to get out into Brighton Bay from inside the park. Now for some reason they frown upon this. Who knows the thinking behind it. We used to drive a hovercraft over there when I was a lot younger because it was a lot more calm than the lake.

Anyway...the three swans that were feeding honestly weren't providing much in the way of quality photo opportunities. Certainly nothing I hadn't already photographed a dozen or more times before.

All of a sudden I heard a noise of wings hitting the water and I swung around to spot the mate of the swan getting airborne and racing right at me. I'm guessing he probably didn't like the fact that I was intruding on his kids supper activities.

I only had a few moments to bang off a couple of quick frames. I didn't have time to change my focus type, shutter speed or anything for that matter. I would have loved to have my Nikon D7000 in high burst mode to rattle off more shots but instead I quickly focused and shot about 4 frames.

He landed in the water and I started moving back to let him know I got the message. As I walked back to the car I did a quick review of the photos on the camera and was encouraged by what I saw but there was no way of knowing how good the quality of image would be until I got it on my computer.

As you can see above, I had at least one shot that was fairly sharp and contained some nice action as the swan was touching down. The sunlight was rather harsh as it was setting and very bright but overall I think I was able to work around that issue okay and captured an image I could live with and be a little proud of. These birds are so powerful I could photograph them landing and taking off all day.

COSSA Meet

2013 COSSA Track & Field
Originally uploaded by *Bundy*

This isn't going to be an earth shattering update so don't be disappointed. You've been warned.

This past week I had another opportunity to attend a track meet. This time it was COSSA for the high school athletes. COSSA, if I remember correctly, stands for Central Ontario Secondary School Athletics. It's the second meet of four competitions ending with OFSAA or the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations. That meet crowns the provincial champs. I'm sure you're better for knowing all of that.

For me, all it meant was another opportunity to grab my camera and take more action shots of the events in progress.

I came away with many shots again that I was happy with including the one shown here. Plus I had a few from the Pole Vault and hurdles that I really liked.

All I was doing was feeding my need to work on my hobby or craft. I get a little tired of the usual swan, sunset and flower photos so this is a nice change of pace.

Any way, if you're interested in checking out more of my shots from the day, drop by my Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bundy68/ to have a look at those photos and more.

Track Memories

Bay of Quinte Invitational - Track & Field
Originally uploaded by *Bundy*

On Friday I had the day off work and had the photography itch so I decided to grab my camera and head to a local high school track meet.

It was the Bay of Quinte Invitational with athletes from all across Eastern Ontario in attendance.

As a former Track & Field competitor from my high school days it brought back a lot of great memories from my days of spinning in the discus cage or launching the shot put as far as I could. Boy that was a long time ago.

While the competition was fun, the friendships I made and the good times had were what I remember the most.

Of course Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of the rest of social media wasn't around when I competed and made friends so it was harder to keep in touch with those new friends or the girls I met to be more specific. Heck, we barely had computers when I was in school.

But it was always fun to see those people every Spring at the various meets and catch up. There are a few I still run into even today.

But I was there on this day to take photos of the action, even though I did run into some former schoolmates now teachers and even some old teachers as well.

I don't get to shoot sports very much but I really enjoy the challenge when the odd opportunity presents itself. I had the added pressure of worrying about the weather as the rain was on the way. Actually, overcast conditions are ideal for photography since you don't get the harsh shadows the sun produces.

Any way, I did manage to come away with some images I was pleased with including the one located above. If all goes well, I'm hoping to get to at least one more event before the track season ends to see what else I can capture.

Photo Fun

After sitting here wracking my brain trying to get my creative juices flowing to put forth some words of wisdom or create some controversy with my own warped sense of humour and thinking, I've decided that I just don't have anything thought provoking to share. I can't recall the last time I struggled this much to put my thoughts in my blog.

To be honest, I need to invest in a new laptop. My old one died and I had been using it to write most of my postings while at work when I had some free time to do it. Since it stopped working, my blog posts have taken a sharp decline.

In the meantime, I've found a little time lately to put my photography skills to use. My new camera has been patiently waiting in the bag for me to pull it out and give it a workout. So I've managed to take a few shots worth keeping.

I'm actually working on my second photography book right now. My first one was enjoyed by many, although I never actually sold any copies. Everyone just looked at my copy. To be honest, that's all I really wanted any way. I take all these photos and most people never see them unless they gather around my computer. A book is a great way to share them with others by having it laying out for family and friends to look at.

Here are a few of my latest photos that people seemed to enjoy. Hope you like them as well.

The Psychedelic Pslinky


Go Habs Go


Will Winter Ever End?


It's A Bird

Autumn Outings

Sadly this hasn't been a very productive year with my photography hobby. I just haven't had nearly as much free time to get out and really have fun taking photos.

This autumn I have managed to find a bit of time to click the shutter a few times and came home with some images I've been happy with.

I thought I might share a few with you. Hope you like them.


White-tailed Deer in a field


A leaf covered lane


Walking into the woods


A Red Fox scratching an itch

Space Station Flies By

Earlier tonight I was visiting my parents at their trailer by Lake Ontario. It was a gorgeous evening for a campfire by the lake.

I had my iPod Touch with me and as a night sky watcher, I also had my Satellite Flybys App installed and handy. It's a cool little gadget that gives you the times that the ISS and other old rockets and space stuff will be flying over your area.

So knowing that the space station would be passing by, I set up my camera on a tripod and waited for it to appear.

Below you will see the results of my effort. Obviously the streaking light is the space station. In the first you can see it passing through the Big Dipper and in the second it is moving away from me. Both photos were 30 second exposures.

I thought you might find them interesting so I figured I'd share them with you.

Perseid Meteors Don't Cooperate

After a couple of hours of sitting next to a campfire and looking skyward I came away with a sore neck and about 50 sightings of the Perseid Meteor Shower last night.

In the past as a kid I can remember my dad and I sitting out until three in the morning watching for what was supposed to be an impressive display. It never materialized and we might have seen a handful the entire time.

Last night with little effort on our parts we had a great view of a much more impressive show. Now, it didn't produce the predicted 100 meteors per hour that we heard about on the news but we did see approximately 15 to 20 per hour including some very impressive fireballs.

The only downside on this clear and perfect night for viewing was the fact I was unable to capture a single one using my camera. It wasn't for lack of trying on my part but they just didn't fall where my lens was pointing, or if they did, they were too faint to pick up and not the more impressive meteors.

It wasn't a total loss with the camera as I did manage to get a few interesting photos of the night sky and some star trails as you can see in the photo below.


© 2010 Mark Kennedy

I Found My Camera

For the first time in what seems like months I was finally able to take advantage of a day off work and pick up my camera and use it for a change. I wasn't overly motivated but felt guilty that I hadn't produced anything lately.

It was a rainy, overcast and windy afternoon today and I didn't think I'd come home with much when the trip first started but I managed to snap about 80 photos and ended up with about five keepers that I thought were pretty good.

I've posted a few here for you to have a look at. Hope you like them.

One With Nature

I would describe myself as being like a "bull in a china shop" in most cases and this usually means quietly trekking through nature would be out of the question. The creatures can usually hear me from miles away as I approach.

That's why I was so surprised during an outing last weekend to come across a Barred Owl perched in a tree and not flying away as quickly as he could.

With my camera in hand I visited Presqu'ile Provincial Park, near Brighton, Ontario in search of one of these birds of prey. I had heard they were being spotted in a particular area and had seen photos taken by other people. I didn't expect to see anything on my first attempt to photograph one of these owls except lots of trees and perhaps a few chickadees.

But much to my surprise I lucked out and found this big guy somewhat camouflaged while resting in a tree and he didn't seem overly bothered by my presence. I guess it was a good thing I didn't shower before I left the house.

Any way, here are just a couple of the nearly 100 photos that I took that day.

© 2010 Mark Kennedy

© 2010 Mark Kennedy

Birds Of A Feather

Here it is November already. Less than two months to go before another decade is complete. Actually, is that right? Do we count the year 2000 as the first year? Well, that's what I'm going with for now.

Any way, now that November is here and the clocks have returned to Standard Time we're down to about 11 hours of daylight in these parts as the days continue to get shorter. In fact, just the other day I had the snow-blower out and made sure it was running and ready to go for the winter ahead.

Sadly, with the change in weather, my opportunities to get out and photograph will likely start to drop off drastically. Being a warm weather person, I don't tend to venture out as much during the winter. Not to mention the fact that taking photos in minus 15 degree conditions isn't quite as enjoyable. I think it might have something to do with my face freezing to the camera. So I'm trying to take advantage of what nice weather we have left.

Today I struck out with the sun shinning and the mercury around +10 Celsius and had some fun. I found some Mute Swans fishing for food along the shores of the local Provincial Park and trained my camera on them for about 15 minutes before they became annoyed with me. Here's one of the shots I came away with.

Copyright 2009 Mark Kennedy

October This and That

I was just sitting in front of the computer and figured I should probably post an update on the blog but I really don't have any particular topic that has peaked my interest lately.

My Habs have been playing fairly well despite a bad night tonight in Vancouver and the fact they're starting the season with a long road trip and the Leafs haven't won a game yet, so that's all good. Plus my hockey pool has begun and that helps to keep the season interesting.

The world has been dealing with some crazy stuff lately with typhoon's, tsunami's and earthquakes and thankfully none of it has really affected me at all other than feeling sorry for those who have suffered.

I tried my luck at Geocaching the other day but gave up after about ten minutes. I just don't have the patience to trek through the bush looking for hidden "treasures" just for the heck of it. If I was searching for the secret location of a group of undersexed sorority girls then that might prove to be a bit more motivating.

I went out golfing earlier tonight for the first time in about a month and it wasn't a compete failure. It was cool, the winds were blowing at about 1000 km/h and my tee shots looked great until I made contact with the ball. Eventually the sun came out and the colours of the leaves on the trees were amazing. I had a lot of fun golfing with the guys. Truth be told...I've golfed a lot worse and actually hit a few good tee shots. My putting sucked though. Hopefully I play better on the 17th as I take part in the annual Terry Fox Golf Tournament.

Thanksgiving is coming up on Monday and I'll be working all day so that won't be too exciting. On the plus side I'll be enjoying some delicious dead fowl drowning in golden gravy on Sunday night. I love my mothers cooking.

And the other day I had some fun watching the local Air Force Search and Rescue Techs practicing their skills on the bay south of Brighton. Of course, I had my camera in hand and managed to snap a few frames (see below). I've seen this stuff before but it's still impressive to watch as they drop guys in wetsuits into the water and then come around to pluck them out over and over.

So aside from some boring work related stuff, that's about all I've been up to lately. I hope your life is more interesting than mine.

Copyright © All rights reserved.

Copyright © All rights reserved.

Ah Man...Summer's Over Already?

Summer came to an end yesterday afternoon and once I finished crying, I had a chance to look back at the summer. Despite some issues that made it difficult at times...and still do, it wasn't too bad.

Sure there was lots of rain, not much heat, tornadoes, flooding, cool nights, loads of mosquitoes and black flies, election fears, Michael Jackson's two month funeral saga, more soldiers killed in Afghanistan, destructive forest fires, horrible golf scores and the Blue Jays sucked...among other things but at least we didn't have to scrape the ice off the windshield of our cars.

For me it was a fairly productive summer with my camera as I continued to enjoy my photography hobby. I tried to make the most of it because I know once the cold weather arrives, I likely won't feel the urge to throw on my parka, toque, gloves and boots just to snap a few frames. Oh, I'm sure I'll take a few photos but my numbers will go way down for sure.

Here's a little video I threw together to show you some of my favourite shots from the summer of 2009.

September Harvest Moon

The full moon was too beautiful to pass on tonight so I mounted my camera on a tripod and took some photos.

This was one of my favourites from the night. Here you can see the moonlight shining on the waters of Lake Ontario at Presqu'ile Provincial Park near Brighton, Ontario.

Copyright © All rights reserved.

Here's a photo showing the moon a little larger. You can see a bit more detail in this shot.

Copyright © All rights reserved.

Hope you enjoyed looking at them.

Feeding The Hobby

While enjoying some time away from the job lately I was able to grab my camera and take some photos. As I'm sure many of you know, photography is a bit of a passion for me and something I do to relax.

I've been a photographer for quite some time and even spent some time as a freelance photojournalist (mostly sports and news) many years ago but lost interest in the art.

However, the advent of digital photography helped to bring back my interest and get a camera back in my hands and now I really enjoy seeing what my efforts will produce.

It can be an expensive hobby and the new camera I'd like to purchase is about $2000 but unless someone wants to donate to the cause, I'll have to make due with what I have for some time to come.

Here are a few of my latest efforts.

I have also published a couple of photography books featuring my own work. It's a nice way to be able to view the photos other than having them printed or by looking at them on a computer screen.

Life Through M...

1/100 Of A Second A...

By Mark Kennedy

Book Preview

Hope you enjoyed some of my shots.

Too Many Repatriation's

Two more Canadian soldiers, killed over the weekend in Afghanistan returned home to Canada on Tuesday at a sombre repatriation ceremony in Trenton, Ont.

Sapper Mathieu Allard, 21, and Cpl. Christian Bobbitt, 23, died in a roadside bomb attack in the Zhari district, west of Kandahar, on Saturday.

The plane carrying their flag-draped coffins touched down at CFB Trenton just after 2 p.m. ET Tuesday. Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean and Defence Minister Peter MacKay were among the dignitaries on the tarmac.

My mother had never been to a repatriation even though she lives so close to the base. I couldn't take her down to the base this time as I had her out doing some shopping, so we decided to stop along the Highway of Heroes (Hwy 401 - Canada's busiest) at Brighton to pay our respects and watch as the bodies and families passed by on the way to to Toronto.

The bridge over the highway and every other bridge between Trenton and Toronto was packed with people waving Canadian flags and showing their support. Some people were crying and like the others I've watched in the past, the emotions are always visible.

While I wish our men and women could all come home to Canada and be safe, I understand why they are there and even more so, I know they believe in what they're doing and I support them. I just hope we don't have to watch anymore hearse's make the long journey down the Highway of Heroes.

In this photo you can see my mother with her Canadian flag in hand waiting for the procession to go by.

This Summer Stinks

I don't really have anything to say other than how much I have disliked the weather this summer.

The rain has one upside and that is I don't have to put the sprinkler on the lawn at all. The heat has been almost non-existent. I think we've had one or two "hot" days and the rest have felt more like early September.

The weather experts say August could be dryer and hotter. This of course means absolutely nothing because if they're wrong they'll just come up with some reason for the change. They'll blame it on El Niño or La Niña or El Guapo or some damn thing.

It's a good thing these meteorologists didn't become surgeons. Can you imagine the conversations with the family after he / she got the procedure wrong yet again. "I'm sorry Mrs. Smith but things didn't go as forecasted...we took the wrong arm off. But I'm sure we'll get it right tomorrow."

Just today we had a lot more rain and thunderstorms. It was quite wet at the trailer. There was one bright spot however as the sun came out long enough to give us a nice rainbow. I thought about trying to find the pot of gold at the end but I didn't have a boat.

Swanee How I Love Ya

I was out to the campground the other day with my camera in hand. I haven't been too motivated photography wise lately and was having another so-so day with little to show for my time.

I pulled into one of my favourite areas where I'll spot the odd gem of a shot from time to time and low-and-behold I found something kind of nice.

This family of Mute Swans were making their way across the water to their nesting area. They were feeding as they went. I didn't have much time because they were moving further away from me but I did manage to get this shot.

One adult and six cygnets can be seen here and the other adult was just out of the frame to the right. They are cute little birds when they're young and fluffy but they will grow to be large and quite aggressive.

Not to put a downer on this tender moment but one of the young cygnets natural enemies is turtles and is not uncommon to see the young birds nabbed from below and pulled under water. Last year I watched a family of seven become a family of 2 in the marsh. It's the circle of life I guess.

Track & Field Fun

I haven't attended the Bay of Quinte High School Track & Field Championships since I last participated in them as a student in 1987...the same year I finished school.

Earlier today I was lucky enough to have the day off work and I knew this year's event was taking place. It was a nice sunny day, so I grabbed my camera equipment and decided to head down the highway to check it out.

I had a fun day as I ran into an old friend who coaches one of the local teams. I also chatted with my high school principal who is retired and was acting as the race starter and I ran into my Senior Football coach who was also volunteering.

I was there long enough to get a nice sunburn on my shaved head and to watch several races and events. If you'd like, you can see the photos I took from the event by clicking here.