Long time...

Well I have been MIA for almost two months, busy busy busy with real life stuff... But worry not I have been taking pictures along the way.

Lately I have been taking a lot of water shots with slow shutter speeds. I am trying to master the effect and well just having lots of fun playing.

This shot was taken at the Elora Gorge in Ontario. The grand river rips by at spots along the way through the gorge, These pictures with a slow shutter speed makes it look like the water is fast and smooth really the water is fast and rough. But I love the effect anyway.

I like that the colors beneath the rushing water came through on this image. I believe this was the place where I smacked my backside off a rock the last time I went tubing down the Grand River. Damn that hurt!This is a small hole in one of the rocks on the shore of the grand that a trickle of water was spilling over the rock.

The rise on the right of the frame is the kick up of the rapids.

Well thats all for today foalks I have more that I will post later. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed taking them!

A second attempt

I desided to go back to the creek at sunset and see if I could get better lighting. When I got there I did indeed have better lighting however the water level had dropped dramatically. So I got completely different shots from the ones I took in the morning. I love the bottom left side of the image above and how the light makes the water look metalic.

For this shot I desided that I would take it with the water flowing away from the camera rather than with the water flowing toward the camera just to see what I would get... This is the result. The top middle portion of the picture is a pool of water with the reflection of the surrounding trees in it.

I love this one! I love the light and the shadow and simply the way the whole scene played out in the frame. It is now one of my favorite pictures I have taken to date.

This waterfall is right across the street from my house. It looks like such a beautiful place to live doesnt it? Well the trouth of the matter is I had to climb under an overpass to get this shot. From the street you can only see this if you are walking on the bridge or playing gulf in the course to the left. Otherwise it is hidden from view.

It was so weird taking these shots. On the one hand they are beautiful in a world full of concrete and on the other hand it was kind of creepy under there... I kept looking over my shoulder thinking people were coming up behind me...

Besides some croping there are no photoshop alterations to these shots they are origional colors. As the sun went down the sky became pink and cast a pink hue on the water.

I have had such fun doing these shots. Its always fun to try something new. I cant describe how it feels to get the prints back and finally see how they turned out. But I really do need to switch to digital because this hobby gets rather expensive.

An Experiment in Photography

Today was the first time that I have attempted moving water shots with a slowed shutter speed. I have learned some valuable lessons in moving water photography. Namely that 20 and 30 second shutter speeds are too long, and the time of day is important. I am going to go back at sunset and try again. Wish me luck... Here are the results of my first attempt... I hope you enjoy.

Baby Mel's Wedding

Let me first start by saying how much I hate weddings.

There I said it!

I know it is not a popular statement but it is my trouth!

Having said that let me also say how much I love my family. Yes they can be crazy and taking the trip up north to spend time with them is often extreamly nerve wracking. ( Picture 40+ people crammed into a 3 bedroom bungalo.. With only one bathroom... Yep nerve wracking) But some of them are amazing people.

Take my uncle Ronny for example... This man would give anyone (yes anyone) the shirt right off his back if they needed it. This man gives and gives and gives and never askes for anything in return. He has saved me thousands of dollars in car repairs (as well as everyone else im my family who have had the misfortune of car troubles) He bought my grandparents home from them for two reasons. 1. So the house would always stay in our family and 2. To ensure my grandparents had enough money to live on month to month. He was my positive male rollmodel as a child. There is a big happy place for him in heaven when the time comes. Today was his middle child (and the one most like him) Mel's wedding. He was proud as a peacock to share in this event with her.

Shhh dont tell anyone I told you this but Mel is his favorite. Anywho, Mel fell in love with a young man named Mario and they desided to sign over ownership papers to eachother, and well there were moments in the whole event that even had me choked up. Primarily the moment that my uncle Ronny handed over his baby to this young man, I can just imagine how hard it was for him to "give her away", to give away his little girl. Yet he seemed so happy and proud.

Mel has always been very much her own person. She never thought twice about doing exactly what she wanted. If she wanted a mohawk she got a mohawk (we will leave out who it was that gave her that mohawk) the point is Mel is a unique person and this fact was evident at her reception too. IN true Mel form there was a nicly decorated package of M&M's for each guest in attendance. Along with bags upon bags of miscelanious decorations.

Standing for her in her wedding was her two sisters her two best friends, her nephue and my niece. Is there anything cuter than little kids dressed up in formal attire??

Meet Justin. Justin is the six year old son of my cousin Crystal and Mel's nephue. He stood for her as her ring berrer and did a fantastic job of it.

He was attentive and patient, he didnt squirm or fiddle and he was right on que for the whole ceremony. This kid is the most gentle carasmatic six year old I have ever met. And cute to boot!

Let me tell you a little something about my niece Emily. She is a princess. No really, just ask her! She will tell you when she grows up she is going to be a princess and there is no convincing her otherwise. She romantisizes everything. In her little mind and heart the world is a fairy tale and some handsome prince will be coming by shortly to whisp her off her feet. Having said that, the fact that she was the flower girl at Mel's wedding was like a day in her future kingdom. She is just 3 months older than Justin and she also did very well, although she did do periuettes in the aisle while the ownership papers were being signed. As far as Emily was concerned this was HER day! During dinner Justin asked his uncle David if Emily might want to dance with him after they finished eating so Shannon leaned into Emily's ear and said "what would you think if one of the boys wanted to dance with you?" To which Emily replied with a bright smile and gleam in her eye... "That would be perfect!"

All in all despite my feelings for weddings and their utter lack of necessity and cost and well you got the point with my numberous references to "ownership papers" the day was good. Everyone had a good time and everyone behaved.

The night after the wedding however is another story for another time!