Thoreau had his Walden Pond, and I have my harbour. Every photographer should have a local favourite spot to visit frequently, preferably within walking distance or a very short drive. Every weekend I walk to the harbour area in Port Credit and every experience there is different. Things change. The light, the colour of the sky, the clouds, the waterfowl in the river, harbour and lake, the vegetation, the rowers and boaters and fishermen. I'm the self-appointed recorder.
Yesterday was particularly satisfying because I landed my first photo of an oldsquaw.
Male Oldsquaw
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)This arctic sea duck winters in places like the Great Lakes before moving north again in the spring. I always see a few this time of year in the harbour or the lake. They're not tame like the mallards and swans -- they keep their distance. Fortunately this one came just close enough that at 300mm (480mm equivalent on my DSLR) I managed this image, cropped about 50%. Thank goodness for a relatively large sensor.
As always, I found many things to look at and photograph. As the snow melts off, it reveals the detritus of last fall in nature's composte heaps, as in this heap of spent burrs, leaves and twigs.
Winter's Leftovers
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)A few bedraggled, leftover keys were still clinging to the branches of some of the trees. Though old, they still retain texture and earth tone colours.
Leftover Keys
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)Some objects are old friends. I've shot this park bench dozens of times. It looks so solitary and maybe a little lonely. It's situated in an odd location near the river, but the view is blocked by burrs and roses. It sits patiently as spring emerges around it.
Park Bench
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)On this walk, I was admiring the log cabin beside the harbour. The local scout groups meet in the cabin, and sometimes Port Credit has a Santa there at Christmas time. Yesterday, for the first time, I noticed the slight incongruity between the shuttered log-cabin window and the electricity meter. This had B&W written all over it.
Log Cabin with Electricity
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)Today Marion and I might walk to the harbour together. She is now using the Canon G2 and we enjoy finding images together. The weather is promising -- a high of 11C and the current drizzle is expected to end early this morning.
(28-Mar-2004, Revised 17-June-2004)
www.NorthernJourney.com -- gene@wilburn.ca