Catching up: I've been on vacation this week, doing as much R&R as possible, though preparing income taxes took some of the joy out of it. I've had a few photo outings, mostly in the back yard, exploring the spring growth in our flowers and plants.
Last Sunday was a harbour day and I took my Leica loaded with B&W film rather than a digital camera. Unless I force myself to shoot film, I default to digital every time. Film has a slow, awkward turnaround time for processing, but there's a special quality about B&W film that separates it from digital B&W -- enough of a difference to make shooting film worthwhile.
Choppy Water
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)The weather was cold, rainy and very windy. I couldn't believe my hands were so numb on April 25th that I could barely work the simple controls on the camera. A fierce wind off the lake whipped up whitecaps and backed the water up-river against the current, creating choppy waves.
Thistle
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)With umbrella in one hand and camera in the other I walked the path along the west bank of the river, where I noticed a large thistle. Macro with a Leica? Why not. I set the 40mm Summicron to its closest focus and moved my body in and out until the thistle leaves were superimposed in the rangefinder.
When I returned home I had some frames to finish so I could develop the film that night. I completed the roll by taking some photos of the back deck in the rain with trees reflected in the water. This casual shot has become one of my personal favourites.
Rain & Reflections on Deck
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)Until yesterday the weather remained cool. Each day I patrolled the back yard for emerging life and gravitated to one of my favourite subjects: our serviceberry bush. This plant provides photo ops in every season except winter. Here the new buds are getting ready to blossom:
Serviceberry Buds
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)I also found an emerging trillium blossom ready to burst forth:
Trillium
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)I rediscovered how useful the tilt & swivel LCD panel is on my Canon G2 for shooting low-lying flowers. I switched from the Digital Rebel SLR, which requires lying on your belly, combat style, to the practical G2, which I can hand hold while sitting low to the ground on a camp stool.
Two shots this week had abstract potential that sent me scurrying into the artistic options in Photoshop. I turned this scilla shot that was ever so slightly out of focus due to breeze movement into this impressionistic image dubbed "Impressions of Spring":
Impressions of Spring
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)The striking hyacinth by our front door needed a bolder, sixtyish statement to radiate its essence:
Hyacinth
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)With the weekend promising more rain, but higher temperatures, I will venture back to the harbour area with my digital gear to see what images trouvées lie in wait. If you go, you find images. It's that simple.
(30-Apr-2004, Revised 17-June-2004)
www.NorthernJourney.com -- gene@wilburn.ca