Chasing Sunlight

Last night we walked down to the river as the sun was going down. By the time we got there, it was only visible as a faint golden glow on the horizon.

It cast beautiful silhouettes of the plant life along the shore, and spiders of course.

It was only around 7:00 pm when the light started to fade. It is just the beginning of shorter days and I am starting to remember what those bleak winter days are like. Photography really helped me through those days last year. Making an effort to get out of the house really makes a difference, as well as having cozy indoor activities as well. I plan to hibernate with baking and embroidery.

Autumn Mosaic

Some recent Autumn inspiration, collected from some of my favourite photographers on Flickr. Click on the links at the bottom to view images in full size.

1. Someday, 2. colorful porch table, 3. Cold Afternoon, 4. September 25, 2010 #2, 5. autumn (no. 5206), 6. its fall, deer., 7. Untitled, 8. Farewell, Summer, 9. Large and small

Black and White Wings

I love colour; I am completely smitten by nature’s way of combining them symbiotically. And that is what I love most about photography. The other day, my Mum pointed out that there is a timeless, classic quality that emerges through black and white photography. I decided to make some black and white versions of some favourite photos (straight from the camera), and list them in my Etsy Shop.  So these are for you, Mum~ I hope you enjoy them!

X Marks the Spot

Finding a huge spider has always been kind of exciting to me. They’re fascinating, beautiful, and mysterious. They exist all around us, largely unnoticed, until the sun shines through their invisible web, or we’re dusting the forgotten corners of our windowsills.

I found these spiders lurking in the grass along the River Parkway. They had constructed their webs in the hollow pockets of tall matted grass, braced between stems of Queen Anne’s Lace. I stepped off the path to observe them from a different angle, but quickly changed my tune when I realized how many large webs~ and incredibly well-camouflaged spiders~ were in the area.

I found this video today, I wanted to watch a spider spinning a web. From what I understand this is usually done at night. Maybe one day when we have our own backyard I can sit on my porch and watch it live.

Enjoy:

Pinecones

If I was so much of a nature geek that I had a favourite tree, I think it might be this one. I photographed a European Larch last winter, without knowing what it was. It had no needles on it, and the branches hung like a Weeping Willow. Now I have another reason to love them; they have soft, fuzzy needles and pine cones with scalloped edges.

The Tamarack is similar to the Larch, except it has much smaller pinecones, about the size of a dime. See my pink-hued tamarack print~ it is getting a lot of treasury love on Etsy these days.

River Walk

After all of my complaining about the rain lately, I knew that it would be a sin to let such a gorgeous fall day pass by unphotographed. 

I forgot that I live such a short walk from the river.

Autumn Treasuries

When the seasons change, inspiration is renewed. Which explains why my work has popped up in several treasuries on Etsy, all within a couple of days.

I try not to put too much stock in them, as I haven’t seen them increase my sales yet. But I do enjoy seeing my work this way, grouped together by theme or colour. They’re fun to make, too!

Apple-picking

So…. it poured rain today, but we went apple-picking anyway. It was just easily done in five minutes, before running back to the car, but not as leisurely as it could have been with pleasant, sunny weather. But I am now 10 pounds of apples richer, which sounds like a lot but in reality it’s about twenty-two. Twenty-three if you count the one I ate on the way home.

Because we have been getting so much rain, my camera hasn’t seen much of the outdoors these days. But more time indoors means more time documenting what our pets do all day:

Orange

The cool autumn weather has suddenly blown into town, literally. I’ve pulled my wool jacket out of the closet, and I have been considering scarves and gloves too.

I’ve been finding myself in the kitchen more often, too~ baking and cooking up comfort foods. Barley Chicken Soup is one of my favourites, and I am trying to perfect a recipe that incorporates squash, mushrooms, fresh sage leaves and butter. These flavours go together so well~ try them with lamb and sausages.

Something that I work on now and then are mandalas, made from some of my photographs. This is the second one I have done using butterfly wings. I thought it was appropriate today, since many of the trees are also changing to this beautiful colour.

Tomorrow we’re going apple-picking, if the weather co-operates. Fingers crossed!

Connected

I love going through my archives and noticing them in a different way.

These two photos were taken on our honeymoon last summer. We spent a day walking up and down (quite literally) the narrow, hilly streets of Québec City. Carrying my camera, of course, I took photos of just about everything; old buildings, colourful doors, and sweeping views. Then I saw this shy little Minou looking at me through a blue picket fence.

When I look at these two images together, I enjoy how they play off of each other in colour, shape and composition, regardless of their subjects.