The Silvery look of November in Waterloo county.

I've been fortunate to spend some time on back roads in the Waterloo/Perth/Oxford regions lately.   Even though the striking colours of fall have all but faded, I am still mesmerized by the silvery look of late fall.  

The image below in a barn in the old village of Greenfield.. which is just a cluster of small homes, outside the small town of Ayr.  I love this barn and the whimsical flow of the vines over the fence below it.

This is another rural - Ayr location, taken early in the morning before an appointment.   I know the composition is good but not spectacular.. there is something more to this image that gives me that "I've been here before" kind of feeling.   I can't quite put my finger on it and yet the image grabs my attention.  Here it is below:

This next image is one of my favourites from my outing.    Not moody as the above, but more like wow I'm driving along and I see this!   I love the look of those old tobacco sheds.

Here is another favourite, although from an earlier day, still the same kind of silvery look.  This one gives way to the imagination, there is something dream like about it.  See below:

The next image, well what can I say, I have a special love for rural fence lines:

The next image, shows some very subtle field lines, the day was foggy, this is what I saw:

And here we are... at day's end.   Time for a bowl of warm soup and a nap !

~ Susan

More Fall colours and a touch of creativity

I recently wrote about doing fall foliage photos.   Here is something else I'd like to share from the same day I was out.

I saw this fence in a rural area.   The crazy, almost playful lines of the derelict fence just called my name :-) 

When I got home I pulled it up on the computer screen.  I liked it but then I added some darkening, color alteration and sharpening.  Here is the before and after:

then this:

then this:  (the one I did creative alterations in photoshop)

I would be curious to know what others think of the alteration!

Happy Fall 

The making of another creative image

Hello, its me again!   I want to show you the background work behind one of my favourite photos.   This one was taken in early November when the colours were still fairly vibrant.   Funny thing is I ended up converting this picture to black and white.  Here is the final image:

I was having a very creative-feeling-kind-of-day.   I hadn't had that feeling for several months so it was very exciting.   

I drove past this field and was drawn to a stand of trees.    It wasn't especially interesting but I saw something in it that I couldn't describe at the moment.

I continued shooting that day... and got many wonderful images before I had to return home.

Once home I put it up on the screen.   I mused over it.. and for fun put it in black and white.

This looked very appealing to me. I stretched the perspective, then added some "painterly" effects.    Here it is one more time:

I then printed it on some delicate parchment paper - I would show it here but the photo on parchment is now hung in a gallery!!   I hope you enjoyed seeing the creative process.   - Susan

The Making of a Photo - Winter Tree

Many people think photography is an easy form of art but it does take a lot of planning and knowledge of composition and light.

I have driven past this tree many times on the road to Maryhill, Ontario.

It looks different every time!

I am attaching some different angles, taken from different times of year.

Although it looks pretty with colours, it is also a bit cluttered with detail.

Here we see a different angle.... similar to the above but the composition is different.

the black and white look ! but also cluttered and not composed correctly.

and the winter look... but the trees are too far back in the image

Lastly we have the final and favourite version.  I Love the mist, the snow, the leading lines that the snow makes... the composition is good as the trees fill the frame.  the mist creates an emotional feel.  the grasses below the tree are less noticeable (which allows the trees to stand out).

this was one of my earliest "art photos" - just something I did between work appointments :-)

susan

The Creative Day that wasn't planned!

a post from late november 2015....

Susan here. I had a wonderful day with my camera!

The interesting thing is I didn't set out to take photos but ended up doing so.

I wanted to go to St Jacobs to look around the shops.. and ended up taking the back roads.

This is my favourite photo from today. Its on a Mennonite fruit farm.. you can see the graceful lines of the orchard leading up to the tree on the right. The field has some leftover crops, and there is part of a tractor in the background which I didn't see until I pulled my photo up on the screen at home!

When I look for good images, I seek out interesting lines, patterns, colours and subjects.

Enjoy! 

Image available for purchase via FineArtAmerica!  see link below

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/1-martin-fruit-farm-chesley-house.html