Centennial Park + Boulevard in the Fog

Centennial Park was the location of one of my latest excursions. It was foggy again, and I had to quickly decide where to go before it went away. I figured it was time to go visit the horses once again and in the process, hopefully there would be some fog lingering around. Luckily, the horses were still out and there was a bit of fog to add to the mood. At the very least, it was my favourite kind of weather, overcast and somewhat gloomy.

Once I arrived at the park, I made my way directly to the playground which was completely empty. I just got in really close and captured some of the finer details that most people wouldn't even be looking at. I was simply using my Nikon D750 and the 50mm 1.8. I mentioned this before, but it's such a great walk around combo, very well balanced. The colours that come from the Nikon are just fantastic and always so perfectly balanced. Of course, I do my usual magic in Lightroom but it really doesn't take that much. After all, it's about the composition too which I always push myself to evolve at. 

After talking to the horses for a short while and walking around the stables, I made my way to the train tracks and Muskeg Express. In the past I have always just walked past it but this time around I decided to get in a little bit closer. I think I came away with some pretty cool photos. I did the same for the tractor down the trail too. By the time I was done, the fog was all but gone at Centennial, but I figured I might as well do a drive by Boulevard, where the dam is. It was actually still a bit gloomy down there too so I went for a short walk to see what I can come away with. 

One of my favourite parts of Boulevard is the bridge and the view looking on. With the fog in the background outlining the grain elevators I captured a couple good shots. As with Centennial, I got in close on a couple occasions to focus on the finer details. Building up a bit of an appetite I figured I would stop at Tim's on the way back. While wolfing down my breakfast sandwich at the table, I noticed the construction worker through the window and because I pretty much always have my camera with me, I got a good fleeting photo. He was only there for a about 10 seconds. 

And of course, once I got home, the last photo which was the perfect conclusion to the morning was lazy Willow passed out on the driveway. She does have hard life after all. 

Snowy Spring Day at Boulevard Lake

It looks as though Spring is just not ready to arrive yet, seeing as how we got dumped on with snow briefly yesterday morning. As soon as I saw it snowing that much I knew I had to go somewhere to take photos before it all melted away. My location this time around was Boulevard Lake and the old LPH building. By the time I got to Boulevard the wind was basically blowing the snow horizontally which made for some pretty cool shots. So, after parking my car, grabbing me Fuji X-T1 and the 50-140mm lens, I set out to explore and see what I could find.

It was no more then 2 minutes into my walk where I wiped out hard. Little did I know that underneath that fresh coat of snow was a sheet of ice, essentially through the park. It caught me off guard and just as I was falling I was able to land on my side with my right hand outstretched saving my camera and lens. The price I paid was a pretty badly strained neck and back. But the show must go on and I shook it off and continued on my way, grumbling and moaning the rest of the walk of course.

The sad thing was that I wasn't the only one wiping out. About 2 minutes after my intimate session with the pavement, I heard some loud swearing coming from the parking lot. It seemed as though, a construction worker met the same fate as I. I didn't check, but he seemed to brush himself off and as I moved along I heard his faint swears echo in the distance.

Now, back to the photography part of my excursion. As always, I had no specific goal other then to shoot whatever caught my eye. Perhaps I should starting setting goals for myself during these walks, but until that happens, this is what you get. Randomness. 

In a way, I did have a goal, and it was to capture just how much snow was falling. I still find it amazing that all this snow was gone by 3:00pm. Once I finished walking around the Boulevard area I made my way to the LPH building, which I never really got the chance to explore before. The whole time I was taking photos, I was giving myself constant reminders not to fall. There were a few more close calls but I managed to stay upright the rest of the walk. I think the fact that my face was going numb kept me more alert then usual. One of these days, I'll actually dress appropriately for one of these walks. 

In the end, the fact that both my camera and lens were waterproof made this whole walk possible and they both performed flawlessly. I've really been digging taking the zoom lens on my walks lately as it has allowed me to get some completely different perspectives as well as shots I wouldn't have been able to get with my usual prime setup. Until next time!

Fisherman's Park

Last week I found yet another great location that I had never been before. I may be the only one out of the loop, but just off Cumberland, on the way to the grain elevators, there is this small little park on the water called Fisherman's Park. I went on a very rainy day but seeing as how my camera and lens is waterproof, the rain didn't stop me! 

As soon as I got there, I headed underneath the overpass and got a few shots of the water. I will definitely have to go back and try another time-lapse as I think it would turn out great with the scenery there.

After that, I walked the short trail and took in the view of Lake Superior and the grain elevators. Before I was about to leave I noticed a loading dock for boats. I automatically assumed it was closed off but it was completely open to the public. I was still a bit hesitant as I thought at any moment some old man would come out of the bush and start yelling at me. That didn't happen so I explored a bit. There were three very old boats there. Only one was closed off. When I have more time I will be going back on a nice day to get some nice shots.

Once I left there I didn't want to go home just then so I went up to the boulevard dam bridge. It was getting more rainy can cold but I preserved and walked down the trail a little bit. Luckily I did as I managed to get a great shot of a whole bunch of birds flying into the sky from Boulevard Lake. I also managed to get some good photos of the bridge. I have mentioned this many times before but I love rainy overcast days. The lighting is so even and there are no harsh shadows. 

And that was it. I went home to warm up and anxiously go through the photos. 

Boulevard Lake

I'm just getting around to posting this from last week but better late then never. Even since a week ago it seems like winter is closer then ever but I did manage to find some colour last week. Most of the leaves are gone now so I'm glad I got out when I did. It was also a very foggy day as well, so that helped create a nice mood to some of the photos, especially the ones by the river. 

The first few photos in this series are actually around Grandview Arena. Before meeting Anne for lunch, I walked around there for about 20 minutes. There is a really nice trail there and I came away with some great shots. After lunch, I then headed down to Boulevard Lake. I started by the park off Arundel Street and walked under the bridge along the water for a bit. Not being the sharpest tool in the shed I was wearing my dressier shoes the whole time so they ended up getting soaked by the end of it. Ah well. 

I eventually headed back to the car and then drove down to the main area by the mini put course. I spent some time around the run down tennis court which I used to play tennis at back in the day. There were some great reflections due to the puddles on the court. I ended the walk by the playground. For the whole shoot I used my D610 combined with the 85mm 1.8. Such a great light combo and the colours that come from that lens are outstanding, especially for a lens that really isn't that expensive. Now I'm just waiting for the weather to get a bit better before I head out again this week...