The Back Roads of Westfort

Even though it was a bit of a chilly day, I decided to go for another quick walk after lunch. Whereas in the morning I was in Port Arthur, the afternoon brought me to the depths of Westfort. It had been a while since I took photos on the overpass so I decided to head there. After spending a short amount of time getting some photos in and around the overpass I walked all the way across and explored some of the road on the other side of the tracks. 

As far as I can remember I had never been back there so it was quite interesting. I immediately tried to get down to the river to get a photo of the big ship but it was sadly all closed off. Even an area where you could normally go down the water was also locked down. My plan for next time is to bring my long zoom lens and find an angle somehow. Hopefully the ship is still there. 

Regardless, I headed to the James Street Swing Bridge. Even though it's closed off to traffic, you can still walk across. I was able to get some decent angles from the bridge but I did have to shoot through the fence. Actually, one of my favourite photos of the day was of the old mill in the background, which was shot through the fence. It almost looks like smoke is on the outer edges of the fence but it's part of the fence which is blurred. I just like how it ended up looking, almost vintage, by accident.

Once I was done on the bridge I made my way back to Gore Street which would eventually take me to my car. Before I got there though, I managed to get a few more cool looking photos. Along the way, I was warned by a friendly neighbour that there had been a black bear roaming around the day before. So, I think I will take a break from Westfort for a bit. 

In case you are wondering, I took all these photos with the Fuji X-T1 and the 35mm 1.4. I shot in both JPG and RAW. Lately I have been using the RAW images mainly because they are more forgiving with the the highlights, especially with the bright winter skies. 

Exploring Gore Street

I decided to head on over to Westfort the other day and walk down Gore Street. Aside from living on in this area a long long time ago I don't really get the chance to explore it too often. So I set out with my Fuji X-T1 and my 16mm lens this time to capture some photos. Of course, most people know that The Wayland is on this street so I made sure to get some photos of that place. 

Aside from the Wayland I simply looked for things that stood out. These might not be things the the everyday person sees but that's the beauty of photography, I get to choose what strikes me as interesting. As I mentioned above, I hadn't really explored this area so I was surprised to find a road called Mountdale which leads right down to the water. It offered a fantastic view of Mount McKay. I'm sure anyone who lives in the area knows about this spot, but it goes to show you, even in a small city like Thunder Bay, there are still little gems to be found.

It was quite an overcast and foggy day so the photos I captured of Mount McKay aren't the most colourful, but they did have a certain mood to them which I kind of liked. All in all, it was a fun 30 minute walk through my old stomping ground. I'll definitely have to go back soon before winter sets in to see what else I can find.

Golf Links Road

After I got my car washed in the morning yesterday I figured I would finally visit the large empty field off Golf Links Road. I pass by it almost everyday and each time I keep saying to my myself that I should take some photos there. Well, yesterday was the day. It was quite gloomy and pretty overcast which I really didn't mind. It actually suited the overall mood of the photos. 

The main things that catch my eye with this area are the trees in the background as well as a gnarly old tree with a for sale sign on it. I would have loved to have gone all the way in to where the trees in the background are buy I wasn't sure if there was some old guy in the centre of the field sitting on a lawn chair waiting for trespassers with his shotgun. So I decided to stay by the trail on the road. 

With that being said, I think I came away with some interesting photos. I simply used my X-T1 with the fixed lens 35mm. So I couldn't really zoom or anything but it goes to show you, as long as you have feet to move with, you can frame any shot. I also took a few minutes to walk to the stream just of Central Avenue, which are where the last few photos came from. The last photo was of a toy bulldozer which caught my eye in someones yard. I ran up, quickly grabbed a photo and then I was on my way. 

Sunday Photos

Last Sunday we made a last minute decision to go to an indoor flea market. Well, I knew, that I would probably get bored after a few minutes, and there were candles involved, so I made sure to bring my Fuji X-T1 paired with the 35mm 1.4. After looking around for a little bit once we arrived I braved the cold morning air and explored around the area a bit. I was fairly familiar with the general area so as usual I just wandered around. There was a park right next door so I got some good 'macro' shots in around there and I also walked around the neighbourhood somewhat as well. 

I also managed to snap a few photos of some of the items inside. It wasn't really a big yard sale, but there were definitely some interesting finds in there. After about an hour we headed home. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that I once again had a camera in hand. This time around it was for a photoshoot out on Memory Road. Once the session was done I snapped a quick photo of one of the tractors. I like the contrast of the yellow against the blue sky. Lastly, we made a stop at O.T.C., which is a burger place on the highway coming back into town. While sitting around, waiting for your food, I pulled out my Nikon D610 and 50mm 1.8 and grabbed a few photos. I even got one of Anne, even though she wasn't really in the mood for photos that day. But hey, when has that ever stopped me. 

It's almost spring!

I had the chance to get for a little bit this past weekend and enjoy the brisk spring weather. It was mid afternoon which meant bright sunny conditions. Instead of looking for low contrast and subtle photos I focused on finding nice shadows and strong bold images. 

My combo of choice this time around was my D610 and 85mm 1.8. The 85mm might be my new favourite lens. I love how light it is and the colours it produces are just amazing. Plus, for me, it's a great focal length, at least when walking around. 

The ultimate destination for this walk was to meet up with my Fiance Anne at our friend Raven's house. It was to be our first bon fire of the year. It was still a pretty chilly day but sitting on the deck in the backyard with the fire blazing and the sun beating down was really nice. It reminded us how much we are looking forward to camping this year.

It was a pretty relaxing afternoon and evening but that didn't mean I put the camera way. While hanging out on the deck I decided to practice and explore the continuous focusing abilities on the D610. I have always known how to use them but I really wanted hone my skills. What better way to do so then to follow and track to hyper dogs, Daisy and Jack. The camera locked on very well and almost always held focus. I was often using a very large aperture as well. Suffice it to say I was very impressed. 

In the end I had to leave the fire around 10:00pm. I'm just not as tough as the girls, I was freezing by then. With that being said, I can't wait for warmer evenings around the fire. I will of course have my camera by my side the entire summer capturing every moment.