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. 

East End Walk

Last week I decided to go for a quick walk around the East End area, near May Street and eventually across the bridge. I brought my Nikon D750 and 85mm lens. As usual, I tried to explore areas I haven't in the past, so this meant walking in and out of a lot of the back alleys. It's amazing the things you can find to photograph in the alleys. Of course, I set out to look for the old and the run down, so there is plenty of that in East End. But, there is also a lot of character, which is why it's one of my favourite areas in town to take photos.

After the alleys, I made my way to the train yard and then decided I might as well take the tunnel under the tracks to the other side. I didn't spend too much time there but I managed to find a few good captures. It was then time to cross the bridge back to Simpson Street and make my way back to the car.

Camping in Geraldton

Last weekend, Anne and I decided to drive up to Geraldton for a couple days to visit her Uncle Lawrence's camp just outside of Geraldton. Since her mom was already up there we figured it would be fun to stay one night and then drive back the next day. Well, it ended up being a very relaxing and fun trip. Although, the weather didn't quite cooperate, but, even though it snowed a bit both days, it made the experience all that much more unique. Plus, as a photographer, it allowed me to get some great photos. 

I ended up taking a ton of photos and I even tried my hand at some time lapses. I have yet to process them but hopefully they turn out alright. That being said, it was tough to narrow it down the selection you below. We began the trip on the Friday by loading up the car and eventually getting Willow into the backseat of my car. She was definitely excited which made the fact that we ended up having to leave her behind that much worse. We decided we just wouldn't have enough room on the way back for her to squeeze into the backseat. We will be going up again this weekend so I'm sure this time around she will fit. 

After we dropped her off, we headed out of town with the first stop being the Husky in Nipigon. Once we were done with our stop there it was pretty much straight through to the camp. I did plan on taking some photos along the way but I decided to just spend some time on the Saturday to explore which we did end up doing. Once we did arrive at camp, Cathy was waiting for us. By the time we got there, it started to snow shortly thereafter. I immediately took out my camera when we arrived and walked around the camp. I had only been there once before but I do remember all the little knick knacks hanging around. There is even an old telephone booth in the trees. I have no idea how it got there but I made sure to take a photo of it. 

As I mentioned earlier, I did a few time lapses while there. I set one up right away down by the river and let it go for about 1.5 hours. I have yet to see how it turned out but I'm hoping it worked. I did another later in the evening as well.

Once we were done dinner we played some cards and eventually went to bed. The next morning brought some more snow but also a nice big pot of coffee which went extremely well with the brisk morning. We actually brushed off the lawn chairs and sat out in the snow for a bit. Anne eventually made a huge breakfast which was simply awesome. For some reason, even though it was just a cabin, breakfasts are so much better when you are camping like that. After breakfast, Anne and I walked down the road to the highway and spent some time down by the river. Aside from a transport flying by every 1 minutes, it was pretty peaceful. 

It was almost time to leave, but we decided to take a quick drive to Geraldton to fill up on gas. Of course, I managed grab a few nice shots while in town, even though it was just the outskirts. Probably two of my favourite photos of the trip were of me and Anne on a big hill. We then headed back to camp, packed up, and started the drive to Thunder Bay. This part of the trip was my favourite, simply because we stopped all along the way. It was a photographers dream and I was in heaven. We went for some lunch in Beardmore at a great little diner called Anne's. I got a chance to walk around there a bit which was awesome. Along the way we also went to the dump which doesn't really sound that exciting, but upon entering, there were a ton of huge hawks and eagles. It was really a site to behold.

Just after we made a quick drop-off there, we drove through Macdiarmid. This is where Anne grew up when she was younger. It was definitely interesting to see and I was amazed at how beautiful the scenery was along the water. Our last stop before continuing on to Thunder Bay was just off the highway. There as a trail there that we were able to walk along and get some truly beautiful photos. And that was it! For those curious about what camera's I used, I brought along my Nikon D750 and the 50mm as well as my Fuji X-T1 and two zooms, the 16-55 and 55-140. 

If the time lapses turnout I will be sure to post them on this site so stay tuned. Thanks as always to those who take the time to view this. 

Mission Marsh + Island Drive

I saw that it was going to be a nice cloudy day, possibly with some dramatic clouds, so I drove on over to the Mission Marsh. For this walk I brought along my Fuji X-T1 and 55-140 zoom lens. With this combo I was able to get some different perspectives compared to previous visits where I simply had a prime lens with me. As soon as I arrived I walked down the boardwalk along the lake and then I decided to explore along the beach a bit. I had never gone that way before and I came away with one of my favourite photos of the day. It was the one with the building tucked away behind the trees. The clouds were just perfect and I just love the overall composition.

After that, Ih headed back to the car, but along the way I spotted a squirrel who was just as interested in me as I was him. I then made my way to the Island Drive park. It had been quite a while since I walked around there so it was nice to get back. I spotted a couple geese with their young one who was bright yellow. Very cute indeed. It was actually quite a cold day so I didn't hang around too long but I still came away with some great shots. Thanks for viewing as always!

Terry Fox Lookout + Trow Bridge

As soon as I saw the fog yesterday morning I knew I had to go somewhere cool to capture some photos. I saw that the fog got heavier as you went further east, so I decided to head on over to the Terry Fox Lookout, seeing as how I hadn't really been there for a while. I already had my Fuji X-T1 and 16-55mm lens. So, off I went in search of some great photos. 

Coming up the main road leading to the lookout I could already tell that the fog was going to make for some good shots. Even though it was already starting to dissipate, I knew still had some time. After grabbing a few quick shots of the road leading up I made my way to the lookout itself. I worked fairly quickly and just looked for different angles of the monument. I always try and capture perspectives that no one else has done, it's almost a way of challenging myself to not just settle. Of course, I know for a fact I walked away with some standard photos but I still tried to incorporate my own personal style.

Once I was done walking around the lookout, I drove back down to the base of the hill and parked the car. Normally I would have just left but I felt a bit courageous and so I got out of the car and climbed the hilltop to where the low mountain range was. There were a few Inukshuks up on the ledge so I incorporated them into some of my landscape photos. 

It was then off to Trow Bridge. I figured there might still be some fog left there but sadly I was wrong. I didn't want to waste the trip though so I still managed to capture a few good shots down by the water and bridge. I also got a couple keepers from the playground as well. All in all, I was out and about for an hour or so. It was so much fun and very calming. Thanks for viewing!

Chippewa Park with Anne

This is just a quick post. Today's is Anne's birthday so I figured I would post some photos from our recent walk around Chippewa Park. It was a combination of a mini portrait session with Anne mixed in with some landscape photos. She is always such a great sport and I owe a lot of my success with my wedding and portrait business to her because she has let me practice and hone my skills over the years. Happy Birthday!

The Neebing River - East End

This post is kind of a part two, to my previous one. Last week I walked around part of the Neebing River, but more towards Friendship Gardens. This time around, I headed on over to the trail in East End that follows the river out to Lake Superior. I'm not exactly sure why, but one of my favourite areas in town to take photos is East End. I think it's because it's a good mix of nature and landscape and some great urban scenes. Plus, each time I'm there, I literally see no more then 5 people out and about. It's just so quiet and peaceful, if that makes sense. 

So this walk was a mix of some great landscape photos, which I am trying to take more and more of, and of course my usual random photos of anything else that catches my eye. After walking part of the trail, I spent most of my time in the various baseball parks in the area, as well as one of the playgrounds. I'm trying more and more to take a step back and get photos that take in the whole scene, but I also made sure, as I always do, to get in nice and close and play with depth of field, focusing on the details.

It was a nice overcast day so I couldn't have asked for better weather. It gave all the images a nice even tone and I didn't have to really worry about shadows. Although, there are plenty of times when I set out to find shadows and see what I can do with them. For this walk, I used my Nikon d750 and the 50mm 1.8. I absolutely love the bokeh and depth of field it produces. Of  course, I had to throw in a couple photos of the kitties from when I got home. You can never have too many cat photos after all. Thanks for viewing!

Along the Neebing River

Since I am going on more and more photo walks these days, it's often a challenge to choose fresh and new locations to explore. I had walked around Friendship Gardens last summer but I didn't really get the chance to explore too much of the trail that runs along the Needing River. That's what I decided to check out for my most recent walk. With me for this one was my newest addition to the family, the Nikon d750 and the only lens I currently have for it, the 50mm 1.8. Even though it's a DSLR, this combo is extremely light and I simply use a wrist strap to carry it around. That's even with the battery grip. I can't wait to put this puppy to the test for wedding season. 

Back to the walk... I started off where all the new construction is by the retirement home. I basically weaved in and out of the trail and side roads eventually ending up at the Delaney baseball fields. I did venture into Friendship Gardens for a short while but made sure to check out some areas I hadn't yet explored. As usual, I just shot whatever caught my eye. As you can tell, for most of my photos, I have the lens aperture wide open to blur out any background. For one of the cheapest prime lenses you can by, the 50mm 1.8 on the 750, produces superb results. All the processing was done in Lightroom in my usual style. Thanks for reading!

Kam Park

I finally bit the bullet and got myself the Nikon d750 and I couldn't be happier. The main reason why I purchased it was for wedding season which is fast approaching. That's not to say I won't be using it a lot on my photo walks which is exactly what I did for my exploration of Kam Park this past week. If you have seen any of my previous posts, you will see I have been at this location a couple times before. So my challenge this time was to see if I could capture different perspectives and scenes. I think it accomplished that and more this time around. 

Admittedly, the first few photos of this series are from the downtown area in Fort William while I was waiting for Anne during lunch. After that, I headed on over to Kam Park and spent the next hour seeing what captures my eye. Luckily for me, the weather was awesome and there were plenty of birds out as well. It allowed me to put the d750 to the test somewhat which I had paired with the good old 50mm 1.8 lens. This still ranks as one of my favourite lenses ever. I don't think there is a better value out there for $200. Paired with a full frame camera such as the 750 and you can really achieve some great bokeh and depth of field. 

The colours coming out of the d750 raw files our outstanding and the focusing is instantaneous. Almost to the point where I'm not even sure if it focused since it happened so fast. I can't wait to put it to the test this wedding season. While at Kam Park I explored both tunnels, the VIA train along with the boardwalk. I also finally go the chance to head on over to the grain elevator to the point where I was right up against the no trespassing sign. Even with the the 50mm lens, I was able to get some great landscape shots. I'll definitely have to go back in the summer to get some sunset photos where the light is a bit better. 

As usual, all the photos were processed in Lightroom using the RAW files and my usual presets. Thanks for viewing!

Fisherman's Wharf + Thunder Bay Marina

It was one of those great foggy mornings yesterday and, for me personally, that's probably my favourite type of weather to take photos in. So, I grabbed my Fuji XT-1 and my zoom lens, the 55-150mm, and drove down to Fisherman's Wharf. I figured that would be a good spot to take advantage of the gloomy weather. The problem with fog though this time of year is that it can go away pretty fast as it warms up. That is exactly what started to happen, but luckily I was still able to come away with some good shots. If anything, the overcast weather provided nice even lighting. 

Once I arrived at Fisherman's Wharf I walked straight to the dock where they have the old boats stationed. I could easily spend hours in there, even though there are only a few boats, but just tons of deals to shoot. I also made sure to get some photos of the Lake and grain elevators among other things. After a quick walk around the trail, and some slight freezing of the fingers, I warmed up in the car and headed to the Marina for a quick walk around.

As I was approaching the Marina I saw that the fog on the lake was still in full effect so I knew that I had to get some photos of the boats out on the water as well as the grain elevators off in the distance. Once I started walking around the outer trail, I also noticed some geese. The few photos I captured of them were some of my favourites that morning. All in all, it was about a 25 minute walk but I was please with some of the photos I made. It ended up being a great day for taking photos as I also made my way to Kam Park later that afternoon and then back again to the Marina with Anne in the evening. 

I'll be saving those for a different post tomorrow but for now, thanks for viewing these photos!

Jumbo Gardens

I went for a very quick walk yesterday morning around the Jumbo Gardens area. I took my usual X-T1 and 23mm combo. I have done a couple portrait sessions here in the past, one taking place in the winter but I never really took the time to walk around the area aside from the trails. Since I was just capturing my usual random things, I explored the snow field with all the soccer nets. I took a mix of wide angle all the way to my standard up close and personal photos. I absolutely love focusing on the details and I think this carries through to my wedding photography. With that being said, I constantly challenge myself to take in the whole frame too.

Once I was done in the field I headed over the the playground on the other side of the tree line. There was a also the ring which was still set up, although the ice has long since gone away only to be replaced with a fresh sheet of snow. Whenever I see a playground, I know I will always be able to come away with at least a few good shots. I finished up at the rink and a small older playground by the parking lot. Aside from freezing my hands, it was a good brief photo walk. As much as I like the snow, I am ready for spring to finally arrive, that way I don't have to bundle up each time I want to take photos. Thanks for viewing!

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!

It was a vintage kind of day.

This past weekend I joined the ladies for a bit of a vintage shopping excursion. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to bring along the trust camera, of course, and see what gems I could find. We started the morning at the Hoito for breakfast to ensure we would have a lot of energy for all the walking around we'd be doing that day. I used my Fuji X-T1 and 24mm 1.4 combo for all the photos below. 

We ended up going to a total of 3 stores. It's amazing just how many things there are to photograph in these thrift stores. I was almost tempted to buy some stuff but I only came away with one purchase, which was a toy film camera found in old Kellog's cereal boxes. It was still sealed too which made it a no brainer. Plus, it was only $2.99. After purchasing it, I simply could not wait to load some film into it later that evening and start snapping away. Of course, who knows if any of the photos will actually turn out but that is part of the suspense. 

Once we dropped Cathy off, Anne and I headed to Old Navy. While she shopped I stepped outside for a bit and got a great shot of the trains in the back as well as some other things in and around the area. The day went by super fast and I was able to come away with some great captures. Thanks for viewing!

Early Morning Marina Walk

So I decided to grab my X100s for a change and brave the brisk morning air down at the Marina. For anyone who reads these posts, you will know I have been using the XT1 and 35mm combo almost every time. I decided I would switch it up this time around with the X100s. It's a slightly different perspective so it forced me to frame my shots a bit differently. I also made sure to get in really close for a lot of the photos as well.

As for processing, I used the out of the camera JPG files for almost all of them. I can't remember what setting it was but it goes to show you, the files coming out of Fuji cameras are so nice to look at. I did included some colour photos as well, simply because they worked better in colour. 

I actually came away with more keepers then I thought I would but then again, I was quite picky with what I shot. Most of the photos were taken in and around the Marina as well as part of downtown. Thanks for viewing.

Weekend in Duluth

Last weekend Anne and I decided to go for an overnight excursion to Duluth. It was a well needed getaway and it ended up being a very fun and relaxing weekend. Usually when we have gone to Duluth in the past it has been with other friend and we almost always stay at the Casino outside of town. While it's always fun, I never really get the chance to walk around downtown to take photos. This time around, since it was just Anne and I we chose to stay right downtown at the Radisson Hotel, which eventually allowed us to walk everywhere instead of driving. Of course, I was in heaven, because I finally got the chance to take lots of photos.

Before we got to Duluth we had to drive there of course. Seeing as how it was a very laid back trip, we made sure to take our time getting there and stop along the way. Every time we have driven there in the past I have always seen a few spots where I wanted to stop but we had always been in somewhat of a hurry, or with other people. 

The first spot we stopped out was one of the beach areas on the way to Grand Marais. The waves were quite big and the weather for the whole day was just fantastic. After a few photos of Anne posing for me we made our way to Grand Marais. Although I did stop one more time to get a great shot of this old abandoned cabin on the side of the road. 

Once we got to Grand Marais, we had a quick bite to eat at the local diner and walked around the city a bit more. We could have easily walked around a lot longer since it was so nice, but we still wanted to leave enough time in Duluth to explore.

We arrived in Duluth at around 3 I think, and immediately checked in. The Radisson, which we had never stayed at before, was almost retro which was kind of cool. The room we stayed in was nice though so we were very pleased with the hotel over all. After resting for a bit, we dressed for the nice weather and headed down Canal Park. It was very cool walking through the city and being able to capture some shots of all the structures. We don't really have that in Thunder Bay obviously. 

The waterfront trail at Canal Park was kind of snowy so we didn't go right out to the lighthouse but we still managed to cross the main bridge and then eventually take the waterfront trail back to our hotel. Not before we stopped in for a drink at Grandma's at their upstairs bar. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing a bit, followed by another drink at the hotel bar and then back downtown to the Canal Brewery for some dinner. It was a great atmosphere in there and we met a few really cool people while sitting at the bar. 

The next morning we had breakfast at the restaurant at the top of the hotel which slowly rotated allowing for a full 360 view of Duluth. If you haven't yet, definitely check it out and bring a camera. Next we go we are going to go up at night time to get some dusk shots. 

One of my favourite parts of the trip was just after breakfast once we checked out. We headed to the island across the bridge all the way to the tip. It's still winter out there but along the coast there are sand dunes. Even in the snow they looked so cool. I came away with so many great photos, of course, many of them with Anne posing for me. After making a few more stops along the way we headed home. Just as we were leaving Duluth, we noticed people surfing at the beach just on the edge of town. Of course, we parked and I took some photos of the crazy surfers, with one of them actually posing for me before going in.

The next stop on our way back home was in Two Harbours. I couldn't wait to go down to the waterfront there as I had never been and didn't really know what to expect. It was so very cool. They had huge steel barges, if that is what you call them. I couldn't get over how big the were. Then just down the road, there was a light house area with a super long walkway. In the summer we will definitely have to walk out there but it was too dangerous to do so this time of year. In a couple photos you can see just how big some of the waves were. 

After spending a bit of time there we headed back out onto the highway. Just outside of the city we decided to stop for some pie at Betty's Pies. Unfortunately, it didn't really go as planned. We waited for 30 minutes for a seat. Once we sat down, Anne was super excited to order her apple pie, only to find out they were OUT!! Seriously, what kind of pie place runs out of apple pie, the most popular pie in the world. We were not impressed and I felt so bad for Anne as she was really looking forward to it. Ah well. 

Before we got to Grand Marais, we made one final stop at one of the parks along the way. Everything there was frozen, and it was probably one of the coolest stops our road trip. I came away with some fantastic photos, not only of Anne, but of the scenery as well. There are a lot of photos in this in this post, more than usual, but I actually had to narrow it down from about 300.

Our last stop was indeed Grand Marais for some pizza at Sven and Oles. It was well worth the trek, the pizza was fantastic and we even had leftovers for Noah. The border stop going home was easy and before we knew it we were at home. I had such a great time and so did Annne. She was so patient with me taking photos and making stops along the way. She never complained about posing or taking too long either. I can't wait for our next road trip in the summer to the West Coast. 

For anyone interested, I used two cameras for this trip. The Fuji X-T1 paired with the 16-55mm lense and the 35mm 1.4. I also brought along the X100s for those times when I wanted something quick. Most of the photos below were taken with the X-T1 though. Thanks for viewing.

Downtown - Exploring the Parkade

I'm always looking for different places to photograph in often the same place, if that makes sense. For instance, I headed to downtown Port Arthur with my camera in hand and decided to try and explore somewhere completely different. As soon as I got out of the car, I turned around and noticed the parkade. Done. I had never actually been in the parkade before so I was interested to see what I could find. 

Of course, once I entered, I headed straight to the top floor. There were absolutely no cars and it was mostly snow covered. It didn't strike me as the busiest parkade, at least on the top couple floors. The view of the city from the top was ok, not the greatest though. If it were a couple floors higher I could have really gotten some great cityscape photos. With that being said, I think they are building a parkade right next to the hospital and perhaps it will eventually be higher. Time will tell! 

So, after walking around the top a bit I started to make my way down, making sure to check out the view on each floor. There was a light snow that day so it actually provided some interesting photos with the snowflakes. As I mentioned before, it was a very empty parkade so I took advantage of that with some of the photos. One with a woman walking and a few other shots with cars and just overall emptiness. 

It was almost time to head home, but before I did I made sure to actually walking around the downtown for a few minutes to see what I could come up with. My camera of choice was my Fuji X-T1 and the 35mm 1.4, for those of you who are interested, assuming anyone actually reads these blog posts...

Centennial Park

With the weather getting a bit better these days I am finding myself out a bit more taking photos. After seeing it snowed quite a bit I decided to head back to Centennial Park to see how it looked. I definitely wasn't disappointed. There was a ton of snow out there and all the trails were barely explored yet. As far as I could tell, I was the only one out there. Mind you, this was at 9:45 in the morning. There's something peaceful about walking through snow covered trails early in the morning. 

Anyone who follows this blog and sees these posts knows that I enjoy focusing on the details, and getting those close up shots. They are often almost abstract in most cases. This time around I used my Fuji X-T1 and 16-55 lens to try and capture some wider angle photos. I'm very much looking forward to using this lens this year for weddings. 

As soon as I arrived and made my way down the first part of the trail, I felt like I was being watched. Low and behold, I turned to my left and there was a deer checking me out. Of course I took a photo of him. I saw how close I could get but before I knew it, he was running off into the forest. Beyond that I walked around the snow covered cabins and then eventually up around the stable. I think the horses thought I was bring them food because they came right up to me. I saw they didn't have any hay yet so I'm sure they were quite hungry! It did give me the chance to get some great close up photos of them. 

I finished off my walk by heading to the top of the trail that overlooks Thunder Bay. Once there I got some great shots of the powerlines and overall view. And that was it. Overall, it was such a nice and relaxing walk. Hopefully we get at least one more snowfall before winter comes to an end. As long as it doesn't get too cold! 

Macintyre River Walk

This is just a quick post for some photos I took last week. I decided to walk around the Macintyre River area with my X-T1 and 35mm in hand. It was a chilly morning but not too cold where you didn't want to walk. So I headed down the trail along the river and once I got to the train tracks I did a quick check for oncoming trains and crossed. I was able to get a decent photo of the snow covered tracks which is included in this set.

Surprisingly, out of all the years I have lived here, I hadn't made it out to the semi abandoned building on the other side of the river. I honestly don't know what it's called or if it's even fully abandoned but I spent about 20 minutes photographing different angles. In the end I included my favourite photo which was looking straight up. 

The rest of the walk was just the usual in and out of back alleys and along the street. Instead of my usual post processing I decided to include some duotones in this set. I think I may incorporating this a bit more for a select few photos in my portrait and wedding photography. It gives the images a completely different feel. Of course, with anything, you just have to make sure you don't go overoboard. Unless that's your thing of course. 

As always, thanks for viewing!

Old Fort William - Family Day Winter Carnival

So Anne and I managed to make it to the Winter Carnival over at Old Fort William. We didn't really know what to expect seeing as how neither of us had gone before. Once we arrived we bought our ticket and made our way down the lovely trail. We were amazed at how many people were still taking the shuttle bus seeing as how the trail was so beautiful and it's like a 5 minute walk. Go figure. 

For this excursion I brought my Fuji X-T1 and the 16-55mm. As usual it performed admirably. We mainly just walked around aimlessly, popping into some of the log cabins here and there. This event was obviously geared toward children but there was still a lot to see and do. There was even a huge snow maze that we actually went into. After a couple minutes we realized we really didn't have the time to do it so we exited. 

The highlight for me was heading on up to the top of the tower that overlooks the entire park. I was able to get a few good shots while up there. As usual, I also made Anne pose for a few photos and some she didn't even know I took. 

After about an hour of walking around we made our way back and finished our little day trip at the Neebing Restaurant. It was a good day and we are both very much looking forward to the nice weather this weekend. Stay tuned for more photos from what I am sure will be another weekend filled with some photos.

Almost too cold to take photos .... almost

This winter has taken a turn and it has been very cold. That's not good when you actually want to do something outside, but I decided to defy the extreme temperature, grab my camera, and wander around aimlessly looking for things to photograph. After meeting Anne for lunch at Cronos Cafe, I dropped her off, parked the car and began my cold and brief venture in downtown Fort William. 

Instead of my usual X-T1, I decided to pull out the X-E1 paired with the 35mm. I had forgotten how capable of a camera it is. Just like with all Fuji cameras I own, the colours straight out of the camera are superb. The first 10 minutes of the walk weren't too bad but then I started feeling the cold, especially on the face. Instead of giving in I just decided to keep walking and hopefully that would warm me up a bit. It didn't. Regardless, I managed to explore for about 25 minutes. 

I didn't really have anything specific in mind, as usual I just captured what caught my eye. I finished off my walk around the train yard on Simpson Street and did some in camera double exposures. Some of them turned out pretty good. It's usually a hit and miss kind of thing but fun as hell to try. If your camera has the option, next time you are out and about and looking for something different, give it a shot. 

Thanks for viewing!