The three wisemen.

Lots of birds around, thanks to the backyard feeders, behind my house. Here is one particularly nice colour bird.

Some photos are worth a thousand words. This one is worth one.........Summer.

In the dead of January, sometimes nice to remember what is just around the corner.

For some reason, this shot was always a favourite. This is from a series of photos I took in the summer of 2005, which was very hot and very dry. I intentionally rose prior to sunrise to see how things looked, from a photography perspective. Our camp ("cottages" are south of Sudbury..) faces almost due west, which means that the morning light is very subtle. A science expert could wax philisophically at the morning mist, but it was impressive. The photos all have a cold look to them, but it was a really warm morning. I took oodles of shots: planes, the dock, the raft, the fog, the trees, etc, but this one, with the deadwood, apparently pointing to the raft, speaks something to me, but je ne sais quois! Regardless, hope you enjoy it too!

Okay, time for some fun. Two shots. Nice colours, good scene, etc, etc. However, you will notice that in the second shot, there is a person missing. He did not leave, I simply edited him out of the photo! If you look at the photo in its larger form, you can likely see the mistakes I made, as I did it quite quickly.

The original photo, included Gail and the kids, and for our own collection, I edited out the dude. Then, for this exercise, I first took out the family and then took out the other guy. If you look closely, you can tell, but a brief look and you may be fooled. Such is the reality of digital shots. In the old days, to do this with film, one had to have access to some decent equipment, but now, a fairly common and simple editing program will allow it!

For the record, all other shots have had no editing other than a bit of cropping, or image adjustment, which could have been done with the camera and the particular ISO settings, white balance, colour mode, etc. It is just easier to shoot one shot in RAW format, make it look the best as you can, then make some "refinements".

I will add a few other Florida shots soon. This particular shot is from the pool at Coronado Springs, which is a mid-level resort right on the Disney property. Anyone thinking of doing Disney in a week, my advice is to stay at a resort on-site. The cost is up there, but they provide you with everything and a week is not even enough to see everything that Disney has to offer. Anyway, I ramble.

Bug or bird? While a few of us were having a small, outside gathering, I took the closeup shot of this creature. It appears to be an insect gathing nectar, yet there were some who also thought it may be some sort of small hummingbird. Personally, I suspect the two sets of wings lead us to a bug, but regardless, an interesting shot, if not terribly clear. They move lots and are hard to pin down, even with a really high ISO.

Okay, we switch gears. A shot from Coronado Springs Resort, Walt Disney World. Somedays, wish I was there.....

With shots of a deHavilland beaver and talk of the Otter, I would be remiss if I did not include a shot of a good old Cessna 185. For information on this paticular owner's business, go to: www.kayveelodge.com

A little more challenging to shoot. Bumblebees move lots, and quickly. The trees move and sway and the camra's "foolproof" autofocus system has a little bit of trouble. Thankfully the ability to take multiple shots helps. This one is not great, but is not too bad either. Quite the challenge. Plus, there are lots of them flying around and one never knows when one will see me as a big flower........

Not much of an explanation required. Two dogs, brother and sister, patiently waiting for someone to throw them a stick!

Okay, I found another spider photo, taken during the day, so the light is better. If you look closely enough, you can likely see the hairy legs! This one, was uncharacteristically out during the bright sunny day, on our white fence, which made for good lighting conditions. The previous one, was on white siding, but at the lake at night. I don't really like spiders, but they make great subjects!

While this is not a spectacular shot, it is the ultimate vision of what summer is on thousands of small lakes in this country, every summer.

The plane is a deHavilland Beaver, this one being C-FFHP, registered to Horne Air, which operates off of Second Government lake, just outside of Hornepayne. For information on Horne Air, check out http://www.oliviersflyin.com/, which is operated by the same people who run Horne Air. You can also check out www.fordelakeair.com, for further information on tiny airservices that run these planes.

For detailed information on the beaver itself, check our Neil Aird's well done site, www.dhc-2.com for information on Beavers worldwide, as well as some stunning photography.

There is also www.dhc3otter.com, which is similar to www.dhc-2.com, in that it is attempting to track every Otter ever made and provide history on each plane.

Another very interesting site, is www.flythebush.blogspot.com, which features thoughts and ideas from a current Otter pilot, flying in Manitoba.

I do have other airplane photos, which I may post in the coming months, as we ready ourselves for the summer season.

In the wildlife category, insects are also fascinating subjects. This is a common spider, taken at night. I experimented with different white balance settings and various flash settings. I never really got a good shot, but this is not too bad. I have cropped it to make it appear larger.

The contrast between the half dead cedar, and the blue sky, made for an interesting shot. It looks like it could be fall, but is not, as it is the middle of August.

I have always liked night photos, especially if there is some light to work with. These two shots are at my mother's house, on Christmas day, night. Played with the settings a bit to get the colour just right.

Not much to say, I think the image speaks for itself. Good thing the cat is declawed, or Indie would be a touch more nervous on the next visit!

Friends? Mortal Enemies? You decide. Below is a photo of a cat named Betty, and a dog named Indie! Indie is a pup and wants to play, and based on the first photo here, Betty seems somewhat interested.

Now, scroll up and check out Betty's reaction, when Indie becomes a little to "interested"!

Whoof, been almost a month! Merry Ukrainian Christmas to all those who are so inclined.

Posted below, by request I may add (Thanks Paris.....no, not THAT Paris), is a shot of some airplanes at night. I set the camera on a sturdy old tripod and had it set at automatic. I did a time delay, and as the shutter was open, "painted" the planes with a flashlight. I tried many different versions. This one, along with some post-production, has worked out the best.