Snowy Crystals

While February is just about done, Winter has been doing its best to remind us that it isn't quite over just yet.  We had a nice mix of rain, freezing rain and snow this week.  The snow on Friday night was particularly crystal like, which made for a nice collection of crisp flakes on the cedars outside of the Head Office.  While breakfast was being eaten I snuck outside to take a few quick photographs.  Sadly, at the resolution I use here on the old blog, those great crystal flakes might not be easy to see, but I assure you they are there and they are very detailed.  On the tip of each little cedar branch that you see sticking out sits several little flakes, all shaped like little stars.  A nice little bit of crisp, white February powder.  The photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/4000sec, ISO 100 at 70mm.  Don't worry Winter haters, the season is just about over, though I'll miss the mornings like these when it is.

I Spy With My Little Eye

My little eye has spied lots of things over the years.  But, my favourite thing to spy the last few years has been the little eye of The Heir Apparent.  It's been on display here a few times, but I had the camera out the other day and I once again couldn't resist.  A few moments before this photograph was taken, The Heir Apparent was a little upset about the items on the lunch menu.  Some tears were shed, but the moment quickly passed.  However, her eye remained a little moist and had a nice shine to it thanks to the tears.  I took the photograph and turned the camera around to get her approval.  Her smile let me know that she liked the picture, so we took a few more and the drama about lunch was quickly forgotten.  The photograph was taken at f/2.8, 1/100sec, ISO 400 at 70mm.  What can I say, I could stare into those eyes all day.

Winter Jewels

February is already almost over, but it still traditionally holds a lot of the power that Winter has to offer.  Such was the case this past weekend when we had high winds and blizzard like conditions.  The fallen snow caused a bit of a split in one of the Cedar plants in front of the Head Office.  Knowing where the sun rises, I went out for a little photograph after breakfast.  I used a small aperture to get a nice star effect on the sun and lined myself up to get some nice lens flare in my shot.  All backed by a crisp and cool February sky.  I also used some flash to no lose the colours of the Cedar as I didn't want them to be darkened out by the sun.  The photograph was taken at f/16, 1/60sec, ISO 100 at 24mm.  I always like to play with lens flares, they look like little colourful jewels dancing around in the Winter air.

Going Nuts

While we're on the topic of sweet snacks, that little cake from the last update wasn't the only thing The Heir Apparent and I picked up from the Pâtisserie Juste Une Fois in Saint-Lambert.  While scanning the counter, we saw these huge freshly made whippet cookies and some nuts sprinkled on the top.  I'm a sucker for sprinkles, so I added a couple to our order.  It wasn't until I got home, however, that I noticed the lovely lines that were in the chocolate coating, and how some of the nuts were so well placed that they looked like little mini rocks interrupting the flow of a chocolate stream.  Yes, I believe that we have covered my active imagination here in the past.  I already had the camera out for the mini heart cake, so I decided to quickly photograph the whippet as well.  The photograph was taken at f/7.1, 1/100sec, ISO 100 at 70mm.  If you ever happen to find yourself in Saint-Lambert and are looking for a tasty treat, head over to the Pâtisserie Juste Une Fois.  You're sure to find something for your sweat tooth and you camera.

A Sweet For My Sweet

It's no real secret that My Lovely Assistant is the talent in the house when it comes to the fabrication of tasty creations.  I have enough trouble opening up a can of soup, so when the occasion calls for it, I outsource the work so that My Lovely Assistant can have something for her sweet tooth.  For such occasions, I like to visit the Pâtisserie Juste Une Fois in Saint-Lambert.  I've been there a few times and everything we've tried has always been tasty.  For Valentine's Day, I brought The Heir Apparent with me and she chose this little heart shaped chocolate mousse with a brownie base and red topping as the perfect gift.    Sadly, she fell asleep before she could actually try it, but there will be many more Valentine's Days in her future.  Before digging in, I took a few photographs, using the ribbon from the box as a little photographic accessory.  Idea courtesy of My Lovely Assistant, showing why she has earned that title.  The photograph was taken at f/6.3, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 70mm with some bounced flash.  As usual, it tasted much better than it looks.  Hope you had some tasty treats of your own.

Ready For Some Football

Another Super Bowl is upon us, and to help get ready for the big game, here are a couple of bonus photographs that I pulled out of the archives from the two games of the Champlain Cavaliers that I was able to photograph back in the Fall.  In the first game, the Cavaliers held on for a tight victory against the Ahuntsic Aigles and in the second, came from behind for a win against the Shawinigan Électriks.  This was a regular Super Bowl weekend feature here on The Old Blog over the years, but it ended up becoming another victim of The Plague.  Luckily, things let up a little bit back in September and October, and I was able to shoot a few games this year.  Just a little something to get you all in the mood for some football.  The first photograph was taken at f/4, 1/320sec, ISO 25600 at 200mm.  Here are a couple more shots from the two games.

f/2.8, 1/400sec, ISO 25600 at 200mm

f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 25600 at 200mm

f/6.3, 1/320sec, ISO 100 at 200mm

f/6.3, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 200mm

f/6.3, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 200mm

If you'd like to see the other photographs from those games, the first back can be found at this link, and the second game at this link.  With that out of the way, kick-off is approaching.  May the game be good and may your snacks be even better.

Cloudy Canvas

There wasn't much to do last year and there weren't very many places to go, so we spent lots of time in the backyard with The Heir Apparent.  I would spend some of that time lazing in my deck chair and staring at the clouds in the sky.  Sometimes, what I would see ended up being quite extraordinary.  There were all kinds of different cloud formations and mixes of colour over the hours of the day and I would often keep a camera close by.  Sure, it was mostly to photograph The Heir Apparent, but I would also point my lens to the heavens every once in a while when I saw something that caught my attention.  It probably takes a little bit of imagination, but it kind of looks like giant monster head looking to strike at the light of the sun that was about to be swallowed by a different set of clouds below.  Yes, a little bit of imagination comes in handy when cloud watching. The photograph was taken at f/16, 1/200sec, ISO 100 at 70mm.  There's always something waiting to be seen hiding in the clouds.  Just take a look.

Winter Warm-Up

As mentioned last time, I've been rather comfortable these last few weeks, but I understand that it's not a feeling that is shared by everyone out there on the internets.  So, since I have been known to post a nice comforting Winter shot in the middle of Summer, I guess I should post a Summer photograph here in the dead of Winter.  This photograph was taken during a little get-together with the family of My Lovely Assistant this past Summer.  As we sit here in the middle of cold-wave number five of this Winter, I am sure that there are many of you who would rather be sitting on the dock next to a lake.  This photograph was taken at f/7.1, 1/800sec, ISO 100 at 24mm.  I had really liked the colour of the sky, so I underexposed the photograph a little bit to bring out more of the blue.  It came at the expense of greens of the trees who ended up being silhoutted out, but the blue was just to nice to pass up.  Fear not, foolish lovers of heat, your time in the sun will soon be back.  Sadly.

A Comfortable Month

I read an article the other day that stated that this past January was one of the most comfortable, I mean one of the coldest, January's that we've ever had.  I know that I certainly took advantage of the weather to get a few photographs.  Last week, during the coldest of the January days, I headed over to the Victoria Bridge because I love to photograph the ice fog passing under it  The problem is, it was so cold that the ice fog ended up being so thick that I couldn't even see the bridge.  It was at that point that I moved off to see the Jacques Cartier Bridge and ended up taking the photographs that ended up being seen on CTV Montreal and the La Presse+ newspaper.  You can go back to that more comfortable time by following the link.  Since I ended up shin deep in snow, I didn't want to just let the photographs disappear into the archives like the bridge did into the fog.  The photograph was taken at f/7,1, 1/125sec ISO 100 at 27mm.  Sadly, the calendar continues to turn and the most comfortable weather is probably behind us, there's still got a few more weeks of comfort left.