Archived Sunset

I've been spending a little time going through the archives the last few days.  Summer heat and I are not a good mix, so unless I'm out walking with The Heir Apparent, much of summer is spent in air conditioned comfort.  I took a look inside one of the sunset folders from a few years back and noticed a nice vertical shot that I hadn't used.  One photo from that set did get used though, and it aired on the CTV Weatherpix segment.  If you'd like to check that out, just follow this link.  Getting back to this photograph, which was taken at f/16, 1/125sec, ISO 100 at 123mm, I remember that I had climbed a snow bank in a parking lot close to the former Head Office in order to get a better view of the Biosphere.  I waited it out for the sun to get to just the right spot behind the buildings of Montreal which also led to a nice golden hue.  The original photograph was more of a close-up of the Biosphere, but I also like this one with the cloud cover as well.  Another nice photograph that ended up getting lost in the archives.  It's a nice cool place to visit and get away from the Summer heat.

 

 

Ring Of Fire

We've reached the midpoint of July, which means that in other pre-Plague years, we'd be half way done with the annual Loto-Québec Fireworks Competition would have be half done as well.  The annual competition was cancelled for the second year in a row, so I've been going through my old folders looking for some unused shots from previous years.  That's when I stumbled upon this shot from the display produced by South Korean company, Hanwah Corporation, back in July of 2019.  I was really impressed with their display at the time and was sure that they would win the Golden Jupiter Award that year.  I guess the judges didn't agree with me as they ended up in fifth place, but their display really impressed me by including pyrotechnic elements that I have never before seen.  Including this ring of fire effect.  I had originally wanted to do this as a vertical shot with the reflection of the fireworks in the water, but there was a boat unfortunately placed in the reflection so my inner perfectionist wasn't happy.  So, I went with this square crop instead.  The photograph was taken at f/16, 20sec, ISO 100 at 41mm.  Then, because I am a bit of a completist, I went and cropped it vertically anyway.

Looking at the older photographs is fun, but I'm looking forward to being able to shoot some live explosions again some day soon.

Sunflower Admirers

As we continue to roll through the month of July, the flowers continue to grow in the yard.  That means that there will be more photographs to take soon, so I had better go back into the archives and actually post some of the flower photographs from last year.  This is a sunflower that was growing at my parents house.  It was originally meant to be the star of the photograph, but as I was walking around to find a good view, I noticed that a couple of wasps were flying around, looking for some pollen.  However, these were some wasps that I had never seen before.  They had the same regular striped body that everyone is familiar with, but their heads and upper bodies were green.  I had never seen anything like that before.  I waited for both of them to land on the flower, which took a while because they seemed to always be trying to get rid of each other.  I guess wasps also annoy other wasps and not just humans.  The photograph was taken at f/6.3, 1/125sec, ISO 100 at 200mm.  When you're walking around with a camera, you never know what you're going to see.

Have You A Snack To Spare

I'm a fan of all little critters, but my favourite backyard critter has always been the chipmunk.  There were always a couple running around the yard at our cottage and I was always willing to share some bread or peanuts with them.  This little guy showed up while we were visiting my parents last summer.  They've always got some peanuts on hand for such visitors, so as soon as he showed up, I grabbed a handful of nuts and my camera.  I was using a telephoto lens so that I could remain far enough away from my little buddy so he wouldn't be scared off.  I would toss the occasional peanut in his direction, he would eat it, and then stand on his hind feet to see if any more nuts would soon by flying his way.  The photograph was taken at f/4, 1/250sec, ISO 1600 at 168mm.  He got a few more snacks before we left for home.  It's hard to find a good model that will work for peanuts.

Waiting For The Show To Begin

July is usually the month where the sky over Montreal is lit up with exploding flashes of colourful noise.  But, for the second year in a row, 'The Plague' has caused the annual Montreal International Fireworks Competition to be cancelled.  Granted, since moving the Head Office, my days of photographing every one of the shows was probably over anyway, but I would have certainly tried to get in a couple of the shows per year. I'd always be sure to arrive nice and early to get a good spot, but also to get some of the pre-show fun.  From this particular spot, I was able to catch the lights of the passing boats, the rides of the La Ronde amusement park, some of the skyscrapers of Montreal and in this case, a couple of passing drones and two of the warning fireworks explosions.  All kinds of fun stuff.  The photograph was taken at f/22, 20sec, ISO100 at 35mm.  Hopefully things will have calmed down enough so that the fireworks can return next year.

Peek-A-Boo

As The Heir Apparent would tell you, I've become quite the pro when it comes to the game of peek-a-boo.  As such, I can tell when someone is trying to peek-a-boo me.  I was watching a bunch of butterflies as they were hanging around a tree while at the cottage of My Lovely Assistant's father up North.  You may have seen another butterfly shot a short while ago, but if you've forgotten, or would just like to see it again, you can do so by following this link.  There was a large group of them fluttering around a tree next to the pool.  While I was trying to catch a few of them in flight, I noticed an orange wing peeking out from the top of the tree.  I took a closer look through the viewfinder and noticed that not only was the wing visible, but the little guy was staring right back at me through the leaves.  He might have even said 'I see you', though I'm not sure.  The photograph was taken at f/7.1, 1/800sec, ISO 3200 at 200mm.  A very pleasant surprise indeed.

Say Hello To My Little Friend

The great Yogi Berra once said "you can observe a lot by just watching."  I am reminded of them whenever I stumble upon a happy surprise.  I had been observing the flowers at the cottage owned by My Lovely Assistant's father a week ago when suddenly I saw something that made me look twice.  It was this tiny little grasshopper, hanging to the petal of a rose bush that was located on the front of the property.  I've always got my camera in hand when I am walking around the property as there are always some nice flowers or insects waiting to be seen.  Never one to let such a discovery go undocumented, I knelt close to my little buddy, speaking in hushed tones so as not to frighten him and snapped away.  The photograph was taken at f/6.3, 1/100sec, ISO 3200 at 70mm.  He was smaller than my little finger, but it was a great joy to have discovered him