I shot this at the end of a busy day… I was driving home and even though I was exhausted bent on coming home I just had to stop and photograph this! Even being there made me feel rejuvenated. I’m so glad I stopped.
Colours on barn roof
from my files - Sept 2017
Rural Waterloo Region Photography - Horses, Truck and Barnyard - Just horsin' around!
It took me several different angles to get the one I wanted here. This picture makes me smile. I love the combination of horses/truck and barnyard. It’s so rural Waterloo Region isn’t it? The horse are all looking at a Mennonite family on the road with their horses & buggy. Shot on New Year’s Day 2019.
Beautiful Rural Waterloo Region
Taken earlier this year... I love the misty look and vantage point from the hill!
It almost reminds me of a Grandma Moses type painting - there are a few spots in our area that have such scenes.
Greetings Cards for sale
Hello! It's been a long couple of months since I have posted anything. I have been flat out busy with my day-to-day real estate photography work.
One thing I want to talk about today is that I am offering greeting cards now. These are great ways to own or share a piece of fine art photography, perhaps before you purchase a larger version. The cards are put together by hand and are blank on the inside. These are for sale at the Uptown Gallery in Waterloo. Or contact me directly.
Waterloo County
Long and lonesome fence line and field
Great weekend for photography - area south of Baden, Ontario
Last weekend I had a lot of fun shooting landscapes. I took two trips, one south of Brantford, Ontario and the other south of Baden, Ontario.
I typically do a lot of black and white photography but during these two trips I ended up with mostly colour photos. I like to surprise myself.
This one (below) is one of my favourites. I actually thought I had finished shooting for the day when this "popped" into my view.
Here is a farm that I have passed by on many occasions - just outside Ayr, Ontario. The clouds were nice so I took a photo- again.
Here is another colourful one. (see below) The barn is blue, and at that time the sky had turned pink. Interesting combination of colours. The sky was rapidly changing second by second as the sun was going down.
By the way, no crazy photoshop tricks going on here, this is the real deal! I actually shy away from heavy "photo-shopping" - the closer to the truth the better in my opinion. There are exceptions to this, but I will explain when that kind of photo comes up.
Next - can you tell I love barns? They remind me of my home (one of my childhood homes) in Farmington, Maine. Barns give me a visual sense of comfort. I picture myself running around with my sister and a bunch of cats, playing games. Or sitting on the grass and drawing, taking photos, or daydreaming. The weathered look is so appealing. This barn is outside of New Dundee, Ontario. I only "discovered" it the other day. I love the fence line. I think this image is a bit "crowded" but it is what it is.
Next image - I have quite a few!!! This one was on the drive back from Brantford, Ontario to Waterloo, Ontario. Old tobacco houses... soon to be a thing of the past. I loved how they stood in a row. Reminded me of those scenes from coastal England where you see beach house after beach house all in a row. Next time I see this I am going to try something with a zoom lens. I think a layer of snow might also make it even nicer.
This photo (below) and the two above were shot using the "dramatic tone" filter on my Olympus camera. I sometimes shy away from filters but this one really brings out the mood of the late fall season - cloudy, dark, cold, sunny, snow-in-the-air kind of feeling mood. This farm outside of Baden, Ontario
And here is yet another field photo... great lines and dramatic look.
Last but not least - THIS. I won't say a lot about it except that I am thrilled to have taken this. I love the way the light falls between the trees on the left. The sun was coming right at my camera. It wasn't easy getting this one. I think I took twenty shots and this is the one with the least splotches.
Have you noticed that most of my photos all have that rectangular size to them? It is my favourite shape for photos. It is also a familiar format as I shoot real estate panoramic views when I am not doing landscapes.
All images are for sale! If you see something you need to have, let me know and we can work out the right size, frame and shipping.
~Susan
Amazing field in Roseville, Ontario
I had a pretty good day driving around. Except it seemed like everyone was tailgating me! It was like the national sport today. I even saw a lady tailgating a school bus. How wrong is that?
Here is an image I would like to share. This is just outside of Roseville, Ontario, which is between Cambridge and Kitchener. There is something about this field that always catches my breath it is so beautiful. It’s like the perfect field. If I am driving north towards Kitchener, then the field rises into view as I drive along the road. Broad, vast, and it moves upwards in a wave-like motion. I imagine they use this when the international plowing match is held here.
Every time I see the field it looks different. (Today, being late November, it has the silvery-golden look, no, more like a metallic golden look, almost like “white gold”. It’s a brilliant colour and one I’m not sure the camera picks up.) You can almost feel the cold air and warm sunshine as your eve moves across the image. It reminds me of an ocean, with the waves coming in. Or a ski slope and what fun it would be to ski down across the rises and falls. Look at the variation in colour. And how the sunshine and clouds make playful strips of light/ dark across the landscape. I didn’t plan it this way but I love how the top of the photo is sunlit. The dark green evergreens are a perfect border.
You will see more of this field in future posts :-)
Until next time.... / Susan
Driving in rural Waterloo Region... Thoughts on blogging, imperfection and changing colours
I have recently begun to think more about sharing my experiences driving through the rural Waterloo region, and all that I see and reflect upon.
In the past I haven't felt motivated to post a blog unless I take an "exceptional" photo. Ah, how perfectionism and the fear of criticism can get in the way of sharing.... :-/
Lately however I have been thinking I should post anyhow if I have something I want to show or share.
One of the things I love about rural driving is that I get to see the slow transition of colours from season to season. We all love the full blown colours of fall but I find the migration from orange and red to November's silvers and browns equally beautiful. And late fall into winter, and so on.
I think the reduction of colour makes me more aware of which colours do exist.
Here is a photo of a "roadscape" (I just made that up I think) :-) This is in Cambridge off highway 97.
Notice the colours are subtle here... try to name the colour of the trees! To me it's brown/ rust/ remnants of orange/ and (?). The sun picks up the slightest bit of yellow. Here is another view, turning left. Isn't it lovely in its own quiet way?
Then just for fun I extracted several of the colours and put them together - check this out:
Isn't it lovely?!
I hope you enjoyed looking this over.
More photos and thoughts going forward!
~Susan