Perils of Winter Photography

It was a beautiful, sunny winter day and I'd been up to the cottage in Haliburton for a quick day trip. On the way back, it seemed like a great opportunity to take a photograph of one of my favourite Haliburton landmarks, the old bubble car that sits slowly rusting away on the Drag River. I packed my snowshoes into the car and headed down Chandler Drive, a narrow cottage road that winds its way up and down several steep hills on the way to cottages along the river. Our Subaru wagon navigated the tricky hills without a hitch and I soon found a good place to park. I had a great hike from my parking space down to the bubble car and took some nice images like this one:

The snow really was blue, reflecting the sky!

After taking lots of shots, I hiked back to the car and started back to the main road. About half way along, the road descended a steep hill and curved to the left at the same time. The snow plow had cut across the corner on the side of the road, hiding the ditch and I accidentally put my left front wheel into the deep snow. As a result, I was suddenly stranded in the middle of nowhere:

As you can see, the sun was setting and it was pretty chilly. Fortunately, my cell phone had plenty of battery juice and I was able to call the CAA for help. About 45 minutes later, the tow truck showed up and winched me back on the road. The truck driver had interrupted his dinner and brought his kids along for the ride. I was thankful that he'd responded so quickly and so cheerfully.

It goes to show that you can't be napping at the wheel for an instant on cottage roads. Four wheel drive can only do some much!

Road North Image

A couple of weeks ago, I drove up to my cottage on a Saturday that was heavy with weather. On the way up, we went through snow, sleet, rain, hail and lots of wind. A sudden snow squall left a nice dusting on the trees and I stopped at one of my favourite wetlands to take a photo of the scene. Every time I drive by, I see this tree and say "some day I must take a picture of that tree". Well, that someday has arrived.

Black and White - Or Colour? That is the Question

I'm working on a project called Juxtapositions. The images in the collection present buildings in Toronto that contrast with their surroundings: old buildings juxtaposed against new, different architectural styles or even two similar buildings painted different colours. Many of the images work just fine in colour, but some of them seem better in black and white, especially if the image is all about form. Here is an example - see what you think...

First: the original colour version

And Now in Black and White

Thoughts anyone?

A Happier Story - Farmhouse Restored

On the way down to the city from the cottage on the same week-end that I photographed the abandoned log cabin in the last post, I saw a lovely isolated farmhouse on a country road that had been nicely brought back from the dead. Note the new metal roof and the satellite dish showing obvious signs of occupancy. The drooping window sill to the left of the front door and the missing shutters show that the battle has not been won yet, but at least the house seems to have found an owner who cares.