A Study In Motion

This shot was taken by my wife Wendy and I think it captures well the motion of the waterfall. Yours truly as the somewhat stationary object within the picture provides some contrast. If the exposure had been somewhat longer - more blur would have occured of the water falling but because I too was in motion some of the effect would have been lost.

This shot of Jason was taken by me on a fall trip to the Sandilands last year. I panned the camera while taking the picture in the opposite direction as to what Jason was travelling - the result is motion blur - that provides a sense of the bike travelling fast but fortunately I was able to capture the bike somewhat so that you can still identify it.

This shot I took this Spring during a race in the Sandilands - the rider is unidentified and I was able to capture the bike but still provide some motion in the picture. I think the picture would have been better (in capturing motion) if I had captured the tail-end of the bike and had the blurred space behind. But on the other hand - I like how the athleticism of the rider seems focused on the trail ahead - the wheel's blur adds to the affect of motion.

Another identified rider during the Sandilands race this Spring - this time it is the bike in motion and the background & foregrand is still. Simply another way to capture motion.
I've posted this shot of Pat before - also from that epic Sandilands Race shoot - I panned with Pat as he made this corner and I was able to keep him somewhat focused but blurred the background.

A field of sunflowers (some shots below as well) also provided me some opportunity to experiment with motion - only in this case somewhat artificial & abstract. This shot was taken at sunset which added to the color intensity - I took it while zooming in or out manually with my lens - if my memory serves me correctly I zoomed out after focusing on the centre of the flower.

This shot is maybe a bit over-dramatic with its color & blur (I have a similiar shot below which may be a bit better) - I actually just tweaked the stalk of the flower from below and caught it in motion.

Recent Nature Pics - Subject: Grey Jay

I tend to choose a subject every now and then for my photo compositions. A few years ago I spent a few winter months shooting Grey Owls. The week before New Year's we spent a few days at my parent's cottage and we were graced with some friendly Grey Jays - affectionately also known as Whiskey Jacks. They are possibly the tamest wild birds in Canada. They will eat right out of your hand after about 15 minutes or so of checking you out. My sister Keira (Kiki) helped me out with these shots being a human bird feeder!

Up close & personal - note the crumbs on the beak! Click for an even closer shot!

I love the blur of bird wings in motion!

Maybe a bit too post-cardie but hey 2 jays in a tree!

Another cool motion shot!

I love the snow in the shot and how the bird is all puffed up to keep warm.

The shots above take me back to a backcountry ski trip in Quebec in 99' with Medeba. I remember impressing the non-Manitoban contigent of our merry group with feeding the Grey Jays with some peanut M & M's. We actually stayed in a cottage called Refuge Le Geai Gris.

Epic Sandilands Trail - September

Amazing trail riding this time of year in the Sandilands and thanks to some serious exploration this fall - Pat S., myself, and Jason H. have managed to put on the kms this season...

Really sweet winding trails through some rolling hills and valleys!

My favorite sections are through a number of Red Pine groves and we managed to end our ride this past Thursday at sunset. The result was some awesome pics and in my case a couple broken spokes! The shot above is Pat waiting up while I take some shots of him and Jason riding through this section.

I love this shot of Jason in motion - lucky!

Pat & Jason

Pat & Yours Truly

The plan is to keep riding until the snow keeps us from going! We are hoping to acquire some good lighting for night riding. A few years ago a buddy from a local bike shop in Winnipeg lent us a $1000 worth of high watt-age - we'll see what happens. Apparently, my rear wheel is a little out of true with it missing spokes...