Open Ended Break

Life is funny sometimes. You seem to have plenty of time to do the things you love and have all the best intentions but then life has a way of crowding in on you and forcing you to make changes.

That’s the case with my Photography Blog. I just haven’t had the time to dedicate to it as I would like and have therefore made the decision to close the doors and take a vacation from it. I’m not going to give up on it though because who knows what the future holds.

I just don’t have the time to dedicate to it right now. I’m still taking photographs when I can but without the free time I just can’t fit in updates as often as I’d like.

Thanks to those who have taken the time to visit my blog and I do hope you’ll check in from time to time, just in case I open for business once again.

Mark

Busy Busy Busy

I apologize for not updating more often but I just haven’t been able to find much free time to devote to this photography blog. I barely have the time to even use my camera it seems. My personal blog gets the bulk of my attention when I have the time to work on it.

Just to try and catch up a bit, here are a few photos that I have taken over the summer and early autumn this year. Sorry I can elaborate on the photos as I normally would. Hope you like them.

A Red Fox Scratching an Itch

Feeding Time for a Monarch

Fencing Along The Beach at Sunset

A Storm Rolling Down Lake Ontario

I will try to do better and update when I can find the time. Thanks again for taking the time to visit my blog.

Fly Me To The Moon

I was outside in the yard playing with my camera one evening and not really taking any photos of anything in particular. I had taken a couple of quick snaps of the moon just for fun and was about ready to head inside when I heard a plane approaching.

Having lived near this Canadian Forces Air Force Base all of my life I was quite used to hearing the different aircraft and identifying them by their sound before seeing them. I knew it was a tutor jet approaching and was most likely a member of the Canadian Forces Aerobatic Display Team known as the Snowbirds. I was correct.

I had only a few seconds to point my camera skyward and was fortunate that the aircraft went directly past my view of the moon. This was the resulting photo.

Fighting Swans

With winter quickly coming to an end, I decided to grab my camera and venture out on a beautiful sunny Saturday to see what I could find. The mercury had risen above zero which provide some much more enjoyable conditions.

Despite the fact I had my camera with me, I was really just out for a drive and had no real plans to photograph anything in particular. As luck would have it, those plans quickly changed as I noticed some Mute Swans sitting on the ice in a marsh.

There were only a few small patches of open water and the swans seemed content to lounge about. This only lasted until another unwelcome swan ventured into their area. Then things got interesting as one of the original swans took offense to his presence and began chasing the newcomer. After a brief airborne chase they landed and started attacking each other.

I managed to get several photos of this battle which lasted about one minute. It was quite the site to see.

After the battle the winner returned to his mate and then took a quick dip in an open patch of water. It turned out to be a fun shoot with over 300 photos taken.

Barred Owl Yawning

Once again I made my way to Presqu’ile Provincial Park near Brighton, Ontario. I had heard that Barred Owls were being sighted on a regular basis around a certain area of the Park and I’ve always wanted to photograph an owl.

On many nights while camping in the park during the summer I would hear the odd owl and it’s familiar “hooting” call but I’d never actually seen one.

It was my first attempt to try and locate one and to be honest, I figured it would take at least three or four trips before it would produce results. I was wrong.

As you can see below, they blend into their surroundings rather well and it was sheer luck that I spotted this bird of prey resting on a tree branch.  The owl didn’t seem to mind my presence as I was able to get very close to him without scaring it off. I was there for about an hour watching him and he did little more than turn his head. Only once did he open his mouth briefly and I was lucky enough to capture it.