On a sunny day in February with a slight reprieve from our frigid winter, I heard a cardinal’s song and traced it down the street to discover this chubby, furry, young bird who was calling out to find its family.
A Cardinal’s Song
Personal
First Place Award
Another first place award, this time for Chasing the Light (http://chasingthelight.info/) Photo Competition “Winter Wonderland”.
This photo was shot in Collingwood on January 2nd. I was shopping and taking some pictures of the ice sculptures when this scene presented itself to me.
Photo Book Available
I’ve just published a book showcasing some of my images over the past couple of years. Most of the photographs in this book have received awards or appeared in various shows. I hope to bring out a Photo-Journey, Selection of Images book annually.
If you’re interested in this book, available in hardcover, softcover or ebook, check it out here
| Book description | Photography is one of the most popular hobbies in the world today but one thing is clear – while taking a good quality picture is easier and more accessible than ever before, there continues to be a distinction betwe en snapshots and photographs; picture takers and photographers. My creative journey began with writing novels in the late 90’s and now encompasses photography, videography and screenwriting (despite a career in information technology). I jumped on the photography bandwagon in the digital age (along with millions of others) and got hooked. It is so much easier to share a well-crafted image than a 100,000 word novel. And through the lens, I discovered a renewed fascination with the natural world. At times, I’ve questioned my obsessive creative pursuits – am I crazy? Maybe so but I believe this quotation from Thomas Merton provides one possible explanation for my behaviour: “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time”. I hope you enjoy these images. They represent both my personal journey and a desire to share my experiences and unique view of the world which I believe is a motivation for many artists. |
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2014 Comes to an End
A few images to close off 2014. Christmas this year was wet and the creek overflowing but the deep freeze came before the new year. There was the usual flurry of activity between Remme family gatherings on the 24th and 25th, including a rambuctious indoor snowball fight on Christmas day. I must purchase this kit for myself, such fun. It was a hot item in the annual cut-throat Santa game. On the 27th, we had the annual Watt family gathering. It’s great to pull this large family together every year but by the time, this is all done, I am exhausted and happy for the quiet days that follow.
On the 24th at my Aunt Rene’s, we were sadly reminded of two missing family members this year – my cousin, Cory and his father, Ron who passed away exactly 6 months after he did in October. It is a hard year for my aunt but of course, we have no choice but to move on and remember the good times.
Winner in Canadian Geographic Photo Competition
My photograph, “Lake Louise Magic”, has won first place in The Canadian Geographic Magazine annual photo competition in the category of Canadian Landscapes. This shot was taken last fall when 7 of us went to Lake Louise to visit my sons Jordan and Tyler who both live and work there. The young man is my nephew, Jasper. He is in a constant state of motion but he actually sat down and stared when he noticed the majestic beauty before him. His magic wand/globe had just been given to him by the concierge.
Doritos Commercial
This short video was produced for the Doritos Crash the Superbowl competition. My son Perry and nephew Jasper are the stars.
We are out of the competition now but it was fun pulling it together and I think the young men did a fabulous job.
The Hungry Heron
I finally took the plunge and bought a telephoto lens (Canon EF 100 – 400mm f4.5-5.6). This series of shots of the Blue Heron at McKenzie Marsh catching and eating a fish is the first return on that rather extravagant investment. The lens is quite heavy so I have limited ability to hand hold it and it’s probably not practical to travel with it. For this shot, I had it on a monopod.
Vision Speak Pilot
A TV Bible and Pilot Script have been developed for Vision Speak. The pilot script was submitted to the Screencraft Pilot Launch Script competition.
The quarter-finalists have been announced and “Vision Speak, the Series” made the first round! For more about the novel or the series script, check out the vision-speak.com site.
Logline
A young woman’s emerging abilities propel her from shy art student to a catalyst for humanity’s transformation – or destruction – in a dangerous post-apocalyptic world.
Theme
Vision Speak is about exploring the balance between the brilliance of humanity and our destructive, dangerous tendencies and how we might rise above them. Concepts involving the connectedness of all living beings and our untapped potential, especially with our “unconscious mind” and spiritual natures are explored.
Roadtrip to Pelee Island
Pelee Island, located in Lake Erie, the southern-most town in Canada (at the same latitude as N. 
California), has long been a place of curiousity for me. It started with the tales of butterflies by the thousands passing through on their migration journey although, perhaps the notion of visiting the winery helped as well. Or maybe it was the picture of the monarch butterfly on the Pelee Island wine bottles… anyway, I really wanted to check this place out – and so we did.
The roadtrip to Pelee Island involved an overnight stay at the Windsor Casino so that we could get to the ferry in Kingsville early in the morning. An hour and a half ferry ride and we arrived to a scorching hot day on the Island.
I have to confess to some disappointment at not being swarmed by butterflies upon my arrival. (No doubt, a naive expectation). Certainly, over the course of our visit, I did see a number of butterflies, mostly Monarchs, a couple of yellow Swallowtails, and lots of smaller ones in gardens and around the island but we were early for the migration. And apparently Point Pelee (the conservation area on the mainland) actually gets the larger swarms during the migration period in later September.
Pelee Island is a quaint little island without a town centre. There are smatterings of inns and restaurants, one gift shop, and of course, the Pelee Island Winery. We did the obligatory tour which was most interesting when we got out of the heat and into the cellar to sample the wine. I quite enjoyed the Pinot Gris and Gamay Noir, both of which were purchased and since enjoyed at home.
As we were on the Island mid-week and there were limited restaurants and especially gluten-free options, we left early on our day of departure to check out Point Pelee Conservation Area. Not enough time, too much to see. I definitely want to return there for a visit when the butterflies are passing through in either fall or spring. One of the highlights of the trip was the Point Pelee Marsh and Boardwalk as you will see in one of the photos below. Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!
