Photography
This is Helen. Helen is an approximately 31 year old Pacific White Sided Dolphin.
Helen has partially amputated front flippers due to her being entangled in a fixed fishing next. She was rescued and rehabilitated and then deemed unreleasable.
Helen was highly entertaining and is the only whale/porpoise remaining at the Vancouver Aquarium.
My Aunt loves lilacs. So much so that she goes out in the middle of the night and cuts them so she can have them inside. The problem is, she doesn’t have a house, therefore, she doesn’t not have a yard or a garden. She’s an apartment dweller!
A couple weeks ago when my lilac bush flowered I took this picture for her.
Now I have to share with you that this is a learned behaviour. She got it from my Grandmother who always had fresh cut flowers in her apartment. She lived in downtown Winnipeg so she had to buy them from the local florist at The Bay.
My husband was sure he spotted a albino duck in a small body of water not far from our home. The duck turned out to be a snow goose!
I did at least get a shot of this sky and its reflection.
My lost stop on our Sprint Car Race journey was this home right along the way, close to home. All of the homes I found were right along side the road which make for perfect roadside shots, which I generally don’t like.
What I most enjoyed about this yard was that big, old, dead evergreen.
The front of the home was obscured by the other live trees.
The first time I photographed this barn, we were on our way to Grand Forks for a hockey tournament. I’d have to say it was 2013 or so.
Each year after that I admired that it was still standing and relatively straight. This is no longer the case.
When our impromptu trip to Grand Forks was planned, I figured it would be the perfect time to wander out to an old church that has been on my to-see list since last summer.
Unfortunately it wasn’t going to be easy to get to with at least 10 miles of travel on unknown gravel roads that had been subjected to rain. I chickened out and decided to wait for my husband to travel with me.
I did find this one on the way though.
On our way to Grand Forks I spotted this house. Homeward bound I stopped for this shot. When we left Grand Forks it was pouring and cloudy. When we got to this one it was still drizzling but not enough to stop for a couple quick photos. Â The sky was perfect so I stopped.
First stop, this house right on the side of the highway.
The skies were amazing and a little adjustment with my exposure produced this shot.
This is also where I discovered I have two flecks that I can see in my view finder but don’t appear on my photos!!
The weather continued to be off and on for the rest of the ride which gave for some very “moody and dreary” shots.
Sitting Bull was the leader who led his people during years of resistance to United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation during an attempt to arrest him, at a time when authorities feared that he would join the Ghost Dance movement.
North Dakota and its University teams were famously known as the Fighting Sioux from 1930 until the university retired the nickname in 2012, ending a seven-year battle with the N.C.A.A. North Dakota had been one of 18 institutions the N.C.A.A. singled out in 2005 for American Indian mascots it deemed hostile or abusive. Â The dispute dragged on, with the state Board of Higher Education and the Legislature weighing in. Ultimately, in June 2012, North Dakota voters overwhelmingly chose to phase out the nickname.
This statue of Sitting Bull sits outside the Ralph Englestadt Arena. Said to have cost the former Fighting Sioux goaltender $100 million. He spared no expense when the facility was built. He had granite imported from India to have the Sioux logo put into the floor of the main entrance. 3.2 miles of brass was also used in the building.
The arena truly is an amazing site with a whole lot of history. Kind of like Sitting Bull.
Remember the house who was lived in by the little lady whom never married and would ocassionally get on the school bus and go to town for the day and return home on the school bus? Well her sister married the gentleman who bought this land in 1939. Her nephew still farms the land.
It was here that Mr. farmed cattle and hogs on the land until his death in 1977. His Mrs. lived on and passed in the home in 2001, the last time this house was occupied.
Mr.’s grandfather was born on July 13, 1883 and moved to Canada when he was in his 20’s. Here he met and married his wife and together they raised 4 children. They farmed in Holmfield for many years and moved to Killarney in 1961.
When I first posted this photograph on Facebook, my post received a comment advising me that as a child, the poster played in this house with his childhood friend.
Speaking to the new Mrs. of this land she advised me that years ago they had inquired about repairing the roof and replacing the windows in this old family home. They were quoted an amount near $20,000.00. I often read people’s comments “oh, what a beautiful home, why don’t they save it?” I think we forget how much these sorts of repairs can cost. We are working hard to keep our own homes maintained, let alone a century old home that likely needs a new foundation, windows, upgrades to the heating and water systems and likely a host of other issues due to its age. I can’t imagine it’s easy to watch these old home deteriorate beyond repair, especially for the generations of family still here that have fond memories of the home.
This home has been on my to see list for some time. This weekend I called and after some hesitation, was granted permission to take a couple photos. I am happy I was able to find and receive some history. Thank you Mr. & Mrs.
In November, 2012 my family and I headed to the Christmas parade in town to see the floats. It was cold that evening, -26 if my memory serves me correctly.
On our way home from the craft sale in the mall, we heard a kitten crying. It ran past us down the street. Of course I ran after it and caught it. I took it inside one of the local businesses and asked the people inside if it belong to anyone. It was tiny. It fit in my hand and I could cover it up with my other hand.
I stuck the kitten in my jacket and drove home. It licked my face the whole way. Long story short, no one claimed it and there was no way the kids were giving it up anyways. My husband then started looking for the perfect name for our frozen little kitten who had frost bite on her feet. Her name would be Kisinaa, the word for cold in Ojibway.
Now on to the point of my post. The other night after playing 21 with my son and husband and getting beat again, I sat down and here she came for cuddles. So I got the camera out to play around. Now instead of putting the 50mm on, I went with my standard 50-85mm f 4-5.6 kit lens and got this shot of her. I would say its a pretty decent shot, sharp around her face and eyes and then blurs out to a perfect DOF. Now unlike my other attempt with the 50mm with Payton and Walker, the sun is not nearly as bright as it was coming upon the golden hour. The days of just turning on the camera, making sure its on auto mode and taking a photo is something I want to get away from. No matter what lens I have, if I adjust my camera to the appropriate settings, I’ll get a good shot, regardless if I have a kit lens on or some other fancy lens that I likely didn’t need to buy.
I’m also trying to convince myself that I don’t really need a 600mm lens for shooting birds and wildlife although I really, really want it and my husband is sick of hearing about it and has already told me to buy it.
Now let me tell you a funny story about Kisinaa. Last year around this time, my husband came home from town, clearly unsettled. When I asked him what was going on he advised me that he found Kisinaa on the highway and she was in the back of the truck and I needed to tell him where I wanted her buried! After some arguing I went with him to the driveway to see if it was really her. I have to admit that it looked a lot like her but something was off in her face. She has all the right markings, white tip on the tail, but she was too big. So off her went to the back field to bury her. I was sent off to pick up the kids from friends and when we had gathered them up we were going to tell them.
After we all settled down it was time to make supper so Cade was out on the deck BBQ’ing when he felt something brush up on his legs. At our house that could mean anyone as we have more than 1 cat. We have more than 5 cats actually. When he looked down to see who was loving him up, he said he almost fell to his knees when Kisanaa was standing there looking up at him. His first thoughts were Pet Semetery. We never did find or hear of anyone missing their cat who looked like our Kisanaa. And clearly, our Kisinaa is alive and well.
Monday afternoon I headed out to the Bay in town to see if I could get some photos of the pelican’s using manual mode! Within about 10 – 15 test shots I gave up and switched to priority mode and eventually ended up on auto, again.
I have done a lot of reading on shotting in RAW and JPEG mode and decided, after I purchased a bigger SD card, that this was a good idea. There is always that chance that you may have gotten the perfect shot AND you do need to adjust the exposure in order to save it instead of hitting delete.
Anyways, long story short, I went out twice on Monday, took over 200 photos and kept maybe 10.
I did manage to save this shot because I was able to adjust the exposure (from the RAW file) and ligtning it a bit.
Here is an instance when I would have liked a lens with a longer focal point but again, I’m not there yet.
A wise man who has an amazing talent for bird photography, told me, pick something, be it focus, white balance, apeture, whatever. Learn it, learn it well and move on to the next thing.
Thank goodness I no longer have to pay for film and developing.
At my first photography class it was suggested that we purchase a 50mm prime lens. Last Christmas I did just that and got myself one on sale on Boxing Day off Amazon.
I have to admit that the lens was purchased for the sole purpose of night photography. This 1.4 lens was going to capture all the light I needed to get a sky full of stars or the milky way. I have to admit, I haven’t tried that yet.
Its also supposed to be the best portrait lens around. With the small aperture number, this means that the lens is open wider and lets in more light. With a 1.8 I should get a great DOF (depth of field) and my subjet should remain crystal clear.
Saturday I thought I’d give it a go with our friend’s gorgeous little girl who loves the camera.
I’ll tell you what I did wrong! First off, its a warm, sunny day. Why would I need to use the lens with the small apeture. I’ve got enough light as is. Second off, we were at the baseball diamond so my background was limited so I shot towards the sun which cast to many shadows. The shadows make this little one’s face grainy, in my opinion.
Her big brother turned out a little different.
He was slightly turned so we captured less light although you can still see the shadows on him.
So, just because you have the lens, doesn’t mean your going to take great photos. This was a good lesson to me. Auto mode is a safety zone for many of us but if you really want to get serious and take great photos, you need to learn to use your camera in all settings, in all conditions. I can have all the “lens envy” in the world, I still wouldn’t be able to produce the kind of shots that most wildlife enthusiasts have, regardless of how well I knew Photoshop.
So while I want that $1,000 lens that will get me all that more reach to take photos of birds and wildlife, I’m not ready for it. I would never be able to use it to its full potential as I’m just not there yet.
Practice makes perfect.
Regardless of my shortcomings with the “nifty fifty” lens, these two are beautiful children.
To me, pelican’s arriving back on the small lake in my community is a sign that warmer weather is truly on its way. After our cold winter, they were certainly a welcome sight. During the winter they are typically found in warm, coastal marine habitats.
They breed in large, dense colonies. Flocks forage cooperatively by circiling around fish or driving them toward the shore where they are easier to catch. During breeding season, adults often forage at night. They eat mainly small, “rough” fish with little commercial value. They will also eat salamanders and crayfish.
New pairs will nest close to another pair who are at the same stage of the breeding cycle. Nests are typically located on open, bare soil. Both sexes build the nest which consists of shallow depression surrounded by a low rim of gravel, soil or plant material. Both sexes incubate two eggs. The chicks are dependant on their parents for warmth and food. Unfortunately, the second-hatched chick usually dies. When the chick leaves the nest they gather in groups called “creches”. Chicks are fed by the parents until the leave the colony at 10-11 weeks of age. In the breeding season, there is a laterally flattened “horn” on the upper bill. The horn is shed after the birds have mated and laid their eggs.
The typical life span of a wild pelican is 10-15 years.
In Ontario, the species is listed as “threatened”.
For the last couple weeks Cade has been telling me about this goose he kept seeing in the Long River which he assumed was hurt as she would swim with her neck stretched out in front of her along the water.
The other night we all went out for a ride in the boat and wandered down the Long River a bit. Cade remembered a goose nesting on the corner of this lot so I zoomed in and there she was.
When we got around the tree she was laying with her head stretched out in front of her like the one Cade had seen in the water. So I googled it. The is typical behaviour for a female goose on or near her nest. Cade is lucky he didn’t wander down to check on the other goose cause I’m positive he would have been on the receiving end of the goose boots!
Sunsets are, in my opinion, a good scene to shoot when you are ready to set your mode dial on your camera off of the auto setting. The sunset isn’t going anywhere to fast and really, there will be many more so if you mess up, you come back the next night and try again.
If your lucky like me and live by a lake or on the prairies, the opportunity to shoot sunsets are endless.
So here is my first of the year.
Thank you to the pelicans who pose a different challenge and are also good subjects and practice.
A few weeks back we were out and about as a family driving around when I realized that my husband has a talent for spotting houses, houses that I didn’t even notice. He found two of them that day, this being one of them.
I took a roadside shot and then came home and contacted the landowner for permission for a closer look.
I often rely on my Canon SX60 HS for those long difficult shots that the DSLR and my 300mm lens just can’t get without lens shake or some sort of distortion. The point and shoot captured this home perfectly and honestly, I didn’t get a better shot when I returned.
My son joined me on this adventure but didn’t get out of the car to explore with me.
This is also another home that I couldn’t find a whole lot of history about. Argh!
The first recorded landowner was of Irish Decent and born in 1856 in the Township of Landsdowne, Ontario. He had one daughter from his first marriage. He married for the second time in 1885 and came to Manitoba in 1889 as per the individual recorded family history. The history that I find on this property gives two dates for the purchase of this land.  The RM’s records list a date of 1912.
WHC settled into farming in Manitoba and the first land he broke was 17 acres. Unfortunately it wasn’t until the 3rd year that the family would see a crop. The first was frozen and the second was damaged by hail. When he wasn’t farming, WHC did carpentry work for others.
WHC and his second wife had 3 children. He passed away accidentally in 1911. Mrs. passed in 1928. One of their sons farmed the home land with his wife until 1937 when they retired to Boissevain where he did carpentry work and was an appliance repair man.
You truly could not get a bad photo of this house. The skies were incredible on my second visit and to be completely honest, I shot in auto mode all day and was 100% satisfied with all the shots I took.
While I cannot confirm who built this home and who lived in it when, I do know that WHC’s son sold the property to the second recorded landowner in approximately 1945. When he passed away his nephew bought the property and now farms the land surrounding the home, outbuildings and what is left of the barn.
I would have loved to have seen this barn when it was standing. I would assume with the carpentry background of father and son, it was likely well built and quite amazing.
Working on the history of this place that my husband spotted. I was happy with this road shot but think I might like the newest ones I took this past weekend even more!
This couple purchased this land in 1911 when they married. I am going to assume that they bought this land from one of Mr’s relatives as the same last name is listed as the first land owner of this section of land in 1891. This couple retired from the farm to Boissevain in 1949.
Their only son John Robert, who was better known as Jack, farmed the property next door after he married in 1947 and moved away from his parents home farm.  Mr. was a member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows and acted as a trustee and chairman of the Fairburn School Division. His wife was active in the Royal Canadian Legion Auxiliary and the Fairburn District Ladies’ Group.
The property was then sold to KA. I cannot confirm any history of this family living here. I can say that the home has been vacant for some time as there is no longer much of a floor in the home and it is teetering on what is left of the foundation.
After KA owned the land the farm was sold to the Guide Family. Again, I cannot find anything about this family even though it is recorded that they owned this property for approximately 17 years. There is a good possibility that the land was purchased for the sole purpose of farming it and nothing more.
There were a lot of neat little finds around the yard, including this old ringer washer and stove.
I did some googling but I could not confirm anything I found.
There was a lot of old equipment there as well and I have to say that this was probably the neatest thing I found, aside from the piece of stove.
I contemplated going back to this property on this beautifully cloudy day, after I was told about it back in the winter. I sure am happy that I did even though I didn’t get as much history as I would have liked, I sure did find some good photo opprotunities.
There’s a good chance that this home may look familiar to you. I have been here 3 times now. The first time I stumbled upon it with Makenna just as the sun was setting and I had one camera and one lens with me. And honestly, the house creeped me out. Makenna wouldn’t even get out of the Jeep. A few months ago I went back for another look and made my way through knee high snow for a closer look. The resident skunk let me know that he was around by giving off his pungent aroma as a warning. I went again this past weekend when I could wander around for some better shots.
I have to admit that I am slighting disappointed on the lack of history I can find! I love the picture taking but I love the research too. So, I can tell you that the first family to own this property was originally from Plymouth, England. They came to Canada in 1850 then returned to England only to return again and settle in Ontario.
In 1890 John came West and chose this land as his farm. He worked all summer and fall repeaing crops planted by earlier settlers. Help walked from Souris to work the land in this area and grain was taken to Brandon by oxen or horses wherein the driver walked at least one way.
John returned to Ontario and in 1891 he married Mary-Ann. They left for Manitoba on a colonial train, bringing with them a rail car load of lumber for a home and barn. They also brought household furnishings, two cows and some horses.
I’d like to think that this might be one of their carts, tucked away in the trees. There are actually two there but the other one isn’t in as good condition as this one.
The front of this home is very over grown and a good photograph is hard to get from any angle. Its so overgrown in the front there just isn’t a good spot to get a shot without trees or branches.
The second owner of this property, PA being approximatley 47 years of age, purchased this home and property with his wife. Four short months later he died of a heart attack at the age of 47. It is said that he lived a full life. Born in Grigejewka, Russia in 1920, he moved to Manitoba with his parents at the age of 6. He was only 11 years of age when his father passed away and at the age of 16 he and his mother took over the family farm. He married in 1941. purchased their own land in 1949. They had 6 children.
He served on two school boards including the Turtle Mountain Scchool Division and was a member of the Gideon Organization for many years.
The back of the home is not as exciting and of course, this is where I can get the best shots. I must admit that the open back door was very welcoming but aside from an old metal picnic like basket, there’s nothing inside to explore as the floor is caving in and is not at all safe.
As I mentioned, the first time I set my eyes on this house, it kind of creeped me out. I explored it alone this past weekend and I certainly did not get that feeling. Its actually very peaceful and beautifully treed. The back of the house was easily assessible with a large shop and off just into the field were two more outbuildings. I’m sure this was a truly, beautiful home in its prime.
Found this “watcher” while walking the trails at Bower Lake looking for a place to trout fish with my family.
He even has eyebrows!
CRUMBLING MEMORIES 