Running...

Not much to say, besides I like the bubbles. And that a running water has it's timeless magic :)

This photo was taken behind the Moss Glen Falls.

Nikon D7100, 330mm, 1/400s @ f/5.6, iso 100

Jongkind too kind

Ah, Paris! What a great city!

Granted, I did not have much time to go around and shoot, I just chose one particular evening and a place just 5 minutes away from where we stayed. Also, I was inspired by Jongkind painting (the first of the photos is as close as I could reproduced the sight with the 35mm lens), which I saw the very same day in Musée d'Orsay.

Too bad that they have built few new buildings since his time (1864), so I moved closer trying to get a better view on the cathedral. I like the picture taken from under the bridge, but the best, I think is the last one, taken from Pont Saint-Michel. I only wish I had more time that night to wait for all these people to leave...

I added the last picture also in color. I think the photos look the best in black and white, but the color version has certain appeal too.

Nikon D7100, 35mm, 1/3s @ f/9, iso 800

Nikon D7100, 35mm, 1.6s @ f/22, iso 800

Nikon D7100, 35mm, 1.6s @ f/22, iso 800

Nikon D7100, 35mm, 15s @ f/22, iso 100

Nikon D7100, 35mm, 15s @ f/22, iso 100 (same as the picture above)

Another day's over

I know, another cheesy sunset, just like in the previous post. But there is something in this photo that makes me want to publish it as soon as possible.

It is no sunset, really. Just the blue hour after, with the silhouette of a sculpture that looks like a cactus and another - of a backpacker strolling down the beach. I wish I could see this kind of view from my window more often than once a year...

Nikon D7100, 105mm, 1/80s @ f/4.5, iso 400

Eye in the sky

This picture was taken at the rock pool near Los Gigantes on Tenerife. The pattern of clouds makes it as if there was a big eye in the sky. Lovely view and also great place to visit during travels!

Oh, and the land you see on the horizon is La Gomera, the other of the seven Canary Islands.

iPhone 5s, auto

Rocking sunset

This picture was taken around Garachico's rock pools, which were pretty unrestful this day. Tenerife has so much to offer, even in this unwelcoming winter season...

iPhone 5s, auto

Sur le Pont d'Avignon...

I am still travelling and taking photos, there is never enough time to develop them though. Too much happening outside the photo-bubble right now...

Just before the end of the year 2015, I have got a chance to visit Provence and one of the first places there was, naturally, Avignon. Too bad it was winter and the day was very cloudy in addition. Nevertheless, I am pretty happy with the end result.

The picture shows, of course, the famous Pont d'Avignon from the song. At the place I joked - as probably so many other tourists - that it was not worth visiting as it is not even whole. But it was. I just wish I could see Provence in spring, summer and autumn...

Nikon D7100, 105mm, 1/160s @ f/5.6, iso 200

Parc de La Gaudinière

The day was definitely less sunny than on the picture below, but I decided to add the needed warmth nevertheless.

Nikon D7100, 105mm, 1/60s @ f/11, iso 400

Lantern people

One autumn evening it was finally time to see the Chinese garden light show hosted in Montreal's botanical garden. The display was pretty nice, with some of the most prominent paper figures reflecting in the water. Lots of crowds and they did not allow tripods though.

Nikon 7100, 75mm, 1/50s @ f/2.2, iso 800

Autumn reflected

Another picture from the enchanted place on the Shawinigan River.

This time I felt like bumping up the reflection to be almost on par with the real trees and also added a bit of a white vignette. Enjoy!

Nikon 7100, 50mm, 1/50s @ f/6.3, iso 400

Life and death

Sometimes you just take a camera and go around your neighbourhood, not sure what it will be that you will be photographing. In the rain, plants and flowers are a good bet though.

In this case, I took a few pictures with my Nikon and also a shot directly on the phone, for Instagram. I am pretty much satisfied with both of them.

Nikon 7100, 75mm, 1/50s @ f/3.2, iso 400

iPhone 5s, VSCOCam, Instagram filter

Enchanted place

While in Quebec City during the long Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, we visited Montmorency Falls. What a disappointment! Not only the falls are not that pretty (though large they are!), but also the crowd was almost unbearable. So we just turned around and left without taking a single picture.

On our way to Montreal we decided to visit the town of Shawinigan. Another disappointment. Someone decided to build as many supermarkets in the middle of what could be one of the nicest places to live.

Then, on our way out, we encountered the enchanted place. In the afternoon light, the fall colours looked almost unreal. Add few little waterfalls here and there, play of shadows between areas still lit by the sun and those already dark. You get the picture :)

Speaking of which - I am extremely grateful for the Lightroom panorama feature - it was not intended to be one, but of the few shots I've taken, none was framed right. Only combining two shots gave the effect you see below.

Nikon 7100, 105mm, 1/6s @ f/22, iso 200

Autumn accents

So the summer is gone, the days are shorter and shorter and the nights cold enough to scare Sunday campers :)

But this means there will be soon more and more shades of yellow and red around. Hunting for them, I went to the parc national de la Mauricie. Even this far north there are only few signs of coming autumn, mostly on higher hills. As this picture was taken on the river bank, only this one tree was not green. The scene looked so nice in the fog though that I decided to make it monochrome with just one color accent.

Nikon 7100, 105mm, 1/125s @ f/9, iso 200

Fishing

Recently I experiment a bit with Affinity Photo software, which - at least for me and for now - is an "easier-to-grasp" version of Photoshop CC. Though not as powerful as PS, Affinity Photo has many interesting features and - being a new player on the market - it is easier to find tutorials that are actually relevant from beginner's and photographer's point of view.

Anyways, the picture was taken in the wonderful spot in Montreal - Parc des Rapides. Situated on the bank of St-Laurent River, it has multitude subject to photograph: from birds to far-away river landscapes to water cascades.

Usually, I don't take many bird pictures. This one, a heron I believe (?), was still pretty far, so this is the result of a small crop. And - as the contrast with the green grass wasn't particularly great, I decided to develop this picture in monochrome, using Lightroom for RAW development and then Affinity Photo for black-and-white conversion and this silver effect.

Nikon 7100, 450mm, 1/125s @ f/6.3, iso 200

Boats

One more from the Lake George, NY weekend in May...

Sony RX100M3, 29mm, 1/25s @ f/5.6, iso 80

Summer day

On the last day of our US trip (yes, I'm starting backwards) we encountered a weekend paradise for people from New Hampshire and neighbouring states - a river "beach" in the White Mountain Forest. Sun, water (cold, I admit), rocks, little waterfalls and fresh air - that is all one needs to relax and prepare for the coming week.

The image was taken "casually", with the iPhone 5s, upon departure.

iPhone 5s, auto

A day on the river

Enough of those sad, monochrome pictures... Although the one published yesterday actually took me back to Thailand and then I found this one.

The river in Bangkok is a very interesting place. Where an inattentive tourist can spend a hundred bucks on a cool trip that otherwise would cost him maybe 100 baht if he paid for the tickets on the boat and at the temples. It is also a place when you get out of the heat, sort of. I mean, it is better to feel the water breeze on your face than sit in a park in the full sun...

One thing in Bangkok never changes though - the river is as busy as the roads.

Sony RX100M3, 35mm, 1/250s @ f/11, iso 125

Boat ride

Another little trip and again not that many pictures taken. And not much time to explore golden or twilight hours. But having the little Sony RX100M3 on most of the walks I was able to catch some nice sights.

This one is from the first afternoon on the Lake George, little town on the southern shore of the lake with the same name, upstate New York. We have arrived there on Thursday, just before the start of the season, which is inaugurated on the Memorial Day weekend. Almost empty on Thursday and Friday, suddenly it filled with people on Saturday and Sunday. The picture below accurately reflects the Thursday emptiness :)

This is not HDR even though - after the post-processing in Color Efex it looks a bit like that. I bumped details quite a bit, because I wanted to show how clear the lake waters are.

Sony RX100M3, 24mm, 1/160s @ f/5.6, iso 80

Spring panorama

It was a nice weekend hike to Mt. Sourire (~450 m), where we were greeted with this view. Notice the snow still lying on the hills where ski trails are supported by snow guns.

Sony RX100M3, 24mm, 1/160s @ f/5.6, iso 80

Spot the difference

When visiting Lake Placid on Easter weekend, I barely could recognize the lake I saw 2 years ago in the summer. However, even in its frozen state, you can still take a trip around the Mirror Lake!

Nikon 7100, 75mm, 1/3200s @ f/5.6, iso 100 (April 2015)

Samsung S2, auto (July 2013)

When the lights go out...

The evening view form one of the restaurants - even though I've already covered the sunset experience, it is something you can go back over and over again. The sky is different every day and you can experiment with angles and lenses.

Now that I'm back to Montreal, I not only remember this beautiful sight, but also lying on a mat, sipping a fresh watermelon smoothie and enjoying the cooling breeze from the water.

Sony RX100M3, 24mm, 8s @ f/11, iso 80