I worked on the Iceland photos this weekend pretty much to the exclusion of everything else. I have about 90 ready for posting (of an estimated 400-500). I have pretty much decided to put them in a web album. I'll send out a link after I have all of the photos in the album. Quite a few people have been asking about the Iceland photos who would just want to view them all at once, without being bothered by text or scrolling through a blog. Also... 500 photos represents about a year's worth of blog-fodder. Much as I loved Iceland, I'm sure I'll want to post photos of something else this year! What I will be doing is posting the best photos to the blog, as well as those that have interesting stories behind them.

Here's the first.

This is a photo of Snaefellsjokull glacier (jokull means glacier in Icelandic). It was taken on the fourth day of our vacation. At this point in the trip, I was very stressed out about our slow progress. I had been reading about Iceland on the internet and in our travel handbook. I had seen a few 2-week itineraries created by other people which basically involved touring the Golden Circle (Thingvillir, Geysir and Gulfoss) on the first afternoon, then taking in the Snaefellsjokull glacier/peninsula on the second day. Well... We received our rental jeep very late on the second day, then got cranky, hungry and lost wandering around Thingvillir... never mind Geysir and Gulfoss! On the second day, we got sidetracked hiking up a mountain barely 30 minutes outside of Reykjavik... we never even saw the Snaefellsjokull glacier, let alone the whole peninsula! I had identified things that I wanted to see throughout the island, and already we were so far behind in our itinerary. It was at this point we decided we were going to have to skip the Westfjords!

Iceland is pretty much taken over by tourists during the high season. If you're researching a trip there, you'll read about all of these things that you must see (Blue Lagoon, Golden Circle, etc). To be honest, my favorite parts of the trip (as a photographer and as a curious traveller) were those that fell off the beaten path a bit... those that we stumbled on accidentally. Yes... the highly publicized and well-toured waterfalls are amazing... but some of the waterfalls we found beside remote gravel roads were equally spectacular... and I could play around with my camera as much as I wanted to without worrying about other tourists. Yes... the geysir is worth seeing... but photographing the geysir surrounded by 50 tourists and a rope fence reminded me of photographing a lion in a zoo cage - not very exciting and frankly kind of sad.

Iceland has some beautiful paved highways. They have secondary highways which are well-maintained gravel roads, as well as rougher roads into the interior, designated "F-roads". The F-roads only open in mid-summer, once all of the melting is finished. In order to travel on F-roads, a 4X4 is required. We tried to rent one and were given a Toyota RAV 4 - as one of my coworkers put it, the soccer mom's 4X4. We took a little dirt and gravel road to Snaefellsjokull. At the road's origin from the highway, there was a sign saying, "Impassable". Being used to wimpy Canadian road signage, we scoffed at this and proceeded to take the impassable road. We hadn't yet learned that Icelanders don't mess around with road signs. If they say a bend in the road should be taken at 30km/h, that is probably a good suggestion. If they say a road is impassable, you might, for example, find yourself driving right up to a glacier - sheer snow and ice with no traversable path. This is what happened to us.

Looking through my photos, I must have been having some sort of brain malfunction when I chose my camera settings to photograph the glacier. Nonetheless, the light was good enough that day to make up for my ineptness. The Snaefellsjokull photos are among the best I've taken so far. Look forward to seeing more when I get the web album up.

This shot was taken near the Rideau River. It's yet another photo that illustrates my recent love affair with the wide-angle lens. If you asked me last spring what my favorite lens was, it would be hands-down the macro. Now it would be my precious 14-24mm zoom. Each lens has a particular situation and subject matter where it shines (even the Lensbaby). I can't wait to track down some birds and wildlife to give my telephoto a real workout!

When Graem and I visited the Rideau River, we walked right across the frozen water at one point. That sort of thing always makes me nervous, even if there are tire tracks on the ice indicating that someone drove a vehicle that was (presumably) much heavier than me across safely... Maybe they just weakened the structural integrity of the ice!

We made it across safely and alive, and I even took time to gingerly crouch and examine this swirled bit of ice. When we lived in Edmonton, there was a glass shop nearby where we would always stop to admire (and occasionally buy) expensive glass bowls and sculptures that we couldn't really afford. This ice reminds me of one of those sculptures.

Here is one of many ice abstracts taken at Hog's Back Park. I think (hope?) that my composition is improving for landscape shots and for things like flowers that I photograph all the time. Where I've noticed my composition lacking lately is in this type of abstract shot. I always get excited about things that look cool through the macro lens (lichens, rocks, icicles), and I happily snap away expecting masterpieces. When I review my photos later, I'm always disappointed. Yes, the subjects are interesting, but the photos are a visual cacophony with no real focal point. These ice abstracts are decent shots, but I know of some photographers who could have made them far more interesting. In this particular shot, the monochrome conversion really helped bring out the texture in the snow, even though it was essentially a black and white photo to begin with.

I have taken a few photos over the last couple of weeks, but didn't have time to look through them and edit them until today. This is turning into a monthly photo blog, rather than a daily one!

These photos were taken at Hog's Back Park in Ottawa. The park features a small waterfall and some rocky cliffs which are turned into dramatic ice-scapes at this time of year. I thought that "Hog's Back" was an odd name for a park. I guess the name refers to the big rocks jutting out of the Earth. To quote a sign found at the park:

These rocks, sandstones and limestones were formed at the bottom of a shallow sea which covered this region in Ordovician time some 400 million years ago. Note the ripple marks formed by the ancient waves. Later the region was uplifted and the strata here were folded and broken. A major break or fault can be seen here at low water just below the East end of the bridge. The present course of the river over these rocks was established at a still much later date.

That explains the geological features of the Hog's Back. Whoever was responsible for the man-made features did not have photographers in mind. The whole park is surrounded by an ugly black fence. I spent a lot of time trying to keep the fence out of my shots. Most of my wide-angle photos of the waterfall were marred either by the fence itself, or the shadow of the fence creeping into the frame. As a result, the best shots were taken with longer lenses, and I have quite a few closeup abstracts.

With the first photo here, I thought it would be cool to photograph the snow mounds (complete with shadows), crisp in the foreground with the waterfall blurred out in the background. It didn't turn out exactly as I wanted it to, but I still like it.

The little bush in the second shot looks like its branches are dripping with icing. It looks like something that belongs in the front yard of a gingerbread house. If only there were jujubes...

This is one of my wide-angle tree shots from the Experimental Farm. The shape of the tree reminded me of the palm trees in Costa Rica. I was lying on my back taking photos of them (albeit not with a wide-angle) and they had the same long and lazy shape. Maybe I'm just sick of winter and everything I see is starting to remind me of the tropics.

A combination of cold weather and illness is keeping me tethered to home, despite having a rare 4.5 days off from work. I don't have many new photos to upload, although I took a bit of a trip earlier on in the week. The photos are not uploaded yet, but maybe some of the wide-angle ones turned out alright *crosses fingers*.

Here is another of my winter tree photos... This one taken with the wide angle. I was about as miserable and depressed as it's possible for a person to be when I went on my photo journey last week. As soon as I put on the wide angle, it was like snapping a light switch: instant happiness. I guess all of those sayings about viewing the world thorough a different lens or though rose-colored glasses have some basis in truth. Believe it or not, this was actually a short, squat tree in real life. The wide-angle stretches it out and distorts it like one of those funhouse mirrors.

This is another of my favorite photos from last weekend. I like the composition with the trees and the buildings, and the stark white of the undisturbed snow. A wide angle lens makes even the most mundane things look interesting.

This is probably the most interesting photo I took on my trip to the Experimental Farm last weekend. The wide angle lens gives things a different perspective... I was actually standing mere steps from the yellow house, although through a 14mm lens, it looks far away. This photo also contains something that has been rare since I moved to Ontario - an interesting sky! I really miss the vibrant prairie skies. My brother-in-law recently visited and made the comment that the sky always looks the same in Ottawa. He's right. It's always bright white, or a uniform grey... very drab and dull for a photographer. Last weekend I was rewarded (however briefly) with some amazing color and light.

Today's photo has an amusing story behind it. I was out taking photos of the cats in the yard yesterday when my eyes were drawn to this little windswept bush in the corner. It was begging me to take its photo. The fact that the wind was actively blowing it just accentuated its 'windswept' character and made it an even more appealing photo subject. The problem was the background... The siding on the neighbors' garage is...well... frankly quite ugly. I was hoping that converting it to monochrome would make it more interesting. Maybe the lines on the side of the garage could represent blowing wind in some abstract, artsy-fartsy sort of way.

I like taking photos, but I really don't care for fiddling with them on the computer... I have no idea how my post-processing software works, aside from the most basic operations. I was wondering if maybe I could summon the motivation to try blurring out the background on the computer, when Graem peered over my shoulder and said (as though he had read my mind), "Nothing you can do with that one. It's always gonna look like siding". And there you have it.

More cute feline pictures today. Jackie was quite aptly named after Jackie Chan. He is the ultimate stunt cat, and when he was a kitten, he'd do flips in the backyard catching snowballs that we'd throw for him. Sometimes he got about 5 feet off the ground!

The weather has been a bit nicer lately, and Jackie has felt up to coming outside and catching a few snowballs. These maybe aren't the most technically brilliant photos, but I was experimenting with a new technique: Throwing a snowball with my left hand and holding/operating the camera with my right. Exposing a dark grey cat against white snow is also difficult. I'll have to practice more.

I took some snowy tree and landscape shots today as well... I'll post them in the coming days.

This is my last icy tree photo from the Experimental Farm. It's also my favorite. I call it "Cold Comfort". I like the shapes made by the frosty branches and tree trunk against the sky.

I'm stuck in a deep and seemingly endless rut where my work schedule won't allow me to see sunlight or eat, much less spend time with my husband, cats or camera. I'm afraid there won't be any new photos until the weekend unless something unexpected happens... It's not unheard of, but I won't hold my breath.

Here's another icy tree photo from our cold and wet excursion to the Experimental Farm. There was moss growing on this tree. I was hoping that the greens and yellows would be more vivid, but as it stands the moss was barely visible in the photo. This one actually ended up looking better in monochrome.

Today is a special day. Not only is it New Year's Eve, it is also the 1 year anniversary of the day I bought my DSLR. One year and ~13700 shutter clicks later, I hope I'm a better photographer. If nothing else, it has been fun.

It snowed all day today... not really a blizzard, just fat flakes falling relentlessly. I had to wrap the camera in my toque to avoid getting it wet between shots. We walked to the Experimental Farm, where I took quite a few photos this fall. Different seasons bring different subject matter. In the fall, about 90% of my Experimental Farm photos were taken with the 50mm lens, and the other 10% split between the macro and the Lensbaby. Today I put the 50mm on the camera and brought the new 70-200mm zoom in case there were any birds to be photographed. As it turns out, I spent much of the day wishing for the wide angle and the macro. There was too much distracting background material in the fall to take wide angle shots... now the trees have lost their leaves and the corn fields have been replaced by a clean blanket of white snow. Everything is much more open. The trees are encrusted in ice and snow - perfect fodder for the macro lens. Nonetheless, the best lens is the one that you have with you and know how to use... and the 50 is a versatile little gem. Here is one of the icy trees I managed to photograph. I might return later on this week with a different selection of lenses, weather and life permitting.

My ability to post photos over the summer was largely limited by the slowness of my laptop. I needed the laptop to study for my exams, and posting a single photo might cause it to spool helplessly for more than an hour. Now my laptop's performance is marginally better... but I'm the one who is spooling. I can't seem to summon the physical or mental energy to take new photos or edit the ones I already have on my computer. By the time I get up, it seems as though the light is already fading. It's a "balmy" -12 degrees out, and I feel like I'm going to die of hypothermia every time I open the door.

Today was my last real day off from work until December 29th. I was hoping to try out the new lens, but there was nothing really to take pictures of in my yard. The cats didn't want to be outside, and the thought of going for a walk did not appeal to me. Besides... it was about 3pm and already starting to get dark. I thought of swapping over to the macro lens to photograph icicles and got stuck spooling in the process. Hence, a Red Bubble Reject today.

This photo was taken almost exactly a year ago. My camera was brand new, and I couldn't wait to try it, despite the fact that it was -37 out and already dark! The only post-processing of this photo was to convert it to monochrome... though the color version doesn't look much different (sadly no red roof on the house). I've always been impressed by the 'retro' look of this photo... It looks like a picture you would find in a social studies textbook about the pioneers. I was clueless about my camera then, and probably wouldn't be able to replicate that mood/style now even if I tried!

Another Red Bubble reject taken in winter 2009. Everyone takes pictures of abandoned farm houses from the front. Often they form part of a larger prairie landscape shot. I crept behind this house, and for some reason found the "backyard" view of the house and its dilapidated shed quite compelling. I took a few pictures while standing in waist-high snow.

I adjusted the luminosity curve a bit before posting the picture here. The version that was on Red Bubble was a bit underexposed. It was hard to bring out the detail in the walls and window of the shed without blowing out the highlights in the lightest part of the sky. Back then, I knew even less about photography and my camera settings than I do now!

The only person to comment on this photo on Red Bubble said, "It looks very cold in your part of the world". I checked out his/her profile and found it filled with sandy beaches, and flora and fauna I have only seen in pictures. I don't think (s)he can even begin to imagine how cold it gets in my part of the world.

What could be more disheartening than snow in May? I grew up in Calgary and I'm quite used to erratic weather. My birthday is at the end of May, and I remember two years when school was cancelled due to blizzard on that day. I also remember wearing shorts to school in February during the 1988 Winter Olympics. I've lived in Saskatoon for 6 years now, and I've been under the illusion that things were different. Once warm weather comes to Saskatoon it stays, right? Wrong. It snowed overnight, and much of the day today. I got the stepladder out and took some photos of the snow in our willow tree.

Graem brought a willow cutting home from his grandma's place back when we lived in Edmonton. We planted it in a pot and moved it with us to Saskatoon. It grew tall and gangly in the pot. When we bought our house, we decided to plant the willow in the front yard. The first couple of years it looked scrawny... I doubted its ability to withstand the elements. The willow has flourished the last year or so, and this is the first time it 'bloomed'. We'll probably take a cutting from the willow tree with us when we move this summer. It will still break my heart to leave the tree behind.