CHANGE IS IN THE AIR

Those of you who have visited before will probably notice there has been a change in the name of my site.  On the advice of a very practical and computer savvy person close to me, I have changed the name to 'IMAGE AND THOUGHT' to match the web address as closely as possible.  I originally wanted it to work the other way around but somebody beat me to 'Interpretations' which was the original name I chose.  No room for late bloomers in such a competitive world.
However, since I did choose the new name as a web address originally, my subconscious was probably already on this track.
I just needed a nudge by someone whose judgement I trusted.

Merry Christmas to All

And to all

a good night.

Natural Light at Night

Night shots using natural light only result in an ghostly quality that I really like.

 Colours are surreal and people float in and out of the image like restless souls.

Has Christmas become too commercial?

I've been hearing this question asked ever since I was a kid myself.  And, No.  I don't want to get into a conversation about how long that has been but, if you are a child of the computer age, it's been longer.

There's a part of me that wonders if Mary asked Joseph the same question when the three wise guys showed up unexpected.  Right in the middle of breast feeding no doubt.  Gawd!  The nerve of some people!

Visit my other page, Rob's Morning Rant, 

for more on this subject 

coming very soon.

Riverdale Farm, Downtown Toronto

This place is such a great escape from the hustle of Toronto.  Even though it's only a short walk from the downtown core. 

Bon Echo Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

Bon Echo is probably one of the most beautiful public spaces in Southern Ontario
There's only one problem.... It's proximity to larger population centres make it extremely popular all summer long.  It's breathtaking scenery is still worth the trip.

Just try and get there during the week or in the off-season.

Mazinaw Lake is the second deepest lake in the province.  The scarp face of Mazinaw rock stands 100 metres above the lake's surface and extends over 140 metres below.

More intriguing than the geography of the rock face is the extensive collection of aboriginal pictographs that decorate it near the waterline.

 No one is really certain what all the symbols, attributed to the ancient Ojibwe peoples, mean or how far back they date but modern science has yet to be able to duplicate the durability of the substances used to produce them.

Everglade Kites

Maybe not the Everglade Kites you were expecting.

Morning Glory

It's amazing how nature can take over a small urban space given half the chance.

 This is just a part of the forest that invaded (with just a bit of coaxing) my mid-town balcony every summer.

My only requirements when apartment hunting for the first time in 25 years were "south-facing and must have a balcony".  

 I wanted a heated parking space as well.  But's that's a whole 'nother topic.

ICELAND REVISITED

Those who have seen my pages before may recall an earlier set of photos from this beautiful country.  These are a few more that represent places and things that will stay in my memory for a long time.  One of the things I always hope will come from my travel photography is a less than subtle reminder of places and people I need to revisit.This imposing statue of Iceland's favourite son, Leifur Eiriksson,

overlooks downtown Reykjavik from in front of the Hallgrímskirkja.

Thingvellir  is the historical site of Iceland's Althing, the oldest parlimentary system of government still in existence.  Although the seat of the Althing is in Reykjavik today, parliament is officially opened each year at this site.  The reason the spot was originally chosen was because the rock cliff reflected sound well and all the people could easily hear what was said by their leaders.  

When I first walked this path between the two rock faces, I assumed that this was the fault line that famously separates Europe and North America.

In fact, this is only one side of it.

Those mountains on the far side of the lake are about half way to the other side of the fault that runs diagonally through the whole of the island nation.

     The national flag graces this UNESCO world heritage site.

Thingvallabaer, alongside the Thingvellir church, is the official residence of the Prime Minister although it is more of a tourist centre now.

Everything they say about Icelandic blondes is true.

 Icebergs above and the leading edge of a glacier below.

This is one tongue of the Vatnajokull glacier, the largest glacier in Europe.  It didn't seem all that big until we realised just how far away it was.  Standing at the base of it, the edge towered over us as much as 60-70 metres or more.

Windswept

Rural Ontario Pondscapes

Peaceful and calm as these images may seem, they don't tell the whole story of a winter fast approaching.  

 Just a few more weeks and this scene may be frozen under a blanket of snow.

BARNSCAPES

 Something as simple and straightforward as the design of a farm building speaks volumes about our heritage and culture.

 We keep ourselves grounded when we remember our own connection to what is old yet still functional and useful.

The feel of weathered barnboard.  The smell of straw and feed grains evokes not only this link to the past but should keep us conscious of where the foods we put on our table come from.

If you are interested in seeing similar photos, look back to my posting on October 11, 2010.  This kind of setting keeps calling me to capture it.   Like a photograph hangs on to a moment, these images seem frozen in their time.

New Link Posted

Check out Rob's Morning Rant.                    It just made it's debut today.

Hopefully much much more to come in future.

Palermo, Sicily

The urban heart of Sicily took me by surprise.  

I'm not sure what I expected but what I found was an attractive sophisticated urban landscape easily the equal 

of any other major centre I have seen. 

Modes of tourist transportation range from 

the functional to the romantic.

 Detail of the Teatro Massimo, The largest opera house in Italy and third in size behind Paris and Vienna.   A centrepiece of Palermo.  For more information about this magnificent structure, it's history and upcoming events visit the homepage of Teatro Massimo itself or Wikipedia.

                                                 Open for business

OLYMPUS DSLR Cameras, I Am In Crisis

Olympus has just introduced an update to their professional DSLR camera line called the E-5.

                                                           (Not my Picture)

I want one.  I want one real bad.
Can I afford it?
Yes.
Do I need it?
No
Can I justify it?
No.
I'm torn.

It's bad enough that I appear to be one of only two people in the greater Metropolitan Toronto area who is sticking with Olympus DSLR equipment (I talked the other guy into it).
I'm finding it very difficult to avoid the tug to buy this latest gadget that Olympus has put out there.

So what do I do?  Every time I'm spending too much time looking at advertisements for the E-5, I pick up one of my two E-510 cameras, each now almost 4 years old, and am quickly reminded of why I bought them in the first place.

                                                              (Not my Picture)

 I still think this little tough as nails model is the best thing Olympus, or any other recognized name brand (and you know who they are), has come up with for the money to date.  Until something new comes on the market that just blows this out of the water, I'm perfectly content with what I have and don't intend to do more than look at the pretty pictures of what is, ostensibly, new and improved.

Olympus has never held a substantial market share in North America and Canada in particular.  I'm not really certain why that is as they are acknowledged even by the competition as producing incredible optics and exceptionally durable hardware.

I've had my 510's in every kind of weather and extremes of temperature.
Far (Really far.  Seriously.) beyond what they are designed for.

Just in case anyone is interested.
Here is a link to the Olympus website in Canada.

Engagement Rings, Every picture tells a story

This photo, taken in Genoa, Italy, was a complete surprise.  Shooting the facade of a local church, I caught these four sitting on the front steps.  I took as many shots as I could without being intrusive and this was the result.

Gaudi's style in Barcelona

 On the tourist bus for a quick spin around the city and back in port just in time to catch the last boarding call of the day.

La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's master work and still not complete after 128 years.  The Basilica is completely funded by donations from visitors and other benefactors.  Construction is slated to be completed for 2026, the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudi's death.