Stroll in the snow 雪中行

【Photo Inspiration】
《Stroll in the snow》
A parody of the verse《Cup of Lotus Leaf》
- Poem / Photography by Peter Bok

Light snow falling and frost is cold
The girl in red
Strolls alone I behold

Historical S.S. Keewatin returns home 歷史郵輪回家了

Many people know the world renowned Titanic. Do you know that S.S. Keewatin was built in Scotland in 1905, 5 years earlier than Titanic for the Canadian Pacific Company to connect the Eastern Canada with Western Canada using the Great Lakes?  In 1965 Keewatin retired and was sold as a floating museum in Douglas on the Kalamazoo Lake in the States for another 45 years.

Revisiting the tranquil lake 重訪萬籟湖

July 1 is Canada Day. I drove in the morning to visit the tranquil lake in Port McNicoll again. My last visit to the lake was in a hurry and could not get the lake scene in detail.

Paddling sounds in a tranquil lake 槳聲劃破萬籟湖

On 28 June 2012, I drove along Highway 400 from Toronto and went northbound 160km to Port McNicoll. The Calvert Park is adjacent to the lake shore with dense of green plant on the shore. A small broken deck is still in the waters and looks like the one at Nam Sang Wai in Yune Long, Hong Kong.

An afternoon stroll at Miln Dam Conservation Park 閑遊保育公園

A friend told me that there is a conservation park in Unionville, Toronto. The park is tranquil and beautiful, a good place for strolling. It is convenient to drive there in 15 minutes. While visiting this Miln Dam Conservation Park, I found that park staff were busy in preparing for the re-opening of the park.

The first & hot summer day in Victoria Harbour 炎夏湖濱小維港

20 June 2012 is the first day of summer. It is a very hot sunny day. Temperature is 34C and reaches 43C with humidity. I started driving from Toronto at 9am, along Highway 400 to the north for 160km﹐, exited at Highway 12, passed Maubaushene, a small town visited early this month. Victoria Harbour, destination of this trip, is located on its west, a small town on the waterfront. Exiting Highway 12 came to the Park Street, the main street from south to north, up to the lake shore.

On the waterfront of Maubaushene 閑遊湖濱小鎮

Toronto's Hwy 400 is running from south to north for more than several thousand kilometers. There are many attraction spots along the highway. In a sunny morning on 31 May, I was driving from Toronto for 150km and exited at Hwy 12 to visit a small town Maubaushene. It was the largest mill town in 1860. Its industries and businesses and many of its workers' cabins, have now vanished.

Toogood Pond in May 五月的池塘

In a sunny afternoon in May, I went to Toogood Pond in Toronto for leisure walk and took scenic photos. I made the first visit to this pond last May for landscape photography. However I prefer autumn in Toronto because most of the leaves have not fallen and they look scattered.

Looking through the dandelion 看透蒲公英

In early spring, the dandelions are beautiful, as if grassland covered with a piece of gauze decorated with many small and yellow flowers. In a sunny afternoon I was strolling and taking photos at the Toogood Pond in Toronto with my Ricoh Digital GR3 compact camera. I found some dandelions along the trail in the bush.

Beauty of colors in a small world 幻彩小世界

Today, I used my camera to capture the close-ups of the flowers, twigs and new buds. In a micro small world, I envisage the vitality of growth in the world of natural plants and their willpower of development. The beauty of fascinating colors is found in close-up shots through the camera lens. This has given me a lot of joy in creative photography.

Dandelions in a lazy afternoon 懶洋洋的午後小黃花

In early spring of April, dandelions are seen blooming everywhere, adding yellow colors on the green grassland. However, dandelion is the source of hay fever that annoys some people with allergy in Canada. In the lazy afternoons, I have spent my leisure to take some snapshots of these yellow flowers in Toronto. 

每年初春四月，是蒲公英盛開的季節，處處黃花遍地，為綠色的草地增添黃艷的色彩。但另一方面，這些美麗的小黃花，是花粉敏感症的元兇，也令部份加拿大人討厭。在懶洋洋的下午，我悠閒自得地拍下多倫多黃花遍地的景色。

 Nikon D200, Nikkor AF18-200mm f/3.5-5.6, Nikon GP-1 GPS

 Album:  Click for more photos 點擊更多照片 »

A scenic change on the road 景色蛻變

On 25 April 2012 I was so impressed by the dilapidated hut in the scene that the photo album of "A Wonderful Scene on the Road" was created.  Six days later on 1 May when I passed the same place again I found that the hut was demolished and replaced with a smaller one.  Lacking the "beauty of dilapidation", the scene is not so impressive as before.  With this thought, I feel that beautiful scene is short-lived and transient.  Our life is the same.  We have to cherish the present moment and love those around us. We do not know when is the time all these people and things will disappear in a short moment in front of us, just like falling petals and river of no return.  Therefore, pay more attention to things around and more care of your beloved ones.

A wonderful scene on the road 尋常路上現勝景

Driving along an ordinary road

I feel the morning sun is mild and pleasant

Catching my attention

is a winding trail

Flourishing grass

Small and yellow flowers

Filled both sides of the trail

All enjoying the breeze

                                 With the orchid scent

                                 And bathing in the gentle caress of the sun

Making Cherry Blossoms like Chinese painting 將櫻花入畫

On 19 April 2012, I went to High Park again to take photos of the cherry blossoms.  This time, I tried to make the photo of cherry look like traditional Chinese painting.  When taking photos, I already had a draft of a Chinese painting in my mind with which to select suitable flowers on the tree.  I selected those cherry looked like those in my "draft painting".

Creation of an artistic photo 創作一幀優美的照片

Yesterday, I went for a coffee with a friend.  Our chat focused on the photography technique.  Recently, I have posted the "Cherry Blossoms in High Park" which was well received by friends.  I have taken 600 photos within 7 hours in the park.  Some of my friends also went there but returned without avail.  They said that there were not many things for photography.  Why is it that in the same place one could take many photos whereas some other could not?  In my opinion, they are lacking three senses:  observation, creativity, aesthetics.

Cherry Blossoms in High Park 櫻花綻放峭寒春

The early spring presents to photographers a fresh scene;
The willow twigs half yellow and half tender green.
When High Park's covered with blooming flowers,
Then it would be the visitors' busiest hours.

It was still cold in spring and rain had come for a few days.  As the weather changed better though cloudy, I could go ahead to see cherry blossoms in High Park in Toronto.

Tree of Life 生命樹

There was a tree at the street corner

It was strong and tall with wonderful shape

It was called 'Tree of Life' 

湖景晨霧 A Misty Morning in Oastler Lake

Oastler Lake, 220km north of Toronto, is a beautiful small lake in Ontario where the Oasfler Lake Provincial Park is located. Last summer in August, I had spent 2 days camping in the Provincial Park for landscape photography. I was deeply enchanted by the morning mist in the lake. That morning, I got up at 5:30am to capture the glimmer of dawn and the mist along the Oasfler Lake Drive.

安省400公路的晨霧 A Misty Morning on Hwy 400

On Oct 11, 2011, I went to Barrie to take some photos of the maple leaves in fall. It was rare for me to drive on Hwy 400 at 6:30am in early morning. This time, I was glad to have my photo buddie Derek to go with me. I could not accomplish this album without his kindness to be my driver. It was not easy to take photos inside the car as the photo composition was limited within the window frames and by the driving speed of 100km.

情人節快樂: 愛的真貌 Happy Valentine: The Look of Love

Love scenes captured in Scarborough Bluffs Park, Canada.
這輯照片均在多倫多士嘉堡懸崖公園拍攝。

Nikon D200, D40X, AF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6

Album: 愛的真貌 The Look of Love