Monday, August 17, 2015

Nova Scotia: Where This Photographer Loves to Play with Texture


I take a lot of photographs.

(I can hear the guffaws of my siblings 
and my husband at that statement).



The Digby Wharf
Nova Scotia, Canada




Westport, Brier Island


I can't help it:  The world is fascinating,

and there is so much to see around us if we only look.



Rainy Ferry Ride Through a Car Window, 
Grand Passage, Between Brier and Long Islands





Argyle Street in Halifax



So I've just gotten back from Nova Scotia,
and I'm looking at the many photos 
I've taken for many reasons.



Annapolis Royal Farmers and Traders Market
My Go To Stall for Acadian Style Chocolate Croissants and Bread.




Digby Gut from Smith's Cove



Some I took for the sheer joy 

of the beautiful textures that I saw.




Weathered Building in Digby




Contrasting Textures in Westport, Brier Island


I often think of photography as painting with light,
but it is so much more that.
It's form, color, line, perspective, and composition.



Alexander Keith's Brewery,
Lower Water Street, Halifax




Tidal Waters
Habitant River, Canning



One element of photography that speaks to me 

compellingly is texture.  I respond to it intuitively.



Sophie Doodle with Mr. Orangie
Point Pleasant Park, Halifax





Door to the French Powder Magazine
Fort Anne, Annapolis Royal
Built in 1708



Basically texture is the roughness or smoothness of a surface.

In the physical world texture is tactile.
You can reach out, touch a surface, and feel its texture:
its shape, size, and physical arrangement in space.




Seagulls on the Foggy Shore
Out Lighthouse Road, Westport, Brier Island




Birch Trees, Smith's Cove


In photography texture is visual.

A photograph's physical surface is smooth,
but its image creates a sense of an object's tactile qualities.
In your mind you can feel the surfaces in a photograph.




Evening Comes to Argyle Street, Halifax 




Seafood Chowder, Halifax


It's often texture that provides detail and information

about your photographic subject.
Texture can also embed emotion and drama in an image.



Clam Digger on the Mudflats
Smith's Cove




Ice into the Hold for a Commercial Fishing Trip
Digby Wharf


I hope these textural photographs from Nova Scotia

give you pleasure as they do me.




 Bonfire, Smith's Cove




Basalt, Boars Head,
Tiverton




Boars Head Lighthouse
Tiverton, Nova Scotia

30 comments:

  1. Glad you got back for a visit Louise! Stunning images to boot. Hope you got to see a whale on Brier. I have been working with a bunch of folks there now for the past four years, with the goal of restoring the "Big Bog" on the island which was ditched back in the 1950's. It harbours the largest population of a globally endangered plant known as "Eastern Mountain Avens." Every visit restores the soul.

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    1. Hey, Mark!! It's great to see you! And thank you for the kind words about my photos!

      I'm excited to hear that you are working on Brier island to restore the Big Bog. Some of my family and I went to the end of Lighthouse Road a couple of weeks ago and hiked around, but it was very foggy. I was hoping to see an Eastern Mountain Avens, but I didn't.

      I learned several years ago that the Nature Conservancy has protected some of Brier Island, but I don't know if that part is the Big Bog. Are you working with the NC, or is it with a local group outside the NC preserve? The NC is one of the charities I contribute to. I plan to do a blog post on that hike.

      I've been traveling much of the summer, and we're going to spend September on Vancouver Island. I hope to get consistent with my posting and visiting friends' blogs again. Thanks so much for visiting, especially when I've been absent ~ Not too much internet on the Inside Passage and Alaska or not enough time. I'll be catching up on your blog shortly and am looking forward to it! Take care!

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  2. Amazing images, Louise! I love them. That second photo with the caption "Westport, Brier Island"...oh my gosh...what a great shot. It would look great blown up and framed. You should hang that up on a wall in your house. Photograph away, girl! It's a fun hobby.

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    1. Thanks, Martha! I saw that shed with the colorful roofing while I was waiting to catch the Joe Casey back to Freeport on Long Island. Even though we could hear the ferry coming near in the fog, I jumped out of the car and raced to take the photo ~ to the groans of my family. By the time we were on the ferry, it was raining. I have so much fun with photography, and I know you do to. Here's to happy hunting for both of us!

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  3. Great photos! I especially like the glowing bonfire. We had a fab time in Nova Scotia too and I'll be posting some photos when I get back to blogging in mid-September.

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    1. Hi Debra! Good to see you! I'm glad that you had a great time in Nova Scotia.

      We had dinner with Ron and Jim at the same place you and your Rare One did two days earlier. I say we: Ron and Jim were with me, my sister Barb, my sister-in-law Susan, two "MacBeath" nieces Heather and Sara, and one surprise "Barbour" niece Sharon (who just happened to be in Halifax that day and came too). Talk about Ron and Jim being good (and brave) sports! Then, the next day, I had a wonderful time with Ron, Jim, and Sophie Doodle all to myself! :)

      Can't wait to see your photos of your Maritime travels. I'll be settling into a long visit in Victoria in mid-September. Hopefully I'll have lots of time to post and visit blogs. Take care!

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  4. This all looks so familiar and yet new to me, Louise. What a wonderful descriptive post about texture in photography. You have certainly gotten that concept across with your photos. I LOVE LOVE LOVE those rusty poles amongst those white flowers.
    Oh, and Sophie Doodle says hello/lick .....she is honoured to be included here.

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    1. Thank you, Jim. I LOVE that photo too. Those rusty poles are connected into something, but I don't know what it is. Maybe next time I'll have time to ask someone what it is. Don't think it's going anywhere fast!

      I loved the texture of the ocean water surrounding Miss SD., so I had to include that shot! I was honored to be able to pat, hug, and feed pizza crust tidbits to Miss Sophie Doodle! And what a thrill to throw Mr. Orangie into the water for her!!! I plan to feature her in a couple of more posts from our day together. I have so many post ideas tumbling in my mind! I'm on the hunt for a new "Weezer" for SD, LOL!

      Have a good week, Jim!

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  5. Photo 2 gets my vote. :)

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    1. Thanks, Susie! I'm proud of that shot! You must be back at school ~ I hope your year has started well! If you're not back yet, I hope you have a great start! Take care!

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  6. Really splendid photos, you've got a good eye for detail. Nice week!

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    1. Thanks, Blogoratti! I get so much pleasure from sharing my photos, especially when people enjoy them. You have a nice week too! Good luck with those goals!

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  7. You sure capture everything, I even have seen a few of those spots haha hermit me feels special now lol. You went everywhere when here.

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    1. Happy to make the hermit feel special! I moved fast, let me tell you. Must be why I mostly slept for three days when I got back to Colorado! LOL! Enjoy your day, Pat!

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  8. Dearest Louise, your fourth photo is amazing in that I just love the expansion and all the things in it, but I love this entire series! My uncles (two of them, on my father's side of the family) lived in Nova Scotia. One lived in Halifax and the other in Annapolis Royal. Although I have never been to Nova Scotia, I have heard many things and seen photos and videos and it is beautiful! It is known as "Canada's Ocean Playground", and I can see why.

    Thank you so much for sharing, this is just what I needed today. I am not feeling good at all due to the intense heat and humidity we are experiencing here in Montreal, and I lose my appetite for food, too. I try to eat lightly and drink plenty of water, and stay inside where it is cool and comfortable as much as possible. :)

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment, Linda. I'm sorry that you are feeling intense heat and humidity. That combo is the worst, and it can be deadly. Sometimes I take a washcloth, wet it with cold water, and put it under the back of my neck while lying down. It's refreshing and cooling. Sometimes I have a second one cooling in a bowl of ice water, so I can change them out. Works on the forehead too. I learned this trick from a flight attendant who is a friend of mine. Feel better! Hugs, my Montreal friend!

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  9. What I like best about your photography...besides the fact that it is well done....is that it takes me places to see things I would never get to experience in real life. Gorgeous images. I love that you strive to capture textural images. So much in this world to see.

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  10. Hi Fundy, it's your sister Barb - I think this may be my favourite post of yours - my favourite picture is ... all of them! You will have to blog about the exploding bonfire - ha, ha. My foot is almost recovered and I am looking forward to seeing you in Vancouver :) hugs your frequent NS traveling companion Barb

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    1. Hey, Barb! I was wondering about that foot after you hung up yesterday! Sounds like we'll be able to cross paths on Vancouver Island. Yay!!! So glad you enjoyed the photos! I had so much fun taking them! See you soon!!! Hugs!

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  11. My favourite #1, Digby Wharf, but to see Sophie in your blog!!! Double enjoyment. Superb photos, taken from all angles, any one would take place in a magazine, calendar, or on the wall.

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    1. Thank you, Jean!!! You should see the big smile you put on my face! Ms Sophie is a darling. I had such fun throwing Mr. Orangie for her. I will be having more photos of her and the guys in a later post! Hugs!

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  12. Wow, you have a great eye! Some of the best ones you took are the simple ones.
    I'll take some chowder now, thanks.

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    1. Thanks, Alex! My theory of photography is: If you take enough photos, you're bound to get a good one! LOL! Have a great day!

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  13. The photographs are amazing. The Digby Wharf is breathtaking!

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    1. Thanks, Rachna! That wharf has been part of my entire life, no matter how many places I roamed. Somewhere in those boats is my cousin's scallop boat. Have a great day!

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  14. It's almost an overload of texture, but your photos are soooo good. Beautiful.

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  15. I must commend you on your phenomenal eye for effective use of color. Westport, Brier Isl.--multicolored steel roofing panels-- and the farmers market --with the man's shirt and scarf attracting attention and focus among breadstuffs-- are just two beautiful examples. When I learn that skill, I could call myself an artist. You are remarkable.

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    1. Thank you, Geo! My goodness, but I'm grinning from ear to ear with your kind comment! I was just setting up my next post to publish before I went to bed and saw I had a new comment. Now I'm wide awake from smiling! Have a good one, my friend!

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Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them very much.