My least favourite time of the year is summer, primarily due to bugs, but otherwise, every season brings its own attractions, from a photographer’s point of view.

As someone who calls Thunder Bay home, there is hardly a trail within 200 kilometres of town that I have not hiked several times, but my favourite destination is the Sleeping Giant provincial park. I love the diverse terrain, beautiful lookouts and shoreline, and its proximity to town and accessibility are a huge bonus. Over the past 10 years, I may have visited the park over 400 times.

I do enjoy hiking very much, and so more often than not, I take my photos while simply out hiking, since I almost always take my photo gear with me, but I also often plan specific compositions that I then go out specifically to shoot. This usually takes a lot of planning for light conditions, moon phase or rise and set times, weather conditions, etc.

Despite careful planning, I often have to go through several attempts for the conditions to turn out as forecast, sometimes I end up with an entirely different composition than what I had in mind initiall .

Winter is the season I enjoy most, perhaps because it is quieter, and you do not have to be out super early or super late to enjoy the beautiful light of the golden and blue hours. I also like how snow covering everything simplifies compositions and makes landscapes more appealing. I typically capture ice formations, sea smoke, sunrises and sunsets, and of course, whenever possible, the northern lights. The Milky Way core is mostly absent from the sky during winter months, so I do not get to enjoy it.

This little tree growing out of a rock somewhere off the beaten trail to the Top of the Giant is simply one of my favourite. To me, it symbolizes steadfast resilience. I love stopping by and checking on it and, of course, taking photos of it in all seasons and at different times of the day and night. I camped there once for Milky Way photography in the spring.

Hero Tree - Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

The sunset below was taken from the lookout at Mount McRae. It really was not a planned photo. When I left home, the sky was overcast, and I had no expectations. I took my camera and lenses anyway because… who knows, better always be prepared. As the sky started clearing, I decided to stay for the sunset.

This second photo was intended as a sunset. The different weather apps all agreed that the conditions were good for that, but it just did not happen. The photo I took captured the cold and windy conditions at the time perfectly, though, and snowshoeing back from Tee Harbour in the dark was its own reward as far as I am concerned, I am a big fan of night time hiking.

Not Quite the Sunset I had Hoped for, at Tee Harbour / Lehtinen’s Bay Side - Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

Last week, I went to the Marina Park first thing in morning for an early morning photoshoot. I had a specific composition in mind, one I shot the week before an hour before sunset, and I felt like it would turn out good, given good sunrise conditions.

I was preparing to leave when the sun started clearing the low clouds hovering above the Sleeping Giant in the distance and back illuminating the trees. I ran back to the parking lot and switched my Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 lens to my Sigma 60-600mm lens, and took a few photos at a long focal length. I ended up liking those quite a bit

Dawn at the Marina Park, Taken with Sigma 24-70mm f2.8

Sunrise at the Marina Park, Taken with Sigma 60-600mm f4.5-6.3

And this last photo was taken at the Sea Lion early in the morning. The mental image I visualized had significantly more sea smoke, side illuminated by the golden sunrise light shining from behind the cliffs, but again, the conditions did not turn out exactly that way. Stubborn clouds continued to hug the horizon blocking sunlight, and the thin crust of ice that appeared on the lake overnight prevented sea smoke from forming except far in the distance. I was there just the day before, and it looked quite different then. I guess this leaves something for another day.

Winter Landscapes

Planning another Milky Way Photo-shoot