‘Up the Creek’ with Eaphan

Posted on by cecile

Literally, our ride today was up the Creek. My friend Eaphan is a great rider, and a great person. You can ask him to do anything and he will either say yes or a very polite no. I told him I was bringing along my camera equipment on our ride today and I am glad I did because I would have hated not to be able to get a few pictures and I know I would be stewing all night about it. The sun was at the perfect angle and it’s less than intense autumn rays provided stunning shadows and warmth.

My only disappointment was not bringing my Nikon 24-70mm lens. I had packed light today – one camera and one lens. I chose my Nikon 70-200mm because it is still a fairly new lens for me and I love using it and also because I can currently only fit one lens with my the Nikon D3S in my bag (read…I need a larger camera bag). It was also my first time on these trails so I had no idea what to expect. And I have to admit I really wanted to ride today – it was beautifully sunny and unseasonably warm for mid-November.

In retrospect, a wide angle lens would have been the better choice as I really didn’t have a lot of room to take pictures due to the abundance of floral overgrowth surrounding the barely used trails. So I worked my lens to the best I could and although I am stoked with the pictures I got I will definetely have to go back with the wider lens.

And again I will call upon Eaphan and I will direct him to do this and do that, wear some red and bring the yellow bike . In the end,  my hope is to get some unique shots of him and have a great ride. It’s always fun going mountain biking with friends and riding in the fall is a blast.

I had just finished taking the pictures by the creek, had packed up my equipment and rode less than a minute before I came to a quick stop and saw some sweet light on the few remaining yellow leaves on the bare trees. Most of the leaves had fallen a few weeks earlier and were dry and brown rustling under our tires and fluttering away as we sped by. Seeing the light and a pile of leaves gave me an idea and I asked Eaphan to practice his tripod turns swinging the rear end around and kicking up the leaves. Just like a little kid would do. And so he did. Thanks buddy for a great day and for showing me some great trails!

Broad Winged Hawk Finalist in GBLT Poster

Posted on by cecile

Yea…my juvenile Broad Winged Hawk picture was a finalist in this years Georgian Bay Land Trust (GBLT) Fundraising Poster. Over 75+ photographs and only 25 made it in. You can see my bird in the number 15 position if you count L to R. In other words, third row on the right hand side.

This is a fundraising effort on behalf of the GBLT to raise money to help with preserving the Georgian Bay area and its flora and fauna.

This was by far the hardest assignment yet. Taking pictures of birds is …well…for the birds. I found it not necessary to have the best photo equipment but it would have been a big advantage to have a long, fast lens as the majority of my shots were taken in a boat as that was the only access to many of these birds. Taking them from land couldn’t put me in close enough and that was with my big lens. For the most part I was shooting with my Nikon f4-5.6, 80-400mm lens. Although I like the lens I really felt its shortcomings on cloudy days and when the light was fading. Read…when it was feeding time for the birds.

However, I was able to capture a few pictures of various birds: Loons, common song tail birds, Great Blue Herons, various Gulls, Sandpipers, Terns and a few others to which I have no clue what they are. This is where my neighbours came in…they are active orthinologists and helped me quite a bit in identifying them.

This assignment did teach me a lot about birds. Specifically about their behaviour. I also learned when and where the best place to find them were. I spent a lot of time in the boat early morning or evening scouting them out. A few times I even had Luc with me…but those trips usually didn’t last too long as he would soon start to move too much in the boat and want to hang off the side of my Whaler. Not good considering he’s not even two yet.

But, lady luck was on my side the day I found this hawk. My husband, two children and myself had just gotten into our car at the marina when I spotted him. He swooped in gracefully and plunked himself on a tree branch not far from us. I had one lens (a 105mm) and I took as many pictures as I could before he flew away. I must say it was much easier taking a picture on land than from inside a boat.

If you use Georgian Bay for recreation or for your livelihood please consider purchasing this poster – it is after all for a good cause. The following is an excerpt copied from the GBLT website:

Funds generated from the sales of our posters go towards supporting the activities and projects of the GBLT.  With your support, we can preserve and protect the unique flora, fauna and habitat of Georgian Bay that we all love. 

Call the office at 416-440-1519 x 3 to order your poster today.  Posters can be mailed to you or arranged to be picked up at the office. 

Rolled poster: $ 20
Plaqued poster: $ 50

Canadian CX Nationals 2011

Posted on by cecile

Hungry racers from across our great country travelled to Toronto to aim for the coveted title of Canadian National Cyclocross Champion this past weekend. While Pine Point Park set the stage and created a unique backdrop for photographers, spectators and racers alike. It was a perfect day for a cyclocross (CX) event – clear blue skies and cool temps.

But it hasn’t been an easy road or ‘clear sailing’ for organiser Ziggy of ZM Cycling and Fitness. Forced to re-organise when political ‘roadblocks’ set up barricades preventing him from starting the 2011 Nationals a few weeks ago, ZM had to quickly to re-locate this rather important venue. Despite these drawbacks, the venue itself was challenging as racers sprinted on flats and climbed steep hills several times within the loop.

For spectators the course was great as one could see all the action at various points throughout the course. And for me, as both an artist and a photographer I relished at the unique background and the opportunity to display how a bike race could be successfully held within a big urban city a stone-throw away from our country’s busiest highway.

It was my own personal challenge to showcase the beauty of the location and the suffering of the racers. I love shooting in the fall. Although I do miss the heat of the sun, the softer light and longer shadows are great for photography. I looked around and saw a clear blue cloudless sky and a bright sun. I put back my flash in my camera bag and stepped out of my car with only one camera and one lens. Today, was not a flash day. Instead I decided to let the sun and the hill lead the way to my creative vision. While most photographers were up on the hill shooting with the sun in the racers face I chose to stay below and shoot into the sun. Opposite of what you should do. But I wanted a silhouette shot with some cool sun flare action.

The grimaces shown on the racers steadily increased as they got further into the one hour race. With each climb pain and burning muscles created stone faced riders suffering trying to keep the pedals turning against gravity.

I have attended several CX races within the past few years. The atmosphere at Pine Wood Park was electric. Moving around I now stood  at the top of the hill and could hear fans cheering below drowning out the faint buzz of the highway. I found irony in the thought that bicycles and cars have more in common than merely being mechanical machines. Racers accelerated, driving their legs up and down while in the background a small line of dancing ‘ants’ used the on-ramp to accelerate onto the 401. Both metal machines commanded by a human touch.

It was almost the end of the race and my fingers were numb, but that did not matter. When I think of the pain the riders went through, with each breath deeper than the last, heart pumping, legs burning and back aching I could withstand a bit of cold. Afterall, it was their hard effort that allowed me to capture a few images. I am quite proud of the art I produced this weekend and to this I say Thank You to the racers, the volunteers and to the organisers.

PS I do have more pictures – both artsy and non-artsy ones. Email me your plate number and I’ll see what I have.

 

Riding Muskoka

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Last weekend in October my husband and I had a chance to ride a very exclusive, invitation only, trail in the Muskokas. I cannot reveal it’s location as it’s private property but I will publicly send a huge thank you to the owner, Dave, for inviting us and creating 500 acres of awesomeness.

We may not have mountains in Ontario but we do have steep short hills, mixed hardwood forest and lots of Canadian Shield. Take the picture above, that’s Randy Evans a former pro-motocrosser, riding up a rather steep rock face on the aptly named trail ‘Hells Kitchen’. Ripping it in style Evans grabbed air, touched down, grabbed some more air before taking off.

I was both excited and nervous as I hadn’t ridden a technical trail in over five years. I left my camera behind and told myself my priority is to have fun and ride. And, maybe if I had the time at the end of the day I would grab my camera gear and get some shots.

Of course, as I was riding I fell in love with the terrain both as a photographer and as a rider. The 25 km loop began with single track snaking it way around hardwood trees, up and over short steep power climbs, creek crossings, and fast straight-aways. The terrain an endless variety of topsoil: loamy, hardpacked, softpacked, rock, sand and mud. Dave’s trails had it all. A 25 km loop of fun, fast flowing and technical sections to test even the most established rider.

It took us well over an hour to complete one lap. We stopped at the lookout point perched high up on a hill. To one side a deep lush canopy of green moss covered the trail and on the other a dangerous steep drop-off. It was indeed a beautiful view and I must admit in wanting to stay in one of Dave’s two small cabins on a warm summer night quietly sitting enjoying a birds-eye view of the lake and the surrounding hilly landscape.

I have painted a pretty picture of Dave’s land and it came as a surprise to find how difficult some (ok…many) sections were to ride. Previous rainfall had made many of the hills almost unrideable. They weren’t exceptionally difficult hills but the soft, greasy dirt quickly gummed up the treads creating an ice-rink of dirt, if that makes any sense. Thank you to Jeff, Jim, Dave and a few others for helping me (2x) up and out of those uphills.

Around every corner roots grabbed the front and rear tires and joked around throwing the bike side to side. Endless babyheads hidden deep beneath a layer of wet yellow leaves threatened to take you down. It was a constant battle of balance, clutch and throttle work to stay upright and maintain any type of speed and grace. More than once my feet flew off the pegs, arms and back bent in opposite directions desperately fighting the weight of the bike, and the trail pulling and pushing. It was hard work. And I admit to feeling out of shape.

My day ended up shorter than planned thanks to a broken kick starter (I must have strong legs). I was fortunate enough not to be deep in the woods and close to a hill on open land. But before bum starting the bike I managed to squeeze off a few ‘motoscape’ pictures that I am really happy with. Here’s one of my friend and fellow ‘Dirty Onion’ Shawn Richardson pulling a wheelie comfortably in style. Easily my favourite image of the day is the one of my husband riding towards me with a textured and layered backdrop of naked birch trees. This is one cool shot when viewed on a large HD screen.

After the quick photo session, Shawn, my husband and myself headed back to the car. Most riders were already back and indulging in freshly barbecued sausages, home made chili, baked beans and little chocolate and coconut dessert squares reminiscing about the day, and how hard the trail had become compared to previous trail rides. At the point, I looked at the owner Dave and coyly asked if we could be re-invited as I had an absolute blast and would love another opportunity to rip around the trail but in a faster fashion and with more style (a drier trail would help with that). Plus, I saw so many other photo ops. I really do need to come back.

Thanks to Dave for the invitation and for building and maintaining such a variety of trails. Thank you also to Ted D. for organising an amazing ride. What better way to spend a Sunday than with friends I haven’t seen in a while and new like minded riders enjoying a pristine trail on a cool late October day.

 

 

 

Moto Gymkhana on a Honda CBF1000

Posted on by cecile

This past weekend I had the opportunity to see and understand what Moto Gymkhana is all about. I had been viewing YouTube videos of competitions and reading up on this exciting and skill based sport that’s huge in Japan and gaining popularity in North America.

Gymkhana is not about speed. In fact, most competitors rarely leave second gear. It’s all about technique and maneuvering your motorcycle through and around pylons. Think riding in a crowded city and having to dodge cars, pedestrians, dogs – quick, tight turns and the ultimate control is needed to not drop your bike or hit someone. Gymkhana is described by Wikipedia as an event consisting of speed pattern racing and timed games for riders on horses. In this case…motorcycles.

In a competition, this is done in a closed circuit. The object is to complete the loop in the shortest time without touching cones and dabbing of the feet (unless specified). Very similiar to that of a motorcycle trials competition except that the event is usually held on pavement, with a road bike, and on flat land. In essence it is a ‘Time Trial’ event.

Usually a course will consist of tight turns and a few straight-aways thus making the proper choice of bike necessary. A smaller, light weight bike will have the advantage over a bigger, and heavier one especially if there are many tight turns. When you think of the weight of a road motorycle (minimum 400+ lbs) making tight turns is no easy feat. Speeds can reach up to 80kph. The most difficult part of a competition is when you have to give full throttle on first (or second) gear immediately followed by full braking to make either a 360 or 180 degree turn. Finally, what may look like a maze of cones you must remember the route and follow it accordingly.

Thanks to ‘Master Yoshi’ for showing his skill on the CBF. Which by the way is a killer looking bike. I love the pearl white paint job. That and his black and white outfit made for some really snazzy pictures. Master Yoshi made Gymkhana look super simple, easily turning his CBF1000 and flicking it from side to side. And you know if something looks easy than it’s because the person is smooth and skilled.

The photo shoot with Yoshi was a great opportunity. I am certain we will be seeing more of Moto Gymkhana. Yoshi is recognised by JAGE (Japan Moto-Gymkhana Association) and has the distinct honour to introduce this sport to Canada and the USA. I am certain Moto Gymkhana will gain momentum throughout North America.

As for me, I must admit…I am intrigued and would love to try this but would prefer borrowing a bike as I would really not prefer dropping my Suzuki GS500. So all my friends with road bikes any takers? If not I can always take my husbands Berg – it won’t mind being dropped on pavement 🙂

Terra Nova Enduro 2011

Posted on by cecile

The final round of the Enduro series was held in the beautiful Halton region with cool temperatures, sunny skies and a hint of rain. Well…maybe not a hint but more like a short downpour. Kudos again to all the participants and to all the volunteers (HORRA) who have put on another successful enduro.

I had my work cut out for me today and definetily made the right choice of using my car instead of my KTM to get around to the different areas. I needed my full gear (2 tripods, flashes, lenses etc.) as the light went from sunny to cloudy and back to sunny to full on rain.

This poor fellow decided to take a drink but lukily saved his bike and he was able to lift it back upright and continue along merrily…although a wee bit wet and cold now.

My left foot took a similiar drink as water came over the top of my boot while I was setting up my tripods in the river. I had wanted to bring them a bit closer to the riders but the current was fairly strong in the middle (and deep). Plus I really didn’t want anybody knocking them over. SB-800’s do not like water. No spark plugs to change here … just a lot of electronics. So I had to do with the ambient light and whatever light I could get from my flashes.

This was definetly my hardest shoot to date. Trying to rig up the flashes to not bounce off the water, keeping them from a safe distance, putting plastic bags over them to keep them dry, and forever changing their output levels (light kept shifting constantly) made for a very busy and hectic afternoon. I learned a lot from this experience. Not only did I learn from a technical viewpoint but I also learned to ALWAYS carry a spare set of socks! Luckily my Bogs kept me feet warm.

Throughout the year I have been taking pictures of both mountain biking and off-road riding enduro events and have loved every minute of it. I have enjoyed the hikes, scouting for locations (unfortunately, usually last minute), seeing racers in action and trying my best to create an artistically appealing picture that make the riders look good. The best part though was the socialising. I love to talk and meet people!

Reflecting on the year though I have to be honest and say that taking pictures of an event that uses a 100+km route is not easy. Trying to scout for locations, finding them, hiking in, setting up the equipment (flashes, tripods, wireless triggers), driving to the next spot while tyring to nail a few good shots and showcase as many riders as possible is not an easy feat. A lot of time (and gas) is spent trying to find those special areas. I usually try and get to 2-3 different spots and try to get as many people as possible. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible and to those ‘unsung’ heros that did not find a picture of themselves I apologise. I try my best to get everyone.

Shooting in a closed circuit is much easier and perhaps I’ll dabble into that next year at Hare Scrambles. But, I would also love to race a few of them again. Now if only I could get a job that would allow me time to race and take pictures…now that would be ideal.

 See you at the races next year. And remember all my pictures are for sale. Check out my Flickr page for the pictures and price list of Terra Nova 2011: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cecilegambin/sets/72157627787251545/. Please join me on Facebook under Cecile Gambin Photography to keep tabs on what I’m doing with my photography, what event I’ll be at next and to see and learn about my fine art photographs.

 

Open for Business

Posted on by cecile

Last night I had the best family over for a family portrait. I had just switched over to a white background and needed a few test shots. Both mom and dad jumped in front of the camera happy to ham it up. Classic!

I turned our living room into a portable indoor studio. I used the curtain rod to hang up my backgrounds – a white and a black duvet cover, 2 SB-800’s, one Lastolite softbox, a ladder and lots of energy. Plus, David took the kids to my parents house for dinner and a sleep-over. Saaaaaweeeet!

But, things weren’t always this sweet this week as i couldn’t find my white sheet. I literally tore our house apart several times. Finally, I found it this afternoon…wrinkles and all. Since I don’t own an iron (well I think we do have one but I don’t even know where it is) I used my hair dryer to smooth out some of the wrinkles. And it worked…slowly, until the hair dryer kept overheating because I had it too close to the material and I wasn’t letting enough air flow circulate through.

I can honestly say this family made my job super easy. They came up with the best and most creative poses. I hardly had to tell them what to do. So I just kept an eye on my equipement and kept shooting. My only drawback of the night were my batteries. I was shooting with 2 SB-800’s, one in a softbox and the other with a small diffuser on the front. The rechargeable double A’s were taking super long to charge up by the end of the photoshoot I missed a couple of good opportunities. Time to buy some new batteries tomorrow before my shoot on Sunday. One day I’ll own a real battery pack and strobes for indoor sessions. For the moment though the SB-800’s were great. What I love about them is their portability and flexibility – I just wish I had another way of powering them up.

Mid-way through the shoot I changed backdrops and went to classic black…just to change things up. I also changed up my lighting. I had originally started with a clam shell approach and then moved one of the SB-800’s behind my subject for some cool rim lighting. I re-angled the soft box and the creativity began once more.

I am very pleased at the pictures I took tonight. This was my first ‘real’ session with people other than my family members. I should post the pictures I took of David during the week. He was so impressed with me asking for his help…again. He’s such a trooper. What would I do without him??

So here’s David. I asked him to hold something in his hand and pretend it was his wife (that would be me) so I could work on getting the strobes in the correct spot and also nail down camera and flash settings. You can see David was very impressed with this entire session. And, when he wasn’t there to help me I had to resort to Mr. Potato Head to help me out. But that’s another story and another picture.

So I’m open for business and can offer a great price on a family portrait shoot as I have no rent to pay. I’m an informal type of person and I like to laugh and have people laugh during the shoot. I’m not into the stuffy poses – fingers this way, head that way, eyes over here etc. If this is what you are looking for than please contact me. Thanks for the super family who made my evening fun to shoot and who has now given me the confidence to approach other families. You guys were awesome!!

 

 

The Great Pine Enduro

Posted on by cecile

All pictures for The Great Pine are up on my Flickr site. Click here. You’ll also find pictures from The Corduroy Enduro 2011 there as well but in a different album.

Find your picture, email me the number or at least the key time if you remember it. And even a description of your bike would help if the plate is not easily identifiable. Prints or high quality digital downloads are available for purchase.

All pictures will be corrected for colour, and watermarked removed. Please excuse the rather large water mark but this is to prevent people from lifting my pictures. This is currently my only source of income and I only wish to cover my expenses (gas and camera equipment). You all know I love photography and off-road riding. Thank you.

The quickest and easiest way to receive a picture is through a digital download. Prints will take up to a 1-1.5 weeks (pro lab + Canada Post).

The price List is shown below (payment can be made via PayPal using my email which I will give you when you contact me):

Downloads & Prints Print& Media  Cost ** Shipping & Handling
Download all your images (High Res. 3200 x 2300) $45.00 n/a
Download 1 image (3200 x 2100) $15.00 n/a
4×6 * $8.00 $5.00
5×7 * $10.00 “
8×10 * $15.00 “
8×12 * $20.00 $8.00
10×15 * $30.00 $10.00

 

Kudos to all participants for a ride well done and to OCMC and all of its volunteers for putting on a great event.

Cecile

The Cord!

Posted on by cecile

Pictures for ‘The Cord’ are available for purchase and can be seen via my Flickr page. Click here to see and order them.

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was before The Cord, during The Cord and after The Cord. I’m still giddy and super stoked at my pictures I took this past Sunday at the 58th Corduroy Enduro held in the Haliburtons.

Stoked because I just picked up my new camera – a Nikon D3S , rented two outstanding lenses from Headshots in Toronto and because I’ve ridden the Cord in the past and I know it’s a super hard event. Since my favourite lens is still in the shop (waiting for a part from Japan) I decided to rent a Nikon 70-200mm and a Nikon 14-24mm as my wide angle is no longer compatible with the full frame D3S. I also had my trusty D90 with me as a backup body and that’s about what it became…a backup body. To say the least…I cannot believe the D3S…and even though it broke the bank … I’m in love!! Combined with two top lenses the quality of the pictures are unreal!!! Yea…I know Nikon is supposed to come out with another announcement sometime in October but I got tired of waiting and this is prime enduro season!

My day started bright and early Sunday morning leaving my in-laws in Peterborough at 6AM. I got to Gooderham around 7:20, ate a BLT and saw some old friends and riders I haven’t seen in a while. It feels so good to catch up with everybody and LOVE at how tight and accepting the off-road community is. Friends for ever is an understatement!!

With the spectator sheet in hand I made my way over to the first special test and was treated with amazing light! Right place at the right time with a kickass camera and lens to boot. The light pouring onto the field, and trees in the distance was magical. Oh yes…I was salivating and I needed a rider as I saw a few really cool shots. That’s when I was introduced to the ‘Blues’ brothers, whom I haven’t seen in about 8 years! The last time I saw them was at The Algonquin 2 Day where I was the head honcho for the children’s ride and led a bunch of them through the Madawaska area on my Gas Gas TXT 200 while they ripped up the single track on PW50’s. Jack quickly suited up and we booted over to the hill while I explained what I wanted. I fired off about 15 pictures before the sun rose higher and lost the epic light. But before the light changed I knew I had nailed some killer pics! I was so excited!!

By now the top racers were starting to filter into the special test area and I spent the next 45 minutes shooting from one the various spots I had already staked out half an hour before. I loved the terrain here…I could have stayed here the entire day and not be bored. As it is I’ve got some cool ideas still in my head but need another weekend with pristine blue skies, some time off from ‘mommyhood’ and a few top notch riders. So if there are any riders out there (and babysitters) who are up for the challenge let me know. I would LOVE to take these pics!!

So back to the race…upon entering the special test the riders tackled about a 1.5 km of single track with lots of wet, slippery roots. I know because I ran the entire way with my backpack full of gear, 2 full sized tripods and 2 cameras fully loaded around my neck and the other around my waist which made the 1.5 km feel more like 5km. I was hoping the singletrack crossed the Burnt River but it didn’t and I ended up taking that trail for nothing. I took a few pictures here and there not really excited about the area. The light was patchy and I was running out of time as I also wanted to catch the riders in the next special test. It wasn’t until I got home that I came across this photo and screamed with joy! Best viewed at high resolution this picture is so tack sharp you could prick your finger on it! Combined with the fall colours, and the sun backlighting the pine trees and an aggressive rider this is easily one of my favourite pictures from my shoot!

By mid-morning the race here wrapped up as the last rider came through and I left for the next special test at ‘The Tunnel of Love’. That name still makes me giggle!

I set up shop on a quiet and cozy creek crossing and set up a flash. Lots of ambient light here and there but tricky shooting as the sun kept shifting so I had to continuously re-adjust my camera settings. I also met another photographer – Keith Hamilton – a very friendly fellow who held no reservations and keenly helped me with my new camera. I litterally bought it on Thursday and didn’t have a lot of time to play with it before hand! So to Keith a BIG thank you goes out to you!! I really appreciate your help! So while Keith was giving me pointers I took pictures and missed some pictures as I was also trying to figure things out. But, I did manage to get one of Chris Zanelli from ‘The Dirty Onions’ – a super cool group I just met 2 weeks ago while riding in Simcoe with my friends Gary, Mike and Melanie. And Chris I must say…your outfit is so camo. I think you’ve wearing every colour from the forest – bright greens to yellows to subdued blues. Very … uh… let’s just say colourful. Teeheehee.

All in all an epic weekend. The only thing I would have liked to change was to have been able to go up on Saturday to make it a 2 day photoshoot and get some different terrain which I know they hit Saturday. I really don’t like getting to an event the day of, let alone 2 hours before the start. I prefer to scout my locations ahead of time. However, having said that I’m really stoked at the pictures I got. I’m really happy with them and with my camera. I especially loved the 70-200mm lens and would love that for Christmas. Are you reading this David?? I’m sure you could predict this so probably decided to skip this last paragraph.

So ahhh…all you readers and racers, if you are interested in purchasing one of my pictures just know that your expense is helping me to get to the next event and to upgrade my camera equipment to make you look good. Email me with your plate number and a quick description of your bike (as not all plate numbers are visible). A single high quality digital upload of a picture is only $15.00. Thanks for not ‘lifting’ my pictures!!

I hope you’ll read my article on Traction magazine – where I’ll be putting up the rest of The Cord pictures. Till than keeping you in suspense…thanks for reading and don’t forget to log onto this blog or my Facebook Page (Cecile Gambin Photography) from time to time to see what’s new! And if there are ANY riders who want to do a photoshoot at the first MX test not far from Kinmount let me know – I’ve got some super cool ideas!!

Thanks to Blair Sharpless, Machine Racing, TekVest, Lachapelle Racing Products, Foran’s Roofing & Sheetmetal, Ross Rocher Sales, Cliffshore, Yamaha, KTM, Husqvarna and all the volunteers who made this years Cord a memorable event. It takes a LOT of passionate people to keep putting on a top notch event like this and without them there’d be no fun!

 

Kelso Ride

Posted on by cecile

Revisiting some pictures I took this summer at Kelso Conservation Area with my friends Eaphan and Tammie. Now that big guy is in school and I’m with little guy, I kinda but not always, have a bit more time for myself. Funny how I thought that having one child is really hectic. Now it seems so easy!!

So I decided to give these pictures either a Black and White or Sepia treatment. I’m sure I’ll revisit these in a few weeks. Just because I tend to that sometimes. Sometimes if I leave if I don’t look at a picture for a while…a whole bunch of new ideas come to mind, and than I either start all over again or I tweak things to make them (hopefully) better!

It was a beautiful day – perfect blue skies with wispy clouds, and warm. Well…hot actually. Eaphan and Tammie were great as I asked them to ride a line over and over and over again. Thanks (again) guys!!

I’m hoping to get some more pictures of 2 wheeled action and now that I’ve got my dream camera I’m gonna love shooting in the woods!!