I’m hoping to find some more beautiful pictures of ‘Les belles Pyrenees’. I’m also hoping to be able to get out for lots of road rides and hikes. I know I’ll need it as I just LOVE all the yummy cheeses and full fat yogurt! And my husband won’t be here to tell me to stop eating (not that he does)!!

For those who don’t know these mountains are special to me as it’s where 90% of my relatives live, as well as my parents. They separate France from Spain and they are incredibly beautiful. A perfect day is hiking up to a peak, having a ‘casse-croute’ of French bread, saucisson, cheese and water. I’m hoping to see some snow this year as last year it had all melted (September visit). I’m also really hoping to be able to go up ‘La Mongie’ which is an HC climb in the Tour de France. Well see if my fitness allows me to. I’ve been working hard at it but it’s hard getting out for rides with 2 wee ones. So maybe I’ll cheat and start from the bottom of the hill instead of my parents which would be a 120+ km ride. Maybe in a few years I’ll be able to tackle that ride again.

I’ll be posting regular updates on my Facebook Page. Do a search under Cecile Gambin Photography to find me. I’m sure there’s a way to link the page into this blog but for now I really should finish packing. We have to leave extra early because Air Canada is on strike, and Air France is also on strike (maintenance workers). Yay.

Went to the Toronto Zoo this past Sunday and in between the rain, snowstorms, hail and wind I came across this really cute polar bear!!! I think though the Arctic Wolves in the pen across from him are a bad influence! What do you think?

I had one lens with me that day. I call her ‘Big Bertha’. This is my biggest lens (80-400mm, f4.5) and I LOVE shooting with it (but secretely I would REALLY love the faster version). Anyways, I realised after my first few pictures that I really should pick up a mono-pod or start carrying my tripod with me. It was hard holding this lens full on 400 mm wide open with the wind. I found myself bracing on fences, rocks and whatever else I could to stabilise it. VR was on too!And it’s not like I didn’t have the room as I had the double ‘Chariot’ with Luc sleeping quietly inside. I could have easily put the tripod in beside him 🙂

For the most part I shot with ISO anywhere between 250-640 but had to really bump it up inside the Gorilla Pavillon. And that’s where the D90 with the 400 mm with ISO bumped up to 2000 doesn’t do too well. Very grainy. But what did I expect? At least I got a few good shots outside so I was happy with my day.

Cecile

A new take on my recent photoshoot with my rocker husband. Put a cool blue tint as I felt it gave a good mood to the picture. My favourite part of the picture though is the ‘invisible’ leading line of guitar neck followed by the two pegs on the right hand side. That is, you can’t see the neck as it’s black against a black background but your brain knows it’s there and tells you so.

I’ve been trying to put my softbox up for more practice shooting but the dirty laundry keeps piling up and has been taking up a lot of my time lately. Laundry over Photography. Sad isnt it!

I love my husband. He’s the best!! The best rocker, the best (photography) assistant, the best Guitar Hero model and my best friend  🙂

Playing around with my new softbox tonight. Used a black backdrop (a black duvet cover actually), two SB-800’s, one softbox, one snoot and one guitar! Had lots of fun and there’s soooo much too learn. The creativity using flash is endless. So I really hope my lovely husband will not tire of me taking pictures of him some more. Maybe next time on a bike.

Woke up to a beautiful sunny, but really cold, day. The warmest part of the cottage was upstairs. I think we were at least in the mid-teens. Downstairs, despite a fire and electric baseboard heaters, it was a balmy 10C. We may want to insulate the floors sometime in the future if we are going to make this an annual Family Day event! However, the new windows and foam insulation that David worked on this summer was a saver keeping the heat in!

Amazing how quiet the Bay is this time of year. There were a couple of ice fishing huts not far from us and the odd snowmobile went by. Today however it was quiet. So…I decided to bundle up and stepped outside with camera in hand. Forget the tripod…too cold to set it up. My fingers and camera batteries wouldn’t have lasted anyways! And cold it was. I should have covered my face especially since I had previously gotten frostbite on my cheeks a few years ago skiing at Mont Tremblant in -60C (summit with windshield) temps. Yes…that was silly. But I had just gotten new skiis and the lift ticket was already paid for so why waste it? Anyways, the morning sun greeted me with beautifully textured snow and long shadows. 

The picture shown here was taken around mid-day as I was hanging out with the kids upstairs playing with them…and ahem…sneaking in some photography while I could. I loved the blue sky against the white snow and ice of the bay. The window framed the shot perfectly. And the tulips? Well I just loved the irony (juxtaposition?) of them. Spring vs Winter. Colour vs Monochrome. Shadow vs Light. Cold vs Warm.

Decided to head up to our cottage for some winter fun this past Family Day Weekend. Of course, we chose a very cold weekend!! But I was rewarded with some cool clouds and bright blue skies. My biggest challenge was keeping the whites white while not blowing out the snow during daytime shots and staying warm. My best pictures were during the early morning however, I didn’t last too long out there as there was a vicious windshield (-35C) and my fingers and face were frozen. That and the ice kept groaning and creaking as it expanded with the cold. That’s got to be the most unnerving sound!!! Needless to say, I kept close to shore although I knew the ice was at least 1.5 – 2 feet thick! I’m such a wimp.

So I’m working on a few pictures which I’m hoping to put up in my website gallery soon. I’m also planning on showing a few at this years Ojibway Art Show. I may also show them also at Ben Navaee Gallery as I have a show coming up sometime in early spring. Of course, I’ll let you konw all about that when the time comes 🙂

My favourite pictures of the weekend though are of my oldest son ‘Ice Fishing’. Priceless!! Gotta love the Mickey Mouse fishing rod that comes with a red plastic fish all ready tied to the line!!