Tag: ‘Ontario offroad’

Terra Nova Enduro Photo Report

Posted on by cecile

Welcome to the 55th edition of the Terra Nova Enduro 2012 which was largely set in beautiful Mulmur Hills, Ontario and surrounding area. For event photos please click HERE.

The crew at The Halton Off Road Riders Association (HORRA) put on yet another stunning and well run event. Despite the rather gloomy forecast rain was only evident in the morning and replaced by warm winds and cloudy skies by early afternoon. All the typical Terra Nova tracks one comes to expect were used including single track from various Simcoe County Forests, and private tracks from Lance’s, Neils, and Lee’s farms. Shame on those who stayed in bed – the weather man got it all wrong and you missed a fun yet challenging event.

Following the new style of enduros HORRA wasted no time in created a super cool enduroX. Lee Martin and Kevin Burnett (Rally Connex) worked hard, moved land, and re-sculpted the old MX track at Primose campground. Considering the size of the track I am sure others helped out and hats off to you. The EnduroX was definitely a Terra Nova highlight and created quite the level of awesomeness!

It takes a lot of work to put together an enduro of this length (190km+) and, again, without the help of the countless volunteers events like this would not be possible. A huge thank you to all you unsung heroes.

The first special test of the day was a greasy but fun one.
My favourite quote of the day came from Vet. Expert supastar Rome Haloftis: ‘I fell OFF the grass track’. Not sure how you fall off a flat grass track but look Rome…someone else did too 🙂
OFTR watchdog. Looks downright vicious doesn’t he?
This foot long hotdog wasn’t the meal of choice for the riders but…
…it was this puppy’s choice of food who really didn’t appreciate me taking his picture. Joking it’s a Halloween prop!!
This rider (Bill?) came in hot into the EnduroX and gave the spectators the most entertaining show with his go for broke ‘ride ’em cowboy’ style. Not sure what the time was on his report card but IMO he was the fastest through the X section.
While some riders landed nose down KTM’s Mission Cycle backed rider Kevin Cockayne rode through with the front wheel up and landed the top step on the podium in the Pro class.
The log section.
Lee Martin showing us the line in the final corner of the X section before the big, sandy uphill finish.
The wall. Intimidating from the bottom.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for taking the time to read my blog, and purchasing photos. Your support is truly appreciated and while I cannot contribute to the household income my hopes are to cover gas expenses and repair my equipment when it gets damaged from the elements (mainly water, dust and sand). For me photography is not only recording an instance it is also an art form and I strive to include art into my photographs. Your comments good or bad are always appreciated (constructive feedback is how I learn). Spread the word. It’s been a ride this year and sorry I didn’t get any photos from the Great Pine Enduro. I had the itch to race myself. Find me on Facebook on my page ‘Cecile Gambin Photography’ for the latest updates.
Oh look…it’s a Berg. A sandy Berg. Had it had been any colder I could have said an ‘ice Berg’. But since it was rather mild I’ll just call it a tired Berg. hehehehe…
No disrespect intended on my behalf … but thanks for the entertainment and good photo ops at the finish line 🙂
Thank you HORRA, racers, volunteers, Primose Campground, land owners and many others for a great day!

 

 

 

 

Transforming Gary and his Hercules into a Digital Painting

Posted on by cecile

This is my friend Gary. He’s the coolest guy I know – he rides all sorts of bikes from pushies to motorised. He also plays in a rock band, runs, skiis, snowboards and travels just to name a few. So I thought a digital painting of him and his very cool Hercules would be a good way of showing him off.

I took this picture of him last fall while he was showing Melanie and myself his backyard trails just outside Barrie, Ontario. I decided on this picture for some digital painting as I liked the colours, the leaves and the ‘low rider’ action. For a larger view of the painting…simply click on it.

Digital Painting is just what it sounds like. I move pixels around on the computer instead of using actual paints, brushes and various cleaners. I love how I can make a ‘virtual mess’ of a painting than hit the ‘back’ button or delete the painting entirely and start all over. Plus, there’s no mess – no sticky fingers, no turpentine, no oils, and no spills. However, my eyes eventually become strained from starting at the monitor for too long.

The process of taking a picture and transforming it into a painting is not that difficult. The trick is to start off with a good picture. And that itself can be challenging. What makes a good photograph does not necessarily translate into a good painting. I have also found that certain colours and backgrounds lend themselves better to being ‘digitised’. Once I have found a suitable photograph I play around with it in either Lightroom or Photoshop using levels, saturation, brightness, dodging and burning. Those are usually my main edits. Than I open up the picture in Corel Painter, choose my brushes, senstivity and a host of other things before I begin ‘painting’.

The next part is the hardest for me. I really should leave the painting alone for a few days…not to dry but to see whether or not I am pleased with the results. However, I am such an impatient person that sometimes I skip this last step. My impatience has sometimes gotten me in trouble. This is also another reason why I do not play golf. In fact I have only played twice in my life (not counting driving ranges and mini-golf). The last time I played I ran in between holes as I was getting ‘ancy’ and just had to ‘de-energise’ a bit. Ok…I am so off topic right now.

I hope you like the painting. Please feel free to send me your thoughts!

Cecile