If you’re like me, from time to time you let your spirit of adventure take hold, grab a camera, and drive about letting your inspiration find you. This short article shares some images captured while I was wandering in Wellington County.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

It seems that no matter where I am there is something unusual to catch my eye, like the canoe used as a planter in the image above.

Patterns and repeating colours seem to garner my interest. Unfortunately the breeze had kicked up a bit, causing me to use a higher ISO to get the shutter speed I wanted for the photograph above.

Incorporating fences in compositions can often help to create a stronger feeling of depth in an image as they can serve as a bottom bar.

I always enjoy finding a bit of whimsy when I’m out with a camera, like the bow of a canoe mounted on an old shed.

I was walking towards the West Montrose Covered Bridge when the combination of elements in the photograph above stopped me in my tracks. I quickly captured an image, then headed across the bridge.

I wouldn’t typically shoot my Nikon 1 gear at f/11 since some softening from diffraction can be noticeable. I used a longer focal length to help compress the elements in the photograph and chose f/11 to help ensure the tree in the background would appear in focus. I liked the combination of the ominous clouds, dried out corn stalks and the orange colours of the tree. They all signalled that autumn is here and winter is on the way.

Often the same elements can be combined in a different way in a composition by moving your physical position and using a shorter focal length as seen in the image above.

I am surprised at how often I catch a very quick glimpse of a potential image out of the corner of my eye when driving. Whenever it is safe to do so, I double back to investigate the scene. The photograph above and the two that follow all resulted from ‘double-backs’.

At one point I pulled over on the side of the road, preparing to do a U-turn so I could check out a different ‘double back’ opportunity. I happened to glance to my right and saw a scene that was far better then the potential ‘double back’ one. The image below is the result of that quick glance to the right.

I hadn’t been to Elora for a while, so I made a quick stop and captured the three images below.

I’ve always enjoyed the spontaneity and inspiration that can come from going out with a camera on an unplanned basis. One never knows what to expect.

While not in Wellington County, I ended my day with a quick visit to the  Hendrie Valley Sanctuary where I captured the above image. Just for fun, I’d thought some of you may like to also see a jpeg made from the unprocessed RAW file with only standard DxO PhotoLab adjustments applied.

Often one never knows what to expect in post either… just a different kind of challenge!

If you haven’t been wandering about with a camera lately, give it a try and let your inspiration find you!

Technical Note:
All photographs were captured hand-held in available light using Nikon 1 gear as per the EXIF data. All images were produced from RAW files using my standard process of DxO PhotoLab, CS6 and the Nik Collection. I shot using Aperture Priority mode with single point Auto-Focus and Matrix Metering.

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