So it was Sunday morning and I was sitting by the dam here in Paris, Ontario. I had taken a few photos that I planned to post on Facebook a little later. I was thinking of taking the short mosey downtown to treat myself to a nice breakfast. The air was cool and the reflections on the river looked great. I know that I've done similar shots to these in the past, but I don't care. I just wanted to capture the whole vibe of the morning.
This past summer has been a tough one for me and, unfortunately, I needed a break from some self imposed pressures, including this blog. I apologize to my regular readers for not publishing a post or the ''Photographic Friends'' feature for the month of August. But I guess that, in some shape or form, I'm back. It's past Labour Day and like most of my fellow shutterhounds, I'm looking forward to the autumn colour season. I mean if you can't make a decent photograph in the fall, perhaps it's time to scrap the camera and take up macramé!
Last Saturday I went for a short photo walk with some members of the Paris Photo Collective. The walk was organized by Haether Coombs. Haether is a relatively new member of the group. I met Haether and her friend, Tammy Doogan, earlier in the Summer when they were doing some wildlife photography at Jedburgh Pond near Ayr, Ontario. I was travelling light that day. (well light-ish!) so rather than wildlife, I just managed to get some nice reflection shots of the pond.
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| Members of The Paris Photo Collective Photo-walk Sept. 18, 2021 l-r; Haether Coombs, Gord Barker, Tammy Doogan, Ryan Eltham, Dean Ellis |
Since then, both Tammy and Haether have become members of the group and have been posting some excellent pictures on the Facebook page. We were joined that morning by veteran photographer and artist Dean Ellis and a new member to the group, Ryan Eltham. Ryan just recently bought his first serious camera and is already doing some pretty amazing photography. As is usual in this group, there were a lot of laughs, some exchange of photo knowledge and some very good photographs made.
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| Dean and Ryan in action Paris Photo Collective Photo-walk Sept. 18, 2021 |
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| Tammy and Haether Paris Photo Collective Photo-walk Sept. 18, 2021 |
What has always amazed me about the Paris Photo Collective, is the sense of camaraderie and joy we all take in sharing our love of the craft. Right from the beginning, every meetup of the group feels like a get together of old friends. There's good conversation, some good natured kidding, and then the cameras come out and things get a tad more serious. Even newcomers to the group are quick to pick up on the vibe. Just an awesome group of people who happen to dig making beautiful images. In my experience, I've never seen a camera club like it! Hopefully as things loosen up, we'll be able to get together on a more regular basis.
So that Sunday morning, sitting by the dam, I reminded myself for the ten thousandth time of how lucky I am to live where I do and make the pictures I make. Best of all, I get to do it all with the encouragement and support of some really good friends.
I'm back.
...more later
P.S. The long awaited Photographic Friends post featuring Dean Ellis will be published on Saturday, October 9, 2021.
