A photographic journal by Brian Mazur

Almonte

The Urban Group of the RA Photo Club organized an outing to Almonte, Ontario for some late winter shooting in a picturesque small town. Of particular interest to me was the river which flows around the town, and drops through several natural and artificial waterfalls, and which was still partially ice covered. The paths along the river and walkways above presented many vantage points from which the river could be photographed, and I took full advantage of this. When not looking at the river, there were many aspects of the town itself which called out for photographs. While the temperature was just below freezing, the wind was quite strong, so it was COLD! Thankfully it warmed up a bit as the morning progressed and I was dressed appropriately, so I wasn’t uncomfortable. The other factor was that the walkways, in particular, were quite icy, and it would be quite easy to fall. Here again,​ I was well prepared with cleats that slip over the soles of my boots and provide excellent traction. Without those cleats, my mobility would have been severely limited. In all, there were about 20 club members that attended this outing and most of us met for an early afternoon lunch at the Barley Mow restaurant, that is in downtown Almonte right beside the river. Socializing with fellow photographers like that is one of the things that make group outings so much fun.

A rusted dumpster provided many opportunities for abstract interpretation. Even better, there was some writing on the dumpster that could be included creatively.
A rusted dumpster provided many opportunities for abstract interpretation. Even better, there was some writing on the dumpster that could be included creatively.
It's just the side of a building, but the symmetry of the windows and the diagonals expressed by the fire escape were appealing to my eye.
It's just the side of a building, but the symmetry of the windows and the diagonals expressed by the fire escape were appealing to my eye.
A graphic image that I framed and rotated to be reminiscent of a sunrise or rising flames.
A graphic image that I framed and rotated to be reminiscent of a sunrise or rising flames.
The solid ice and water divide the frame along a diagonal, and a circular area of broken ice framed within the water is the center of interest.
The solid ice and water divide the frame along a diagonal, and a circular area of broken ice framed within the water is the center of interest.
Patterns of snow on the surface of the ice offered many opportunities for abstract interpretation, as in this image.
Patterns of snow on the surface of the ice offered many opportunities for abstract interpretation, as in this image.
I framed this to capture the strong triangular shape, and then rotated the image so the triangle would point upward.
I framed this to capture the strong triangular shape, and then rotated the image so the triangle would point upward.
Basically a straight shot of water flowing over the rocks, but framed (and warped a bit) to minimize extraneous detail in the background.
Basically a straight shot of water flowing over the rocks, but framed (and warped a bit) to minimize extraneous detail in the background.
This is a 9-shot handheld panorama which was stitched together in Lightroom.
This is a 9-shot handheld panorama which was stitched together in Lightroom.
The composition consists of three horizontal layers: a foreground with interesting ice shapes, a middle ground with a flat rock for the eye to rest on, and the background of falling water.
The composition consists of three horizontal layers: a foreground with interesting ice shapes, a middle ground with a flat rock for the eye to rest on, and the background of falling water.
The S-shape formed by the water is what drew my eye to this shot.
The S-shape formed by the water is what drew my eye to this shot.
An interesting weather vane with a building pointing towards it and clouds symmetrically placed on either side.
An interesting weather vane with a building pointing towards it and clouds symmetrically placed on either side.
This particular waterfall is around the back of the Metcalfe Geoheritage Park, as viewed from the power station.
This particular waterfall is around the back of the Metcalfe Geoheritage Park, as viewed from the power station.
This is a 19-shot handheld panorama that was stitched together in Lightroom. The file is 1.01 GB in size. Display on the web does not do justice to the tremendous amount of detail in the file.
This is a 19-shot handheld panorama that was stitched together in Lightroom. The file is 1.01 GB in size. Display on the web does not do justice to the tremendous amount of detail in the file.
What I was looking at was the arc of the waterfall on the right framed by the waterfall at the top and the ice at the bottom.
What I was looking at was the arc of the waterfall on the right framed by the waterfall at the top and the ice at the bottom.
An interesting block of ice suspended above an ice flow. I was aiming for a fairly simple composition with a lot of negative space represented by the water.
An interesting block of ice suspended above an ice flow. I was aiming for a fairly simple composition with a lot of negative space represented by the water.
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