New Book

I haven't been posting here too much lately but I thought I would post this here as well. I just finished up my latest book. Windsor-Essex Landscapes is a collection of my favourite landscape and night images from around my hometown of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is now up for sale on Blurb. Check it out!


     

Windsor Essex Landscapes by Cale Best | Make Your Own Book

Welcome Back

I apologize for the lack of content here lately. I've been trying to come up with an interesting approach as to what to do with this blog space. Recently I've been answering some questions from people on Facebook about my photography and how I go about creating some of my images. I don't talk much about my photos (or in general, really) but when someone asks me a photography question my reply is often a lot longer than I  intend it to be.

I'm no where near being an expert on the topic, but I have been doing this for years now and I'm finally starting to feel confident about my abilities, especially in areas like night photography. Although I'm not past the long nights of shooting and coming home with nothing but junk.

I would also like to use this space to do a little more writing. That's the main reason I started this blog anyway. So, in the near future you can expect some tutorials and ramblings to materialize around here. Until then, here are a few of my favourite recent photos. Enjoy. -Cale.

The Milky Way and Northern Lights over Eagle Lake, Ontario

A panoramic view of Algonquin Provincial Park from the Lookout Trail.

Sitting at the bonfire on Eagle Lake just after sunset.

An abandoned farm house near Chatham, Ontario.

 Light painting on a tractor in Windsor, Ontario.

 Light painting on a shed in St. Joachim, Ontario. 

A fisherman wading out into Lake St. Clair at Sandpoint Beach in Windsor, Ontario.

Area 53 - 2011 - Photo #41

Area 53 - 2011 - Photo #20

I've already posted this photo on facebook, but I didn't shoot anything else this week. So this is my best photo of the week, even though I usually try to make this post fresh, its better then rushing a junk photo for the sake of something brand new. This is Chase Davidson on a solid day of riding.

Check out Todd's photos of the week.

Week 49

I went out into the cold lastnight after work to find some photos. I didn't have anything yet for my photo of the week. I had tried a few times throughout the week but it was always raining and ugly. I shot some of the ambassador bridge waiting for a boat to pass but finally gave up. When I got back to my car and started packing up a boat popped out of no where. So I quickly set up a shot. It's not the best but all I could do to get a decent shot. (below).

My main photo this week (and the rest, below) is from the industrial area of west Windsor. I tried a few different colour versions of this shot with flash gels but I liked this one best.

Check out Todd's Photo(s)

The Farm

A few weeks ago I went out to St. Joachim, about 20 minutes out of the city. My friend's band was practicing at the drummers dad's old farm house. While I was shooting photos of them I noticed the sun setting outside. I had purposely planned to shoot some sunset photos while I was out there that night.

I grabbed my tripod and slipped out the back door for a few minutes. I headed towards the back of the property and by the time I found a place to start shooting from I could no longer hear the music pumping out of the house.

I tried shooting these the honest way, with a graduated ND filter but the angles were too much and the sunset was too bright for it to really have an effect. So I started shooting everything twice, first exposing for the sunset, then again exposing for the foreground. It took me awhile to get it right in photoshop putting them together but I finally got this one to turn out decent.

I'm still not 100% happy with it, which is why I'm posting it here and not saving it for a greater use. I have others from this shoot that I'm holding on to for the time being.


After looking through all these photos and working on them in photoshop I really got the desire to shoot more photos in the county. But first I need a car to explore in.

Prep Work

Sorry, I've been slacking on posts lately. No excuses. Here's a couple photos from about a week ago. Richard prepping a ledge while I test the lighting and an icepick on said ledge.

I shot a time lapse of this intersection from another angle, but I still have to put it together. So here's a taste for today. This is at the corner of Walker Road and Grand Maris here in Windsor, Ontario.

Yesterday I spent some time with my bike at the skatepark. I haven't been riding much lately, I don't know why. Every winter I have to go months without riding and its torture, but when the warm weather comes I ride a lot for the first month or so then I get lazy and complain that its too hot. Sometimes I'll go a month in the summer without riding, then winter shows up with its snow and I regret all the wasted sun and dry concrete.

A simple sunset shot today. The mosquito's have been terrible around here this month. It's hard to set up shots with 40 of them buzzing in your ears while you're trying to focus. They also enjoy my knuckles, seems I always have bites there. Every time I go out I think "I should have put on some bug spray" but I haven't remembered yet. I caught myself sounding like a crazy person last night while trying to set up shots and fighting off mosquito's and muttering profanities.

Silly Entertainment

Every year we have a big fireworks show along the river between Windsor and Detroit. It's pretty much the same every year and costs somewhere around a million dollars. While it IS fun to watch I can't help but think how that money would be better spent...pretty much anywhere. I haven't went to see the show in a few years, but I've always wanted to take photos of it. So rather than joining the thousands of families and punk teenagers (man, I'm getting old) downtown, I headed to Windsors highest elevation (all 26 meters of it), Malden Park, an old landfill. There were a few people there but I found my own spot with a kabillion mosquitos.

Red Bull and Leaving

I didn't have much time to shoot photos today so I kept my camera on all day and grabbed it everytime I heard a plane approaching. Since the planes for the Red Bull Air Race are flying out of Windsor Airport this year they all fly over our house on their way to the river. I also got a red bull helicopter.

This is my last post for a week, as I head off to a cottage on Lake Huron for a yearly break from Windsor and everything I hate about it. When I reluctantly return I will post at least one photo from each day of the trip. Take care, Society.

Flying Objects

This weekend is the big Red Bull Air Race here in Windsor, Ontario. I went down to the river but there wasn't a plane in sight. So I headed to the airport to see if anything was going on there. A few planes were flying around there, then they started heading towards the river, so I followed. But before I left the airport area, I saw this Hawk soaring overhead with a Red Winged black bird hot on his tail. It must have been protecting some babies because he would not leave the hawk alone, even though the hawk seemed to barely notice the little birds presence.


I ended up back at the riverfront, but not very close to the action. I got some good photos though. I may head down there again today if I have time. But I have a lot to get done today first, I'm leaving for Tobermory in the morning. Oh...and speaking of Red Wings (*huge smile).