Pinhey Forest

One of my photography friends invited me along to explore Pinhey Forest. The forest is located in western Ottawa, south of Hunt Club Rd. and between Woodroffe Ave and Merivale Rd. Years ago, I had explored some of the northern section. But our destination was the southern section that I hadn't seen before. The forest is full of trails that are well used by individuals or families enjoying nature. For the most part it is typical of the forests around Ottawa, with a mix of different types of trees. In such environments, I usually look for interesting features lit by shafts of light. I also look for interesting or colourful mushrooms or tree fungi that are fun to photograph. But as we wandered around we made a wonderful discovery. Or at least it was a discovery to me since I didn't know that Ottawa had these: sand dunes. It turns out that we had stumbled upon a remnant of an old shoreline of the Champlain Sea. This is the sea that had inundated Ottawa and area as the last ice age had retreated. The sand dunes are protected areas, surrounded by a perimeter string barrier, and the dunes we found are Site 2. I respected the barrier and shot over the knee-high string. I enjoyed exploring the forest with my friend, and finding the dunes made the outing even more fun. A return trip to explore the forest further, and perhaps see the other dune sites, is definitely in order.

I often work with the idea of growth, from youth into maturity. These young trees were nicely lit, and I framed them to show a hint of their mature neighbours.

I was thinking again about youth and growth when I photographed this sapling.

We have growth, but we also have decay, and in the forest that means fungi of various kinds. I'm always looking for interesting specimens.

Colourful mushrooms such as these make wonderful photographic subjects.

I found this mushroom growing within a tree stump. It took some maneuvering to set my tripod close enough for this shot.

These ferns were beautifully lit by the sun. I took several shots, but this is my favourite.

Dappled light can be challenging, but is much more interesting than flat illumination. I love all the textures in this photograph.

Plants growing in the sand dunes. I chose the foreground plant for its shadow and the strong texturing of its leaves.

The light on the foreground plants caught my eye. From this angle they look like small explosions in the sand.

To my eyes it looks a bit like a desert. Although the dunes are actually quite small, I wanted to evoke a sense of a larger space.

I've been experimenting with vertical panoramas. This is an eight shot merge.

As we were leaving, I saw this beautiful burst of yellow lit up by the sunshine.

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