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Introduction
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Monday to Friday and more often than not Saturday life is a hectic barrage of phone calls, email and papers coming at me from all directions. Most Sundays I drive an hour north of the city to the tranquillity of the country. I take pleasure in being outdoors in the country no matter what the season. I can honestly say I enjoy winter and snow, there are those who say I am sick for such thinking. The changing seasons adds a variety to the outdoor activities that I enjoy, and observing the changes from month to month can be exhilarating.
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In any season I enjoy walking preferably in a wooded area, although walking in the city has its perks too. Often The dog joins me when I go on outings in the forest. Although we may walk on the path, there is always something different to see, in the dog's case sniff. Durring the summer I spend my leisure time on the water sailing and canoeing, I may go swimming if it is really hot. Sometimes when sailing I unintentionally end up going for swim but that's another story. Skiing and bicycling are other activities that take up my spare time.
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Taking the time to appreciate nature can be humbling. On one hand the beauty of creation and on other the power of destruction. I the small area of the woods that I explore regularly I have seen the same large trees come back to life in the spring with new plants and flowers joining them as new neighbors. I have seen the evidence of limbs and the tops of large sturdy trees sheared away by winds, lightning and ice storms. I once stopped on the path to see the top of fifty-foot tree lying across it and wondered about the immense forces that did this. I mentioned to my brother, who was accompanying me at the time, that I would freak out if I saw this tree drop right here in front of me. No sooner than when the words left my mouth we heard an ear spitting crack, rustling of leaves, and finally a thud. A near by tree had fallen, although we heard it we could not see it. By the way neither of us freaked out and we continued walking.
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Moments spent seeing the colours of autumn, biking or walking to the top of hill to take in the view, or contemplating by the water's edge make life worth living. This has contributed to my appreciation of other life whether it is human, animal or plant. These days leisure time comes at a premium take the time to enjoy life when the opportunity presents itself. For me that means getting outside.
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My interest in photography was rekindled when I acquired a scanner last winter. I am in no way a professional or expert in photography, what ever I have learned was by experimentation, consequently I have a large collection of bad or spoiled photographs. A computer is a great medium on which to view, organize, and manipulate photographs. My best photos are stored in my computer and now many of them are on the web. New digital technology presents many more options for taking pictures and creating special effects, the limitations are only ones imagination.
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The camera that I have been using up until last June was a 1960s vintage Pratika single lens reflex. Everything on that camera had to be set manually, it had no built in light meter and was difficult to focus, but when I did the right things it took great pictures. Taking pictures of people or candid shots was next to impossible with that camera, because by the time I got adjusted I would lose my subjects so I concentrated on landscape photography. I have been speaking this camera in the past tense because last summer I dropped it in the lake, needless to say it is either in a coma or it's dead. I am not sure if I'll get it fixed.
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My sister was kind enough to lend me her Canon AV 1 which was also broken, however I was able to jury rig it to get it working. As a result I was able to take the pictures that are currently posted in the galleries of this website. I found the Canon was quite easy to learn how to use and I am very pleased with the results. Each roll of film is a new experiment. I am always trying to learn more and using what I have learned to take better pictures.
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I hope to be adding more photo galleries that will include photos taken during other seasons. I guess that means a winter gallery will be added soon. Enjoy your visit and be sure to come back to check out the latest updates.
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Comments or suggestions Email The Fraz
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