By now, you may know that water and electricity are nearly family. Both represent energy, in different forms. The old dam in Pinawa, now in ruins, was the start of our journey.
Water from the canal, rushing into the forebay of the Pinawa Dam.
The water, rushing into the forebay, kept there to be used at a later time. But why build a dam in a place where originally there is no water?
Like many other photo enthusiasts in the world, let’s welcome the latest beta version of Adobe’s Lightroom. Often enough we see updates to programs, adding a few options that we probably will never use. But this looks different. Now I’m not a Lightroom specialist, even if I use it for all my pictures. Currently a “meagre” 11,000 of them. My collection is growing fast. It needs care and attention. Lightroom 3 has a whole bunch of improvements that are worth talking about. I will take two of them here for a closer look.
The pictures I will present here will be a little different than what you are used to until now. But let’s take a look anyway, ok?
Anyone will say that these two do not go together. Certainly not in your bathroom. On the other hand, the two are closely related, one may be the result of the other. If you hold back enough water to create pressure, you can use this pressure to get electricity or any other kind of energy. Our ancestors knew this already for a long time. As “general” public there is normally no chance to get close enough to such a power installation, for obvious security reasons. However, there are places where this is possible in Manitoba.
You are warned!
Despite the safety warnings we’re going to take a look! Shall we go?
Mother Earth has many things to offer us, poorly developed humans. Although for a long time we have been able to extract everything we could from the earth, we haven’t found a way to renew the things we took. Apart from that, the spaces that have been created years and centuries ago by our ancestors in need of heating, food and fuel may now give us a nice place to be and spend the day.
Fochtelooerveen, Holland
The place left behind in Holland has the not-so-easy-to-pronounceable name of “Fochtelooer Veen”. Let’s go and have a look at this historical piece of nature…
Whoever has a photo camera, be it film or digital has tried to photograph flowers and plants. Often considered as “boring” and not “worthy” of a real photographer, it is certainly a part of photography that is worth of our attention.
Many will just walk in the streets or in the country and not even throw a glimpse or give a thought at the flowers or plants that surround them. Do you see a mistake in that reasoning?
Clover
Even more you will hear “I only have a Point and Shoot! I cannot take that kind of picture!”. Hmmm, wrong again… Let’s continue this inside, shall we? …
We all know about historical buildings and events. Even if they occurred in our own lives. After all, everything we know is history, right? In Eastern Europe, Ukraine to be exact, history is part of life. You can find old buildings and newer buildings still old enough to be called historical. Some buildings have a risk of being historical and becoming a memory as well…
In the center of Kiev, Ukraine, as you know it is the capital of Ukraine, stands the Lavra complex. The Lavra complex is officially called Pecherskaya Lavra, or in plain English Lavra Monastery of the Caves.
Pecherskaya Lavra, Kiev, Ukraine
Let’s get a closer look, shall we?
Photography, photos, pictures, apertures, shutter speeds, tripods, flashes… You could ask yourself if there is nothing else in the life of a photographer. Many would say no. But if you really keep your mind only on the visible aspect of life, visibly you’re going to miss something.
Even more, if you go out in the streets, look around, snap away and forget that city life is full of sound. And music. Many of the musicians in the streets are playing for you. I have no recording material (yet), but at least let me show you some musical effects in the streets.
Before the concert on Khreshchatyk, Kiev, Ukraine
In Kiev, Ukraine, music in the street can take a day to set up, and block the main street of the city for the rest of the weekend. Material enough to let the biggest band play without troubles. It also attracts the most interesting public…
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” – John Donne, Meditation 17.
No man is an island, but life on an island however can have it charms. Mostly when the weather is nice. Not many people here in Winnipeg will have had the pleasure of living on an island or perhaps even visiting one for some time. In the north of Holland, there is a row of islands, most of them big enough to have permanent residents on them. Living on a few square miles looks like a dream to many.
Flying to the island called Ameland
An island is defined as a piece of land, maybe inhabited and surrounded completely by water. I would like to add that the climate of the entire island should also be governed by the sea, so Australia for example should not qualify. Ameland is only a small piece of land and so we head out for this beautiful little island…
