I guess it could be either colour or calm, either will work with this picture. Even in ‘Beautiful’ Brampton (as we have to call it these days) there are still areas where you can shoot a decent nature photo. This one was taken at a spot called Loafers Lake in the north of the city, near the Sandalwood area for those who know it. I actually went out to shoot a sunrise over the lake there but as there was too much cloud cover for any sight of the sun rising, I decided to play with the ND 0.6 neutral density filter instead. For those that don’t know, by reducing the amount of light coming through the lens, this filter allows you to shoot a longer exposure. Nature photographers often use the ND filter to smooth water to get that beautiful silky look, which is probably becoming a little cliched these days but still looks good.
The ND filter will also provide time for some stronger colours in a bright light, so this picture was taken at ISO 100, with an exposure of 15 seconds at f11. Some slight blurring of the trees due to movement during the exposure gives the picture a faintly impressionistic look.
Chris McPhee - Photographer 