Top 5 Favourite Landscape Photographs of 2013

Here are my favourite landscape photographs from 2013:

Late Winter Snow

Moon Rising over Trinity Bay, Newfoundland

Fi\shing Boats in Champney's West, Newfoundland

House in Champney's West, Newfoundland

Fall Leaves in Buck Lake, Ontario

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Top 5 Favourite Flower Photographs from 2013

'Tis the season for Top 5 and Top 10 lists!  Here are my top 5 favourite flower photographs from 2013, in no particular order:

Orchid from the Ottawa Orchid Show

Dutchman's Britches 

Wild Columbine 

Herb Robert 

Garden Geranium

Still Life Flower

Okay, so there are 6.  It's hard to choose!

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Backyard Flowers

This spring has be cool and wet, and not that it's summer, it's still cool and wet -- soon to be hot and wet.  Some fields in the area are under water still, and my photography efforts have been curtailed to a large extent.  However, the flowers in my yard are doing very nicely, and so here are a couple of geranium photos that I took last week.

A Trio of Geraniums

. . . Rob Williams
      http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Tall Ship Festival

Last weekend I went to Brockville, Ont. to see the Tall Ships Festival, with a tribute to the War of 1812.  Brockville was named after Major-General Isaac Brock, a hero of the War of 1812.  The town was invaded  by US soldiers in February 1813, so the town has a strong connection to that war.

Here are some photos from the festival.

Liana's Ransom

Figurehead on La Revenante

Flag on La Revenante

Fair Jeanne, Pride of Baltimore II, and Sørlandet

Figurehead on Empire Sandy

Empire Sandy

Ladders and Masts

Sørlandet

Flags on Sørlandet

U.S Flag flying on Pride of Baltimore

. . . Rob Williams
      http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Winter and Winterlude in Ottawa, Canada

Ottawa in winter can be cold, dull and miserable.  The key to survival is to get outside and have fun by skating, skiing, snowshoeing, sliding and taking advantage of the cold and snow.  Ottawa is a great place for this, surrounded with cross-country ski trails, downhill skiing, and skating on the Rideau Canal.  In February, we have a winter festival called Winterlude.  One of the centers for Winterlude is Confederation Park next to Ottawa City Hall and the Rideau Canal.  Here are some photographs from the park:

Tunnel of Korean Lanterns

The Korean community has added an interesting flavour to the festival, setting up this tunnel of lanterns.  I can't wait to return at night and see the lanterns lit up!

Looking Straight Down the Tunnel

Ice sculptures are a highlight of Confederation park.  That, and Beavertails!

Fantastic Muskox Ice Sculpture

Bird Ice Sculpture

Ice Sculpture by Wanchalerm Sukseekao and Jiroj Chanwar of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

. . . Rob Williams
 http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca

Freezing your fingers

Today, I was reminded how &*%#! cold it can be in Canada.  Although the sun was shining brilliantly (I needed sunglasses!) and the temperature wasn't too low (-13C or about 8 F), the wind was blowing across the fields, and I just about froze my fingers.  They're still hurting now, several hours later.

Farm Building on Corkstown Road

However, without the wind, it was quite nice -- providing you have a good coat, hat and mitts.  There have been a lot of storms recently, and not much sun, so I really enjoyed the sun (you could almost feel the heat!)

Some Woods Along Moodie Drive

More Woods and Snow

. . . Rob Williams http://www.robertwilliamsphotography.ca