Bugs & Flowers
Most, if not all, of the photographs that go into this gallery have been shot either in our home garden or out along the many hiking trails that wind through the ravines and coulees and over the hills by beautiful Lake Diefenbaker, within walking distance of our home.
In our flowerbeds and gardens, we grow quite a variety of pollinator attractors like Calendula and Borage, Sunflowers and Salvia, and I have spent countless hours squatting among the flowering plants with my tripod set up, waiting for bees or butterflies or other critters to show up suddenly for their portrait session. Flowering herbs like Dill and Chives attract several types of bees and wasps, as do the blossoms of Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Summer Squashes.
I also spend much of my time hiking the trails, particularly along the Inner Harbour where there is always an abundance of wildflowers and insect activity. Stopping to snap some pictures is an enjoyable pasttime for an old guy with a camera.
Our annual calendars have been very popular with local folks, and the ‘Bugs & Flowers of Lake Diefenbaker’ has been particularly well-received.
Coffeetime in Scarlet
This series of up close and personal coffee break photographs dramatically features some of our colourful collection of Fiesta Dinnerware and has become a focal point not only in our own kitchen, but also in The Front Porch Gallery. Available in a variety of bright colours these photographic prints really brighten up a room with their eye-popping presence.
We bought our first four sets of Fiesta Dinnerware many years ago during a trip to my native West Virginia and brought them home to Saskatchewan where we sold them in a gift shop that we owned and operated at the time. They became a very popular item, and we became the province’s largest importer of the line for a while, but shipping costs, breakage and the exchange rate between U.S. and Canadian dollars eventually made it unrealistic to continue.
These prints, whether matted and framed, canvas, aluminum or acrylic will make a bright, dramatic and cheerful statement in any coffee shop or cafe.
A Saskatchewan Sunset
There are many good reasons why Saskatchewan’s license plates read “Land of Living Skies” ... our spectacular, colourful sunsets, beautiful cloud formations and dramatic thunderstorms sweeping across the lake are all part of the constant, ever-changing scenery here on the Canadian prairie.
Far horizons, leading lines and vanishing points make this a nature and landscape photographer’s paradise, and I enjoy nothing more than getting out with my camera and capturing these moments of incredible natural beauty.
One of my favourite places to set up my tripod is on the beach down by the Elbow Marina, at the entrance to Elbow Harbour that we call “The Point”, waiting for that exact moment when the sun dips down below the horizon, and the sky is set ablaze with glorious colour. I admit, sunsets are not really what I want to be known for as a photographer, but sometimes you simply can’t ignore them, and they sure get a lot of attention from customers in our gallery.