Spring is finally peaking it’s head into the Bay Of Quinte Region. But after all that winter weather and snow, that could only mean one thing: high water levels in the Moira River. The result is a very dramatic site, given that during the summer, river levels in downtown Belleville are so low you could walk across the river without getting your feet wet (only a small exaggeration)!

I’m horrible with dates, but I think I’ve only ever seen the water levels like this once (back in 2008) since I’ve been living here, and from what I understand this year is even higher. The sound of the rushing water and chaotic flow of the rapids is simply mesmerizing. Put a camera in my hand, and I’m likely to wander the shores of the river until dark… very likely… and to go back and do it again :-).

I’ve always loved creating abstract photos in camera using some of the tricks mentioned above. This is a long exposure shot of one of the rapids. I have a blast creating these because, although I spend time to find the subject, compose the frame, and adjust the camera settings to get the desired effect, you never get the same thing twice (the water is unpredictable after all). As a bonus, the slow shutter speed often brings out unexpected colours and tones based on how the sunlight and shadows play (these are the colours out of the camera with just a little saturation added). I actually have a series of these abstract photos that I’m still working on. Stay tuned for more.

Then of course, there was the scene below today. I headed back out to get some more shots on a different section of the river and was confronted with huge flakes of blowing snow (yes, it is mid-April!). Determined, I decided I was not going to let some snow stop me, but it didn’t take long for my camera lens to be covered by big wet snow flakes as the wind was blowing straight into the camera. That put and end to today’s outing, but I’m not done yet!