Digital, 2022.
Mallard ducks and swans out swimming and feeding on a cloudy, winter day.
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Digital, 2022.
Another series of images of swans by Lake Ontario during winter. During our previous visit, we fed them peas and they seemed to like that enough. But did they ever go crazy for the bird feed! It allowed them to become comfortable with us around and it allowed me to get close to them to snap a few photographs.
The fifth image is my favourite. The combination of the sunlight on the blue water and the swan spreading its wings feels so magical. In that moment, the swan started flapping its wings and I just started snapping photos, hoping that one of them would capture the moment. My brother turned to look at me and asked excitedly, “did you catch that?!” I replied, “I sure hope I did!” I was so relieved when I got home and saw that the shot I adored out of that burst was crisp and in focus. Sometimes you really do need to be at the right place at the right time.
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Digital, 2022.
A lonesome bird by the edge of a frozen Lake Ontario during a sunny afternoon in winter.
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Digital, 2022.
A trio of images of mallard ducks feeding on bird seed in the snow.
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Digital, 2022.
A variety of winter scenes by a frozen Lake Ontario on a sunny day.
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Digital, 2022.
There were so many swans here on this gorgeous, winter day. We fed them some bird friendly food (don’t feed birds bread as it’s not good for them. We opted for peas before purchasing specially made bird feed) and they quickly became comfortable with being around us. I wouldn’t have been able to take these photos had it not been for the food.
I remember this one sweet swan that came close to me, waiting for me to feed it. I ran out of peas but I swear, the puppy dog eyes this swan gave me were unreal. It kept looking at my phone in my hands, possibly thinking it was something to eat, and I felt terrible knowing I had nothing to give. After a few moments of soulful looks from the swan, it eventually realized I had nothing to offer and it swam off to join its friends. The action was so human that I couldn’t help but laugh.
All in all, I’m very pleased with how these photos turned out. I was so ecstatic taking them and I couldn’t wait until I could go home to review them and begin editing. The position of the sun and the slight haze of the clouds allowed for the most gorgeous lighting. The way light was glittering on the water’s surface was so captivating and made the scene look so magical when it became a backdrop for the swans. That burst of energy I get from an excellent photo taking session is so motivating!
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Digital, 2022.
My first photos of 2022! On New Year’s Day, we decided to go down to Ashbridge’s Bay by the lake for some fresh air. Even though it was very cloudy that day, the water was so turquoise! I was anticipating murky grey or blue water to match the sky but the lake looked beautiful that day. It reminded me of Navy Pier from our trip to Chicago a few years back. Had the lake been its usual cloudy day colour, I don’t think I would have enjoyed taking these photos as much.
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Digital, 2021.
Toronto welcomed its first snowfall all the way back in November 2021. After taking some photos at the local park, we decided to head off to Evergreen Brickworks as the winter scenery is always gorgeous there. I’m always thankful that my love of photography brings me to these beautiful spaces.
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Digital, 2021.
Hello Niagara-on-the-Lake, it’s been a while! This small town is one of my favourite places due to how quiet and quaint it is. It had been a while since we last visited so we decided to head down one weekend. It’s hard to believe these photos were taken in late October. In previous years, red and orange leaves were already in full swing everywhere. This year, it has been unseasonably warm which has prolonged the green leaves of summer. The nature lover in me is ecstatic she could finally capture a people-less photo of the gazebo but the fall foliage lover in me is disappointed she couldn’t take autumn versions of these photos. I thought back to the reds and oranges filling up my phone’s camera roll during October of last year and couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I knew eventually that the weather would cool down and that we would get red leaves but it’s very concerning that it had taken so long.
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Digital, 2021.
I was wishing for a vibrant sunset to photograph over the lake and got this moody and gloomy waterscape instead. I was a little disappointed until I got to editing and realized I loved how melancholic this photo ended up looking.
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Gina Staios Photography 