Cerulean Muse

There is a cascade, or rather a bubbling up of emotion when I come to this place. In any season, in any weather condition, I feel inspired. What is this feeling? Is it love, gratitude, complete and total awe at this breathtaking dreamscape? I become galvanized to capture this landscape every time I see it. On the rocky shores of Manitoulin Island, I feel overwhelmed by the beauty I behold. I seek to create art inspired by this beauty.

The first time I found this location, I was with my mother. I did not plan to stay until after dark, but when I saw the rock formations on the shoreline, I wanted to take a photo. I needed to capture the quality of light at sunset, so we stayed. Most of the images captured in this collection are taken at dawn or dusk, due to the quality of light at those times, as well as combining that with a long exposure. We left right after I finished my final capture, and although there was still light on the beach, once we entered the forest, it was completely dark. So dark, that I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face.

The hike back to the vehicle was 40 minutes through deep forest. As we walked, we began to panic in a way that is both contagious and that is felt in one’s stomach. We didn’t know the park well enough to know the way, and neither of us were calm enough to reassure the other. Without flashlights we hurried through the dark forest, fighting back fear and holding on to one another. I had my large on-camera flash in my camera bag, and I held it in my hand, flashing the bulb when we needed to see the ground, or when fearfulness became too much. Once we made it to the parking lot my unease dissipated. We still laugh about the night that we ran through the forest in a panic, using my flash as a torch.

This image was captured on a subsequent sojourn to my favourite rocky shore. We stayed well into the evening, and I was thrilled that the milky way aligned so beautifully with my composition of the rocks. On this subsequent visit, we made our way back to the vehicle much more calmly, and with flashlights.

Las estrellas brillan: bríllate tu luz. Quiero que mi corazón brille como si fuera una supernova. Look for the love and light within your heart to shine like a supernova.