Uplift

Adventures on Manitoulin Island

It is common for artists to revisit themes over and over; capturing what they love in different colours, moods, and light. From my vantage point at the water’s edge, tripod balanced on rocks, practically in the water, just barely out of reach of the lapping waves, I have a perfect view of the elm tree on the island in the distance. My 50ml lens extends perfectly to each edge of the mouth of Meldrum Bay, a perfect crop. I return again and again, capturing the sky and the light on different days. I have learned to leave judgement behind, as I have been surprised many times at the sky defying conditions that don’t seem conducive to beautiful colours. I arrive early, waiting in the darkness of early morning before the sky shows any hint of light. The sky that is about to unfold in those crucial moments of dawn is always an unknown, like a gift being carefully revealed, as each second passes. I wait, ready with tripod and camera, poised to capture the colours as they fleetingly unfold with first light. The little elm, a sentinel, my focal point, a witness to me as I to it, as well as the passing days of water and clouds moving through the strait.