In this video I feature the north shore of Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie on the south to Wawa on the north.
I also share some thoughts and techniques behind the photos that I showcase in this video.
Winter Adventure in Chutes Provincial Park
Please enjoy the little video I made featuring my winter adventure in Chutes Provincial Park, in Massey, Ontario, Canada.
A side-lit pressure ridge on the frozen north channel of Lake Huron (C)2023 Thomas Detert.
Adventure On the Ice
Woke up this morning to find a compelling sky over the north channel of Lake Huron. The light was surreal. The temperatures were mild. And the winds (starting out at least) were tolerable.
My furry friend Lukas needed a walk one way or the other.. so I decided to pack up my Nikon Z6ii, my wide angle 14-30, my 24-200, and my 50 mm macro lenses and head out.
I didn’t really have a specific destination in mind. I just knew that walking out on the hard-pack snow of the frozen North Channel was where I wanted to go.
I ended up walking quite a ways around the point. My first point of interest was what you see above — a pressure ridge side-lit by a moody partly-sunny sky. The sun was relatively low in the sky which is pretty normal for mid-February at this latitude.
I tried many different perspectives and compositions on this ridge until Lukas complained and it was time to move on.
Ice Detail (macro) (C) 2023 Thomas Detert.
Nearby there was an ice chunk that was obviously frozen in place after a wind-induced ice break-up earlier in the winter season.
I was drawn to the frost and the snow, as well as the patterns in the ice itself. The above image was captured using my Nikkor Z 50 MC macro lens, handheld.
It truly amazes me how the small details can be so intricate.
A beautiful ice cave on the north channel of Lake Huron (C)2023 Thomas Detert.
But I must say the highlight was coming across this little ice cave. Again, the sky did not disappoint!
The light made for such a moody scene, yet somehow still so beautiful and surreal!
I really enjoyed my 3 hour hike.
Beauty is out there.. year round. You just have to looking for it
Thomas Detert is a landscape photographer based in St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada. He photographs with Nikon cameras and lenses. He is also a general dentist with a practice located in Thessalon, ON. In addition, he is a Certified High Performance Coach, Profound Impact Coach, and is the co-host of Finding Your Inner Bad Ass with Tom and Bridget podcast.
To inquire about print purchases, please visit https://tomsview.ca
Chores
Life in the country means you always have stuff you have to get done. Living in the north, the fall is always a demanding time as one has to prepare for the inevitable winter, and the snow, ice, and freezing temperatures it may bring.
But today was a beautiful fall day, and I decided to make a rather silent (non-talking) film of me tackling firewood chores around the yard.
Thomas Detert is a landscape photographer based in St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada. He photographs with Nikon cameras and lenses. He is also a general dentist with a practice located in Thessalon, ON. In addition, he is a Certified High Performance Coach, Profound Impact Coach, and is the co-host of Finding Your Inner Bad Ass with Tom and Bridget podcast.
To inquire about print purchases, please visit https://tomsview.ca
My Editing Workflow
This morning was very chilly here on St. Joseph Island. I woke up to sunny, clear skies with -15 C (about 3 F). However, the winds were calm and I bundled up to take my German Shepherd Lukas for his morning walk. When I got back, I was treated to some beautiful scenery at the lake.
Frozen winter shoreline of Lake Huron on the North Channel (C)2022 Thomas Detert
So with this beautiful scene, I just had to break out my camera. There’s a price to pay for beauty like this… sore, numb and very cold finger tips while using my Nikon Z6 II to work the shoreline.
A beautiful shoreline shot in winter (C)2022 Thomas Detert
I then got the idea it would be cool to just film myself editing these photos in LightRoom to give you an idea of how I take raw images from the camera and transform them into these eye-catching images.
Icy Patterns Along The Shoreline (C) 2022 Thomas Detert
Here is my tutorial video below….
Thomas Detert is a landscape photographer based in St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada. He photographs with Nikon cameras and lenses. He is also a general dentist with a practice located in Thessalon, ON. In addition, he is a Certified High Performance Coach, Profound Impact Coach, and is the co-host of Finding Your Inner Bad Ass with Tom and Bridget podcast.
To inquire about print purchases, please visit https://tomsview.ca
Lake Superior in the Fall - My Adventure
This video was fun to film, not so much fun to edit. But it shows highlights of my recent adventure with Andrew McLachlan’s Lake Superior Wild and Scenic Photography Workshop.
In this vlog-style video you will see rushing rivers, the beautiful shoreline of Lake Superior, and some amazing hiking trails.
Thomas Detert is a landscape photographer based in St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada. He photographs with Nikon cameras and lenses. He is also a general dentist with a practice located in Thessalon, ON. In addition, he is a Certified High Performance Coach, Profound Impact Coach, and is the co-host of Finding Your Inner Bad Ass with Tom and Bridget podcast.
To inquire about print purchases, please visit https://tomsview.ca
It Pays to Keep on Learning
They say that learning is a life-long process. And I must say that I agree with that 100%. When it comes to Adobe LightRoom, I thought I had a pretty decent editing workflow for my landscapes.
And then I watched this video!
Photographer and YouTuber Mark Denney just blew my mind on how to use the Hue/Saturation/Luminance section in Adobe LightRoom.
If you ever wanted to learn how to use the more powerful colour (color) editing features of Adobe LightRoom, his is the video to watch!
It inspired me to re-process a photo using his methods. I have to say I really like how it turned out!
Inukshuk on Superior. (C) 2021 Thomas Detert
Thomas Detert is a landscape photographer based in St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada. He photographs with Nikon cameras and lenses. He is also a general dentist with a practice located in Thessalon, ON. In addition, he is a Certified High Performance Coach, Profound Impact Coach, and is the co-host of Finding Your Inner Bad Ass with Tom and Bridget podcast.
To inquire about print purchases, please visit https://tomsview.ca
Near the beginning of our intrepid hike up the Virgin River towards the narrows.
The Narrows Go Deep | Zion National Park and the Virgin River
It was 7 years ago when my son I took a spring break trip to the American South-West. Specifically, we visited Nevada, Utah, and Arizona on a 10 day adventure that never stopped giving us amazingly beautiful scenery to photograph.
This story is about our adventure that we had in Zion National Park, on February 18, 2014. Specifically, we walked up the Virgin River past the last shuttle stop, into the narrows of the canyon.
If you don’t mind cold wet feet, water up to your arm pits, and the chance of flash floods at any time, it’s a wonderful adventure.
We had heard about Zion Canyon, as you went further up the Virgin River, that the canyon narrowed considerably and made for some amazing photography. So we went to a local adventure-outfitter company to get more information, and get geared up.
It turns out that you get a big walking stick, a dry suit, and rubber shoes, along with some good advice, warnings, and precautions!
This wasn’t my first time in Zion, but it was my first time in “winter”. I put winter in quotation marks because I hail from Northern Ontario and we normally get real winters! So besides being a little cooler than my previous visits, and lacking leaves on the deciduous trees, it was business as usual…. except perhaps for the temperature of the water — that was cold!
As we ventured farther and further into the canyon, the daylight was really played upon by the walls of the canyon.
We were not completely alone in the narrows. We met a few other intrepid explorers. They, like us, wondered what we, and they, had gotten ourselves into!
But the scenery, the rush of the river, and the sounds playing in the confines of the canyon conspired to make it all worthwhile!
The lighting changed at every bend, and turn in the river. It was so amazing to photograph.
The progress was slow-going. The river could be deep at times, and the current was always strong. We burned the shortened winter daylight hours quickly. Being caught after dark in this river was not an option and eventually we had to make the call to turn around so we could safely get back.
It was an adventure I will never forget!
The image below is my personal favourite from that day. It shows the adventure, the river, the narrows, and nicely sums up what was, for me at least, one awesome day with my son.
Iceland Never Disappoints
in Landscape
So how did this image happen? Allow me to tell you the story!
In early 2017, my friend’s son Noah had the urge to go on an adventure. I had recently quit my job and sold my business at the time. Robin asked me if I’d go with her son on a travel adventure because she couldn’t go, and didn’t want him travelling alone. Noah was 19 at the time.
So, with time and some money on my hands, I agreed.
Noah’s original plan was to tour around a bit in Central America. We did some initial research and then there was some bad headlines in the news about the stability of the region. So we decided we had better choose some other place.
Then, like a light bulb turning on, Iceland popped into our mind.
We learned all we could about Iceland. Booked some preliminary accommodations and flights on Iceland Air. What an adventure!
This photo was taken on Day 2 of our trip. As beautiful as this picture is, is doesn’t do justice to actually standing there, taking in this beautiful meadow with a glacier melt river running through it, with multiple waterfalls.
Our adventures entailed a flat tire, gale force winds, meandering through caves and crevices, crazy and narrow mountain roads, natural hot springs, and so much more!
If you fancy a trip to Iceland, you won’t be disappointed. However, be forewarned, it is not inexpensive!
I recently re-worked this photo to create a large print for a client. I am really looking forward to seeing it hang on the wall!
If you’d like to order a print, simple get in touch with me via the Contact Menu!
Ice and Rocks Detail | (C) 2021 Thomas Detert
Tea Time on Lake Superior
Over the years, I’ve seen many videos on YouTube of people undertaking an outdoor winter adventure. They hike somewhere breathtaking beautiful and enjoy a fire with a hot beverage.
Well, I live in Northern Ontario, and I figured, Hell, I can do that!. So I did, last Sunday.
You can watch our adventure in the video at the end of this blog post!
With the enlisted help and company of my friend Jake Cormier and his trusty furry companion Hudson, we embarked on a winter adventure.
We drove up to Lake Superior Provincial Park on a chilly Sunday morning. The air temperature was hovering around the -9 C (16 F) mark, with very little wind. We parked at the Orphan Lake trailhead and set out with two backpacks, with sandwiches, snacks, an ultra-light camper stove, some mugs and tea.
Overlooking Orphan Lake | Lake Superior Provincial Park | (C)2021 Thomas Detert
Once we reached the Orphan Lake Overlook, it was time to break out the sandwiches. Lunch sure does taste a whole lot better when you worked up and appetite and earned it! As we ate our lunch, the cloud cover broke up and left us with a spectacular view, with some of the weirdest lighting and cloud formation I had ever seen!
Weird light and clouds over Lake Superior. (C) 2021 Thomas Detert
The Orphan Lake Trail meanders its way down to the shoreline of Lake Superior. When we got there, it was time for tea. Jake scooped up a pot of ice cold Lake Superior water, and set it up to boil on his very small, ultra-light isobutane camp stove. Several minutes later, we were enjoying peppermint tea on the beach, on a cold winter’s day, on the shore of the largest freshwater lake in the world!
I was also most pleased with the snap I captured below. It is definitely one of my most favourite black and white photos I have ever taken!
Icy Patterns on a Sunny Day (C) 2021 Thomas Detert
As Jake put it, this day and adventure were one for the books.
If you’d like to share in our adventure, watch the video blog below!
Thomas Detert is a landscape photographer based out of St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada. You can view more of his work, or reach out to him at https://www.tomsview.ca.
Morning sunrise creates interesting effects on the panes of ice forming on the north channel of Lake Huron.
Sunny Ice Sheets
in Landscape
Living in Canada, particularly in Northern Ontario, it is difficult to avoid winter. Sometimes it comes in a little late, with a mild start. But it eventually gets you: The cold, biting winds. The freezing rain. The snow drifts. It may lead one to question why I live here. And then you get to see images like this one above, but only right before your eyes, in real life.
This image was taken on the morning of January 8, 20201, as the sun was rising. We had not seen the sun in quite some time. The weather had been a dismal grey overcast, but mild. But after a high pressure system cleared the skies, the temperature, of course, plummeted overnight.
When I awoke that day, I heard a cacophony of sound emanating from the water. Dull groans, mixed with shrills and shrieks as the ice plates were lazily bumping into one another. I looked out my window and saw this beautiful site of fractured ice panes piling up on the shore, and then larger panes still floating out in the channel. It was all so very peaceful.
I won’t lie, winter is often very cruel and unpleasant here on St. Joseph Island, but there are days that redeem it.
I hope you enjoyed this little story about the photo.
This print, and many others in my gallery are available for purchase for you to enjoy at home, or to give as a gift to someone you care about. Just click on “Contact” to get in touch!
Thomas Detert is a landscape photographer based on St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada.
You can enjoy more of Tom’s work at www.tomsview.ca.
Reflections of a Moody Cove - Lake Superior
Nikon Z6 II - Trial Run on Lake Superior
On October 6th, 2020, there was a tragedy in my life. I slipped while crawling along a granite slope and fell over 10 feet into a small “pond” that was about 2 feet deep with a granite bottom. Besides getting soaked head-to-toe, and sustaining severe injuries to my pride, I utterly destroyed my Nikon D810 and attached wide angle lens. And, last but not least, I hurt my left ankle!
I tried desperately to dry both the camera and lens out. 24 hours in dry rice, dry heat from the wood stove, hair dryer, etc. But the body of the D810 was actually somehow warped and the battery door and memory card door would not close again properly. Shocking considering the frame of that camera is made from a magnesium alloy.
Luckily my body (and my pride) healed without incident!
However, losing my main landscape camera and lens, I was left with tough decisions to make as to what to replace the Nikon D810 with. Was it time to upgrade to the Nikon D850? Or should I switch to a mirrorless Nikon Z camera. Nikon was just releasing the Nikon Z6 II with the Z7 II I to be released in December 2020. Or was it time to look at Canon, or Sony options??
Well, as you may have guessed from the title of this story, I went with a Nikon Z6 II and a Nikkor Z 14-30 f/4 lens.
The Nikon Z7 II has only one real advantage of the Z6 II and that is sensor resolution. But that is a double-edged sword. The Nikon Z6 II out-performs the Z7 II in several ways including better low-light performance. Once the firmware update is released in February 2021, the Z6 II will have equal video capabilities. Yet the Z7 II is over CDN$ 1300 more than the Z6 II (at the time of purchase in mid-November 2020)! And now the technology exists to upgrade the resolution of a digital still using AI (artificial intelligence) algorithm-based software. (See https://topazlabs.com/gigapixel-ai/ for more details). So the only possible advantage of the significantly more expensive Z7 II for my needs (sensor resolution for larger prints) has been negated for the price USD$ 99!
So, I took my newly purchased Nikon Z6 II along with me on a drive along Highway 17N, going north of Sault Ste. Marie, along the Lake Superior Shoreline and into Lake Superior Provincial Park.
With a moody lake and sky, lighting condition were challenging. And despite inadvertently shooting in JPG as opposed to RAW, I am very happy with the quality of the images. The Z6 II feels very comfortable in my hands, and I believe that any experienced Nikon DSLR user will find making the switch to the Z series cameras to be a pleasant and rewarding experience.
Shout out to James at Camera Craft for helping me think through my purchase options! If you live in the Sault Ste. Marie or surrounding area and are looking for any new gear (cameras, filters, tripods, lighting etc), he’s the man to see!
Cedars On The Rock - Lake Superior
These photos and many others are available for purchase as fine art prints!
Thomas Detert is a landscape photographer based on St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada. You can see more of his work at https://www.tomsview.ca.
Moss on a Rock, Pukaskwa National Park, Ontario, Canada.
Moss on a Rock
Pukaskwa National Park is located near Marathon, Ontario Canada. A 5 hour drive north-west from Sault Ste. Marie, near the Pic Mobert First Nation.
Pukaskwa has a lot to offer the adventurous, thrill-seeking traveller, as well as the beach goers. It has beautiful hiking trails that are short and easy, medium trails, and even an 18 km (11 mile) round-trip hike to a suspension bridge over a river. There are two sand beaches to choose from. A recently renovated and modernized campground offers an affordable and fun place to stay.
What brings me back to Pukaskwa, time and time again, is the kayaking. Within paddling distance are several coves, each with its own unique spectacles to offer. I love spending hours on the water exploring the shoreline and adjacent coves.
You could paddle morning, noon and evening to the same coves and each time the views would be dramatically different. The morning sun and the evening sun highlight different sides of the cove.
I must have passed by the above granite shore a dozen times in the last two years. But it wasn’t until sunset on August 13, 2020 that I saw the light playing with the calm water, the exposed granite, and the multi-coloured, mutli-layer moss.
I love this photo so much in fact that it is my current desktop background on my laptop!
For the techie in you.. This was shot with a Sony RX10IV camera at 24 mm @ f/16, handheld from my kayak. It was shot handheld, and processed in Adobe LightRoom.
Pukaskwa… I will be back!
Icy Reflections
in Landscape
The Story Behind Icy Reflections
Icy Reflections by Thomas Detert
It was a beautiful, sunny and relatively mild winter day in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. My friend Jake Cormier and I decided to take a drive north of the city, along Highway 17 to explore the Lake Superior Shoreline.
As we headed north, we lost the sunshine, and the vast majority of the wind.
We drove all the way up to Agawa Bay, located in the southern end of Lake Superior Provincial Park. The experience was surreal. The lake was completely open and with the exception of some snow in spots along the shoreline, it looked and felt like a cool summer day.
You could see the sand, the sand bars, and even some remnants of the grass blades growing out of the sand.
We worked our way down south, back towards Sault Ste. Marie.. We stopped at a popular photo spot known as SawPit Bay. It was at this location I photographed “Icy Reflections”. We were losing the light. However, the darkening light and sky made for a nice somber mood to photograph little microcosms in the bay.
Icy Reflections is the ultimate photo from the day’s shoot. I really love the mood it captures.
How I Spent My Leap Year Day
Before all this Covid-19 Corona Virus pandemic stuff hit, 2020 was off to a pretty good start for me!
On February 29 (Leap Year Day) , I decided to film a vlog about my day. I hope you enjoy it!
