At Silver Islet

I may have said this before but Silver Islet is one of my favourite places. It is hard to say why exactly but there is something really special about this place, steeped in history and set on the shore of Lake Superior I felt a connection the first time I visited and each time I have been back. I cycled here early one morning a couple of years ago and in the calm of the morning I had seen deer and a fox along the road and a flock of waxwings chattering in the trees. 

Years ago it was the site of the richest silver mine in the world, the mine itself being located on a tiny island out in the lake. Here on the mainland a small community of migrant workers, miners from places as far away as Cornwall grew up on the edge of the lake. Many of their cabins are here still used as summer homes and others are lived in year round even though in the winter conditions are harsh as the lake freezes.

On a warm and still day like this at the end of summer it looks idyllic and when I look at these images I just want to be there.

I love the old store and harbour (see my post from Sept 2016 here) which stands behind where these pictures were taken but I also love the cabin on the shoreline. It is a bit of a tumbledown place to be honest but with a little bit of attention it would be the perfect place to live. Just imagine the wonderful views through every season of the year and when it is too cold to go outdoors imagine how cosy it would be snug inside with logs burning on the hearth while looking out at the frozen lake. 

In the first image I started to build a stone stack but it evolved into more of an Inukshuk (a traditional stone marker used by Inuit people for various reasons and often seen in Canada and all points North) I think this is a really nice image and I have deliberately used a wide aperture to blur the background and balance the overall image.

The second and third image are the same shot but with different treatment. I really like the split toning in the second image but I know that some people prefer a colour image so the third one is for you. Of course in the colour images you can also see how the leaves are beginning to change. 

Can you see why this is one of my favourite spots?

Old Miners Cabin

Another early morning shot for today, this one shows an old miners cabin on the shore at Silver Islet. I shot this in black and white because I think it gives a sense of how old the place is. Silver Islet is known as a ghost town and is mostly holiday homes now. In camera the shot was slightly over exposed with the sky and lake being a little washed out. It gave the effect that I had originally wanted making this look like a really old photo but I decided to make a slight adjustment in lightroom to bring out some of the detail in the early morning sky.

Also just to follow up on my announcement the other day I now have my new website up and running showcasing some of my wildlife and nature shots so please check it out, you will find it here. I would love to know what you think so please leave a comment or contact me using the contact form on the final page of the site. Thank you.