Motion in Stillness
A couple weeks ago, during a cold snap in Toronto, I spent a couple hours in Rouge Park, experimenting more with my newly purchased Variable Density ND filter.
I love this filter.
Shooting with up to 30-second exposures in broad daylight (I could go longer if I switched to "Bulb"), the reality of Little Rouge Creek is transformed into a contrast of movement and stillness. The day was fairly overcast, which definitely helped in retaining a lot of detail in both the highlights and shadow areas.
Walking the trail - even though I did not go far - was challenging due to ice coverage. It was slow going, especially as I balanced my camera and tripod.
Technical notes: all images shot with my 28-300mm Nikkor lens, Hoya Variable ND filter attached, ISO 50, 20 - 30 seconds.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/3ba77f30ad59ff107bad7134eae69331/b65cd2b925c4bca239698b4e_rw_1920.jpg?h=3e34d854a48a344191f57ac7c97e528b)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/3ba77f30ad59ff107bad7134eae69331/0d1bb31f8b9d3f6b59621e13_rw_1920.jpg?h=93551ec7aff881b8a5300694f38a8a65)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/3ba77f30ad59ff107bad7134eae69331/66e0844412701885cf9b4cbc_rw_1920.jpg?h=f955d50d9295fcb5d43e97ded6741506)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/3ba77f30ad59ff107bad7134eae69331/de9ec0eeaea7e64ea94d05ee_rw_1920.jpg?h=a4a21d2728a8e129e19f702b6017715b)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/3ba77f30ad59ff107bad7134eae69331/f3608575529073fc04f72a7c_rw_1920.jpg?h=896a25928d34573af4d085576df5ab04)
As I was heading back to the car, I noticed the sun warming the treetops, outside of the Rouge Valley. That sliver of warmth is a dramatic counterpoint to the coolness in terms of both color temperature and climate.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/3ba77f30ad59ff107bad7134eae69331/10d0cae2ff347b69017d8bdc_rw_1920.jpg?h=157190a1462073e6128787cb79a9374b)