Hi, I'm Pauline

I write, and I take pictures.

This will be my first attempt at writing about taking pictures. 

Photography is a later-in-life passion for me. It came about as I found myself with an empty nest when my sons grew up and moved out. I relocated to an apartment on Montreal’s north shore near a lovely riverside walking path. My walks were solitary, so I brought an old camera along for company. 

Fifteen years later, I’m still walking that path, with a somewhat better camera and a much better idea of what I’m looking for and looking at. The circuit is about two kilometres, depending on detours or shortcuts - enough so that I can call it exercise. Sort of.  Walking the same path never gets old because the beauty endures and there is always something new to see.

I try to capture the essence of each season: Spring with awakening and new life:

Summer with plants and animals thriving:

and Fall with the leaves, of course, and preparations for winter. 

Winter itself is challenging for me but I still manage to find some fluffy birds and snow textures.

Early on, I fell in love with Canada Geese. The same flock returns each year to breed in this area. These particular birds are fairly tame and tolerate people, but I never forget who’s the boss. We also have squirrels and turtles and bunnies and a variety of songbirds and insects that I previously knew little about. 

I discovered the beauty of flowers, both landscaped and wild. 

Most unexpectedly, I became obsessed with water: watching how the river changes from day to day, sometimes calm, other times white-capped; how it reflects nature through a captivating lens. I look for water droplets on leaves and spider webs. There are no puddles that go unexamined.

I intend to highlight these themes and more in subsequent posts. I hope you will join me on my walks.

You can follow me on Twitter or check out more of my work on Flickr