I must confess that I haven’t been out shooting much these past weeks. The cold settled in, the snow kept coming, and the days seemed to contract around that reality. Recently, though, I’ve reenergized myself and returned to exploring the Rideau Canal shorelines once again.
Yesterday I made my way back to Upper Brewers Lockstation. The river remains edged with ice, the banks still lined with snow, the trees standing bare and reflected in the dark surface of the water. At 4:30 pm there was still light in the sky. Not dramatic light, not the flare of sunset, but a quiet brightness holding at the edge of evening.
In December this hour belonged to darkness. Since the winter solstice we’ve gained nearly an hour of daylight and the day now lingers. Winter remains present, but its hold feels less certain.
There’s something subtle in that persistence of light, a sense that the season is beginning to loosen, even if nothing visible has changed.
Scott Murphy – Photographer 