Ms. GAuthor Archives

About Ms. G

Risa Gluskin is a history and student success teacher at York Mills CI in Toronto. She loves horses, figure skating and all animals. She is married to avid cyclist and tech guy Val Dodge. They have three cats.

Ice Macro

The lake ice heaved quite a bit, creating many interesting ice photo opportunities.

: A snippet of an ice window stuck between large clumps of mud and earth (the shore, in other words).

: The same ice window backlit by a lantern.

: Icy, watery pattern.

: A crack in the ice.

: Ice on a rock.

: Bubbly pattern in ice.

: Abstract pattern.

Ms. G

February 15, 2012

cottage, photography

0 comments

cottage, ice, lake, macro

Outdoor Macro Photos (Dec. to Feb.)

Here are some of my most recent macro photos with my new lens. They were taken at Todmorden Mills, in my backyard, and at Cottonwood Flats in the Don Valley. This new lens requires me to get much closer to objects, so I am still working on getting the focus just right!

backyard, don valley, macro, outdoor, photos, winter

End of semester 1 photos

Thanks for a great semester!

Ms. G

February 5, 2012

CHW 3M, CHY 4U, photography

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CHW3M, CHY4U

Winter Macro III (Found Colour)

Here are the hidden coloured gems of winter, found mostly on ground level.

Winter Macro (or the Opposite of Colour)

Here are some photos from my first attempt at winter macro. It was minus 11 outside! These pictures were taken on December 29 when there was at least a bit of sunshine.

: At first the sun was shining so I could capture this series of ice globes.

: Upon enlargement this ball of ice became a glass paperweight.

: Ever so slightly melting ice is like a worm.

: Curving as it meets gravity.

: Winter macro is my new "cross to bear", so to speak for an atheist.

: Twirly in ice.

: The remnants of a daylily with delicate ice crystals.

: Literally a pile of detritus on the side of the road.

: The feathered ice makes it so interesting.

: The ice on the lake was also feathered. See my husband's blog post for incredible ice pictures (valdodge.com).

: Feathered ice crystals peppered the lake.

: These crystals were flatter and the ice beneath them was clear.

: Getting grayer down by the shore.

: My favourite macro subject in the winter is far less exciting but there's still something intriguing about it.

: Icy chandelier.

Winter Macro II (Even Less Colour)

On December 30 the light was flat most of the time, making it extremely difficult to capture anything other than the inherent grayness and brownness of winter.

: Yesterday's subjects now with fresher snow.

: I wasn't happy with yesterday's "twirlies" so I tried again.

: I tried to keep the background clearer.

: Interesting shape.

: Today's twirlies are coated with a layer of ice.

: Revisiting yesterday's ice worms, now minus the sunshine.

: A lot more snow on the downed seedhead.

: A seemingly innocuous dead leaf revealed incredible textures.

: My favourite photo of the two days. Who knew there was any colour anywhere.

: This tree bark reveals an elephant's face if you look at it the right way.

: A simple sage plant provides woven texture. I will definitely go back for more pictures of sage.

: Ending on a literal note.

Shadow in December

Here are some recent photos of a day-in-the-life of Shadow and her brother, Fletch.

: This is me playing in the morning at my cottage.

: I am tempting my human to play with me. This toy is not for independent play.

: I am reaching for a spoon. Why should only humans use cutlery.

: I like to hide under the dining room table.

: No one can possibly see me here. It's just like the tree I used to live under.

: I also enjoy sitting under this cabinet. Again, hidden from view.

: Nap time.

: Play time again.

: If I see something of interest I can get really curious really fast.

: Me in sepia tones. I think this effect brings out the kitten in me.

: My portrait.

: My human Val likes to cuddle me.

: This is my brother Fletch. While I do all this stuff all day he sits in his basket.

: As I mentioned, he sits in his basket.

Miss Rodrigues’s Last Day

: HSB4M

: HSB silly kids

: CHW3M

: Miss R and Ms. G

Miss Rodrigues, student teacher

Teach Writing with Confidence

Teach_Writing_Confidence _OISE_Oct2011version

confidence, OISE, writing

An Afternoon at Presqu’ile Provincial Park

We spent Saturday afternoon at Presqu’ile Provincial Park, which is less than one hour from our cottage. Located on Lake Ontario just south of Brighton, it is known as a birder’s paradise. Unfortunately for us the birds have moved on, however, we primarily went to revisit the marsh boardwalk we first experienced last summer. The pictures betray my amateur photographer’s status as many of them are taken in harsh afternoon sunlight leading to nasty shadows and flat texture.