The mountain streams and rivers are experiencing a surge of melting snow. This Spring runoff leads to high water flows. I’m still learning to take images with my drone, but I like this photo and how the viewer’s gaze meanders through the scene. Click on the photo to see a larger version.
I wasn’t expecting to see a Common Loon ( Gavia immer ) when I went for a walk with my camera. I think this is a juvenile that can be found in coastal waters during the first two years of their life. I watched it doing its submarine maneuvers to catch fish. They are agile swimmers that propel themselves with large feet. Their legs are placed far back on their bodies, allowing for efficient swimming but only awkward movement on land. They spend most of their lives on water and only go ashore to mate and incubate eggs. Click on any one of the three photos to see a larger and sharper version.
In the quiet hours of a winter morning, fog drapes the landscape in soft tones, inviting the eye to wander slowly through layers of stillness. Here, I saw in the distance a Bald Eagle perched on a farm irrigation system. Where the light meets fog and shapes gently unfold, winter whispers its quiet stories. Click on the photo to see a larger version.
There’s a strange kind of magic that happens in those quiet moments when the world seems to slow down and you’re left simply observing. That’s what drew me to this scene — not the grand drama of a sunrise or the rugged peaks of a mountain, but the gentle stillness reflected in the water, the subtle glow of the last light, and the way winter and night begin to blend into one another. Click on the photo to see a larger version.
In the stillness of winter, a new year begins. Wishing you wisdom, renewal, and steady wings in the months ahead. Happy New Year. Click on the photo of the raven to see a larger version.
I spent the day photographing Bald Eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) and Trumpeter Swans ( Cygnus buccinator ). The Bald Eagles were feeding on spawning salmon which were coming to the end of their life cycle. The Trumpeter Swans were coming into land on a wooded pond. Click on either one of the photos to see a larger version.
Fall light for photography is magical due to its low, warm angle, which creates golden hues at sunset. However, this time of year it gets dark by 4:30 p.m. I had to work quickly, before the sun went down, to get this photo of a Pacific Great Blue Heron perched on one leg which helps it to conserve body heat. Click on the image to see a larger version.
When I’m out exploring this beautiful province that I live in, I’ve been trying to use my drone more. As a photographer, you have to change your perspective because you are seeing the world from a Bird’s-eye point of view. Just like you need to look at things differently when you are shooting black and white vs. colour photos, you also need to think differently when you are taking images with a drone. I took this picture of a road that leads to a ski resort. It actually goes up a steep hill, but it doesn’t really convey that from above. Ideally, I should have included a cyclist or a bright red sports car, which would have made for a stronger composition. Click on the photo to see a larger version. Comments are always welcome.
In October I look forward to chasing colours with my camera. The shorter days and cooler temperatures signals the trees to stop producing chlorophyll. At times, my hands were cold, but it felt great to spend the day in nature. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Click on a photo to see a larger version and then use your left and right keys to scroll through the gallery.
One of the best known mountains in the Garibaldi Ranges of the Coast Mountains. It’s considered to be the remnant of an extinct andesitic stratovolcano which formed between 1.1 and 1.3 million years ago. To the Squamish people it’s T’ákt’akmúten tl’a Ín7inyáx̱a7en which means ‘Landing Place of the Thunderbird’. The jagged shape of the mountain and its black colouring are said to come from the Thunderbird’s lightning. In my photo, just to the left of the mountain you can see the rock formation the ‘Bishop’s Mitre’ which is a challenging and technical climb. Click on either photo to see a larger version.
