©Jens Preshaw
Recently I experienced a great day of Spring skiing at Whistler/Blackcomb. We were blessed with a lot of snow in the Coast mountains this Winter and it has been the ski areas second snowiest season on record. There hasn’t been much use for these snowmaking machines. When I saw them at the bottom of the hill, partially sunken in the snow, and all in formation, they looked like an attacking army in one of the intergalactic battles in George Lucas’s the Clone Wars (Star Wars).
It’s that time of year when we are receiving lots of rainfall in the lower mainland. A day of sunshine is a real treat and it provided me with the opportunity to do some snowshoeing in Cypress Provincial Park.
The weather was a constantly changing combination of sun and cloud. I was hoping that the dramatic light would allow me to capture some good images of The Lions which are a pair of pointed peaks. I waited for several hours for the weather to clear but it never materialized. I knew where The Lions were located and that they were tantalizingly close, just out of sight and behind the quickly moving clouds and mist.
As I sat waiting I was kept company by a number of Whiskey Jacks or Gray Jays who were hoping that I would feed them. I don’t believe in feeding the wildlife because it habituates them to human beings. They enjoyed sitting on the tips of my snowshoes and were quite happy to pose for photos.
©Jens Preshaw
Eventually the clouds and mist parted and provided a small window that allowed me a few minutes where I could see the east peak of The Lions. I was able to quickly take a few images before it disappeared from sight. It was getting late in the day and I still needed to snowshoe down the mountain.
©Jens Preshaw
I purchased my iPhone 4 at the end of July when they went on sale in Canada, so I’ve had mine for about eight months. As a photographer I really like some of the useful apps that you can download for free or purchase from the Apple App Store. The iBooks app is free and most people use it to download books onto their iPhone or iPad. What I really like about it is that I’ve been able to download many of the user’s manuals as PDF’s from the Nikon website. On my iPhone I now have the manuals for my camera, several lenses and my flash.
This is really useful when you are out shooting images and you want to quickly check the manual in regards to settings for your camera or flash. The manuals themselves are big, bulky and heavy. You don’t want to be carrying all this additional weight in your camera pack. To have them all contained and so easily accessible on your iPhone is really helpful for any amateur or professional photographer.
Every now and then when it looks like there is going to be a beautiful sunset I will visit the Historical Fishing Community called Finn Slough. It is located in Richmond, British Columbia on an intertidal marsh right next to the Fraser River.
People have been living in Finn Slough since 1890 when a group of Finnish fisherman arrived in the Richmond area. During this time many of the people worked in the salmon fishery and at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. The small collection of float houses has such charm and it is a wonderful place for photographers. When I arrived I was surprised to see two adult Mute Swans in the water and I could hear the distinct “kleek-kik-ik-ik”, “kak-kak-kak” call of a Bald Eagle.
©Jens Preshaw
The fish boat the “EVA” has an Easthope engine that makes a classic “pop-pop-pop” sound when it is running.
©Jens Preshaw
©Jens Preshaw
When I’m travelling or outside taking photos I have always had trouble organizing my CF cards. However, I think I have found the perfect solution, just the other day I purchased a Pixel Pocket Rocket which is made by Think Tank Photo. Mine is bright red (it also comes in blue) and it easily holds ten CF cards. If you don’t need to carry so many CF cards the alternative would be the Pee Wee Pixel Pocket Rocket which is a little bit smaller and can hold four CF cards and three SD cards. You can use the simple method of keeping the label side up (viewable through the window) when the CF card is fresh and storing them label side down when the card is full. It has a roll up design and closes with velcro. There is also a short lanyard that allows you to fasten it to your camera pack or jacket.
©Jens Preshaw
I purchased mine from The Camera Store.
©Jens Preshaw
This camera accessory even has a convenient pocket with a clear window where you can store a few business cards.
This morning when I woke up the sun was streaming through my living room windows. The sunlight reflected off a door and for a moment created a shadow of a reading lamp on the wall of my condominium. It was very fleeting, by the time I turned on my camera and took a photo, it was gone, in less than a minute.
These days I am trying to take the time to see more of these ‘moments’ in my life. When I thought about why I had never seen this shadow before on the wall of my condominium, I realized that the sun is slowly changing position as we move from Winter to Spring. It may be only a few days each year that you are able to see a particular shadow in your house, on the street or in the mountains. If it is raining on that day you may only see it every few years. Here’s to all of us slowing down and taking the time to enjoy more of these moments.
Finally the skies cleared and we were left with a sunny, but cold winter day. The snow conditions in the Coast mountains right now are some of the best we’ve had in years. This makes the skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing fantastic. Cypress Mountain has great cross country skiing and I thought this would be a nice way to spend the last day of 2010 and what a year it has been, with the Winter Olympics being held in the Vancouver/Whistler area.
In the middle of the Nordic ski area there is the Hollyburn Lodge which was built in 1926. It is a wonderful place to visit because it has such character and charm. I like everything about it from the uneven floor to the soups and vegetarian chili. When you enter the lodge there is a sign over the door that reads:
1926 Hollyburn Ski Camp
Be of good cheer, you’re quite welcome here
If sad and alone, let this be your home
Here you will find a welcome most kind
©Jens Preshaw
By the end of January 1925, Rudolph Verne and friends had set up a rental shop, lodge and ski school in an abandoned mill. Over night accommodation, ski rentals, meals and entertainment were offered at a charge. This was before there was any road into the area and people had to hike up from the ferry dock in West Vancouver which took two to three hours. They would then spend the weekend skiing and staying at the Hollyburn Ski Camp.
©Jens Preshaw
Welcome to my blog about photography, life and learning in the Pacific Northwest. If possible, I try to take most of my outdoor images during a time of the day that photographers often refer to as ‘sweet light’. This is a beautiful form of light that occurs near sunrise and sunset. Perhaps, the famous outdoor photographer Galen Rowell summed it up best, when he said:
“Twice each day the cool, blue light of night interacts with the warm tones of daylight. Luckily for color photographers, these events, though predictable, are not consistent. For a full hour at either end of the day colors of light mix together in endless combinations, as if someone in the sky were shaking a kaleidoscope.”
I hope to share with you some of the ‘sweet light’ and beautiful places to photograph in this part of the world.
