Category Archives: Summer

Northern Vancouver Island

Posted on 08/21/2026 by Jens

When people visit Vancouver Island they usually go to Victoria, Tofino, and Ucluelet. A beautiful area that receives less visitors is Northern Vancouver Island. I recently returned from a road trip to historical Telegraph Cove, Port McNeill, Port Alice, Alert Bay, and Coal Harbour. In the Johnstone Strait I saw Orcas, Humpback whales, Dall’s porpoise, Pacific White-sided dolphins, and Sea otters. If you can spare about 9 minutes of your time please watch my video. All filming, editing, and drone work was done by me.

Posted in British Columbia, Drone, Historical, Holidays, Summer, Travel, West Coast, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Quarry Rock Hike

Posted on 07/28/2026 by Jens

A beautiful day to spend some time in the forest. I went early to avoid the crowds and parking hassles. All filming, editing, and drone work has been done by me. There is music and you can click on the lower right hand corner to see the video full screen.

Posted in British Columbia, Drone, Hiking, Summer, Travel, West Coast | Leave a comment

Ten Turkey Vultures

Posted on 08/26/2025 by Jens

I’ve just returned from a trip to Northern Vancouver Island. The temperature was cooler and more pleasant than the heat we’ve been experiencing in the Vancouver lower mainland. During my trip I visited Port McNeill, Port Alice, and Alert Bay. In Alert Bay I would recommend seeing the wonderful U’mista Cultural Centre which is a small museum that is dedicated to the survival of all aspects of the cultural heritage of the Kwakwa’wakw people. I photographed turkey vultures and golden eagles. The turkey vultures were perched in a tree and I had never seen ten in such close proximity to one another. Click on any of the photos below to see a larger version.

Posted in Birds, British Columbia, Mountains, Summer, Travel, West Coast, Wildlife | Leave a comment

RCAF Snowbirds

Posted on 07/25/2025 by Jens

As part of the fireworks in Vancouver on July 19th and 23rd the RCAF Snowbirds performed over English Bay. I’ve always been a huge fan. Click on an image to see a larger size and then use your left and right keys to scroll through the gallery.

Posted in British Columbia, Colour, Inspiring, Mountains, Summer, West Coast | Leave a comment

Bike the Night

Posted on 09/15/2024 by Jens

This evening was Bike the Night in Vancouver which was a HUB cycling event. I tried to find a good location for photography. I experimented with different settings for ISO, exposure time, and depth of field. This is a photo of a cyclist who had decorated their bike with lights. With the rider being slightly blurred it conveys a sense of motion. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Posted in British Columbia, Night Photography, Summer, West Coast | Leave a comment

Green Bokeh

Posted on 07/12/2024 by Jens

This Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) was perched at the top of a small pine tree. It didn’t look like it was very comfortable as it struggled to maintain its balance. By using a lens aperture of f/5.6 I created a nice bokeh. This aesthetic quality is the blur or out-of-focus part in the background. It was midday when I took the photo, the light was very harsh, and for that reason I usually don’t take photos at this time of day. However, I do like the green background created by the other trees. Click on the image to see a larger version.

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From the Sea to the Mountains

Posted on 07/12/2024 by Jens

Last night I was trying to find a location where I could position the Coast mountains behind this lighthouse. Then I used my 500mm lens to compress the view of the lighthouse and the mountains behind. I think I experienced some heat shimmer when I took this photo. This is an optical phenomenon that can occur when using telephoto lenses, especially long focal lengths, in hot weather conditions. It’s caused by differences in air temperature and density, which can lead to distortion or a flickering effect on your images. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Posted in British Columbia, Mountains, Summer, West Coast | Leave a comment

Mallard Ducklings

Posted on 07/06/2024 by Jens

This morning I was fortunate to spend some time photographing a female Mallard duck and her ducklings. They were very curious about the human being with a camera and telephoto lens. Despite being so small they are already very good at swimming and diving. Be safe little ducklings and watch out for Bald Eagles. Click on the image to see a larger size.

Posted in Birds, British Columbia, Inspiring, Summer, West Coast, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Haida Gwaii

Posted on 07/19/2023 by Jens

I just returned from a ten day trip to Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve. This is an archipelago isolated from the mainland. It has many unique plants and animals. I look forward to sharing my photos of its richness and beauty. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Posted in British Columbia, Historical, Inspiring, Summer, West Coast, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Raw and Unfiltered

Posted on 08/29/2022 by Jens

I just returned from a twelve day trip to northern Vancouver Island. The nickname ‘Fogust’ is appropriate because there was a lot of fog each morning, which would usually burn off by the middle of the day. There was an abundance of wildlife and I spent time observing and photographing Killer Whales, Humpback Whales, a Minke Whale, Dall’s Porpoises, Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Steller Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, Sea Otters, Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Pelagic Cormorants, Black Turnstones, Red-necked Phalaropes, Bonaparte’s Gulls, Marbled Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers, Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Surf Scoters, Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, and of course, the bird in the picture below, which is a male Belted Kingfisher ( click on the image to see a larger version ). This area is the traditional lands of the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw, Kwakiutl, and Tlatlasikwala First Nations. To see some of my photos from my trip you can click on the ‘News‘ tab or the ‘Galleries’ tab and then the gallery titled ‘The Great Bear Sea‘.