Evening Drama

I uploaded this shot to my Flickr site on Sunday, April 27 and it somehow got to the #1 spot on Flickr's top 500 "Interestingness" factor. That led to almost 6000 views in one day and resulted in the sale of four prints - which will grace the walls of a Midtown Manhattan apartment!

This shot was taken just below Bayshore Drive in the Hammond Bay area of Nanaimo.

Marina Cutie

I originally posted this in November 2007, but I'm reposting because I just got word that this photo is one of seven winners in the Spirit of Cowichan BC 150 photo contest. I don't know what placement or what prize yet...I get to find that out on May 3 when the official announcement is made.

This photo was taken at the marina in Cowichan Bay, BC. The little blue and yellow boat just jumped out at me and begged to be photographed.

UPDATE - MAY 3: Meh...I should have known better than to get my hopes up. I thought I may have gotten the grand prize in this contest, but I only got an honorable mention. Oh well, the HM was worth 50 bucks.

God has left the building

This is the interior of the Butter Church, the exterior of which is in the previous posting.

The Butter Church

This old stone church on native land just outside of Duncan in Cowichan Bay, BC is known at the "Butter Church." It was built in 1870 and got it's name because it was funded by the sale of butter from the church's dairy.

Rocky Point

Clouds move in on the rugged coastline of Galiano Island.

Mt. Arrowsmith

Wow...I've really neglected this blog in the last while, haven't I. Oh well, it's not like there's anyone looking at this.

My birthday was on the weekend and my girlfriend surprised me with one of the best gifts ever. She chartered a light plane to fly us around the island for an hour. Mt. Arrowsmith is one spectacular site.

It's a good thing my GF's birthday isn't until July....It's going to take me at least that long to come up with a cool gift idea for her.

Any suggestions?

Butchart Gardens

If you have never been to Butchart Gardens in Victoria at Christmas, I can't recommend it enough - especially if you are into night photography. My parents were visiting for Christmas and I took them there for dinner on Boxing Day. The dinner was just as spectacular as this view.

Who are you talking to?

A couple of guys chat on the ferry - at least that's what the shadow looks like.

How far would you go for a pic?

OK...I really didn't go that far for this pic. In fact, I can see my house from where I'm standing. that being said, I can also see Mount Baker, the Sunshine Coast, the Saanich Peninsula and most of the southern Gulf Island. I love being on the Mt. Prevost summit.

Altitude

The peak of Mt. Prevost (altitude about 2500 feet) received a dusting of snowon Monday. I finally made it up there yesterday afternoon.

Radiance

This HDR stuff is amazing. I'm loving the results I'm getting. This is another shot from Port Renfrew.

Heading for the sea

Below the lower falls at Little Qualicum park

Littlel Qualicum Falls

I'm kinda hooked on this HDR stuff. Here's a shot of the upper falls at Little Qualicum Park. I'm actually not sure if I like the HDR effect in this kind of environment as much as I liked the sunset shots....but I'm still learning.

HDR Colors

Here's another HDR composition from my day at Port Renfrew

Walking by the sea

Hikers take advantage of the low tide at Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew. This is an HDR (high dynamic range) image that was made from three photos at different exposures. I just started playing with HDR on the weekend and I absolutely love the results. I have an album of HDR images from this day out on my website.

From the bow

The sandstone cliffs of Gabriola Island from the bow of an 18' Whaler.

Sunset arrival

A cruise ship approaches Vancouver as the sun sets. This was taken from a BC Ferry crossing from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo.

Golden moment

I got this on the same evening as I shot "Evening Cast." I stopped at this lake at the perfect time just before sunset and caught the wonderful glow of the early autumn colors.

Shooting the shooter

Deddeda Stemler, on assignment for the Globe and Mail, shoots me for a story the Globe is doing on the Duncan totem photo policy. Last I heard, the story is supposed to run in the Wednesday, Sept. 26 issue. It was a great pleasure for me too meet Deddeda and I learned a fair bit just watching her in action. She has a great portfolio online at www.deddeda.com.

Contre Jour

I love shooting against the sun. This was on a boating trip from Nanaimo through the Gulf Islands on Saturday. For those of you who are wondering, "contre jour" translated from French means "against the day." It's a photographic term used for shooting into the sun - or any main light source, for that matter.