2012 Memorial Hike

           Every once in a while, someone leaves this earth that requires a little something extra to be done in their memory. My Papa was one of those people. He left a legacy behind of unconditional love, gentleness and compassion that I can only hope to embody in my own life. he lived his entire life on a ranch, where he was raised, married and raised his own 5 children (my mother among them).  Each year my family does a hike on the land around his 60-acre ranch to remember the life he led, and the impact he had on each of our lives.
           This year we started with a garbage clean-up in an area where people have been dumping garbage to avoid dump fees, and then started off on a hike through some marvelous old growth forest and along a hydro road before connecting back with the trans-canada trail on our way back. The photos I took and am sharing below, document the beauty of my Nana's garden, the peace of the forest and horrific impact of humans on the natural environment.

Swan Lake

I have visited Swan Lake a couple of times this spring. The wildflowers are blooming and there is plenty of bird activity! Here are some of my favourite photos from these trips.

Sunset over Swan Lake

Barred Owl. The lighting wasnt great but he gave me a great action shot!

Male Red Winged Blackbird

Juvenile Male Red Winged Blackbird

Weeds in the midst of Easter Lily glory

Easter Lilies

Easter Lilies

Male mallard

Shooting Stars

Marine Wildlife Photography... AKA ORCAS!

I was very lucky this season to be brought on with Prince of Whales (http://www.princeofwhales.com/) as their third photographer. It is an amazing experience to get to go out on the water and get to see these majestic animals in their natural habitat - a far cry from their cramped lives in aquariums, surrounded by glass and concrete walls!

As a photographer for Prince of Whales, I provide photos to be published on their blog and other forms of social media, in order to show prospective clients just how awesome a trip out into our local waters can be! 

Here are a few of my favourite photos from this season - so far.

Please note:  Most of the images are shot with a 400 mm telephoto lens. Because of our restrictions around wildlife (100+ meters), we use powerful lenses to better share orca activity that passengers see on their trips. Keep in mind this also heavily compresses space between objects. We also crop images for best blog viewing.

Male from K pod, A resident group of orcas

Members of a transient group engaging in surface behaviours

Transient orcas making a close pass of our boat. We were sitting with out engines off, because to turn them on in order to manouver away, only would have disturbed the orcas more. They chose to approach us at this distance (And I was using a telephoto lens to this shot looks SUPER close!)

Members of K Pod in Boundary Pass with Mt. Baker in the background.

A young member of K pod.

Downtown Victoria

I took a wander through downtown the other day... It was a great fresh look at my city as it was one of the first times this school year that I have had the time to walk around with my camera.

Goldstream Salmon Run

Today my best friend and I visited Goldstream Provincial Park so I could show her what a salmon run looks like (She is from Yellowknife) and so that I could get some shots with my new camera and lens! I had a blast as I hadnt been to see a run in quite a few years... well as much fun as you can have watching dead fish ;)

What I have been up to...

Well, the most exciting thing that has happened to me lately would be that I have bought a new camera! I now shoot with a Nikon D5100! It will take a bit of getting used to and I am definitely missing my 18X zoom... but hopefully for Christmas I will be able to get some new lenses.

I am now a photographer for Uvic's independant newspaper, The Martlet, and am responsible for weekly photos, as well as other random photo assignments as needed.

My gallery show in Parksville went very well and I sold four pieces. It was a great experience, and I can't wait for my next showing!

After a rainfall - Autumn leaf on the sidewalk

UVic Engaged Art project - I like the symbolism I read from this one: We have consumed so much of the earth and its resources that our gluttony has caused us to be sick - such as when you eat too much food.

Leonardo Da Vinci -  A dog belonging to a homeless man in Downtown Victoria

Details on the Farm - At home for a weekend, I took this photo in the early fall. It shows fall colours without showing any living organisms.

Global Fashions on One World Stage 2011

Wow! That is pretty much all I can say about my experience photographing this phenomenal event! Robin Adams, the creator of this event, is inspirational to everyone involved. Her passion has bled through to the performers, volunteers and fans. Upbeat music, confident models and jazzy costumes from around the globe create an unforgettable night supporting a great cause - the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society.

I was lucky enough to be one of three photographers for this event. I learnt so much and had a blast while doing it!

Here is just a teaser of the photos I took - visit my facebook page for more!