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!

Antique Truck Show at the BC Forest Discovery Centre

Antique Vehicle Shows have a plethora of interesting details and shiny vehicles to photograph. I had my fun as my workplace hosted a truck show over the past two days. Even though the sun was out in full force, I got some great shots by using the sunlight and reflections to my advantage!

Seat back on Duncan's First Fire Truck - The Reflection of the truck red paint, and the next truck over's blue paint - made for an interesting combo of reflected warm and cool colours. The detailing and textured seat picked up the colours well and mingled them together well.

Mirror reflection from a Fargo Pickup Truck. I love this one. This is the first time I have played with mirrors - I really like its distortion and view it gives of the surrounding area. The part of the truck visible on the right hand side really anchors the shot.

Samson, the 101 year old Steam Locomotive - Of course I had to get a shot of this guy!

Diamond T Logging Truck - a good example of depth of field here. This symbol is one of the most recognized aspects of a diamond t model, and I isolated it against the blurred figure of the rest of the truck.

Chains on Logging Truck - I isolated these from the rest of the truck. They were in a large swath of shadow, so I wasn't worried about exposue issues, and the truck in the background was far enough away that it wasnt a light or focus problem.

Critter Spotting

Animals are always fin to photograph. They are natural and no posing is needed. Here are some of my most recent animal shots!

Bullfrog Tadpoles in Somenos Lake

Canada Darner at Rest

Insects hovering over the water at Cowichan Lake

Female Mallard at Cowichan Lake

Winning Horne Lake Caves Photo

Now that I have gotten past my technical difficulties, I have been able to post my winning photo! This shot will be on display at the new Horne Lake Caves Cave Theatre! Next time you are in the area, check it out!

My day for winning!

Wow!

Not only did my MEC Photography business card win me a prize at my local Starbucks, but I also won a contest at Horne Lake Caves with a photo from my recent trip on their Extreme Rapelling Tour. My shot will be on display in their brand new cave theatre!

Technical Difficulties

I have been trying to do some more in depth blog posts but blogger and/or my computer are having some major problems uploading photos! Hope to have this fixed soon!

Hooty the Barred Owl

Hooty is a barred owl that has been visiting our property for the past few summers. Every June or July he announces his arrival nightly with a series of calls that could be described as sounding like "Who-Cooks-For-Yoooouuuu?"  In August Hooty starts showing himself with confidance. He will sit in a tree - in daylight for hours waiting for a passing snake or mouse. He is very comfortable with humans and we believe he may have spent some time in a rescue centre.

Here are the photos I took of him this afternoon as he sat overlooking our driveway.

"Hooty" - A barred owl (Strix varia)

"Hooty" - A barred owl (Strix varia)

The Different Looks of Summertime Flowers

There are many conditions you can take photos in - here are a variety of flower photographs from different light conditions and the consequences of the conditions.

Taken in filtered sunlight at midday - Some overblown highlights but still a delicate look - in part due to the depth of field.

Taken at midday in a heavy overcast light. No shadows. Deep depth of field singles out the flower on a mottled background. This type of light is ideal for macro photography. Even lighting with no harsh shadows or highlights will give you the best effect.  

Sunflower taken in late afternoon with the full sun coming towards the lens. Used petals as a shield to keep majority of photo at proper exposure levels. Still some over exposure at the top.

Taken in full sun at 8 am, low light but still past the golden hour. No overexposure and good shadows which add depth and definition.

Taken early morning, with an overcast, smoke filled sky (From nearby wildfires). Most photos from this morning have an orangish glow, though not as evident in this shot. Good even lighting!

Taken on a sunny day, with diffused light. No harsh shadows or highlights!

Cowichan Bay

A trip to Cowichan Bay is never complete without Udder Guys Ice Cream - So we stopped at the ice cream parlour. We also went down to the docks for the sunset where I got some gorgeous photos! The lighting was perfect. It was the tail end of the golden hour and everything was alive with a warm wash of colour. That doesn't mean that you can't use black and white effects however!

I took this one from the end of a dock, down at water level. Mt Prevost - a well recognized mountain in the area - is in the background. The simplicity of the sailing boats and their elongated vertical lines contrasted nicely, I felt, with the horizontal horizon lines.

When I saw this set up I stopped altogether to think about how I was going to frame it. I had to work carefully to keep the boat out of the shot - I wanted a clear background. I felt black and white kept with the calm nature of the place. It was very serene down on the docks.

Thought I would share...

If you really want to get to know me as a photographer, you should check out this interview of mine with the Vancouver Island Photography Blog! They did a great job covering all angles and really illustrating the reasons behind my work!

Here's the link:

http://vancouverislandphotography.blogspot.com/2011/08/interview-with-victoria-photographer.html?spref=tw

Pacific Northwest Raptor Centre

Cleo the Barn Owl - Such a gorgeous bird!

Yesterday I visited the Raptor Centre in Duncan (http://www.pnwraptors.com/index.html ) to get some cool birds of prey shots. I do not intend to sell these photos (or at least do not expect to!) Photographers intending to use the photos taken at the centre for commercial purposes are charged a $30.00 flat rate. If someone does approach me to purchase one of these shots, I will pay them the fee however!

The centre has a great set up for all visitors. Birds are either tethered in the open or in cages. The wire can be a nuisance, but its still pretty cool to see the birds up close. Flying demonstrations occur twice a day and include a variety of birds of prey species. From turkey vultures to owl and hawks - a great deal of information is given!

I also participated in the "Hawk Walk". An extra $12 will get you a close up encounter with one of the centre's hawks. The price of admission and cost of the Hawk Walk were DEFINITELY worth the expense and I would recommend the experience for anyone!

Hera the Golden Eagle in her outdoor pen - She was no more than a meter and a half away from me!

One of the two kookaburas! I had never seen one before, so this was sweet! Their cage is hard to shoot them in, but I was lucky enough to catch someone flying them in the field - and consequently got some great shots!

Anakin the hawk - This is the cutie that I flew on my hawk walk!

Anakin - I think he needs to wipe his mouth more frequently after eating! haha!

Holding Anakin during the Hawk Walk - They're way lighter than they look!

Shooting Bumblebees

As a child and young photographer I always thought I would be a professional when I could successfully shoot a macro of a bumblebee. They were small, fast moving targets that in my eyes, only pros could capture. Over the past few years I have steadily improved to a point where I am reasonably satisfied with my results. There is always room for improvement, but I know now that there is only minor tweaks needed.

This is one of my first bumblebee shots - good depth of field, reasonably sharp and good colour... but not yet perfect!

For some reason I was extremely proud of this shot... no idea why! haha. Poor composition takes away from the decent sharpness and clarity.

This photo was taken this spring. None of them were as sharp as I would like ( I blame it on the breeze! :p ) so I added a blur to the outer edges of the photo to make the centre sharper in contrast. Good lighting and colour make up for the clarity.

This photo - taken over the summer blew me away when I looked at it on my computer. The depth of field and clarity were both strong as well as the composition. The colour is soft and there is no direct sunlight to give harsh highlights or shadows. One of my favourites!

This one was taken a few weeks after the last one, and here I have gradutated to a flying bee! It is not as clear as the others, which is to be expected, but would have been a nice feature anyways. The depth of field leaves a simple background. This was taken in a greenhouse so there was no direct sunlight here either.

These last two photos were taken the same evening. The sun was already behind the trees and it was approaching the Golden Hour. I sat back and zoomed in, which is how I tend to create my depth of field, and focused on the blooms with bees on them. I cropped down further on the computer in order to create the best composition possible. This one is a bit overexposed ont he yellow parts of the bee, leading to a loss of detail, but still sharp.

This is one of my all-time favourite photos. Not only is it sharp with lots of detail, but it has good soft lighting, deep depth of field and great colours. The clarity is what made this photo for me.. you can see virtually every hair!

Taking photos of bees is difficult, but patience and practice will get you the results you are looking for! Just keep trying. :)

Caving at Horne Lake Caves!

Phew! I went caving yesterday for my first time ever! And I didn't do the easy family tour... no, I did the 6 hour EXTREME tour! haha! well, it certainly was an adventure that was well worth the trip and the cost. I am paying for it in soreness this morning though! Here are some of my favourite photo from the trip. Enjoy!

Calcite Buddha

Calcite crystals

Soda straws and Witches claws!

The formation of a column between a stalactite and a stalagmite!

Amazing calcite formations on the cave ceiling!

Stick bridge and other calcite formations

Myself at the very bottom of the cave!