The snow is mostly gone, here on the prairies, but it will be some weeks before we see greenery and flowers blooming. I can’t wait! It has been a long winter and I sure could use a bit of color. Late spring or early summer images are great for it because all is fresh and green is bright and not dimmed by dust of late summer days.
We are lucky here in Alberta, because some nights are full of light show. We had a couple of gorgeous Aurora showing last fall and I have managed to capture some shots without leaving the city.
I know, I know it is winter and everybody posts winter photography, but I am not ready for it yet. I see it outside my window every day, so I want to see something warm, colorful and pretty. Hope you are in need of this as well.
It has been a while since I’ve posted anything about Elk Island National Park. So, I think, it is time for some lovely sunset from the beginning of summer, when all was green, flowers were blooming and days were warm and long.
I can’t believe it has been almost a year since we have enjoyed our last trip to Vancouver, BC. We have had only a few days to drive there, visit a bit and drive back, however, we have taken a ton of pictures along the way. The weather was, mostly, great, the views fantastic and the fall colors everywhere.
I have completely forgot about out BC Trip last summer. I guess I didn't finish telling you all about it, and the pictures were just sitting in my dropbox collecting layers of dust
Coming back from the other side of the Vancouver Island, we decided for a short trip to Victoria. Unfortunately with highway construction that trip was long, and gave us a limited time in this beautiful city. So we decided to forgo most of it, and concentrate on the Craigdarroch Castle. As my wife described in her post, it's a beautiful house built in the 19th century. Since Canada is a fairly young country, compared to the world standards, I would call this house a landmark of our history, yet it is not being looked after by any of the government agencies. It's all done through volunteers. The passion of these people to preserve this place is amazing. We talked to one of the guides for more than 30 min about how the house was built, the attention to detail that went into design and construction of the house. It was quite an eye opener. You could feel the pride in the craft. I will echo my wife's words... if you are ever in Victoria, you have to visit this gem.
Photographing the Craigdarroch Castle on the inside proved to be a bit challenging. The Fuji X-Pro1 does not have an on board flash, so I had to bump up the ISO on most of the inside images because of the dark interior. Most of the following images were done an ISO 1000 and higher, and I think the camera performed very well. Also the contrasts of very bright windows combined with darker interiors, created very high contrasts. I could have used HDR, but I did not have a tripod handy, and the shutter speeds were already dangerously low for hand held photography. Plus there were a lot of humans milling around. So I opted for single image, and no bracketing. I was very impressed how the X-Pro1 performed in such challenging situation. So enough of the ramblings from me... here are the photos of the inside of the beautiful Craigdarroch Castle. Enjoy!
There are times when in landscape photography, a wide angle lens is just simply too wide. When the sky has nothing to offer, but it's color, and when the ground has nothing to offer either. It's not easy sometimes to photograph the mood of a landscape, when the sky is blue, and the ground is flat and feature less. Yet there is a certain mood in the air, like that morning on the beach. There was a mist coming from the ocean, and hanging low on the beach, but the sky was featureless and I had to work hard to find something interesting on the ground.
This is a perfect time, when the big zooms come out to play in landscape photography. This is a perfect time to focus on something far away, instead of up close, and that's what I did. The mist coming out of the ocean, created this incredible mood. The people walking along the beach became ghosts, appearing and disappearing. With a long zoom, you can capture a beautiful mood, and add a completely genuine human element to the landscape. Here are some shots from that beautiful morning. Enjoy!
Mac
After a full day of traveling from Vancouver, we finally managed to get across to Vancouver Island. Personally I though the trip across the island to the west coast is going to be relatively short and smooth. I was wrong. The nice smooth highways turned, narrow and winding very quickly, and that slowed us down considerably. It would be a great place for some wonderful landscape photography, unfortunately the roads being so narrow, there was hardly any place to pull over. This is the time where you soak up the landscape and store it, not on a digital memory card, but a biological memory card in your mind. It's not easy, being presented with really spectacular British Columbia landscapes, and not being able to capture it with our cameras. We also had our destination, and a search for a place to stay to consider, and the day was coming to an end.
After a long and tiring drive across Vancouver Island, we have finally arrived at the west coast, and started searching for a place to stay. Almost immediately we found a small bed & breakfast that was quite reasonably priced and very nice. Still had some a couple of hours, before the sun went down into the ocean, so we drove around looking for a good spot for a beach landscape photography :) . Windy, sand blowing, and a little cold, the beach was far from what we expected. I dared not the change lenses on the camera, and even though I didn't, I still ended up with a whole bunch of sensor spots on the Sony cameras. Fuji X-Pro 1, faired a lot better. No spots, even though it was blasted with beach sand just as bad as the Sony NEX cameras. Interesting. Here is what I managed to capture during the last hours of that long day. Enjoy!
It's been quite a while since I wrote a blog post. I think I have a bit of catching up to do. Actually quite a lot. This is the second big trip that I've done with only mirror less cameras. This time the bag contained three cameras, two Sony NEX models and one Fuji X-Pro1. With all the lenses and other essentials it weighed less than if I packed my DSLRs. So for walking around Vancouver, and then Vancouver Island, this was a perfect setup. I will have to add that my wife was carrying all the heavy stuff, and her pictures from the BC Trip are absolutely wonderful. So we dumped the kiddos on our friends, wonderful parents that we are, and headed out to the ocean.
Our first day constituted of trampling around parks, forests, and big hills. I was glad I did not have my heavy DSLRs with me. It was a tough day, but lots of opportunities for great photos. The Sony wide angle lens came into play most often, as the trees were so tall, that anything else would not be able to fit them into the frame. Enjoy!
It's been a while since I have shared some of my shots taken during our summer travel on Vancouver Island ( you can check the last installment from that trip - record of our visit at Victoria’s Craigdarroch Castle in Beautiful British Columbia - Part 7). During our stay on the Island we have been lucky to spend an evening at Qualicum Beach, being guided by one of our photographic friends, who was kind enough to take us to his favorite part of the coast and, though, the tide was high and most of the beach was covered with water, we still had a chance to take a wonderful walk, admire the views and, of course, snap a few shots ;D. It is such a pleasure to watch the sun disappear behind the horizon, making the sky burn! Landscape photography can be so much fun!!! I miss those summer days.. I hope sharing these pictures will take your minds away from this long and cold winter. I took mine off, for sure. Enjoy! :D Kasia
Considering that we got, yet again, a foot of snow and the temperatures are dropping, most everybody here in Edmonton, I'm sure, is thinking of taking off to some tropical island to bask in sun and heat.. Well, since such a trip is out of the question for us, at this time, I am tempted to look at my pictures from our summer trip to BC ( to check our previous adventures on Vancouver Island see Beautiful British Columbia - Part 7), this time, from our short visit at the famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria. Such a lovely place to explore!! So many beautifully growing, disgustingly luscious (sorry, a bit of a gardener's envy on my part, here) plants, beautifully arranged for the viewer to see.. I could spend hours with my macro lens there, surrounded by all that splendor.. Alas, we didn't have too much time and I did not take my 100mm lens, just the 200mm one and had to work with that, along with my 17mm. Travel photography forces us to make the most of what we have (equipment and time -wise).. Lets see what I have managed to do with the two lenses I brought with me. Hope you enjoy!
Kasia
Travel photography, quite often deals with architecture. One just cannot ignore interesting buildings and not take a picture or two.. Such was the case with Victoria's Craigdarroch Castle. A beautiful place built in late 19th century, fortunately, not demolished with most of other older buildings in 1960s. Visiting it gives one a unique picture of life of that period. Such a pity there aren't very many such places available in western Canada.. If you are ever in Victoria, BC, make sure you drop by and take a tour. Learn how people used to live in the old times and take a moment to admire the craftsmanship of old. Here are a few shots from our visit. I hope, this post will encourage you to visit this little architectural pleasure.. Kasia
To be continued...
P.S. Check our previous post from Long Beach on Vancouver Island: Beautiful British Columbia - Part 6 - Travel Photography
Long Beach, one of the most known places in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island. Quite a beautiful place, full of sand and driftwood. We have visited it one misty morning (with one short stop in the evening), taking a long walk, enjoying a breeze and the sound of waves. Lot's of cool stuff to find and take pictures of! As beautiful in the morning as it is in the evening sun.. We were lucky to get a very good light both times (which is not always the case with travel photography) and here is a few pictures I have taken while visiting. To check our previous post, just click on the following link: Beautiful British Columbia - Part 5 - Travel Photography. Kasia
When we were leaving the beach the second time, I could not resist taking picture of these shoes hanging on the wires. It's funny, but I think I have seen such things everywhere I have visited.. What is it with people's need to leave them like that?!
To be continued..
Our adventure with travel photography continues. Some of what we saw before you can check out in my previous post: Beautiful British Columbia - Part 4 - Travel Photography. We've spent a couple of gorgeous evenings at Chesterman Beach. It is one of only a few places on this end of Vancouver Island (close to Tofino) where you can enjoy a sunset. It was a bit chilly with a strong wind picking up sand that was showering us mercilessly and I was glad I took both my cameras with me, because I wouldn't dare to change a lens in those conditions. And there was a lot of things to capture and without my 200mm lens I would miss out on a lot of shots.. But even if I was there without them I would still enjoy both evenings a lot. It is so relaxing to walk on a beach, watch other people going on their strolls, listening to the waves crashing around you. Add to it a beautiful sunset and you are in for a treat! Here is a few shots from both outings. I hope you enjoy!
Kasia
To be continued..
After a day of hiking around Vancouver (see Beautiful British Columbia - Part 3 - Travel Photography - our visit to Lynn Valley) we've decided to do a bit less walking and took a drive to the Horseshoe Bay to explore it a bit and search for a location for a sunset. We've stopped at a few places along the way and ended up staying for a few hours on a little rocky beach. Don't ask me where these shots were taken, because after a while I completely lost any idea of where we were.. The tide was still pretty low, when we've arrived and it allowed me to take my macro lens and take a closer look at some barnacles and seaweed as well as the surrounding views. The unfortunate thing about travel photography is that we can't always wait for a better light, having limited time at a certain location. But even with that in mind, using a bit of a different angle one can manage to get a few lovely shots. Here is a few of those from that outing.. Kasia
To be continued..
Our adventure with travel photography in Vancouver, BC continues with Lynn Valley (previous post picturing Jericho Beach Park: Beautiful British Columbia - Part 2 - Travel Photography). It is a lovely place full of gorgeous trees, lots of stairs and a charming Rice Lake, as a culmination of one of the hiking trails. That day, the sun was shining through the canopy and making this dark, rain forest very beautiful. I wish I could see it with fog laying on the ground, with some sun rays shining through... It would look truly spectacular! But, as a guest, staying only for a day or two, one can only get what is there and don't complain about the ambiance ;D. I love the play of light and shadow! As difficult it is to photograph it you always feel a wonderful sense of pleasure when your effort pays off! I hope you'll enjoy those few shots... Kasia
To be continued...
Jericho Park with its beach were for us the first place to visit in Vancouver, BC. We have been very lucky to bring with us sunny weather and we were definitely enjoying our evening stroll in the park and the beach. As I have mentioned in my previous post - Beautiful British Columbia - Part 1 - Travel Photography travel photography allows us to practice shooting in all sorts of environments and this was a pleasure to do so with shiny water, reflecting the sun and in dark shade of park trees.. Here is some of what I saw and captured during our visit.. Kasia
To be continued...
It's been a while since my last posts, but I do have a very good excuse. We went for a road trip to Tofino and back. It's been only my 3rd ever venture to BC, my first to Vancouver Island and I was really looking forward to seeing the land and venture to places I have not had a chance to visit before as well as re-visit the few I have. Travel photography is wonderful because it gives one opportunity to practice all sorts of things. From landscapes to architecture, nature, macros, night shots... It is so much fun, though it does require bringing a lot of different lenses and a bit of gear. Today I would like to share some pictures I have taken on our way to Vancouver. It's quite a long way from Edmonton so we took a break from driving to visit our friends in Kamloops, BC. While enjoying their company and a wonderfully hot evening I took a few shots of their world. We did have a view of quite a lovely sunset as well from their patio...
The next day we resumed out drive through the Rockies. Our first stop was at Kamloops Lake where I took a few shots of a lovely view:
While driving I couldn't help but to notice a great contrast between very dry mountains, covered with sage and bluish grass with level ground that is quite often used for agricultural purposes. It does require lots of watering, as we were able to notice, and the lush greens of the meadows are so very different in colour than surrounding mountains..
Travelling through canyons and summits, on our way, along rivers and mountain slopes gives you an opportunity to see very many interesting things. Too bad one cannot always stop when one wishes... The landscape changes often on the way and at least one is not bored, stuck in a vehicle for hours on end..
I've always wanted to visit Hell's Gate again. The first time I went there (over a decade ago..) I was awed by the incredible power of water flowing at this particular spot in Fraser Canyon.. You can see it churning under your feet while crossing a bridge. It does give you a bit of a weird feeling.. Here is a few shots I have taken while there:
Our long journey that day ended finally in Vancouver where we met one of our friends who, very kindly, took us for a tour around the city. What we saw there I will share in my next post. For now, just one more shot taken while driving, just before we reached our destination. There is not always a chance to stop on a highway to properly take photos, so I do try to shot some things from a moving vehicle. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but one must try, right? Especially, when I am in the very lucky position of a passenger and I can devote my full attention to surrounding views (which Mac is always bemoaning, having to always be the driver.;D).
To be continued..
Kasia
