Times: August 2006

These photographs were taken with my first digital camera; a Canon Powershot A430. I first enjoyed exploring perspectives in height, taking pictures of some of the sights I enjoyed in nature before using a camera. Pseudotsuga m. menziesii, Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 19, 2006, 12:00pm. Canon Powershot A460, ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/400.

Salal berries became one of my favourite subjects. Gaultheria shallon. Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 19, 2006, 12:00pm. Canon Powershot A430, ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/400.

This grasshopper was one of manny on the cleared lot where we were building our house. Melanoplus s. sanguinipes. Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 25, 2006, 11:30am. Canon Powershot A430, ISO 100, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/40.

A butterfly on our cleared lot near Stories Beach. Pieris rapae. Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 25, 2006, 11:30am. Canon Powershot A430, ISO 0, 21.6mm, 0 EV, f/5.8, 1/200.

My grandmother had an apple tree in the backyard. The fruit had a classic look. Malus domestica. Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 25, 2006, 7:00pm. Canon Powershot A430, ISO 100, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/40.

I loved our old dog, Molly. Canis lupus familiaris. Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 26, 2006, 2:15pm. Canon Powershot A430, ISO 165, 21.6mm, 0 EV, f/5.8, 1/200.

I had no idea what these red berries were when I found them growing out of my grandparents backyard stump. Sorbus. Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 19, 2006, 12:15pm. Canon Powershot A460, ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/500.

First floral photograph. It looks like a... dandelion?
But it's not not. It's an apargidium aster--same family.
Microseris borealis. Campbell River, Vancouver Island,
British Columbia. August 25, 2006, 11:30am. Canon
Powershot A430, ISO 100, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/200.

This was the first photograph I
took in a provincial park (Miracle
Beach). Populus balsamifera
trichocarpa. Miracle Beach
Provincial Park,Vancouver
Island, British Columbia. August
19, 2006, 5:45pm. Canon
Powershot A430, ISO 0,
5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/160.

This month, eight years ago, was possibly the most significant of my entire photographic phase. My family had been living in limbo as we built a new house. Throughout the winter, we had lived in an ocean-side resort. Our cottage had a slanting floor, we canoed from the front door, and we had little worldly pleasures to distract us from our quality way of life. No TV, no computer, no toys. I spent my days wandering up and down the shoreline and wading in the local swamps and ponds. Those were the happiest days of my life. However, there was little documentation of our happy, simple life in nature except a few photos with an old film camera we’d had from a few years earlier. It was time to go digital.

Araneus diadematus. Campbell
River, Vancouver Island, British
Columbia. August 27, 2006,
7:00pm. Canon Powershot A430,
ISO 100, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8,
1/60.

These four photos are of a spider that lived on the siding
of my grandparents house. It was a great experimental
model for macro. Araneus diadematus. Campbell River,
Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 27, 2006,
7:15pm. Canon Powershot A430, ISO 100, 5.4mm,
-1 EV, f/2.8, 1/100.

Araneus diadematus. Campbell
River, Vancouver Island, British
Columbia. August 27, 2006,
7:15pm. Canon Powershot A430,
ISO 100, 5.4mm, -1 EV, f/2.8,
1/80.

I’d seen a lot of beauty in nature throughout those years, so I’d started asking my parents to get me a camera. By August 18^th, on my 14^th birthday, the camera came. By then, we were living with my grandparents in their little suburban home and our house was almost complete. Without waiting, I took to the outdoors and started taking pictures of the unique perspectives and patterns I had noticed in nature. Unfortunately, many of my photos from those early days were lost to the mercy of poor organization. Old CDs are stacked somewhere, with damaged files full of old photographs badly in need of reorganization. However, some of the best have survived into more updated files.

So close to an orb-weaver spider, over exposed at a very slow shutter speed, made for a fascinating photograph. Araneus diadematus. Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 27, 2006, 7:45pm. Canon Powershot A430, ISO 100, 5.4mm, 2 EV, f/2.8, 1/8.

My dear mother was the victim of
poor use of a flash in poor lighting.
But she still looks beautiful! In the
years to come, I would capture more
flattering photographs of her. Isn't that
right Mom? My mom only ever gets
more beautiful as the years pass. Homo
s. sapiens. Campbell River, Vancouver
Island, British Columbia. August 30,
2006, 8:00pm. Canon Powershot
A430, ISO 100, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8,
1/60.

My dog's daughter
stayed in the family
before passing away.
Canis lupus familiaris.Campbell River,
Vancouver Island,
British Columbia.
August 27, 2006,
7:00pm. Canon
Powershot A430, ISO
233, 11.84mm, 0 EV,
f/4, 1/50.

Many of my first photographs were experiments. Trying to fool the automatic exposures of my Canon Powershot to create strange affects became standard practice for me. I tried my hand at portraits as well, but usually found myself dissatisfied with the results. Friends and family will have to forgive me if some of their portraits aren’t exactly flattering. Most of all, I became completely immersed in the world of macrophotography. Any bug or beetle that crossed my path became the subject of some new venture. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I did when I finally jumped into the world of photography.

Molly was one of the most-loved members of our family. She was a fantastic dog but passed away last year, close to the same time her daughter Ebony (see above) passed away. This is the cutest picture of Molly dog I ever took--it was never outdone by later, more professional photographs. Canis lupus familiaris. Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British
Columbia. August 23, 2006, 10:00am. Canon Powershot A430, ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/80.

My sister Sarah, only eleven years old. I'm not so sure she's as cute as she used to be, but she's made up for it with beauty. Homo s. sapiens, Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 25, 2006, 7:15pm. Canon Powershot A460, ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/60.

My grandfather has aged well over the last eight years. He looks essentially the same now as he did back then. Homo s. sapiens, Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 25, 2006, 7:30pm. Canon Powershot A460, ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/60.

My mother's cousin Mary. Notice I changed the background for this photograph; I believed the trees and bushes of the old stump I had been taking the pictures at to be too distracting. I think it helped. Homo s. sapiens, Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 27, 2006, 7:00pm. Canon Powershot A460, ISO 0, 511.84mm, 0 EV, f/4, 1/200.

My first self-photograph reveals my consciousness. As far as I was concerned at that time, I was far too cute-looking for a fourteen year old. My face isn't nearly as round anymore. Homo s. sapiens, Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 25, 2006, 7:30pm. Canon Powershot A460, ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/80.

Hard to believe that this sixteen year old now has plans to get married this December. Apparently the braces paid off. I'm looking forward to seeing you in December Daniel! Homo s. sapiens, Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 25, 2006, 7:15pm. Canon Powershot A460, ISO 0, 5.4mm, 0 EV, f/2.8, 1/100.

My first sunset photograph. Better would come. Pseudotsuga m. menziesii, Campbell River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. August 28, 2006, 8:30pm. Canon Powershot A460, ISO 329, 21.6mm, 0 EV, f/5.8, 1/60.

Snow in a Rainforest?

I know it looks more like the boreal forests of Russia but this is a rain forest. Situated a little higher in elevation and farther north than the deciduous-based forests of southern Vancouver Island, at least some snows fall here each winter. The surface in the foreground will become the lapping water of Cedar Lake come the spring. This was taken in early January.

This stand of red alder looked
unusual with all the snow. Dancing
and darting through the snags were
a number of winter wrens.

As is evidenced by my other posts on this site (of a paleontological content, primarily) I have not been actively involved in the outdoors this winter. I did make a few short trips, however, and I think it is enough to make a post out of it. My artistic side came out in many of these winter photos. The first set is from Sorries Beach area, just south of Campbell River on Vancouver Island.

This looks warm, but check out the snow in the bottom left.
There is a lot of greenery in a temperate rainforest,
even in winter, because of the evergreen trees, ferns,
and mosses.

The temperate rainforest takes on a tranquil, quiet feel in winter when the snow falls. What was once clothed in the rich greens of spring, treefrogs singing, warblers and flycatchers darting through the leaves, suddenly falls silent. Only the winter wrens remain, flitting softly through the snags and piping away angrily when there meagre foraging is interrupted. Snow doesn't fall often in these temperate rainforests, but when it does, it flattens the evergreen ferns and one almost forgets they are there.
Besides hardy little birds, the big game moves into the low land forests from the harsher alpine. Rather, the dear step lightly and the bears plod on through the undergrowth, shaking the snow off the ferns as they spring up gasping in their wake.

This Douglas-fir branch looks cold and icy. The frost can be seen coating the leaves. However, check out the photograph bellow.

In this photo of the same limb, it looks warm and fresh, like a spring morning. Why the sudden change? It's all about what you want to see.

A cougar track seen near Farewell
Lake.

Away from the coasts of the island, the snow is deeper and the air cooler. Even the lakes, if the sea denies them a thawing wind from the south, will freeze over. My dad and I where able to make a trip up to some of these lakes this winter and have a look around. Many elk tracks were seen and, surprisingly, I few deer. Usually deer don't dwell so near to elk, which can carry diseases that the dear aren't resistant to. More interesting however was a cougar track way. It is probably the same cougar that I usually see signs of in that area during camping trips on the lake. Thanks to a couple turkey vultures, I was able to find an old, buried kill.

Most of the lakes north-island look more like this one (Farewell Lake), maintaining open water except near the shore.