Islands Folk Festival – New photos and stage lighting

I’ve finally managed to upload most of the galleries for the Islands Folk Festival that took place at Providence Farm in Duncan in July 2011. I mentioned this huge job previously back in February, Islands Folk Festival – Editing the Photos. As often is the case I try to learn from my experiences with the idea of […]
Fall colours on Vancouver Island

Cooler nights bring the wonderful fall colours that highlight the Cowichan Valley. While I don’t think the display will be quite as impressive as two years ago it still seems to be heading in the right direction.
Arbutus Ridge from the water

Here’s another view of Arbutus Ridge, this time from the water. Only a few arbutus trees are visible in the photograph, likely most of them were cut down to put in the houses. Maybe it should be renamed?
Arbutus Ridge Aerial Photograph

Arbutus Ridge is located in a wonderful area of Vancouver Island overlooking Saanich and the southern Gulf Islands. While the location is stunning I wonder about the long term effects of developments like this. Certainly it’s not my style but I don’t play golf either!
Route 66 sign in Cowichan Bay

I’m not sure why an Arizona Route 66 sign is in Cowichan Bay but hey, it’s cool. Check out the cows to the right!
Mount Tzouhalem Ecological Reserve

The Mt. Tzouhalem Ecological Reserve located near Duncan in the Cowichan Valley is an amazing area for wildflowers. Being located primarily on the exposed lower slopes of Mount Tzouhalem the species found are different from the Honeymoon Bay Wildflower Reserve which is primarily forested. Mt. Tzouhalem Ecological Reserve was spectacular with shooting star, buttercup and […]
Honeymoon Bay Wildflower Reserve

I have wanted to visit the Honeymoon Bay Wildflower Reserve near Cowichan Lake for a number of years and finally had my chance. What a beautiful place! It’s still early in the spring but the pink fawn lilies and trillium are at their peak and bleeding heart and violets were looking great as well. I […]
Funky Genoa Bay, Vancouver Island

There are very few places left on the west coast that still have the really funky feeling to them. Fortunately for us, two of the classics are located close by. Cowichan Bay has managed to maintain a funky feeling although with all the condos being built and high end food establishments going in it’s hard […]
Westcoast Work Boat Association

The Westcoast Work Boat Association holds their spring rendezvous in Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island. A wonderful assortment of boats turn up from both local waters as well as Washington state. Many of the work boats are retired fishing boats that have been converted into pleasure craft while others are modern boats designed with the […]
Ferns, Cowichan Valley

With the return of good weather and some time to do photography I’m going to try and stay on a selection of local images for a while. The ferns are in some ways at their most beautiful now as the fiddleheads are appearing.
TMAC Award – Best Action Photograph 2010

I have been honoured with an award for “best action photograph” by the Travel Marketing Association of Canada. It’s always great to get some recognition and it’s also wonderful that Ontario Parks that sponsored this award supports the photographic arts.
Richards Creek, Somenos, Vancouver Island

I stopped at my favourite bridge on the way back from the marina again today. This is my third photo a day shot at this location, likely because it’s a nice view and more likely because I drive through this area every day. On January 15th I photographed from the bridge looking the other direction, […]
Forest Light

Here we are, one month finished in the photograph a day series. So far it has been an interesting exercise. Right now I’m in the middle of a major boat renovation so photography has taken a second stage for all of January. At the same time, I have been driving between my house and the […]
Trumpeter Swans in Cowichan Bay

One view I never tire of in the Cowichan Valley is the beautiful Trumpeter swans that spend their winter months in this region. Many of the flooded fields will have at least a few swans but other areas have perhaps hundreds. In many ways this is a real success story as the Trumpeter swan was […]
500 Geese and Ducks

I can’t confirm the numbers exactly but did a quick count of about 1/4 of the image. It looks like somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 Canada Geese and unknown ducks. Hey, I would like to think of myself as a birder but need to get out the Audubon guides! Still an impressive collection of […]
Corn Stalks and Birds

This isn’t an amazing photo but it’s still kind of cool. I’ve driven by these fields for the past few weeks and even though they are being flooded with the rain right now, last years corn stalks continue to poke through. An interesting abstract of the Cowichan.
Fir Trees in Mist

More trees and more mist. Our recent weather pattern has been somewhat predictable with lots of cloud, drizzle, rain and more rain. Also very predictable are the forests with clouds floating through them. As photogenic as this is I’m looking forward to spring being just around the corner.
Float Homes at Genoa Bay

Genoa Bay on southern Vancouver Island must be one of the most picturesque boating destinations in the Cowichan area offering good moorage, a marina and excellent food at the Genoa Bay Cafe. Equally as picturesque is the gorgeous 5km drive through farmland to access the bay from Maple Bay if coming by land. Genoa Bay […]
Full Moons in Canada

I was watching the full moon a few nights ago and started thinking about all the occasions where I have spent countless hours watching the full moon come up or go down. A few eclipses have been included in this quality time as well. On doing a keyword search I found over 500 images of […]
Cowichan Valley Rainbow

I actually shot lots of photographs today but most of them are not very interesting, photographs of paint peeling and areas that need attention on my old wooden boat. Mind you, these images are very useful and serve a huge purpose in documenting restorations, electrolysis and all the other fun items boat owners deal with. […]
Rain and Mist in the Cowichan

Another day, another photo. This one wasn’t as easy as some of the photos due to working on my boat and basically pretty dreary wet weather. At least the snow is gone! The drive down to Maple Bay (where my old boat is located) is very picturesque and I could easily stop every few moments […]
Cowichan Snow and a Sheltie

We had a good dump of snow last night along with the subsequent power outages and blocked driveway. On the positive side, snow sure looks pretty and our sheltie, Sima, loves to play more in snow than almost anything else in life; except perhaps food! The Cowichan Valley is now a slushy mess as the […]
Somenos

A perfect evening! Actually I really shouldn’t call it that. The sun goes down so early now that sunset happens around 4:30 or so, maybe I should call it a perfect afternoon. This photograph of Richards Creek flowing out of Somenos Lake was shot at 4:11, right before the sun hid behind the hills up […]