Film Advance

(Camera: Olympus OM-G; Lens: Zuiko 50mm f/3.5 Macro; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)

I’m struck by how often shapes and textures recur in nature even on vastly different scales. One of the things I most love about macro lenses is how well they distort our perception of the everyday and familiar, and give us new ways of seeing. The details in this close-up shot remind me of early Landsat images of river systems and the spines of mountain ranges. Yes, its’s a photo of a frost-coated leaf, but it’s really all about patterns and structure.

Early morning at Tower Point Regional Park.
Camera: Olympus OM-10; Lens: Olympus Zuiko 28mm f/3.5; Film: Kodak Ektar 100

At this time of year we’re often right on the flight path of Pacific storm systems.  The resulting lighting conditions often make for dramatic photographs. I’ve often wondered what it must be like to live in a place where the seasonal changes are less pronounced. Do photographers living in southern California, for example, ever feel like they’re missing out? Or perhaps the equation is just different. One tends to photograph what’s at hand, so I suppose that if big weather systems aren’t a regular part of one’s photographic life, something else settles in to occupy that creative space.

Along the KVR trail, Naramata, BC.
(Camera: Olympus 35RC; Film: Fuji Superia 200)

Linking the B.C. interior city of Penticton and its neighbour, the town of Naramata (and well beyond), is the Kettle Valley Railway trail. As the name suggests, the KVR is an abandoned railway line, and it’s now the domain of cyclists and hikers. It’s a great place to breath in the chill air, kick up some fallen leaves, and take in the colours of the season.