Garry Oak trees.
(Camera: Hasselblad 503cx; Lens: 80mm Zeiss Planar; Film: Fuji Acros 100)
I shot this yesterday while walking through Devonian Regional Park along one of the numerous paths that lead from the parking lot to Taylor Beach. My favourite route takes me along the fence line of an adjacent farm, which is where these Garry Oak trees are located. Continue reading
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.
(Camera: Olympus Stylus Epic; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)
Days and days of rain, mushrooms by the ton
Waiting for our clothes to dry, Mr. Watson cleans his gun
Walking ’round the fences, a sister left behind
A visit by a country doctor, two years from going blind
— Lyrics from Haze by S. Kilbey
Arbutus bunch, Tower Point Regional Park.
(Camera: Olympus XA-2; Film: Fuji Sensia 200 transparency)
The previous post (Strawberry Tree) reminds me of how often I’ve photographed this little grove of Arbutus trees. I’ve returned many times, shooting them in various lighting conditions and in every season. This photo is from a winter morning a couple years ago. The grouping always puts me in mind of Picasso’s painting, Three Dancers — probably it’s something in the way the branches twist, curve, and reach towards the sea and the sky. If Picasso were to make a tree, I’m pretty sure it would be the Arbutus.
Arbutus tree, Tower Point Regional Park.
(Camera: Hasselblad 503cx; Lens: 80mmm f/2.8 Zeiss Planar; Film: Fuji Provia 100F transparancy)
The bold colours of this Arbutus tree are natural, but they’re extra rich in this photo. This is the product of two factors working in concert. First, warm sunset lighting is in play — not only from the Sun directly, but also reflecting off the ocean below. Secondly, I underexposed the shot by about ½ stop, which always boosts the colour in slide film. This scan looks pretty good, but how I wish you could see the original transparency on the light table! Continue reading
The vertical streaks in this sample image are the result of scanner banding. (The defects are enhanced here for clarity.)
One of the most common scanning problems is a defect known as image banding. Sometimes its appearance is subtle, sometimes it’s not. What’s the cause? Consider how a scanner works: a single-line CCD array slowly sweeps across your negative, slide, or print. If parts of the array differ in sensitivity, you get an unevenness in the resulting scan that manifests itself as one or more ruler straight bands. Continue reading
Autumn maples, Galloping Goose Regional Trail, Victoria, BC. (Camera: Olympus OM-G; Lens: Zuiko 50mm f/1.8; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)
It was an unexpectedly lovely autumn day — perfect for a walk in the woods. I shot this in the morning, developed the roll once home, and did a quick-and-dirty scan a few hours later so that I could post it here. Instant autumn. Not iPhone instant, but not bad for black-and-white film and not really trying for speed.
(Camera: Olympus OM-2n; Lens: Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/3.5 macro; Film: Kodak T-MAX 100)
This shot is from my most recent roll and was taken during a relatively brief walk at Devonian Regional Park, here on Vancouver Island. I’d been feeling a bit unproductive lately since my last couple of rolls didn’t yield any images I was especially excited about. This latest one was different though. In addition to this shot, there are several others I can’t wait to get into the darkroom to work on. I suppose that’s just the nature of any creative enterprise though — inspiration comes and goes in fits and starts. If it were easy and repeatable, we probably wouldn’t bother at all.
Sigöldufoss, southwestern Iceland. (Camera: Olympus OM-PC; Lens: Olympus Zuiko 135mm; Film: Fuji Provia 100F)
It says something about the extravagant beauty of Iceland that a waterfall as picturesque as this one is so common it doesn’t even have a proper name. According to my Icelandic friend, Martina, most locals refer to it as Sigöldufoss, since it lies near a hill called Sigalda. Makes sense. It was a year ago that I visited Iceland. I’ve been missing the place ever since. Spectacular sights like this are only one reason.
Late afternoon, October, along the Similkameen River. (Camera: Karoron medium-format folder; Film: Fuji Reala 100 )
The Similkameen is where I spent my childhood. It’s one valley west of the more famous Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia. Both regions are rich with fuit trees and vineyards, producing some of the worlds finest wine grapes, apples, peaches, apricots, and cherries. It was the best possible place to be a kid. Continue reading
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