Wild Drake Photography

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  • Exploring Scotland with a Camera

    Exploring Scotland with a Camera

    Looking out from the castle over the city of Edinburg, Scotland
    Edinburgh

    Most of my photography adventures are close to home, on an island off the west coast of the continent, so after far too long not having explored somewhere different, it was time to do it. Of course I chose to travel over 7000 km (4400 miles) to go to an island off the west coast of the continent.

    Arriving in Glasgow with an extra day to explore before my adventure really began, I rented a small car to drive to Edinburgh. I could have taken a bus or train, but I like the experience of driving somewhere new. The fact that the steering wheel was on the opposite side of what I’m used to and it was a manual transmission car just added to the fun. Parking in Edinburgh was a bit of a challenge, and rather costly. Half a day exploring the city was far too little, but I enjoyed seeing the Edinburgh castle and doing some street photography along the Royal Mile, which stretches from the castle to the Hollyrood Palace.

    A Piper along the Royal Mile

    As this was my first visit to Scotland and there were so many great photography locations to see, I went on a photo workshop with some great guides to show us around. We started our first day by travelling to Glencoe and exploring the area, before moving on to the Isle of Skye, where we would spend most of our time. Along the way we saw some interesting sights.

    Hogwarts express steam train crossing the famous viaduct as seen in the Harry Potter film
    The Jacobite

    Most of the time I was there it rained. There were occasional brief breaks in the weather and this produced some great conditions for landscape photography.

    Kilchurn Castle

    I’ve enjoyed other photographers photos of the area for years, so it was great to be there in person and get an up close view of the area myself. After hiking up the hills and getting drenched while doing it, you gain a whole new appreciation for what it takes to come back with those images.

    The view of the lush green valley and old man of storr on a wet, overcast day
    The Old Man of Storr

    There was so much to see in a little over a week that I’d love to return at some point to explore it some more, but for now I’ve got many great memories and some photos to help remember the experience.

    Old stone bridge with a river flowing from distant mountains in Scotland
    Sligachan Old Bridge

    No trip to Scotland would be complete without visiting at least one whisky distillery, and since we were on the Isle of Skye, it was the Talisker Distillery. I managed to get a quick photo inside with my iPhone, between samples.

    A variety of Talisker single malt Scotch whisky
    The tasting bar at the Talksker Distillery

    There was much more I saw and experienced but I’ll leave you with one last image. As I noted earlier there was a lot of rain and some breaks in the weather. This brought with it more rainbows in a little over a week than I am used to seeing in a year!

    Beautiful rainbow over a woodland area on the Isle of Skye
    Could this be the Rainbow Connection?
  • Exploring Gabriola Island

    Exploring Gabriola Island

    Just a short 20 minute ferry ride from Nanaimo, is the wonderful Gabriola Island, but I’d never really explored it before. I recently spent the day exploring it with my camera and had a great time.

    Morning Light at Gabriola Island

    The rock formations there are simply amazing. The many patterns left on the rocks create such such unique foregrounds for photos that I didn’t want to put my camera down, but it’s nice just to spend some time wandering about, enjoying it all.

    Intricate patterns created by time and the elements

    In places the shoreline has been sculpted by the ocean to create what looks like a covered walkway, or a stone covered pathway along the water.

    Waves of Stone

    Thanks for stopping by to check out this post. More of my photos can be seen on Vero, where I can now be found.

    Photography on beautiful Gabriola Island, BC
  • Photo Trip to the Fair

    Photo Trip to the Fair

    Well a lot has been going on lately. After Covid-19 took me out for a couple weeks, I am back on me feet and getting things done. I have started a new website: Sooke Photography Adventures, and have big plans for that. For now the only part that much is happening on is the photo club, where we hold monthly meetings and have photography adventures. Stay tuned for more of what I have planned in the not too distant future!

    This weekend was the Luxton Spring Fair, and I arranged for the photo club to attend it and spend the day and evening photographing anything and everything we found interesting. Here’s a sample of what I saw.

    A Young Blacksmith
    Sparks Fly as the Blacksmith Shapes the Metal
    Old Dirty 30 at the Fair

    Besides the daytime blacksmith and antiques, there were all the midway rides, which ran late into the evening. These presented great opportunities to have some fun and be creative.

    Spinning Rides and Ghostly Figures
    The Zipper’s Hypnotic Light Show

    As with most every fair there were all sorts of vendors at there and I couldn’t resist a small bag of those little doughnuts. Mmm, they were just as tasty as when I was a kid! I didn’t try any of the other food there, though, as I tend to look at it in a negative light.

    Dark Donuts

  • Good Light

    If you spend much time around photographers, sooner or later you’ll hear them talking about “good light”. This topic can lead to much debate over what good light is and even if there is such a thing as good or bad light. This post isn’t about defining good light, though. It’s about studying light, in order to better understand its qualities and how it interacts with a scene. By applying this knowledge, it should help in creating more pleasing photographs.

    One of the ways of doing this is to study paintings of the masters. They made great use of this knowledge in their paintings and will give you insight into how light interacts with objects of any kind under different conditions.

    Once you have a better under of how different light affects a scene or object, it is easier to see it in pictures. Through looking back at my old photos, I can see the characteristics of lighting in the ones I like in contrast to ones that just don’t cut it for me. This isn’t a one time process, though. In order to continue to improve, I like to go back to the basics from time to time and see what else I can do to progress. It’s also good for me to try something different to expand my vision and hopefully that will lead to better photography.

    I’ve dabbled in painting a little and other than a little bit of abstract art, I doubt I’ll ever paint better than a young child, so that’s not a route to improving my photographic vision. Instead, I thought I’d try something different, which I’ve never really tried before. Sketching with a pencil. I found that the subtle shading really brings things to life. Here’s my first two attempts.

    A Naked Oak Tree (my first sketch attempt)

  • A Different Perspective

    Well it’s been far too long since I last posted and that is about to change. The past couple years, during all the Covid-19 related issues, have been disruptive on any sort of normal routine for many, including me. I am looking forward to returning to a more regular routine of getting out on photography excursions and posting my thoughts and experiences on them here. You’ll find some photography tips and educational advice added in with my posts about different locations I have visited.

    An overhead view of Ella Beach on Vancouver Island

    You will also find images I have made with my drone, such as the one of Ella Beach (above), from the day after a major storm which washed out many roads and took out power across much of southern British Columbia.

    Sooke Marine Bordwalk / Rotary Pier

    Drone photography allows access to a whole new perspective that you just can’t normally get from a land based viewpoint. The Sooke Marine Boardwalk, as seen here, with Ed Macgregor Park in the background is a good example of this. Normally, the only way to get a view from the water-side, you would be at sea level (on a boat) or across the water in East Sooke, so you wouldn’t be able to tell what lay just behind the park. The previous image of the beach was taken directly overhead and allows you to see patterns formed on a large scale that you might otherwise only see if you were looking out the window of an airplane flying way overhead.

    Don’t worry, this blog is not turning into a dedicated drone photography site. There will continue to be many more photos from a terrestrial based point of view.

    No need for a drone to get a different view point when you’re a seagull

    Thank you for continuing to follow me and I’d appreciate if you could recommend the blog to others who are interested in photography or Vancouver Island (where much of my photography is from).

    A Bird’s Eye View of Sheringham Point Lighthouse

    One last thing. I love coffee and it keeps me going, so you can now support me and my photography efforts by buying me a coffee. Just click on this link: Buy Me A Coffee

  • The Snowbirds Continue to Dazzle

    You can probably guess by the title of this post that I had a chance to photograph 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Snowbirds. The last time I did that was on film, over 30 years ago. Back then I couldn’t get enough of air shows, and the Snowbirds were always my favourite performance at them. I went to the Abbotsford International Airshow many times when I was young, as well as several others. The amazing precision flying in the old Tutor aircraft never failed to impress me, and I have no doubt played a big part in my positive impression of the Canadian Armed Forces as a whole. I am quite certain this played a big part in my eventual enrolment and 25 year career in the CAF, where I got to see places and do things that most people only experience on TV or at the movies.

    After the tragic end to last year’s season for the Snowbirds, I was very happy to hear that they were going to be flying again this year, and would be doing some training at Canadian Forces Base / 19 Wing Comox, which is within the zone I am allowed to travel during our current Covid restrictions. I had a rare day off during the week and got up extra early to drive there. It was a beautiful day, with low lying fog near home, which on any other day, would have made me want to stay to do photography in the local woods, but not this time. I arrived in Comox early and was warming up with my camera when I got a surprise…

    CF-18 Hornet flying out of Comox

    A pair of CF-18’s took off and did a couple passes over the airfield a little while before the Snowbirds took to the air, as did a CH-149 Cormorant Search and Rescue helicopter.

    A Cormorant shortly after take-off

    While it may ‘only’ been a training day, I was primed for the main event. By the time the Snowbirds took to the air, there was a good sized, appropriately socially distanced, crowd of two dozen or so photographers in the open area where I was. As the roar of the engines grew louder with the ascent of the Tutors, the clicking of the shutters became frenzied. The mountains made for a nice backdrop, but the chainlink fence between the runway and my position made things a little more challenging than at an actual airshow.

    Part of the Snowbirds flock soars over the runway

    When they were training over the water, which was behind me (in relation to my position facing the airfield) I was able to capture some exciting maneuvers without any obstructions, but the background wasn’t as picturesque.

    Nine of a kind
    Three Across

    Watching the Snowbirds training flights over 35 years after I first saw them preform and I still felt the excitement I did way back then; perhaps even more! I’m planning on going back to the Abbotsford International Airshow (hopefully this year) to see a variety of planes and demonstration teams perform, but I have no doubt which my favourite will be again.

    I hope you enjoyed this departure from my usual landscape / nature photography.

    Dancing above the clouds

  • Seaside Photography

    I’ve tried to get out with my camera a number of times recently, but everywhere I’ve gone there have been large crowds so I changed my plans. I decided to get up early… really early, and head down to the Sooke boardwalk before anyone else.

    Sooke Harbour

    By really early, I mean I was down at the waterfront by 4 AM to do some night photography. While there was nobody at the boardwalk, off to the east there was a crew on the fishing boat and it was lighting up everything around as it pulled away and slowly glided past. Once it faded off in the distance in the Salish Sea I was able to turn my camera to the south-east and focus on the Milky Way.

    The glow from Port Angeles below the Milky Way

    Next I took a little time to have breakfast and wait for the light. As the dawn approached, a heavy fog blanketed the harbour to the east and slowly began to spread along the southern side of the harbour past the boardwalk. I had been hoping to get a good photo as the sun lit up the Olympic mountains to the south-west, but with the rapidly approaching fog that didn’t happen.

    Blue Hour over the Olympic Mountain Range

    The fog that blew past completely obscured East Sooke.

    A Lone Buoy in the Fog

    While it wasn’t quite what I was expecting for a sunrise, it was still a beautiful morning and any day I can get out with my camera is a good day!

    Foggy Sooke Harbour Sunrise
  • Woodland Photography

    Woodland Photography

    One of the many things I love about living on Vancouver Island is how I am surrounded by trees. When I hike or just wander in the woods I get a relaxing, calm feeling and other concerns seem to fade away. The Japanese have a term for it “shinrin-yoku” (forest bathing) and apparently studies have shown what many already suspected: it is relaxing and beneficial to your health.

    Ferns growing from an overhead moss covered branch

    To get to many of the places I’ve photographed and written about on my blog, I’ve had to spend time wandering through the woods before arriving at my destination. While those posts may feature a waterfall, the ocean, a lighthouse, sunset or some other spectacular sight, the wander through the forest is always an important part of it for me.

    The arbutus tree branch tree

    I always keep an eye out for a new location to photograph. Sometimes I check out areas on a map or by using various apps, but other times I see somewhere that looks interesting while driving by. The location of the images in today’s post is from an area I drive by daily and have often thought I should check out. As you can see, it is a beautiful area to explore; rich with a variety of trees.

    Standing alone, surrounded by many

    I’m glad I stopped to check this area out a couple times in the last week. I will keep going back and looking for different conditions, as a nice fog or even misty rain would really make some of these trees (like the ones just above and below) stand out from the others.

    Moss and lichen give a distinct look to this tree

    Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog post. Please comment and let me know what you thought and share it with anyone who you think may enjoy my photography.

    “Ancient trees are precious. There is little else on Earth that plays host to such a rich community of life within a single living organism.”
    — Sir David Attenborough

  • Top Ten (favourite) Images of 2020

    This will be the sixth consecutive annual review of my images from the past year and it’s also a good opportunity to look back at those previous posts and see how my photography has progressed. There certainly have been a lot of changes in my life during that time and with the crazy year we just had, it will be interesting to see how my photography changes going forward. Without further adieu, here are ten of my favourite images from this past year.

    The Stone Bridge

    I enjoyed exploring a small but interesting area in Mill Bay where this stone bridge can be found.

    C-FLAP Asleep at the Dock

    There were a few things I liked about this image. Night photography is always fun to me and I have always loved airplanes (and in this case the aircraft registration C-FLAP is great). The city lights across the water and their glow on the clouds add interest as well, but what tops it off is the crane that stood still, almost totally hidden in the low light (beneath the “Saltspring Air” logo).

    A Shipwreck Breakwater

    I went to explore the shipwrecks that are part of this breakwater and couldn’t get as close to them as I’d have liked, but as a result had to work around other angles and found this one, which features the mountains and the town of Comox in the background.

    This Post Features an Owl

    Who doesn’t love a raptor? It was fun doing something a little different and spending some time photographing birds.

    Spotted from a Logging Road

    After a morning in spent in some of the last old growth forest on Vancouver Island, I explored the backroads and came across this small creek and waterfall.

    Reaching Out

    I loved the character in this old tree, which I felt was accentuated by processing it in black and white. It’s an area I want to return to in different weather conditions to see if I can isolate the tree and make some more interesting images.

    Soldier on Memorial with Canadian Flag Above

    Having spent 25 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, this WWI soldier on top of the memorial at the BC Legislature has always been special. That he is highlighted, standing guard for eternity, underneath the waving Canadian flag makes the image special to me.

    Tree on Fairy Lake

    Probably one of the most photographed single trees on Vancouver Island, this tree on Fairy Lake can look so different depending on the time of year and weather conditions. Usually I select a tighter crop to make the tree more prominent, but in this case I thought the wider view with the reflections and little bit of fog really gave it a better context and added to the feeling of being there.

    Long View of Mary Vine Falls

    I’ve been to Mary Vine Falls on many occasions, but typically photograph from near the top third of this image, so as to really feature the main part of the falls. I liked this location because it shows the falls in better context, as the waters flow through the forest.

    Holiday Lighting in Victoria

    The view across the harbour to the BC Legislature buildings, with it’s colourful holiday lighting and light adorned tree our front, is the typical shot I’ve taken here in past years. This year I went further back, so I could capture the Canada sign (which was put there several years back as “Canada 150”, for 150 years since Confederation and since has had the “150” removed) and reflections on a rainy day.

  • That was 2020… What Photographic Adventures will 2021 bring?

    That was 2020… What Photographic Adventures will 2021 bring?

    In the past, I’ve written a year end recap and look at things I plan or hope on accomplishing, photographically in the coming year. After a one year absence of that post, I am getting back on track. Somehow missing a post looking forward at what 2020 might hold in store for me seems fitting. Not in my wildest dreams (nightmares???) would I have guessed that almost the entire year, and beyond, would be dramatically affected by a global pandemic. I had been looking forward to a major photography trip in October, which had been planned well over a year in advance. At first I thought things might be getting back on track by then, but as the months wore on, it became apparent that it wouldn’t happen and it would be difficult to say when things might be back to a point when I could even consider an international trip would be. I had big plans, in my mind, for the year, but felt sapped of energy and let many things, like this blog, my YouTube channel, local photography outings, etc, slide. As I write this, the first people have received vaccines and while it will take many months yet, better times are in sight.

    Bull Kelp

    Despite all the cancelled trips, outings and events, there was much that happened for me, related to my photographic endeavours. I started off the year with a photo trip to Tofino, where I explored the wreckage of an old warplane and even made a short video of it. Shortly after that, things first got hectic in my non-photography work and then Covid set in. Still, I became even more involved in the local arts scene. As a Director on the Sooke Arts Council, I was involved in starting our art gallery, and subsequently became Vice President of the Council. This took up a lot more time than my earlier involvement did, however, it has been very rewarding, and working with artists of various other forms has been a positive influence on my artistic development.

    Gallery by Sooke Arts Council

    I also became more involved in various social media endeavours. While I have not grown my Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or Flickr followings significantly (in fact, I have not kept up on them nearly was much as I wanted), I have made more connections with other photographers and artists through them, which has led to positive artistic growth. As a direct result of my involvement in some of these sites, or reaching out to those on them, I have had the opportunity to appear, or have my photography be featured, on various mediums. Images of mine have been reviewed on episodes of Behind The Shot. I have been a returning guest on Latitude Photography Podcast, and represented the Sooke Arts Council on the All Sooke Days Podcast. I even had my picture in the local paper, hanging the sign for our new Gallery… and there’s still time for a little more exposure before the end of the year!

    BC Legislature & Victoria’s Inner Harbour

    I did manage a couple quick trips on Vancouver Island, where I scouted areas I hadn’t previously been to. Strathcona Park and the surrounding area have much to offer, and I know I will be doing a lot more exploring there in the future. My short trip to Campbell River included a whale watching trip with Aboriginal Journeys Wildlife & Adventure Tours, and had a fantastic day viewing Humpback whales, seals, sea lions, various birds and other sea life. This is another area that I want to spend much more time in with my camera!

    Humpback Whale “waving goodbye”

    This all brings me to the point where I look forward to 2021. A lot of things are still uncertain and trying to make any definitive plans will be difficult, but I have some general goals in mind. One of those is quite simple. Get out with my camera more often than in 2020. Along with that, I want to be more regular and consistent with my blog posts and YouTube videos. Hopefully, I will be able to grow followers on both, as well as other social media platforms. In addition, I want to continue to increase my exposure on through appearing on podcasts, blogs, local media and anywhere else I can arrange. With any luck, travel will be back in the cards in the not too distant future. I’ll definitely be exploring more areas on Vancouver Island and if all goes well I’ll be checking out more of British Columbia this year, as well as at least one more distant locale. I’m looking forward to a great year and hope you follow along on my adventures, here and on my other sites.