Once again it was a foggy day near the water and previous plans had to be altered. Not that I minded, as I kind of enjoy the fog. In fact, this is the second time I am dedicating a post to “Photography”. This time I went down to the Rotary Pier, on the Sooke Harbour waterfront and had a nice leisurely stroll.
This spring and early summer has been hotter and drier than normal over most, if not all, of British Columbia. In fact in many areas there have been watering restrictions and burning bans for several weeks now. Unfortunately, with such dry conditions, the fire risk is at extreme and there are a number of active wildfires. Although it is supposed to be a clear, sunny day again today, what it actually looks like is an overcast day as seen through those blue-blocker sunglasses that turn everything orange, due to the smoke drifting in from all the fires. They are far enough that they don’t pose a danger to me, but they do cause concern.
One of the great things about living on southern Vancouver Island is that there are so many fantastic places to go for a walk or hike and its easy to branch off and see something different from the last visit to the area. This most recent hike, being on Easter Sunday, there were many people out enjoying a sunny day near the Sooke Potholes. Instead of going to the Sooke River, I branched off on the trail that runs next to Mary Vine Creek.
When I know I’m going to have some idle time I like to bring my camera with me. Such was the case today, as I had my car in for servicing and knew I’d have several hours to spend around downtown Victoria. There are so many things to see and photograph around the area it’s easy to spend hours wandering around taking photos.
Okay, I may have made up a word (or maybe not), but I think that Phogtography suits what I did today. I went out in the fog to take photographs. Not content to just stay indoors on a misty, foggy Saturday afternoon, I decided to make the most of it and get out with my camera. 
Once again it has been far too long between posts and there have been fewer opportunities to get out and take some photos. Somehow it always seems like there is less time in December than any other month. Life gets hectic with shopping, holiday events to go to, family gatherings and there’s always something unexpected coming up. Even the days are at their shortest… although that can sometimes be to the benefit of the photographer who likes to sleep in. That is when the sunrise and sunset are at decent hours, making it much more convenient to get out with a camera and just enjoy the world around you.
One thing is certain… no matter what else is happening, time goes on. And with it, things change. Some so slowly it’s almost imperceptible, while other things so quickly it seems if you blink you might miss them. Somewhere between the extremes is the changes that take place in autumn. Slowly the leaves start to change colour, at least on certain types of trees and other plants. Then they begin to fall cover the ground like a colourful carpet. Around here the rain starts to become more frequent and the rivers and creeks start to flow more swiftly. In some cases they go from being almost totally dry stream beds to rushing flows of water.
I had a great time attending my first World Wide Photo Walk (WWPW) a couple days ago (in it’s 7th year). I met a few photographers for the first time and a couple I’ve known for a while. We met just as the first few, scattered, drops of rain were falling and had time for a brief overview of the recommended route and a group picture. As we headed out the rain started to become more consistent. About an hour and a half into the walk, as I was crossing the Blue Bridge, the sky opened up almost as if someone had turned on a firehose. Fortunately, I had rain gear for my camera and camera bag. My clothing, on the other hand, was good for a light rain at best. After quickly ducking into a nearby hotel for some shelter, it was decided to enjoy a hot coffee and hope the downfall decreased. I was in luck, and by the time I finished a tall cup of Starbucks Pike Place coffee, the clouds had parted and the rain let up. I returned across the Blue Bridge, back to the downtown area, and managed to slowly dry up a bit while taking some photos that I am quite happy with.
Wild Drake Photography 