This is the third year for the Sooke Music Festival, which has been renamed the “Sooke Music and Art Festival” and for the first time included the Sooke Community Arts Council (as one of their Art in the Park events) and various art displays.
Doggie Tripline – Checking out the Festival
Once again another year has drawn to a close and it’s time for my now annual review of my favourite ten images of the year. I started posting my Top Ten Favourites three years ago after seeing Jim Goldstein’s Blog Project: Your Best Photos From (year) and I now look forward to participating in it and seeing the best Jim and others have to offer.
There never seems to be enough time to get out with a camera as much as I’d like and this year was definitely a hectic one. Perhaps in 2018 I will be able to stick a little closer to my intended photographic path.
In no particular order, here are my favourites of 2017:
At the beginning of 2017 it stayed just below freezing for long enough for a thin layer of ice to form on a small local lake. Looking at the tiny bubbles in the ice somehow reminded me of outer space, so I made sure the background was as dark as possible. If you look at the bubbles on the lower portion of this image, you can see my reflection.
I always enjoy going for a hike in the forest, especially places like Avatar Grove, on Vancouver Island, where there is still some very impressive old growth, including this tree which has seen better days, but still survives.
The way the sun was lighting up the patterns on this leaf in a garden a Hatley Park caught my eye and I couldn’t walk past.
I love reflections and this abstract image is of the boardwalk near Ed McGreggor park in Sooke, BC.
Take a closer look at this black and white image and you will see that it is actually upside down. I made this photo while peeking through a gap in the low hanging trees and ground, on walk around a partially ice covered local lake.
I love walking along the many local beaches and looking for interesting driftwood. Often the patterns of the wood can have hidden surprises, like this one, seeming to me to reveal some sort bizarre of animal face.
Botanical Bay, at Port Renfrew, is an amazing place to visit at low tide, when the many pothole looking tide pools are revealed.
The (mostly) black and white butterfly presents a stark contrast to the bright orange and green background and gives me a warm feeling.
While travelling on another ferry I saw one of the newest ones in BC Ferries fleet (the Salish Eagle) and was able to time it so that Mount Baker, in Washington state, was in the background.
Every December the British Columbia Legislature lights up the Parliament building with colourful lights. I prefer having some colour in the sky so I only waited about twenty minutes after sunset to make this image.
If you enjoyed my favourites consider following my blog so you can see more of my photography! I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy 2018.
Macaulay Point is now a nicely maintained park in Esquimalt, BC, with walking trails overlooking the shore. It contains protected plant life and structures left over form its days as Fort Macaulay, also known as Macaulay Point Battery.
Historic bunker is surrounded by a fragile ecosystem
This was the third year I participated in one of Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walks (WWPW). They are held the same day in cities all around the world. My local walk for the Victoria, B.C. Area was in Oak Bay and started at the marina.
Taking in the View at the Oak Bay Marina
I recently wanted to go for a walk near the water to take some sunset photos, but it was overcast and not the best day to do this. As the location I had planned was a little farther away than I wanted to go that evening, I decided to stick close to home and am pleased that I did. I was able to catch a little of the setting light on the small waves before I moved closer to the water for some bird photos.
