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.
This past week I had the opportunity to participate in my first art show, where I had some prints on display. The Appetite for Arts show in Sooke, BC is held annually, and art pieces are paired with food dishes, which have been inspired by the art.
After more snow than we are used to around here (that would be pretty much anything more than a trace that disappears the same day), we are back to ☀️ sun and rain ☔️ showers. I had the chance for a quick walk around town and saw the birds hanging out together.
I enjoy getting out with my camera pretty much any chance I get, but foggy days are special, because they can transform the ‘ordinary’ scenery to something very different. Today was one of those days, so I decided to go to the boardwalk in Sooke to check out what was in store for me this time.
In a bit of a departure from my usual style of photography, I recently had the opportunity to do some family portraits. It wasn’t that great a departure, though, as it was done in and around the woods at a local park, and not in studio conditions.
In a recent post I mentioned that I would be getting a scanner specifically to scan film. I ordered it online and it arrived a couple days later, which, happily, was much quicker than I had been anticipating. As soon as I set it up I put it through it’s paces on two rolls of film I recently developed. One in 6×9 format, from the Ensign, and the other 6×6′ from the Hasselblad.
This year was the 103rd edition of the Sooke Fall Fair and it marked the first time I have entered prints in any competition. While I entered many of the categories, I really didn’t know what to expect for results. I was not disappointed.
There is really only one way into town, and that is taking Highway 14 over the Sooke River Bridge, but just because driving over the bride keeps the graffiti out of sight, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out. Once you step off the sidewalk and onto the path that leads under the bridge, you catch your first glimpse of it.
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.
This year is the 7th annual Sooke Secret Garden Tour, and the first time I took the opportunity to check it out. Not only does the $20 tour fee allow entry to all the different sites, the profit goes towards supporting the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra. The weather was spectacular and there were a steady stream of people visiting each of the gardens.
Wild Drake Photography 