Usually when I fly it is on a large commercial jet with tiny windows and no room to use a DSLR. Recently I took a return trip between Victoria harbour and Vancouver harbour on a Harbour Air float plane and I had an easy time taking photos. One of the other benefits of this was also the relatively low altitude compared with large jets.
It’s been a busy summer, so far, and while I’ve been having a great time, I’ve had less time than usual for photography (and subsequent post-processing). The good news is that I spent a couple nights at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites, where they have “oTENTiks”. These are great, as there are only five of them at the site (only two occupied on the nights I was there), and the occupants get to stay and explore the sites after they are closed and everyone else is locked out!
Once again the weather was beautiful and it made for a perfect day to head to downtown Victoria for a walk through the street marked set up for Car Free Day. Several blocks of Douglas Street were closed off to traffic and various booths, stages and other things were set up along it. It attracted about 20,000 people and was well planned.
Every year in Victoria there is the Victoria Camera Swap Meet and this was the first time I made it out. In fact, several members of the Camera Club I am part of headed out there to check it out. It was an interesting mix of mostly older 35 mm, medium and large format film cameras, as well as movie cameras, accessories and some dSLR’s. I could easily have spent enough to put me into debt, but in the end common sense won out and I only picked up one filter.
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.
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.
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 