inspired photography with just enough perspective
Just got back from a quick trip up to North Carolina to see the autumn colors and the timing was just right. The Blue Ridge Mountains are in full display and every turn on the winding roads brings amazing scenes. The rivers and streams are full from a recent snowstorm and the weather has warmed up so fishermen were out in numbers fly casting. North Carolina is indeed an awesome place and now that I know that I’ll be planning a longer trip soon.
Click on photo to enlarge
On the road to the west coast of Vancouver Island I stopped at Little Qualicum Falls which is a provincial park with a set of waterfalls. It’s such a beautiful setting that a week later on my way back I stopped in again. This is one of the images from my first visit which was taken from a footbridge above the rushing water. Something about being immersed in the forest next to a waterfall is rejuvenating and relaxing at the same time. If you ever get out that way be sure to stop in at take a look. I’m certainly glad I did.
Click on photo to enlarge
We passed this little isle on the way out to the pacific from Ucluelet, BC. I don’t know but I wouldn’t be surprised if spirits of the first nations ancestors inhabit this spot. Its passed by countess vessels each day, and if I lived here I’d probably ignore it, but I don’t and so it caught my attention. Nonetheless I think it’s relatively undisturbed and the perfect place to dwell, in mind or spirit.
Click on photo to obtain print
Here is a pond at Emerson Preserve, which as you can see is quite calm in the morning. This is not the first I’ve posted from here with the calm reflecting water and the clouds overhead; and I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last. Anyway, hundreds of years ago native americans occupied this spot. I’m sure it looks different, but possibly they had a similar scene each morning as they went about their tasks. I would love to travel back three hundred years in a time machine to see what I could see. But until they invent one I’ll just have to imagine for myself.
Click on photo to obtain print
If you walk to the back of Butchart Gardens in Victoria, you’ll come upon Daphne Inlet. Not that I know anything about it, it was just a pleasant surprise. I love little surprises tucked away. You walk down a path, through some trees and plants and it opens up into an inlet, kind of like a scene in a movie only for reel. Sorry, bad pun. In any case, most of the surprise today were in the grounds of the gardens, the biggest being that plants and flowers held my attention for an entire day. You really must visit if you ever go to Victoria BC because if I (Mr. Dont-know-nothin-about-gardning) liked it, then pretty much anyone would like it. I’m not sure that came out right but you get my drift.
Click on photo to obtain print
I have this list in the back of my mind when I’m out taking photos. One of the things on it is any kind of lone tree. Of course I see lovely trees all the time but rarely alone. I was just about to leave Elk Lake near Victoria BC when I turned around and noticed this tree, …alone! Needless to say I was a little excited. To get this I had to walk around a bit to get just the right composition, but in the end I was please with the result. Truth be told there are other trees just off camera, but from where I was standing this tree had the whole picture to itself. If trees have feeling, then this one should be a little proud.
While in New Zealand I was with a group that hiked down Skippers Canyon road not far from Queenstown. When we started in the morning it was chilly but by the time we hiked back the layers were peeled off as the sun rose above the mountains. This ridgeline was opposite the road we traveled and from this vantage I could begin to get a sense of the scale. Just behind this ridge was an extreme mountain bike trail and while I didn’t see anyone on it, I could tell that on a scale of one to ten it was an eleven. The only thing more exhilarating might be bungee jumping which by the way was available at the bottom of the trail. And if that wasn’t enough you could finish the day with a raft ride down some class three rapids. Lets just say Kiwis know how to have a good time.
Click on photo to obtain print
This is Black Rock Hotel in the town of Ucluelet where I recently stayed. It’s on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The shoreline couldn’t be more different than that of Florida, yet the contrast was something I very much appreciated. The coast is rugged, yet punctuated with long beaches frequented by surfers, and while the waves aren’t huge, they’re respectable even on calm days. I loved walking along trails here and exploring tide pools and just listening to the sound of the ocean on the rocks. Food for the soul indeed.
This is a few feet from the kayak launch in a wildlife area known as Robinson Preserve. I’m enamored with the place, I love the open expanse right in the middle of a city where the waters are calm, the wildlife takes refuge and the stillness is enough to restore sanity. It’s been a few weeks so I’m overdue for a trip back, maybe even with a kayak. Things are crazy all over and it’s easy to lose track of what’s important (I’m the poster child for that). But if I come to places like this I have a better chance than just about any other way of finding that place of peace.
Click on photo to obtain a print.
This is what a typical afternoon looks like near my home in Florida. These cells contain a lot of energy which lifts the moisture vertically resembling a mushroom cloud. Non-stop lightning is generated such that it will take your breath away if you’ve never seen it before. The first time I saw it I thought the aliens had invaded as I looked around at the locals who took no notice. As soon as it gets dark the skies light up in every direction as spectacular as fireworks. I just got back from walking my dogs around the block and directly above are stars, yet all around me were these clouds flashing in all directions. Now, I’m a local and I hardly notice.
Click on photo to obtain print.