wreckbeach Archives - Just Enough Focus

May 24, 2016

Old Stumps

This is a shot of an old stump along the Beach in British Columbia. I took this while walking along the Foreshore trail from Wreck Beach. The logs and stumps litter the beach, remnants of storms long passed. There are lumber mills not far from here so it’s not unusual to see stray logs that never made it to the mill. I stopped several times to take pictures of the smooth stones on the beach which is not exactly landscape photography, but images I like to collect nonetheless for use later as textures for other images.

I noticed another photographer stopping to take photos of the stumps and debris along the beach as well. I think because it’s deserted here and there are so many natural elements you could easily spend hours photographing all kinds of interesting things. That’s basically what I did.

See more images in the Canadian gallery

I’ll be heading up to Alaska in about a month. I hope to get some time walking along a beach up there as well. I know the landscape is beautiful, I’ve seen it on TV. Naturally I’m curious to see it in person because as we all know pictures can never do justice to majestic landscapes. Just the thought of walking in a setting that I’ve never seen before should provide all kinds of opportunities for photography. Even if they are just a bunch of old stumps.

March 15, 2016

Filling the Void

Wreck Beach is in Vancouver at the bottom a set of cliffs. To get here you have to walk down about 500 stairs. I recently mentioned I had been here and was informed that this is a clothing optional beach. I had no idea because I was here in January and clothing was anything but optional. Maybe next time. Just to be clear, these people are not naked.

Other abstract images from the gallery

If you’ve followed my work you know that I experiment with blurred images from time to time. The idea is that when we are not given all of the information, our imaginations fill in the void. Very much like radio, what we don’t see we imagine. This scene is an impression of walking along the shore in the afternoon of a winter day, at least that’s my impression.

I’ve heard it said that due to the age we live in we may be loosing our ability to think critically and concentrate on any one thing for very long. I wonder if exercising our imagination might be one answer to that. It seems to me the more time we spend building constructs in our minds the more we develop perspective that is unique and durable. I’m no psychologist but I like to think about these ideas. When my mind is freed from details I fill in the void with musings like this. In any case, this image one part hint and two parts imagination. On that note you may take it away from there.

January 28, 2016

Foreshore Trail

The Foreshore Trail follows the shoreline around UBC in Vancouver. I walked several miles of it recently and took my time while I was at it. According to the map it was only three miles, but it took me two hours. I can be real slow when I have a camera in my hand. It’s a good reason to go it alone.

These people were jogging in the same direction, but as the trail became nothing more than big rocks on the beach they slowed down which allowed me to compose this shot. Soon they were off and I was composing other shots, with other people. If you are ever in the vicinity of me when I’m taking pictures, chances are you’ll end up in one of my images. Placing people in a landscape adds a human element, I find it allows me to project myself into the scene. I still shoot landscapes without people, but less and less these days. With people its like mixing street and landscape photography, two favorites of mine, a cross discipline of sorts. Mixing photography styles gives me more ideas and options with respect to the final image.

There is a very steep set of stairs to climb up to the road from this trail. If you walk straight up it will have you gasping for breath and wondering why your legs won’t move. But of course I didn’t go straight up. I stopped several times along the way and surreptitiously took pictures of the stairway through the forest with, you guessed it, people.