The light wasn't ideal for landscape photography - far from it. So when we hiked into Bear Beach and the imaginatively named "Rock on a Pillar", I was disappointed. Flat white sky. Very difficult.
Shots in the opposite direction, where dark green forest encroached on the beach, were fine, but views toward Juan de Fuca Strait meant dealing with a featureless sky and distant haze. I chose this POV and crop to minimize the amount of white in the frame. I didn't want to come home with nothing but shots of beach rocks and logs. And considering this was January, we didn't complain, because it wasn't raining. This part of the west coast gets a lot of winter rain.
Photographed at Bear Beach, in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: landscape square beach shore shoreline tide tidal white sky not raining! winter wild nature Rock on a Pillar Bear Beach Juan de Fuca Provincial Park Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2015
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Last shot from Muir Beach, looking out across Juan de Fuca Strait to Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Not a boat, light, or any other sign of modern humanity in this image.
Photographed from southern Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: landscape square dusk water rocks coast coastal wild nature Muir Beach Shirley Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2015 4tografie naturesquare
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My post from yesterday did not appear in the defective and constantly buggy Activity Feed, so it received 0 faves and only 3 comments. Flickr is looking into it. I know lots of us are having similar "issues"... anyway, it's a new day, let's see what happens with this.
Still at Muir Beach, northwest of Sooke on Vancouver Island. This Great Blue Heron was actively fishing on the rocky shore, and having great success. Here, it has just given its head a shake. I found a good working distance at which it seemed unconcerned. I'm sure it helped that no other humans were on the beach that February day. Cloudy bright sky, threatening rain but not raining, nice soft light.
Conventional wisdom says minimize white sky in most photo situations, but that's just another rule, and rules are made to be broken. Here the white sky became a negative space that resulted in a clean, uncluttered look that I liked a lot.
Photographed on southern Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias wildlife bird wading bird ruffled feathers shake wet water rocks shore shoreline coast coastal wild nature Muir Beach Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2015
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Unlike the Golden Eagles that nest in my area, I don't see Bald Eagles often on the prairie - mainly in spring and fall migration. Occasionally one hangs out for a few days, but that's all. It's such a reversal from the west coast, where the bald ones seem to be everywhere.
This one watched me from its perch on a Red Alder branch as I slowly worked my way along Muir Beach. Lucky me - it allowed a fairly close approach before, having finally had enough of me, it flew.
Like most wildlife photographers, I'm happy when these chance encounters occur. There are predictable times and places to photograph eagles, usually along coastal rivers when the salmon are running. Random photo ops are like a gift from the blue.
This beach was one of my go-to locations for many years for mink, otters, seals, ducks, cormorants, various passerines, occasional shorebirds, intertidal life forms, and landscapes. For three and a half years I rented a big log house in the woods, ten minutes away by car (and minimal traffic). If I didn't have a goal, I could get there on a whim to see what might happen. I think these random moments are important for creative growth. Everyone's work flow is different, of course. I try to find a balance between expectations and keeping an open mind (which may allow something to enter).
More to come from this location...
Photographed at Muir Beach, near Sooke, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus wildlife bird raptor perching Red Alder Alnus rubra tree branch coast coastal wild nature Muir Beach Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2015
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This Black Bear cub and its sibling were deep in some tall grasses bordering the beach. One of them had discovered some ripe Bush Honeysuckle and was busily pulling branches down to sample the black fruit.
Meanwhile its mom was in the vicinity with the third cub, gazing longingly at some folks who were fishing for Pink Salmon a little farther down the beach. And behind us photographers? A couple more adult bears, investigating the tidal flats for salmon that may have tried to slip past them to reach their spawning pools. All in all a wild scene, but not especially risky - we photographers stayed in full view and close together, the bears took care of their needs without any sign of aggression, and the fishers were bagging their limit.
The greatest dilemma was deciding where to point our lenses. I was happy I stuck with the cubs. So cute. And I wasn't as close as it may appear - I used ON1 Resize software to upscale this image, which was substantially cropped to begin. When mama bear returned to collect her two honeysuckle munchers, she had lots of room to walk by us - she barely gave us a glance.
Oh, and the light that day was fantastic: soft, rich, bright, with a fine misty rain that came and went.
More west coast wildlife to come...
Photographed on Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2019 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Black Bear Ursus americanus wildlife animal mammal predator omnivore cub young feeding Bush Honeysuckle berries green grass edge of the forest coast coastal wild nature Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2019
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