Twin Beauties

These two flowers were growing in what looked like dead undergrowth.  They were in sharp contrast to the dull colours in May in Merrit.

Crocus Backdrop

This photo was made in March 2008.  I don't recall the name of the flower in the foreground.

Crocus and Bee

Just before the Crocus started to fade, the bees came out.  I had to sit patiently waiting for a bee to be in just the right spot to make this photo.  (And hope if didn't fly away before I could press the shutter.)

Summer View of Squamish Valley

After spending a weekend in Whistler, we drove home to this view.  This is part of a series of images taken with the intention of creating a panorama.  Unfortunately, the panorama did not work.

Cold Weather

With the Summer heat finally arriving, it is nice to reflect on times when we had a light snowfall.  It is amazing how a light snowfall can change the landscape.

Evans Lake Forest Education Centre

Evans Lake is a fantastic summer camp that I worked at for a number of years.  The camp is situated on a pristine lake.  This image is one of my favourites as  a student from my class that when here painted an amazing watercolour of this same view.

Qualicum Beach

This image is taken on Vancouver Island.  Several places along the road drive past the ocean.  I appreciate the angles of the beach and waves creating a zig zag.

Atlanta GA Aquarium

This is really a taken photo. I was at an event at the Atlanta. You can plan to make a photo of a fish, but they are very unpredictable. I tried to 'make' the photo but have to say it is really a 'taken' image instead. Still a cool effect with the lighting.

Blooming Crocus

If you check my archive, I love photographing the crocus in my garden. The colours are so vibrant and provide a bed of colour to make photographs.

A truly odd image. This was taken during a geology exhibit at our Science World. The lines intrigued me so I wanted to share with you.

This photo was taken at a Candle Light service. My favourite part is how the three wise men are in the background. I would like to create additional photos adjusting the image to not let the flame confuse the sensors.

Frosty Grass

While it has been a cold June for us in BC, we don't have frost. This was taken this winter. The growth of ice crystals was just amazing.

Family Flowers

My father-in-law loves growing his flowers.  I often get a chance to take and make photos of his displays.  This one was taken last summer.

Morning Glow

This photograph was made about 30 minutes before the last gull photo.  It has been cropped to place the dad and his son exploring the seashore in the lower left third.

Sea Gull

I grew up detesting these birds.  They are still not my favourite, but at least you can count on finding them anywhere near the ocean (or garbage.)  This was made at dawn from the White Rock, BC pier.  Our family drove down about 5:00 to watch the sun rise.  To this day, the girls still remember it fondly - only a year ago now but I am sure that they will feel that way for a long time.

Wedding White Woses

I couldn't resist the the alliteration.  I have not raised white roses so really enjoy opportunities to photograph them.

Clover

You don't have to go far to capture beauty.  This was taken in my backyard last summer.  

Daisy Composition

Considering I had a field to choose from, this specimen stood out for me.  An irony is the black lines in the background are overhead power lines.  While many of us don't want to live near power lines, that feeling means that there are often parks and field under them.  

I tend to do most composition in making the photograph but in this case I think a crop changes the image for the better.

Vibrant colour

The colour range on this is beautiful.  I have not adjusted the colours at all.  When I am making photographs of flowers, sometimes it is a debate of how much flower to show for the right effect.  I think this benefits from the range of colour, but should have been composed either closer or further away.

Field of Daisies

We live near a fen and there is a stretch that has masses of daisies.  This was taken last year walking to work.  I am impressed with how digital photography has advanced to capture such finite details as the pollen on the petals in the top right.

Paeony

We moved into our current house just over 4 years ago at Christmas.  It was neat to see everything for the first time.  I had never grown a Paeony before.  Somebody told me that they would be covered with ants.  I didn't think so since I had never seen these ants around the year.  Each year, they faithfully arrive and chew away at the flowers to help them open.  

This is one of about 8 buds from last year.  I did some research to find out that if you add ash to the soil, the number of blooms increases.  I put our fireplaces ashes on the ground this spring and now have over 100 buds developing.  I hope to be sharing some wonderful photos of this year's display shortly.

Bluebells

I know these are not officially called bluebells; however, I grew up calling them that.  The fragrance is just beautiful (and sometimes strong.)

Weeds

I don' t know what to say.  I realize as I post these images that I love photos of dandelions.  Such an annoying plant to gardeners (including myself) but providing such beauty as well.

Snowy Crocus

The will power of a crocus to come up through the snow is amazing.  I love making shots like this that seem almost impossible.  These flowers came up in our front yard last year.

Buddy

Who can resist a picture of a content cat?  This picture was taken at my in-laws house just before they moved.  Buddy was a character and rarely could you get such a composed picture of him.

Witches Tooth

I have spent over a year of my life (summers, camps, hiking) at Evans Lake Forest Education Centre in Squamish.  One of the trademarks of arriving at camp is a view of this mountain.  It was often referred to as Tantalus Mountain (which I believe is nearby but not this peak)  The important landmark that everyone knows about is Witches Tooth, the smaller black peak on the right.

Camp Fire

Several times I have taken pictures of fires.  I often get laughed at for doing so.  I don't care.  There is something so interesting about fires.  They are hard to photograph though.  I will have to search my archives for a couple of fires that I built.  They were several feet tall looking much like a log cabin.  When the tinder is lit and the flames burst forth, it is worth the time it takes to make it look so spectacular before lighting the fire.

Daisy, Daisy ....

When beauty is all around us, it is important to see it daily.  I am so glad to have made this photograph to enjoy the memory again and again.  Whenever possible, I try to use my knowledge of Aperture and Shutter Speed to create the perfect photo.  I think having the foreground in focus and the background blurring out makes this photo.

Alevin

Two years ago, I was working with the Surrey School District to raise salmon in 60 classrooms.  This Alevin was one we raised in our building.  It is almost 'buttoned up' and ready to swim to the surface, take a gulp of air, and become a fry.  Raising Salmon in the Classroom is a great project to give students a different perspective on nature, pollution, playing in streams, and life cycles.

A different perspective

I was working with a class of Grade 5 students taking photos for a class project.  They were busy taking photos to tell a story and then I saw this tree.  I couldn't resist showing them to look at things differently.  This is the resulting image.  I love it as I set the focus is part way up the trunk and students that saw this tree hundreds of times were able to see it differently.

Recycle shadows

While playing with my last camera when it was new, I shot this in low light.  I love the texture of the aluminum can as well as the lighting.  I have used this shot in a few presentations talking about sustainability as well.