Yet another Powell River Sunset

As I have said, I spend a long time to get just the right photo.  Even with the right subject matter, you still have choices.  These two images are great.  At first I wanted to post the first one, then I saw the second again and thought it was better.  They both have their merits and the colour is amazing.

My mother-in-law claims Powell River has the best sunsets in the world.  It is hard to argue when I can capture the range of great photos in one night.

Another Powell River Sunset

Patience is important.  I hung around the beach for over an hour to explore different shots and make just the right photo.  I had decided I wanted to be out on the breakwater to get less foreground in the images.  Walking over, the sun changed a bit more and when I arrived this image was waiting to be made.  I could adjust the colour saturation a bit but I am happy with the shot 'au naturel.'  

Upon further looking, I see that I purposely decreased the aperture to expose the image less.  Here is an image taken moments before with 1/80 of a second versus the 1/200 of a second for the image above.

Wild Strawberry

I am always amazed at the way we have domesticated and changed plants.  More recently, concerns over genetically modified plants....  We have been able to 'naturally' modify plants such as this strawberry which basically produces a fruit the size of a pea covered in seeds to a fruit the size of a golf ball or more.  

Politics aside, I love the beauty of plants that are 'wild' versions of what I know.  This image was shot in raw so I was able to crop over half of the image out to frame a much nicer photo.

Catching Water

Something critical that I gained from listening to Vincent LaForet was relating to making photos rather than taking.  This series of images was intended to do just that.  I adjust the shutter speed manually from 1/500 of a second to 1/15 of a second.  At 1/500, the water appears to stop and is in close focus.  At 1/15 of a second the rock can be in perfect focus while the water becomes a white blur.

I am sure that there is a way as a science lesson to use the photo to see how fast the water was flowing at the time.

Powell River Sunsets

These two images are taken within minutes of each other.  The beauty of the digital camera is taking multiple shots and being able to see the results almost immediately.  While I like the colouration of the second image better, the first one is composed better by framing in the sunset.  

In post production, I would also increase the saturation of the orange to make it pop more. Here is what that looks like.  I increased the saturation of the orange sky, increased the blackpoint, and added a bit of exposure as well.

Well Camoflouged

This ground squirrel is well suited for a forest and for the glacial morraine.

I purposed to leave a lot of brown space so that the viewer has to search for the squirrel.  While the squirrel is placed in a third, the tree is also a distractor to the eye.

This reminds me to think about the purpose of making a photograph.  Rather than just clicking, it is important to always think of what you might use it for eventually.

Overcoming Adversity

These belles were growing in the glacial deposits at Mt. Edith Cavell.  The bleakness of the climate is apparent with the sparsity of life.  There were about 8 different kinds of flowers growing in the area and only a few trees.

This image interested me as it has two sets of bells.  The image was made with my 70-200mm lens.