Sechelt Wharf Photography Experimentation on an overcast sky day

Life is a giant playground of experimentation, and photography offers a lot of whimsyroom. You don't have to share any of your creations. You're allowed to take the various levels of contrast and colour, midtone and tint, and spread them as far or near as you'd like. Desaturate! Oversaturate! Play around and have fun.


Today I went on a little photowander around Sechelt. I went to the store and picked up a new memory card and some new rechargeable batteries for my wee Canon point and shoot (the only camera I own and what I take the majority of my photos with) with the little bit of Christmas money I was given (Thanks Grandpa! :D ) Then I wandered, as is usual for me, towards the sea.

I took a number of photos but we're going to look at what I did with this one. Firstly I'd rather shoot the image a bit darker so that I have more to work with in editing. If I exposed the sky as too white then I'd not have any data to work with there... just a bunch of white. Heck.. I'll occasionally do that on purpose for funking around in other ways, but it's not what I was looking for with this shot ;)

Then I got creative and moved a bunch of levels, and drank more tea, and put on my wool slippers.

I got the balance to where I like it. Now it's time to investigate some more cropping options. Try changing things around and see what you like, see what you don't like, learn about your preferences and what appeals to you. This is the adult photographer equivalent of finger painting. ;)

I'm ok with the fact that I use a wee point and shoot, and that the quality gets a bit suspect. Would I love to have a better camera and lens options? Heck yes I would! But I don't have those. SO this is what I can, and do, do.

Oh and lets check out those seagulls a bit more.. ;)

Cue the Wayne's World "Extreme Close-up"

So there you go. Sure it may not be the sharpest image (Ok it definitely isn't!) but it is an exploring with composition and creativity, learning to look through the image more, and will help develop your eye for trying different things in the field.

When all is said and done, my personal favourite of the set is the first edited one without any cropping. But the others are interesting experiments too!

I hope you enjoyed playing around with me and coming along for a little walk and wonder, now may you funk around with your photos and create some wonderous whimsy of your own!

Until next time,

Keep wandering and wondering,

The Maplemusketeer

China Beach's Exploration

Life is better when you head for where the rainforest meets the sea. At least that's always been my experience. One February morning in 2009 a classmate and I left our school work behind us in Victoria BC and, heading west, made for the solace of nature.

Until 1996 China Beach was a Provincial Park. The Juan de Fuca Provincial Park was established to collect and connect the various Provincial Parks (China Beach Park, Loss Creek Park, Parkinson Creek Park, and Botanical Beach Park) along the Juan de Fuca trail as a contiguous park of temperate coastal rainforesty awesomeness.

So we'll start in the parking lot ;)

From Places I've wandered

(The impetus for this blog post started when Reggie Norman, Andrew Metcalfe, and Levi Moore, started engaging with this photo on Google Plus. I love how the community there is inspiring and motivating me to look at things in new ways, and share past adventures too.)


As we head towards the beach we pass an overgrown road. The forest reclaims land fairly quickly in these parts.

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

It's a good idea to stop and use the facilities before one heads off into the unknown..
I know there's an outhouse around here somewhere..

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

Next we enter an area where wind has blown down many a tree. But don't worry.. the Parks people have replanted and put lovely little white protective covers over top.

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

Still some trees stand. Limbless in places. But they stand still.

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

Some have survived damage of old. Others have not. Each tells a story.

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

In light of the forest's fall, ferns are seen on the forest's floor

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

Still the beach beckons through the Pacific mist

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

and the damp drenched growth it sustains

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

On down the trail we head.. past the lairs of real and imagined creatures

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

and somehow.. down the path and into the heart of the forest they came

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

and dumped a car?!?! What the? Gah!

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

Nearer we draw to the sea..

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

Finding old weathered stump remains rerooted in the sand and stone shore

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

We are not alone

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

One is never alone in the coastal temperate rainforest.

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

Mood effuses from everything..
from the swirling cloud.. to the grain of sand..

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

an expanse of mystery
an expanse of wonder

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

The merganser knows..in part.. a part

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

but will not share his tale with the seagull..

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

who leaves in a tizzy

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

and lands

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

to do his vampire impression.... ... mwaha..ha.

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

still the waves wash in as they will and have for millennia

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

and under the gaze of a gull.. we say farewell

From China Beach, Vancouver Island, Feb 2009,

Till next time ;)
May you see the wonder around you
~mm

Harris Creek Waterfall

Harris Creek Waterfall

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

Leaving behind our discovery of the Harris Creek Suspension Bridge we continued on down the road until we found ourselves driving along the creek by a waterfall. So we stopped, got out, and scrambled about on it ;)

Here's another photo of the falls but with the Island Alpinist in it for scale

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

wild strawberries grew in the rock at my feet

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

evidence of an old bridge existed in the form of a concrete footing, though the wood had mostly decayed or been washed away

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

The water was moving quickly through the canyon

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

before slowing as the creek widened down stream

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

as the Island Alpinist careful made his way back up the rock

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

upstream more falls churned

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

as the red alder sapling watched on

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

and more wild strawberries grew where once a bridge stood

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

we continued on our way

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

down the road ahead

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

past bushes and signs

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

all the way back to civilization and a grocery store to buy food for that night's camping a top Mt.Prevost overlooking Duncan, BC.

From Harris Creek Waterfall - A Shorts and Gaiters Adventure

which is a story for next time ;)

Here's a narrated video of our time at the waterfall including some photos not seen above!


I hope you enjoyed this glimpse at a backroad west coast wonder of a waterfall :D