Andre, Don't Look

[Brownbear]

It would be my pleasure to recommend places for landscape photos and if you and your wife visit Vancouver it would also be my pleasure to take you on a couple of hikes on the North Shore featuring beautiful forests, waterfalls and swimming holes (forewarned one goes numb within a couple of minutes after swimming in the crystal clear green waters)... I tried taking photos of them once but my photos were very sad looking when compared to yours, so in fact I'd love to take you and your wife on a hike and learn more about landscape photography, anytime.

Thanks so much, Christina. It certainly helps to have a gorgeous, stationary model. I've often mentioned to my wife how I'd like to take a trip to Vancouver Island to do some landscapes. I'll probably picking your brain for some suitable sites in the next few months. Thanks for viewing and your kind comments.

[ShaneS]

Kevin;

I've often mentioned to my wife how I'd like to take a trip to Vancouver Island to do some landscapes.

Check out this site for Vancouver Island Inspiration: http://toadhollowphoto.com/.

He does a lot of car stuff but does offer some beautiful shots of Vancouver Island if you look around a little bit. He and his wife are also into HDR and historical preservation of the Cowichan Valley (near Victoria). My folks live in the Parksville (near Nanaimo) and I could probably add some items to your list when you are ready.

[kdoc856]

Christina and Shane,

I'm grateful for your kind offers. Will get back with you when plans are solidified. Great resources to be able to rely on.

[Karm Redland]

Hi Kevin. All nice images. I also like the way you included a foreground object in each picture. I like no. 2 is the best because it has a bit of a surprise factor.

karm

[kdoc856]

Thanks, Karm. Glad they work for you. The foreground inclusion was what I set out that morning to find, luckily Nature was kind that day.

[kaneohebud]

It would be my pleasure to recommend places for landscape photos and if you and your wife visit Vancouver it would also be my pleasure to take you on a couple of hikes on the North Shore featuring beautiful forests, waterfalls and swimming holes (forewarned one goes numb within a couple of minutes after swimming in the crystal clear green waters)... I tried taking photos of them once but my photos were very sad looking when compared to yours, so in fact I'd love to take you and your wife on a hike and learn more about landscape photography, anytime.

Hi Christina:
I saw your offer to Kevin.. It turns out my wife and I will be in Victoria and Courtenay (two nights each) in mid-September. I will be on an extended photo trip which begins a week photographing Alaskan coastal brown bears and ending with a week in Banff/Lake Louise. Would appreciate any tips you might have for great areas on Vancouver Island for landscape shooting.

[Brownbear]

Hello Bud,

And it would also be my pleasure to advise and share tips with you. I am more familiar with Vancouver than Vancouver Island but I will see what I can find out. That sounds like a very special trip. Enjoy!

Hi Christina:
I saw your offer to Kevin.. It turns out my wife and I will be in Victoria and Courtenay (two nights each) in mid-September. I will be on an extended photo trip which begins a week photographing Alaskan coastal brown bears and ending with a week in Banff/Lake Louise. Would appreciate any tips you might have for great areas on Vancouver Island for landscape shooting.

[Cantab]

Hi Christina:
I saw your offer to Kevin.. It turns out my wife and I will be in Victoria and Courtenay (two nights each) in mid-September. I will be on an extended photo trip which begins a week photographing Alaskan coastal brown bears and ending with a week in Banff/Lake Louise. Would appreciate any tips you might have for great areas on Vancouver Island for landscape shooting.

Bud, I live on Vancouver Island and will put together a list of possible scenic places to visit.

[Brownbear]

Hi Bruce,

If you are working on a list anyway, I would love to have it too, as I've been to Campbell River, some of the islands, Nanaimo and Tofino and Ucelet but that is it, and now that I am back I hope to explore the island more...

Thank you.

Kevin and Bud, If you ride the ferry from Vancouver to the Island, and to any of the islands the scenery is stunning.. Lots of mountains and water... I will post my photos from this weekends trip the nature thread... They don't do it justice but you will get the idea.

Bud, I live on Vancouver Island and will put together a list of possible scenic places to visit.

[Ken Curtis]

I live on Vancouver Island and will put together a list of possible scenic places to visit.

Please put me on the list too, Bruce.

[Ken Curtis]

The theme of this recent shoot was to experiment/practice with extended DoF, the inclusion of foreground objects to add visual depth, and add elements and perspectives that will hopefully enhance and not distract from the more typical and oft repeated shots of these locally iconic areas.

Kevin, I think you achieved your goals. As others have said, the compositions are excellent. I like that for images 1, 2, 3 and 5, you appear to have gotten down low, close to the ground to take the shots. The inclusion of foreground objects such as the dead tree parts and the rocks does wonders for the images. My only suggestion is to sharpen the images just a small amount. I used Nik's Sharpener Pro 3 on your images and to me, they look better. The software brought out some details in the foreground objects, but more importantly details in the rocky formations where the waterfall is located.

[kdoc856]

Thanks, Ken. You are spot-on on all accounts. On the images you mentioned, the camera was as low as 6 inches from th surface. Regarding the sharpening, I've actually resorted to removing the output sharpening from LR4 as even on the lowest setting, with the compression of the limited size we use here, things were just a little crunchy. It is indeed more sharpened on my original. Very well spotted and thanks much for your excellent input.

[Cantab]

Kevin, Bud and Ken, here are some thoughts on possible places to visit on Vancouver Island. For the most part I've focused on locations with photographic potential. Unless otherwise indicated, all roads are paved. (It's possible to travel on gravel logging roads; however, I believe many car rental agreements prohibit traveling on gravel roads.)

As mentioned by Christine in an earlier post, the BC ferry trip from Vancouver to Victoria (Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay at the north end of Saanich Peninsula) is a very scenic journey. The first half of the trip is in relatively open water. About the halfway mark, the vessel enters the narrow Active Pass and then travels past a number of Gulf Islands before reaching Swartz Bay. If anyone wants suggestions of places to see in Victoria itself, please let me know. If you have time, drive out to East Sooke Park (the Aylard Farm end) is worth doing. A short walk from the parking lot will take you to the coastline. At this point, you'll be at virtually the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island.

Traveling north from Victoria on the TransCanada Highway, you should stop at Goldstream Park. There is a clearly marked right hand turn off the highway; the parking lot is an immediate left turn after coming off the highway. This is the beginning of the Malahat drive. There are two lookouts on the Malahat. The first is at the summit. If you are going to stop at only one of these viewpoints, I'd definitely suggest stopping at the second one, which is maybe 0.5 or 1 kilometer further on. Both are clearly marked right hand exits as you're traveling north on the highway. (There is no access to these viewpoints when traveling south.) There is a rest stop between the two viewpoints but it has no real view.

Once you're over the Malahat you can continue traveling north on the main highway or if you have the time and inclination there are several quieter and more scenic routes. The first would be to take the right-hand turn onto Mill Bay Road just as you finish coming down the Malahat. There is a poorly signed road (off Mill Bay Road) to Bamberton Provincial Park which is quite pleasant. If you continue on Mill Bay Road it eventually takes you back to Mill Bay itself, where the road intersects with the TransCanada Highway (Highway 1). If you travel across the highway you'll reach the Tim Horton's coffee and doughnut outlet, where my wife and I often stop.

If you want to depart from the main highway once you're a bit north of Mill Bay, it's worth turning onto the road to Cowichan Bay where it intersects with the main highway. There are traffic lights. You'd want to turn to the right; to the left the road takes you to Cobble Hill. Once you're in Cowichan Bay itself, there are a number of interesting stores along the waterfront, docks and a park (Hecate Park) at the northern edge of the community. I've taken a number of bird photographs in and around this park; it has a good view out over Cowichan Bay.

As a complete alternative to traveling over the Malahat, their are two other options. One is to take the small ferry from Brentwood Bay across Saanich Inlet to Mill Bay. The other option is to take the circular route up the lower west coast of the island and then across land to Cowichan Lake and then rejoining the TransCanada Highway a short distance north of Duncan. To do this route, you would leave Victoria, drive to Sooke (NOT East Sooke), continue on to Jordan River and Port Renfrew. Botanical Beach at Port Renfrew is a very interesting location if the tide is out as you can see a vast amount of intertidal marine life. The tide does come in very quickly though so one needs to be careful that you do not get cut off (as almost happened to me once). From Port Renfrew you gradually work north on what used to be a gravel logging road but which was paved a few years ago. If you think you might want to take this route, let me know and I could provide more detail. If time is limited, however, I'd strongly recommend taking the Malahat route.

Once you're north of Duncan, there are side roads however I'd suggest remaining on the main highway till you reach Parksville and then taking highway 4 heading towards Port Alberni. Before you get there you'll pass Cameron Lake which is worth stopping at the side of the road to have a good look at. Near the very western end of the lake is Cathedral Grove. This is a collection of very large trees. A number of them were blown down in the blizzard and windstorm of 1996; however it is definitely worth a stop. Not long after Cathedral Grove, you'd reach Port Alberni. Continuing onwards towards the West Coast the highway (I forget what number it is at this point) takes you past a number of very large lakes and through rugged country - - definitely worth seeing. A couple of hours after Port Alberni,you'll reach the highway that runs between Ucuelet and Tofino. This is the Long Beach area and is definitely worth seeing, even if there is fog for part of your visit. It's a very good idea to book your accommodation before you arrive as it's a very popular location. Apart from the sandy beaches at Long Beach itself, there are a number of interesting trails and walks in the Pacific Rim Park. The last time my wife and I were up there we took a boat ride out from Ucuelet into the Broken Islands area and saw sea otters, etc. Again, definitely worth doing.

Returning to the main highway on the east coast of the island, you can travel up to Courtenay on either the main highway, or on the Old Island Highway which follows the coast line, is scenic and slower than the new highway.
The Courtenay area is very nice. The Comox glacier can be seen from here. I strongly recommend a trip to Paradise Meadows: http://comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/n...ovincial-park/
http://www.mountwashington.ca/downlo.../strathmap.pdf
http://www.discovermountwashington.c...mer/hiking.htm
This is an alpine area with an extensive range of trails as well as an easily accessible approximately 2 kilometre apparently wheelchair accessible loop. The last time I was up there, this loop was not fully wheelchair accessible as it had an occasional step but it apparently is now fully level. To reach Paradise Meadows, which is in Strathcona Provincial Park, you drive up the road to Mount Washington, a major ski resort. Finding the trailhead used not to be entirely obvious but I see from a 2011 newsletter that there is now a building and information centre at the trailhead: http://www.milehigh.ca/maps/parks-2011.pdf
The drive back down to the lowlands from Mount Washington provides good views but is also a good test for your vehicles brakes.

If you have time in the Courtenay area, interesting side trips might be to Buttle Lake which you reach part way along the road to Gold River. That road meets the main highway in the Campbell River area. Another possibility is to visit Quadra Island, a very short ferry trip from Campbell River. If you go to Quadra Island I'd strongly recommending having lunch or perhaps dinner at the Tsa-Kwa-Luten Lodge: http://www.capemudgeresort.bc.ca/
The food is very good and the view from the dining area is also very good.

The area north of Campbell River is very sparsely populated and wetter than the southern end of the island. Whale watching is available from Port McNeil and Telegraph Cove. My wife and I stayed a few days at motel in Port Hardy several years ago. We were amazed by the number of bald eagles. They seemed to be everywhere. I remember once opening the motel door and across the road were three or for eagles perched on power poles and eagles on the beach feeding on salmon.

Logging road adventures:
If you're game for logging road travel, the road west from Port Hardy to Holberg and then on to the trailhead for Cape Scott Park is (as I recall) approximately an hour or so drive on a comparatively well-traveled road -- for a logging road. If you travel on a logging road, be sure to use your headlights, make sure the car is fully gassed up, the spare tire is in good condition and probably also carry some drinking water. Logging roads, especially the less frequented ones often have no direction signs so it's important to use maps. Logging trucks have the right-of-way; however this stretch of road is wide so there is no difficulty with the width of the road as far as I can remember. You should also bear in mind that there is rarely if ever cell phone coverage on a logging road.

Although the hike in to the northern tip of Cape Scott is not for the faint hearted, there is a relatively easy walk from the trailhead down to San Josef Park. Because of a mobility disability I was not able to walk all the way to San Josef but the trail I covered was level, wide and free of tree roots. Here are some relevant web link:
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/exp...tt/hiking.html

If you're feeling more adventuresome it's possible to drive by logging road down to the Cape Palmerston wilderness campsite. It's not far from Raft Cove Park but is/was very easily accessible by car (once you'd driven there). We had lunch there on a beautiful summer day. Despite the fact there was nothing between us and Japan, the ocean was dead calm: more like a duck pond than the open ocean. This is in contrast to what I've seen on several trips to the Long Beach area where there is always good wave action.

If you're feeling really adventuresome and fit, Raft Cove might be of interest: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/exp...pgs/raft_cove/ and http://www.vancouverislandaccommodat...y/raftcove.htm

If anyone is still reading this, I hope you have a nice trip to the island. If you have questions, I'd be pleased to answer them as best I can.

[kaneohebud]

Bruce:
What a great and thoughtful response. I deeply appreciate your advice and directions. I'm printing a copy right now and will be following it the second week of September. My wife and are spending two nights in Victoria and two nights in Courtenay before heading to the Banff area for a week. Your guidance is really going to make the Vancouver Island portion special. Many, many thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed piece. I'll post some photos in early October to let you know the outcome.

[Brownbear]

Bruce.. Thank you so much... After being away from Canada for almost 5 years, I'm enjoying exploring my new backyard, one I previously took for granted so your wonderful post is also highly appreciated by me. I adore Vancouver Island and look forward to exploring it again.

Bud and Kevin, it does not sound like you will visit Vancouver but if you end up visiting let me know as I live on the North Shore which is full of beautiful Mountain vistas and lush forests...

Some beautiful places to photograph landscapes here include.

http://lynncanyon.ca/ Beautiful forests, trails and waterfalls... and free

http://www.capbridge.com/#nogo Touristy but also beautiful and well worth a visit... Hiking in the area is free

http://lighthousepark.ca/ Beautiful forests and trails... Lots of moss and old trees

http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/mount-seymour/... Beautiful Mountain Vistas

http://www.deepcovebc.com/deepcovebcparks.html ... Gorgeous and one can rent a kayak and paddle up Indian Arm

http://www.grousemountain.com/genera...ion-membership.... Touristy but beautiful with stunning views of Vancouver

Stanley Park is about 1/2 hour from the North Shore
http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation...nley-park.aspx


From Vancouver Island take the ferry from Nanaimo which will take you to Horseshoe Bay on the North Shore... If you have a car it is an easy 30 minute drive to most all of the above places but also very easily done on local transit... If you do visit send me a PM...

PS I can vouch for Bruce's recommendation to visit the Long Beach area... It's breathtakingly beautiful...

[kdoc856]

Christina and Bruce,

Thanks so very much for all your kind helpfulness. I've printed your recommendations and have them in a file for quick reference. You've heightened an already acute appetite for moving forward with this trip.

[Ken Curtis]

Kevin, Bud and Ken, here are some thoughts on possible places to visit on Vancouver Island.

Bruce, thank you very much for all that information. I copy and pasted it into a document that I can use for future reference. I truly appreciate your taking the time to write it.

[Cantab]

In my post, #33, on Vancouver Island I mentioned the second viewpoint on the Malahat. A few weeks ago I took a pano shot of Mt. Baker from that viewpoint. It's here: Mt. Baker and Coast Range Panorama.