Victoria, BC

**Kyle** · 9th February 2016, 03:33 AM

I've been away from this form for quite awhile. My photography had unfortunately taken a back seat to some other things I have been focused on. Although one major reason is that I was on vacation to Vancouver and Victoria BC last November and on the first day there, someone smashed the window of my rental vehicle and stole my backpack. I lost almost all of my photography gear and my macbook pro which is where I had edited photos. The only thing I had left was my flash and the body of my Canon T3. I didn't even have a memory card of battery.
I was lucky enough to be able to use a family members Canon T3i for awhile. After that I ended up picking up a Canon 6D with a 24-105L. It's my first L lens and I can see quite the difference between it and my Canon 70D with kit/basic lenses (which I'm still dealing with insurance trying to replace). The trip wasn't all bad and I did managed to get some decent shots, even with the camera. Although I did get into a car accident shortly after picking up the new camera.

Here are some of my favourite shots from the trip:

1. A random flower from Victoria. Victoria is a gorgeous city. I hated Vancouver (probably cause my crap was stolen there) but Victoria was amazing. There were tons of flowers and interesting greenery all over the city. Not a great photo but I love how clear and and sharp the photo is (well, compared to what I'm use to taking with kit lenses)

2. This is a statue that's just down from the BC parliament buildings. It's called "Homecoming". We were there for remembrance day and this was taken sometime shortly after. Someone had placed the flowers in the girls hands. I played around a bunch with trying to get the right angle and right depth of field. I ended of settling on this shot, focusing on the flowers. I liked the idea of implying the rest of the story and keeping the focus on the flowers.

3. I'm not great at determining the best candidates for black and white shots. I'm even worse at actually editing those shots. I like this shot but I think I can do more in post to get it..just right. I like the definition of the sculpture. I like the tone different between it and everything else.
Also, this was shot at Hatley Castle. I was there for a graduation ceremony for some family. The series Arrow is actually often shot at the castle. It's also the campus for Royal Roads University (where the family member attended). The whole campus is quite a sight.

4/5. Here is another shot I think can work in B&W so I gave it a try. I'm not sold on the results. I do like the colour version but I think it can be a bit busy with all the green in the back.

6. Not a great shot but I was happy to capture him/her since I didn't see a whole ton of wildlife out there.

7. When I found out I was going to B.C the first thing I thought was "MOUNTAINS!". I highly enjoyed my trip to Jasper and Banff so I was somewhat expecting mountains like that. As per usual out there it was cloudy and rainy almost every day. We were in Vancouver over and and even drove up to Squamish which is up the mountains (this was before the a-hole stole my stuff). It was cloudy then so I didn't get to see any mountains there. The only real glimpse I got of snow-capped mountains was when I was at the Royal Roads campus. This is a shot of the mountains that are actually on the American side if I remember correctly. I think this shot works much better in B&W. I won't bother posting the colour version as it's just a ton of blue. I like the definition of the mountains even at the distance I took this from.

8. Here is another shot of the mountains but from across the Hatley Castle grounds.

9. This is the back of Hatley Castle. I could fill an entire post with shots of that gorgeous building. I really missed my 10-22 while there. I was only ever on the campus when I had my family member's camera so I had to make due with a 18-55 and 70-300.

Thanks for reading along with my adventure. Even with everything bad that happened (and there was a ton of bad) there was some good too. We had some fun and even saw some of my fiancee's family that she hasn't seen in a very long time. I've got some more photos that I'll post when I get the chance.

**Wavelength** · 9th February 2016, 03:57 AM

The first image has lovely colors...
Second image has a nice story and the guy put those flowers there has real sense of appreciation...; the lion in B/W is nice; the angel with its lute is better in color by all means.... Mountain shot is not working ; in the other images sky was reluctant to help you but th ground scenes are really colorful and nice

PS: I am really sorry about your loss; hope you are soon legally compensated; i too use canon EOS 70D; i don't have an L lens so far....

Regards

**Tronhard** · 9th February 2016, 04:17 AM

Hi Kyle:

I was genuinely distressed to learn that you had lost your gear in BC. No-one likes to think of a guest in one's home turf being ripped off. In this period of economic stress there is more petty crime about and I have been the victim of it several times over the years in several places I have lived. Insurance doesn't really reduce the feeling of violation and loss when one loses stuff that cannot be replaced. So if there lost photos of places you went to in Victoria I would be happy to send you shots so at least you can show people where you went - I know it's not the same as having your own shots but better than nothing.

You at least got some good gear, in particular the 24-105L - it's a great lens and the 6D is an excellent body! I really like your bird shot - it would make an excellent desktop image!

**Kyle** · 9th February 2016, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by Wavelength

... in the other images sky was reluctant to help you but th ground scenes are really colorful and nice

PS: I am really sorry about your loss; hope you are soon legally compensated; i too use canon EOS 70D; i don't have an L lens so far....

Thanks for the comments! The sky was very reluctant to help. It was cloudy almost every day I was there. I'm lucky that I had tenant insurance that covered items in a vehicle I was using.
I know L lenses don't make you take better photos, I have lots of great shots with my 70D and 18-55, but you can see a difference in sharpness and image quality.

Originally Posted by Tronhard

You at least got some good gear, in particular the 24-105L - it's a great lens and the 6D is an excellent body! I really like your bird shot - it would make an excellent desktop image!

Wow, thanks for the offer Trev, I really appreciate it. In some ways I was lucky that the items were stolen on my first night there and not near the end of the trip. The only photos I lost were airplane shots taken on my FujiFilm action camera that I kept in my backpack since it was light, small, waterproof and shockproof.
You're right about the insurance. It helped me replace me gear but it does not make you feel any better about the whole situation. When I really think about it I still get very angry to this day. Just knowing someone is benefiting from my hard work makes me...Well, I try not to think about it.

I am very happy with the 24-105L and the 6D. I was able to get some very good low-light shots I would not have been able to get with my old camera. I think that lens/camera combination will be my go to and my new-old gear will be more for wildlife since it has the extra reach over the full-frame.

I'm actually quite happy with the Eagle shot (I believe it's a Golden Eagle, please correct me if I'm wrong). I completely did not expect it. I was using my family member's Canon T3i with a 70-300 lens and the Eagle was quite far away so this is a heavy crop and it ended up not bad.

**Shadowman** · 9th February 2016, 03:33 PM

Nice series.

**NorthernFocus** · 9th February 2016, 04:21 PM

Sorry to hear about the thievery and other troubles, Kyle.

Quite a variety of shots. Good selections for B/W. That poor lion looks sad.

**bnnrcn** · 9th February 2016, 04:35 PM

Sorry to hear that you got into trouble Kyle

I like the bird shot, I would fix the purple color at the tip of the wings.

**Kyle** · 9th February 2016, 06:07 PM

Some more shots:

Found these guys sunning themselves on the rocks just outside of our hotel. They were there for quite awhile and gathered a bit of a crowd.

10.

11.

12. I believe this is a Hooded Merganser. He had a female friend but I didn't get any good shots of both of them.

13. The Guardian keeping a watching eye over the water. Or maybe it's just a rock someone carved a face into.

14. This was at another castle. I liked the pattern in the rocks.

15. These stairs we a bit scary. They led right into the water..Which was quite rough at the time. The water was splashing up all over the place. I can see someone easily slipping and ending up in the water.

16. The BC Parliament building. The sky really didn't want to cooperate with me. This was the best I was able to get the entire 9 days I was in Victoria.

More flower shots
17.

18.

19. Last for this post a bike shot. I don't normally shoot vehicles but this one caught my eye, especially up against the wall with graffiti.

**Tronhard** · 9th February 2016, 08:05 PM

Hi Kyle:

If you ever decide to make it to Victoria again, and I am in town, I would be happy to take you round for some photo taking.

Knowing that you missed out on a shot of the legislature I thought I might offer this one if it is of any value.

I enclose and admittedly lower that I would like resolution photo of the legislature. The original on is on my computer in Victoria but I am in New Zealand right now with different gear.

This one is of the Customs Exchange building, which you would have been very close to when you took the shots of the statue dedicated to the Canadian Navy - that statue is a really frustrating one to get a decent shot of due to the light conditions!

Finally a shot of the harbour taken around when you were there.

**Kyle** · 10th February 2016, 02:13 AM

If I do return to that area I'll have to take you up on that offer Trev. I really did love it in Victoria. I could see myself living out there. Unfortunately most jobs are in Vancouver and I did not enjoy it there, probably for the same reasons why I hate Toronto so much.
I am really disappointed that I did not get the time or opportunity to capture the beauty of Victoria as you have in your shots.