sunset

Mud Bay Park in Surrey British Columbia

A raft of (mostly) Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) drift past two old pilings during high tide at Mud Bay in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

parting clouds and sunlight on mud bay

A Parting in the Clouds at Mud Bay (Purchase)

Earlier this year I visited Mud Bay Park in Surrey, British Columbia in the hopes of photographing some shore birds of some kind. Mud Bay is at the eastern end of Boundary Bay and is surrounded on 3 sides by south Surrey and Crescent Beach. I didn’t see many birds all that close to shore on this day, however. The tide was all the way in at first, and most of what I could see nearby were large rafts of ducks. I walked several kilometers east along the trail from the parking lot. There are very nice ocean views here, and often lots of wildlife, but this experience is somewhat countered by the fact the trail/shore is just meters from Hwy 99. So it isn’t a quiet birding spot! As always though, I may have subjects in mind when I go to a location, but I’m always looking for just about anything to photograph. The image above came to be as I was watching the interesting clouds in the sky. It wasn’t stormy, but it wasn’t one of those “boring” overcast days either. I was trying to work with these two old logs/posts sticking out of the mudflats, and lined up the gap between these passing clouds in between. As I was doing so, a raft of Northern Pintail ducks (Anas acuta) drifted past and into the photograph. This was not part of the plan, but they form a line almost parallel with the horizon and I think it works here. By the time they drifted past, the clouds had as well, so I continued down the trail.

great blue heron sunset silhouette

Great Blue Heron Wading At Sunset on Mud Bay (Purchase)

After I’d turned around and headed back toward the parking lot the tide had gone out. Mud Bay is quite shallow, so even 30 minutes later the edge of the water was a significant distance from the shoreline. This revealed many different patterns in the mudflats and tide pools. I noticed this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) wading in what were some pretty vibrant orange sunset light reflections. One of the reasons I have (too) many heron photographs is they often stand still, or move slowly and then stop. This makes for a relatively easy wildlife subject compared to more active species. In this case, however, it made things a bit more difficult. As this was going to be a silhouette, I wanted there to be a gap between the birds head and the dark mud in the background. The heron was not interested in moving and just stood in one spot for many minutes. Eventually I stood on a rock, and held my tripod and camera up in the air to change the perspective so there was a small gap which separated the bird from the background. Luckily the color reflecting from the sky held out for the duration of this! The cranes you can see in the background are at GCT Deltaport near Tsawwassen.

sunset reflections mud bay

Sunset Reflections on the Mudflats of Mud Bay (Purchase)

As the sunset light color was fading I made the photograph above of some interesting clouds along with the patterns in the mud and sand of the mudflats. If you want to see some more more photographs from the city of Surrey visit my Surrey Gallery.

View of Vancouver and North Vancouver from Burnaby Mountain

View of Vancouver, North Vancouver, and beyond – from Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

view of the city of vancouver after sunset from above

View of Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Burnaby (Purchase)

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As with many of my better images these photos of a view of Vancouver were not really planned. I had a plan, but when that fell through (as they often do) I had to adjust (more on that later). This is the view of Vancouver from the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area near Simon Fraser University. I’ve been surprised both times I’ve photographed here that I have not seen other photographers (beyond those with cell phones) as the view is quite popular. When I went to school at SFU this was a busy area at sunset as people parked their cars to watch (and do other things) – and this was much the same last week when I was on Burnaby Mountain. Two separate people were even brought by their drivers, and had their own security. Why this area is popular is understandable as the view is spectacular on a nice day!

The panorama above shows many notable buildings and locations in and around Vancouver (best viewed in the larger “lightbox” version if you click on the smaller version above). On the left the blue lights are from BC Place and above the stadium you can see Mount Arrowsmith on Vancouver Island. Then we have the towers of the downtown area of the City of Vancouver and the Port of Vancouver structures next to Burrard Inlet. Beyond Vancouver you can see other areas of Vancouver Island (including the light of Nanaimo), and ships waiting to load/unload in English Bay. The darker area before you get to the Lions Gate Bridge is Stanley Park, and then you have the bridge itself, and the lights of the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver. In the foreground you have Capitol Hill in north Burnaby (I can see the house I lived in for a few years in this photo), and then the Burnaby Refinery (Parkland) next to Burrard Inlet.

view of vancouver after sunset

View of Vancouver from Burnaby Mountain after sunset. (Purchase)

I had initially planned to photograph a few scenes in Port Moody (which I was able to do) and then photograph some blue hour photos of snow on the mountains to the north (Mount Seymour, etc). I didn’t expect a sunset due to cloud cover and I have had a few ideas for those photos for a few years. It became immediately clear that there was not a lot of snow on the mountains (visible) and that plan was going to have to be abandoned.

When I was editing these photos I was reflecting whether these images would have been possible for me to make maybe even 5 years ago. My camera at the time would have done a good job, but I’m not sure I’d have been able to get in the right position and more importantly, the right frame of mind, to make these photos. I used to over plan my photography days, and if I’d shown up here to make blue hour photos of mountains covered in snow (and not found those scenes) I might have still been stewing on this and unable to make the transition to shooting something else. You just can only shoot what is actually there, and even if that thing isn’t what you initially wanted or expected, there is almost always something else to photograph. Knowing more about what locations are nearby and what potential they have also helps! Even if you photograph nothing at a location, seeing what might be possible there in the future can help a lot.

For more of my photographs of Vancouver visit my Vancouver Gallery.

An Evening at the White Rock Pier

Tourists watching the sunset at the White Rock Pier in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada. Photographed from White Rock Beach looking west across Boundary Bay towards the mountains on Vancouver Island.

people watching the sunset from white rock pier

Watching the Sunset at White Rock Pier (Purchase)

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   The first outing I made with my new camera was to photograph a few different locations in South Surrey and White Rock. I’ve walked along the White Rock Pier several times in the past, but I haven’t tried to photograph there in any serious way in almost 10 years so it was clearly time to change that. The White Rock Pier is one of the focal points of tourist (and local) activity for the City of White Rock. Officially opened in 1914, it was constructed to create a deep water wharf and as a tourist attraction. The first photograph here shows 3 young people enjoying the sunset (or the birds you can see in the larger version) from the pier. Beyond the pier you can see Boundary Bay and the mountains on Vancouver Island to the west.

view of white rock pier from marine drive in the evening

White Rock Pier and Semiamhoo Bay (Purchase)

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   Just above the entrance from Marine Drive you can see this view of the pier, Boundary Bay, and Semiamhoo Bay in Washington State. The San Juan Islands (also in Washington State) are visible in the distance. This is one of the busiest spots along Marine Drive as it is the entrance to the pier but also where many of the more popular restaurants and ice cream shops are located.

walking along the white rock pier

Walking along the White Rock Pier (Purchase)

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   The pier remains busy even after sunset during warmer evenings – it took some waiting to have just a few people in the photographs like this one as the pier was busy. I also noticed that people walking by made the planks bounce, so I had to photograph mostly when people weren’t nearby. The above photograph is the view along the pier looking south towards the United States.

boats in the marina at white rock pier

Boats Anchored at the White Rock Pier Marina (Purchase)

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   At the south end of the White Rock Pier there is a small marina which usually has about 15-20 small sailboats moored there. I am not sure if it has an official name or not, but I have seen it referred to generically as the “White Rock Pier Marina” which may merely be descriptive rather than an actual designation.

view from end of white rock pier looking back towards city at night

Looking back at City of White Rock from the end of the pier (Purchase)

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   This is the view from the end of the pier looking back towards the City of White Rock.

For more photographs of White Rock and other nearby areas please visit my Vancouver Coast and Mountains Gallery.

Mt. Erie Park Moonrise Over the North Cascades

The moon rises over North Cascades mountain peaks just after sunset. Photographed from the top of Mt. Erie Park in Anacortes, Washington State, USA.

panorama of moonrise over the north cascades range from mt erie park

Moonrise over the North Cascades from Mt. Erie Park (Purchase)

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   In September I went on a day trip across the border into Blaine, Washington and eventually ended up at Mt. Erie Park in Anacortes on Fidalgo Island. The plan had been to follow the coast and hit a lot of different spots on the way to Fidalgo Island and Anacortes with Mt. Erie Park being the last destination. It turned out this was a bit overly ambitions so when I arrived in Anacortes it was already early evening. I’ve learned from experience that when time gets short to have a plan for the final destination in place, and so after visiting Anacortes I drove up the narrow road to the top of Mt. Erie. This was a park that seemed like it had a decent chance at good views – and they turned out to be great views. This first panorama photograph here shows several peaks I photographed from the park – mainly (from L to R) Round Mountain, Mount Higgins, Glacier Peak, White Chuck Mountain, Whitehorse Mountain Three Fingers, and Liberty Mountain.

moonrise over the north cascades range from mt erie

Moonrise over the North Cascades and Similk Bay from Mt. Erie (Purchase)

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   I’d like to say I had planned my timing with this moon rise perfectly, but it was just a pleasant surprise. Many photographers determine sunrise and sunset paths before photographing an area but I don’t often do this – especially on a relatively unplanned day such as this one. There are plenty of great views from the top of Mount Erie – from Mount Baker and a number of other notable peaks in the North Cascades to the view south towards Whidbey Island, The Olympic Mountains and the Straight of Juan de Fuca. The three photos here show the view to the east and southeast of the North Cascades, and the farmland on the mainland.

moonrise over the north cascades range in black and white

Moonrise over the North Cascades in B&W (Purchase)

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   I thought I’d try this last photograph in Black and White, and I think it works (more so with the enlarged view compared to this thumbnail). You can view the colour version for comparison. The peaks in this photograph include (L to R) Round Mountain, Mount Higgins, Skadulgwas Peak, White Chuck Mountain, Glacier Peak, Disappointment Peak and Whitehorse Mountain.

For more photographs from the North Cascades visit my North Cascades Gallery.

Harrison Lake Sunset

A vivid Harrison Lake sunset near Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia, Canada. The distant mountains are Sasin Peak and Deroche Mountain.

harrison lake sunset near harrison hot springs

A vivid Harrison Lake sunset near Harrison Hot Springs (Purchase)

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   A few days before I made these photos of a sunset at Harrison Lake I talked online about not making very many sunset photographs and generally avoiding them. Most often at sunset I am photographing what that light is reflecting off of, not the sky itself. I find the majority of sunset photos out there to be rather banal unless they have an actual subject of interest other than the sunset itself. That said, I had to pull over to the side of Rockwell Drive on the shore of Harrison Lake when I saw this light starting to develop (somewhere between Sasquatch Park’s Green Point and Harrison Hot Springs). The challenge then was to find something to do with it, and there was no time to get in position somewhere I knew to be favourable. The first photo here shows Sasin Peak, Deroche Mountain, and some fortuitous rocks and old dock pilings in Harrison Lake. I also made a square version of this Harrison Sunset.

   Before the colours to the west really exploded, I made this exposure looking north towards Mount Breakenridge. The colour here is much more subtle, but it works regardless. When the sky to the west became really vibrant this last scene here had very little color, even less than when I made this photo. Strange how that sometimes works out.

harrison lake sunset

Harrison Lake and Mount Breakenridge after Sunset (Purchase)

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   As you know I occasionally work with black and white for some of my photos, and so here is one last photo of the same scene with a different composition.

black and white photo harrison lake sunset

Harrison Lake and Mount Breakenridge in B&W (Purchase)

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For more photographs of Harrison and other lakes visit my Lakes & Rivers Gallery.

North Cascades Sunset from Chain Lakes Trail

   An early fall sunset in Washington State’s North Cascades featuring Mount Shuksan.

sunset in washingtons north cascades mountains with mount shuksan

Sunset in Washington State’s North Cascades Range Featuring Mount Shuksan (Purchase)

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   Mount Shuksan is one of the most photographed mountains in Washington State’s North Cascades Range. The majority of these photographs are likely made at the iconic Picture Lake view due to the great scenery and easy access (100 feet from your parked car). I have photographed that view quite a few times, and it is still one I love to look at. I went to the Mount Baker Wilderness last week and did stop at that iconic location, but I didn’t get my camera out of the bag even though the conditions were good – I simply took in the sights there while eating my soup for dinner. Shuksan is one of my favourite mountains, but I am looking to expand my library of more interesting photographs, not pad my already too large collection of pretty but creatively boring iconic images from Picture Lake.

   I had previously hiked the Chain Lakes Trail up to Herman Saddle on the north side of its loop but this time decided to try the south side as time permitted from the Artist Point parking lot. As was the case last year, I spent far more time than I’d anticipated photographing in the Heather Meadows and Bagley Lakes area and didn’t get as far on the Chain Lakes Trail as I had anticipated. Heather Meadows and a long lens seem to be a combination that unlocks a lot of compositions for me – which you will likely seen a post coming soon.

   Despite my slow pace at Heather Meadows I did time my walk up the Chain Lakes Trail from Artist Point correctly. I was in a good position to photograph the sunset light on the mountain, and was even lucky enough to get some decent colour in the sky behind Mount Shuksan. I enjoy the light in the evenings, but mostly the light itself, not the sunset. I prefer the colours found in the east at sunset than the west, though perhaps this is also because they are much less frequent and harder to find. Getting a good exposure is also a bit easier as the dynamic range of such scenes is much lower than a western direction during sunset.

For more of my photographs from the North Cascades visit my North Cascades Gallery.

Blackie Spit Sunset in Crescent Beach

Late evening light from the nature trails at Blackie Spit in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

sunset at blackie spit showing boundary bay and the coast range mountains

Sunset at Crescent Beach’s Blackie Spit (Purchase)

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   Earlier this year I spent a fair bit of time exploring Crescent Beach and photographing the various views to be found there – many of them from Blackie Spit. The majority of these photographs included urban views such as Burnaby and the Northshore Mountains but the area does have a lot more natural scenes as well. I thought I would post this photograph made from Blackie Spit but this time with more of the natural view. There is an old dock or bridge in this scene but I liked that this composition had the lush grasses (or sedges, perhaps) in the foreground along with the mountains in the background. Some warm sunlight at the end of the day helped too.

For more photographs from this area visit my Vancouver Coast & Mountains Gallery.

Burnaby and the Northshore Mountains

Burnaby’s Metrotown and the North Shore (Pacific Coast Range) Mountains. Photographed from Blackie Spit in Crescent Beach, British Columbia, Canada

Buildings in Burnaby and the Northshore Mountains from Blackie Spit in Crescent Beach

Burnaby and the Northshore Mountains from Blackie Spit (Purchase)

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   Last week I went to Blackie Spit in Crescent Beach to photograph birds, the estuary, and whatever else I could find. I specifically chose an evening at high tide as I have previously been here and sometimes the canals and flats are not nearly as photogenic with mud, dry/crusty algae, and other low tide qualities. This was one of the views near sunset – the buildings of Burnaby’s Metrotown area with Boundary Bay in the foreground, and the Northshore Mountains in the background. A friend initially thought this could be the buildings of downtown Vancouver but Google Earth confirmed this is indeed Burnaby. This photo illustrates one of the things I like about this region, mo matter where you are there is likely a view of the mountains even when many kilometers away. The panorama below shows a bit of a wider view of the area I photographed, including more of the mountains and some of the old dock pilings (I presume) left over from old infrastructure.

Burnaby and the Northshore Mountains from Blackie Spit in Crescent Beach

Northshore Mountains and Burnaby’s Metrotown from Blackie Spit (Purchase)

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For more of my Mountain photographs visit the Mountain Photos Gallery in my Image Library.