white rock

Miscellaneous Photos Collection #4

Here are 3 photographs from a recent effort I made to deal with some of my post processing backlog. These photographs were made in 2017 and 2019, but sometimes a few images are left behind while I ponder post processing decisions or other selection issues. In my latest attack on the backlog I published over 70 new photographs, some which can be seen in my New Images gallery.

Mount Baker (Kulshan) in Washington State’s Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

I posted a similar photograph near this location back in 2017 when I last made a trip to the Mount Baker area. For some reason, at the time, I found the photograph below to have some post processing challenges. There is a lot of dynamic range here (range from light to dark) which was part of the issue. I’ve learned a few things about processing images from my then new camera (shadow recovery mostly) in ways that were not possible with my previous one – and this is the result. This photograph of Kulshan at sunset was made from a trail on Kulshan Ridge at Huntoon Point in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

mount baker aka komo kulshan at sunset from huntoon point on kulshan ridge

Mount Baker/Kulshan at sunset from Huntoon Point (Purchase)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Hovering Over Salmon

I have photographed Bald Eagles in the Fraser Valley many times over the years. I usually make a trip to the area near the Harrison River in or around the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival when the salmon are spawning and the eagles are gathered. This particular eagle was hovering in place over some spawning salmon likely looking for a good candidate for lunch. There can be thousands of eagles in this area as the salmon spawn and expire – and are then quickly recycled. This photograph was originally shot in a landscape format, but it had a bit too much of “nothing” on either side of the eagle. So with this one I cropped to a portrait orientation and I think it is a better image for it.

bald eagle hovering over salmon at harrison river

Bald Eagle (H. leucocephalus) hovering over spawning salmon (Purchase)

White Rock Fireworks at the Canada 150th Celebration

Earlier on this day I photographed the Canadian Forces Snowbirds during White Rock’s Canada 150 Celebrations in the summer of 2017. I went back down to the beach for the fireworks display, but decided that trying to get onto the pier would be an exercise in crowds that I wouldn’t enjoy, and would likely be too close to the fireworks anyway. Ultimately I was slightly too far away, but I didn’t have to deal with elbow to elbow crowds at least! I had not photographed fireworks since roughly 2002 so this was a good chance to give it another shot. The post processing decision I had to make here was how to crop the photograph (200mm wasn’t quite long enough). I often keep the same aspect ratio to my crops, but in this case a square crop worked better for the shape of the fireworks and the overall scene. The size of these is pretty impressive – as you can tell from a 100% crop of just the people on the pier. I went back a few years later and watched a display from up on the hill right above where they launched and it was a bit too much like being in the middle of them. Too close, too bright, too large, and the shock waves went right through me. If I’d had my camera my 17mm wouldn’t have been wide enough! Next time I’ll be back where I shot the photo below, only with a longer lens!

fireworks display at white rock pier canada 150

Fireworks Display over White Rock Pier during Canada 150 (Purchase)

You can see more of my newly published images in the New Images and other galleries in my Image Library.

Iconic White Rock Pier Destroyed by Windstorm

Lights on the White Rock Pier reflected in the water of Boundary Bay in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada.

lights on the white rock pier at night

Lights on the White Rock Pier (Purchase)

I photographed these lights on the White Rock Pier reflecting off the water of Boundary Bay back in October 2018. I had no idea this would be the last time I would photograph the pier while it was whole. On December 20th, 2018 this part of British Columbia had a historic (in terms of damage) windstorm that damaged the current pier so badly it will eventually be replaced. 300,000 customers lost power (my lights didn’t come on for 30 hours, and I was relatively lucky) and many areas had winds stronger than 100 km/hr (62 mph). The estimated cost of entirely replacing pier is around $16.2 million. The City of White Rock looks to be planning a $5 million fix to get the pier open later this year before replacing the structure entirely.

The White Rock Pier was opened on November 14, 1914. Since then it has become a tourist attraction and one of the main draws to the Marine Drive area of White Rock. I tend to avoid the very busy summer months but this first photograph here was on a quieter evening in the fall where the crowds weren’t an issue, though the pier was still busy. Unfortunately the photograph below shows what it looks like now. There is a large section in the middle of the pier that is completely gone, and there is a lot of damage to the rest of the 104 year old structure. A post I made in 2017 shows a bit more of the pier when it was still intact. Note the marina in the second to last photo on that post and specifically the dock with sailboats that broke free and repeatedly was driven into the pier which caused much of the damage. Some of those sailboats broke apart and sank, the rest washed up on the beach with varying levels of damage.

view of mount baker from white rock pier

Destroyed section of the White Rock Pier

The photograph below shows one of the reasons the pier was popular, it offered not only a nice walk, but great views of the surrounding scenery such as Mount Baker. I photographed this scene in October 2018 during a poor sunset, but with good light to the east.

view of mount baker from white rock pier

View of Mount Baker from the White Rock Pier (Purchase)

This next photograph is from early 2017 and shows the pier in better days just after a nice sunset. Photographed from the East Beach side of the Promenade looking west.

evening view of the white rock pier

View of the White Rock Pier after sunset (Purchase)

This is the White Rock at White Rock Beach that gave the city its name. The White Rock is a 486-ton granite boulder that was left by a retreating glacier (glacial erratic). The rock was once used as a navigational aide for boats as it was a frequent target for seabird guano. Now it is covered in white paint and is a frequent target of graffiti instead.

the white rock of white rock

The White Rock at White Rock Beach (Purchase)

For more photographs of the White Rock Pier and other scenes from the area visit my White Rock Gallery.

Canadian Forces Snowbirds Over White Rock

Canadian Forces Snowbirds in a Big Arrow formation above White Rock, British Columbia, Canada.

canadian forces snowbirds big arrow formation

The Snowbirds in the Big Arrow Formation (Purchase)

-click to enlarge-

   Earlier this month I had the opportunity to photograph the Canadian Forces Snowbirds flying over White Rock, British Columbia. The 431 Air Demonstration Squadron have been performing in airshows with the Canadair CT-114 Tutor jet under the name Snowbirds since 1971. They fly around 60 air shows in North America per year. I’ve seen them before at the Abbotsford Air Show but as I haven’t attended that event in over 20 years I have not seen their performance in a long time. When I learned that they were performing in White Rock I decided to photograph them for the first time since probably the late 1980’s. This was going to be a lot different than shooting them on film when I was around 14!

canadian forces snowbirds loop in five line abreast formation

Snowbirds complete a in the Five Line Abreast Formation (Purchase)

-click to enlarge-

   Armed with my new camera I picked out a good spot along the promenade in White Rock to watch the show. I chose a location that was slightly west of the pier, as I figured that would be the focal point. As the Snowbirds were going to perform around 6pm I decided I’d rather spend time looking south and east away from the sun than looking (and photographing) into it. This proved to work quite well, as I only had to stop tracking the jets through my camera to avoid the sun a few times.

canadian forces snowbirds begin canada burst from diamond formation

The Snowbirds begin a Canada Burst (Purchase)

-click to enlarge-

   Normally I photograph relatively still objects – mountains, trees, waterfalls etc. They don’t move around, and so the focus tracking capabilities of my various camera bodies have rarely mattered. Photographing the Snowbirds is quite a different thing than I usually work with, so I was curious how the auto focus on my new camera would work out. At the end of the evening I had roughly 300 photos of the performance and none of them were out of focus. Normally I’m used to having to delete some photographs with subjects like this as they are blurry but this was not the case this time. Picking the images I wanted to process took a bit longer as I didn’t have unfocused shots to throw out, but I’m not complaining at all!

canadian forces snowbirds big diamond formation with smoke

The Snowbirds starting a loop in the Big Diamond Formation (Purchase)

-click to enlarge-

   The website for the Canadian Forces Snowbirds shows the various formations they use for their performances. It took me a while but I think I’ve correctly named all the formations and looping/burst maneuvers I photographed. If I had this to do again I’d probably record audio of the broadcast that accompanied the performance to more easily determine all the formation names after the fact.

canadian forces snowbirds arrow formation begin a loop

The Snowbirds in Arrow Formation Begin a Loop (Purchase)

-click to enlarge-

For the 23 additional photographs I made of the Snowbirds visit my Transportation 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)

-click to enlarge-

   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)

-click to enlarge-

   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)

-click to enlarge-

   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)

-click to enlarge-

   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)

-click to enlarge-

   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.

Little Campbell River Estuary

The Little Campbell River Estuary in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

great blue heron fishing on the little campbell river estuary in surrey near white rock

Great Blue Heron fishing the banks of the Little Campbell River (Purchase)

-click to enlarge-

   This is the Little Campbell River just before it empties into Boundary/Semiahmoo Bay near White Rock, British Columbia. It was a bit of luck that I found this scene at high tide, as the mud here the rest of the time just isn’t as photogenic. I’ve since remembered to consult tide charts when photographing scenes along the coast such as this one or those in Crescent Beach.

little campbell river estuary in white rock, bc

The Little Campbell River Estuary in White Rock (Purchase)

-click to enlarge-

   In addition to the river itself I photographed this Great Blue Heron fishing along the banks. I often like to photograph wildlife in the context of its environment. These were quite different surroundings from the last Heron I photographed just outside of Stanley Park.

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

White Rock East Beach Sunset

Sunset from East Beach in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada. Air pollution and/or smoke from a recent fire in Squamish account in part for the atmospheric conditions.

sunset at white rock bc from east beach

Sunset from East Beach in White Rock, British Columbia (Purchase)

-click to enlarge-

   I’ve often joked that I only photograph sunsets if my back is to them. This is often true as a nice sunset will cast some interesting light on various subjects – from plants to mountain peaks. I find most sunset photographs uninteresting unless they have a subject enhanced by the evening light. A sunset on its own is not generally one of those subjects.

   The pier at White Rock, British Columbia makes a good subject in the evenings, and the foreground in the first photograph here helped. I can’t think of very many recent photographs I have made where the sun is in the frame. This is something I tend to avoid, even though those “sun peeking out from behind a tree photos” seem popular these days. The top photograph illustrates this best, but this evening had an atypical haze and coloration in the sky. I presume this was a combination of smoke from a rather large port fire in the City of Squamish (the night before) and pollution from Vancouver. I believe this caused the halo around the sun as well. I’ve had several times when smoke from fires of various sorts have either enhanced atmospheric conditions or just made them unworthy of pursuit – I’ve been “smoked out” on a number of occasions. I think this made the photographs here more interesting, though the somewhat unnatural colors have to come with an explanation. I always try to avoid “overcooked” colors, but this one matches the way things looked on this evening at White Rocks East Beach. I did have to do some toning down of the saturation in the sky to get to this point, however.

The sun sets behind the White Rock Pier and Vancouver Islands mountains

Sunset and the White Rock Pier (Purchase)

-click to enlarge-

You can view more of my photography from White Rock in my City of White Rock Gallery.