In just a few days a new year will begin. Winter solstice has passed and yet we have not had ‘real’ winter weather or temperatures. I actually look forward to winter temperatures, snow and the image making opportunities that result. Perhaps by the end of January winter like conditions will show up even if just for one day.
There was a day however in early December when weather conditions here in Kelowna were conducive to making some photographs of a subject I had been observing for almost a year. I regularly drive by the old McEchern farm house and tobacco barn on Benvolin Road. The farm and its buildings have been there since the very early 1900‘s.
Often, I have visualized how the barn and farmhouse would look in a variety of conditions. On this occasion it was foggy and there was a skiff of snow on the ground. I decided to stop and see what I could do with the image possibilities that the scene presented.The only problem was I didn’t have my camera gear. I had to use the only camera I had at the time, my iPhone.
Wire fencing surrounded the farm’s property with ‘Private Property’ signs firmly attached. Going over the fence to find more interesting views was clearly out of the question. So, I made several images from points along the fence noting what I thought were the best vantage points. If or hopefully when snowy or foggy conditions occurred again I would return with my Nikon d750 and my bag of lenses.
I find old farm buildings particularly interesting to photography. Some may still be fully functional in the operation of a farm while others are in various stages of decay. In most cases the barn boards are rough, weathered and sometimes broken. Most are on properties surrounded by fencing and like the McEachern farm have signage warning people not to trespass. It’s a message I heed but not without the feeling that I would love to find more advantageous view points inside the fence.
Interestingly, the historic farm in Scotch Creek did not have such signage when I made some of my early visits. I was able to set up my tripod in any numbers of locations to make my images. But signs of trouble were on the horizon. The barn was being used as a party place. It was littered with empty bottles and tins and other waste. On my last visit there the fences were up and the no trespassing warnings were in place.
There is one exception to my rule to not ignore No Trespass warnings. I ‘hang’ with a small group of photographers who meet on Thursdays to discuss photography. The incursion of Covid has reduced our meetings from regular to irregular but on occasion we get together to solve the world’s problems and generally shoot the breeze. We call ourselves the Thursday Morning Shooters.
When we first began meeting we managed to get out fairly often on interesting photo excursions around the Okanagan and Shuswap areas. One such trip took us up the Okanagan Connector towards Merritt to the Loon Lake turn off. All 6 of us participated on this trip so we had 2 vehicles. As we explored the back roads in this well forested area we came across an old farm in serious stages of decay. We stopped and had a short meeting.
Despite the ‘larger than life’ No Trespassing signs we decided to ignore the warning. Gathering up our gear we proceeded to a place in the fence that we could get through. We spread out on the property and spent a more that an hour happily making our images
As we were packing up to leave a large pick up truck roared around the corner and stopped in a cloud of dust. The name Douglas Lake Ranch was clearly emblazoned on its door. The driver did not look happy as he got out of the truck and approached us and said, “What was it that you did not understand about our signs?”
As we stammered our apologies he seemed to settle down, smiled and said, “There is a place nearby that you might like to photograph. It is accessible.” We were glad to get in our cars and head off following his directions. We drove for what seemed like several hours. We finally determined that there was no such place. We were on a wild goose chase. The rancher had the last laugh!
