Vancouver Island: So Many Photo Ops

We love Vancouver Island.  Having grown up and completed our schooling  in the Victoria area,  we have many friends and relatives there with whom we like to keep in touch.   And, for me, Vancouver Island is a ‘gold mine’ of photographic opportunities. 

In late May, I was hyped up about photographing the start of the 79th  Swiftsure International Yacht Race. This year, 126 yachts were entered in several events, the longest being out to the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and back

Just before 9am on May 23rd I was situated on the cliffs  above the starting line near Clover Point on Victoria’s waterfront.  With so many yachts jockeying for position  I was in a good location to make some interesting images. My Nikon 750 equipped with a Sigma 50mm to 500mm lens was ready, or so I thought. 

A senior’s moment struck. An error message showed on my camera screen. My camera would not work and the races were about to begin. I quickly switched to my Nikon 80 to 200 lens and made as many images as I could, knowing that I may have missed an opportunity.  It turns out that I had neglected a simple setting so that the Sigma lens would be compatible with my Nikon camera.  Definitely “my bad”.  Given all this, I was really pleased with many of the  images I managed to make.

A few days later we drove to the Parksville/Qualicum Beach area where we spent the next  four days. There, I love exploring the French Creek Marina, Rathtrevor Beach and the Ocean View Highway (Highway 19A) north from Qualicum Beach to Courtney. 

My number one objective  though, was to find a way into the Craig Creek estuary located in Nanoose Bay near Parksville. I had been there before when we stayed at a bordering resort.  It allowed me to easily  access the estuary, a beautifully diverse environment where salt marshes and tidal flats provide habitats for a wide range of wild life. Getting there this time, however, would mean crossing private property. I didn’t want to do that.

After consulting local maps I found a secluded entrance to the estuary. As I hiked along the path that ultimately came to the mouth of Craig Creek where it flows into the ocean, I photographed an historically significant fish trap used by local indigenous peoples, rock formations including a sea stack at the mouth of the creek and other beautiful scenery.

Our second trip to the island was made in late July to coincide with the Northwest Deuces car show. Held in Victoria every 3 years, it is an exhibit of 1932 Ford coups (deuces), classic cars and hot rods. This year there were about 1300 cars on exhibit angle parked along the drive ways of the Parliament Buildings, in front of the Empress Hotel and along roads  around Victoria’s inner harbour. The talent of those who created these wonderful cars was incredible. It was a magnificent display!

This is a very popular show in Victoria. As the morning passed the crowds grew, flooding the streets with excited seniors and car buffs of all ages. Music of the 50’s & 60’s boomed out across the inner harbour as I made many images.   I stopped when it became too busy for me to create interesting compositions. 

Below  I’ve included images that  show the chaos behind Swiftsure’s starting line, the loneliness and expanse  of the sea, the beauty of the snow covered Olympic mountains and hurricane Ridge. Also included are images from the Northwest Deuces exhibition, the Craig Creek Estuary and a few other stops we made as we travelled up the Island. 

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