Sunshine Coast Trail

I was in Powell River on the Sunshine Coast for Christmas and on Boxing Day we went for a short hike along an awesome trail just off of Highway 101 towards Lund. I'm not entirely sure if this trail is part of the official, famed, "Sunshine Coast Trail" and I couldn't track down the information. Maybe it's a secret spot known only to locals. Regardless, if you can find it, I highly recommend it!

The trail weaves through what is mostly second growth forest but it's still spectacular.

If you're not a hardcore hiker, this is a perfect trail as it's mostly on flat ground. There are numerous wooden walkways and bridges over small streams throughout.

This was one of the more curious discoveries. I have no idea who put this bucket here, if it's a leftover from loggers of years past or a recent addition but I love that nobody has removed it.

There was moss over almost everything in this forest. In some cases it hung down off of branches over the trail in giant dew-drop sprinkled drapes.

In other places, it covered fallen trees and logs like 1970's shag pile carpet.

There's a beauty that comes from trees that have been left behind where they fell.

Most of the trees are second growth Douglas Fir but there are remnants of the original growth.

This giant managed to survive countless storms and loggers to remind us of the massive scale of the forest that once stood here.

I've taken numerous photos in forests before and could never really capture what was in front of me. Every time I've been disappointed by the results. I wasn't able to capture the scale or beauty but on this occasion I think I finally found success.

I'm not sure if it was the light, the location, better equipment or that I'm simply a better photographer... Maybe it's a combination of all of the above. Regardless, with so much forest in British Columbia it's extremely gratifying to finally get some decent pictures of something that makes up such a large portion of the part of the world I call home.

These last two images are my favorites. The image above does a great job of conveying the scale of the forest while the one below is simply steeped in mystery and magic.

As with the last post, all of these images were captured with the fantastic Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 and were shot mostly wide open and with minimal post-processing.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed this taste of West Coast life.

A Snowy End To 2013

Back in December of 2013 we had a brief snowfall in Vancouver and it suddenly occurred to me that in all the time I've had my camera (3yrs now!) I've never taken snow pictures with it. So with small flakes still drifting down I bundled up and braved the elements before it turned to rain.

Davie Street. No buses getting up the hill today.

Vancouver is a city ruled by umbrellas. I still don't really understand why people bother with them in the snow though. Umbrellas are for rain or for creating shade on a hot sunny day!

I love the quietness, sense of isolation and starkness a snowfall brings.

Those who have followed my photographic adventures over the past 3yrs will know I have a recurring fascination with benches... So here's another one for the collection! Corner vignetting added by me and is intentional ;)

A cold day to be a Blue Heron.

I like the perspective on this one but it would have worked better if I'd turned and looked back sooner so the silhouetted pedestrian was better featured.

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink except for this lone drinking fountain.

Thinking of making this next one a Christmas card for next holiday season.

Or maybe this one too...

This is one of my favorites - The water in the lagoon was just starting to freeze over but was still watery enough to reflect. The tree branch layered in snow feels like a gnarly hand reaching down to touch the surface.

Another Christmas card possibility?

Or how about this one?

I'm not really sure what these were (crabapples?) but I love their little snow hats. The entire tree was festooned in them.

Another "snow hat", this time on the bud of a magnolia.

Towards the end of my walk, on the edge of Stanley Park, I came across this fir tree which someone had chosen to decorate.

Just for fun, here's the closest thing I'll ever get to doing a "selfie"...

For those of you interested in the technical side of things, all of these pictures were taken with my trusty old Canon 60D paired with the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 - I have to say I am really, really impressed with this lens. Many of these shots were captured wide open and of the many I took almost all of them were sharp and those that weren't were more down to user error than any fault with the lens. Great to see a company like Sigma step it up and give the big guys a run for their money all while doing it at a great wallet-friendly price point.

Over Christmas I was on the Sunshine Coast and got some great pictures while on a post-turkey feast hike. I'll try and share those soon.

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, let me take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy New Year and the very best of wishes for a healthy, prosperous and inspiring 2014.

Comment below with which image you like best and I'll send you a Christmas card next year :)