Wildlife

Drone Video - Protect Echo Lake Ancient Forest

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Here is the latest drone video that I filmed and produced with the Ancient Forest Alliance. It features the endangered ancient forests found at Echo Lake, which lies in the territory of the Sts'ailes First Nation band between Mission and Agassiz about 100 km east of Vancouver, BC. Since the introduction of HD video to DSLR cameras, photographers have increasingly become expected to produce video alongside stills. They really are two very separate things though that require you to think, frame, and shoot differently. Without formal training in film making, many of us photographers are having to learn on our own through searching the internet or asking our videographer friends for tips. This was the first video I've made that includes interviews with people and I've learned a lot through the process for next time. Many of the location visits that we do with AFA are shot under super tight timelines as well - usually a single afternoon visit - that involve running around the forest capturing photos, switching to handheld video for some clips on the fly, quickly flying our drone (DJI Phantom 3 Pro) for an aerial view, before speaking with someone about the issue and heading home! It makes for a challenging work environment to capture it all in one go on your own to say the least. I'm having a lot of fun flying the drone lately though and am excited to continue incorporating it into our conservation efforts. It's just a perfect fit! Hope you enjoy :)

Please take a second to send a letter to the BC government as well at: www.ProtectEchoLake.com

Press: Shaw TV Features Big Lonely Doug and the Eden Grove

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I recently had the pleasure of touring a journalist from Victoria's Shaw TV to both Big Lonely Doug and the spectacular, yet endangered Eden Grove right next door. Check out the two resulting news pieces below, which also feature some of my drone clips and new video from my trail camera of a black bear climbing a giant cedar tree!

My First Cougar Sighting in the Walbran Valley

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Well, the moment that I've been waiting half my life for finally happened. I saw a cougar. Not just one cougar though, TWO cougars!! After spending over a decade exploring Vancouver Island's old-growth forests (home to the highest concentration of cougars on earth) and driving thousands of kilometers of remote backroads, I was starting to wonder if it would ever happen. Did these giants cats truly even exist? They're so elusive you start to eventually wonder.

On the drive home though from the Walbran Valley Convergence, a celebration organized by the Friends of Carmanah-Walbran of the 1991 environmental protests in the valley, a large female cat bounded directly in front of my van from a small side road. The distance she coverage with casual effort was incredible. After quickly stopping in disbelief, I looked up the side road to see a second smaller cougar slowly sauntering off. After fumbling for my phone and shutting off the vehicle, I managed to capture a short clip of the animal walking away. We then reversed down the road to give them some space while I frantically asked friends in the back seat to pass me my camera bag which, of course, was buried within all of our camping gear. As I scrambled to unpack and assemble my camera and zoom lens as fast as humanly possible, the large female cougar walked back out across the road to follow the juvenile, presumably her cub. I had just enough time to snap a single photo of her through the front window as she looked directly at use before she too was gone.

Though I wish I'd managed to get a clearer shot, I'm so incredibly thankful to have had such an up close and intimate view of these almost mythical creatures. Instead of just catching a brief glimpse of a tail disappearing into the forest at night, we were treated to a nearly minutes-long experience - enough time to make eye contact with one of the most beautiful and powerful creatures to call the island home. It's a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life!!

10 Favourite Photos from 2015

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As 2015 comes to a close, I've taken a look back and picked 10 of my favourite images from the past year. Never an easy task when you have thousands to choose from, but for one reason or another, these ones stand out for me personally. 2015 was the year of the plane and with many incredible aerial trips made across the island, it was hard to not choose only images taken from above. But the time spent on the ground and in the woods proved to be spectacular and beautiful as well. In 2016 I look forward to exploring more uncharted terrain, flying over new locations, and taking on some fresh personal projects as well. Here's to a great New Year and a happier and healthier planet for all!

This turquoise-blue lagoon, found on the remote Brooks Peninsula on northwestern Vancouver Island, is thankfully protected within a park. It appears more like scene from the Caribbean then the west coast of Canada but flights over this region have revealed a level of beauty that I may never have otherwise imagined in our country. Goal for 2016: camp on that perfect sandy beach.

A second shot from the north side of the Brooks Peninsula. I'm captivated by the ruggedly beautiful and wild coast found here. A land so perfectly sculpted by the intense wind and waves that have washed over its hills and shores for millennia. This photo, my favourite of the year, was taken during a helicopter flight over the region which allowed us to get a much lower and intimate view of this hard-to-access landscape. Just this winter, hurricane-force winds reaching speeds of 147 kph were recorded in this very region.

This image was captured on my first flight with Nick Temos of the Pacific Northwest Collective in early 2015. Here, the shadow of our plane is encircled within a rainbow high above the towering forests around Cheewhat Lake, home to Canada's largest tree. We took this special sight as a good omen for times to come. Nick has since generously volunteered much of his time flying us over Vancouver Island to document ancient forests and the impacts of logging from above. A good friend with a great heart, I thank Nick for the unforgettable experiences we've had already and those still unwritten.

I am forever grateful for the spiritual experiences I've had in the woods. Nothing quite compares to the peace and tranquility one can find wandering alone through the ancient forests of Vancouver Island. On this particular trip, I came across this giant redcedar tree high in a remote gully beyond Port Renfrew just as the fog was rolling through. It was like stepping back in time to another world where for a moment you could imagine that modern civilization didn't even exist at all. In 2016 I'm resolving to do more of these personal trips as they often lead to the most unique and exciting discoveries.

A forecast of rain and clouds isn't always a bad thing in photography. In fact, fall, winter, and spring are often the best times to be out shooting in a coastal rainforest when the weather provides more gentle lighting, enriches colours, and often results in fog. It's this wet weather that also gives life to these ancient landscapes, produces their giant trees, and imbues them with their unique spirit. Above is a view I never tire of - gazing up the trunk of a towering tree that's been standing in that very spot half a millennia while the only sounds around you are those of raindrops gently patting the forest floor.

Every now and then, all the quintessential elements that define a landscape or ecosystem finally come together into one scene, like this section of coastal temperate rainforest in the Gordon River Valley near Port Renfrew. It showcases, in a beautiful way, the diversity that makes old-growth forests unique, such as; various-aged trees ranging from young to very old, large woody debris and nurse logs, and a luxuriant plant understory. Second-growth tree plantations, logged again ever 30-80 years on the coast, aren't allowed enough time to regain the unique characteristics of the old-growth ecosystem that was lost. We must protect these rare and endangered ancient forests before it's too late.

Even though old-growth forests are home much wildlife, we often don't see the creatures living their as they're gone or hiding by the time we're nearby. I had a vision though of capturing an image with a large, charismatic animal alongside a giant old-growth tree. After recalling a massive cedar I had seen in the Gordon River Valley that had claw marks leading up to a hole in the trunk, I set up a motion-sensitive trail camera on a nearby tree and waited a few months to come back. Upon later checking the camera, I was thrilled to find this photo of a black bear climbing the tree among many others revealing the life that goes on in the forest while we're not around. I hope to assemble a higher quality trail camera setup in 2016 and capture more unique shots like this one.

The roots of my photography really began with experimental and abstract images before shifting to forests and landscapes today, so while on a road trip away from work this summer it was fun to play around and blend those two worlds together. Here, ripples in the fabric of space and time appear to spread out through the sky after tossing a pebble into the clear waters of a lake and flipping the image upside down.

This past spring was the first time I'd visited Uplands Park in Oak Bay, where some of the last original Garry Oak meadow ecosystem remains and where camas flowers bloom in the thousands. This year I also purchased the new Canon 24-70 f4L IS lens, which beyond proving itself to be a very useful all-around landscape lens, also has an additional macro setting which I put to use here. It was a truly sublime afternoon carefully moving through the purple and green meadows while photographing and smelling the beautiful flowers along the way.

2015 featured a spectacular supermoon eclipse as well. The last time the earth, moon, and sun aligned like this was 1982 and the next time will be 2033! I had almost forgotten to catch it that evening but the red moon caught my eye while driving in the dark countryside and I quickly zipped down to the nearest beach. There, I framed the moon among the tall beach grass (which I lit with the light from my phone) and captured this shot just as the eclipse began to recede. Mother nature will forever be a source of wonder, awe, and inspiration and for that we should show her our greatest respect, admiration, and care.

Snapshot: Blue Heron & Roosevelt Elk

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While in Port Renfrew earlier this week I decided to check the San Juan River estuary for elk in the morning. I came across a lovely scene with 6 or 7 of them grazing in the meadow and a short while after watching, a great blue heron took flight right towards them. It's incredible what magic moments await us in nature if we only take the time to be out there and experience them.

Canon 5D MKII, Canon 70-200 f/4L IS @ 190mm, 1/400 sec @ f 4, ISO 3200

Snapshot: Roosevelt Elk near Port Renfrew

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Near the town of Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island's west coast, Roosevelt elk, the Island's largest mammal, can often be found grazing in the estuaries of the San Juan and Gordon Rivers. It's such a peaceful experience sitting and watching from forest edge as these humble animals go about their daily lives. The rainforests of the pacific northwest are home to some of the most beautiful natural scenes on Earth.

Canon 5D MKII, 70-200 f.4 IS (This scene left me wishing for a longer telephoto lens!)

 

Press: Global BC News Coverage of Echo Lake Eagles

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Global BC News has now covered the campaign to protect the old-growth forests of Echo Lake on the Lower Mainland! Their focus is on the bald eagles, of which hundreds often roost in the giant Douglas-fir trees around the lake. I was able to provide Global with some eagle footage that I've shot over the past few years. It's always been painfully cold while filming them in winter so I'm happy to see the efforts pay off :) They've also included a gallery with some of my images at the bottom of the article. Follow the link to check it out! http://globalnews.ca/news/1906359/clear-cutting-threatens-echo-lake-eagle-colony/