The Disciples - Vancouver Island, BC (2013)

The southwestern region of Vancouver Island is known for its dramatic coastal scenery, and it certainly lives up to expectations! Although stunning vistas abound, I found some of the most captivating perspectives to be at my feet (or thereabouts), such as these unusual rock protrusions. In setting up this shot, as always, I was intent on a precise composition that best captured the essence of what I saw in this cluster of rock forms: a teacher disseminating knowledge to a group of attentive listeners.

Textured Reflections No. 3 - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

As I rounded a bend along a particular stretch of coast that I was exploring, I saw these two reflected images and knew instantly that I wanted to capture them photographically. The area was littered with wave-washed debris, and this piece of rich red arbutus wood seemed to pop as it lay in front of the neutral beige backdrop.

Saturna Cliff Face 1 (2009)

As part of the Saturna cliff series, this highly abstract photograph hones in on one small section of a much larger crevasse. Note the subtle purple and yellow hues amidst the blackness of the crevasse opening. One other intriguing aspect of this piece is that it contains an optical illusion. When viewing the image straight on, the actual concave honeycomb pattern is clearly evident as it appears in reality. However, when one shifts to the right or left, the concave pockets suddenly flip and appear convex, like pebbles on a beach. This piece offers the best example of the concave/convex optical illusion out of all of the photos in this series. In order to capture this effect, I needed to take the photograph from a very precise angle and with just the right lighting conditions. I paid the price with a small flare-up of poison ivy on my leg.

Weathered Figures - Vancouver Island, BC (2013)

This image grabbed my attention while I was walking along a stretch of shoreline at low tide. I really love the rich colour values and the fact that there is so much to visually explore in this rock-scape. Whether one sees a single face or multiple embedded figures, the differential erosion of these rocks provides ample fodder for visual interpretation.

Cliff Divide - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

In 2010 we travelled to coastal British Columbia, and I was so enamoured with the spectacular geologic formations throughout the Gulf Islands, that we made return trip in the summer of 2013. We found a cove that curved in a near-perfect horseshoe shape, with limestone cliffs almost completely encircling it. While cliff swallows darted to and from their nests along the lower cliffs on one side, higher limestone walls of several hundred feet rose dramatically up from the sea on the other side. This overall setting, combined with extensive clusters of differentially eroded honeycomb patterns in the cliff faces, created views unlike any that I had seen elsewhere. The resulting photographs from 2010 and 2013 are part of an ongoing series exploring these unique cliffscapes, of which this image is but one.

Coastal Illusion 1 - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

The coastal region of British Columbia is renowned for its majestic landscape vistas of mountains meeting the sea, which captivate even the briefest of glances in any direction. However, there is so much more to behold closer to one’s feet! The differential erosion patterns along certain sections of shoreline can appear quite alien, and often create surreal and dramatic effects. The manner in which this photograph was taken, shortly before sunset during the ‘golden hour’, creates a visually engaging optical illusion such that the honeycomb texture can appear as a pebbled surface. Once the mind inverts the image visually, it can be quite challenging to see things from another perspective.

Adrift - Vancouver Island, BC (2013)

Scouring tidal pools along any coast for interesting treasures is one of my favourite activities to share with my wife whenever we travel. I happened upon this intriguing find while exploring the coast of southwest Vancouver Island. I was struck by the serene imagery coupled with the unusual hues and visually appealing textures and sense of movement.

Coastal Illusion No. 3 - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

Weeping In Green - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

Coastal Illusion No. 2 - Gulf Islands, BC

Coastal Collage - Vancouver Island (2013)

Vibrant colours are revealed when the tide recedes in the coastal area of Port Renfrew, BC. Everywhere I walked, intriguing patterns and textures and colours called out for my attention - however this particular composition appealed most to me. The electric green and white, offset by more neutral grounding tones made for an especially appealing shot.

Dreams From Above - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

To me, this image appeared as a whimsical fantasyland, where the viewer is gazing out upon a Martian landscape complete with cratered moons, and a foreboding volcano. Such an interpretation suggests that one is peering down into a faraway land, millions of miles away. In actuality, this image jumped out at me while looking at the rock surface beneath my feet. The perspective between the foreground and background is deliberately warped, such that the actual distance between the two – about three feet – is challenging to perceive.

Cliff No. 3 - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

Weeping In Red - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

Junctio No. 3 - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

Saturna Cliff Face 2 - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

Urchin Fragment, Little Sophia (2009)

I discovered this plum-sized treasure while on a kayaking trip in the Johnston Strait, on a tiny island named Little Sophia (in between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland). Taken with a macro lens and a delayed exposure, I was able to capture both the subtlety of the slight ocean breeze stirring this little pool of water, and the vibrant colours of the urchin fragment. The subject was photographed as I found it, nestled among several shoreline rocks, and was not deliberately arranged.

Saturna Cliffscape 1 (2009)

One of my all-time favourites, this photograph captures a horizontal slice of an impressive crevasse slicing through one of the cliffs. At the time, I was mesmerized by the cleanly delineated bands of texture in the rock face. Although I have chosen to frame and display the image exactly as it was oriented in real life, this abstract work is often appreciated as much or more when flipped 90 degrees which creates a dramatic and surreal landscape (that looks as though it belongs on the moon). This piece contains an optical illusion that is described in full in the write-up for 'Saturna Cliff Face 1'. See if you can see what I see...

Toes - Gulf Islands, BC (2013)

Leaves in Motion - Vancouver Island, BC (2013)

One of the aspects of the Port Renfrew area coastline that most intrigued me was the prevalence of unique differential erosion. Otherwise smooth surfaces were intermittently punctuated with unexpected knobby rock protrusions. Here the soft texture of the differentially eroded geology is contrasted with the choppiness of the organic leaves and needles in motion.

Tofino Tangles - Tofino, BC (2013)