Tag Archives: featured

Looking closely

November 29, 2017 Andree Fredette

Over the past months, I have taken a lot of photos of landscapes and seascapes. They will start to appear in my photo gallery.

But this post is about taking the time to get close up to things, taking a very intimate approach to photography…

Ordinary things hold mysteries, and those are revealed by the lens. Like Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota), that very common wildflower, at the end of the season, all curled up.

Or the belly feathers of an unfortunate American Goldfinch, which died after flying into a window.

Or the abstract condensation pattern on the side of the Brita filter.y.

Or the back of a Fiddlehead ficus, all dried up and revealing its patterns in the afternoon sunlight.

Or the otherworldly creature-like appearance of this kelp bit of flotsam, on a beach in Ucluelet, BC.

And the drops left on a McIntosh apple, after a rinse in the sink, and before the apple pie baking session…

Blog, Inspiration, Photography

Bloom portraits

April 23, 2017 Andree Fredette

Getting down in the grass, I discovered a Lilliputian world…

Springtime flowers are so fresh to winter-weary eyes…

Above: the sun shines on recent rain drops. This is the back side of a Fawn lily (Erythronium oregonum), a wildflower blooming on the shores of Saturna Island, BC.

My rosemary has been blooming for months, and I keep trying to get the perfect shot of its fine flowers.

I forget the name of this spring beauty, its white blooms just punctuate the garden right now.

Contrasting the vibrant blue of grape hyacinth (Muscari ) and the orange corolla of a daffodil.

An azalea blossom, in close-up.

The edge of a daffodil corona, almost abstract.

And to close this post, a portrait of a tiny visitor in the sedum:

Say hello to the Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla), enjoying the sunshine in the rock garden. It’s been a long winter.

Blog, Photography, Wanderings

Spring at East Point

April 6, 2017 Andree Fredette

Photo above: Boiling Reef, near the point, is still an encampment for Steller sea lions, harbour seals, eagles, ducks and more.

On a grey day in spring, it’s a quiet place. Few people, plenty of birds. A rare daytime low tide, too. Great for bird watching…

Above: the long nose of East Point, and in the distance, Boiling Reef to the right (the rocks where the big critters lounge), and the tip of Tumbo Island on the left.

There is quite a bit of wildlife at East Point, on Saturna Island… Lots of birds are finishing their winter residence and will soon depart for other locations in BC and Northward.

A Harlequin drake (Histrionicus histrionicus), handsome fellow, at the water’s edge. Waiting for the tide to come back in.

Not far away, his girlfriend, the female Harlequin.

Above: another Harlequin female, standing right where the buffet is happening, as the tide is rising. They seemed to like spots where the returning water was flipping over the sea weeds…

And this handsome one is a male Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica). Caught him just after he surfaced, water still beading on his plumage.

Above, a view of Boiling Reef, where the Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) are still lounging. They will soon leave to go to their rookery, that party place where all the mating occurs during the summer. To get that shot, I used a long lens because they are far away. The males can reach 7 to 9 feet long, and weigh 1.2 tons…

Which is why I am all the more impressed by the sang-froid of this diver:

Blog, Photography, Wanderings

Fresh air and The Birds

November 7, 2016 Andree Fredette

Photo above: participants in the “Round the County Sailing Race”, rounding the Lighthouse Point, Patos Island, WA. Photo taken from East Point, Saturna Island, BC, roughly 6 km away…

On Sunday afternoon, I decided to go to East Point, to get some fresh air (and oh yes, the air certainly was fresh…). Although rain was threatening, I went because someone pointed out that a major sailing race was underway in the Orcas islands. The header photo above is the best shot I could get, from 6km away…

Above: a straggler, way behind the rest of the participants…

A good breeze was flowing through and I found a large gathering of gulls, all over the rocks.

Gulls everywhere, resting while facing the wind.

Above: I think these are junior (not quite mature) herring gulls…

It was like a gull convention. Or the prelude to The Birds (you know, the Hitchcock movie…).

And more coming…

And these caught my eye, because of their red beaks…

I had to look them up today: they are Heerman’s gulls, and these waters are probably their northernmost habitat on the Pacific Northwest.

There were all kinds of Harlequin ducks, fishing around the point. Above, a lovely couple. The gulls kept trying to fly close, land next to the ducks after they surfaced, to steal whatever they had caught…

Oops, the hen dove and the drake gets to pose for the camera…

Here is a harlequin hen, at the shore…

And then there were the little ones, the sandpipers, scurrying between the gulls. They are so tiny and quick, and their camouflage colours are so efficient that they are hard to spot…

Snack time…

After a couple of hours, my fingers started to feel frozen (note to self: bring gloves, next time), so I decided to head home.

I leave you with a shot from the night before, a Saturday evening sunset minuet:

About Art, Blog, Inspiration, Just Because, Photography

Playing with my food

October 16, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above: a macro shot of laurel leaves, drying in a glass on my kitchen windowsill. With a little filter play, to turn it into a jazzy photo.

After three days of rain and high winds, things are finally starting to calm down. This morning, I played with my food and got a few very close shots of kitchen items.

Here they are, in their glory…

One of the last Brandywine tomatoes from my garden… treated to a little filter play. I love those curves! A tomato with attitude…

Another angle of the laurel leaves, drying on the window sill. It is too much fun, playing with the light and contrast.

So much fun, in fact, that here is one more:

And finally, not quite food, but a jewel-like piece of natural beauty:

And now, I return to my garden, to right the pots that were knocked over by the wind, and pick up the debris…

Andrée Fredette