Tag Archives: 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:

Blog, Inspiration, Photography

Double Exposure

October 8, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above: “Waiting”, photos taken in Sidney, BC. While killing time before catching the afternoon ferry, I experimented with in-camera double exposure. Double exposure is getting your camera to take two pictures one on top of the other. Fun game!

After a lengthy interlude, during which I explored the great outdoors and collected a lot of material to play with, here I am… back at the computer with my pictures. Ready to share.

Aboard the Mayne Queen ferry, a venerable member (built in 1964) of the BC Ferries fleet, on the way home.

These photos are in-camera double exposures. Take two pictures in a row, and the camera superimposes them automatically. The result is very interesting. Like opening a gift-wrapped item: a surprise!

Another reason to get out there and play… Very dreamy results.

Blog, Inspiration, Photography, Wanderings

Mountain treasures

August 24, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above: the skyline, viewed from the Heather Trail, E.C. Manning Provincial Park, BC.

Summer, the perfect time for a road trip. A few weeks ago, I headed to the alpine meadows of the Cascades.

There were colourful treasures on that mountain path…

(Pssst: click on these photos, to view them full size.)

Meet the Indian paintbrush (Castilleja), up close. All these plants are really tough guys. They have to reproduce during a very short season (I was told that snow melted in late May to mid-June, at that altitude). The soil is poor, and the elements are cruel. And this particular plant, Indian paintbrush, is a hemiparasite, meaning that it gets some of its nutrients by living off its neighbours… Tsk, tsk.

Up on the mountain, the trail beckons.

Some of the flowering plants are very ancient-looking. Meet Lousewort (Pedicularis bracteosa), with pollinators on board.

I spotted a white and maroon variety of Indian paintbrush (Castilleja).

I was a few weeks too late to admire blooming Western Pasque flowers (Anemone occidentalis)… So instead, here is a close-up of a seedhead, with insect ornaments.

For that golden touch, there were specimens ofTiger lily (Lilium columbianum).

The lovely blue of Lupine (but which? maybe Large-leaved, maybe not…)

An intimate portrait of the Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis).

In a moist area near the main road, Spirea in bloom, by the Beaver pond.

And here is a landscape, featuring the Beaver pond.

And I leave you with the irony of a hiking quatuor, catching up with the news near the cell tower. Top of the mountain, at 2200 meters, where they had many bars on their cells.

Andrée Fredette