Steve's Photo Tips

Today's Top 100

2007-02-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Once you get a hundred images you like in your collection you can create a web album in Picasa then link it to your own blog. Click the image at right to view my personal choices as of today. Every time someone enlarges an image by clicking on it will count as a vote. Over time the best images will remain. I will add new images as they are created. Also, if you click on any of the little ads then a credit is posted to the account where we are raising funds for an African Water project. All the images are available for personal and commercial wall decor for a small fee. or as limited edition archival photographic prints from steve@rockiesnetwork.com
Visit www.rockiesimages.com for more image slideshows.

Take Off

2006-06-23T08:16:00.000-06:00

A Canada Goose takes off from Maiden Lake in Fernie

Photo Tip: When photographing geese be ready for their take off by pre-focussing on their probable flight path then lead them with the frame and let them fly into your field of view. Geese will often start honking loudly when about to take off and will usually, but not always, head into the wind. In this case there was no wind and the calm lake gave a nice reflection.

Fernie Morning Light

2006-06-19T08:08:00.000-06:00

If you get up early to catch the sunrise you might want to check out the slough behind Extra Foods for reflections. Before the sun warms the air on windless days the cottonwoods make great reflective patterns. Once the air gets warmer it starts to rise and the reflection becomes corrupted by water movement.
PHOTO TIP:
Try adding a light amber warming filter to your lens or "warmify" the image later in Picasa or your image editing program to capture the emotion of a rising sun warming your world.

Rainy Day Light

2006-06-16T06:18:00.000-06:00

Photo Tip: Don't disappear on rainy days. The light is flat, but good for photography as long as you keep your camera dry. Try getting a friend to hold an umbrella over you or merely to hold your hand.

Time for Garden Macros

2006-06-14T15:01:00.000-06:00

Is your garden spectacular right now like ours in Fernie? Perhaps your neighbour or the local park has great blooms out or wildflowers might be blooming somewhere nearby. Now is the time to practice close-up flower photography-during flower season, of course.

PHOTO TIP:
You don't need an expensive close-up lens to take close-up photos. If you have a 35mm film SLR you can buy an inexpensive accessory such as a reversal ring that allow you to use your regular lens backwards. Or you can get extension tubes to fit between the lens and camera body. If you have a digital camera you might have a good macro feature usually indicated by a flower symbol-it might allow you to get close to your subject. Even if you have none of the above you can always just take a flower pic from as close as you can get and still have it in focus, taken at the highest quality image setting you have on your camera, then crop in closer when you import it into your image editing software(like PhotoSHop). That's how I took the pic of the iris above.

Fernie Fun Face of the Week

2006-06-14T14:54:00.000-06:00

PHOTO TIP:
Taking pics of kids in motion is challenging but rewarding. To better the chances of getting a joyful, candid and clear shot of a kid having fun try taking a swing photo. Take the picture when the swing is at maximum arc. That's when the motion freezes for a second and reverses direction. It takes a little practice but is easy once you get the hang of it. If you have manual focus ability then stand to the side and get the focus right on that spot and fire away. It helps if the child can swing at the same height every time.

Reminder: Lepapa, the Maasai warrior that Fernie folks have been helping with getting educated now has his blog up and running. To see his latest story go to the maasai warrior in the links section at the top right of this page.

Fernie's Beautiful Harlequins

2006-06-12T07:01:00.000-06:00

Every spring around the end of the ski season special birds arrive in Fernie. The Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus is a small, relatively uncommon sea duck. It gets its English name from characters in Italian comedy that wear masks and have oddly painted costumes. The colourful male, or drake, is one of the most attractive of sea ducks. At an average weight of less than 700 g for males and less than 600 g for females, the species is roughly half the size of an average Mallard.

Photo Tip: Watch for harlequins at the mouth of Coal Creek and at the margins of gravel bars in the Elk River. If you manage to get close enough to get a portrait, be patient enough to wait until the duck turns his head, catching the spot of light in his eye,: it makes a huge difference in the photo.

Piura Peru Tonight

2006-06-05T20:17:00.000-06:00

Made it by bus from Mancora to Piura the day after the Presidential election. Emotions are high. Hope to catch a plane tomorrow morning for Lima then escape the country for Toronto and Calgary. Can hardly wait to eat at McD, Smitty´s and all the other places I usually snub.

Here is some general Peru info for reference. We have found that we know very little of Peru and the situation on the ground is different from the myth.

Physical. Peru is located in western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, Chile and Ecuador. It covers an area slightly smaller than Alaska. The climate varies from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west. The terrain includes a western coastal plain, a high and rugged Andes mountain range in the center and the eastern lowland jungle of the Amazon Basin. Some natural resources include copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, potash and phosphates.

People. About 27.5 million people live in Peru. Spanish and Quechua are the official languages, while some inhabitants also speak Aymara. Ethnically, the population is composed of diverse groups: Amerindian (45%), Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white 37%), and white (15%). The main religious group is Roman Catholic. The capital, Lima, has long dominated the country, which has an indigenous majority.

Government. In April 2000, Alejandro Toledo organized a massive national protest when then-President Fujimori was re-elected in what observers saw as an election rife with fraud. Violence in the streets, press censorship and revelations of massive corruption forced Fujimori to resign and flee the country. As president, Toledo’s attempts to deal with corruption have been hampered by the archaic court system unable to handle the caseload. His failure to deliver on campaign promises to clean up the government, increase the number of jobs and improve healthcare have reduced his popularity. The reappearance in 2003 of the Sendaro Luminoso guerillas and their violence, well funded by Colombian cocaine traffickers, causes many observers to feel Toledo will not complete his term.

Economy. Varied geography and climate provide challenges to the agriculture sector, with only about 7% of the land able to produce crops. Peru contains the lowest per capita amount of arable land in South America. Governments in Lima have attempted to impose a variety of development models on the inhabitants of the sierra without an understanding of existing agrarian systems or appreciation for the logic of their systems. President Toledo’s attempts to stimulate the economy with an infusion of foreign investments, privatization, and a renegotiation of outstanding trade agreements with the IMF have been overshadowed by political scandal.

Areas of Concern. Environmental concerns include land deforestation, soil erosion, over grazing and water pollution. The greatest concern is that the failure of the economic policies, bureaucratic corruption and lack of understanding by the government in Lima will lead to a rise of the violent guerillas.

Peru statistics

Geography
Area: 496,087 square miles
Capital: Lima (pop 6,743,000)
Environmental concerns: deforestation; over grazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution
Geographical features: western coastal plain; high and rugged Andes Mountains in the center; eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin
Climate: tropical in east: dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes

People
27,544,305 people; Indian (45%); Mestizo (37%); white (15%)
Annual growth rate: 1.39%
Major language: Spanish; Quechua; Aymara
Religions: Roman Catholic (90+%)

Health and social issues
Life expectancy: Men, 67 years; women, 71 years
Infant mortality: 33 deaths per 1000 live births
54% of the population lives in poverty
1 physician per 1,116 people
HIV/AIDS rate in adults: 0.5%
90.9% of adults are literate
Compulsory education: ages 6-11; free

Communication and transportation
1,839,200 main telephone lines (2003)
2,850,000 Internet users (2003)
44,803 miles of highway
1,267 miles of railroad
233 airfields
775,000 motor vehicles

Government
Peru is a constitutional republic that gained its independence from Spain on July 28, 1821.
President Alejandro Toledo Manrique is both the head of state and government
8 major political parties
Suffrage: universal at 18 and compulsory until 70; military may not vote

Military
Military expenditures are 1.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Current disputes: Bolivia has reanimated its claim to the Atacama corridor

Economy
Currency: nuevo sols
Per capita GDP: $5,100
GDP: $146 billion
GDP growth rate: 4%
Inflation rate: 2.3%
Labor force: agriculture (5.9%); mining and quarrying (0.4%); manufacturing (12.6%); construction (5.3%); commerce (26.3%); household work (4.9%); other services (44.6%) (2004)

Resources and industry
Natural resources: copper; silver; gold; petroleum; timber; fish; iron ore; coal; phosphate; potash
Agriculture: coffee; sugarcane; cotton; rice; wheat; potatoes; plantains; coca; livestock; wool; fish
Industry: mining; petroleum; fishing; textiles and clothing; food processing; cement; auto assembly; steel; shipbuilding; metal fabrication
Exports: $8.954 billion
Imports: $8.244 billion

Suggested web sites
Search ‘Peru’ at www.dmoz.org

Vultures at Mancora Peru

2006-06-03T08:45:00.000-06:00

This was taken about two hours ago as we walked the 4 km into town to try to get a coffee-not an easy thing to do in some parts of Peru. In fact, we were unable to get a decent coffee-just some hot milk with a packet of instant coffee and two hamburger buns with jam plus a fresh squeezed pineapple juice in a dirty glass-all for 6 soles. Unfortunately we only had a fifty soles bill and the owner wouldn{t change it so Bernie had to go and buy bus tickets for the day after tomorrow so I ciould leave the breakfast establishment. Anyway, hot, hot today-looking foreward to our last two days in Peru.

Northern Coast of Peru

2006-06-02T09:05:00.000-06:00

We made it out of the mountains and then to Lima, Tumbes and about 100 km south on the Pan-American Highway before settling in at a secluded beachfront for a few final days before coming home. This(I hope) is a view from our front door-clean beach, about four people, seashells, pelicans, frigate birds and just the sounds of surf.

Huayhuash News

2006-05-29T16:08:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Johnny at EuroInca in Huaraz, we had a great couple of guides to conduct us safely around the Huayhuash Circuit. Over 9 days we hiked completely around this massif that includes more than 30 peaks over 17,800 ft. This view is from Day 3 when we climbed high past huge peaks over 6,000 metres(20,000 ft). Touted as the toughest and most beautiful trek in South America, I would have to agree. Nine high passes in nine days, stunning views and colourful characters along the way. Huayhuash is one of Peru´s best tourist draws, but there are also many issues associated with it. Huayhuash deserves its own blog to cover our story and to get feedback from others who have either hiked it or plan to. Stay tuned.
Photo Tip: If you want to photograph really big mountains in almost perfect weather then plan a trip to Peru.

Peru,s Highest Peak

2006-05-18T13:00:00.000-06:00

Situated in the Cordillera Blanca, the world's highest tropical mountain range, Mount Huascarán rises to 6,768 m above sea-level. The deep ravines watered by numerous torrents, the glacial lakes and the variety of the vegetation make it a site of spectacular beauty. It is the home of such species as the spectacled bear and the Andean condor.

Though only 30 km long, the Cordillera Huayhuash packs in some of the most dramatic mountain scenery on earth. It is one continuous serrated ridge that falls away into fluted snow faces and glaciers. Seven peaks here top 6,000 meters, and another seven are over 5,500 meters. The highest peak, Yerupajá (6,634 meters), is the second-highest peak in Peru and is followed by Siulá Grande (6,356 meters), where Joe Simpson fell into a crevasse and lived to tell the story in Touching the Void.

The Huayhuash is 50 km southeast of the Cordillera Blanca yet utterly different. First, there are no broad, U-shaped valleys in the Huayhuash that lead over high passes to the other side. Instead trekkers must walk around the outer edges or the range, climbing up and over passes between 4,500 and 5,000 meters. To manage these heights, nearly all trekkers use arrieros and burros, which can be contracted easily at the range’s trailheads (a recommended arriero in Chiquián is Natividad Bedón).

The other main difference with the Cordillera Blanca is its remoteness. Even with a rash of new roads, getting into the Huayhuash still takes one or two days. The range has a raw, wilderness feel, especially along its pristine eastern side, where rocky ridges cede to turquoise lakes and wide-open rolling grasslands that drain into the Amazon basin. Condors are seen here frequently, along with a range of migratory birds, and small herds of vicuña live up in the narrow valleys.

Unfortunately, the Huayhuash is changing quickly as new roads approach from all sides. Mitsui Mining and Smelting has converted once-pristine wetlands on the range’s west edge into industrial wastes. Local residents say that a local mine explosion has contaminated their water supply. The Peruvian government declared the range a protected area in 2002, the first step toward making the area a park or national reserve. Villagers are in large part opposed to the area’s new protected status, because they fear they will lose grazing rights on what has always been their communal land. A great new website, www.huayhuash.org, focuses on the responsible use of the Huayhuash area following Leave No Trace principles.

We have purchased our own food for breakfasts and lunches to try to stay healthy rather than relying on the guide's menu. We are also bringing our own stove and water filter since the guides did not understand our question about boiling water longer at altitude.

Off at 5 am on a 6-hour bus ride then five hours hiking into the first camp-not really a camp until our tent is there. Feeling good and both fit and ready.

If someone out there is seeing this perhaps you could leave a short comment for when we get out of the mountains in 10 days or so. Yes, we are going to try for a ten-day version of the 12-day trek. Then we'll immediately go back to Lima for a flight up to Tumbe near Ecuador on the coast--to recuperate before returning home.

Water Quality in the High Andes

2006-05-17T14:07:00.000-06:00

PHOTO TIP: Tell a story with your picture. Bernie did a great job capturing the story of the first night's camp with this pic.

Our arriero decided that the camp for night 1 would be in a barnyard owned by his relatives. We tented beside a beautiful trickling stream that looked clean to the eye, until you considered that the horses drank from it, herds of alpaca walked through it, filthy dogs, pigs, chickens and humans used it and the stone makeshift outhouse was located ten feet from it. In the morning the women washed clothes in it. Thirty-five minutes walk farther up the valley was a beautiful alpine meadow with fabulous views and camping-discovered on the morning of Day 2.

More on that later. This image shows a smart move for Andean trekkers-bring a good water filter. Here Steve filters water for the camelbacks-trekking at altitude requires large amounts of water and we are already in a deficit situation after the arriero surprised Bernie early on Day 1 by grabbing her drinking tube and taking a big gooey slurp. She used mine after that.

He didn't need a drink-was just curious.

An inauspicious start for day 1 and headaches started when we went to bed just after dark(7 p.m.) Tylenol 3 dulled the pain but we were up most of the night peeing and hydrating-dry mouths. Sniffing dogs and strange night noises made for an almost sleepless night. Frost in the morning. Couldn't wait to get the hell outta the barnyard and higher into the mountains. This picture sets the scene.

An Andean Trek Begins

2006-05-17T13:45:00.000-06:00

This river crossing is the beginning and ending point for the Ausangate Circuit, a circumnavigation of Nevado Ausangatye, one of Peru's most spectacular mountains, highlight of the Cordillera Vilcanova a mountain massif located east and south of Cusco.

To get to this point we had flown Calgary-Toronto-Lima then caught a 1.5 hr flight to Cusco (east on the map from Lima). This brought us from sea level at Lima to 11,500 feet in Cusco in a very short time so we spent a few days in Cusco getting acclimatized and figuring out what the heck we were going to do without Spanish.

After a few misadventures and interesting near-foul-ups plus a lot of luck, we arranged a 5 a.m. car pickup to take us on a 7-hour ride to a little town called Tinqui, start of the trek. Our arriero(horse packer) had been arranged through the South American Explorers Club on the only phone in Tinqui. He would meet us at noon.

However, since we were driven by a wild driver and because the road crews building the new InterOceana highway past Tinqui were off (Sunday) we made it into town 3 hours early. More on that later. Eventually, after an uncomfortable wait, our arriero showed up and got us going. This photo was taken by Bernie as we were about to start the long walk around Ausangate. Elevation here was 3800 metres(11,400 ft)

More Despatches from Peru

2006-05-17T10:01:00.000-06:00

Another picture of Steve sucking wind at 17,000 feet as we go up and over yet another pass on the Ausangate circuit. This trip was one spectacular scene after another. There wasn't a time when we didn't have a great view of mountains, alpine lakes, incredible valleys, alpacas, glaciers, and the list goes on. We had perfect weather the entire time. There were consecutive days without a single cloud in the sky.

PHOTO TIP: When taking photos at 17,000 feet do not hold your breath as you may pass out!!

Despatches from Peru

2006-05-17T09:46:00.000-06:00

We are safe and sound after completing the Ausangate circuit around 21,200 ft Nevado Ausangate. Here's a sample of one of the pics Bernie took as we approached the highest pass. It was 5202 metres above sea level and looked down on some glaciers but up at most. The mountains surrounding the pass were 19,000-20,000 ft-spectacular, awesome and breathless.

Friday we head to the big trip-Cordillera Huayhuash-10 to 12 days 180 km with five high altitude passes. Our route travels around 7 of the highest and most dramatic summits in Peru.Reportedly the most beautiful trek in the world. Keep checking this site in about 12 days and don't forget to click on a google ad before you leave.

See you all soon.

High in the Andes at Last

2006-05-04T19:31:00.000-06:00

An hour drive from Cuzco we hiked up to the Inca ruins above Pisac. Rhe views were outstanding and the effort and scenery left us breathless at times. Whenever we hiked a little too fast, which was much slower than our usual pace in the Rockies, we were left puffing. We both felt this was a good acclimatization hike as well as a spectacular nature hike. We were lucky enough to see the world´s largest hummingbird-the giant hummingbird-as big as an American Robin.

We have managed to arrange an arriero and two horses for gear to travel with us through the Ausangate but we will not leave until Sunday. We will try to get to Machupiccu tomorrow then photograph the ruins at dawn the next day before returning to Cuzco. The weather was great today-plus 6 in the morning then up to plus 20 later in the day.

The people at Pisac have extensive water works to irrigate the fields where they grow crops but they still use some of the original Inca engineering. We can learn a thing or two from them. We met a Quechua flute player today after hearing hauntingly beautiful echoes coming from high in the hills. We gave him a few coins and he allowed us to photograph him while he played.

South American Explorers

2006-05-03T17:33:00.000-06:00

Today we did some exploring by finding the South American Explorers Club HQ in Cuzco. We have recovered quite well after getting a few hours sleep last night after all the late night revelry died down after midnight; this is a festival time and the locals are celebrating the end of the growing season. The SAE is a great resource if you plan on visiting South America. It has a nice little office complex in an old colonial house.

Valicha Wasi

2006-05-02T17:37:00.000-06:00

WE MADE IT TO CUSCO SAFELY AND HAVE MET A GOOD GUIDE ARNALDO ALVAREZ AND WE ARE STAYING AT A VERY NICE HOTEL CALLED VALICHA WASI WHICH IS QUECHUA LANGUAGE FOR HOME.

Canadian Icon

2006-04-26T14:35:00.000-06:00

Photo Tip:
Use backlighting when there is some translucence in your subject matter, for example feathers or flower petals. This Canada Goose, a Canadian icon representing Canada to the world, lifts off a pond in the Canadian Rockies as the sun rises and outlines its wings.

Bighorn Sheep

2006-04-26T05:32:00.000-06:00

In spring the bighorn rams are pretty scruffy so composing for a portrait often works better

Eye Level Dipper

2006-04-25T18:12:00.000-06:00

PHOTO-TIP:
Get close and down to your subject's level if possible. For this image I simply sat quietly and motionlessly by a stream and let nature come to me. The dipper came in after about an hour, eyeballed me and then behaved normally when it saw I wasn't a threat.

Dipper Essentials

2006-04-25T18:05:00.000-06:00

Often dippers are seen as just a tiny dark bird at the edge or in the middle of a stream. For most people without binoculars this remains the essential dipper.
PHOTO-TIP:
If you can't get close and don't have a telephoto lens shoot it anyway. No need to be right up in the subject's face or zoomed in tight, sometimes the essence is in the way you would usually see something. Most people who know dippers would recognize it in this scene-the right habitat, posture and shape.

In-Flight Service

2006-04-25T17:57:00.000-06:00

A Dipper brings moss to the nest-building site.
PHOTO TIP: Birds in flight is usually too challenging for autofocus so turn your focus to manual, watch the birds to study their habits and then focus on a pre-determined range. This works if the birds use the same general flight path such as approaching a nest or a perch where they regularly sing. Then wait, and wait, and wait...and shoot and miss, shoot and miss, shoot and miss until you nail it. Another approach is to follow-focus but it's pretty dificult for a small bird such as a dipper.

Coal Creek Morning

2006-04-18T12:15:00.000-06:00

A great morning at Coal Creek in Fernie. Birds singing, honking and generally adding music to the spring sunshine.
Photo Tip:
This one is easy-get up early, wait for sunrise to add its great early light, then let nature come to you.
These birds are (Top) Canada Goose, (Bottom)Barrow's Goldeneye.

Mallard Shape and Shine

2006-04-17T11:44:00.000-06:00

Photo Tip: Shape, shadow, shine, silhouette, spacing and speed. When more than one of these concepts are captured in an image the results are often pleasing, even with common subjects. Next time you see a mallard(northern hemisphere's most numerous and recognizable duck)watch carefully and you will see why it is called a "dabbler". It doesn't dive, it just tips its body, going bottoms up. WHen it comes back upright concentric rings often result, especially in calm water. Reflections(shine) combined with the interesting and recognizable duck shape make an interesting composition.

Speedy PPP

2006-04-15T21:29:00.000-06:00

PPP

2006-04-15T21:06:00.000-06:00

Powder, Pedal, Paddle Panning

2006-04-15T18:46:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to everyone who braved the snow in Fernie today during the Powder Pedal Paddle Race.

Powder, Pedal, Paddle(and Run)

2006-04-15T17:34:00.000-06:00

The annual end of season ritual at the Fernie Ski Hill is a race involving skiing downhill, pedaling a bike into Fernie, paddling a canoe or kayak down the Elk River, then running uphill to the finish line. Here are images of today's race. Send a link to someone you love or a competitor whose image appears here. If anyone wants reprints they can order by email from steve@rockiesnetwork.com

Photo Tip: For an event like this, especially the bike portion, it is ideal to pan the camera at the speed of the subject, especially if it is dull and snowy or rainy. The low light requires a slower shutter speed which emphasizes the blur of the background. If you position yourself at or near the surface of the road then you get the entire bike and tires in the image. Too low an angle can miss the interface of the tires with the road. Too high and the biker seems somewhat squashed.

To emphasize the speed effect use a very slow shutter speed--somewhere around a thirtieth of a second is good for high speed subjects like these cyclists.

Speed! Powder, Pedal, Paddle

2006-04-15T16:57:00.001-06:00

April 15-Fernie B.C. The powder Peddle Paddle race begins at Fernie Skil Hill where competitors ski down the hill then mount their bikes for a ride into Fernie. In Fernie they get into canoes or kayaks and paddle down the Elk River to the take out across from the ski hill entrance. Then they jump out and run uphill to the Day Lodge area of the resort. Most, however, join a team and only do one leg of the event.

These pics are of today's race as the bikers approached the highway. If you know of anyonbe who would like to order reprints of these images contact Steve Short steve@rockiesnetwork.com
or go through the website link for Rockies Images found at the bottom right of this blog's sidebar.

Speed! Powder, Pedal, Paddle

2006-04-15T16:57:00.000-06:00

Aquatic Songbird Silhouettes

2006-04-13T16:57:00.000-06:00

Photo tip:
If the light isn't right then use what you've got. Silhouettes can be effective when the subject is in the shadows like these dippers were. They were actively flying around under a bridge but the day was low-light with alternating hail, rain and snowy periods. Not much chance of sun coming out to shed light on the subjects. The background was fairly bright, however, so I pre-focused on a place that I noticed was a frequent perching post. The metre reading was taken off the background-on Auto then I waited until both birds were in the frame. Remember-shape, shadow, shine, silhouette, spacing and speed are all ideas to keep in mind when out searching for photos.

If you want to know more about birds check the new Birding B.C. link on this blog.

Gear List:Digital Wireless Backyard Photo-blogging

2006-04-08T16:46:00.000-06:00

I almost succeeded in taking a photograph of gear you need to sit in your backyard taking photos and then uploading it to the Web all on battery power BUT:
If you live in Fernie you are subject to fickle mountain weather and the big rain cloud that approached from the ski hill began sprinkling on my laptop just as blogger was uploading the image. I cancelled the upload, shut down windows, gathered up all the gear and made it inside where it was dry-just as it stopped raining.

The gear I used was a Nikon D70 camera and my old Bogen tripod. I hadn't used self-timer on this camera before but it was soon found under shooting mode and easy to accomplish. I then removed the camera compact flash card and loaded the images onto my laptop using Picasa.

In the picture, if it works, is a pair of binoculars handy for identifying birds that I might photograph. Also a list of email addresses that I need to add to my Outlook Express-Jennifer and Billy, my niece and her boyfriend Billy. Notice the plastic bag under the 70-300 telephoto lens--especially important to protect digital gear from dust-even when in their case. I'd caution against letting your digital lenses and cameras be sitting around the house or in the car outside of their cases. Dust gets everywhere eventually so delaying the process can save you having to clean your camera ccd. Some people don't realize that when dust gets inside the camera body during lens changing, with digital the dust spots are actually on the image. With the non-digital cameras dust might get on the mirror and show up in the viewfinder but it did not get on the actual film so it didn't contaminate the image. TImes have changed-keep your gear away from dirt. Digital gear also does not tolerate as much moisture as the "old" SLRs did.

A good case that protects the gear is an essential and it doesn't need to be large or expensive-I bought my waist pack at Sally Ann for a buck. Waterproof and just the right size for camera, cards, spare battery and odds and ends. Binoculars go on the pack belt as does a neoprene waterproof telephoto lens pouch.

Nowadays anyone with a digital camera, wireless computer and a blog can post pictures and stories from their back yard. Now I'm off to photograph some crocus flowers that are growing in our back garden.

African Children's Choir

2006-04-07T22:25:00.000-06:00

Photo Tip: Use available light in indoor situations as an option to flash. Let the motion take over and you might get a lucky shot like this one. The African Children's Choir performed at the United CHurch under stage lights not quite bright enough to freeze the action. I sat the camera on the arm of my chair and let the camera do the rest. The shutter speed was between a quarter and half a second so the movement and bright colours made intereswting patterns. The child's face just happened to stay somewhat still as the movement danced around it giving a spot of order amid the chaos.

I tried flash to freeze the motion in other situations during the performance and it worked well on automatic. Nikon D70 autoflash on Auto setting, handheld from 12 feet, 35mm - 70 mm zoom.

Order Prints to Support the Choir:
We will produce 8X10 reprints for $40.00 and 12X19 enlargements for $100.00. Proceeds to the African Children's Choir. To order prints contact steve@rockiesnetwork.com

Spring Speed

2006-04-04T08:39:00.000-06:00

These geese speed up the Elk River. To capture a sense of speed try panning the camera just like you would track a moving subject through binoculars. If you keep the subject in the centre of the frame and follow it you can take the picture when it is directly in front of you-travelling left to right. The background, which is not moving, gets blurred but the subject is somewhat sharp because the camera is tracking it at the same speed. THis works for racehorse, race cars, sprinters, or any other speeding subject matter. It takes practice. I learned to do it during a decade photographing Thoroughbred racehorses. Try it in low light when the slower shutter speeds will add to the effect.

Photo Tip: Basic military training teaches why things are seen-important for soldiers to know in the field. Shape, shadow, shine, silhouette, spacing and speed are things to look for whether you are searching for the enemy or simply searching for something to photograph. Different applications but same concepts.

Photo Challenge: Try capturing speed when photographing Fernie for the Fernie Image Archive.

Springtime in the Rockies

2006-03-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

Springtime in the Rockies and time to get outside and spread your wings. Remember when you are out looking for images to take, people are great subjects. These two gals are enjoying a fine spring day in Fernie, the most scenic mountain town between Elko and Hosmer.

When you have an interesting foreground(the girls and the car) and an interesting background focus on the foreground and use a wide angle lens to show the background a bit. Ask people to ham it up a bit and they usually will. These make for memorable photos in years ahead.

This month's challenge is FRIENDS. If everyone in Fernie took a picture with a friend or of a friend think of the great collection we'd have by the end of 2006.

Potential great sunset coming so get out an swee the sunset with a friend.

Fernie Sunset Location

2006-03-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

The next time it's late in the day and the clouds begin turning pink or amber or yellow, take a walk down to the Elk River. If you walk along the trail towards the ski hill you will find some beautiful places to take sunset photos. At this time of year the sun goes down over the Lizard Range. Try waiting until after the sun has just dipped below the horizon. Often the best light happens well after the actual sunset.

Did You See The Sunrise?

2006-03-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

This is a panorama of the sunrise on Saturday morning. During the hike up to the location in the near darkness I came across cougar tracks and had that "raised hair on the neck because something is watching you" feeling. It was minus 17 at FasGas and there were no takers of my previous evening's invite to have a "photo shoot" at dawn. No wonder. I froze my fingers but the camera worked fine. I had the camera inside a bag inside my down jacket. Make sure you aren't sweating or overheating so the camera lens doesn't fog up. In cold weather it's advisable to wrap some old ensolite or pipe insulators around the legs of your tripod. Everyone is using a tripod--right?

I hope everyone was out early this morning shooting Fernie. See you out there. Use a tripod.

Fernie-the big picture

2006-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was spectacular in Fernie. Skiing was great, the air was clear, and everyone seemed to be out doing something active. If you were out taking photos with the Fernie Image Archive in mind I hope you had some good shooting opportunities. Of course, they say it's all about Location, Location, Location and we have a fantastic set of choices here in the Elk Valley. Sometimes it's hard to know just where to start.

This weekend I chose to photograph the side of the valley that has the more rugged mountain peaks so I climbed up Fernie Ridge with a friend and we found this great location. The scene was so magnificent that photographs couldn't capture it's beauty but we decided to take a shot at it by creating a panorama.

Photo Tip:
When you get to a great location with great light try taking a series of pictures that are lined up horizontally. Later if you get prints back you can arrange them so they create a much wider scene than you could capture with the single frame from the film. Or if you have a digital camera you can use the software to stitch the separate images together automatically. That's what I did in the image above. Remember to use a polarizing filter to bring out the sky and reduce the glare.

National Geo Eyes

2006-03-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

After a brief hiatus The Fernie Image Archive project is up and running again. I've been to Prince George and Victoria and believe me, we in Fernie have it mighty fine. Clean air and fresh water are not to be underestimated in value.

GEAR NIGHT: FRIDAY 10 MAR
Thanks to College of the Rockies, this image archive project gets to use a classroom at Fernie campus of COTR once each month. This month our group, which is not a camera club, will get together at 6:30 PM at the college.

Bring any camera gear you might like to get rid of, either by trading, selling, or giving it away. Cameras, lenses, straps, bags, filters, and any other camera related stuff will be available. Bring your box of stuff--someone might need it. I know I'm now looking for Nikon gear and selling my wonderful Minolta Maxxum cameras and lenses.

TIME FOR THE ARCHIVE: BRING YOUR IMAGES
Yes it's time to look at any images you have taken that you'd like to have considered for the Fernie Image Archive. Bring images on cd or DVD and I'll bring my projector so we can take a look at what interesting eye candy people have been snapping.

SPRINGTIME IN THE DESERT: SLIDESHOW
The southwest desert and canyon country are favourite getaway locations for Fernieites each spring. THe weather is generally better than here(although not always as last year's group discovered) and the light is spectacular. It reflects off huge bare rock faces and renders fabulous shadows not to mention the spring flowers that whet our photo appetites for our upcoming summer meadows in the Rockies. I've put together a tour of the great locations that I've come to love in the Utah canyons and added the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky(complete with cannons and bells). Come and see this short 15 minute show and perhaps get inspired to shoot more for the Fernie Image Archive.

Re Today's Eyeball Photo:
This Fernieite's eye is beautiful and somewhat reminiscent of the famous National Geographic cover of the young girl with beautiful eyes. When taking pics for yourself or the archive, remember that you too can seek out National Geographic type images. Try looking through old issues of National Geo and look at what kind of pics they publish then try to do similar ones but with Fernie as the focus.

This eye was taken using a Nikon D2 handheld in the natural light filtered through a kitchen window. Let's see how many great eyes we can find for the Fernie Image Bank. So that makes two challenges to work on--the running dog picture and the Fernie Eyeball.

Have a great day everyone. See you Friday at the College-even if you aren't part of this project yet you can still bring some camera gear for the gear swap.

Images of the Year

2006-02-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

I have just sorted out several thousand images and will try to really edit them down later but for now I present the photographer's pics for image of the year.

I'm out of town for two weeks but when I return I'll have a D70 and will give it a public workout. Fernie style. Since many people are changinf cameras and often camera systems (myself, I'm going from Minolta SLR to Nikon digital SLR) I'd like to suggest that we have a gear swap night as part of our next "Not-a-camera-club" meeting in early March.

Happy shooting, enjoy the light.

Fernie Today: The Running Dog Challenge

2006-01-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from the past few days including this morning.

Photo Challenge: one of the hard things to phtograph with small digital cameras is a moving subject. Try to take a picture of a running dog and we'll set up a special category under PETS in the archive.

Remember the meeting on Friday 3 Feb. 6:30ish at the College. Next week's Free Press should have an article about the image archive. I was interviewed by Diane yesterday. She seems very supportive of the idea.

Fernie Faces

2006-01-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

WHEN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES AND PICTURE FERNIE WHAT COMES TO MIND?

Chances are it was one of several familiar views of Fernie that residents have awoken to for generations. Who could not be struck by the light on the mountains first thing in the morning on a crisp winter day? The scenes that appear in our memories and in our mind's when we close our eyes and think of Fernie are the iconic natural skylines that describe the place we see the most.

Imagine if we could capture a year's worth of images of Fernie's favourite skylines and viewscapes at their most awe-inspiring. At dawn, before and after storms, at sunset and even in the middle of the day. If 100 photographers each photographed their favorite 12 scenes of Fernie we'd have a pretty cool collection. If we digitized it and put it on disk and took care of it then we could use it as a benchmark for the future. If 100 photographers took 1 picture every 3 days for a year we'd have 10,000 images.

If even 20 percent of these projections occur then there would still be an image archive growing immediately towards a spectacular collection of Fernie images as the residents of Fernie seei-Fernie through the eyes of the people who lived here in 2006.

Although the favourite image locations of Fernie will vary, many will be features of the skyline, the visually chaotic zone where Fernie's indomitable landscape meets the tempestuous sky. These are the shapes we live with day in day out. They are part of us.

On most lists of favourite icons of Fernie the Three Sisters, Mt. Hosmer, Lizard Range are contenders for Fernie's favourite feature. For many it will be the Ski runs below Griz and Polar Peak. Identifying these features and documenting their light and seasons will be the primary assignment for many of the image archive photographers.

If you intend yo contribute images to the Fernie Image Archive here are a couple of tips, especially for the digital camera users:

PHOTO TIPS
1. When photographing your favourite landscape feature try to frame it so that there are no wires or poles or other distracting elements in the frame.

2. Try getting up early on a clear day and taking a picture when the bright sunlight is halfway down the mountains.

3. Find the +/- symbol on your camera or in your manual and learn how to adjust the exposure to over or under-expose a picture. It's easy. Take one picture at -2 then one at -1 then one at 0 then do the same on the plus side. That's called bracketing.
If you do this you will get at least one that is satisfactorily exposed. In the past photographers had to know f-stops and shutter speeds but these days the digital camera exposure meters are excellent and the bracketing technology is easy to use.

4. Keep your camera level. This is especially hard to do with digital cameras when they are being held at arm's length. If you get home and upload your images but the horizon is crooked, straighten it in Picasa, a free download from Google.

5. Zoom in on the faces within the landscape. In the image above the face of the mountain at the ski hill was far more interesting to me than the entire scene. Later, I zoomed in even more using the cropping tool in Picasa. This image was taken with a point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix at 5 megapixels. Even with being hand-held(which compromises sharpness), despite zooming in 8x(which exagerates camera shake), and with a severe crop afterwards, it is still a pretty interesting image. The critical element is the face itself with the patterns the light makes on the face being secondary.

ASSIGNMENT: In 2006 try getting photographs of all the landscapes that define Fernie for you, and remember to zoom in to the mountainfaces of Fernie. When you are around people try to get them to let you photograph them for the archive. We don't currently have a place where there is a record of the faces of the folks in Fernie. This is a critical segment of the archive because it is the people who bring the story to life and in a hundred years people can see who lived here. We'll all be dead of course.

Remember the meeting on Feb. 3 before beer around 6:30 at the College. See you there with your images on disk. I'll bring my laptop and digital projector and we can look at some pictures and discuss how to avoid being a club.

PHOTO-OP Today is Aussie Day and also one of the best photo ops of the year. It's amazing how much fun Aussies can have when they get drunk with Canadians and New Zealanders. If you are out and about on Aussie Day late at night you will have some great photo ops. Have a good night, be safe and carry a camera.

Fernie: The snow comes

2006-01-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

What an amazing 48 hours of snowfall, skies, sun, parties and generally intense photo opportunities. It started with a wonderful good old fashioned Fernie foot-and-a-half overnight dump of fluff. Then breaking skies illuminating the Lizard Range and we woke up to everything covered in fresh white stuff. Everyone who could was out making tracks in it. Here's a few samples of the last 48 hours in Fernie.

There will be a meeting of all photographers at the College on Frieday Feb 3 6:30 pm

We'll submit images of the year for 2005 and January images for the image archive. We'll also discuss how to organize the image archive.

Image Archive Goes to College

2006-01-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

This morning dawn broke with beautiful hues of pink and blue, but only for a couple of minutes. If you had your camera ready and were somewhere with a good view of the eastern horizon you might have captured this fleeting natural beauty moment. The image above was taken at our Location #1-the bridge over Coal Creek near the old horse barn.

If you were at the photography course last week you might now have Picasa on your computer, in which case you could do what I did to create the image above. I took the picture by pointing the camera at the brightest part of the sky, slightly depressing the shutter button to let the metre adjust for the nice pink light. Then, without releasing the button, recomposed the image to include the foreground creek. Since the camera was exposing for the sky, the dark foreground was too dark. I simply opened the image in Picasa, brightened the foreground using the fill light slider. That made the sky too bright so I used Picasa again, this time using the effects menu and applying a graduated tint to the sky only. Voila, a nicely exposed, balanced image pretty close to what I saw this morning.

Regarding the College: If you are part of the Image Archive Project then you already know we are trying to assemble a collection of Fernie images this year. We are going to try to use the College of the Rockies as a meeting place monthly to gather your images and select the ones for the image bank. We will also provide tips and useful photography related subjects with guest presenters and contests. If you are interested in attending let me know. If you have any other suggestions about how we can breathe some life into the Fernie photography scene you can email me or add a comment at the end of this entry. The Photography Club at the Arts Station no longer exists so I'm trying to establish a new forum/group using this project as the motivator.

Anyone who can attend a meeting regarding this on Friday February 3 at the College of the Rockies in Fernie please email me. If I can get 10 people out of the 32 photographers who have indicated they will participate in the archive project then we will book the room.

Bring your best pics of 2005, even if you don't think they are that good. Perhaps we can tinker with them and turn some mediocre images into outstanding ones using Picasa.

Thanks for your interest and thanks to the College of the Rockies for their support of this project. The photography course raised enough money to provide food for our Masai warrior for two months-Lepapa Nengeliai is a 20-year-old Masai who the people of Fernie are helping. Lepapa is enrolled in Community Development studies at college in Arusha, Tanzania.

Avalanches in Fernie

2006-01-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

For the second time in two weeks Fernie Alpine Resort was hit by avalanche after several days of heavy snow. Last night at 3:53 pm a search and rescue was initiated as a result of a slide that swept down Arrow run shortly before the end of the ski day. Eyewitnesses reported up to 9 people being knocked off their feet and carried downhill. Although one person was partially buried, all involved in the accident were able to free themselves or remained on the surface of the slide. Fernie Search and Rescue assisted in a large probe operation to determine if there were any other victims buried. The search was called off shortly before 6 pm.

In the photo above Fernie Search and Rescue members use a transceiver in an exercise recently to practise finding buried victims of a slide. Remember to wear a transceiver if you are travelling in the back country and even if on a ski hill with avalanche control why not wear a transceiver if you have one.

Another good tip is to become a member of Fernie Search and Rescue to receive free outdoor safety training.

Short Photo Course: We will be conducting a short course in photography from 7-9 pm at College of the Rockies in Fernie this Thursday. The course will cover tips and tricks to quickly start taking great photos. Bring your camera and its user manual to room 115 at the college. We will present a short slideshow, answer questions regarding how to improve your photography, and introduce the Fernie Image Archive project.

Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students. Proceeds go to the fund for the Maasai warrior who is being put through college in Tanzania and the Kilimanjaro porters project.

Could You Survive?

2006-01-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

As an outdoor photographer you are probably involved in a variety of activities that take you closer to nature. Skiing, snowshoeing, hiking get photographers into some of the more beautiful and inspiring places around Fernie, especially those a little off the beaten track. If you venture out alone or into some of the wilderness we enjoy having near town, you must be prepared in case you get lost, injured or simply get caught by darkness. What if you had to survive a night out with just what you have with you-clothing and contents of your daypack or camera bag?

Survival test: You are caught by darkness and face spending a cold night out in subalpine, lightly forested terrain. It's winter and temperatures are expected to fall to -5 C overnight. The snowpack is a metre to two metres deep.

Which 5 items from the following list would you like to have with you?

Extra Food and water Map and Compass Large orange plastic garbage bag

Extra clothing Sunscreen Waterproof matches/lighter Pocket knife

Candle First aid kit Flashlight Ensolite pad Projectile flares

Tarp 15 metres nylon tent cord Whistle Firestarter Cell phone

Use the comments tab below to submit your answer.

The photo above shows ice floating down the Elk River through Fernie. Imagine if you fell in, were able to get out safely, then had to spend the night out. Could you survive with what you usually carry in your day pack? To receive free training in survival, rescue, and other outdoor skills join Fernie Search and Rescue. Come to the Avalanche awareness days at the Fernie Alpine Resort January 14 and 15 to find out more.

Million Dollar View

2006-01-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

This morning in Fernie we were treated to a light show on the Lizard Range as dawn broke through breaking cloudcover.

This image was taken with a point-and-shoot digital camera. A tip for photographing this kind of extreme light: Find the +/- setting on your camera. This setting automatically over or under exposes your image. It should be set to underexpose to ensure that the highlight gets a bit of detail in it. This also makes a dark sky appear very dramatic and is especially useful to photograph patches of sunlight on the landscape. Experiment with it. This setting was an under exposure of -1.

If anyone would be interested in registering for a 2-Hour photography workshop please let me know. I'll register the first 20 people. State your preference for which evening of the week.

have a great day. If you lived in Fernie you could be watching an incredible snow-covered mountain range clearing against a blue sky. What a day for skiing, snowshoeing or anything else in the outdoors. Maybe even some photography.

Castle Mountain

2006-01-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

A variety of locations around Fernie will be photographed frequently during 2006 as we create an image bank of Fernie photo locations. This location is Location 1, for the purposes of the project. It is at the bridge over Coal Creek near the old barn and the view is of Coal Creek and Castle Mountain.

This location is also a good place to see the American Dipper, an aquatic songbird that dives into whitewater even when the temperature is well below freezing. You might spot a slate grey bird smaller than a robin but bigger than a sparrow. Dippers feed primarily on insects and stay around Fernie all year.

To see a picture of a dipper feeding its young visit my portfolio website at www.rockiesimages.com

It's No Joke- Snow in Fernie

2006-01-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year. Rewards come to those who are patient. Here is the crew at FasGas clearing the several cm of snow that fell overnight in Fernie. If you live in Fernie then you can take advantage of it while it's fresh. if you visit you take your chances but the chances are good you'll get some fresh stuff this week.

If you are taking pics for the Fernie Image Bank remember to get pics of the impact of snow on Fernie. For this pic I used a small digital camera set on Auto with the flash turned on. Just make sure your subjects are close enough to receive some light from the flash. The snowflakes will bounce some of it back to the camera, tending to make the background dark but if you use a brightly lit location such as this one then you will still get some detail in the background.

If ten photographers each take one picture per day then we'll have a collection of 3650 images by the end of 2006. So far we have 32 people who have committed to contribute to the project.

Re the Pics-of-the-Year contest for 2005-we are extending the deadline to Jan. 15. Photographers can submit up to 5 pics in 2 categories. The categories are "Fernie " and "Travel".

Remember to email this page to friends and family and people who might consider moving to Fernie.

Waxwing Feeding Frenzy

2005-12-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

I stalked the clouds of waxwings that were flying around the mountain ash trees in the neighbourhood. I waited under dripping eaves and crouched behind small cars lying in wait. Finally they descended but the picture I took was really poor. Couldn't see any wawings and couldn't tell what it was about. Then I came inside the house and Bernie said that she had taken a good shot out the bedroom window. Here it is-Bernie Palmer's New Year's Eve waxwing shot.

Thanks to everyone who has been sending in last minute entries for the Fernie Pic of the Year and the Fernie Traveller Pic of the Year. We now have more entries than prizes. Any business that wants to add a prize can do it up until the camera club meeting in January when the finalists will be reviewed and displayed. The grand prize is still available for sponsorship.

Last Chance to Make an Impact

2005-12-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

A flurry of entries in the First Annual Fernie Image Archive Pic of the Year Challenge has arrived at our secret location. Thanks to T. Nelson, K.White, B. Coultry, S. Staplin's fantastic entries there is now competition for a growing list of prizes. We now have more prizes than entries. This morning we received confirmation that FasGas is sponsoring a prize in the form of a cup of coffee at one of Fernie's finest locations. Simon over at the Fernie Hotel has raised the prize stakes with a pitcher of beer and order of wings. Thanks to both Fernie businesses.

Enter now. Become an award-winning photographer. Get published. Picture Fernie. Participate in the first ever contest to collect cool images taken by Fernie Photographers of our incredible place.

Important notice to photographers: We are compelled to increase the total number of images you can enter in the Pic of the Year contest. The new maximum is 5(five, cinq, cinquo) images. If you have already entered 1 then you can send 4 more.

Congratulations to all entrants to date.

Cheers from Fernie. Mid-day report light snow falling. Looking good.

For Portraits get a Relaxed Subject

2005-12-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

Try to relax your subject by giving him a prop of some kind. Or a hat. Once the portrait subject relaxes they can get rid of their "camera smile" as seen in the accompanying image.
Remember, one more day to submit your images to the ever expanding Fernie Picture of the Year Contest.

email me your Fernie jpg--One image only, please. steve@rockiesnetwork.com
For ideas visit my website www.rockiesimages.com

Add this blog to your favourites and check it each day for Photo ops, tips, contests and an update on the Fernie Image Archive project.

Fernie Snow Guage

2005-12-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

The snow didn't last as long as hoped so these snowberries show how much snow fell at Second Ave in Fernie overnight. Now that everyone has had a couple of days to read their camera manuals here are some quick tips to good photos. The snowberries above are composed in a modified rule of thirds style. You can find the vertical and horizontal intersection points of interest if you imagine a tic-tac-toe grid laid over the image. Some of the new cameras have a grid built right into the viewfinder. Tip 1: try to hold the camera as steady as possible and keep horizontal lines such as horizons, perfectly level. Tip 2: Don't get too involved with exposure mode settings and things you would have to adjust with a film camera. Set it on automatic and look at what you get. Is it in focus?(sometimes hard to tell with a digital camera due to bright light on the LCD screen. Is it what I visualized? What is the one-word description of my image?
Try it on the snowberry image above. Is it an image of snow? Berries? A face?

Just go out and shoot and remember that there are 72 hours left to submit a jpg to my email for the Fernie Pic-of-the-Year photo. Think of the prestige. Think of the prizes.

Check my website for some image ideas www.rockiesimages.com

e-mail 1 (one) and only 1(one, uno, une) image to me before midnight New Year's Eve to enter.
steve@rockiesnetwork.com

6 P.M. Snow Report

2005-12-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

These two Swedish visitors had a great day skiing and now they are even happier that we have snow falling in Fernie. Tomorrow is a good day to be in Fernie. Get out the cameras to capture the happy snow faces that appear when we get a magic dusting. Hopefully all photographers in Fernie were out this morning to capture the outstanding light on Three Sisters. I'll put one of mine up soon.

Photo tip: This pic was taken at dusk on automatic with an old Nikon coolpix 990.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Ho, Ho, Ho,.
So many digital cameras and accessories were dropped off last night that everyone will be able to take great pictures today. So here's a photo tip for Christmas Day. Now that you have a good camera you can immediately begin to take good pics by setting it on Auto and framing your composition using the "Rule of Thirds". Remember that rules can be broken, bent, and disregarded. Here is my interpretation of the rule of thirds, taken at the old barn on Coal Creek, near Fernie, B.C.

Legendary Powder

2005-12-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Get it while you can. If you can get up high enough you can taste some of the Elk Valley's legendary powder but you have to get here before it's gone. Townsfolk are dealing with the wet and slippery conditions. It's good for downtown business as people make last minute shopping a priority over going skiing or snowshoeing. Everyone should start watching the avalanche conditions if planning a trip out of bounds or into uncontrolled back country terrain. This image is Second Avenue this morning. Photographers need to try extra hard to find inspiration and should remember that digital cameras don't like the moisture. Might be time to bring out my old Minolta Maxxum 35 mm in these conditions. Hopefully Santa will deliver plenty of digital cameras to Fernie homes tonight and the Fernie Project will be able to recruit som more photographers. Officially the project begins New Year's Day, January 1, 2006. If you know of a photographer living in Fernie who might like to participate send them this web page. Make sure you add it to your favourites so you can check for updates.

A Christmas Robin

2005-12-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

This robin was found soaking wet, feeding on a few remnant mountain ash berries on Second Avenue in Fernie this morning. He appeared very weak, and was more concerned about getting to a few mountain ash berries remaining on this bush than of the photographer's presence.

Christmas Bird Count

2005-12-23T06:54:00.000-07:00

A week ago, in bitterly cold, clear conditions, more than a dozen Fernie birders participated in the first annual Fernie Christmas Bird Count. 40 species of birds were found, more species than had been expected. Bob Livsey, was the driving force who organized it -congratulations Bob. The count was deemed a success by all participants, despite the cold conditions. This bald eagle was one of the star attractions. He and at least two other eagles have been wintering in the Coal Creek area and travellers on Coal Creek Road often see one of these great birds perched high in a lookout tree, usually a cottonwood, near the transfer station. Kevin McIsaac also saw a pygmy owl in the area about ten days ago and got a super photo of it. All photographers participating in the Fernie Project 2006 should keep an eye out for bird photo ops. Documenting our local wildlife will be one of the goals of the archive. Register as a member of the photography team for the Fernie Archive by sending me your favourite Fernie Photo for 2005. I'll choose three for prizes.
Speaking of prizes, we now have prizes donated by Freshies, Mugshots Bistro, Butch-Mike-Luc-L'wren Coultry, and Polar Peek Books on 2nd( Laura Nelson has kindly donated a $15.00 gift certificate )

The Lizard Range

2005-12-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

The Lizard Range at first light. The Lizard Range is home of the ski area formerly known as Fernie Snow Valley. Since a large corporation bought the hill out from local interests, the legendary Fernie powder snow has been less reliable but it isn't as bad as rumours have it. If you live in Fernie then when the big dumps happen you can take advantage of them before the word gets out or the rain starts. Today it is pouring rain in downtown Fernie but there is apparently snow falling halfway up the ski area. Besides, there is more to Fernie than just a ski hill. It's a great town with a fabulous downtown, a modern swimming pool, community centre, and a rock'e-sock'em hockey team.

As one of the outstanding skyline features of Fernie, there will certainly be many images of the Lizard Range in the image archive by the end of 2006. It catches the first light of day and gives us great sunset opportunities. Not today probably, but perhaps tomorrow.

The Classic Fernie Image

2005-12-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

This image of downtown Fernie looks south along 2nd Ave. towards the ski hill. Beautiful old buildings, some a century old, add to the appeal of this image. Rolling Stone, Beautiful BC, and many other publications have used it to represent this great mountain town. The Fernie Image Archive will incorporate a series of images taken from this location during the year under differing lighting conditions and seasonal variations.

Fernie Nestled

2005-12-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

In the southeast corner of British Columbia the mountain town of Fernie(pop. 4300) lies nestled in the Canadian Rockies.

This image, taken at first light in October, shows Mt. Fernie and Three Sisters, two of the peaks that rise to command the northern skyline.

Fernie's setting is truly spectacular, to say the least. One of the last great wild trout rivers, the Elk River, runs right through town.